Search results

I have a vertical blind over one window. It is in two halves but cords at one side operate both halves. It has been working fine for a number of years but now, when I try to draw the blades across to cover the window the first blade on one of the halves moves but it leaves behind all the other...

My daughter has a Boilermate 2000. She complains that the hot water is far too hot. I would appreciate advice as to what are the most likely causes? She lives some 200 miles from me so it is not often that I make the trip. I do have a saved copy of the Boilermate 2000 Installation & Service...

My daughter is complaining that the hot water, which is supplied from a Boilermate 2000, is too hot. Is the problem most likely to be a faulty temperature sensor and, if so, is this component a straightforward job to replace? Might the problem lie elsewhere and, if so, how can the faulty...

I am replacing a heavy lift off type loft hatch cover and have made one to be fitted as a drop down cover. I wanted to use a twist type lock but, having made the cover 35mm thick, I now find that twist type locks seem only to be suitable for covers with a maximum thickness of 20mm. The only...

I am making a timber drop-down loft access and am wondering what type of catch to fit. I find that the type of catch that you turn with a pole are very expensive, upwards of £15 with postage, though probably very reliable. Another type one can buy, and they are quite cheap, are those that...

I have a Crown water softener in a cupboard under the kitchen sink. It is about 4 years old. Just recently it has started to behave oddly in that, when a smallish quantity of softened water is run, say for example a toilet is flushed, the softener kicks into action as if re-generating. However...

This is just some information that most plumbers will be aware of but maybe not many DIYers. I live in a bungalow and this morning I found that the bowls of both toilets stayed half full after being flushed. Thinking both toilet waste pipes combined before entering the external manhole and that...

I have just installed a Youngman's Easiway 3 section loft ladder. However, I have found no way, in normal use, to get the ladder to rest on the loft floor when fully stowed in the loft. When moving the ladder into the loft the gliders, upon which the ladder slides in and out of the loft, hit the...

I would be grateful for some practical advice on the following DIY job. My daughter's house is about 25 years old. The walls are covered internally with plasterboard and I want to fix curtain rails above french doors. There is,however, a gap of about 20mm between the rear of the...

I have a Crown water softener. It is just 3 years old. I found the overflow dripping today and the plastic tank was half full of water of of course. I emptied it out and opened/closed the service valves to by-pass the softener. Has anyone got any suggestions as to what might have gone wrong and...

Some weeks ago the H.W side of my monobloc kitchen tap started to drip. After putting up with it for a month or so I decided to try and inspect and if necessary replace the faulty ceramic cartridge. Struggle as I might, I could not budge what I assume to be the cartridge which is behind the...

I am seeking advice on ways to stop rain seeping onto the floor of a precast concrete shed. The shed sits on a concrete base and during winter especially much of the floor gets very wet. My guess is that rain seeps in where the walls meet the floor. I have considered sticking roofing felt...

I have been searching online for Home Emergency Cover including boiler breakdown. There are plenty of companies offering such a service of course but most seem to charge from about £200 to £300+ for a year's cover. However, there is one company called "emergency assist 24" who charge a good deal...

I have a NO PARKING sign that I want to fix to a painted- metal garage door. The sign is made of a plastic that I cannot positively identify but it maybe what, I think, is called polyurethane foam board. It is fairly rigid though light and white matt. The writing seems to be done with a...

I need to install a surface mounted ( not telescopic) anti-parking post in front of a garage on a private driveway. The driveway is block paved. Commercial installers seem to just drill the requisite number of holes for the fixing bolts which they fill with epoxy resin before inserting the bolt...

I want to replace the door lock barrel on my uPVC front door but the screw holding the lock won't budge. I am gradually wrecking the head(Philips or crosshead) of the screw. Has anyone had this problem and solved it please? I could drill out the screw head but I guess the lock barrel would...

Can anyone advise me please. My upvc front door lock can be locked with a key both inside and out. The problem is that if you leave the key in the lock on the inside and go out, pulling the door closed behind you, you cannot then get back in even with another key. This has happened to my wife on...