Why does the fuse in my plug keep blowing?
What a plug fuse is actually protecting, the four reasons it blows repeatedly, and why the answer is never a bigger fuse.
beginner15 min5 min read
Repairs
Fixing the things that break — taps, handles, holes, hinges.
553 guides in Home & DIY
Why does water collect in the bottom of my window frame?
The drain slots almost nobody knows about, how to find and clear them, and why this looks exactly like a failed seal but is not.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does water come in under my front door?
The five reasons water gets past an external threshold, how to tell which one you have, and what actually stops it.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readWhy has my basin come loose from the wall, and how do I fix it properly?
Why tightening the bolts is almost always the wrong response, what to put behind each wall type, and refixing the basin so it carries the load properly.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readWhy has my hinge pulled out of the chipboard, and how do I repair it properly?
Why a bigger screw makes a chipboard hole worse, the glued hardwood dowel repair that actually holds, and the free alternative of moving the plate to fresh holes.
beginner45 min5 min readWhy has my push-button toilet flush stopped working?
The four-part chain between a push button and a flush valve, tested in order — button, rod or cable, valve head, and the valve itself.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy is my plywood delaminating?
Delamination means the glue between the veneers has failed, and the usual reason is that the board's bond class was never suitable for where it was used.
beginner30 min2 min readWhy is my radiator cold after putting it back on the wall?
Four things stop a radiator heating after decorating, and they happen in a predictable order. Working through them takes ten minutes and needs no tools beyond a bleed key.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy is my waste disposal unit jammed or just humming?
A hum means power is reaching a jammed motor; silence means no power is reaching it at all. Two different faults, two different fixes, and the same isolation before either.
beginner30 min7 min readWhy is water getting under the rim of my kitchen sink?
Whether the sink has lifted, the bead has failed or the tap is the source, and how to reseal a sink rim so it lasts.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readWhy will my bath shower mixer not switch to the shower?
What a diverter actually does, why limescale and worn O-rings stop it, and how to service or replace one without touching the tap body.
beginner40 min3 min readWhy will my sliding patio door not lock?
Separating a sash that has dropped from hook bolts that have moved and keeps that have loosened — and why a sliding door's lock is far more sensitive to height than a hinged door's.
beginner40 min3 min readCan I take up a click floor and lay it again?
How much of a click floor survives being lifted, the order and direction that keeps the profiles intact, and when it is cheaper to buy new than to save the old.
intermediate4 hr4 min readHow do I fix a fence panel?
How to replace a broken fence panel or repair a leaning post, and how to work out which is actually the problem.
intermediate2 hr3 min readHow do I stop floorboards creaking?
Finding what is actually creaking and fixing it from above or below, without hitting pipes or cables.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min readWhy does my ceramic hob switch itself off?
Nearly always one of four protections doing its job — a wet control panel, a timer, an overheat cut-out or a maximum-run limit — rather than a fault.
beginner15 min3 min readWhy will the second French door not open?
The order of operations everyone gets wrong, the seized shootbolt lever, and the seasonal case where the leaf is simply pinched by a bowed master.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I adjust the keeps on a uPVC door?
Setting compression at the keeps so the door seals without straining the gearbox, and why this must come after the hinges rather than before.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I clear a blocked downpipe?
Clearing a downpipe or gully that has blocked, and how to tell where the blockage actually is.
intermediate1 hr2 min readHow do I fill in old downlight holes in a ceiling?
Filling a 60 to 90mm circular hole so it does not show as a ring under the paint — the backing method that works, why filler alone always fails, and what has to happen to the cable first.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fit a bathroom cabinet or mirror to a tiled wall?
Working out what is behind the tile, choosing a fixing that carries a loaded cabinet, and drilling tile at the right height without cracking it.
intermediate1 hr 15 min4 min readHow do I fit a floating shelf so it does not droop at the front?
Why the hidden rod arrangement is so unforgiving, drilling the board holes dead straight, and the honest load limit of a concealed shelf.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fit a mortice lock into a timber door?
Marking, drilling and chopping the slot accurately, drilling the through-holes without breaking out the far face, and cutting the forend and keep recesses so everything finishes flush.
advanced2 hr5 min readHow do I fix a screw that has stripped its hole in chipboard furniture?
Why chipboard strips so readily, the four repairs ranked by how well they hold, and the ones that look sensible and do not work.
beginner40 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.