Every 4 years an extra day is added to the end of February. Here are 9 weird facts about Leap Year.

1. In Ireland, 29 February is called Bachelor’s Day, when women are allowed to propose to men. Queen Margaret of Scotland began the tradition in 1288. If a man refused the proposal, he would be fined a kiss, a silk dress or 12 pairs of gloves.

2. Julius Caesar introduced the idea when he ordered his astronomer, Sosigenes, to simplify the calendar. Sosigenes opted for the 365-day year with an extra day every four years to scoop up the extra hours. But he created too many leap years. Every 400 years, there are an three extra days, so to compensate, centuries must be divisible by 400 to count as leap years. Years like 1700, 1800 and 1900 are only 365 days long, rather than 366.

3. Two women have given birth to three leap day babies, according to the New York Daily News. The Henriksen family from Norway had their children on leap days in 1960, 1964 and 1968. The most recent family to tie the record is the Estes family from Utah. Their children were born in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

4. The eighth premier of Tasmania, James Milne Wilson, was born on a leap day and died on a leap day in the 1800s, according to the World Heritage Encyclopaedia.

5. The first warrants of the Salem witch trials were issued on February 29, 1692. The trials continued until early 1693 and resulted in the execution of 20 people and the death of seven others in jail, History.com reported.

6. On February 29 1960, the 5.7Mw Agadir earthquake shook Morocco. Its maximum perceived intensity was X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 12,000-15,000 people – about a third of the city’s population of the time – were killed and another 12,000 injured with at least 35,000 people left homeless, making it the most destructive and deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history.

7. In Russia it is believed a leap year is likely to bring more freak weather patterns and a greater risk of death all round.

8. In Taiwan, married daughters traditionally return home during the leap month as it is believed the lunar month can bring bad health to parents. Daughters bring pig trotter noodles to wish them good health and good fortune.

9. The chances of having a birthday on a leap day are about one in 1,461.

¹ Leap Year 2016 – 11 weird and wonderful facts about 29 February Accessed online 29 February 2016 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/11-weird-wonderful-facts-about-leap-year-1546496

Hard water can cause limescale build up on taps. Here are a few tips for getting rid of limescale.

Take a small plastic cup of vinegar, immerse the tap in the vinegar and wrap a tea towel around both cup and tap to hold it in place. For limescale build-up around the posts and other parts of a tap, soak a pad of cotton wool in your descaling liquid and wrap this firmly around the relevant parts. Leave it there for an hour or two, giving it a squeeze now and again to make sure the acid gets into all the corners and grooves. After this time, all parts of your taps should be able to be wiped clean, though you may need to scrub with a plastic scourer to loosen the more stubborn bits of scale.

Also an effective method uses a couple of lemons. Cut them in half then squeeze them gently into a bowl to gather some juice. Don’t use a lemon squeezer, as you want to make sure the fleshy parts remain intact for the next stage. Then take a lemon half and shove it on to the spout of your tap, twisting gently until it stays in place. The fibres and chambers inside the lemon should catch on the edge of the spout, preventing the lemon falling off. Now you can simply leave it to do its descaling job.

If you are experiencing problems with your water appliances and think that limescale may be the issue, you can call out one of our experienced engineers to diagnose the problem and replace the necessary. Call us at 020 7350 2511 or click here for more details.

¹ How to remove limescale Accessed online 26 February 2016 http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/aug/23/how-to-remove-limescale

Being Gas Safe is a necessity for the health and safety of you and your family. Here are 10 tips to stay gas safe.

1. Have all your gas appliances, including boilers, gas cookers and gas fires, safety checked annually.
2. Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix and check gas appliances in your home – it’s the law and will help keep you safe.
3. Always ask to see an engineers Gas Safe ID card and check the back of the card to ensure they are qualified to carry out the specific type of gas work you need.
4. Find a Gas Safe registered engineer in your area or call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500
5. Recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.
6. Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room. Remember that an unsafe appliance sometimes has none of these signs at all.
7. Buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm for your home and make sure it is located near to your gas appliances in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance. Carbon monoxide can leak from appliances and kill.
8. Only use gas appliances for their intended purpose e.g. don’t use a gas oven to heat a room or use a gas barbeque inside the house.
9. Always ensure there is enough ventilation for your gas appliances to allow them to burn correctly and make sure you are not blocking any air vents that provide an air supply to the gas appliance.
10. Anybody working with gas has to be Gas Safe registered by law. Report someone working without registration or call Gas Safe Register on the free phone number 0800 408 5500.

If you are need of a Gas Safe Engineer in Southwest London call 020 7350 2511 or click here.

¹ KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE AND WARM THIS WINTER Accessed online 24 February 2016 http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/learn/winter_gas_safety_tips.aspx

Every Saturday Fine Food Markets operates a street food market outside Wandsworth Town Station SW18 1SU from 10am – 3pm. If you are looking for locally sourced foods, this is the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

On offer are fresh bread, cakes, croissants and pies also biltong beef, olives, fresh fruit and vegetables and even Ethiopian roses!

