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Scourge of Festive Veg Causing Spike in Christmas Call-outs for Tradespeople

christmas tradesman callout

From Brussel Sprouts blocking sinks to red-wine stained carpets and furniture, tradesmen at www.hamuch.com have revealed the most common reasons they’re contacted by panicking homeowners over the festive period.

The poll of 1,000 tradespeople from cleaners to plumbers has also revealed an 18% spike in the number of call-outs over this period, as people struggle to cope with the aftermath of the frenzied festive period.

Pete, a plumber at www.hamuch.com, said: “Homes have suffered over the Christmas period with blockages being a common issue. Dishwashers and sinks regularly need to be unclogged and the remnants of a festive dinner removed from the pipes….People can panic, particularly if they’ve tried to tackle the problems themselves but just end up making things even worse!”

What’s important to bear in mind is that a call-out over the Christmas period, particularly on the big day itself, can result in heftier charges than usual.

Tarquin Purdie, Founder & MD of pricing website www.hamuch.com said: “Accidents do happen and things can go wrong for no apparent reason, resulting in people needing to call in a tradesman.

“Household problems do not confine themselves to times when we are not relaxing at home with the family such as the festive period, and they even seem to spike during this period. This is probably because there is more demand on household appliances, more people using the house, and also there is more leftover food and rubbish to dispose of.”

Tarquin added: “The important thing to remember is that you can get a tradesman out over Christmas, but the call-out charge will be higher. Consumers should factor that in and decide whether any non-urgent issue can wait until after Christmas.”

Here are the Top Festive Aftermath issues identified by tradespeople at www.hamuch.com:

Upgrade Your House: Update Light Switches to Programmable

old style light switches need replacing

There are many ways in which you can upgrade your home and one of these is to switch over to programmable light fixtures throughout your home. It helps you to save energy as you can program these switches to automatically come on when you need it to.

Switching over to these fixtures will add versatile and convenience to your home and it’s a great way to add value to your property in general.

What Are Programmable Fixtures?
Programmable light fixtures are fixtures that works with a programmable system where you can choose when your lights should be turned on. For e.g. you can program it so that your lights and lamps come on at a specific time every day, without you having to switch them on manually. This saves a lot of energy as lights won’t be on throughout the day but rather only when you want it to be switched on.

Another benefit of programmable light fixtures is that you know your lights will automatically come un when you are not at home. This increases security as you won’t be left with a dark home if you are running late. Your lights will be switched on automatically according to the times you can programmed it to.

Here are a few benefits of using programmable switches:

  • It saves energy
  • It’s fully programmable
  • It automates functions in the home
  • It comes with a backup battery

If you don’t have experience in electrical installations it’s best to work with an expert. They can also recommend the right products for your specific home and help you program all the lights you want on the system to have them switch on automatically.

Work with an electrician to install these programmable switches to ensure that they are installed correctly and set up properly. You will need multiple switches depending on the number of lights you have in your home and how many of them you want to be programmed.

Visit HaMuch to find a specialist that can update light switches in your home or install brand new ones to add value and ensure your home is modern and practical.

Upgrade Your House: Change Light Fixtures

electrician

When you think about upgrading your home, you don’t necessarily have to make big expensive changes to add value to your home. Doing smaller repair work such as repairing light fixtures can make your home more practical and ensure that everything works as it should.

With the right light fixtures you can add life to a room and ensure that your home look modern and practical. It’s often the smaller details that allow you to make the most out of your home and add value to the property as a whole.

Here are some of the benefits of a proper light fixture installation:

  • Add value to your home. Small things like professional light fixtures can add value to the property as a whole.

  • Add a new style. You can use modern light fixtures to breathe new life into a home and choose a style and design that suits your personal needs.

  • It’s functional. By repairing light fixtures or installing new ones, you can make sure that everything works as it should.

You can use light fixtures to improve your home in a very cost-effective way. Lighting matters a lot, and if your fixtures are dated, you can remove them and install modern fixtures to complement your home. Always start by being functional, especially where lighting is important in a room. Ask yourself whether the fixture is purely decorative or functional.

If you want to replace the main fixture in a room make sure that you choose the right size. Don’t forget to map things out beforehand, or work with a designer or building expert who can give you great tips and advice when it comes to choosing light fixtures.

You can also play around with designs and spaces, by placing light fixtures somewhere else apart from the middle of the room. For e.g. you can place a light fixture over a piece of furniture to draw attention to certain elements.

A professional designer can help you to plan your layout in every room, choose the right fixtures and help you install them professionally. You can enjoy quality workmanship as well as reliable advice and the peace of mind knowing your fixtures will be perfect.

