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A search through the archives turns up numerous questions where people have asked for help sizing RSJs for a building project, and the usual answer seems to be that it isn't possible to answer without making dangerous assumptions and the OP needs to consult a qualified structural engineer. And...

I've inherited a Y plan installation that looks like a bit of a mess, but more or less works. The only problem is that the CH won't run unless the time controller has the HW switched on. The time controller has separate setting for CH and HW, the HW will run OK with the CH switched off, but the...

I've got a rather elderly W2000 which has got into the habit of having the pilot light go out occasionally. Usually it relights OK but today the pilot won't stay on. From the symptoms I've guessed that the thermocouple needs replacing. Google tells me that the thermocouple itself is a £10...

A relative has a gas central heating system which has been fine for the last 25 years but is starting to play up now. The immediate problem is that the boiler is sometimes failing to light. It's a Potterton Netaheat 16/22 F Mk II, and the plumber called to fix it has advised that it's too old to...

I'm using Sentinel X400 flushing agent in combination with a MagnaClean magnetic filter, to remove sludge from a system that has been run for years without any inhibitor. My hope is that the flushing agent will gradually lift the sediment from the nooks and crannies that it has settled in...

My CH system seems to be full of mud! Some background: it's a conventional system with a header tank in the loft, gas boiler / pump and a diverter valve to feed hot water to the hot water tank and radiators. I noticed that when the boiler came on I had hot water dribbling into the header...

I'm looking for a plumbing tool, but having trouble finding it. Can you help? It's something I've seen many years ago but I haven't seen them for sale recently. I'm not sure what the proper name is for this tool, essentially it is a pair of pliers with tips shaped to fit round a copper...

My CH system is the unpressurised sort with a header tank in the roof. It all seems to work, but I've noticed that when the boiler is running there is an intermittent dribble of hot water going into the header tank from the vent pipe, and the header tank gradually gets hotter and hotter. I've...