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I see it all the time in the IT industry. Some of the laptop chargers are now so good they are almost impossible to tell. I simply by products from Anker and Lavolta now to avoid the fakes. I really don't know the answer is to stop people selling this crap. Look on Ebay and Amazon they are...

As a DIYer, I would be extremely ashamed if I did anything like that in my own house yet alone for a customer. What a total mess, what makes them think this is acceptable? I would be inclined to get a structural engineer in before paying the bill! Although I assume it has been inspected by...

Just if it is common really, I can build lots of computers and never have a faulty part (although I have jinxed that now!) yet something as simple as a mini light fitting last five minutes. I guess most sparks would source items from a proper electrical contractor though and not Screwfix that...

I bought a couple of 6w strip lights from Screwfix to go under two 400mm units in the new kitchen I am fitting. Sadly one of them has stopped working after being on for around 3 hours. I have double checked the wiring and have also energised the fitting using a separate cable and it is...

£16 from what I can see for that Tower cable. I am not going to bother testing the cable, I am just going to keep it in spare in case I need it for any low power applications and I will buy a new cable for the washing machine. However I always like to learn new things so the testing ideas are...

My metre is a UNI-T UT81B http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Handheld-Digital-Multi-meter-Oscilloscope/dp/B00AE2J0SW Is actually way over the top for what I need it for but it looks good on the bench and it gives more accurate measurements than a standard multimeter would.

I do have a small oscilloscope multi meter which I use for measuring the output of DC power supplies (e.g ATX PC power supplies) I am not sure how good it will be at measuring low resistance. The retail price was about £250 but I paid £50 from a bespoke loud speaker manufacturer who had just...

I am not sure what to do I suppose I best not risk it as it is to extend the washing machine flex so a quite a bit of current will flow through it. The problem is I only need 2 metres which limits where I can buy it from. B&Q and Screwfix both want well over £10 for 5 metres of Tower branded...

No but doesn't it have to comply with BS standards in order to be sold in the UK? I am not sure what the law is in regarding cables.

Not counted but certainly doesn't seem to be 30 strands here! It really does look to me eye more what I would expect 1mm or 0.75mm flex to be.

It says it is 1.5mm but so many manufactures simply lie about the specs and get away with it, just look at the cheap £15 Ebay special 500w PC power supplies!. There is no BS markings on it at all :(

Aren't most DNOs replacing metres to the modern digital type now? It is quite funny as well to see how badly that was cut out. I am no joiner at all but even I can cut a straight line with a jigsaw. Even recently when fitting a new kitchen when it came to the kitchen sink I mad sure all the...

I needed just two metres of 1.5mm flex went to Wilko my normal source but they no longer sell cables (at least my local one didn't). I ended up buying it from my local DIY shop which is usually very good but they tend to stock some cheap crap. When I got it home something just didn't feel...

Could be tax dodging, but more likely as you say they are not confident in their own work. I am getting a lot of flyers through the door later from handymen that call them selves plumbers and electricians. As far as I am concerned you either train to be one or the other. Of course there are...

I can't as it is attached to a lead pipe, the nut that secures it is seized and I cannot put any more force on it in fear of breaking the lead pipe.

I am fitting in a new kitchen and the new sink bowel is slightly larger than the old one. I have changed a lot of the hot water plumbing which is copper and added a service valve etc, the cold water hose is attached to a lead pipe and I really don't want to touch it. The problem is the flexi...

I am no expert but I would have thought even if everything is running at the same time it would not exceed 32 amps. If you had a dish washer and tumble dryer etc then I would not run them all at the same time. Stuff like the cooker ignition uses nothing. Most old houses don't even have a...

Masking tape and paint round the socket? Also if it is emulsion I find that if you do get any on the socket it just wipes off anyway.

I know a bit about the sale of goods act, and only the battery is not warranted as they are consumable but then they must be warranted against manufacturing defects. I personally wouldn't bother spending too much time trying to bodge a repair to what is a cheap drill.

All the cables here run above a door from the consumer unit. Of course the same thing happened here, not by me, but he managed to short out live and earth and it blew the main 100amp fuse. DNO were not too impressed. You can never rely on save zones, always use a detector if you are not sure...