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Quiz... What would you do if you were invited to do some work for a customer, perhaps a PIR, or to change a consumer unit, and you discovered that the householder had made significant changes to their house wiring, for example, removing a ring final and replacing it with a couple of radials...

I'm wanting a timed extractor fan in the bathroom. I want the fan to be switched seperately from the lights, using a seperate pullcord - I don't need it to come on every time the light is switched on, and for noise and energy-saving reasons would prefer it didn't. There's already a window in...

Our old washing machine died last week - we've replaced it with a Beko WM5120, which seems to have good reviews and cost less than £200. It has a delayed-start feature, to allow it to be used overnight. We use an Economy 7 tariff (for a wet storage heating system), so it would make sense to run...

I have a bedside light which takes a 20W capsule halogen bulb. One of these: The lamp looks a bit like this: Does anyone know if a direct replacement low energy (LED?) bulb is available for this lamp? It doesn't need to be bright - I only use it to find stuff early in the morning...

I thought I understood this, but I am not sure I do, now... I have a shed with a door at each end, and I want to fit two way switches by each door so I can switch the light on and off from either door. Because of the layout of the shed, I have the power supply near to one switch, and the...

I've been looking at sorting out some secondary glazing for the winter. It's important that whatever I do can be removed through the summer leaving no trace that it was ever there - my partner likes the windows as they are (19th Century cast iron with original wobbly/bubbled glass). One...

Not going to work for everyone, but I'll share my experiences with you. When we moved into our new house a few years ago, the Broadband was disappointingly slow. As the months passed, it seemed to get slower and slower until finally we were getting just over 0.5Mbps on an 'up tp' 8Mbps package...

I don't know if any of you watch it (I bet some of you do, just to see how they're winding Billy the electrician up this week) - it's a TV show on the beeb, where a bunch of novelty tradesmen do something nice for deserving people in dire straits... Anyway, this week featured a gizmo which is...

I've been browsing this site for a while now. Last time I posted it was to ask for advice about lighting, and I got some really helpful advice which has helped me to sort out some problems in the lighting circuit - my CFLs don't flash all night when they are off any more! And they are earthed...

I have a thermal store with a 'Reliance' brand TMV. I adjusted it the other day (by twisting the blue control knob back a notch from 6 to 5) because the water seemed to be a bit hot. But it has readjusted itself back up to maximum. It seems to have loosened up a bit - if I wait and watch it, I...

How about a thread for people to share information about programs they use and like, and tweaks to make PCs run better. Here's one to get it going... Sysinternals Process Explorer Download is at the bottom of the page. It's a bit fiddly to install. It comes as a zipped file, which you...

Could someone explain to me the thinking around making connections using multi-stranded flex? There seem to be plenty of options: Stripping the end of the flex and just tightening a screw onto it (like in a 13A plug). Putting an uninsulated bootlace ferrule onto the end using a ratchet...

I'm wanting to drop a flexible flue liner and chimney pot cowl down my chimney - the sort that just hangs on the old chimney pot, to avoid too much messing about. When I was quoted for this by a professional, the biggest expense seemed to be the scaffolding, so I'd like to save a few quid, if I...

I live in an old house (1800, or thereabouts) with original cast metal framed windows, set into wooden surround frames. I really like them - the glass is all wobbly and bubbled and they look 'right' for the building. But they let the cold in, cause condensation, and get mouldy in the winter. In...

Hi, All. I have a 300L stainless steel thermal store feeding 5 radiators (also there is a direct connection to a woodburner, which is not stainless steel) - I guess maybe 400L in total. I'd like to add some corrosion protection - when the system was commissioned a couple of years ago, it was...

How do you tell the difference between ring and spade-type connectors suitable for 240V, and those suitable for 12V? They seem to come in the same colours - red, blue, yellow, which reflect the wire size. Surely they are not the same? Or are they? How would I know if someone has used the...

What single piece of music is top of your play list today? Here's mine. It's a bit old, and I have no excuses... Cardiacs - Is This The Life? I've been on holiday this week, and I've wasted hours trying to track down more music by this band. I think it's (appropriately enough) the DIY...

[/i] source I know its not really funny, and I shouldn't laugh, but there it is. I'm also thinking I am in the wrong job. I'd be delighted to be paid 'several thousand pounds' to slap some white paint over the pink...

I have been reading this forum with great interest, and was given some really useful advice last week, for which I am very grateful - thanks, guys! I wondered if someone could direct me to some resources which deal with the hurdles the diy-er has to deal with before embarking on any work...

I live in a small two bedded house with a single lighting circuit that covers all 8 lights in the building, upstairs and down, and has no earthing. It looks very old - red and black PVC. A couple of questions arise: 1. Is it essential to have separate up and down circuits for lights? The...