A warning and a question

[MuddyMike]

The warning Yesterday my wife reported strange wet areas in some of the kitchen cabinets. I tracked it down to the flexible pipes feeding a Smiths kickspace heater leaking and the water being vaporised by the heat only to condense in and around the cabinets above.

This heater is about 4 years old and the flexible supply pipes came with it in the box. I telephoned the manufacturers this morning and was immediately offered replacement pipes for free due to them having had "a bad batch" at the time ours was shipped. So beware, if you have Smiths kick space heaters anywhere you may have a problem brewing.

The question. Apparently the replacement pipes will not have isolation vales fitted as the old ones did. I need these on the heater end as it is not possible to connect to the central heating pipes under the kitchen cabinets with the heater in place. Not only that but due to limitations of space I would prefer push fit connectors as were fitted to the original. Can anyone recommend a reliable brand of push fit isolation/service valves?

Mike

[Midge]

Hi Mike - I've used JG Speedfit (from Screwfix) occasionally but I have to say I prefer not to use pushfit where I can't get to it easily to check. Probably a bit irrational I know. Also check whatever you use is actually suited for central heating where you typically have chemical additives as well. I'm pretty sure most are.

As an aside, when I had a small washer hose leak problem in our kitchen hidden beneath cupboards some while back, I turned up some little water leak detectors on e-bay for a few quid each. These are just little battery powered boxes with a couple of contacts on them which alarm if they come into contact with water. For the ones I got, the contact plate is removable and extends out on a wire so the alarm itself can be in a cupboard, and the contact plate on the floor below weighted down with something so it won't move, but I haven't been able to find those since. However, there is a similar item to mine on e-bay currently on lot 140483711394 (search on "water leak detector" for other products) which is ostensibly for overflow but could probably be adapted if that contact plate isn't suitable.

I have them behind my bath and shower tray panels too and in my airing cupboard where my c/h pipes, pump and shower pump is - and just change them when I swap my smoke alarm batteries every year or so. Bit obsesive maybe but the unseen dripping of water from that hose leak became a bigger and expensive problem as they often do!

Midge.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Poundland had some for a quid. They look like a smoke detector which you just sit on the floor. I bought one and it didn't work, but that might just have been a bad one. (The alarm started going a few minutes after inserting the battery, regardless.) If someone else buys a Poundland one which works, I'd be interested to know, as I might get another.