Recent content by MrGumby

I have a similar problem. "Bulb" blew. The replacement works fine in another lamp but in the original just glows faintly (sometimes) and flickers a little. Do these things have 'starters' hidden somewhere, as with fluorescent tubes?

Replacing the valves only deals with domestic H&C. I have to replace a rad too and further rads in the future.

That's the sort of logic I like but I'll use the bungs more than once. For a start I'll use them to replace a rad next week without the hassle and expense (inhibitor) of draining the system. Know what you mean about the lugs but luckily not a problem in this case.

Good thinking Muggles but she declined. Thanks Richardthe3rd - I've ordered a set (free delivery) for use when i change the rad. And thanks to Squeaky but the Toolstation ones are a lot cheaper. Didn't know they existed - wish I'd bought them years ago! In the meantime, to change the shower...

Thanks Squeaky. I've just reserved a pair of full-bore lever valves from Screwfix. £4.99 each. Compression but that's fine. Push-fit would be quicker to install if the pipe's weeping but compression quick enough.

Can anyone suggest a good way of bunging a 22mm outlet from my cold tank? The supply to the hot cylinder from the tank has a gate valve that doesn't work. Surprise, surprise. I'd like to avoid draining the cold tank. I tried a Vac-u-vin stopper which I've used successfully on 15mm outlets in...

I'm replacing a shower. The gate valves on the supply are useless. One only slows the flow, doesn't shut it off, the other has a broken stem, I suspect. I want to replace them with vales that will shut off the supply reliably but without restricting the flow when open (gravity-fed shower)...

Thanks zipper. Not that 'taking a peek' was easy, with one of the motor bolt heads facing into the machine and very hard to reach. But you were right - the brushes are worn down to nothing, so I'm about to order replacements. With any luck, that will do the job, although I'm still mystified...

Thanks Zipper. I searched here very carefully before posting but nothing quite fitted. Would the pump keep running when the drum was empty, just because the motor brushes need replacing? I'd have thought the pump would stop but then the motor wouldn't start. I'm happy to try replacing the...

It completed a cycle except that it didn't spin. The pump was running. If I try and start a new cycle, the pump/spin light comes on and the pump runs continuously. The belt is fine and the pump is clear. It's as if it thinks there's still water in there and it wants to pump it out...

Thanks lightning and sorry I failed to spot this in the FAQ. Guilty!

The pressure on my 3-year-old Vaillant ecoTec Plus 630 seems out of control. Could it be caused by a faulty expansion vessel? When cold, the pressure is 1.0 - 1.5 bar but, when the boiler is working hard, the pressure goes off the scale and water is ejected via the pressure relief valve. Then...

Alastair - You don't know me from Adam, so I'm not asking you to take my word for it, but are you saying Jeff Howell is wrong? I don't agree with everything he says, but some things are matters of fact rather than opinion, and I believe this is one of them. Given the choice between Jeff's...

My post was valid and helpful, yours of no value to anyone. It's NEVER too late. Anyone looking here for advice on plasterboarding ceilings would have picked up the old post and assumed the suggestion of using 2400x1200 boards to be sound. It isn't. 2400x1200 may be what many in the trade use...

Sorry to disagree, and it's a bit late now anyway, but it's a mistake to use 2400x1200 boards for ceilings. Use 1800x900 or smaller, depending on what you can find. Leave 5mm gaps between the boards. Fill the gaps with plaster, cover with scrim tape and then finish as normal. Why? Well, ease...