My Sky-House - Heating, hot water & plumbing

Central heating boilers must be checked and serviced at least once a year by a registered
maintenance engineer. This is to ensure their safe operation and to confirm they meet
warranty requirements.

Your home may include an indoor heat pump and heat exchange cylinder (KERS or similar).
This should be maintained in the same way and serviced at least once a year by a registered
installer or engineer. Please refer to the user guide for more information.

Prevent any additional water going into the underground drainage system by turning off all taps, not flushing toilets and not showering or bathing. Please do not drain a bath, should it already be filled. Contact us immediately.

Check that the water stopcock/isolating valve has not been inadvertently closed. Check with neighbours to ascertain if other properties are affected. This will indicate an issue with the water supplier. Contact the utility provider to determine the nature of the loss of supply. Don’t run off water from your boiler in case of ‘burn out’ in your water heater.

If your home has an indoor heat pump installed, check for error codes on the cylinder and contact the manufacturer if an error is showing.

Please refer to your handover information pack for details on your heating system. If you are still unsure, please get in touch with the customer care team.

Please refer to your handover information pack for how to set up your thermostat or refer to the manufacturer’s set-up guide.

If the leak is containable (i.e if it stops when the shower is turned off), contain the leak and report to the customer care team. If not, prevent additional water entering the pipework by turning off the water stopcock/ isolating valve. Please refer to our guide or contact the customer care team.

First, check the sealant for damage. If not, turn off the water at the stop tap and contact the customer care team. Please refrain from using the shower or bath until the problem has been resolved.

The main water supply to your home is controlled by a stopcock (or stop tap). It can usually be found in the cupboard under the kitchen sink. If the main water pipe to your home is damaged, the external stop tap may need to be turned off. You’ll normally find the external stopcock under a cover, probably by the water meter, set into the pavement or path in front of the house. Normally, when you need to isolate the water supply to your home, you’ll use the internal stopcock. It’s a large, brass valve that looks a little like a tap, with a water pipe projecting from either side. It is important to turn off your boiler before you shut off the water to your home, to reduce any chance that your boiler may attempt to run without an adequate water supply. To turn off your internal stopcock, turn the top clockwise until you can feel resistance, the same as when you turn off a tap.

You may have a water leak. Try to find the source of the leak and turn off the water supply to the appliance that is causing it. If you can’t find the leak, turn off the stop tap for the house and call our customer care team.

If damp patches appear in the kitchen, bathroom or wardrobes, it may be because you haven’t been ventilating sufficiently during use. Open the windows or doors in the case of wardrobes, allowing each room to dry out. Wipe away any mould that has appeared with bleach or water solution. You may need to retouch paintwork. If this doesn’t alleviate the issue, please contact the customer care team.

If the problem is only affecting drains inside your home, the first step is to find out if more than one drain is affected. If more than one fitting is blocked and they are in the same room, the problem is likely to be with a waste water pipe shared by those fittings. A liquid drain unblocker might alleviate the issue, although be aware that some harsh chemicals may mark or damage your plughole. Always check the manufacturer’s recommendations before using. Please contact a plumbing specialist if this does not work. If more than one fitting is blocked or not draining properly, such as the sink and bath in different rooms, the problem could be with the main sewage outflow from your home. Please contact the management company or local authority if you suspect the blockage is caused by an external communal drain.

This is usually caused by a build up in the waste pipe (such as from hair or food waste). Try pouring hot water down the plughole, or flush through with proprietary cleaner or water containing caustic soda crystals. If this fails then:

1. Empty the bowl or sink. Bail it out with a cup or jug.
2. Block the overflow opening. Place a rag tightly over it.
3. Clear the blockage. Place the plunger over the plughole and work forcefully until the blockage clears.
4. Clear out the u-trap situated immediately below the plughole. Place a bowl under the trap, unscrew the joints and remove the trap – then clean and re-fit, checking that the seals are in place and that the joints are screwed up tightly.

If the above procedures fail to unblock the sink, you will require the services of a plumber.