What to know about Herz valves
Herz is an Austrian maker of valves, known for radiator valves and ball valves. A ball valve is simple: a quarter turn of the handle, and a ball with a hole in it blocks the flow. Very little can go wrong with one, provided it is the right size and fitted straight.
Two things matter when choosing. The diameter and thread type, male or female, to suit your pipe. And the location: a stopcock on the flat’s main supply has to be reachable, not tiled in or hidden behind a built-in cupboard.
Right after the main stopcock there is usually a coarse filter and the water meter. While the water is off anyway, have those looked at too, so you are not shutting everything down again a month later.
Old steel pipes can add work. If the pipe end has rusted, it gets cut back and re-threaded. That is why the exact scope is only clear on site, and a sensible bid allows for it.
Price ranges and offers from tradespeople: a good plumber in Warsaw.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Fitting the valve somewhere awkward. In a leak, the minutes go on finding a screwdriver for the access panel.
- Too little thread sealant, or so much hemp that the body cracks.
- Not checking the riser valve first. If it does not hold, the flat valve cannot be changed without the building shutting the riser.
- Never touching the handle. Turn it closed and open every few months or it seizes.
Getting ready
- Find out where the riser is shut off and who does it, you or the building manager.
- Take photos of the valve and the pipe around it.
- If you already bought the valve, check its size on the box.
- Clear the space under the sink or in the cupboard.
Nobody should swap a valve under mains pressure. The riser gets shut first.
Ordering in the app
Describe the job in a couple of lines and add photos, so a plumber can size it up before coming out. Bids arrive from tradespeople who cover your part of Warsaw, whether that is Praga or across the river, each with their own price and timing. You compare them with ratings and reviews and pick one; only then do they see your number and address.
You pay the plumber directly, and the invoice is theirs. The valve and fittings are extra, fixings usually are not. Whoever did the work answers for it and redoes their own fitting; old pipes and someone else’s mistakes are not on them.
Order in the app
Describe the job, add photos and the address. Tradespeople send their own prices and dates, and you pick one of the offers.
Open the app
