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I'm looking at a standard bar mixer thermostatic shower. I'd like to remove the thermostatic cartridge. Its hot supply seems to have an isolation valve but the cold doesn't. Question: when the bar's on/off control is OFF, is it possible to unscrew the thermostatic cartridge? I.e. which of the...

I have a mains circular saw. I currently have only coarse blades. I am looking to get a fine-cut blade for it. Some of the Screwfix listings describe the blades as "made for cordless handheld saws". I presume this means that they are relatively thin. Does anyone know if a "made for cordless"...

Has anyone bought a cheap (e.g. sub £100) mains belt sander recently? Any recommendations, or things to avoid?

Asking for a friend... They have a traditional copper (Openreach) phone line. Account is with Utilities Warehouse. Broadband still works but analogue phone has stopped working, no dial tone. Is there a way to do a "line test" of some sort? I recall that there might be a magic number that you...

I'm looking for a folding ruler something like this one: I feel this ought to be easy, but I can't find one in any of the usual places. I feel as if I must be searching for the wrong term, or something. eBay searches mostly find expensive vintage items; Screwfix / Toolstation only have fancy...

Can anyone advise on the relative merits of contract matt, vinyl matt and "paint for new plaster", for mist coats on plasterboard? In particular, say I am going to finish with white vinyl matt. I can save quite a bit of cash by just buying one big tub of that, and also using it diluted for the...

Does anyone know about this? TV aerial sockets are available as "isolated" and "non-isolated". I presume that the isolated ones have a capacitor or inductor - I don't think I've ever seen one of those. What's the rationale behind this? Which should I fit? Thanks.

Just what I need! My 15-year-old fridge-freezer seems to be dying. It starts up, runs for about 2 seconds with a maybe slightly lower-pitched hum than usual, and then a cutout on the compressor clicks and it stops. A plug-in energy meter suggests it takes 3-5 Amps while it tries to run. So far...

https://xkcd.com/3194/

Dear Experts, What’s the difference between: https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-405-standard-jointing-filling-finishing-compound-5kg/442rl “Gypsum based. Designed for jointing plasterboards when drylining and for levelling wall irregularities. Easy to sand in preparation for decorating...

Dear Experts, Today I've visited someone who is considering moving their downstairs toilet. They have a concrete-surfaced back yard with a deep manhole, with a shared sewer at the bottom serving the row of houses. There are several pipes entering the manhole, two at the bottom with proper...

Dear Experts, I've just had a conversation with a friend who has acquired a 12-bed guesthouse - bought at auction at a bargain price and in need of some renovation. (He has done similar projects in the past.) He started by telling me that his electrician has told him that "new laws" mean that...

I’ve just removed a metal socket backbox. Looks OK, right? Nope: Do boxes often have backless earth terminals like that? I don’t think I’ve seen it before. It wouldn’t be a problem if the earth wire were not sleeved.

Dear All, Please treat this as a logic puzzle for your enjoyment, not a call for assistance! Currently my living room lights are controlled by two switches in a conventional way as shown: The wires are singles in conduit. I'd like to add an additional light, separately switched. Clearly...

While renovating my living room, I am considering fitting some lights to illuminate pictures on the walls. The problem is I don’t know exactly where the pictures will be, and won’t know until after everything else is finished. One option is to somehow run wires horizontally in the wall a...

Has anyone used these outside lights from TLC: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GL29192AT.html It's a "BREEZ - Surface Mount LED Brick/Guide Light - Anthracite" by Forum Lighting. Any comments about quality etc. would be appreciated. The plan is to fit a few of them at a relatively...

I have a 6”x6” adaptable box that currently has only steel conduit connections to it. I need to add T&E. What’s the right way to do that? In particular, what’s the “right way” to terminate the new cable’s earth? The box doesn’t have an earth terminal. Also, what are the requirements for strain...

Does anyone ever fit floor sockets in living rooms? Before I started renovating my living room, we had a couple of “trip hazard” extension leads for TV, chargers etc. Floor sockets - in the right places - would fix that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in domestic settings though. Thoughts?

I was surprised to discover that the gas pipe to my stove takes a very circuitous route, via an area where I have lifted the floor to do other work. There is a small risk of damage to the gas pipe, e.g. by standing on it or dropping something on it, while working. I’m wondering if there are...

Dear Experts, My cooker circuit is 10mm^2 singles in 20mm steel conduit. Currently it has a 32A RCBO and supplies only a 16A oven, though it did have a 40A MCB at some point in the past. It runs under my living room floor, which is currently a 75mm void between concrete/screed and wooden...