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Hi, We just had a window removed in our bedroom and our builder cut out the blockwork that used to be under the window so we could fit a new patio door. The window/door company have just finished fitting in the new door. In order for the patio door to fit the outer skin of the cavity wall...

Hi, We've just had the first phase of a garage conversion completed by a local builder. After a few weeks we've noticed that the cavity of the new wall constructed is damp on the inside and the cavity insulation is basically soaked through with water. Before I go back to the builder is...

Hey, I've moved into a new flat which has the following configuration for the hot water (except without the pump of course): Now I want to put the pump in without going through the mess of using a surrey flange. There are only three hot taps in the house, one in the kitchen, and two in...

I have layed some floor tiles in my bathroom a while ago and now I've decided I don't like the colour that I chose. Does anyone know if it's possible to buy while floor tile paint that is waterproof so that I can use in on my bathroom floor? I don't mind if I have to order it specially online...

I made my first mistake last week when I was doing the electrics in the flat in Germany which I posted previously about. My friend had moved a circuit in the fusebox without telling me, and when I came to fitting a socket in the kitchen I thought I had turned the power off, but actually I...

How come I am able to run a 4.6kw instant water heater on a 10amp fuse in the fusebox?? I can't understand how this works, even when the heater is running for five minutes and has been used on and off for the past 10 days!? Simon.

I'm renovating a flat in Germany (built in 1958) and I was disappointed to find that the entire electrics have been wired with two wires, and no earth wire. At the sockets they have put a small wire loop connecting the neutral terminal to the earth terminal. My question is, is this safe...

Hi, I`ve managed to take a photo of this horrible old pipe with holes in it that we`ve found in this old flat in Germany. My friend has already filled it with bitumen(!), but what I really want to do is to stick a flexible 4cm wide pipe down inside this old pipe as far as I can go...

Hi, I`m working on a property at the moment which was built in 1958 and is a small flat in a large block. Unfortunately the problem with this flat is the drainage pipes are all rusting very badly, and as we pulled the old basin out the waste pipe just fell apart. There was basically a...

Hi, I´m in Germany doing some renovating and we´re installing an instant hot water heater that is using 4.6kw of electricity. When we went to the local shed they didn´t seem to sell any cables bigger than 2.5mm. My German friend said "no problem" let´s use two 2.5mm cables and then we...

My friend has just bought an old council flat with some weird electrics. There doesn't even appear to be a way to earth his sockets? Does he need a total rewire? Simon.

Just a couple of things I'm struggling with. Is it okay to use an anti-vac bottle trap instead of an S-trap? Can two basins and a shower be plumbed into the same 32mm waste pipe that leads to the soil stack? I'm replacing my basins at the moment and need to make sure that what I'm doing...

Can I connect two basins and a shower to a 32mm waste pipe? What if it was just two basins on a 32mm waste pipe? If it was ok to do the above, then should I put antivac traps on the basins as sometimes the shower (which is already plumbed in) gurgles when the toilet is flushed. Waste...

Hi, What's the smallest pipe I can use inconjunction with a wall-hung basin? This is the basin I want to fit in my new bathroom: I have never done waste plumbing before and I would be really grateful if someone could recommend which type of waste pipe to use (solvent/compression - it...

Maybe this a silly question...but I need to use a flexi hose for the first time and they don't seem to have a hot water rating on them. Is this because they are obviously rated for hot water? I always thought flexi hoses (like Hep2o) were only good upto a certain temperature? My water is very...

I've got a heavy round mirror to hang on a wall. There is a single hole on the back of the mirror. I'm good with plasterboard fixings - but I know that this mirror is too heavy for a single toggle fixing with a protrouding screw. My question is - has anyone seen a bracket with a hook...

Is this okay or just a bit crap? The JBs serve a 3 gang light switch. Two of the lights are not yet connected. What would be a better way of doing this? Simon.

I've got an SWA cable being put down under my patio, which happens to be quite low and needs to be built up on a bed of concrete, with a sand/cement mix going on top. I've already found a previous post that mentioned concrete has corrosive type effects on SWA cable, so I'm just wondering how...

Is it okay to wire a ring like this? In my garage I'm putting in a radial circuit. Is it okay to run a cable round the beams and drop a single cable down the wall for each socket similar to the picture above? Does that affect the cable rating at all (using 2.5mm)? Thanks, Simon.

Spent a few hours doing my research on this, so would just like confirmation this is okay. House side: Garage electrics to be spurred off kitchen ring with 2.5mm SWA (already laid now, 4mm was not available unfortunately). Kitchen ring is protected by RCBO. Spur is taken from 13a...