Visit HaMuch to find a specialist that can repair light fixtures in your home or install brand new ones to add value and ensure your home is modern and practical.

Make Home Safe: Install a Security System

Security System Installation

Making your home safe is easier than you think; by simply installing a security system you will make your entire property significantly safer for you and your family. If you plan ahead and choose the right system, it will be a cost-effective investment that will definitely pay off.

Although there are a lot of DIY security systems and solutions available, it’s always recommended to rather have a professional install your home security system to ensure that everything works as it should and to have a guarantee on the workmanship.

Here are a few key components to a modern home security system:

  • An alarm panel with keypad. This is the main panel and the ‘brain’ behind your alarm system. You can use the keypad to switch features on or off and you can quickly see if there are any problem areas in your home, or where an intruder might be.

  • Sensors. The sensors of every alarm system are at the heart of its security. It monitors your doors and windows for any motion and will sound an alarm when a door or window is opened. These should be installed at every window and door in the home.

  • Motion detectors. These are typically positioned in every room of the house, usually in the corners. It picks up any movement throughout the room and will sound the alarm when movement is detected. You can choose which motion sensors to ignore, for e.g. the ones in your bedroom while you are asleep.

  • Security beams. Beams are usually put outdoors to help detect any unwanted movement in your yard. You can have them trigger the alarm when movement is sensed or you can have a silent alarm warn you inside the house.

  • Cameras. CCTV cameras can be installed with your home security system to help you monitor your property. You can set the cameras to record as well so that you have footage available should something happen.

Most DIY systems don’t offer advanced services such as panic buttons, carbon monoxide monitoring or pet-immune motion sensors. To avoid the risk of your system not being properly installed, work with a professional security installer to handle your home security system.

It’s a proven fact that a home security system can significantly reduce your chances of being a victim of theft and it can give you the peace of mind you need when you are not home. Plus, installing a security system at home can also reduce your insurance premium so that’s always a benefit for any homeowner.

If you are looking to have a security system installed, visit HaMuch to find a reliable and qualified security installer in your area and make your home a safer place.

 

A Guide To Rewiring Your Home: Breakdown Of Costs

Reasons Why You Should Rewire Your Home (1)

If you are thinking of rewiring your home, you may be asking yourself what the benefits are and how much it will cost. It’s good practice to rewire your house if it is more than 50 years old.  Your electrical wiring may need updating, especially if you are thinking of selling your home.

In this guide, you’ll gain more clarity on the reasons, benefits, and costs of rewiring your home.

Why Should I Rewire My Home?

If you are buying a home that was built a couple of decades ago, you might also want to consider updating the electrical wiring in the house. Over the years, the standard household power has changed significantly. 60 amps would have been enough years ago, but modern homes now require up to 200 amps to run HD televisions, computers, home automation devices, deep freezers, and air conditioners, along with other appliances, gadgets and gizmos.

Rewiring a home will also involve replacing worn out wires. Warning signs such as dimming lights, frequently blown fuses, frequent burning smells and electrical shocks tell you it is time for an update.

However, rewiring your home is not one of those home repairs that you can handle yourself. It’s messy and very technical work that requires the help of an expert electrician. You and your home will be safer if you get a professional to handle it.

What the Job Entails

The first step to rewiring a property is finding a qualified electrician. Electrical repairs and installations can be dangerous and should only ever be handled by a qualified professional. You can find expert home electricians in London using our database.

First, an expert electrician will conduct an electrical assessment of your home. This is vital as it helps them understand what work needs to be done.

Some homes will not need full rewiring: they will just require a few updates here and there. The full electrical assessment will reveal what work needs to be done. Some of the inspections carried out will include testing devices, inspecting the fuse board, switches and sockets, and checking the polarity of your electrical installations.

Once the inspection is done, your electrician will decide whether to carry out a total rewiring of your property.

The Benefits of Rewiring Your Home

There are a number of reasons to consider rewiring your home:

Safety: Outdated electrical wiring means that some of the wires may be damaged. This increases the likelihood of an electrical fire. An electrician will review your wiring to ensure fire accidents are not a potential hazard. Old wiring is also more likely to cause electrical shocks. Homes with such wiring problems see frequent cases of fuses blowing.

Convenience: Having your home rewired is a chance for customisation, as you’ll be able to choose where you want your power points. Many older homes have few power outlets and they are not always installed at the most convenience points. You will also get to incorporate modern switches in your newly rewired home.

