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My daughter is planning to have a water softener installed in her new kitchen, but her plumber has suggested that it's a waste of money and she should have an electronic/magnetic limescale prevention device (which he can supply and install) instead. My understanding of these limescale...

eBay came to my rescue with a screw bulb holder for my pendant light, but the dimmable led 9W (60W equivalent) bulb I got from Sainsbury's for £4.50 is acting strange. It switched on/off okay when I first installed it, then next time I switched on/off it just went dim when I switched off. An...

Well, this is becoming a saga! I've found a few dimmable bulbs, and bought a 9W (allegedly 60W equivalent, so it must be more efficient than the fluorescent ones) LED one at my local Sainsburys, but it's got an Edison screw end. I've tried by local DIY stores (Wickes and B&Q), but they don't...

OK, thanks, I suppose you're saying that all UK gas central heating systems work that way, which is what I was asking.

I understand the chain of events in normal operation -- thermostat says the area is too cold and opens a valve, which in turn starts the pump and boiler. But my valves aren't sticking (they're motor off, spring return) because they shut down successfully when the timer tells them to at 10:30pm...

Seems like I spoke too soon :( We came back from holiday at the beginning of the month, and the boiler and pump are starting up in the middle of the night again -- though this time none of the radiators heat up, apart from the one in the bathroom. BG is on the case again, but I have one...

10W is a bit too dim, unless their incandescent equivalent is different from the fluorescent bulbs. I need something around the 15/18 watt range (65/85 equivalent, I believe). Anyway, I'm going to have a look around the shops this morning to see what I can get.

Ahhh, that explains why my old bulb worked okay for several years. The original was a GE 15-watt one, compared with the Philips 18-watt that I just put in. So maybe I'll just try a couple of different brands of CFL and see if any works -- they'll always be good as spares for the rest of the...

Thanks freddo. I'll have to check out my switch more closely, for there's no external markings on it so I don't know if it's exactly the one I gave in my link, it just looks the same. My particular switch pre-dates energy-saving bulbs but, looking at the ad for the ZV210 today I see that they...

I've had a programmable electronic switch on one of my lights for several years now, like this one. For a few years now it has worked with the modern energy-saving "folded tube" fluorescent bulbs, but today the bulb blew, and when I replaced it with a new Philips 18W (85W equivalent) "Genie"...

Thank you. That explains it clearly enough for me.

The light switches are plastic, and nobody has ever felt a tingle so far as I know -- and I've been the one that's caused the trip on at least one occasion. The system here has every appearance of being the American system, with overhead distribution and small pole-mounted transformers. But...

I suspected that might be the answer I'd get. I think you're saying the speed of the disconnect is probably more important than the trigger current, but I have no way of telling what that is with this locally-manufactured breaker. The reason for the leakage is a puzzle to me, for the trips seem...

I know there's a sub-forum for overseas electrics, but since there's more people viewing here and my question is a general one, I'm posting here first: I'm staying at a relative's house in Bangkok, and the main circuit breaker is forever tripping -- probably at least once a day, and always when...

Thanks guys. I know it goes against the grain a little, but I'm happier in this instance going with light "shed roof felt" rather than something heavier and more durable, or even a two-layer system. Just over £20 will cover my shed, so to replace it every ten years is not a big deal.

Thanks big-all, but this is "only" a garden shed, and the felt has lasted about ten years, so I think I'll just go with more of the same :)

Thanks woody.

The gale's just blown most of the sheeting off my shed roof. It was regular mineral shed felt, fixed with large-headed nails. It's many years old, so has earned its keep. To replace it I'm looking at something simple like Wickes shed mineral roof felt, but what I'm wondering is should I...

The end is nigh!! I wrote to BG customer services department last week, enclosing a log of my 2-year saga. On Friday a Lead Engineer came with the engineer that I'd booked to sort out the hot water. The engineer stayed all morning, found that the new hot water actuator had been wired...

Seems like two or three of us were typing at the same time :) The central-heating valves (two zones) are now working correctly after the previous BG visits, so it's only the hot water valve that's a problem now. I've got hot water most of the time because the tank heats up when the...