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Edwardian terrace with central hanging wire and bayonet sockets for light bulbs with one wall mounted rocker switch per room. Last week the only light that was ‘on’ in ground floor lounge went ‘click’ and the fuse had blown. After just replacing the cartridge fuse and with all light switches in...

What is this raised border behind a bathroom vent/grille? The internal plastic grille just lifted off of four screw heads which are barely visible under the grime of ages. There is remaining a raised border which I want to remove, so that I have a flat plaster surface to work on: but what is...

1900s terraced house has a double light switch at the foot of the stairs, for hall light which works ok and (supposedly) first floor landing - which flickers but does not. The trouble centers around someone who has replaced the upstairs double switch with a single on/off type. Looking at the...

I'm trying to remove a downpipe from conservatory, but it is angled at top roof edge and also at bottom windowledge end: it is non moveable without removing the two Hunter branded pipe clips which secure the vertical pipe to the pvc wall. Unlike the 'normal' pipe clip I am used to which is...

I’m looking to replace my current Wickes bath mounted mixer-tap shower head arrangement with a DIY fit-able thermostatic shower that would include some sort of flow adjustment on the wall at, say, chest height. The idea being to take a shower with a guaranteed temperature, irrespective of the...

I ask, because the boiler manual has very clear instructions on replacing this boiler part (the heat exchanger)0, and it is a two connections ‘water-side-only’ component – no gas involved at all. Any tips or potential pitfalls for a reasonably handy DIY-er would be gratefully received. With...

My 21 year-old Gloworm 24cl needs replacing, (I know, I'm saving up), but the engineer said the fault of lukewarm water and warm/cold intermittent showering water was due to the the heat exchanger needing replacement: however the central heating works fine with radiators almost too hot to touch...

25 years-old Glow Worm 24cl needs replacing, but no-one will take on the job, because of difficult/impossible access to the outdoor vent pipe. Since the boiler's original installation in the first floor flat's kitchen, a conservatory roof has been erected below, in such a position that no...

The single large uPVC external door won’t close: the wedge shaped catch is jammed halfway and will not retract or move at all: and the spindle cannot shift it. I’m not talking about the multi-point locking system, just the normal open and shut with the handle movement – a single catch on the...

I'm booked in for complete 40mm external wall insulation and rendering: the contractor says he will chop off the stone cill supports which extend 3 inches beneath the 100 year old stone window cills, as it will 'make for a neater job'. I'm worried that these 'supports' are not just old fashioned...

It's dripping, not too bad but steady. Needs a replacement cartridge, I reckon. But how to take this chunk of polished steel apart without marking it? I'm assuming that the stationary sleeve conceals the cartridge, but all my attempts to unscrew it, or pull/twist it, have not shifted it. Even...

When the awning arrived, I was struck by how heavy it was - nearly 19kg in its packing and 17 kg unwrapped. Supplied with just two 35mm mounting brackets and 4 x 100mm expansion bolts, the instructions make it very clear that these will only work if fitted into 12 or 14mm holes in solid brick -...

I was advised to have only the lower half of a completely renovated ground floor bathroom tiled, as there would be "a condensation problem when showering or bathing" if wholly tiled, floor-to-ceiling. Apparently the plastered upper area would be better at absorbing excess moisture whereas it...

Washer/Dryer HP WD420 water would not heat up, so pulled heater and thermistor out - both dead :( Bought genuine HP replacements and installed them today. Now machine does not fill or go on to wash - just displays rapid on/off led flashing, together with flashing leds (from the top down) 2, 3...

New toilet pan with a cistern-concealing 'cupboard' recently installed. Due to my careless mistake the 'cupboard' when it arrived was over a foot deep and in the restricted space available this only left a few inches between the front end of the seat and the wall. My bad. I put up with the...

100 year old terraced house has kitchen gas supply in far corner and BG boiler is situated there. Previous owner had a free standing old-type gas cooker in the same corner due to proximity to gas tap connector which emerges from the concrete floor. This is clearly no use for a modern cooking...

My small new rotary electric mower keeps cutting out at the slightest tufty bit of short grass, or even a lump in the lawn surface. It seems to be way too sensitive. When there is a small drop in motor speed - NOT labouring, just a slight 'working a bit harder' lowered motor note that you get...

I am working out how to attach the mounting brackets for a 2M venetian blind to the upvc frame above the main windows of a small conservatory. Due to the cheapskate installation, I have discovered that there is no inner steel re-enforcement behind the upvc panel, so I cannot screw the brackets...

Steady drip from knurled union nut on the discharge safety valve pipe, leading to the outside. Boiler loses pressure over a few days. Had a new external expansion vessel plumbed in which has cured the previous big problem, but the steady drip remains - a niggle needing a cure. Does the whole...

Drips about half a saucer per day - but enough to lose pressure and need topping up every couple of days. Anyone can tell me what this component is? Is it possible to 'adjust' this component i.e. stop it dripping - or it needs replacing?