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So, I have a patio that has "grout" evidently composed of cement and sand. I guess the previous people used a dry mix fill the gaps. It's pretty good but in a few places needs to be topped-up. The problem is I don't want a 25Kg bag of cement and one of sand hanging around for the next twenty...

I have a gable end to paint that is 5m high. The problem is that thee is a tall fence just 1m from this wall and I cannot put a ladder or anything the other side. A ladder that reaches up the wall is so unstable as it can't get back away from the wall far enough. What is the best way to paint...

We have one on those standard "pipe/vent" in the roof from the gas boiler. Birds tend to want to build a nest in the angle between the pipe and the roof. We have bird spikes there but these just seem to help them anchor their twigs in place! Is it possible: a. to get a "venting solution" that...

I would like to buy some quality 50mm flush hinges. Not those crappy stamped one but nicely engineered with very little "looseness". Any recommendations for a supplier? Cheers.

So I know I have rising damp in an old granite wall. This will be taken care off properly in the spring. However, the in-laws are over for Crimbo and various other bods in Jan so I need to cover-up the ugly damp patches. Can anyone please recommend a good "damp proof" interior paint, etc. that...

I have a socket on a wall that gets a little damp. It's not terrible but nothing seems to stop it. Is there something I could seal the "hole" with so that the damp doesn't corrode the metal box ... again! Cheers.

We have a septic tank system which is brick-lined and topped with standard, rectangular, covers. The problem is that, over the years, these covers (or, more precisely, the seatings) have become rusted and frayed. I want to replace them but, of course, the old ones are still in situ and, in...

I bought one of those calipers with a digital scale - I know but I couldn't resist. The wheel that moves the jaw up and down is very loose: I nearly sent it back but then I remembered that I used one a few years ago and it was the same. Is this a "feature" rather than a "bug"?

We have manhole covers over the septic tank in the garden that are rusting and becoming weak. I measured the size of the hole (i.e. the internal part of the frame ) to be 620x470mm. However, all the manhole covers seem to be 600x450mm or 24x18". Is my hole non-standard or am I measuring...

My boiler is a Heatslave 12/14. May I ask two questions: 1. Easy one What do the numbers 12/14 stand for? 2. Impossible one How much would the installation of a modern equivalent of this boiler be - excluding the cost of the boiler? Just a ballpark figure would be great. Cheers.

The pressure in my combi boiler (oil fired) seems to vary hugely. When the heating is on it is at about 1 bar. When the heating is off it can be as low a zero but then rises to 1 bar after a few minutes after the heating comes on. Other than this everything seems to be fine; both the heating...

The "tap" where the central heating is drained has a square nut on it. It's about 8mm square. I don't have a socket in my set that fits this (or is even square!). What is the tool called that fits this so that I can search for one? Thank you.

I have electric underfloor heating in the bathroom (Warmup with 3iE thermostat) that has been working perfectly for over nine years. Today, the temp is reading 31.5C when the heating is off and the floor is cold to the touch. There are no errors showing, nothing has happened (no bumps, power...

I've been pruning the (non-stoned) fruit trees and my secateurs are useless. Most of the cuts are ragged even though I sharpened them before using. No matter how much I spend I can't see to get good ones. Any recommendations please?

Imagine a metal "bar" like the one that were (when I was a kid) in a Meccano set: about 1mm thick by 10mm wide by anything up to 100mm long with holes every 10mm or so. I want such a thing that I can bend to shape but is much more robust - say, 2mm or 3mm thick. What do I search for!? I have...

I am trying to renovate an old telescope that belonged to my father-in-law's father: hence the terror - I must get it right. I has a huge wooden-legged tripod (1.2m long, 40mm diameter legs) that had spikes on the end as it was meant to be used outside. I've cut the spikes off (it needs to go...

I 've had an old electrical socket moved. There is now a hole where the old one used to be. The wall is granite (old barn conversion) and is rough rendered and painted. What could I use to fill the hole? It seems to big for Polyfilla and too small to buy a great bag of cement that I'll only use...

The bulb has gone on our oven and the manual says to replace it with: Osram 66275 AM, 230V, 25W, G9 but I can only find: Osram 66725 AM, 230V, 25W, G9 That is, all the same but with the "2" and the "7" transposed. The web is full of examples of the "66725" (and for a good price) but not the...

I like to use a small (say, 50mm blade and handle - internal) engineer's square for squaring thin rails and so on. I tend to leave it out in the workshop and so my current one has become rusty. I can't really clean it without affecting the square so I would like a new one that is made from...

I need to hang two cupboard doors that will sit flush with the frame. I'd like to use decorative surface hinges so that they are a feature. The problem I have is that whenever I use hinges, once fixed, there is an inevitable sag as the hinge "relaxes" into position. Normally, this is not too...