Moving home? Our plumbers' top tips

WaterSafe, the UK national accreditation body for approved plumbers, has created a quick and easy five-step guide for new home owners to check their plumbing is in tip top condition.

The scheme has launched a Moving House campaign to guide new home buyers on what they should look out for in their new home when it comes to plumbing, pipes, taps and fittings.

The campaign has been launched to coincide with the housing market’s summer time boom in sales.

The guide was put together following a survey with WaterSafe approved plumbers to find out the most common problems they get called to help with and their top advice.

The survey revealed the plumbers’ top five tips are:

• Find your internal stop tap - where your water supply comes into your home - you may need to turn the water off in an emergency
• Check the boiler’s service history and that there is a lid on the cold water tank (usually in the loft) - and always use a Gas Safe registered engineer for servicing.
• Look out for leaky taps, toilets and radiators – tell-tale signs are low water pressure, rust and water stains on the floors or carpets, or mould on ceilings and walls
• Find out if your home has any lead water pipes – these are shiny when scraped with a screwdriver. Lead can be harmful so it’s a good idea to replace these
• Check if you have a water meter – as you’ll be billed for the amount of water you use if you do. it’s usually in the ground outside the front of your home, or inside near the stop tap.

Julie Spinks, Director of WaterSafe, said: “There’s lots to think about when you’ve just moved into a new home, but our campaign is about making it easy for people to check the plumbing basics.

“That campaign advice is based on the invaluable experience of our approved plumbers who are often the first port of call when there is a problem – particularly for issues like finding and turning off the stop tap when there’s a water leak.

“We would urge home buyers to follow our top plumbing tips about what to look out for so they can ensure their plumbing is working as it should and keeping their tap water fresh and healthy.”

For more free plumbing advice from WaterSafe, go to  watersafe.org.uk/movinghouse.