Search results

Hi there, Thank you for reading this. I had an electrician so some work on my house (same electrician as referenced in my last post). He hasn't given my any paperwork other than an invoice. Please can I check if I should have had any other paperwork? He did the following: Replaced the...

Hiya, Thanks for reading this. I'm befuddled so would really appreciate some clarification from someone who knows the current electrical rules and regulations: the electrician I've just used has connected an outside light via an old style junction box. The junction box is in the ceiling of the...

Hiya, thanks for reading this. Please could someone tell me how one could connect up a light switch so that the twin and earth cable going to the light fitting is disconnected from the lighting circuit when the light switch is turned off?

It's the stuff stuck to the window frame that I'm on about. It looks like it was originally white but is growing black mould. It has the texture of old chewing gum and is a bit of bugger to get off. I want to avoid using it like the plague if I can, but I'm not sure what it is. If you know...

Hi there, thank you for reading this. Please can anyone recommend a tool to sand some stair stringers? The area is about an inch wide and butted up to a wall (so too small to comfortably use a mouse sander). I'm just a DIYer doing a one-off (I hope) job so don't want to spend a lot - just enough...

Hi there, thanks for reading this. Is this a wall tie? I've taken off a window sill that had bits of wood underneath it, which sat between the aerated blocks. Taking the sill off destroyed the last row of blocks so I have to replace them but I've got this tie (?) to contend with. Do I just embed...

Hiya, thank you for reading this. I have a light switch in the cupboard under the stairs of our house. It is a 3-gang switch. The nearest gang turned the kitchen light on and off (now disconnected). The middle gang turns the outside light on and off. The far gang turns the light in the...

Hiya, thanks for reading this. I'm confused about something a plumber has suggested. He was replacing a radiator for me. He suggested by text that, as part of the radiator replacement, he could swap the 10mm central heating pipe currently supplying the radiator to 15mm pipework. I liked the...

Thank you for this! So, nearly all the light switches (all white plastic, no metal) that I've connected myself have all been one-gang switches with one length of t&e 1.5 cable going to them via a plastic dry lining pattress box from the light fitting. Line/brown wire to COM, blue switched live...

Please can an electrician tell me if I'm making an unreasonable request? I had an electrician come and install a new ring main around my kitchen. I want to know where the ring main cables are installed. The electrician’s boss is saying the electrician who did the install is too busy to tell me...

Hi there, thank you for reading this. I tried to get my head around conduit sizes but my brain melted trying to get to grips with the maths involved - I'm still twitching... Please can someone more numerate than I am tell me what size diameter conduit I would need to run 5 x 4mm2 t&e cables...

Hi there, thank you for reading this :-) I'm replacing a like for like dimmer switch at my brother's house. They have bought a 1-core 1.5mm2 stranded cable for me to use to connect the back box to the new dimmer switch. Please could someone tell me, is it ok to use a length of stranded...

Hi there, thank you for reading this :-) I'm after a recommendation for a good portable circular saw, please? I need to cut through a lot of 2x4s. Ideally, I'm after one that doesn't send a lot of vibrations through (if that's even a thing - I've never used one before) and one that doesn't...

Hiya, thank you for reading this. When we removed a wall downstairs, we found it left a gap in the asphalt so that the damp proof membrane was exposed. I would really appreciate a recommendation for a good self- leveling product to go in this gap Any suggestions gratefully received!

Hi there, thank you for reading this :-) I took down an internal wall at the weekend (I'd already checked with a structural engineer that it wasn't a supporting wall and that I was ok to bring it down - he confirmed that it was fine :-) ) What I hadn't expected was to see a drop in the floor...

Hiya, thank you for reading this :-) I am building an entertainment wall. I'm planning to build a frame from 2x4s and secure this to the exterior wall. The exterior wall is a cavity wall - red brick outside skin, Thermalite blocks inside skin. I obviously intend to secure the stud wall to the...

Hiya, thank you for reading this :-) I want to take my bannister off to replace it and it's held up, I think, by the screws in the photo which are in twos at intervals along the length of it. I'm only guessing they're screws - could be anything?! I have no clue! Please could someone tell me...

Hiya, thank you for reading this :-) I'm at the point of needing to confirm with my electrician if we want a 2.5mm ring or 4mm radial circuits putting in. I'm leaning towards the 4mm radials. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether (where there is the option to have either) opting to have...

Hiya, thank you for reading this! I'm struggling more and more to strip cable - I have been using a utility knife and the CPC method but I've seen YouTube videos for automatic strippers. I'm hoping for a recommendation for strippers that are very well suited for doing 4mm2 stranded t&e cable as...

Hiya, I've just accidentally purchased a drum of 4mm stranded - bah! Anyone know where I can get solid wire 4mm from, please? Really struggling to find it anywhere and, as a DIYer, I'm not in the know about which online suppliers are reputable so I'd be super grateful for a recommendation? Thank...