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Would appreciate a heads-up on replacing a blown door bell/chime transformer. The transformer, a very old Friedland "Surepunch" model sited in the loft space, went open circuit (though not before blowing a fuse in my old distribution box) and smells burnt. Because of the worrying burning smell...

"Invasion force" - I like it. That's what it feels like in our garden. At present, I'm gradually adding extra resistors into the circuit to establish an optimum max. current flow (i.e. enough to deter the large invaders yet not enough to kill the small ones). Presently, 180 mA max. is killing...

Appreciate the advice and guidance. Just like everything in life, the more you look into things, the more complicated it gets - not to mention expensive. My preferred choice of battery, sealed LA, has fussy charging requirements for a long service life - constant voltage is most important, I...

I have a raised garden vegetable bed fitted with an electrical slug & snail deterrent. This deterrent consists of two bare conductors spaced about 1cm apart that run around the bed's perimeter (around the outside, a few cm's down from the top edge). Currently, I power it with a 9V battery...

You've reminded me that I have something similar I purchased years ago. Must be tucked away in the garage somewhere. Could save my fingers. These plastic joists are pretty tough, even with a pilot hole. Thanks. Thanks to all for your contributions. I started off thinking staples and now, thanks...

Hadn't thought of that. Just checked online and found suitably small/tiny sizes in stainless steel. I think you've found the solution, thanks. The wire rope will loop around the veg bed and I may need to secure each end of the wire to the plastic joists with a screw & washer (to prevent movement...

So that's where they're all coming from! During one warm damp summer evening, I once collected upwards of 500 snails & slugs from the garden, 2000+ over the course of a week. Made a noticeable difference for a couple of years. Released them in local woodland. Haven't done that for a few years...

With all the damage they've done, I'm not sure I want them to die happy. I'm sad enough to have experimented with all common repellent methods, incl copper tape, beer traps, grit, orange peel, broken eggshell, a moat (constructed from guttering(!), bran and standard slug pellets. None of these...

I'll look into that option. I should have explained at the outset that the wire will form part of an 'electric fence' around a veg bed to keep out slugs and snails (big problem in my garden). Two wires form the two conductors spaced approx 1cm apart will run around the perimeter of the wooden...

Indeed so. Also, the price of electric staplers, for a one-off job, is putting me off. Thanks to your lead though, I've seen stainless steel versions of the 26/6 (or type 53 or Tackwise type1270 - why so many different references for the same product?) for which I already have the stapler gun...

Would appreciate opinions and recommendations please... I need to staple several metres of 2mm s/s wire 'rope' onto recycled plastic joists. It's for outdoor use and open to the elements. What combination of staple gun and staples would you recommend. I've used standard 26/6 office-type steel...

Something to bear in mind when I refurb the bathroom. The current wash basin is definitely pre-1990 - I suspect it's a late 70's design. The plughole drain fittings don't seem to be the problem as I've blasted water down the plughole many times without the basin hollow filling up so I think the...

OK, not exactly a disaster but it's weird... I clean my wash basin and bath drains by periodically blasting mains pressure water (via a hose) down the plugholes. Very quick, no chemicals and it does a great job. Done it a good few times and if careful, doesn't spray water around the bathroom...

Thanks for your replies. Sorted. I'm using a 'plug in' (unfused!) 30mA RCD anyway as my consumer unit doesn't have a RCD.

I have a pond aerator pump that plugs into mains electricity. In normal use, it draws 4 Watts, evidently. It wasn't supplied with a mains plug so I fitted one and installed the lowest rated mains fuse I had - 2 Amps. However, the instruction manual states: "should be fused for a rated fault...

Thanks for the advice. Only potential downside is that I see from the design of similar lintels that many (perhaps all?) have numerous small holes in the steel as a key for plaster - sod's law I'll drill into at least one hole. If that happens, I guess I'll have to resort to a longer screw and...

Possibly a simple answer to this question but I'd appreciate guidance. I want to hang two roller blinds inside a sliding door recess where one blind sits above the sliding panel and the second blind above the fixed panel. Not all roller blinds have brackets for side wall fixing and besides, the...

My bungalow was extended just over 3 years ago and some fine cracks appeared on walls (plaster-on-aerated block) and ceilings (skimmed plasterboard) after 6 months to a year. No new cracks have appeared since although one or two may have grown longer and opened up a touch more but no crack is...

Thanks. I don't think they use the lower range end of the dimmer, though I'll need to check.

What's the worse that can happen? Distant elderly relatives need to replace some old 60W tungsten filament bulbs. Problem is, the lighting circuit has an old dimmer switch and I've read that even dimmable LEDs don't work properly (or at all?) with old-style dimmer switches. The possible...