They have hot food too! English chicken and beef wraps from the Dorset Market Kitchen, Authentic Mexican from Pink Cactus and French food from Laurents Kitchen as well as wood fired Italian pizza from Due Volcani, sausage and bacon sandwiches for breakfast and the best coffee in London, so the locals say!

This is a great location in a smart part of Wandsworth outside the station, in the village on the Old York Rd near the river and amongst many family homes and opposite a busy local pub called The Alma.

For more information about Food Market check out www.finefoodmarkets.co.uk. Or find them on Facebook or twitter.

¹ Fine Food Markets Accessed online 22 February 2016 http://www.finefoodmarkets.co.uk/

Think you know everything there is to know about plumbing and it’s history? Here are 7 random plumbing facts to test your knowledge.

1. The average person spends three years of their life sitting on the toilet.

2. Insulating your home’s pipes can reduce the amount of heat lost as your water travels from your heater to your tap. You’ll run less water waiting for it to warm up and save money on your utility bills.

3. The first fire sprinkler system was invented by a British man named Sir William Congreve. He perforated pipes along the ceiling and installed a valve outside the building that could be opened to send water through them.

4. Standardized plumbing can be traced back to around 3,000 B.C. when the Indus River Valley civilization used earthen plumbing pipes to provide transportable water and drain wastes.

5. There are two different types of plungers – a toilet plunger and a sink/shower plunger. Toilet plungers narrow at the bottom to fit into the toilet while sink/shower plungers are flat.

6. The Earth has around 326 million, trillion gallons of water, however only 2% is okay to drink.

7. Before Ozzy Osbourne became a rockstar he was a plumber’s apprentice.

Did you know all of these facts? If so tell us on Twitter or Facebook. If your boiler is acting up or your taps are leaking, be sure to call 020 7350 2511 today.

Our service are covers most of Southwest London and we wanted to know a bit more about some of there areas we cover. Today we take a look at the history of Hammersmith.

The first record of the name Hammersmyth appears in 1294, the name possibly derived from a combination of the Old English words of Hamor (a hammer) and Smyththe (smithy). The land was part of the Manor of Fulham,owned by the Bishop of London whose country palace lay downstream on the river’s bend at Putney. The original topography featured heavily forested land, which provided acorns and beechnuts to feed pigs whilst the river was a valuable source of food including eels, salmon and wild fowl as well as providing a means of transport to the City of London.

In the early 1660s, Sir Nicholas Crispe who ran the brickworks in Hammersmith built Hammersmith’s first parish church, which later became St Paul’s. It contained a monument to Crispe as well as a bronze bust of King Charles I by Hubert Le Sueur. In 1696 Sir Samuel Morland was buried there. The church was completely rebuilt in 1883, but the monument and bust were transferred to the new church.

The Hammersmith Suspension Bridge, designed by William Tierney Clark, was built across the Thames in 1827, and rebuilt in 1893. In 1984–1985 the bridge received structural support, and between 1997 and 2000 the bridge underwent major strengthening work.

In 1745, two Scots, James Lee and Lewis Kennedy, established the Vineyard Nursery, over six acres devoted to landscaping plants. During the next hundred and fifty years the nursery introduced many new plants to England, including fuchsia and the standard rose tree.

During the 19th century a considerable amount of farmland was turned over to the creation of brickfields as the clay soil provided good building materials for London as it continued to expand westwards. Many ponds and lakes were formed as a result of this activity and Lakeside Road near Brook Green is a reminder of this extremely profitable business. Nearer to the river, the good soil enabled farmers to grow soft fruits such as gooseberries, red currants, raspberries and strawberries which were taken by boat or carried in panniers made by osiers from riverside willows to sell at Covent Garden market.

One of the biggest changes to the face of Hammersmith was the opening of the A4 flyover in 1961 and the development of the Broadway itself, which saw the last Victorian shop terraces swept away and replaced with glazed office blocks, apart from the facade of Bradmore House. In the 1980s The Ark, an innovative office building, which resembles an ocean liner, rose beside the flyover and in recent years Lyric Square has been revitalized and the flourishing weekly market stalls act a vibrant reminder of Hammersmith’s village past.

After reading a bit of the history of Hammersmith and you find yourself in need of a plumber or gas engineer, call 020 7350 2511 or click here for more information.

¹ History of Hammersmith Accessed online 17 February 2016 http://www.finlaybrewer.co.uk/brook-green-w6/history-of-hammersmith/
² Hammersmith Wiki Accessed online 17 February 2016 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith

Plumbing issues come in all shapes and sizes. From leaks, blocked drains to no heat at all. Here are the 7 most common plumbing issues and what causes them.

