Why is my drill losing power or smelling of burning?
Working out whether the problem is the battery, the supply, the bit, the vents or the motor — in the order that costs least to check.
beginner15 min4 min read
Home & DIY
Practical answers for repairs, cleaning, decorating and the household problems that turn up whether you planned for them or not. Written so you can start with what you already own.
2,154 guides
Why is my garage floor pitting and flaking?
Pitting and flaking are surface failures with different causes, and telling them apart decides whether a coating will hold or simply lift again with the surface underneath it.
intermediate1 hr2 min readWhy is my masonry paint peeling off the wall?
Masonry paint peels off render for one of three reasons, and only one of them is about the paint. How to tell which you have before spending a summer on it.
advanced2 hr5 min readWhy is my tap leaking from the base of the spout?
A leak where the spout meets the body is a different fault from a dripping spout — what the O-rings do, and how to replace them.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy is my washing machine not filling with water?
A machine that will not fill has a short list of causes and three of them are behind the machine rather than inside it — the tap, the hose and a gauze filter the size of a coin that almost nobody knows exists.
beginner35 min5 min readWhy is there a musty smell coming from under my floorboards?
A suspended timber floor is kept dry by air moving through the void beneath it. A musty smell means that air has stopped moving, and the fix is nearly always outside the house rather than inside.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readWhy will my screw not pull the two pieces of wood together?
A gap that will not close is almost always a thread gripping both pieces instead of one — the mechanism, the recovery, and the three less common causes.
beginner15 min3 min readCan I repair MDF that has swollen with damp?
Swollen MDF has broken internally and does not shrink back. Small edge damage can be disguised; a swollen panel is replaced, not repaired.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I check my home is electrically safe?
Visual checks and test-button routines any householder can safely do, and the warning signs that need an electrician.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I clean a bath properly?
How to remove the tidemark and soap scum from acrylic and enamel baths without scratching the surface.
beginner25 min2 min readHow do I clean a hob?
How to clean induction, ceramic and gas hobs without scratching them, and how to shift burnt-on residue.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I clean a toilet properly?
The order that gets a toilet genuinely clean, including the under-rim and the base that most cleaning misses.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I fix a dripping shower?
Stopping a shower that drips after it is switched off, including mixer cartridges and thermostatic valves.
intermediate1 hr2 min readHow do I fix a stair nosing that has come loose?
The nosing takes the most wear and the most impact of any part of a stair, so it works loose first. What it is made of decides how it is refixed.
intermediate45 min2 min readHow do I measure a room properly?
Measuring a room for paint, flooring, furniture or wallpaper, including the allowances people forget.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I stop pipes freezing?
Which pipes freeze and why, how to lag them, and what to do if one has already frozen.
beginner2 hr3 min readHow do I turn the water off at the outside stop tap?
Finding the chamber, using a stop tap key on a valve with no handle, and where responsibility for the pipe changes from the water company to you.
beginner20 min5 min readHow do I use a drill properly?
The basics of using a cordless drill — bit choice, speed, torque settings, hammer action and how to drill straight without wandering.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I use a ladder safely?
Positioning, the four-to-one rule, and the behaviours that cause almost every ladder accident.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat does a washing machine error code mean, and how do I look mine up?
There is no universal error code list, because every manufacturer uses its own — but codes group into six families by what the machine was trying to do, and that grouping is the same everywhere.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat does the AC rating on laminate mean, and which do I need?
AC is an abrasion class, tested to a European standard, and it is the only number on a laminate pack that reliably predicts how the surface will look in three years. What each class is for and what it does not tell you.
beginner12 min3 min readWhat extraction rate do I need for my kitchen?
The kitchen-volume calculation, the derating for real ducting that the box figure ignores, and how it relates to the Building Regulations minimum.
beginner20 min4 min readWhat should I do if I smell burning from a socket or appliance?
A burning smell from electrical equipment is one of the very few household smells that means act now. There is a short, ordered response and then it becomes an electrician's job, not yours.
beginner15 min6 min readWhat should I do when my boiler shows a fault code?
The homeowner checks that resolve common lockouts, and the clear line where it becomes an engineer's job.
beginner30 min3 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.
MaterialWorld is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.