Plumbing & Heating Services In Grantham
I offer a full range of plumbing and heating services across Grantham and the surrounding villages, covering everything from a dripping tap through to a complete central heating system installation.
Central Heating Systems
Choosing the right central heating system depends on your property rather than personal preference. A combi boiler heats water on demand and works well for smaller homes with lower hot water needs, since there is no cylinder or tank to find space for.
A system boiler stores hot water in a cylinder and copes better with larger households or more than one bathroom. A regular boiler, also called a conventional boiler, uses both a cylinder and a cold water tank and tends to suit older properties already plumbed that way.
I can design and install a new system from scratch, convert your property from one system type to another, or simply replace what you already have on a direct basis.
Radiator upgrades, pipework redesigns and full power flushes are all part of this service too.
Thermaskirt Heating
Thermaskirt is a slimline heating system that replaces your skirting boards and radiators with a single, low profile unit that runs around the base of each room. Warm water passes through the unit rather than a traditional radiator, and because the heat is released close to the floor, rooms tend to warm up evenly rather than in the usual hot patch near the radiator and cold patch everywhere else.
It suits a wide range of properties, from new builds and extensions to loft conversions and conservatories, and it will run from most common heat sources including gas and oil condensing boilers, electric boilers, ground and air source heat pumps, and solar panels.
It is available in a range of profiles and colours so it blends into the room rather than standing out. I can advise on whether Thermaskirt is a sensible fit for your property during a free site visit, since the layout of your walls and existing pipework both affect how straightforward the installation will be.
MagnaClean Filters
A MagnaClean filter is a magnetic device fitted to your central heating pipework, usually just before the boiler, that captures iron oxide sludge, rust and debris as water circulates around your system. Left unchecked, this sludge is one of the most common causes of cold spots on radiators, noisy pipework and reduced boiler efficiency, and it is a leading cause of premature boiler failure.
I can fit a MagnaClean filter to a brand new boiler installation or retrofit one to an existing system, and it takes a few hours to install properly, including draining and isolating the system beforehand.
Once fitted, it needs very little attention. I clean it out as part of your annual boiler service, which takes only a few extra minutes and keeps the filter working as it should. Fitting one alongside a new boiler is inexpensive and well worth doing, since it protects a costly investment for a relatively small outlay.
Hot Water Boiling Taps
I supply and install boiling water taps from Quooker, the original inventor of the instant boiling water tap. Quooker taps deliver hot, cold and boiling water from a single fitting, with some models also offering filtered and sparkling water. You can choose a separate boiling water tap alongside your existing mixer, or a combined tap that handles hot, cold and boiling water in one unit.
Running costs are lower than most people expect, since the tank sits on standby using roughly the same power as a home broadband router, with the actual boiling water adding only a small amount on top.
In hard water areas (which covers a good part of Lincolnshire), I would always recommend fitting a scale control cartridge alongside the tap to protect it from limescale, since this is the main thing that affects performance over time.
Installation typically takes a few hours and includes fitting the tank under your sink, connecting the water supply and wiring in a dedicated power point.
Underfloor Heating
As an approved installer for Continental Underfloor Heating, I supply and fit underfloor heating at competitive prices. There are two main types. Wet underfloor heating circulates warm water through pipework connected to your boiler, and it is the better choice for whole rooms or whole properties, since it runs at a lower temperature than radiators and is genuinely cheap to run once installed.
Electric underfloor heating uses cables or mats and is simpler and quicker to fit, which makes it a popular choice for a single bathroom or kitchen retrofit, though it costs more to run over a large area.
Underfloor heating can be fitted beneath most flooring types, including tile, carpet, hardwood, vinyl and floating floors, and it works well in both new builds and renovations.
Hot Water Cylinders: Vented / Unvented
I supply and fit both vented and unvented hot water cylinders, which suit different homes for different reasons. A vented cylinder relies on a cold water tank in the loft to provide pressure, and it remains a solid, simple option (particularly where mains pressure is not especially strong).
An unvented cylinder connects straight to the mains, does away with the loft tank altogether, and delivers stronger, more consistent pressure to every tap and shower in the house, which makes it a popular choice for larger homes or properties with more than one bathroom.
Oil Boilers
As an OFTEC registered engineer, I install, service and repair oil fired boilers for homes across Grantham that sit off the mains gas network. This covers everything from a straightforward annual service through to a full boiler replacement, and I carry parts for the systems I work on most often so I can get to the bottom of a fault quickly when something goes wrong.
Oil systems need a slightly different level of care to gas boilers, since the burner, nozzle and filter all need proper cleaning to keep everything running safely and efficiently. More information about oil boilers.