Recent content by PhilFromYorkshire

Called their technical number - it's just a recorded message saying please use their website to contact them. Can't be doing with that - life's too short.

Yes, the spark who fitted it went round last Monday to retest. He found no problems but said he nipped up the terminals and reseated the push-on plugs. Just got a text this morning from the tenant saying it went off today. They are mains powered interlinked with battery backup. I forgot to...

Hi I've got an issue with a repeatedly false triggering Kiddie (previously Firex?) KF20 optical smoke alarm. I'm a landlord and this is a rental property over 3 stories, so it's required to have smoke detectors on every floor (not heat detectors - rental regulations) and these need to be...

Not sure - it's intermittent but next time it happens I can try isolating it and see if it stops. Great suggestion

The radiators are currently drained and filling loop disconnected while the bathroom is getting refitted.

The gas engineer I use just called round. We wondered about similar things. He's suggested fitting a mini expansion vessel after my stop tap and perhaps a pressure reducer too. He said that might stop the pressure fluctuations.

Hi I'm posting this here because both me and my gas fitter are pretty confused by this. I'm renovating a house and the combi boiler is banging - loudly but intermittently. However the boiler is switched off at the isolator, which has a glowing light that goes off so I'm a sure as I can be that...

Thanks for the advice. You're right, probably best to speak to an inspector. Yes, all the easy stuff is done. According to the last report it needs the loft conversion insulation bringing fully up to standard to get to C. I think ripping down the existing ceiling is not going to happen. That's...

Hi I have an existing loft conversion built and signed off by building control in 1992. I am considering improving the insulation. The house is a rental property and I want to get it to an EPC C rating. From what I can find of the standards at the time, the insulation should have a u value of...

Hi I'm refitting a bathroom and wondered if anyone had found such a thing as a really bombproof bath waste? This is for a residential rental property. For rentals I normally stick to the most reliable fittings I can get hold of as they can take a hammering. I have found that click clack wastes...

Just to update this in case anyone else has the same issue and finds this post. There were no brass nuts in either side of the box. Both sides with plastic threads in plastic holes. I picked up a v-coil kit (don't know if these are better, worse or any different to helicoil). It's 3.5 x 0.6...

Thanks for the tips. I'll check for the brass nuts in the morning - I had assumed they were plastic threads. Just like @pcaouolte, one of mine has been "repaired" with a wood screw. Does anyone know what thread a face plate screw is? M3.5? Might be able to grab some replacement nuts as...

Hi I am redecorating and a number of the back boxes are plastic, despite being in solid walls. I've attached a couple of photos. Some of the threads for screwing the face plates down are stripped (screws just span when I went to unscrew them). Is there any way to repair them without digging...

Have you left one of the filling loop taps turned the wrong way? I think on some boilers this will stop the flow round the central heating system.

I have a set of bath taps with a shower diverter. The diverter operates with a lever that turns about an eighth of a turn to swap from shower to taps - see first picture. The whole bathroom including these taps were inherited from the previous owner Unfortunately the diverter leaks - when set...