News

The same shower can feel superb in one house and weak in the next, and the water system is almost always the reason. This guide shows how to tell whether you have a gravity-fed, combi or unvented system, then which shower types suit each: power, gravity-pumped smart, mixer, high-pressure smart or electric. It includes a worked four-bathroom cost comparison and Aqualisa picks with prices and stock checked on 20 October 2026.

Empty hotel rooms and HMO bedrooms are where stagnant water collects, and stagnant water is where Legionella bacteria can multiply. This guide sets out what HSE guidance says about weekly flushing and flushing before letting, then walks through a room-by-room routine you can log. It includes a worked example for six empty rooms, the mistakes that make flushing useless, and when to replace shower heads, hoses and taps.

Hard water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium, and heat turns them into limescale on kettle elements, iron soleplates and shower heads. This plain-English guide explains how hard water in hotels is measured, why it shortens the life of guest-room equipment, and what a sensible descaling routine looks like. It also covers the softener catch, when scale becomes a hot water safety issue under HSE guidance, and which steel kettles, steam irons and handset shower heads we stock at trade prices.

Which electric shower kW rating do you need? For most homes 9.5kW is the sensible default, but the right answer depends on flow, winter water temperature and your circuit. This guide uses the Aqualisa eVolve datasheet to compare 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5kW flow rates, explains why more power does not mean a hotter shower, covers MCB sizes and Part P, and runs a worked winter en-suite example.

Which intumescent strip size does your fire door need? Most 30-minute doors take 15mm x 4mm and most 60-minute doors take 20mm x 4mm or two 10mm strips, but the door maker decides. This guide explains fire-only versus fire and smoke strips, the 3mm gap rule, how to fit the strip in the frame, and a costed eight-door HMO example using real Astroflame prices.

Do replacement windows need trickle vents? In England, Part F of the Building Regulations says yes in most cases. New vents must match the old ones, or meet 8000mm² of equivalent area in habitable rooms and kitchens and 4000mm² in bathrooms. This guide explains equivalent area versus slot size, works through a bedroom example with real Astroflame vents, and covers fitting, common mistakes and what HMO landlords should buy.

Window restrictors limit how far a window opens, usually to no more than 100mm, so a child or vulnerable adult cannot fall out. HSE sets that benchmark for care homes, schools and public buildings, and councils apply it to HMOs. This guide covers which windows need one, why the restrictor must release in a fire, where installs go wrong and what to buy. It is written for hotel owners, HMO landlords and care providers.

Approved Document M Volume 2 wants entrance thresholds level, and where a raised one cannot be avoided it caps the total height at 15mm. The catch is that every layer in the doorway counts: cill, weather bar, seal rebate and new flooring. This guide shows what the rule says, where site installs fail, how fire door seals fit in, and a pre-order checklist. It is written for hotel owners, HMO landlords and contractors specifying doors in England.

A fire blanket is the simplest piece of kitchen fire equipment, but only if the right size is mounted where staff can reach it. Home Office guidance for small guest accommodation suggests one in self-catering kitchens, and some council HMO standards require one wherever food is cooked. This guide explains which BS EN 1869:2019 blanket fits a small or commercial kitchen, where to mount it and how to use it safely. It also covers when a blanket is not enough on its own.