Home DIY

if you could undo by hand they will do up again by hand, although you could employ a chain whip or wetted folded tea towel. however they will seal with hand pressure; disassemble and ensure the black rubber seals aren't damaged and are correctly seated, and that if it has a sliding mating surface (like a trombone), that this is inserted enouigh and clear from grit

#allgreek

Thanks guys, much appreciated info. I'll have another crack later in the week when I have two working thumbs again!

This is a bit of a long shot, but I would have a look at the labels on the terminals that the conductors are screwed into, the positioning of them looks peculiar, though as all sockets differ it could be absolutely fine.

You think they're in the wrong place? They've been working fine since the flats were built. What should I look for?

I wouldn't go as far as to say that they are in the wrong place, just that they look odd. If they have been working perfectly then probably all is well, but I think that it is probably worth a check.

Basically you should see labels that are "L" for Live on the brown, "N" for Neutral on the blue and then an "earth" sign on the protective conductor, which is the one with the yellow and green sleeving. It looks like there are some spares on the back and that is absolutely fine. I would be most interested in what the terminal that the green and yellow conductor is attached to is labelled.

brown should be in 'L', blue should be in 'N', earth should be in ╧ or 'E'

I'd appreciate some advice, if anyone's got any. I've just noticed a patch of damp in a bedroom wall, at about knee / waist height. I'm pretty sure it's being caused by the join between the pipe from the sink etc in the kitchen and the stack pipe, as indicated by the red arrow in this photo:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/91964179@N06/16214429945/sizes/l

What's the best way to go about fixing it? We're on the second floor so it'll need a large ladder.

Here's the damp (not easy to get in shot)

awwkward access there - never a window where you need one!
It could hopefully just be blocked / slow / fatty - have you noticed any draining problems/ slowness in the sink?

No particular slowness. Blockage is what I'm hoping it is. We were away over Christmas for c. 2-3 weeks, patch only appeared after we got back - possibly it got blocked while it didn't have water flowing through it regularly?

I do maintenance for some landlords and although I hate the stuff they would regularly chuck caustic soda / acid / similar nasties down the kitchen sinks to prevent this exact issue. if the washing machine and sink are on that drain and there isn't a lot of 'slope' then its often sitting water that seeps out.
Be careful if you have iron pipes somewhere and the chemical create poison gas clouds and the local sainsburys has to be evacuated.

Plumbers say you should never put caustic soda down sinks. It can crystallise and make a right nuisance of itself.

Properly bad advice you're giving there^

sorry I should have been clearer - unblock the drain, do not use nasty chemicals.

^^ That depends on temperature and solution concentration.

And assumes that it doesn't react with whatever is down there to produce a base / water / gas.

...I also realise that the disdain and contempt I have for these landlords is not obvious. In that context, please do not do what they do.

get that mr muscle unblocker stuff its great

Ok helpful stuff, thanks guys. I'll try some sensitive unblocking before attacking it from a ladder.

I have a 16Kg mirrored cabinet to fit on the wall of my bathroom. Plaster on brick wall. There are four screw holes for attachment.

Can anyone recommend what fixings I should use? I have a feeling that rawl plugs might not hack it. Or maybe they will?

Something like this is overkill but will work very well:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/sleeve-anchor-10-x-75mm-m8-max-fixture-39-pack-of-10/16027

Thanks. I forgot also that the cabinet will inevitably filled with crap (it's a meter tall), so I'd rather over-spec than have the whole thing fall off the wall.

I need some help sealing a sink waste trap. It's an Ikea Atlant fitted onto a Boholmen sink.

The sink has a flat underside and the trap has a big rubber washer that fits up between it and the sink to make the seal. However, there's no threaded collar to screw up underneath to hold this seal tight, the only tension comes from a single screw through the centre of the drainer that pulls the waste tight up under the sink and (theoretically) sealing it by compressing the washer.

No matter how I angle the waste I still get a leak past the washer. Is there a trick I'm missing? Is there something that I can apply to the washer to make it a better seal?

If in doubt, big gobbets of plumber's putty.

If in doubt, big gobbets of plumber's putty.

Aha! Thanks. Is it ok to use it in addition to the rubber washer i.e., roll a long thin bead out and lay it on top of the washer before fitting?

I have the same. The trap has telescopic bits that make it work with almost any plug hole configuration. When fitting mine it took me a while to realise that the telescopic bits would allow me to adjust the height and length of the wastes. Does that make sense?

If you adjust these to get a good alignment then you should be able to make a decent seal.

I was literally going to post what would be good to use for the exact same overflow as the rubber has perished.

So plumbers putty?

If you adjust these to get a good alignment then you should be able to make a decent seal.

Yeah, I've tried different alignments, but the weight of the main part of the trap (and other hoses attached) seem to pull it down so that it leaks where the seal is lowest i.e., it's pulled away from the underside of the sink.