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A visiting electrician had a mains test screwdriver that you just hold near to the cable, to show whether it is live. I can't find these on the web. How much do they cost?

Started up my electric Flymo hover mower this weekend. White smoke came billowing out of the motor section and there was a smell of burning. Now it won't start at all. Is this repairable? Probably cheaper to buy a new one, I suspect.

Maybe the batten is rotten.

Well spotted. They have chopped up a square tile, to fit under the eaves. There doesn't look an easy way to bang that nail back in, unless I remove back to a few rows above it.

Here are some pics. Flat, fan-shaped concrete tiles. No nibs.

The tile isn't broken. It fell out, complete with nail, onto the lawn. Maybe the batten is rotten? The tile is flat, so doesn't hang on a batten. It is nailed through a hole in the tile to the batten.

On the gable end of my house there are decorative tiles. These are hung vertically, nailed to a batten. A couple of these have dropped out. Is their an easy way to re-nail them? On a conventional pitched roof you can sometimes "wedge up" adjacent tiles, but these are vertically hung and...

By spindle, I mean the rod that connects the handle to the latch. Mine is round. Modern latches seem to expect a rectangular spindle.

Yes, a big standard "contract" latch should be OK. If the old one is a standard size. I may have a look in Wilkos. Do they all work OK with a round spindle?

Thanks, that is what I am looking for. The "innards" of the door handle. The latch body on the old one is cylindrical; the new ones all seem to be rectangular. But I don't expect I'll get an exact like-for-like replacement. What I need is an old-fashioned ironmonger. The DIY sheds seem to...

Here is what I mean: The barrel is the part that is inserted into a rebate in the door. The latch is a wedge shaped brass part that sticks out from the door edge.

Is it possible to repair a barrel for a internal door handle? The brass door latch that locates into the striking plate has fallen out, along with the return spring. After removing the barrel, I couldn't see any way to fasten the spring in the barrel innards. It's just a normal cheapo...

Any recommendations for ground cover plants for a low-maintenance garden. Just bought some "dwarf" hebe plants from the garden centre. Anyone got any more ideas?

Any idea how much this might cost? It might cost more than a new TV! The TV is out of warranty (15 months old). Looking on the web, some TVs have the coaxial socket attached to the tuner. So if a new tuner is required, the repair would be more complex.

My Samsung LCD TV has a dodgy aerial connector, the picture looks "psychedelic" until the connector warms up. After that the picture is perfect. Maybe a dry joint? The TV has plenty of other input connections round the back of the TV (HDMI, PC connections etc.). Maybe I can use those... Are...

Just been clipping back my "dwarf" conifer. It's about 9ft now :) Can conifer clippings be used as mulch, or a ground covering to suppress weeds?

Funny you should say that. I have an 16ft apple tree that needs a trim. Might be best to chop it down one day.

Good advice. I'll chop it all back and try to keep on top of it this year. I'm not a keen gardener, though.

Gardening programmes and newspaper columns give lots of advice on how to add new plants to your garden and how to make plants grow. I have the opposite problem, my garden is getting overgrown and out of control. There are established shrubs with thick trunks, 8 ft high roses, the odd...

To lock my uPVC door you pull the handle up, then turn the key. But lately, when I pull the handle up there is a metallic sound, like a spring. And it now takes me a few goes before I can successfully lock the door. Obviously something in the lever mechanism is broken or on the verge of...