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I think it’s the thermostat, a Honeywell T40, as twiddling it this morning suddenly got the CH working when leaving it at 25 deg didn’t. A new replacement was cheap and easy with a Screwfix a couple of miles away, so within a couple of hours I had a reliably functioning system. I did poke my...

Thanks. You're right about the pipe. I got that wrong. I’d seen a gas supply pipe going to the gas control valve and one out upwards to the burner; the pipe that I thought was a water supply and had felt seemingly not going near the gas control valve does indeed connect to that valve. There...

I’m visiting my mother’s bungalow and am short of time to investigate her CH not coming on, so can anyone help please? The issues: 1. The very old system is confusing me as 2 of the rads are on with the hot water, the rest being as I expect under CH control. 2. The CH has stopped working and...

Thanks. The surfaces aren’t too bad and I’ll be filling and sanding the worst bits. However, the wall has some patches of filler that has been crudely applied and is now rock solid and resistant to sandpaper; none of this was visible behind the previous wood chip and vinyl wallpapers, which I...

Can someone with experience please advise me which Wallrock (150, 150 smooth, Plus 180 or Premium 200) and which width (55, 75 or 100 cm) would be best for me in my situation in order to save me time and expense in trial and error? I’ve tried the Erfurt website, internet searches and searches...

Please can you give me advice on replacing blown double glazing units in aluminium frames around 35 years old? I’ve spent an hour or 2 searching but can’t find exact advice. The removable beads are on the outside, made of aluminium and fit into aluminium frames. Glazing tape was used on both...

I have a south-facing garden with a 1 in 10 slope with a flat concrete path and a Bay tree at the bottom. Below the first ft/0.3m the soil is very sandy. The soil at the bottom is wet when it rains, but there’s no flooding. South of London, no strange ground features. Three years ago I took...

My house has a 2.5m x 5m wooden lean-to down the side between the house side wall and side fence. It has lighting on the rafters run off a 5A circuit breaker in a small CU situated in a utility room in the 1930s main house but accessed by an external door (it was the coal storage room); this CU...

Fixed. The supply cable had been damaged where it crossed a neighbour's garden and had been lazily dug just an inch or 2 down in a flower bed. The phone does indeed need just the 2 connections (thanks again, winston1).

Thanks. There was an ancient extension that I did disconnect at the main socket first.

A quick update. I couldn't see anything obviously wrong with the cables. Measuring at the box and phone socket between those 2 terminals gives me ~37v DC, suggesting that her concern over her kids damaging the box a few weeks earlier were unfounded. A different phone gives the same symptoms...

I'm building a small unheated in-fill porch with external dimensions of 2.1m front, 1.2m sides (one a lounge wall and the other my neighbour's porch) and 2.2m height to the tiles at the front. It'll have a pitched roof, composite door and a window with small casement opening above a 0.9m high...

Thanks. The neighbour asked me to look at it as she's having trouble getting through to Virgin and has heard that there are long waits due to the lockdown. She's also worried that her kids may have damaged it and she may get billed. I'm primarily looking to soothe a neighbour at a difficult...

In the morning I'll be helping an elderly neighbour trying to identify which of 4 wires from the telephone half of the broadband/telephone cable fitted years ago by NTL should connect to the 3 wires to the phone socket. The phone crackles and dialling out doesn't work. Calling the number gives...

I emailed my questions then spoke to someone from my local Building Control. He said that the drain coming close to the DPC wasn't a problem and didn't/couldn't specify a minimum distance. I did, though, get the impression that he was a little vague or unsure. I'm also wary of its being raised...

My head is swimming after hours spent researching my best options and would appreciate your opinions. See below for some background info. 1. Air Brick. I have a double height air brick with its top level with the DPC. The ground level is up to the bottom of the brick and I’m considering...

Thanks. I'd pencilled in copying the neighbours theme, albeit with a free hand I'd consider some big changes. I'd prefer the door against my RH wall, not offset using a panel, I dislike the PVC half-height panel as it just looks cheap (I'd have a brick half-height w)all with window, and the...

SIPS panels are useful for professionals building whole houses, but are they any good for DIY on a small porch? I can ask the panel producers, but I suspect their advice will be biased, and a couple of hours searching the internet left me none the wiser. I'm a competent DIYer and feel up to...

I have inherited a job lot of oak engineered flooring. I intend to use it for the floor and inner wall of an insulated shed/summerhouse, for which I’m confident it will be fine. I will, though, have some left over and wondered if it will be ok used as an outer wall, either fixed to battens...

Again, thanks. Bradstone? My wife likes their Woburn. I’m shying away from general coatings as I’m concerned about their being slippy in the wet. The anti-slip ones have mixed reviews and seem to require annual renewal to keep their effectiveness. I was looking to avoid jet washing the...