Blocked drains –Blocked drains can often be avoided by being careful about what one puts down drains—especially the kitchen sink drain, as this is the most used and blocked drain in the house. Avoid putting grease and fat down the kitchen sink.

Dripping taps – a common annoyance most homeowners encounter as the washers in taps wear out. It is possible to extend the life of one’s tap washers by not turning the tap off with too much force.

Leaking pipes – a plumbing problem that can cause extensive damage to floors, walls, and belongings. To prevent a small leak from worsening, it is a good idea to check pipes periodically for rust or white lime deposits that can indicate the beginnings of a leak.

No heat – broken boilers can result in extremely miserable winter nights. To combat this, the best thing to do is check the heating system to make sure it is working properly before the weather gets cold.

Running loos – usually indicated by a low humming noise or if the loo continues running into the bowl after the loo has been flushed. Running loos usually suggest that some part of the loo cistern is out of order.

Leaking loos – one of the most frustrating and potentially expensive home plumbing repair problems. Leaking loos can add more than £100 to one’s annual water bill. To repair a leaking loo, sometimes simply jiggling the flushing handle can fix the problem. For issues in which this is not the case, however, it may be necessary to call a professional.

New tap installation – many homeowners replace taps for decorative reasons. In most cases of installation, plumbers guarantee their workmanship, but not the tap itself.

If you have encountered any of these plumbing issues call 020 7350 2511 or click here for more details.

Cards, chocolate, flowers and romantic dinners may be part of your plan for this upcoming Sunday. But why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

The stories of St. Valentine and what he did to be tied to a day of romance is an interesting tale. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure.

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

As with most holidays as the world changes so does it’s meaning. So from Priests marrying soldiers behind the king’s back, to pagan holidays, Valentine’s Day has transformed from candy hearts and cards to snap chats and tinder swipes. Whatever your plans are this weekend, be it alone or with the one you love, have a fantastic Sunday and happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at WPJ Heating.

¹ HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY Accessed online 12 February 2016 http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day

Replacing an old leaky tap is something most of us will attempt at least once. The process can seem a bit overwhelming, but fitting a new tap is not an impossible task.

Prior to fitting a new tap you should be sure to shut off the water. I know it seems obvious, but it is the most crucial step and should be done prior to removing any hoses.

Disconnecting your old tap:

This process can seem a bit cumbersome as the connections tend to be awkward and because of corrosion the loosening of connections may be difficult, as they have ‘welded’ themselves together. Using oil or heat can help to loosen those connections.

Fitting the new tap:

Once you have removed your old tap you will notice plastic washers in with your new tap. Be sure to follow the manufacturers instructional manual when fitting the new tap. Following instructions, especially when you are attempting a new DIY project is crucial. When tightening connections, take into account you may need to replace hoses or the tap again some day, so try and make it as easy as possible to reach those connections in the future.

Once all connections are tightened be sure to turn the water on slowly and have a bucket or towel under the connections incase you haven’t tightened everything fully. If no leaks are found and the tap is functioning, congratulations, you have fitted your first tap. If the job didn’t work out how you were hoping and you are in need of professional help, check Checkatrade to find a qualified plumber near you. If you are in Southwest London call 020 7350 2511 or click here to see the services we provide.

Firstly before any mould cleaning takes place you should really try to stop future mould growth. To do that effectively you have to make the environment it lives in difficult for it to survive. Using a dehumidifier can help make the environment less friendly for mould to grow in.

The most common places for problem black mould is in the bathroom, in or around windows and in cupboards, wardrobes or behind beds.

Bathrooms:
Because of the high humidity level bathrooms support the growth of mould at varying levels. The ceiling of your bathroom, because of high levels of condensation is a breeding ground for black mould. Often you will find mould growth in the porous grout in between tiles.

Windows:
Condensation and moisture is attracted to the window and window frame because it’s the coldest part of the room. Over time it feeds the growth of black mould. Wiping down windows and windowsills when condensation occurs can help reduce the build up of mould spores.

Cupboards, wardrobes and behind beds:
Enclosed areas with little ventilation are a perfect hiding place for the growth of black mould. Opening or ventilating enclosed areas can help reduce the condensation and protect against mould growth.

Cleaning:
Cleaning black mould can be a daily struggle. Using 1 part bleach with 4 parts water can kill off the mould. But be very careful as using bleach on a painted service can damage the paint. The grout of your bathroom tile can be a bit more difficult to clean, so soaking the grout with bleach for a few minutes before cleaning off can help. Having said that never scrape dry mould as this can release spores, and care should be taken not to breathe any mould dust or spores, especially if you are prone to respiratory problems and that includes fumes from cleaning agents also.

If you are experiencing an overgrowth of mould in any of the above areas, it may be time to seek professional help, as overexposure to mould spores or cleaning solutions can be harmful for those with respiratory issues.