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Do you have any recommendations on the best quality replacement plastic sockets these days? In times gone by I would have bought MK, but they seem to have luke warm reviews nowadays, apparently cheap made in China. How about Schneider? Thanks

It's true I do have an old Wylex fuse box, and at some stage I will have it updated. Although I see no urgency since we have lived in this house for 37 years and never had any electrical problems. It seems to me that many new regs are often designed to just give jobs to the boys, although I...

I'd like to replace some sockets on my ring main. Is it safe to just remove the fuse on the ring main, so that I can keep the lights on, or should I switch off all the electric at the main switch? I understand pulling the fuse just disconnects the live wire, but it is still possible to get a...

Hi I'd like to hang some thick anaglypta type wallpaper in my kitchen and have watched some videos on papering around internal corners. These suggest that you lay one piece of paper a short 2cm distance around the corner and then overlap the second piece on top. (Having made sure it's vertical...

I have a kitchen ceiling where the plaster is a bit rough and not suitable for simple emulsion. To give a smooth finish and cover minor imperfections I was thinking about Sandtex Masonry Paint, which is water based and gives off little or no odour. Has anyone had success using masonry Paint...

Hi I need to replace the wood behind my bathroom sink and toilet that boxes in the pipework at floor level. The original was Plywood but I was thinking of using MDF instead since it has a smooth surface and will be easier to paint to a nice finish. I presume there are no advantages to using...

Hello I have a Worcester condensing boiler and recently changed the towel rail in the bathroom. I filled up the new towel rail and then topped up the boiler a little to return the pressure to normal. However, now when I run the boiler the pressure goes up high to 3 bar. So I bled the...

Hi I'm replacing a towel rail and not surprisingly when I removed the valves the sealing washers fell apart so I need to find some replacements. Does anyone know what type of washers are used in towel rail valves, are they rubber o-ring or flat washers, or indeed does it really matter? Thanks

Hi I need to replace a towel rail that is connected to plastic piping, where the pipes only protrude a short distance from a tiled wall. My first thoughts are that it's a bad idea to change the valves, because if I were to damage the plastic when removing the olives there is no leeway to cut...

Hello I have a rough ceiling to decorate in my kitchen and my first thought was to ask a plasterer to skim it. However a friend suggested that I should have it papered with thick lining paper and then paint it. Which would look very good without much dust and mess. Do you agree or have any...

Hello My aunt recently ask me to help her because the main fuse on her lighting circuit had blown. This happened when an old incandescent bulb in the house had failed. When I looked at the fuse it was only 5 amp, rather than the usual 15. This would explain why the failing bulb managed to blow...

Hi I recently drained my combi boiler to fit a new radiator. After the refill everything is working fine and I can find no leaks, but the pressure has been dropping 0.1 bar overnight when it's cold. Is this normal for the first day or two? I read that these boilers have an air vent, so perhaps...

Hi I've made some changes to my central heating in 15mm copper and just one elbow joint is leaking slightly. What is the best way to repair this please, is it simply to de-solder, strip, clean and redo the joint from scratch? Thanks for your advice Robin

Hello Please advise me, is it safer to use speedfit pipe with compression fittings rather than the usual plastic fittings? It just strikes me they are likely to last longer because they rely on an olive rather than a rubber seal which eventually degrades? Some of my fittings will also be...

Hi I need to remove and replace an existing soldered joint on copper pipe. I just wondered is there a special technique for doing this job? Once the old joint is removed, do you need to remove all traces of the old solder from the end of the pipe before resoldering in the usual way? Thanks...

Hello I've been decorating the spare room, which did have very squeaky floorboards, so wanted to fix this problem before a new carpet goes down. I have been fitting lots of floorboard screws and these have made a big difference, but some minor squeaks still remain which I think are coming...

Thank you for your replies. I've watched several videos on soldering and am going to start work soon, I'm sure it will turn out fine. It makes sense to solder small joints in one hit. What about T-joints though, can each leg be soldered separately, or again is it best to do them all at once?

Hello I'm about to solder some piping and have a query. When soldering small 15mm joints, is it best to solder both sides at the same time? Or is it easy to solder the second side without melting the first side you did earlier? Thanks

Hello In my home there is one ring main that mostly runs under the floor upstairs, and then loops down behind the dot and dab plasterboard to each socket downstairs. I'd like to extend the ring and add a socket in the kitchen. So I was wondering how easy it would be to patch into the ring...

Hi There is a drain inspection cover in my front garden and I would like to raise the soil level around it, which would result in it being hidden under the soil. I assumed it was a sewage drain and was therefore planning to raise the cover with an extra layer of bricks and a new frame and...