Why did my expanding foam not cure, or bow the frame?
Four failure modes with four different causes — an uncured sticky core, a bowed frame, crumbling in daylight, and foam that expanded far more than expected.
intermediate25 min5 min read
Household Problems
Damp, draughts, smells, noise and the other slow annoyances.
284 guides in Home & DIY
Why does an old solid wall need to breathe?
The difference between a moisture-open and a moisture-closed building, why cement and plastic paint cause damp in a pre-1919 house, and how to tell which sort you have.
intermediate30 min4 min readWhy does my security camera keep alerting on nothing?
Spiders, infrared, headlights, heat and rain — the five causes of nuisance alerts, and the settings that remove each without switching detection off.
beginner40 min4 min readWhy does my soil pipe gurgle when the toilet flushes?
Gurgling is a drainage system trying to breathe. Where the air is being pulled from tells you whether you have a venting problem or a developing blockage.
beginner25 min4 min readWhy does the whole house go off instead of just one circuit?
The three reasons a fault takes the whole house down rather than one circuit, how to tell a board problem from a supply problem, and the safe order for restoring power.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy has my new pointing crumbled or fallen out?
Seven reasons fresh pointing fails within a year or two, how to tell them apart from the way it failed, and what has to be done differently on the second attempt.
intermediate25 min4 min readWhy has my wooden floor cupped or crowned?
Reading the shape of the boards to find where the moisture is coming from, and why sanding a cupped floor makes it permanently worse.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy is my new plaster still dark in patches?
Fresh plaster dries from pink-brown to uniform pale, and the last patches to change are telling you something specific about depth, background or a wall that is still wet.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy is there damp under my window sill?
The drip groove that stops water running back under a sill, the three other ways a sill leaks, and the repairs in order of cost.
beginner1 hr5 min readWhy does my radiator tick and creak when the heating comes on?
Ticking, creaking and popping as a system heats is nearly always thermal expansion finding something to rub against. Where it comes from, and the small changes that quieten it.
beginner20 min4 min readCan I drink softened water?
What ion exchange actually adds to the water, who should avoid it, and why every softener installation keeps one tap on the hard supply.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I get rid of large items and household waste?
The options for disposing of furniture, appliances, DIY waste and hazardous items — and the legal duty most people don't know about.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I protect a floor from furniture marks?
The right pad for each floor type, why castors do more damage than legs, and preventing dents before they happen.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I stop a rug slipping on a hard floor?
The underlay types that work, why rug tape usually fails, and how to deal with curling corners.
beginner20 min4 min readShould I paint damp seal over a damp wall inside?
What damp-sealing paints and stain blockers actually do, the one job they are genuinely good at, and why using them on a wet wall makes the next repair bigger.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat are the white crystals on my damp wall?
Telling harmless efflorescence from hygroscopic salt contamination, why a salted wall gets damper in muggy weather, and what each one actually needs.
beginner30 min3 min readWhat is a cavity closer, and why do window reveals go damp?
The cavity has to be closed where a window or door interrupts it, and how it is closed decides whether the reveal is a cold bridge. Why black mould at the edge of a window is usually a construction detail rather than a lifestyle problem.
intermediate8 min4 min readWhat is a ring final circuit and how is it different from a radial?
How UK socket circuits are actually arranged, why the ring exists, how many sockets each type supports, and why a broken ring is dangerous without being visible.
beginner12 min4 min readWhat should I do if my tap water looks wrong after a burst main?
Water that runs brown, cloudy or milky after mains work is usually disturbed sediment or air, and it clears. Knowing which colours are harmless and which mean stop is the useful part.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy do my lights dim when the kettle goes on?
Why a starting load pulls the voltage down, what level of dip is normal, and the specific pattern that means the supply itself needs urgent attention.
beginner15 min5 min readWhy does my outside drain smell?
The four things that let sewer air out — a dry or damaged gully trap, a blockage, a broken pipe and a missing vent — and how to tell which you have.
beginner1 hr6 min readWhy will my filler not sand smooth?
Five distinct causes with five distinct symptoms — too soft, too hard, clogging, crumbling, or a repair that dishes as fast as you sand it.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy will my window only open a few inches?
Telling a deliberate restrictor from a stuck stay or a jammed egress hinge, and how to release each safely without breaking a safety device.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy has my vinyl floor gone yellow or brown under a rubber mat?
A sharply defined stain in the exact shape of a mat, a castor cup or an appliance foot is a chemical reaction between rubber and vinyl, and it is permanent.
beginner20 min2 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.