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The problem I have is that I have already paid my electrician in advance for all the works he has carried out as well as the lights he has not yet fitted. He is refusing to refund me the money for use of his time. I have since shown the lights to 3 independent qualified electricians to obtain...

Jut to clarify, the lamp holders themselves have been renewed and the earth wires have been screwed into place with lugs. The electrician is still not happy and says that the fittings do not comply with regulation 511.1 which I can't find much about on line. Can anyone provide me with...

metal balustrades

Does the need to apply a primer apply to both indoor and outdoor metal railings?

I've stripped back some railings right back to the dark metal. I want to paint them black using an oil based paint. But do I need to paint on an undercoat first or is okay to put the finishing coat straight on?

He goes out at 9am and returns around 6.30pm. It's more than likely that he's not self employed. In central London, there is a high turnover of tenants. The average tenancy is about 1 year before the tenant then moves on. This one moved in 6 months ago. Hopefully, he will clear off in a few...

Then tenant's contract does prohibit smoking as does the agreements for all the other tenants in the building. I have thought about approaching the tenant but I feel it's difficult to tell someone what to do in their own home (although the flat is the property of someone else). I may put up a...

I believe the communal fire alarm system installed is LD2. It really worries me that my flat which is above the one with the tenant who smokes likes a chimney could be at risk. Fingers crossed the fire alarm will do its job in the event of a fire. It's a shame the law can't be extended to...

That's good to know. There is one tenant in the building who smokes a lot. I think his landlord has at some point put a smoke detector in the flat because it used to go off regularly. I haven't heard it in the last couple of months, but the stench of smoke is still appalling. I wonder if the...

A new fire alarm system has been installed in the communal areas of our block of flats. Can smoking in the properties most of which are now rented set off the alarm?

The lamps are wall sconces. Each one is made up of a central metal piece with two screw-on hollow metal arms. The antique shop where I bought the lights from rewired the lamps. I noticed that they had stripped off the outer wire to allow the inner wires (live and neutral) to thread through...

I found some old antique brass lights which I had re-threaded to include an earth but my electrician said he is not happy to fit them. He says the lights should be withdrawn on grounds of health and safety. What should I do to ensure the lights are completely safe?

You mention chest to eye height. But what about someone who is very small or in a wheel chair?

My electrician is fitting a fire alarm panel sometime today. Is there a requirement for him to fit it at a max height in terms of health and safety and disability? I've checked manual and rung supplier who say they have no recommendations.

Can anyone recommend a truly affordable breathable paint for communal walls where there is high human traffic? The walls are rendered in lime mortar and lined in breathable wall paper. I've tried a few sample brands of breathable paints which have a scratchy texture and which are therefore...

We have lots of telephone wires strewn around the common parts of our building which is currently being done up. I've stripped out some of the wires which were clearly dead but there are others which I'm not sure about. Is there a device which can indicate if the wire is still active? As I'm not...

That's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks

We have some water damaged walls in our 200 year old building which need replastering. Our plasterer has used lime mortar to match existing materials but can't get the plaster to be perfectly flat and smooth like the rest of the building. He points out that lime mortar is not the easiest of...

The pump seems to be humming (not rumbling) and the F-05 code is again popping up on the display. No water is draining from the machine. I guess this is a job for an engineer as I don't fancy changing the pump. Thanks for taking the time talk to me. Much appreciated.

I put some water in the machine which appeared to work normally but it just doesn't want to drain.