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My water company recently came to replace my Water Meter and the plumber used all push fit copper fittings. He told me they couldn't solder joints anymore because the water company insists that after soldering a joint they have to watch it for an hour afterwards to make sure nothing catches fire...

Hello Due to some kitchen alterations I need to reroute my condensate pipe from a Vaillant EcoTech Boiler. This is a fairly simple job, and it has a good gradual drop, I just have one question. The old pipe is fairly loose where it connects to the underside of the boiler. I assume there is no...

Hello I have an old Wylex Fusebox which has some re-wireable fuses and some MCB upgrades. I know there is no great advantage in upgrading rewireable fuses to MCB's other than they can be reset quickly. They do not offer RCD protection. However can you tell me, do MCB's react quicker to a...

Hi We are building an alcove in the kitchen with sides made of 18mm plywood. We'd like to add some shelves which are reasonably strong, enough to hold a microwave. What supports would you recommend for the shelves please? The supports need to be fitted from the inside, so we thought about...

I would charge it slowly for a day, then disconnect the charger and most importantly let the battery cool down for a few hours. Then measure the output voltage. There are charts on the internet that give the following capacity levels: 12.89v+ 100% 12.65v 80% 12.41v 60% 12.0v 30% So if you never...

Hi I'm planning to extend a ring main by breaking into the ring using Wago connectors and boxes. The extension is quite short and I'm only adding one socket, however the cables will need to be chased into plasterboard. Is there a minimum parallel distance you would recommend between the...

Hi On a socket tester what is the correct measurement for N-E voltage? If the socket is wired properly should the Neutral to Earth voltage be zero? If there is a small voltage present, why does that happen and what is an acceptable maximum please?

Thanks for your replies, which all make perfect sense. I thought the network operator only was allowed to remove the main fuse, hence my question.

I have always wondered how electricians work with live wires when changing consumer units? Presumably you don't pull the main fuse that belongs to the network and so have to connect live incoming wires? Do you wear thick rubber boots? I should point out I am just curious, I have no plans to...

Only a couple of days. It will be in the warm weather, so won't be using the boiler much. I'm not just moving the pipework, also rewiring and plastering behind them, so it would be handy to have the pipes out of the way for a couple of days.

I am doing some alterations on my kitchen. The boiler condensate pipe from the upstairs boiler passes behind some kitchen cupboards on it's way to the drain. I need to reroute the pipe which is not a problem. For a short while, until the job is finished, is it OK to cut the pipe and collect the...

I'll check the cable later to make sure, it looks like standard ring main cable. Yes it is a rewireable fuse. Obviously I couldn't have a double oven running on this cable, but the current single Bosch oven is only 10 amp.

I have recently been doing some renovation work on my kitchen and have noticed that the dedicated cable from the Wylex fusebox to my single oven is using 2.5mm cable which I believe is rated 26amp. That's fine because the single oven is only 10amp, but the fuse in the box is 30amp. Is that a...

Thanks for your reply. Is there a best technique to sanding? If you have a ripple should you sand in the same direction as the ripple or go around in circles?

Hi I recently had my living room ceiling skim plastered and it's now been painted (mist coat and 3 top coats). Even though we used matt ceiling paint some of it still looks uneven with ripples showing. I was thinking of sanding it with a hand sander and 120 grit paper and then repainting. I'm...

Hello I've recenly had my kitchen ceiling skim plastered and will soon need to paint it with a roller. I was planning to put on 2 mist coats of 50:50 watered down emulsion, followed by a couple of top coats. The ceiling seems really smooth, but when should I sand out any minor imperfection...

Hello I'd like to have my kitchen ceiling skim plastered. The ceiling is easy to reach except perhaps at one end where there are a few cupboards on the wall. There is a 6 inch gap between the top of the cupboards and the ceiling and the cupboards are 12 inches deep. Will it be easy for a...

Hi My kitchen ceiling is a little uneven with minor imperfections so that applying a coat of smooth emulsion won't look too good. I don't really want to apply a heavy textured paint with grit in it, so was wondering how to apply a light texture with emulsion paint to hide imperfections. I've...

Hello My house was built in the 1960's and there is no earth on the ligthing circuit. This has not been a problem because all the light switches are plastic and so are the fittings. However I would like to wire a new fitting in the kitchen which is metal and requires an earth. The ring main...

Hello I have an old Wylex fuse box with wired fuses and am considering having it upgraded to a modern unit. The only bonding on the existing box is to the gas pipe which is a short distance away. Will an electrician also want to bond the new consumer unit to the water or other pipes? The water...