So here’s another “funny Friday” video to start your weekend off with a smile.

This time, the star of the show is another feline who demonstrates there’s nothing to fear in taking a long, cool shower…under the kitchen sink tap!

Who else has a cat that goes against the grain and loves water? It would be great to hear your stories.

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Entertainment systems are typically the biggest energy drains in the house, consuming electricity 24/7. It is estimated that, left on standby, one system could be costing approximately £60 per year.

Belkin’s recently introduced a range of “Conserve” products could help this issue of wasted energy and increased electricity bills. Take a look at the Conserve Smart AV™ Auto-Off Surge Protector as a solution for your entertainment equipment.

We also particularly like the “Conserve Socket”, a portable socket that includes a timer which automatically switches the power off after a selected time interval – 30 minutes, 3 hours, or 6 hours. This prevents items such as electric toothbrushes or chargers for mobile phones, power tools or digital cameras to be left on charge unnecessarily.

This new collection of energy efficient products is available from high street retailers.

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Manufactured in brushed stainless steel, the Hot Box is an innovative box and matching shelf  combination radiator system. The compact design gives free reign to create any number of horizontal, vertical or even diagonal permutations to suit the available space and drying demands.

As with most designer products these radiators come with a designer price tag: around £1,000 per unit.

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) has created an interactive child friendly site to help young ones learn about electricity in a fun and exciting way.

The ESC is a UK charity dedicated to keeping people safe by reducing the risk of electrical accidents around the home and in the work place.

So make sure your kids know all about the dangers of electricity and how to stay safe by clicking on the image below (turn up the sound on your computer too).

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Fitting the eTRV

The unit is very easy to install and setup. Simply remove your existing TRV head, fit the eTRV to the appropriate supplied base-ring and spacer (compatible with either existing 28mm or 30mm valves on your radiator). Then screw the unit to the radiator valve, vertically or horizontally, depending on the way the existing valve was pointing.

The manufacturer claims that the eTRV is compatible with thermostatic valves made by Barlo, Braukmann, Drayron, Honeywell, Landis & Gyr DuoGyr, Myson, Pegler, Regis (B&Q), Siemens and many others. It is also compatible with Danfoss RA, RAV or RAVL valves, but special adaptors will need to be fitted (not supplied as standard).

Before: standard mechanical Myson TRV

In our case, we replaced a Myson valve with an eTRV.

Programming the eTRV

Next, pop the supplied batteries into the remote control and the eTRV unit. The unit will start to function straight away as it comes with pre-programmed temperature and control settings stored in its memory. You can also program your eTRV to suit your own requirements for that individual room.

The eTRV has some simple energy saving features (1-hour boost, Sleep etc) and an intuitive remote control.

With 4 programmable temperature levels (Off, Low, Economy or Comfort) and a built-in 7 day timer with 3 daily heating customisable programmes every day, the eTRV gives you plenty of options. For example, you could heat a bedroom to a Comfort level in the morning, and to an Economy level in the evening. And turn the heating to Low levels or Off during the day when not in use, while still heating other rooms in the house.

eTRV remote control

Use the small, handy remote control to operate the eTRV and check its settings, such as the actual room temperature.

We believe that the remote control will be beneficial to users with back problems or mobility issues as it reduces the need to bend over to check or adjust the temperature on radiators.
 

Accurate temperature control

Designed to limit wasteful overheating of rooms, the eTRV has two embedded sensors working together (one monitoring the temperature of the water entering the radiator, one monitoring the ambient temperature of the room) to maximise the temperature control. This is a big improvement on standard mechanical TRVs.

Save potentially up to 25% off the cost of your heating bill

The British manufacturer of these new eTRV devices claims that if one is installed on each radiator in a property it could save the average UK household up to 25% off the cost of its heating bill.

Furthermore, general consumer advice suggests a 1°C reduction in thermostat settings can result in energy savings of up to 10%.

Other benefits

The eTRV “exercises” the valve weekly, which prolongs the valve’s life: some radiator valves can get stuck after long periods without moving.

And if buying British is important to you, then the eTRV has been developed, designed,  patented and manufactured in the UK.

Cost of an eTRV

At the time of writing this blog, an eTRV costs approximately £60 and a remote control £12.
If you would like Chez-Vous Property Services to source and supply eTRVs for you, please contact us.

And finally!

Here’s budding young presenter Daniel to explain that installing an eTRV really is as simple as child’s play!

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Illuminated mirrors normally require an electrical connection. If this connection is already not present, then a qualified electrician has to be hired in order to add the power source.

Thus, the total cost can easily escalate. Especially if damage to the decor needs to repaired (tiles removed, paintwork damaged, etc.) following installation of the electrical cable.

At Chez-Vous Property Services we really like HiB’s latest innovation. As much as we love to be given electrical jobs to do by our clients, we appreciate that there is a place for solutions that don’t require electricity or installation costs. Since these new mirrors don’t require any wiring they can be hung almost anywhere in the bathroom or cloakroom. And did we mention the installation cost savings benefits?

