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My wife in her wisdom recently bought a 2nd hand chandelier off gumtree. When I had a look at it, it looks like the bracket is missing. There are three wires, one of which has been cut short for some reason (see photo). Two of the wires look to have a white line running along them and one (the...

I need to replace a leaking radiator valve on a downstairs radiator and have a combi boiler. I live in a three storey house with a lot of radiators and don't especially want to drain the entire system just to replace this one valve. Is it OK for me to isolate all the other radiators at both ends...

We have just bought a new house which is fitted with two boilers and has two Danfoss TP5 thermostats/timers controlling them. They seem very basic in terms of functionality compared to the timer we were used to, which itself was not exactly anything funky. I was wondering if anyone could...

I have been swapping over a bathroom light fitting for a new one. It has a fan wired through it, which was done by the previous owners. I took a photo of the wiring before starting, and replicated the wiring in the new fitting. However, when I switch the light on now, the fan doesn't come on...

The person who owned our house before us was an electrician. He ran aerial cables from various points around the house up into the loft, but didn't label any of them up. So, we have 8 different aerial cables up there, only one of which (from the living room) is actually connected to the aerial...

My wife runs a small office, and they have some ceiling spot lights in their reception. Two have recently gone out, but it's not the bulbs that are the problem (I've checked!). One of them has a wire that has come loose from the bit the bulb plugs into (it's the sort of GU10 bulb where it has...

My parents' oven has one of those things where a cooling fan comes on after the oven is turned off, and stays on until the oven's cool. It has begun to stay on for long periods of time, although it stops from time to time and makes a strange noise (as though it's struggling to start) before...

I have an Inta concealed shower valve that has started to allow water to pass, meaning the shower drips every few seconds. I have been advised to remove the thermostatic cartridge and clean it, but I can't get to it. I have removed the temperature and flow handles, but can't see how I can now...

I have an Inta concealed shower valve which has started allowing the shower to drip when fully closed. It's only 18 months old, which seems pretty poor. I presume I need to replace the cartridge, but I've been unable to find anywhere online that sells cartridges. I'd appreciate any advice...

I'm trying to join two pieces of condensate waste pipe from a combi boiler, but it seems like the pipe that has been used is slightly thicker than the 21.5/22mm stuff that's standard. Hence, I can't seem to find anything that will allow me to join the pieces together - all I want is a...

My (pregnant!) sister just rang me to say that her boiler has died. She has been unable to get any plumbers to come out as they're all mega-busy due to the snow, and wondered if I could suggest anything she could try doing (I couldn't!). She says it's as if there is no power to it. The only...

We have an outdoor light that was fitted by the previous owners (so we have no instructions for it). The bulb recently blew, but when I replaced it, the light now stays on all the time. It's one of those lights that has both a photosensor and a movement sensor, so it should only come on when...

I have a Flymo mower (the sort with wheels, not the type that hovers) that has worked very well for several years. This year it has started to cut out every few minutes. The problem seems to be that it has a cut-off switch that is supposed to cut the mower's power when the grass box is full...

My sister's toilet flushes fine but it's taking forever for the tank to refill. I had a look at it today and there is water spraying out of the side of the inlet valve. The system she has is just like this one: http://www.toolstation.com/images/library/stock/webbig/54478.jpg - the leak is from...

Does anyone have a recommendation for one of these? By self-contained, I mean having four sides, not just two glass panels. I have removed a damaged Jacuzzi one from our en-suite and have been looking for a replacement, as we don't want to re-do the entire bathroom. I've looked at Kinedo and...

I am in the process of removing an old Jacuzzi shower and the last job left is to get rid of the wiring for it (the new shower doesn't require electricity). I have disconnected the cable from the wall socket, but now have no idea how to get the piece of cable itself out of the wall! I've...

I'm in the process of removing a Jacuzzi shower unit and to get it out completely, I now need to disconnect it from the hot and cold water supplies. I have attached a couple of pictures of the fittings and would really appreciate any advice on the best way to get these off and then block them...

My patio door handle has suddenly stopped closing properly. When I looked more closely, I found that the latch has gone all soft - you can push it in with a finger and there's no resistance. When I lift the handle to lock the door, the latch is pushed back out, but it can be pushed back in again...

I wonder if anyone could give me some advice about a problem with my parents' oven?! A couple of months ago, the element went (the oven was only just over a year old) and I changed it for them. The other day, the electrics tripped out in the kitchen and it turned out to have been caused by...

My outside tap is supplied by a copper pipe which runs from the cold water supply to the kitchen sink. One of the joints on the elbow has recently started leaking - is there any way to cure this without soldering? It seems a silly little job to get a plumber out for, but we have a water meter...