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I, perhaps foolishly, assumed that there would be screw terminals for at least the mains cable on this power supply (there should be a picture attached). Instead the cable appears to be soldered to the board and I can't get the case open to replace the stubbly little bit the manufacturer has...

I would like to install some LED strip under one of the shelves in my workshop. For now, at least, it'll be plugged into a wall socket rather than hard wired. The driver will be mounted to the underside of the shelf along with the LED strip. I've bought a suitable constant voltage driver (one...

I'm in the process of restoring an old sash window and I've found that the window sill is cracked. The sill is a big old lump of sandstone about 120mm thick and, as far as I can tell, the crack runs all the way through. The way I see it I have three options: Do nothing. I don't like this...

A little while back we had an extension built but unfortunately our builder went bankrupt before he finished the job. Lack of funds means I've been finishing the work myself but I could do with some advice on fitting the external door. I've attached a couple of photos of what we have and a...

I've put together a small LED lighting set up with 5 * 2.5m strips of LED ribbon powered from a 12V 10A power supply (like this) with a total draw from the LED strips of <7.5A. The power supply and all the wiring are inside a 200x120x75mm project box (like this). Obviously the power supply gets...

I plan on tiling above the bath this weekend but last weekend while I was laying out for the tiles I discovered that the long edge of the bath might not be perfectly level. It's pretty close, no more than 5mm out over the 1800mm length, but we're using 100x200mm tiles with a bevelled edge and...

I installed a bath over Christmas and it seems I made the schoolboy error of forgetting to put sealant on the overflow where it connects to the bath. The rubber washer is pressed up against the fibreglass so it doesn't stand a chance of making a proper seal. It wouldn't be so bad but I've...

The flush plate (shiny silver bit with buttons) on our concealed cistern must have been sprayed with some corrosive bathroom cleaner at some point as the finish on it has become damaged. I can see that you can buy replacements but I can't tell from the details if they will fit. Are flush plates...

I've got a room that's currently missing a floor so in order to avoid any nagging from the family it's about time I got one installed! As this will be a bathroom which may have tiles on the floor I've aimed to spec it to be stiffer than the building regs call for. All timber (C16 or better and...

I've just had a new workshop built and I would like to get a 100A supply into it but I'd appreciate some advice on the best way to achieve this. All the cable run is internal to the house and will be about 10m total. The majority of the the cable run will be under an uninsulated suspended...

I've got a sash window that I want to fit into an extension we're having built but before it can be fitted it needs some renovation work done on it. I can't decide whether to attempt a repair or just bite the bullet and replace the sill. As the window is already out it feels like I should...

I've just finished making my first sash windows and I need to get them painted, at least primer and undercoat, so the builder can install them. The they are from meranti and currently just sanded smooth. I've had a bit of read around and people seem to really rate the zinsser range but I'm...

I'm in the process of taking down a poorly built extension so that we can put up a well built one. I've got the roof off and I'm about to start on the walls which will result in me having a lot of bricks to do something with. The small section of wall I've taken down so far has been built...

At long last I've got around to repairing a door way in our old house. There must have been a leak from a drain above for many years as the upright in the wall that frames the doorway (a 3x3 oak post) had completely turned to dust. I've pulled the old upright out and removed the door frame...

The wife reported a burning smell in the kitchen the other day which we tracked down to the plug on the washing machine. The pug was clearly wrecked so I cut it off but I was interested to find out why it had failed so I cracked it open. I can't seen any obvious reason for the...

Hi, I have a CU in the workshop and would like to fit a new radial circuit for a 32A industrial socket (an MK Commando) to run a welder with a maximum draw of 20A. I plan on fitting a 32A Type C MCB in the CU. This is only a short term installation (until the new workshop is built, :D) so the...

Most of the woodwork in our old house has really badly chipped and yellowed paint and I'm struggling to find the best way repair it. With the doors I'm stripping them back completely with a hot air gun and refinishing them, this gives an excellent finish and can be done outside meaning not so...

Hi, I went to test the heating system ready for the cold winter we've been promised this year and to my disappointment it wouldn't fire up :roll: With the help of my sparky, who happened to be on site, we traced the problem to the PCB in the valve actuator. Manually opening the valve...

Hi, I'm currently most of the way through installing a wall hung toilet in our new bathroom. The frame I'm using is one of these http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/ceramica-wall-hung-toilet-2179-17927 and while I'm impressed with the build quality the instructions leave a little to be desired -...

Hi guys, Just lifted a couple of floorboard to run some pipes in for a radiator and found that a section of one of the joists is in a very bad state. Looks like a nasty case of deathwatch beatle. I was wondering how to best go about repairing it? The damage appears to be mostly to the top...