Tips and advice

How to remove stains?

Water is the most efficient stain removal ever. You also need detergents and a washing machine, but there are times when and a few good methods or ingenious ideas will do the trick!

How to get rid of persistent stains?

First select the type of stain than the type of material to find the method of cleaning.

How to save water?

The following tips may seem obvious, but it is still worth mentioning them again and again:

• do not leave the water running while you are brushing your teeth,
• when you take a shower on average you use about half the amount of water than you use when you have a bath,
• use a sponge and a bucket of water to wash your car rather than a continuous jet of water.

Economical cistern

Today there are cisterns adjusting water use to the demands. With one single action you may save several litres of water.

Average water use in households is the following:

Only 7% of daily water consumption is used for drinking and cooking, and 93% of it is used for cleaning and washing.

Water your garden whenever and wherever it is necessary

A clever watering system can be set up by daily or weekly programming. Fit the device on the top of the tap, and time watering in the hours after sunset by this avoiding evaporation. By using drip-watering you can direct water right to the stem of the plants, exactly where it is needed.

Economical washing machines

Without using the pre-wash program the amount of water used when washing at 60°C is only 72 litres now as compared to the average amount of 112 litres. Considering three washes a week you save about 6 m³ of water.

Efficient dishwashers

During the last fifteen years the water demand of dishwashers dropped from 60 litres to 25 litres due to the development of water filter systems. It is worth knowing that in the case of a family of four a dishwasher uses less water than the water used by the members of the family, when each of them washes up their own dishes by hand.

Economical and practical taps

Mixer taps provide a good solution to restrict the use of water. They have one single lever for turning the tap on and off and for regulating both the amount and the temperature of the water coming out. If the water pressure is too high at the taps, fit a pressure regulator.

How to mend it?

Dripping taps and leaking cisterns are not only annoying, but also expensive in the long run! In the majority of cases they can be repaired easily.

Warning! Before you start work, remember to turn off the water at the water meter or at the valve that is the nearest to the drip!

What needs to be done about taps leaking at the handle?

This type of leaking appears when the tap is on. In most cases it is enough to tighten the top screw at the handle (regulating valve). If the dripping does not stop, the seal of the tap needs to be replaced.

1. Undo the screw completely and take the handle off the spindle.

2. Use a metal rod to take off the worn seal.

3. Replace it with coiled Teflon® cord or with a new seal.

4. Screw the valve back on and return the handle to its place.

What needs to be done about dripping taps?

When a tap is dripping, it is due to the fact that the tap valve wears away after years of use. In this case that tap needs to be replaced.

There is a rubber ring inside the tap, below the handle.

1. Block the plug to make sure that you do not lose any parts.

2. Unscrew the screw holding the handle in its place.

3. Remove the handle.

4. Remove the head above the valve.

5. Remove the valve, replace it and put the handle back in its place.

How to mend leaking pipes?

1. Clean off the pipe to find out exactly where the leak is.
2. Seal the leak with self-bonding tape (in the case of metal pipes) or with a piece of rubber (valve rubber) held by two gripping rings (in the case of plastic pipes).

How to mend leaking cisterns?

In most cases leaking appears at the seal between the toilet and the cistern.

How to replace it?

1. Turn off the water input valve and empty the cistern.
2. Undo the screws on the cistern and remove the cistern by unscrewing the fixing screws behind the toilet.

In other cases:

• Cisterns may also leak due to overflowing. In this case all you need to do is to slide the float along the bar, and if the float cannot be adjusted in this way, then bend the bar slightly.
• If the float remains permanently at the bottom of the cistern, then it is most likely that there is a hole in it. Remove it and replace it.
• The cistern keeps filling even when it is full and the float is not in the water any more. The water leaks due to overflowing. Check the inlet valve. Replace it, if necessary.