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We had our smart meters installed last week but, apparently, it will not be possible to connect them to the network so we'll be stuck with dumb meters after all. My main reason for agreeing to have them installed was that I'd have a handy tool to monitor our energy use (especially electricity)...

Hi, I have a heating element (750w) that forms part of the pre-heating stage of a house ventilation system (takes the edge off incoming cold air). The problem is that the switched supply (S1) that enables it (and the fan that forces the air) cannot handle the ~3 amps required to run the...

My old RYOBI ERT1150 died last night. I think this time it might be terminal. Problem is that it is hard to replace. It had a decent set of features: Small/medium size and light weight at only 3Kg. 1/2" collet. Included a simple fence but more critically had a base that you could slide onto...

Hi, I'm just finishing the installation of my new bathroom. All was been going great until I got to the seemingly simple task of screwing the isolation valves into the 1/2" bsp wall plate elbows. I'd expected this to be the usual deal (wrap thread in PTFE and screw into wall plate elbow)...

I'm about to have our bathroom tiled including around the bath where we will have a rail mounted shower on the wall at the head of the bath. FYI, one side of the bath sits against a newly built stud wall with concrete board, head of the bath is up against a freshly skimmed solid stone wall. My...

I have a tricky install to do in my bathroom where I have a couple of tap isolation valves that required a female 1/2" BSP union to screw into (female 1/2" BSP union needs to be set inside wall). The tap isolation valve does not have enough thread to make it through the wall (12.5mm board plus...

I currently have a bath (with mixer shower) plumbed direct from the unvented cylinder with the first 2m in 22mm and the last 1m to the tap in 15mm (due to routing constraints). Approx 3 bar pressure hot and cold. Shower pressure and flow are good and bath fills quickly. I'm refitting the...

I'm installing a concealed shower in my bathroom and so need a shower outlet elbow to attach the shower hose to. There are loads of these available (from £5 to £100) but they seem to fall into three designs: 1. 1/2" BSP brass threaded pipe from back of outlet is screwed into a receptacle...

I'd like to wall mount a new bathroom sink rather than having to use a pedestal. It's fairly small at only 550mm wide by 385mm deep. Obviously the sink includes the standard bolt holes behind the basin itself but I don't know if these are only mean to prevent the basin moving away from the wall...

Had an electrician come in and install the wiring for an underfloor heating system (electric, 3kW). He has used a 1mm T&E cable to run from the fused outlet to the 'stat/control box for the heating and the cable is getting very warm while in use. I'd never have thought a 1mm cable would be up...

I need to run a cooker hood extraction vent through a flatish (6 degree) roof. I've been on the Klober site and all the roof vents they show seem to be for roof space ventilation rather than mechanical extraction from a cooker hood or similar. Roof is single ply rubber and the guy who...

Hi. I'm finishing the install of my G2 system and have got to the point where I configure the users (all zones and detectors are up and running). The system has up to 23 users as far as I can tell but I only want to have two users (me and my missus) or ideally one if we can both essentially...

I'm installing a Galaxy G2-20 panel with mk7 keypad, C079-2 G2 RF portal and two AG8 bell boxes. All is going fine and I think everything is communicating okay (RF portal communicates 'tamper switch open' to keypad when cover removed so seems to have been recognised by the main panel and the...

Hi, hopefully this will be a simple question. I am currently installing a Honeywell Galaxy G2 20 panel with mk7 keypad and the RF portal (and 2 AG8 bell boxes). All was going fine until I got to the bit about unused zones. The manual includes the instruction below: NOTE: It is recommended...

I'm boarding out a room this weekend in prep to get a plasterer in. Planning to have the whole room skimmed so do I use taper edge or square edge plasterboard? Ta iep

I've got to clad a steel post (100mm x 100mm square post 8mm gauge) in plasterboard. What's the best way to attach the plasterboard? The blacksmith recommended drilling pilot holes and then using self tapping screws but it's fairly hefty steel to have to drill so many holes in. Is there...

I'm running all the cable required for a kitchen extension from the c.u, to the site of a the extension. Already run all the appropriate cable for ring, lighting, cooker etc but am stumped on the requirement for a separate earth cable. Neither the gas nor water main will enter the house via...

Renovating an old house and adding an extension. The existing wiring in the main house is okay and does not need to be replaced. Just needs a few new sockets in the main living area which are easily added to the existing ring. Do I need to abide by the 400mm min height rule for these new...

I need to plasterboard a wall where the studs are placed at irregular intervals (anywhere from 40cm to 60cm). As a result, the plasterboard joints will occur at points where there is no stud to attach them too. I think this has been a problem all over house as there are 8x4 shaped cracks all...

I'm installing a new ceiling in a room that has been opened up to the full height of the roof (45 degree pitched roof). Architect's drawings show 100mm of celotex between rafters and then a continuous run of insulated plasterboard (65mm celotex) under the rafters. This all seems fair enough...