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We have just had a new Vaillant Ecotek 37Kw wall mounted gas boiler installed in our downstairs toilet. It is exactly where the old one was although it is slightly higher up on the wall, the bottom of the boiler is about 1.9m off the floor. About a month after installation the gas valve failed...

I am trying to paint a chest of drawers to be used by my daughter. So it will be used heavily and roughly with lots of stuff dumped on top (makeup, bottles, tumblers etc) so the finish needs to be durable. Ideally she would like a light cream semi-gloss / satin finish and not prone to...

I have calculated the heat loss from my living room and it is between 3,200 and 3,800 watts when the external temp is 0 degC and the internal required temperature is 21 degC. However, all the radiators I have seen have ratings quoted as output (watts or btu) at a "Delta T" of 50. Now that...

I am a surveyor, but not a building surveyor so I am not qualified to diagnose damp problems in residential property. I do, however, look at commercial properties all the time in the course of my job as a valuer and have therefore seen a lot of dodgy damp walls. My take on this is that...

There is a short section of 'garden' wall (2m long by 2.5m high) separating our patio from our (semi-detached) neighbour's patio. The rest of the boundary is fence panels. It is rendered and painted white on both sides and there is no coping. The rendering is bubbling and cracked with the...

One of my truly delightful children climbed onto a radiator to reach a light switch and the radiator brackets came away from the wall taking large chunks of plaster with them. The radiator is now leaning away from the wall at a precarious angle and needs to be secured. The wall is lathe and...

Our shower is currently leaking into our kitchen. The loss assessor from the insurance company has identified tiles that have become unstuck from the wall, poor and cracked grouting and badly applied sealant as the problems. He recommended an over-haul of the existing tiling rather than...

We have a very cold 1906 semi with solid brick walls. I am looking at insulation solutions, particularly for the walls. Not DIY, will get in specialist contractor. There is a long (12m long by 7m high) flank wall along the side alley in permanent shade. This is in need of repointing and...

Had a nasty short in a 5A lighting circuit in our new house. Fuse was blowing weekly. The end of an old steel pipe under the bathroom floor was cutting into the cable supplying the kitchen ceiling lights every time someone stepped on a floor board. Took us a while to work out what was...

Long preamble but short question (bear with me!): Just bought a 1906 London semi. It had an overflowing gutter on the wall onto the side alley. This was caused by a couple of slipped tiles at the eaves blocking the gutter, a general build up of muck blocking downpipe and a creeper...

Two (plain clay) tiles slipped out of place on the edge of my roof and bridged the gutter. Consequently water coming off the roof was pouring down the side of the house and soaking the wall. I have been up and tried to reposition the tiles but the nibs have broken off and they won't hook over...

Just moved to a new house with a rather old downstairs WC. It is a large low level cistern connected by a pipe to the back of the pan. When we flush the loo there is a huge deluge of water into the pan, I would reckon about 15 litres or more. The water comes out fast and is reasonably well...