SOS Property Services Sligo glossary

15 terms explained

Mains Stopcock

The brass screw-down or lever shut-off valve (usually under the kitchen sink) that turns off the cold mains water coming into the house.

Gate Valve (Wheel-Head Valve)

Red wheel-topped brass valve in the hot press or attic that shuts off the low-pressure cold water feed from the attic storage tank.

Lever Ball Valve

Quarter-turn isolation valve with a metal handle that shuts water off cleanly with a 90-degree turn and is far less likely to seize than an old gate valve.

Vented Copper Hot Water Cylinder

Factory-insulated copper tank in the hot press heated by both the central heating boiler coil and an electric immersion element, fed from the attic tank.

Unvented (Pressurised) Cylinder

Mains-pressure stainless-steel hot water cylinder with an expansion vessel and safety relief valves, giving strong hot water flow without an attic tank.

Dual Immersion Element (Sink & Bath)

Top-entry electric heater screwed into the dome of the hot water cylinder with a short element for a quick sink of water and a long element for the whole tank.

Immersion Thermostat Rod

Removable temperature-sensing rod inside the immersion cap (typically set to 60°C) that cuts power once the water is hot.

Circulating Pump

The electric pump on the central heating pipework that pushes heated water from the oil or gas boiler around the radiators and cylinder coil.

Motorised Zone Valve (2-Port Valve)

Electrically driven brass valve in the hot press that opens and closes to let the boiler heat upstairs radiators, downstairs radiators or the hot water cylinder separately.

Thermostatic Radiator Valve (TRV)

Numbered sensor head fitted to the flow side of a radiator that automatically throttles hot water into that radiator once the room reaches the chosen warmth.

Lockshield Valve

The capped valve on the return side of each radiator used to balance flow across the house so distant radiators heat up at the same speed as close ones.

Magnetic System Filter

Canister fitted on the boiler return pipe containing a strong magnet that catches black iron-oxide sludge before it enters the boiler or pump.

Twin-Impeller Shower Booster Pump

Pump installed at the base of the hot press that boosts both the hot and cold gravity feeds to power mixer showers and bathroom taps.

Cistern Fill Valve & Flush Syphon

The two internal parts inside a toilet cistern: the fill valve lets water in and stops at the waterline, while the syphon or drop-valve flushes it into the bowl.

Qualpex Barrier Pipe

Cross-linked polyethylene plumbing pipe with an internal oxygen-barrier layer used alongside copper in Irish central heating and domestic water systems.