Our Top Posts of 2014

2014 is nearly over and we wanted to celebrate a great year by taking a look back at our most popular articles from the last 12 months.

Tackling limescale

Have you noticed chalky marks on your shower head, or a flaky gritty residue in your kettle? If you have then you have limescale. Unfortunately this is one of the downsides of living in a hard water area and left alone can build up in your dishwasher, washing machine, kettle and pipes. 

How to protect your pipes

The weather is getting colder and colder, so as the temperature drops it's important to make sure that your pipes are protected. Exposure to cold temperatures can lead to pipes freezing and bursting. There are some simple steps that you can take to ensure a warm and stress free winter.

How often should your electrical appliances be inspected?

All electrical appliances and installations deteriorate over time, so it’s wise to have them inspected to ensure that they are safe to avoid potentially fatal incidents. These checks are known as ‘periodic inspection and testing’.

Installing a new gas appliance

There will come a time when your gas appliances needs replacing, but knowing what to do and where to go can be confusing. Can you install it yourself? Where can you find an engineer? How do you know they are qualified?

Gas safety on holiday

It’s getting close to that time of year again when we start packing our bags and heading off for a well needed break. Whether you’re staying in a tent in the middle of a soaking wet field or a five star villa in the Caribbean, it’s important to be aware of the risks when it comes to gas safety.

Preventing damp and mould in your home

Damp and mould caused by condensation occurs when moist air hits a cold surface such as a window, mirror, tile or wall. It is not only an eyesore, it can cause damage to your home and health. The best way to combat damp and mould is to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

Is your landlord gas safe?

Many tenants are unaware that their property should have a gas safety check once a year, and that it is their landlord's responsibility to arrange it, but what is a gas safety check? And what should you expect when you move in to a new property? 

Signs of faulty wiring

It's important to know the signs of faulty wiring, especially when you can't see the majority of wiring in your home. Faulty wiring can lead to shocks and fires so learn the signs and be one step ahead.

We hope that you've had a wonderful 2014 and wish you all the best for 2015. Maintracts will be open on New Years day, so if you come across any plumbing, gas or electrical emergencies then give us a call on 020 8682 2244.

Merry Christmas from Maintracts

We'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and don't forget, we will be open tomorrow should you have a gas or plumbing emergency. Call 020 8682 2244 if you come across any problems.

Eco Friendly Christmas - Christmas Day

It’s the final week of our eco friendly Christmas special and there’s only one thing left to cover – the big day itself! No matter how big or small, making an environmentally friendly choice on Christmas day will make a difference.

Buy local

Buy your meat and vegetables as local as you can. Not only will you be supporting your local producers, you’ll be helping to save the environment by buying food that hasn't travelled far in petrol guzzling trucks.

Cool down

Fridges suck up your electricity, especially when they're trying to cool food and drinks down. Don’t use your fridge to chill your drinks, put them in your garden, and if it’s snowing, collect the snow in a bucket and place your bottles in it! When you’re cooling your food make sure that it has cooled to room temperature before putting it in the fridge (your fridge will have to work harder to cool the food if it is still warm). And try not to overfill your fridge; air needs to flow freely otherwise it will use more energy to keep your food cool.

Table Wear

You can now have an eco friendly Christmas table! From recycled plates to placemats, you can get everything you need to have an ethical Christmas lunch.

Recycle

The easiest way to be eco friendly at Christmas is to recycle. From wrapping paper to leftover food, crackers to drink bottles, you can be sure that there will be a lot of waste. If you have a regular collection then all you need to do is make sure you separate your waste, but if you don’t have a regular collection then why not take it to your local recycling centre? Recycle Now  lists all centres around the UK and many of them also recycle electricals and garden waste.

Christmas tree

If you haven’t bought your Christmas tree yet buy a potted one. Once Christmas is over you can place it in the garden and use it year after year.

We hope you've enjoyed reading our top tips on how to have an energy efficient Christmas. Let us know if you have any top tips that you would like to share!

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Eco Friendly Christmas - Decorations

The festive season is well underway and we’re continuing our rundown of the best ways to have an eco friendly Christmas. Last week we looked at some of the great gifts you can get for the eco warrior in your life. This week we take a look at decorations, gift wrap and crackers!

Gift wrap

The most eco friendly way to wrap a present is to re-use old wrapping and gift bags, or even old magazines and newspapers, but there are lots of options available on the high street and online that will make you feel a little more saintly when giving your presents.

Paperchase offer recycled plain paper wrapping (which you could customise!), while Re-wrapped offer a great range of printed, recycled designs. You can also find lots of amazing designs on sites such as Not on the HighStreet.