The manufacturer claims that the 6-cell re-chargeable battery pack has a 30 to 35 hour life under normal circumstances and that it can be recharged up to 1,000 times. The battery pack simply slides out of a discreet slot in the side of the mirror and can be swiftly re-charged using a remote unit that is included with the mirror.

Three models (supplied complete with rechargeable battery pack and charger) are available: Oliver (H60 x W45 x D5.5cm), Vinni (H70 x W50 x D5.5cm) and Henry (H50 x W80 x D5.5cm). The HiB catalogue prices start at around £298 (as of February 2011).

If you would like Chez-Vous Property Services to source and supply, or if required hang, an illuminated LED battery powered bathroom mirror for you, please contact us.

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in or around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

We are used to seeing guide dogs, sniffer dogs and sheep dogs! Maybe plumber cats could be next?

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

So what can you do to prepare in advance for such an undesirable situation or to make things a little easier if the gas boiler packs up?

At Chez-Vous Property Services we recommend that:

• You should invest in at least one small electrical portable radiator or fan heater or convector, and keep it accessible. Fan heaters start from around £15.
• If you have a hot water cylinder (normally in your airing cupboard) check whether you have an immersion heater. Verify that its electrics are connected and that it is in working order. This will enable you to heat the water to your taps and shower until your boiler is repaired.
• You get to know a good local heating company and keep their number handy.

And given that prevention is better than a cure, have your gas boiler serviced once a year and arrange a health check for your central heating system before winter arrives!

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

The eTRV, a simple to install DIY kit, is retrofitted to most radiators which have existing TRVs in place, and regulates your domestic central heating performance. TRVs are the mechanical devices with digits connected to your radiator that you turn clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust the required temperature for each room.

The British manufacturer of these new eTRV devices claims that if one is installed on each radiator in the property it could save the average UK household up to 25% off the cost of its heating bill.

Always on the lookout for simple, cost-effective and easy to implement solutions for our clients, Chez-Vous Property Services has decided to test a unit and then share our findings on its usability with you. If we like the device, then we’ll be happy to recommend it.

Update: read about our evaluation of the eTRV unit: Reviewing the new electronic Thermostatic Radiator Valve (eTRV) – Part 2

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Thursday: “Kids break en-suite basin. Water leaks through ceiling to downstairs bathroom.”

Friday: “David fixes en-suite basin. David re-plasters downstairs bathroom. Filter valve breaks off under-sink filter unit. Water floods kitchen.”

Saturday: “David fixes filter valve on under-sink filter unit. Tap breaks on under-sink filter unit. David fixes tap on under-sink filter unit but in doing so floods kitchen. Cold water gone from en-suite toilet and tap. Meadhbh’s wallet goes missing in town. Bank inadvertently cancels both Meadhbh’s card and mine. Both credit cards also cancelled.”

Sunday: “Water leaks though ceiling to downstairs bathroom. David fixes leak in hot water tap pipe to en-suite basin. Cold water still gone from en-suite toilet and tap. In effort to relieve perceived air-lock, disconnect pipe in hot press. Water floods downstairs bathroom. Re-connect pipe. Cold water still gone from en-suite toilet and tap. Filter valve breaks off under sink filter unit. Water floods kitchen.”

Monday: “Coffee machine breaks. Coffee-coloured water floods kitchen. De-scaling coffee machine results in descaler-coloured water flooding kitchen. Woman calls to say she found Meadhbh’s wallet.”
 
Tuesday: “Today is my birthday. Happy Birthday to me. I am 40. Car won’t start. Meadhbh tells me I look pale. Just managed to bring water back to the en-suite by turning on the tap in the bath downstairs. Go figure. All leaks are fixed, new filter valve arrives today. All good. Everyday’s a holiday in this house.”

A friend comments to David: “Happy Birthday, Dave! Good weekend then? Oops, sorry! Couldn’t resist. Seriously, hope that next weekend will be so good that it will put the colour back in your cheeks. Just make sure you’re careful when you blow out the 40 candles x
David replies: “Next weekend will the best weekend I’ve had in my forties. Definitely.”

Laurent Stadelmann from Chez-Vous Property Services comments to David: Joyeux anniversaire, David! I usually write “I hope you have had a great day”, but I can’t, based on the saga of the last few days. I am sure it has been an experience you won’t forget. J’espère que les prochains jours vont s’améliorer [translation from French: I hope that the following days will be better]. Cheers, Laurent.
David replies: “Could have done with some of your expertise on Saturday all right. Things have calmed down considerably since. Coffee machine’s still bust though. Caffeine withdrawal is never pleasant.”

David and Meadhbh, we hope that you won’t have to experience such a saga of plumbing problems ever again.

What has been your worst plumbing experience?

Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in or around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in  East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.