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20-year old Potterton Suprema 40. I noticed it was getting noisier. Bugger - new boiler? They don't last forever. Damn expensive. The fan is mounted on three rubber mounts and then there's a further short, squat rubber cylinder mounted under the fan motor to support its weight. I decided that I...

After 30+ years as a software engineer and keen DIY-er, I'm semi-retired and looking for something to do. ChatGPT suggested an Android app... it suggested "a professional-grade calculation and validation app for people who work in the physical world. Examples: Electricians (load, voltage...

The old garage door was rotten and so in April I fitted a new one. Actually, this one: https://www.diy.com/departments/2-panel-clear-glazed-shaker-white-wooden-pine-veneer-swinging-external-panel-back-door-h-1981mm-w-838mm/1957389_BQ.prd Fitted it and then put two coats of paint on it. All...

Hi, I got one of these to keep a motorhome topped-up over winter: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/197858367974 The van has a 100W panel on the roof that works brilliant March to November... but over the depth of winter the sun is so low the rays just bounce off the horizontally-mounted panel. Last...

I bought and fitted a Drayton MA1 mid-position actuator at the end of 2018. My boiler is now showing a constant red status light and I suspect the actuator. How long would you expect them to last? Less then 7 years seems a ridiculously short life-span to me... but I'm a complete plumbing...

The strip between my hallway and kitchen has cracked along its length in the middle so I figured I'd replace it. I've never fitted one so I wasn't sure how it's attached. I figured it must be stuck in with some adhesive so I started to just pry and lever it up. It is now free of the adhesive but...

Hi all, Infuriatingly, whoever installed my (standard white plastic) shower tray did a terrible job. They wound all the supports down to the right level... but they put the central one on top of an unsecured block of wood. Over 20 years the block of wood wandered and eventually the support found...

Hi all, I'm working on a motorhome with a shower screen consisting of transparent (plastic?) panels fixed into an articulated aluminium frame with adhesive. It's possible that the aluminium frame in lined with something, though - either an original rubbery liner, the remains of the original...

Hi all, I've got two long but narrow cupboards and I want to hang them one above the other on an internal plasterboard wall in the kitchen. The wall separates the kitchen and the living room and I suspect the wall is stud and plasterboard but I wasn't 100% sure where the studs were by tapping...

To cut a loooong story short, my old pump went duff and was leaking to earth, blowing the RCD and various fuses. It was a Myson compact CP53. I went and got a replacement which is also a CP53... made by interpart. But on the highest power setting it's rated at 57W - the old pump was 104W. The...

Hi all, Need some help from someone who actually understands the black magic that is plumbing! I just replaced the hot water down service stop cock/gate/tap thing - it's just above the hot water tank on the first floor. Everything seemed to be going so well. Now we have everything working fine...

Hi, I've got my garage consumer unit in (mounted on a bit of MDF batoned to the wall) and the lights installed and wired up. I'm well-chuffed with the job so far. But I just can't decide how to get the submain feed from the house to the garage. It's gotta go about 3 metres along the...

Hi, I'm wiring up my garage and there's one bit I'm undecided on - how best to terminate the SWA. 10 years ago I wired up another garage and I brought the SWA right through both walls. That was fine but the new property is newer and the entry points much more in-your-face. So I'm...

Hi, I'm usually pretty clued-up on DIY but this one's got me foxed. The newel post at the top of my stairs is wobbly/broken... and its design is also a bit weird. It seems to be attached to another post which protrudes about 15 inches down into the under-stairs area. The newel post...