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I need to move a radiator and just wanted to share my plan. I'm able to solder end feed properly and have installed new rads before, but I've left teeing them into the existing circuit to my plumber, purely to avoid draining the system. I have a radiator currently on a kitchen wall. I would...

The roofers working on our house removed 4 pots and fitted 4 cowls. Fitting them was my request as they will service working flues and keep unused flues ventilated. I also had liners put down. The question on my mind is this -- is this method of fixing acceptable? Seems strange them being...

Hi all, I have two open fires which are used in the Winter. Both leak gasses into the above bedrooms (which have open and unused fireplaces). I am having cowls fitted to the tops of all pots and liners put down the working flues to ensure all gases are safely extracted to the atmosphere. My...

I appear to have a blockage on an outside drain. Foul water is backing up from the point pictured, which is a bottle gulley made by Osma (4D901). I'll be rodding it later to clear the suspected blockage, but I have a few questions first. - what is the purpose of the rubber bung on these units...

Hi all, I have a wireless modem router (Virgin Media Hub 3.0). I have used a LAN connection to bridge it to a non-modem wireless router and have disabled the DCHP server option. This has successfully extended the range of my router. I have a network requirement out in the garage and I would...

I've noticed during the recent bout of rain that our upstairs plumbing exhibits some strange behaviour when the rain is heavy, with the toilet and bath gurgling and bubbling. Our waste water and surface water drainage are on a shared system, so my guess is that the influx of rainwater into the...

I live in a detached house built sometime between 1901 and 1906. I know there was a cellar under the house as there are steps under the stairs which lead downwards, and the former owners told me that one had been filled in by the owners before them (who had owned the house for around 40 years)...

I’ve been stripping wallpaper in one of the rooms at home. Didn’t use the steamer near any sockets (used used a dry scraper) and powered the steamer directly from another room, away from the steamer. Today I was spraying the walls with sugar soap to scrape off remaining adhesive and all was...

Hi all, I have an open fire in the front room which I’d like to use. Previously I’ve used burners as I have ample free supply of timber from local furniture factories. I’ve had it swept and visually the stack looks in good condition. I lit a fire yesterday to act as a smoke test and small...

Hi all, internal wall was showing signs of damp (paint had gone darker, damp to touch). I took the lining paper away and found the plaster damp. I then removed the skirting board to find what you see in the pictures. There is a water pipe somewhere in the general vicinity of this wall, which...

Hi all, as per title I have a leak at the bottom of a valley between two roof faces. It’s a problem because it’s damaging the bricks and causing problems inside. Initially I thought it was a leaking section of guttering, so bought a new 90 degree corner. Then I had the gutters cleaned and when...

Wife didn’t like my suggestion of carpet and of course wants herringbone. I decided to go for the glue down type as I think this will stand up better to fluid spillages from the children. I’ve screwed down 6mm ply and filled the gaps with jointing compound on the joints. Before I coat with...

Hi all, not long purchased our new home and getting on with sorting out leaks, damages and problems before Winter. A problem I hadn’t immediately noticed was this leaking shower tray. Years ago I had a bath with a pivoting glass screen. To seal this I sealed the inside junction between the...

I’ve recently moved into a new house. Built 1906 it’s in need of sympathetic repair work. I’ve cleaned out all the gutters which were blocked up and causing damp, repointed some ground floor brickwork with lime mortar, had a rear chimney stack taken down (breasts had been removed with no...

Hi all, haven’t posted on here in a while. Now live in an older house (1906) with problems, but all from poor maintenance under previous owners. The first problem I want to tackle is the guttering and the right hand side downpipe on the attached picture. The guttering is blocked up in the...

Last Summer I decided to make use of food scraps, cardboard and grass clippings by creating a compost bin. The primary reason was to avoid the annual expenditure on compost, but also because it's a better use of waste material (including all of the 'spent' compost come Autumn). The set up is...

Regrettably, I have been served a notice of intended prosecution for blocking an overtake. I’ll admit I’m in the wrong and I’m prepared to face the consequences, however I’d like to get an idea of what they may be. The letter from the police states driving “dangerously, carelessly or without...

I am suffering from fuel drain back to the tank on an older car which uses a mechanical fuel pump, it's the glass bowl type one as seen in the attached image. Fuel is also leaking into the oil through the diaphragm, so the whole thing needs refurbing. The car is used weekly and each Friday the...

Bit of a desperate post here! I am on the lookout for a replacement engine support (Peugeot part number 9628311880), plus one of the bolts used to secure it to the engine (it uses a T50 torx head). This unit is the item the engine mount bracket fixes onto using three T50 torx headed bolts. For...

I have a wood burner which I run with free timber (well, it’s a lot of labour but it doesn’t cost anything). I managed to salvage two CPU fans from work (see link showing similar item) and I’m planning on putting them behind the stove to push stagnant heat forwards. I have a stove-top fan and...