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The old 3ft picket fence was built using notched posts with arris rails. I would be grateful if someone would explain the advantage of using a notched post versus a plane post. For example, do they add strength to a 6 ft close board fence? Is it necessary for a 3 ft picket fence, which will...

Hi, I would be grateful for help with a diagnosis. The boiler stopped working and the red reset was lit. When I press it, the fan starts up and I think I can hear the ignition spark behind the noise of the fan. After a few seconds, I can see an electric. blue star through the dark window you...

We are going to replace a 1950's vented heating system in my dads house with a combi. Somebody said I should get a pumped system because the our water pressure is low, which will be a problem if two taps are opened at the same time. I told them I wanted to keep the loft free of pipes (ie...

I am thinking of building an extension and having the oil boiler moved at the same time. Can I run the oil pipe under the floor to the new location or do I have to dig a trench round the house? It is a suspended wooden floor with a crawl space underneath. Ideally I would like to run plastic...

Hi, The handle on this Schuco PVC window rotates freely and seems to have come adrift of its mechanism. It looks like I would have to pop out the pvc strips round the inside of the window and then remove the glass to access the mechanism. Am I correct, and is this something that is within the...

Hi, I am fitting a simple room thermostat to my combi boiler. https://www.vaillant.co.uk/downloads/vrt-15-2018/vrt-15-supplement-261436.pdf The wiring diagram is simple enough but I have questions nonetheless. 1, If the top two terminals are both neutral why have two terminals when they could...

Hi, We want a Vaillant combi because it is by far the quietest and will be located near the bedroom. My gas installer usually does Baxi and told me to make my own choice from the Vaillant range I have selected an ecotec plus 832...

Hi, I would like to construct a built in wardrobe with three bottom track sliding doors. I was thinking about using these sheets https://www.slhardwoods.co.uk/products/sheet-material/melamine-birch-plywood/white-melamine-faced-birch-plywood-2440-x-1220mm They range from 9mm to 18mm thick. I...

Hi, On my boiler I have a Teddington TB8 on/off switch combined with a hot water limit thermostat (see picture). The male spade connector on the left of this picture is labelled COM and the on on the right it is "Break on Rise". Please can someone help me understand how it works. Clearly the...

Hi, I was asking about my Danesmoor 20 oil fired boiler (c1970) over on anther thread but I started a new one for this more specific question. The main mechanical timer on the boiler is no longer working. It is a simple affair with two wires in and two wires out, that simple controls the...

My aged parents passed away and their house will be unoccupied over the winder. I was advised to set the heating to come on briefly once a day to protect the system and the fabric of the house. However, I do not want to heat the hot water cylinder every day and would prefer just to send some...

I have a 1930's single brick built semi. The chimney breast is tied into the wall. As far as I understand, if you want to remove a breast inside the house the stack can be supported in the loft by a steel bra arrangement or an RSJ. The outside wall is brick but the internal wall, which...

I am looking to install a draft seal round the door but there are so many to choose from. Any suggestions about which are the best and longest lasting would be gratefully received. I have been looking here; http://www.wis-ltd.com/products/joinery%20&%20glazing/detailJoinerySeals.htm...

I had several rooms skimmed with plaster. The price quoted included decoration with the plasterers providing the primer and undercoat and I would choose the top coat. I bought a very matte paint but when I was delivering it I noticed several big tubs of white vinyl emulsion, which they are...

I am wondering what I should do and whether my builder's work has any chance of meeting the building regs. We are in a 4 story tenement with a concrete tile roof. We wanted a structural wall removed and a new doorway opened. The engineers drawing had the steel beam and the concrete lintel at...

The sink unit has a washing machine and dishwasher on either side. My contractor has located the isolator switches in the under-sink cabinet on the back wall, right beside the plumbing. My question is whether this conforms to the current IEE regulations? If not, is my contractor obliged...

Hi, My sister has a ground floor tenement flat in Glasgow. The outer skin is 700 mm thick sandstone blocks. I want to vent the cooker hood in the new kitchen out through the wall. The spigot is 150 mm round which I will convert to flat channel which will run along the top of the units. My...

We are having a complete new heating system installed: 31Kw Vaillant EcoTech, seven rads and new pipes. My first though was to replace the existing 1970s microbore with 15 mm copper lagged with Tubolit or similar product. The first couple of engineers wanted to use plastic pipe, but it is...

Hi, My builder is slightly concerned about the boiler exhaust and the cooker hood vent being located within a foot or two of each other. He worried about boiler fumes coming back down the cooker hood. I have looked at some new build houses and see the boiler and cooker hood vents just as...

Hi, I would be grateful for an opinion from someone in the know: I had an electric shower fitted by a firm of electricians. They took a cable from the old style fuse box and into a 63A circuit breaker with a 30 mA RCD. So far so good. The cable runs to a twin pole isolator pull cord switch...