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A friend of mine has a sealed heating system which needs draining but whoever installed the system didn't install a drain valve anywhere. The pipework is 22mm and an obvious "quick fix" would be to use a washing machine self piercing tap to drain the system but all the ones available are for...

I have to build a soakaway for the rainwater from our new extension (flat roof approximately 28m²). The soakaway will be around 6m from any building, the ground level here is approximately 0.7m lower than the ground level where the buildings are (ie, the garden slopes away from the house by...

A neighbour asked me to help him out with planning & b.regs application, as he knew I had done my own plans around 4 years ago. The application os for a full-plans b.regs approval as he intends to do a lot of the work himself, using contractors as & where necessary. The extension is a single...

Paper-faced plaster coving going onto skimmed boarded ceiling & walls. Can I use a PVA based "No-nails" type of cartridge adhesive or do I have to use coving adhesive? Thanks

For the last 12 to 18 months I've been practising skimming boards (hanging a board in the garage & skimming it). This along with advice from many folks has brought me to a point where I am quite good and have now started to skim the boarded walls in my new extension. For the walls I've used...

I have just had my extension boarded & skimmed & the back boxes have been fitted too deep, so I now need longer screws (by about 1/2") for the sockets & switches. Any idea where I can get these from? Alternatively, any idea what size thread they are? Thanks

Where is it suitable? I'm boarding & skimming both block and stud walls. I've always used 12mm but a friend uses 9mm. Is there any real difference (apart from 3mm and the cost). Also, the ceiling joists are on 400mm centres. If using 2.4 x 1.2 x 12mm boards, and the edges don't meet on a...

What fixings are best to use to hang a radiator on a plasterboarded stud partition wall? The P/B is 12.5mm & skimmed, the radiator is single and 1000mm x 600mm. Thanks

I have a new single storey extension that I need to add two radiators to. While I'm confident with most aspects of plumbing, I'd like some advice on CH systems please. The nearest radiator to the two new rooms is the upstairs bathroom. Is it as easy as tee-ing off from the feed to this...

Ground floor extension, bathroom, utility, diner & living room. Had three quotes & the one that seemed interested got the job. Shower, fans x 2, sockets x 7, lights x 4. We ran briefly through what was required, new CU with RCD protection, bonding etc, etc. As I am technical manager for a...

Last question, honest. Side storey single extension incorporating a bathroom that is to be fitted with an 8.5Kw Triton shower. To save ripping up the flooring and trying to run 10mm T+E round all of the other services under there, we suggested that it be run OUTSIDE the house. Nowhere...

As per my post the other day, single storey side extension, 4 rooms (dining, living, bathroom, utility). BCO has requested that I replace the two battery smoke alarms in the house with two mains units (but none in the extension which surprised me). I have asked the two electricians that...

Hi. I have now had two quotes for having the wiring done in my new extension. Both electricians contradict each other slightly & I'd like more opinions please! The extesnion is a single storey, two living rooms, bathroom & utility. 7 double sockets, 4 lights, 2 fans & a shower. All pretty...

I've got a Baxi Inset back boiler, fitted about 5 to 6 years ago. When you initially switch it on, the ignitor clicks around 15 times before the burners ignite. My neighbour had exactly the same model fitted at the same time & his only clicks 3 or 4 times before it ignites. When mine was...

Can you get a direct replacement for a Randall 102 timer? This is one of the older types & I was wondering if there is a "plug in" type of replacement? Thanks

My parents elderly CH timer has packed up. Its the older "clockwork" type. You can still switch the heating/water on manually, but the clock has stopped working. Is it straightforward to replace it with a new digital type? There are three cables feeding into the existing timer, I'm guessing...

We have a new bathroom as part of an extension and we were thinking of cladding the bottom half of the walls with T&G, painted satin white (tiling the upper half). The room has a shower so I'm concerned about the T&G moving with the steam that will be generated from the shower. Although the...

Hi, I'm currently getting quotes for wiring my new extension and the prices (I've only had two so far) are miles apart! One was for £800 all in, the other was for £1400. Before I get any more or ask questions, can you please advise me what I need to be specifically looking for from them...

I want to use 12" (approx. 35mm thick)square slabs to edge my drive rather than the usual block pavers, before it is tarmaced. The drive is currently between 8-10" of compacted mill-waste. If I bed the slabs on a mortar base, will they withstand the weight of a car passing over them? If so...

I'm going to install a shower in my new bathroom. This is downstairs & has a concrete floor (tiles on top). The shower trays I've looked at would need a recess in the floor to accomodate the waste trap if the shower were laid straight onto the floor (not clever) or the tray mounting on some...