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Hi. I have a plug socket which is too low and I would like to remove and plaster over, but I can't remove the wires supplying it. What can I use to make the wires safe so that I can then plaster over them? I have seen mention of a marette connector but can't find out what this is. Does anyone...

Thanks for your input Symptoms. I'm not particularly keen on taking a look myself although I suppose that's the only way of being absolutely sure of the condition of the chimney. However I'm reasonably confident in the builder who has been up there recently as I've had various jobs done by...

I'll try that as well but the chimney was swept about a year ago, although it is of course possible that something has got in there in the meantime. Essentially the problem is as bad now as it was when we bought the house despite fitting the chimney pot, and examining the flashing/pointing...

Sorry if I've not been clear. The damp is apparent across only the half of the chimney breast which corresponds to the flue serving the downstairs room below the beadroom. The half of the chimney breast corresponding to the flue for the bedroom itself is dry. This flue has a different pot at the...

That's an interesting idea which I'll try. However if it were a condensation problem why would problem only be apparent over the 1 flue-the flue up from the fireplace in the bedroom is not affected. Thanks Keith

Thanks,I think that's what I'll end up doing but I would like to get to the bottom of the problem to be sure of a permanent cure. We shall be dry linining the rest of the room using insulation backed board for the external walls. Keith

Is it ventilated?-yes fireplace is open at the bottom. How does it smell?-Don't know, haven't had a good sniff, but the room doesn't smell. I'll get up close and personal with it tonight! Loft space-not on a rainy day but builder had a look in the loft and didn't think it was damp up there but...

Hi everybody. The above problem is proving difficult to get to the bottom of, and I'd appreciate your thoughts. The patch extends from the ceiling to about halfway down the wall. It's only on the flue for the groundfloor room below and is definitely worse after rain. The flue from the bedroom...

Hi. Not really.The ceiling was plasterboarded and that meant I was brushing against it. I've considered lowering the floor but that's a lot of effort and would only gain a couple of inches-hence the idea of something like radiator grille material which is relatively thin and "holey". Thanks...

Thanks I've downloaded the brochure, it looks useful. Keith

Hi. I am looking for ideas on what to fix to the underside of the cellar ceiling joists (above are the dining room floorboards) to allow maximum ventilation whilst still hiding the pipes and wires. Is there something like the hardboard radiator grille with pattened cutouts but a bit more rigid...

Your 4th prargraph raises some pertinent questions which have already occurred to me. Yes, 1 area of a wall might be damper than another but does that mean "damp" will show itself on the plaster, causing a real problem as opposed to a theoretical one. At the moment I am minded to invest in a DIY...

Hi Woody. Are you familiar with damp meters? If so perhaps you could help me interpret the results I got. The meter I used was hired from a local tool hire firm and appeared similar to one used by a damp control firm that examined the house. To that extent it was "professional". When you say...

Thanks for the replies chaps. To answer your specific questions John:- 1 of the downstairs floors is recent concrete with a DPM visible round the edges. The other is wooden over a cellar which is ceratinly damp but not excessively so even with all the rain we've had. The worst damp is...

Hi everyone. I'm renovating a 100+year old house which has widespread damp problems caused I suspect by various problems. I'm sure a lot were caused by condensation through poor ventilation and we're doing all we can on that score but we've still got damp which I would put down either to rising...

To summarise then, it looks like only NG should do work on the supply side of the meter but nowadays it isn't necessary to use anaconda between the valve and the meter, with copper being acceptable, and I wouldn't be the first to use non-NG people to do what is a relatively straightforward job...

Yes that's what i'm finding. I've rung a few plumbers' merchants and none can sell me a new flexible pipe/anaconda (what's the longest they make - any idea?) . But even if the valve has to be moved to within anaconda distance of the meter, it's still only a case of replacing a couple of feet of...

Thanks. I've been talking to National Grid again. They can't grasp the idea that I just want to move the meter not the service pipe, and still want to charge £700+! I'll get a Corgi man to do it. Thanks for your reply. Keith

Hello fellas. I know this has cropped up before but I'm still not clear on it. I'm renovating an old house and need to raise the meter just 2-3 ft. National Grid say it'll cost £700, so I've made a complaint on the basis that this is a totally outrageous/extortionate amount. It seems to me that...