Value: Rewiring a home will add value, as it reduces the risk that a homeowner will experience electrical problems for some time. Potential buyers will likely ask if your home has been rewired and, if it has not, they are well within their rights to request a cut in your selling price.

Materials Needed

Materials required for rewiring a house include electrical wires, mains power and power cable connectors, adhesive tape, junction boxes, double sockets, and fuse boards. The amount of materials needed will depend on the size of your home and condition of your current electrical system. This will impact the amount of money you can expect to pay.

The Cost of Rewiring Your Home

Just like the amount of money spent on materials is dependent on the size of the home, the total cost of rewiring a property is also dependent on its size. The extent of the job and the experience of the electrician you are working with will also affect the cost you can expect to pay. You may receive a variety of quotes. Every electrician’s quote will be a reflection of their professional references and how many years experience they possess. The hourly cost for rewiring a property can range anywhere between £15 and £80.

Average hourly and daily rates for electricians:

Location

Average Hourly Rate

Average Daily Rate

London

£44

£255

Are you looking for a qualified electrician near you? HaMuch can help! We list vetted, professional tradesmen on our platform, allowing you to search our extensive list of electrical wiring companies and electricians in London at your own convenience. We are transparent and upfront in pricing, meaning you won’t receive any nasty surprises.

Summer Home Improvement: Ceiling Fan Installation

Ceiling Fan Installation

With this warmer weather homeowners like you will want to be enjoying their home by turning it into comfortable, enjoyable spaces. You can make a few minor changes to your house to turn it into an enjoyable summer house, and one of the easiest ways to do that east to install modern ceiling fans.

Ceiling fans are not only great to keep you cool during the summer, but it can also help you to save energy on your cooling costs. This is why it is important to make sure that you choose the right type of ceiling fan and that they are professionally installed.

While ceiling fans the necessary completely cool down the room, it does help to circulate air throughout the house and this results in a lower temperature overall. Whereas an air conditioner requires you to have all doors and windows closed, ceiling fans are comfortable to use as you can keep the doors and windows open throughout the home.

Installing A Ceiling Fan

Modern ceiling fans come with a variety of options, including having the fan only, or with a light as well. Some of the standard ceiling fans consist of six plates and can easily cool down a standard room in no time.

When it comes to a roof fan installation, the process is not extremely difficult, however, it’s important to know the basics so that you can get it right the first time and safely, so you will always need to hire a professional certified electrician or ventilation engineer to do that. With Hamuch you can find electricians for your ceiling fan installation near you in few clicks.

They’ll start by measuring the ceiling slope, removing the old lightbox to install a fan brace, assemble and hang the fan, and finally wiring it and switching it on. Let’s go into a little more detail.

  • Measure the ceiling slope. They use a two-feet level against the ceiling and measure the vertical distance from the ceiling to the level. Then, divide that number by two and you’ll have the drop over 12 inches of horizontal run. This will help determining the blade diameter you need. Most manufacturers require that the blades of a fan be at least seven inches above the floor.

  • Install a new fan brace. Next, it’s needed to remove the old box in order to install a brand-new fan brace. The engineer will shut off the power before you start then remove the current electrical box loose from the framing with a block of wood and a hammer and pull the electrical wires loose from the hole.

  • Install the new box and wiring hanger. Now they’ll be able to feed the new wire through the clamp of the new box, position the box over the screws, and tighten the nuts. Crimp grounding wire around the grounding screw and tighten.

  • Assemble the fan. Finally, the engineer will  assemble the fan and hang it. Place the motor right side up and thread through the downrod, into the mounting collar. Then assemble the wiring, and it’ll be ready to switch it on.

Installing an electric ceiling fan can be a great benefit to your home, especially during those hot summer months. That’s why you need to ensure that you have all the right tools available or work with an experienced contractor to turn your home into a cool environment that is not only cost-effective but energy efficient as well. Use Hamuch for all your home improvement needs.

 

Improve your property value: Rewiring your house

Security System Installation

 

Considering the vast number of electrical items we use around the house in our everyday lives, rewiring your house every few years is really not a bad idea. A proper full rewiring of your house would mean that the electrical wiring contained in each room of your house would be replaced. Ranging from the switches, light fittings to sockets, each will be removed and replaced with new ones. While rewiring your house might not increase property value per se, but it will definitely save you from picky buyers from noticing such issues and trying to reduce the price because of this.

As for getting a hold of reliable electricians for all of your electrical rewiring needs in addition to other professionals for your entire house renovating needs, installations and other miscellaneous requirements, be sure to check out hamuch.com.  Find professionals from the comfort of your home!

