Rolling DIY & home improvements thread

The pull cord switch that controls power to the electric shower has broken. Won’t turn back on. Have tried turning the switch at the fuse box off and on again

  • This is something a complete idiot can fix themselves
  • Get an electrician in

0 voters

Reclaimed scaffold boards as shelving

  • Exclusively for dickheads
  • Mostly for dickheads but get them anyway

0 voters

Does it still feel like the switch is “switching”. If not then you could just get a new cord and fitting and fitting it would be pretty simple. If you can get hold of a circuit tester then the obvious step would be to switch the power off at the fuse box, unscrew the fitting to expose the wire connections, reconnect the power and carefully check the flow between live and neutral terminals. If that fails you’ve got a problem for an electrician (assuming you haven’t just blown a fuse).

Depends on the floor area. The joists will be sized and spaced to be able to take a maximum load per m2.

Is the 80 stone total weight, or weight per mat or weight per square metre?

That load’s going to be over 40 stone per square metre at least though isn’t it?

That’s about an extra 18kg/m2, or an additional 0.18Kn/m2.

It’ll be fine - domestic floors are designed to take up to 1.5kN/m2 with big safety factors.

1 Like

anyone know of a decent free floor plan drawing software online? Our house we’re looking at is a mirror version of the floor plan we have so would like to draw one to help visualise. Yes know I could just flip the image

Thanks

Do you want to be able to measure off distances and areas within the software?

AutoCAD LT has a free 30-day trial:

Yes I do so we can think a little about placement of existing furniture. Thanks, sounds good

If you want something quicker, and have an iPhone, then RoomScan is meant to be very easy to use:

http://locometric.com/

Ooh that looks good for a first go. Thanks again!

I need some advice:

I have a new build flat that has those fibreboard walls that crumble to bits when you hammer anything into them (the plan is to hang pictures, put up shelves, etc).

I’ve bought some of those hollow wall anchors to use (below). my question is, once I’ve screwed this into the wall, how on earth am I supposed to get it out again without ripping holes in the wall?

image

You can’t really. You have to leave most of it in the wall cavity. I haven’t had to remove many, but use this technique…

How heavy are the things you’re hanging? Those hollow wall anchors are great but I find they’re overkill for most pictures. These things are worth a look - can bang them in with a hammer.

https://www.rawlplug.co.uk/rwl-categories/tap-it-driven-fixings-for-plasterboard/

1 Like

Thanks for the recommendation- how do you get the initial bracket into the wall?

I’ve used these things in the past- would you recommend them?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Metal-Driva-Plasterboard-Fixings-Screws/dp/B009F154QU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1546615010&sr=8-3&keywords=plasterboard+wall+fixings

Also tempted by something like this but don’t want to have to rip great chunks out of the wall upon removal when we move out https://www.amazon.co.uk/Expandette-plasterboard-stud-wall-fixings/dp/B00RY2PQA6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1546615010&sr=8-7&keywords=plasterboard+wall+fixings

Oh, and it would only be some small shelves and pictures. No more than 5-8kg I wouldn’t have thought

ae0d4494a16eb5e9b1bc1354773ec7885bc12ee1

11 Likes

:joy:

Just bang them in with a hammer. Then as you turn in the screw it opens on the other side of the plasterboard in a similar way to the wall anchors. Sorry - finding it hard to explain. There are some videos on YouTube which explain it. They work really well for hanging pictures.

Tried those metal driva things once and they didn’t work that well for me. Maybe I didn’t do it right but just found they made the plaster crumble loads before I could get any real purchase on them.

Not tried those other things, but the hollow wall anchors are great for heavy stuff, especially with the setting tool. Put up a fairly big shelf with them and it’s rock solid.

1 Like

Thank you!