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Many thanks for the helpful replies. OK I will get a bypass valve! There's not much point installing all these TRVs then not being able to use them properly.

I'm adding some extra radiators with TRVs to my central heating. Its a pumped vented two-pipe system. I'll end up with 12 rads, all except one having TRVs. The instructions with the Drayton TRV say "A differential bypass valve must be fitted to ensure that the pump pressure does not exceed...

Wow that's loads of information, thanks very much everybody. Its definitely not a gravity or one-pipe system, its a pumped system with standard plumbing and the rad I'm installing is a modern one. Yes the TRV is reversible. I've just read the TRV instructions, it says if installing at the...

Firstly apologies for asking a FAQ, but there are contradictory answers in various threads on this forum so I'm a bit confused. I've read several guides to installing radiators and none of them answer this. Is there any benefit to putting one of the radiator pipes at the top of the radiator...

Many thanks for your replies noseall and trowelmonkey1. I will give it a go using browning plaster on soaked blocks as you recommend. Phil.

I've built an internal wall of aerated concrete blocks. Ta-daa! For my next trick I want to wet plaster it. I've heard the high suction of these blocks can cause plaster to crack. They do seem to absorb a lot of water very quickly. What is the best approach to plastering. Do I need to...

I'm running new pipes to my borehole water supply using blue polypipe. There are existing 32mm Polyfast elbows which I want to re-use. Can these fittings simply be dismantled and reused with new pipe? Do I need a new sealing ring, or to re-lubricate the ring (if so, what with?) Thanks Phil.

Thanks JohnD and Woody, So you both think an ordinary SDS masonry hammer bit is the best bet. I didn't realise you could buy these as big as 25mm, but I see screwfix have them about the same price as the core bits. I will get one of these and give it a go! Phil.

I'm drilling several 25mm holes in concrete block walls for plastic water pipes. Total wall thickness is about 300mm including cavity. I have a 1500W SDS Plus drill. I've never done this before. I bought a 28x300mm diamond core drill bit and used it in hammer mode as instructed by the man...

Very many thanks bodgeit, I nipped out to B&Q and got a 1500W SDS drill for £60. This thing is brilliant! It goes straight through rock. It doesn't even make a nasty noise. Now I'll have my units on the wall in no time. Phil.

I'm trying to hang some kitchen wall units which have those nifty adjustable hangers which hang on steel brackets screwed to the wall. The trouble is the wall is made of random yorkshire sandstone, covered by less than an inch of plaster. Judging by other walls where the stone is exposed...

I don't want to replace with another Tower if Honeywell are better quality and compatible. I don't want to be doing the job again in another nine months. I'd rather pay for a quality actuator. So, is the Tower valve compatible with a Honeywell actuator? Phil.

Correction: the valve is 28mm model, not 22mm. Phil.

I installed a Tower 22mm 3-port mid-position valve (VAL322MP) nine months ago, now its stopped working. With both input wires live, it should drive to CH position and the orange wire (boiler control wire) should go live, but it does nothing. I guess the actuator (motor box) can be replaced...

Thanks for the replies - hmmm, I'm not feeling good about this as a DIY job, I think I'll get a pro to look at it. I know a roofer who's done work on our (real) stone slate roof, I will call him and see if he knows about veluxes. Thanks Phil.

Hello, I have a damp mouldy plaster patch around one (lower) corner of a velux window on an extension roof which comes off the house wall. Definitely some water coming through around the edge of the velux, but not enough to drip - even in this incessant rain! The roof is only 12 degree pitch...

I've now completed this job - I didn't find a draincock, but I did find a self-cutting draincock fitting (15mm) in B&Q, which I clamped to one of the downstairs rad pipes - above floor level so I can see if it ever leaks! This doesn't quite drain the bottom of the system but is fine for working...

Thanks for the advice - yes that's our red AGA on ebay, we're in Kildwick which is half-way between Skipton and Keighley. We'll see if it sells on ebay, if not, we might keep it but get the boiler shut down. Now I just need a teeny hose pipe connector to fit the nipple on my radiators...

Thanks RigidRaider. Funnily enough our AGA is listed on ebay right now at what I think is a good price, 12 people watching but nobody asked to come and see it yet (surely a serious buyer would want to see it first?). Still 5 days to go. If we can't get a good price for the AGA I had...

I've bought a new house and I'm upgrading the open vented CH system. I'm adding a mid-position valve so the existing CH gas boiler can supply the existing indirect hot water cylinder too - the cylinder is currently heated by an AGA cooker which I'm removing. But I can't find a drain cock...