Welcome back to Piped Up – Episode 4! This time we're diving into trade price rises, illegal gas work scandals, communal heating regulation, and some brilliant tool hacks and tips that'll save you time, money and hassle on the job. Plus, we're answering your questions on balancing radiators, system pressure, and cleaning those dusty convectors. We kick things off with the 2026 price rise debate. Heating engineer Ian Briggs polled his followers on whether they're hiking rates this year – and 58% said yes. With fuel costs, materials, and overheads climbing, many are eyeing a move from £90 to £95+ for a standard boiler service. James weighs in on the psychology of pricing: why small, regular increases beat big jumps, and how waiting too long to raise your rates forces you into painful hikes later. We want to hear from installers in the audience – are you putting your prices up in 2026, or holding steady? Next up: heat networks are finally getting regulated. From 27th January 2026, Ofgem's new consumer protection rules bring communal plant rooms and HIU systems under formal oversight for the first time. For anyone working on block heating schemes, this means higher standards, better documentation, and stricter accountability. James shares his experience working on communal plant rooms – from old, knackered boilers in deprived areas to reactive callout programs keeping things limping along. We discuss what this regulation could mean for upgrades, efficiency improvements, and the admin burden on contractors. Then we get into the illegal gas work stories that just won't go away. Two separate court cases highlight the dangers: one unregistered fitter in Torquay left a home with an immediately dangerous gas leak, while a father-and-son duo in Cheshire signed off dodgy installs without proper checks – including flue defects that risked carbon monoxide poisoning. Sentences ranged from suspended prison terms to community orders and compensation, but the real question is: why is this still happening in 2025/26? James shares a shocking real-world example – servicing a friend's mum's boiler and discovering a push-fit plastic cap on a live gas pipe, left behind by kitchen fitters who clearly had no idea what they were doing. The tightness test failed spectacularly, gas was leaking behind a cupboard, and it could've been catastrophic. It's a stark reminder: gas work isn't DIY territory, and homeowners need to verify engineers are Gas Safe registered before any work begins. On the practical side, we dive into: Hack of the Week – Using SDS drill bits in an impact driver. James was sceptical at first, but this £7 Bosch bit drills into brick like a beast and saves you lugging around a heavy SDS drill for smaller jobs. Perfect for hanging rads or running pipework. Tool Tip – The underrated aircon spanner with a quarter-square ratchet port. Originally for backseat valves, it's brilliant for pump valves and drain-offs. JAVAC ones are £20, but you can grab a Temu version for a fiver. The £5 Temu Tool That Delivers – James admits he buys certain consumables and gizmos on Temu (foldable buckets, deburring tools, part cleaners) and they genuinely do the job. High-end spanners and power tools? Stick with Wera and CK. But for simple bits? Temu's worth a punt. We also tackle audience questions, including: How to balance radiators when you don't know the circuit order – James explains how to identify the closest rad to the boiler (or flying return on system boilers), the importance of opening all TRVs fully before balancing, and why towel rails are the biggest offenders for hogging heat. How to check if your heating system is low pressure – where to find the gauge, what pressure you should be aiming for (around 1 bar), and why you might be constantly topping up (hint: it's probably a flat expansion vessel causing your PRV to discharge). The easiest way to clean radiators properly – skip the TikTok hacks involving buckets of water. Just get a radiator brush, push it down between the convector fins, and hoover up the dust. Simple. Whether you're an installer navigating price rises and new regulations, a homeowner trying to keep your system running efficiently, or just here for the tool tips and trade banter – this episode delivers. Question for the audience: What's a gadget or tool that you bought that promised miracles but did absolutely nothing? Let us know in the comments! Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview 00:00:18 Trade Price Rises: The 2026 Debate 00:04:09 Heat Networks: New Ofgem Regulations 00:08:19 Illegal Gas Work: Recent Prosecutions 00:16:03 Hack of the Week: SDS Bits in Impact Drivers 00:18:10 Tool Tip: The Five Pound Temu Spanner 00:22:29 Audience Questions: Balancing Radiators 00:28:06 Understanding System Pressure and Gauges 00:33:53 Cleaning Radiators: The Proper Method 00:35:40 Question For The Audience
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