Vlog

• Fowler Toilets have been around for many years and on the rare occasion we get to see some great antiques still in action.
• If you have one of these systems, this video will show you how to remove the lid to check inside the cistern. It’s not hard but there’s a little trick to it.
• Old or New, Plumbdog have All The Gear and Every Idea! We’re your Perth Plumber!

Old Antique Toilet Cisterns

Our plumbing concern for this video is going to take us back in time, as Darius shows how to service an old-style cistern.  He arrives at the property to service a leaking toilet suite. He will fix an old-style Fowler suite; these types of style came out around the 1970s to the 80s. As you can imagine this is pretty much rare to see these days, so this is indeed a treat!

How To Open Fowler Toilet Cistern From 70’s/80’s

Cisterns nowadays are easy to open for any troubleshooting.  We just remove the lid because there’s no lock or any mechanism that you need to fiddle with. This type of cistern is a little tricky because the lid is secured to the base.  If you are not experienced or an expert, you’ll be stumped and stuck on how to remove it.

This antique cistern has a dual flusher that you can pull up or push down where these days we have either buttons or lever. Watch the video where Darius shows us how to unscrew the bottom ring part of the flusher as we would normally do.  After doing that we may think that this will free the lid, but it will still not budge.  He continuous to loosen the middle part of the flusher and remove the top button, there you will see two-part pieces of the flusher. Now we have the cistern lid open and ready for inspection.

Rare Toilet = Rare Parts

Darius removes the mechanism by twisting it a little to free it from the cistern. Upon close inspection, the washer needs to be replaced. It is all worn out, so he unclips the ring and removes the old one.  Since Fowler has been bought out by Caroma it is seldom that we can find any service parts for the old toilet models. Being an expert plumber from his experience along with having fully stocked vans, he found the best possible match to replace the washer. He also highlighted the importance of putting the washer in the proper position, that is the ridge to be upside down so it can push the washer around on the ring for a tight fit. He also shows the sump and that it needs to be thoroughly cleaned.  If there’s still bits and pieces from the old washer, we may end up with a leak again. He installs the mechanism back, closed the lid and tests the cistern to make sure everything is good to go.

Not just another job done but a “Job Well Done” for our plumbing expert Darius!  This is Plumdog’s promise to all our clients.

• Chrome grates look great when new but over time they can be a sight for sore eyes.
• The parts might not be costly but replacing a few can be a costly exercise
• We help our customers get these repaired at a fraction of the cost.
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

In this VLOG, Top Dog Darius shows us how he went about renewing an old pitted and discoloured chrome floor gate. Sometimes getting your existing chrome floor gates re-chromed is more cost efficient and produces as good a result as buying new ones.

Repairing Vs Replacing Chrome Grates

Whether it’s your bathroom, laundry or any area with chrome grates installed, there are times where a replacement is needed but if it’s the case of normal wear and tear where the chrome has been eaten away then repairing may be a much more cost effective solution.

Darius mentions in this short video that the parts alone are only $30 – $40 but where it gets expensive is when labour is needed to cut the existing settings out of the tiles to replace with the new ones.

Check out the Video

In the video, Darius shows us just how a chrome grate which has had years of use can be brought back to life. The chrome finishes have dulled from being eaten away by water and bacteria from normal everyday use.

Give us a whistle! and a Like and Thumbs Up!

If you’re in Perth and need a local Perth plumber, then give us a whistle! We’re happy to help and don’t forget to like and share our videos if you find them useful or entertaining! You can also hit the subscribe button and the bell to get notified.

• Some Commercial Plumbing problems need a plumber to come running!
• It is regulated that grease traps are required for waste pipes for some businesses given the amount of grease that is generated from their daily operations. 
• Did you know that Plumbdog also service Local Perth Businesses?

Plumbing for Commercial Kitchens

It’s regulation to have all waste pipes in a commercial kitchen running through a grease trap as you can imagine just from the sheer fat content in food and dishwashing flowing through the drains on a daily basis.

In this VLOG, one of our priority clients and favourite restaurants to dine gave us a whistle and as always, we came running!

Blocked Drains

When it comes to blocked drains, tree roots are a common cause and we’ve shown a few blocked drain videos now where we have water jetted and cleaned out drains where others couldn’t. In todays video, we visit a busy commercial kitchen in South Perth because off of their plumbing fixtures in the kitchen were backing up and flooding.

