Services are the layer of a renovation that is hardest to put right once it has been closed up. A leak that appears after the wall has been built and the tiles laid means redoing not just the plumbing but everything above it. That is why the place to economise on services is the material grade, never the workmanship or the testing.
We run services work on one rule: it is tested before it is closed. No wall is closed before the water lines have passed a pressure test and the electrical circuits have been measured for continuity and earthing. The test results are recorded and handed to you.
Services are also a safety matter. In an installation with missing earthing the residual current device is ineffective; that is a question of life safety, not comfort. For that reason, when we assess an existing installation we go by measured values rather than by how tidy it looks.
Plumbing and Electrical Services: What the Service Covers
The following items are included as standard in our Plumbing and Electrical service. Every item is listed separately in the quotation prepared after the site visit; nothing is left vague about what is and is not included.
- Renewal of clean water and waste pipework
- Riser and in-flat pipe replacement
- Pressure testing and leak checks
- Electrical installation renewal, consumer unit and circuit changes
- Rerunning socket, switch and lighting circuits
- Earthing systems and residual current protection
- Underfloor heating installation
- Boiler, radiator and gas pipework coordination
- Air conditioning pipework, refrigerant lines and condensate drainage
- Fault finding and repair
Plumbing and Electrical Services: How We Work
- Assessment: The material, size and age of the existing pipework and the state of the consumer unit are inspected. On the electrical side, earthing and residual current protection are measured; on the water side, flow and any signs of leakage are assessed. We establish the source of the problem, not its symptom.
- Planning: New pipe routes and socket and outlet positions are marked on a plan and approved. Chase routes are set so that they do not damage structural elements.
- Execution: Chasing, pipe runs and connections are carried out. Joints are kept to a minimum; every joint is a potential point of failure.
- Testing: The water lines are pressure tested and the pressure confirmed to hold. On the electrical side, continuity, insulation resistance and earthing are measured. The results are recorded.
- Closing and handover: The chases are closed once the tests have passed. Photographs of the routes are taken and given to you, so that if work is needed later it is known where to drill.
Plumbing and Electrical Services: Conditions Specific to Antalya
Antalya's water quality and building stock bear directly on services decisions.
High water hardness
The mains water hardness value is high. Limescale collects in tap cartridges, shower heads, water heaters and the elements of dishwashers and washing machines. A water softener at the incoming main is the single intervention that affects the life of the whole installation and of the white goods.
Galvanised steel pipe stock
Galvanised steel water pipe is common in Antalya's middle-aged buildings. These pipes corrode from the inside, lose bore, reduce flow and pass an iron taste to the water. Looking sound does not mean they have life left in them.
Missing earthing
In part of the older installations the earth conductor either does not exist or is not connected to the installation. Even with a residual current device fitted, protection does not work as intended without earthing. This is the item we always measure at a services survey.
Air conditioning density
In Antalya air conditioning runs intensively and for long periods. That raises both the electrical load and the importance of the condensate line. A condensate drain run at the wrong fall makes the indoor unit discharge water down the wall, and the problem returns every summer.
Plumbing and Electrical Services: Common Mistakes
These are the decisions we meet most often on site and the hardest ones to put right afterwards. We go through all of them during the site visit.
- Closing a wall without testing. A pressure test is a short procedure and it prevents a leak that would otherwise appear months later. A line closed without testing is a gamble; when it is lost, the cost is taking apart all the work above it.
- Renewing the surface and leaving old pipework. Laying new tiles over a line that has reached the end of its life does nothing but defer the problem. Not renewing the pipework while the wall is already open is the most expensive omission in a renovation.
- Assuming earthing exists because it looks like it does. The presence of an earth pin on a socket does not mean that pin is actually connected to an earth. That can only be confirmed by measurement, and without measurement it cannot be assumed safe.
- Not recording the pipe routes. If it is not known where a line runs once the wall is closed, even hanging a shelf becomes risky. A photograph before closing is the simplest precaution, and it pays off years later.
- Running an air conditioning condensate line without fall. The condensate line has to fall continuously and adequately. Where the fall is broken, water collects and backs up out of the indoor unit onto the wall. It is a complaint that recurs every summer and whose source is hard to find.
Plumbing and Electrical Services: Material and Detail Notes
There is no single right answer in material decisions; every option has a strong and a weak side. Below we summarise those differences in terms of real use rather than marketing language.
Water pipe
PPR pipes are joined by heat fusion; the joint becomes integral with the pipe body and is reliable inside walls. PEX pipe is flexible, can be run with fewer joints and tolerates freezing better. In both systems it is the number of joints and the quality of the workmanship that decide.
Circuits and consumer unit
Cable size must be chosen for the load it will carry; an inadequate size means heat. A residual current device and proper circuit grouping in the board are mandatory. Keeping lighting, sockets and high-power appliances on separate circuits prevents a fault leaving the whole home without power.
Underfloor heating and floor compatibility
Ceramic and natural stone work very well with underfloor heating; they conduct heat efficiently. Thick solid timber reduces heat transfer and lowers system efficiency. The floor finish decision has to be taken together with the underfloor heating decision; changing it later means taking up the screed.
Plumbing and Electrical Services: Engineering Note
The two problems we see most often in Antalya's middle-aged building stock are these. The first is galvanised steel water pipe: it corrodes from the inside, loses bore, reduces flow and passes an iron taste to the water. These pipes may look sound but they have reached the end of their life, and not replacing them while the wall is open means opening the same wall again within a few years. The second is missing earthing; in part of the older installations the earth conductor either does not exist or is not connected to the installation. In that case, even with a residual current device fitted, protection does not work as intended, and that is a direct question of life safety. The presence of an earth pin on a socket does not mean the connection has actually been made — it can only be confirmed by measurement. We always measure both of these at a services survey and report the findings in writing.
Plumbing and Electrical Services: Pre-Handover Checklist
Every item below is checked before handover and the results are shared with you. If one item is outstanding, we do not hand over.
- Pressure test carried out on the water lines and the result recorded
- Continuity and insulation resistance measured on the electrical installation
- Earthing measured and residual current protection tested
- Circuits labelled at the consumer unit
- Air conditioning condensate fall and discharge checked
- Valves and main isolation points in accessible positions
- Pipe routes photographed before closing
- Measurement results and documents handed over