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Adding a new thermostat where there was none.

Wiring a room thermostat into a Danfoss 102E5 controller. Traditional gravity fed system, 1 x room thermostat. I thought it would be just a matter of connecting the thermostat wires to the controller outputs. So the thermostat turns the controller on and off. But the Danfoss manual shows a...

Do you mean that I should use a spray that does not spread out and aim it at the dandelion? Ther is a nozzle selection on the "roundup" soray I bought last week. Should I let the dandelions flower, then zap the yellow flowers? Or cut short and zap the leaves at the base?

My front and back lawn are steadily getting infested with dandelions. Cropping the grass short doesn't help. Within a couple of days of sunshine, yellow dandelion heads are popping up! There are too many of 'em to dig out. Any tips, short of returfing? Would spraying with roundup...

Anyone got tips on where and when the various types of washers should be used: rubber, polythene, fibre Thanks Mike

Any tips for fixing a wobbly monobloc tap? The sink is paper thin, so the horse-shoe monobloc connector doesn't seem to give a strong enough base. I applied some silicone sealant around the tap hole to help stabilise things a bit. But I am having to remove the tap completely (to change the...

Memo to self: When you buy some new taps, undo the headgear nut and then reassemble before fitting the tap. My sink monobloc tap is dripping. A 10 minute job to change the washers, I thought. But I can't shift the headgear nut for the life of me. I'm going to have to disassemble some...

Is a socket set of any use for the DIY plumber? So far, I have got by with an adjustable spanner and a Stilson-type wrench for compression fittings. But I may be buying a socket set. I suppose I might need it to accommodate the common 15 mm and 22mm nut sizes. Any recommendations for a...

Worse thing that can happen is that a nearby soldered elbow joint on the pipe run gives way due to being twisted. That's happened to me before, when I overtightened a compression joint and a soldered T-joint below gave way! Thanks Mike

Thanks, Andy. I opened the gland nut completely and have tried a couple of hefty WD40 applications and left it overnight. But still it won't budge. So I'm not sure that Plus Gas will do it. Anyway, I'll look out for it.

I'm still battling with a seized stop cock in the loft. I can undo the gland valve OK. Then I sprayed in a good dose of WD40. But the tap won't budge!

Won't water leak out if I do this? Even if I have turned off the mains stop cock under the kitchen sink downstairs?

Not sure a compression fit ball valve would fit in exactly if I cut out the old stopcock.

At the moment it's a type 1 float valve. Surely I should replace like with like? There is a stopcock on the rising main in the loft. Unfortunately, it's seized up. I'm weighing up how to unseize it without damaging any nearby joints.

Thanks. Access to the tank is very restricted. It is shoved right under the roof. Any tinkering with the float arm must be done blind. And I am not keen to start undoing 30 yr old connections to the tank that have remained leak-free. So I thought a "quick-fix" option might be worth it.

I'm trying to diagnose an intermittent overflow from the cold water storage tank in the loft. The ball cock does not seem to shut off after I have had a bath in the evening. A slight drip remains, and by morning the tank is overflowing. The accepted quick fix for this seems to be to bend...

Thanks, the sink is a thin cheapo Wickes one. I'm a bit wary about applying too much pressure.

Changing the washer on a mono "swan neck" mixer tap, similar to this: http://www.screwfix.com/prods/41894/Kitchens/Kitchen-Taps/Contract-Mono-Sink-Mixer-Taps-White The nut that holds the washer mechanism is refusing to budge. What's the best way of holding the base in position, so I can...

So you reckon the joint will take it if I just go at it with a wrench?

I presume the gland nut is the uppermost nut (see pic). I'll try this, but I'm terrified of breaking a joint in the pipework if I use too much pressure. Stopcock is soldered in. Replacing it would mean getting the hacksaw out.