A homeowner in a wet, windy part of Scotland has a 1965-built house with a chimney that used to serve a coal fire, then a gas fire, and has been out of use since a gas leak was found. The stack was repaired, the bricks sealed with a waterproof coating, a new cowl fitted, and […]
Damp Patches and Cracked Plaster on a Disused Chimney Breast: What’s Really Going On Read More »
A homeowner spotted a persistent drip behind the washing machine, coming from the area where the appliance hose meets the isolator valve on the mains supply. The blue plastic lever on the valve keeps showing a bead of water even after wiping it dry, and the hose nut has already been tightened as far as
Small Drip From a Washing Machine Isolation Valve: How to Diagnose and Replace It Read More »
A homeowner has a brand new uPVC window on a recent extension. A scaffolder dropped a tube which put a deep scratch across the glass and left a gouge in the frame – roughly 10mm long, 5mm high and 1-2mm deep. The pane will be swapped out, but they'd rather not remove and refit the
Repairing a Gouge in a New uPVC Window Frame Without Replacing It Read More »
We’ve inherited an older Veritas alarm in a UK house and never really used it. After a power cut – or after switching the mains off to do other work – the keypad started flashing, the outside sounder went off, and nothing we type into the keypad makes any difference. Opening the panel to have
Inherited a Veritas alarm you’ve never used – now it won’t reset after a power cut? Read More »
A homeowner has noticed a fairly wide gap – roughly half an inch – running down the side of their front door frame where it meets the brickwork. The original bedding material (looks like a bit of old lime or sand/cement pointing) has crumbled out over the years as the house has moved and the
Filling the Gap Between a Front Door Frame and the Brickwork Read More »
A homeowner has five roof windows fitted into a low-pitch kitchen roof, all installed about five years ago. Three of them have started letting water into the roof space, not through the glass itself but down near the bottom apron – the moulded flashing piece that sits below the window and laps over the roof
A homeowner is having a solid floor built up with a wet screed and the plumber has laid the hot and cold supplies in grey flexible plastic pipe with push-fit elbows that will end up buried in the screed. The pipe has a thin foam sleeve over it but the joints aren't fully covered. Copper
Running Hot, Cold and Heating Pipes Under a Screed Floor: What’s Allowed and What Lasts Read More »
A homeowner has had a bedroom skimmed a couple of weeks ago and it's still not fully dried out. Parts of the wall went pale within a few days, but big patches remain dark and damp-looking. Windows have been open and an electric heater has been run in the room, but the dark areas aren't
Fresh Plaster Drying Patchy: Why It Happens and What To Do About It Read More »
A homeowner set out to paint an MDF cupboard and doors to a nice white finish. They cleaned the MDF, then rolled on a shellac-based sealing primer (BIN) with a foam roller, working outside on a very hot day. The first batch came out just about acceptable after sanding, but the next day's work dried
Painting MDF Cupboards: Why BIN Primer Went Wrong and How to Get a Smooth Finish Read More »
A homeowner in a 2009 new build has taken off a twin socket to spur off a fused connection unit and found the metal back box screwed straight to the blockwork behind, with a big gap between the front of the box and the face of the plasterboard. The face plate was being held on
Metal Back Box Sitting Deep Behind the Plasterboard: Is It Safe and How Do You Fix It? Read More »
