Where is a boiler condensate pipe allowed to discharge?
The order of preference for terminating a condensate pipe, why internal is always better, and the terminations that are wrong even though they are common.
intermediate12 min4 min read
Maintenance
The jobs that stop problems happening in the first place.
353 guides in Home & DIY
Which filler survives outdoors?
Rain, frost and daily movement destroy interior filler within a season — which products survive, and the preparation that decides whether any of them last.
beginner25 min4 min readAre smart water leak detectors and automatic shut-off valves worth it?
Two quite different products sold under similar names — a puck that beeps and a valve that closes the main. What each actually prevents, and the households where they earn their cost.
beginner15 min5 min readCan I lay paving slabs straight onto sand?
Where a sand bed is legitimate, where it guarantees rocking slabs, and what actually distinguishes a sand-laid path from a mortar-bedded patio.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I fit a channel drain across a drive or a patio?
Choosing the right load class, setting the channel below the finished surface with a fall to the outlet, and haunching it so it does not lift or crack.
advanced8 hr6 min readWhat goes under artificial grass, and why does mine hold water?
The layer build-up artificial grass actually needs, why a laying course of stone dust and a permeable base matter more than the grass itself, and diagnosing a lawn that ponds.
intermediate8 hr6 min readWhat height and spacing does a deck balustrade need?
What a barrier on a raised deck is actually for, why the post fixing carries everything, and the gap and height principles behind the regulations.
intermediate25 min4 min readHow do I build a bin store?
Sizing it around the actual bins, the lid and access details that make it usable, and keeping rats, foxes and smell under control.
beginner5 hr3 min readHow do I put a shed on a sloping garden?
Cut-and-fill versus a stilted base, why filled ground is the one you must not build on, and getting a level platform on a slope that stays level.
intermediate8 hr5 min readHow do I re-putty a timber window?
Raking out failed putty without cracking the glass, priming the rebate, and getting a straight fillet by hand.
intermediate3 hr4 min readHow do I use candles and open fires safely in winter?
Candles and open fires cause a disproportionate share of UK winter house fires, and almost all of it comes down to what is near them and whether anyone is in the room.
beginner20 min6 min readIs laminated glass or security film worth fitting?
What each one actually does to a pane, where the difference matters, and the two or three windows in a typical house where it is worth the money.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readShould I cap an unused chimney, and how do I stop it going damp?
Why a disused flue must be ventilated at both ends rather than sealed, the difference between a solid cap and a vented cowl, and what to leave for whoever owns the house next.
intermediate45 min4 min readShould I seal the top and bottom edges of a door?
Why a door that sticks every winter is usually a door with bare edges, which edges are almost always missed, and what to use on each.
beginner45 min4 min readWhat is a parapet wall, and why do they leak so often?
A wall that continues above the roof line is wet on both faces and at the top, with nothing above it. Why that makes parapets and their copings the most exposed masonry on a building, and what actually fails.
intermediate9 min4 min readWhy does my flat roof hold water, and does it matter?
Why standing water on a flat roof is a symptom rather than the fault, the falls a flat roof should have, and how to tell a covering that needs patching from one that needs replacing.
intermediate30 min4 min readFelt, EPDM or corrugated sheets — what should I put on a shed roof?
What each shed roof covering actually costs you in life, labour and pitch, and the two questions — roof pitch and deck condition — that decide most of it.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I service an up-and-over garage door?
The half-hour of cleaning, lubricating and checking that keeps an up-and-over door light, quiet and lasting — and the balance test that tells you when to call someone.
beginner1 hr5 min readCan I move a light switch myself?
Why moving a switch is a different job from replacing one, the alternatives that avoid opening a wall, and what to ask an electrician for.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I build steps down from a deck?
Working out equal risers from the total drop, cutting or buying stringers, and founding and fixing the flight so it cannot move.
intermediate5 hr6 min readHow do I find out where my drains run?
Working out a drain layout from the covers, the fittings on the walls and the water company's map, before you dig, build or lay anything over it.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fit guttering to a shed?
Why an ungutted shed rots at the bottom of its walls, and fitting a small gutter with the fall, the brackets and the outlet in the right places.
beginner2 hr5 min readHow do I make a garden gate close by itself?
Spring closers, hydraulic closers and rising butt hinges compared, and the setting-up that stops a self-closer slamming or stalling short of the latch.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I stop draughts, water and leaves coming under a garage door?
Why the gap exists, the seal types that suit an uneven floor, and dealing with water that is arriving because of the ground outside rather than the door.
beginner2 hr6 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.