Decorations

Most people use the same decorations every year, but if you want to add something new to your collection then there are some great ways to be a bit more environmentally friendly. The cheapest option can be found in your local park! Pinecones make a wonderful, and festive, decoration. Place them in a jar with LED fairy lights for a festive centre piece, or use some ribbon to tie them to your tree. If, however, you don't have a park near you then head to Nigel’s ECO store who offer a great range of recycled decorations. From old CDs to glass, every decoration is recycled.

Crackers

Crackers are a vital part of the Christmas meal, but can create a lot of waste. These crackers are not only recycled, but the gifts are also eco friendly too! 

Next week is the final instalment in our eco friendly Christmas special where we’ll be looking at the big day!

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Eco Friendly Christmas - Gifts

It’s December and countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun! Last week we shared some great ways that you can have an eco friendly Christmas. This week we look at the perfect gifts for the eco warrior in your life.

Solar powered electric shaver

This neat little shaver is perfect for travelling. Not only is it compact in size, its solar powered which means you won’t have to buy international adapters to charge it.  

Grow your own bonsai

This is the perfect gift for the green fingered eco warrior in your family. The kit comes with enough seeds and pots to grow several trees.

Wind up racing cars with track

Two light up racing cars, 3.8 metre race track and no need for batteries or plugs! These wind up cars are a perfect gift for the small or big kid in the house!

Recycled wine glasses

Perfect for the wine lover in your family, these fair trade, recycled wine glasses are produced by a family owned company in central Bolivia.

Bamboo iPhone amplifier

Made from organic, fair trade bamboo, this natural amplifier is perfect for anyone who has an iPhone. It requires no batteries or plugs to operate and great for travel.

Image by Vanessa Fitzgerald

Eco Friendly Christmas - The Home

Christmas is round the corner and we're getting into the festive spirit.  The season for spoiling ourselves and each other can often create a lot of waste, but there are things that you can do to save the environment and money.

Each week we will be counting down to the big day, sharing with you our top tips on how to have an eco friendly Christmas. We'll be showing you how to prepare your home, buy the perfect present for the eco warrior in your family and even have an eco friendly Christmas day.

This week we're looking at how to prepare your home. Winter is the worst time of year for wasting energy, especially around Christmas, so we've pulled together some great tips on how to keep your home feeling festive while saving the environment.


Electricity

With the darker nights you’ll be switching on your lamps on earlier and also turning on your Christmas lights. If you find that you have a habit of leaving them on then it would be a good idea to invest in plug timers. By setting an on and off time, you no longer have to worry about leaving your lights on or devices on standby.

Batteries

Christmas is a time when you know you’ll need more batteries than you can store. Rather than buying lots of batteries, invest in a rechargeable battery pack. They charge quickly and are the perfect solution when your child’s toy runs out of juice, especially when its 6am and there aren't any shops open!

Heating

If you have central heating why not use a radiator booster? Hot air rises, which means it only heats your room on its way down from the ceiling. By placing a booster on top of your radiator you can distribute the warm air into your room quicker, meaning you can turn the temperature down, save energy and money. It costs approximately 50p a year to run and could save you around £140 a year (Energy Saving Trust).

Christmas Lighting

Being eco friendly doesn't mean you can’t have your Christmas lights! If you want to light up the outside of your house, why not buy solar fairy lights? And if you are looking for lights for your tree, make sure they are plugged in to a plug timer. If they are battery powered then make sure you are using rechargeable batteries!

There are lots of other things that you can do to ensure that your home is being as efficient as possible during the festive period. Why not invest in some draft excluders, insulate your home, arrange a boiler service, buy some energy efficient light bulbs, insulate your widows or buy energy efficient appliances? No matter how big or small, any change you make WILL make a difference.

Lights image by Philip Pena

Video: Gas Safe Tips for your Home

If you are a regular reader of our blog then you will know how passionate we are about gas safety. Over 200 people are admitted to hospital every year with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, which leads to around 40 deaths*, so it's vital that we all know how to be gas safe.

Over the past year we have written about many aspects of gas safety, with topics including how to know when your boiler needs a service, knowing if your landlord is gas safe  and how to be gas safe on holiday. Gas Safe Register have been campaigning for gas safety for a number of years and we are great supporters of their work. This recent video by Gas Safe Register is a great visual guide on what to look out for in your home when it come to gas safety.

If you recognise any of these warning signs then contact Maintracts on 020 8682 2244. 

* Statistic - NHS