Essential Heating Tips to Help Homeowners Beat the Winter Rush

Third-generation plumber and gas engineer PB Plumber (Peter Booth) is shining a light on simple maintenance tips that installers can share with their customers to help them avoid heating headaches during the busy winter months.

With millions of homes and workplaces switching their central heating back on, October and November mark a surge in emergency call-outs for tradespeople. PB Plumber — known as Lawton Tubes’ “Copper Champion” — knows all too well how intense the demand can become.

Heating Season Sparks Copper Surge

Lawton Tubes, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of copper tube and fittings, sold over 2.9 million metres of domestic-sized copper tube in October 2024 alone — an increase of 700,000 metres compared to June. The company expects a similar rise this year as installers gear up for another busy heating season.

PB Plumber’s Top Maintenance Tips

“The key to managing the winter workload is education. Being busy is obviously good, but at this time of year, installers can often be overwhelmed with calls that could have been prevented if customers had taken simple steps earlier.”

PB Plumber, Proud Copper Ambassador for Lawton Tubes

Here are PB’s top tips that installers can share with their customers:

Run the heating regularly: Turn central heating on for 20 minutes once a month during spring and summer to stop valves and seals from sticking.Bleed radiators: If the top of a radiator feels cold, customers can bleed it to release trapped air — often an easy DIY fix.Defrost frozen condensate pipes: In freezing weather, pouring a kettle of hot (not boiling) water over the outside of a frozen pipe can save an emergency call-out.Plan projects for summer: Encourage customers to schedule big installations (like bathrooms or kitchens) during warmer months when multiple trades can work together efficiently.

Copper Remains the Professional’s Choice

Lawton Tubes has seen strong demand for copper throughout 2025, selling 300,000 metres more of small-diameter pipe in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2024.

The company is also preparing to open a new £20 million headquarters opposite its existing Coventry site in 2026 — part of its continued investment in UK manufacturing.

“We’re seeing huge growth not just in copper pipe but in our wider range of fittings — including our modern copper press systems for water and gas. Our Redditch factory has now produced over 14 million copper cylinder fittings, and we expect to double our fittings sales volume by the end of the year.”

Robert Lawton, Director of Marketing and International Sales

With over a century of supplying the trade, Lawton Tubes continues to champion quality copper solutions while supporting tradespeople like PB Plumber in keeping the nation’s heating systems running smoothly.

Lawton Tubes appointed an industry veteran to help drive growth within precision engineering.

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Essential Heating Tips to Help Homeowners Beat the Winter Rush

Heating Season Sparks Copper Surge

PB Plumber’s Top Maintenance Tips

Copper Remains the Professional’s Choice

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Lawton Tubes appointed an industry veteran to help drive growth within precision engineering.