CCTV Inspections

Being a commercial kitchen, the grease trap should be regularly emptied so it’s a good sign that the grease trap wasn’t full because it means that the restaurant has been doing the right thing. With that confirmed, Richard used CCTV to quickly identify that the waste pipe was clogged and full of grease.

High Pressure Water Jetters

Our locally custom made high pressure water jetters don’t just cut tree roots like a knife through butter, they cut through grease too.

Have a look at the CCTV footage and you can see what a clean pipe looks like compared to pipes with some grease build up

All the Gear and Every Idea!

We are proud to say we have all the gear and every idea! Our fully stocked vans and specialised equipment means that we are able to get jobs done quickly and efficiently. Imagine if you had a commercial kitchen and had to work through a busy lunch rush with water backing up and flooding. You might even have to close the kitchen down which is never a good thing.

If you’re in the greater Perth area and have any drain cleaning or plumbing needs, give us a whistle!

While you’re watching the YouTube video, don’t forget to check out our other videos too, like, share and subscribe to our channel!

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Hot water systems are made to last anywhere from 6-15 years. Over this time, safety regulations have changed in both the plumbing and gas worlds.

There are a lot more items we need to check to make sure installations are compliant.

To most, in this picture, everything looks fine… but there are multiple non-compliance issues.

Before (Non Compliant Existing Hot Water System Installation)

We were recently requested to replace this unit and in doing so we needed to bring this install up to standard.

For the new unit we needed to install a heat trap, a tempering valve, an expansion control valve, 2 drains and a soak pit under each drain. We also needed to add a gas shut off valve.

For some units, there will be even more that needs to be done, like the addition of a concrete slab under the unit…

After (Compliant Installation)

This is what the pipework looks like after all the new standards have been applied to the new install.

 

Continue reading to find out what each one of these items does to protect your system and house…

Heat Traps

Heat traps are valves and or loops of pipe installed on the cold water inlet and hot water outlet pipes on hot water systems. They allow cold water to flow into the system, but prevent hot water from flowing out of the system back up the cold water pipes.

Read the technical note from the Plumbers Licensing Board (Heat Traps – p6)

Tempering Valves

A tempering valve ensures your hot water is at a safe temperature for personal hygiene use. A tempering valve has a temperature sensitive element which adjusts the level of cold water depending on the temperature of the water from the hot water system.

Regulations on safe water services are Australia-wide and fall under the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA). The water in a hot water storage system must be kept at a minimum of 60°C (AS3500.4.2 Clause 1.6) to prevent bacteria. The maximum temperature water can leave the tap is 50°C (AS3498) and a maximum of 45°C in institutions such as early childhood centres, schools, and nursing homes or other facilities where the young, sick, aged or disabled could be using hot water.

A tempering valve or other tempering device reduces your hot water temperature at the tap, to allow you to meet both Australian standards.

Tempering Valves should be replaced every 4 years. 

Expansion Control Valves

Expansion Control Valves limit the maximum pressure in a pressurised, unvented water heater system by relieving excess pressure to the drain line.

Expansion Control Valves should only be installed on the cold or inlet installation on a water heater as the valve is primarily intended to cope with the excess pressure generated during a normal heating cycle.

Expansion Control Valves are safety valves and should be replaced every 4 years.

Temperature/Pressure Relief Valves

Temperature & Pressure Relief Valves are safety controls which ensure that the temperature of the water in a pressurised unvented water heater cannot exceed 99° C in the event that the normal thermostatic controls fail.

These valves may be used to guard against overtemperature and over-pressure hazards wherever water is stored in unvented containers. This is a requirement of Australian Standard AS 3500-4.

Temperature & Pressure relief valves are safety valves and should be replaced every 4 years.

Gas Shut Off Valves (not shown above)

Allows the manual isolation of the gas flow in natural gas and LPG systems. In the open position (gas is flowing) the handle (lever) will be parallel with the pipe, when it is closed (gas not flowing) the handle (lever) will be perpendicular to the pipe.

Soak Pits

Required so that the release of steam or hot water is controlled and does not cause a nuisance, is readily noticeable and will not cause damage to buildings or injury to persons.

Some units will require two pits to be installed and they should have gravel placed in the bottom. One pit for the Expansion Valve and one for the Temperature & Pressure Relief Valve.

Gas Pressure Tests

As replacing a hot water system involves touching the gas lines, a gas pressure test will need to be carried out to ensure that the system and pipework is gas-tight.

After your system has been replaced

Your hot water system should be serviced every two years to make sure it continues working efficiently.
Read our post about anodes to learn more about how a storage hot water system works.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give Plumbdog Perth a call – 1300 884 146