The Background

Old electrical wiring can be harmful for your home, especially if you have young children around. In some properties, the construction implies that the walls cannot be drilled. In such cases, new wiring would have to be done through plastic trunking. This all falls under electrical installations.

You can get permission from your housing office to test electrical circuits or electrical fittings in your home in order to determine whether or not they should be rewired. Items such as security lights, electrical showers, doorbells, alarms and all other similar fittings that have been installed without permission can be tested and if they do not pass electrical safety tests, it can be disconnected.

When to Rewire and How Much?

You may be wondering, “does my house need rewiring?” and “how much does it cost to rewire my house”? In order to determine whether or not your house needs rewiring, it’s best to hire a professional to come and check out all of your circuits and electrical fittings. How often you need to rewire will vary house to house. A good interval between rewiring can range anywhere from one decade to two-three decades. The cost for an average home for rewiring can be anywhere from £2,000-£7,000. These details will need to sorted out with your housing unit or local electrical contractors.

The Time Required

On an average, rewiring your whole house can take 7-10 days to complete. If other areas of work are found while being inspected, it can take more than 10 days.

For safety precautions you will need to move aside all of your electronics, cover up certain home equipment and work out the details prior to the electrical work commencing. It’s always better to take extra precautions opposed to the minimum.

Post Rewiring

Once your home has been rewired, make sure to check out all of the circuits and fittings to make sure things are running smoothly and are hazard free.

Apart from major electrical needs, there are often minor electrical needs (i.e. electrical installations or electrical fuses), that pop up without warning on a regular basis. For such cases, it’s always a good idea to keep the number of an electrical contractor, emergency electrician or local electricians available in the house. Emergency numbers could be put up on the fridge or on a bulletin board.

Remember, safety is priority. It’s always better safe than sorry.

Getting a Smart Thermostat

Danfoss Smart Thermostat

Purchasing a smart thermostat will help you set the right temperature throughout the day and in accordance to your daily schedules, making your life a whole lot easier; not to mention, smart thermostats save you heaps of time and money.

What is a Smart Thermostat?

If you haven’t heard about a smart thermostat, it’s basically a thermostat with advanced communication and connection features which allows you to set up automatic temperature settings based on your daily needs and individual schedules. Certain thermostats with Wi-Fi connectivity have advanced functions that can be made great use of.

Programmable or Non-programmable Thermostats

Smart thermostats can either be programmable or non-programmable. Programmable Thermostats can help you to set your house temperature automatically based on preset timings. This will help to conserve energy since the device will ensure minimizing the temperature while you are out of home and maximize the temperature while you are home. Non-programmable thermostats on the other hand require the homeowner to put it in the heat or cool mode manually.

Digital Thermostat are the new line of thermostats in the market that do not contain moving parts to measure the temperature. There are built in thermistors and resistance temperature detectors to measure the temperature. The overall built up of digital thermostats is different to old thermostats that require constant setting.

Different Types of Thermostats

The following is a list of several types of thermostats that you can consider purchasing based on your specific requirements:

Nest Thermostat – under non-programmable thermostats, this is considered the best smart wi-fi thermostat presently available in the market. This one is considered extremely intelligent and helps to save energy.

Honeywell Thermostat or Honeywell Wireless Thermostat – this smart wi-fi thermostat is similar to the nest thermostat but is available at cheaper prices. You can purchase the honeywell thermostat in different colours as well. When it comes to non-programmable thermostats, this thermostat is in highest demand as it is easy to set and has a smart look to it. The features of a simultaneous display of set temperature and current temperature, slide switches which make switching from heat to cool or vice versa easy and overall ease of usage make it a favourite among home owners.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat- this thermostat has the features of Nest Thermostat or Honeywell, except it is available in cheaper rates.

Central Heating Thermostat – these thermostats work to keep the house heated. There are a variety of central heating thermostats available in the market.

Warmup Thermostat – this thermostat, similar to central heating thermostats works to keep the house warm.

Smart Heating Controls – smart heating controls include connecting with your phone to make note of its location in order to control your heating. Basically, depending on how far or how close you are from home helps the app determine which temperature to keep your house in for your comfort. Certain apps need to be downloaded in order to keep your phone connected with the thermostat. Over 30% of energy can be saved using some of the smart heating controls.

If you haven’t purchased a smart thermostat yet, it’s time to consider switching to one to make your lives more comfortable. After all, the right home temperature can either ruin your day or make it complete. Last but not the least, keep all your heating systems running smooth by providing regular servicing. Find the best heating engineers near you ASAP with hamuch.com for quick and easy setup and installation of your thermostat and stay free of all the troubles and worries!