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If the waste pipe is plastic then it will by subject to quite significant expansion as hot water from the shower passes through it. So you do need to surround the pipe with sand to allow for this movement.

Yes, just get a Type 22 double panel, double convector radiator of the same width as your current one. You still have freedom to make the height bigger if you want to. Steer clear of "designer" radiators - you'll struggle to get more heat out of them unless they are huge.

We need to see a picture of the underside. They'll likely be a nut or similar there that unscrews. You won't get anywhere trying to tackle it from the top

British Gas is notorious for declaring anything more than about 2 years old as "obsolete" because "parts aren't available". They generally are, but BG can't be bothered to source them. That's a good reason for not signing up to a BG maintenance plan and instead finding an independent local...

Ahh...sorry I misunderstood - I think the flapper is more usually known as the diaphragm, normally made from polythene and supported by a plastic grid, so it can initiate the siphon and then allow water from the cistern to flow past it. Flapper is the usual name for the valve at the entry to the...

Oh.. and siphons don't have "flappers" so I'm not clear what you've changed here.

That suggests to me that the water level in the cistern is too high when the float valve cuts off. If the water level is at the same height as "the bottom of the siphon top" (so to speak) the siphon will keep running. That's why when you hold the float valve up the siphon stops. Apologies if...

Just because the toilet cistern and bowl are Ideal Standard it doesn't mean that the inlet valve and flush valve are the same manufacturer - in fact it's quite unlikely that a manufacturer of ceramic goods would also make plastic valves. If you still can't find the parts you need, replacement of...

Since you fitted new valves to the new upstairs radiators, and if you didn't deliberately set the lockshields, it's likely that they are as they were supplied - completely open. THAT'S why all the hot water is preferentially going through the upstairs radiators and by passing the downstairs...

If you only put on the towel radiator when you're actually using the bathroom, it'll not get very warm in there at all because you're only in there for a short time. It's not like turning off a radiator in a room you don't plan to use for a longish time. I agree with the plumbing shop guy -...

The picture is very blurry but it looks like a lot of the PTFE tape has come out as you screwed the tail into the radiator. This is because you've wrapped it the wrong way. It needs to be wrapped so it's forced into the direction of the thread as you screw it in.

No, if the radiator valves are turned off, with or without a radiator connected, there'll be no flow through the pipes or the radiator, so the connecting pipes will NOT get hot. How could they, when there is no flow through them?

I'm not clear on two items: Do you have to have the bath at overflow level before you notice the leak? How do you notice the leak if you can't access the base of the bath?

Good to hear that you've fixed the issue. But yes, modern dual flush cable or air pressure operated flushing systems are quite complex, and prone to leakage into the toilet which can then go unnoticed for a long time. I assume these systems replaced the older, very dependable, siphon flush...

Normally the cistern water level is well above the "well" - at the mark on the cistern wall somewhere or, failing that, about 1" below the overflow level. The well has no significance with regard to the water level.

Yes, you don't want to spend more money on gas than you need to, but worrying about more CO2 being emitted is pointless. Britain as a whole contributes less than 1% of global CO2 emissions, so the emissions from ALL gas boilers in Britain are trivial and will have NO effect at all on the world's...

I guess it might be if you can obtain just a new microswitch and are handy with a soldering iron. But why bother? The microswitch and motor assembly is pretty cheaply available and requires just 2 screws to be undone and done up again to swap it for the old one - with of course remaking the...

Even if the motorised valve is opening OK, it can still fail to trigger the microswitch which means the boiler and pump won't run. You can get replacement valve heads, with motor and microswitch, that can be fitted without disturbing the plumbing and are quite cheap. I always have one of these...

There is an earth connection showing in this picture. It needs to be connected to the earth wire in the feed cable, and to the terminal normally provided in the back box. The faceplate/cover will be earthed by contact with the metal frame of the socket

Modern electric shavers with batteries have made shaver sockets pretty much redundant because the shavers do not operate when they are plugged in to be charged. I think this is because almost all shavers are now marketed as being operable wet, so they are now not allowed to be plugged in when...