Why does my extractor fan drip water?
Condensate forming inside the duct is the cause in almost every case — why it happens, and the insulation, fall and trap that stop it.
intermediate1 hr3 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 does my key turn but the door will not unlock?
Separating a spinning cylinder from a broken cam, a failed gearbox and a misaligned door — four faults with the same symptom and different costs.
beginner45 min4 min readWhy does my oven smell of burning?
Sorting a harmless new-oven curing smell from spilled food, from burning plastic, from an electrical smell that means stop using it — and the one smell that is not an oven fault at all.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy does my paint rub off as powder when I wipe the wall?
Chalking is a binder problem, not a dirt problem. The three routes to a binder-poor surface, and why painting over it makes the failure larger.
beginner1 hr4 min readWhy does my sink gurgle when the washing machine drains?
Gurgling is air being pulled through a trap. What that says about your waste pipework, and the difference between a partial blockage and a venting problem.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy does my smoke alarm go off when I cook?
A smoke alarm going off at toast is almost always the wrong type of alarm in the wrong place. The fix is a heat alarm in the kitchen and the smoke alarm moved further away — not a removed battery.
beginner45 min6 min readWhy does my touch-up patch show as a different sheen?
Three differences make a patch visible and none of them is colour — film thickness, texture and the sheen the wall has lost since it was painted.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy does my vacuum cleaner smell when I use it?
Four different smells with four different causes — hot, burning rubber, musty and doggy — and the one of them that means unplug it now rather than clean it.
beginner30 min6 min readWhy does my wall look like orange peel after rolling?
Heavy roller stipple comes from the wrong nap, too much paint, or rolling paint that has begun to set. All three are fixable, but the texture already on the wall has to be dealt with first.
beginner25 min2 min readWhy does my washing machine keep filling and emptying itself?
Self-siphoning through the waste hose — the symptom, the high loop that prevents it, and the machine faults that look similar.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy does the grout keep cracking in the corners of my shower?
Internal corners are movement joints, not grout joints — why grout always cracks there and what belongs in that joint instead.
beginner1 hr3 min readWhy is my boiler or gas fire flame yellow or orange instead of blue?
What flame colour actually tells you about combustion, the other warning signs that go with it, and the immediate actions when you see one.
beginner10 min4 min readWhy is my dehumidifier not collecting any water?
Six causes in order of likelihood, most of which are not faults at all — the room being colder or drier than the machine can work in accounts for the great majority of empty tanks.
beginner25 min6 min readWhy is my dishwasher not filling with water?
Water, valve, filter, float — four things in a short line, and three of them are owner-checkable in twenty minutes.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy is my downpipe leaking where the sections join?
Downpipe joints are meant to be loose push-fits, not sealed. A joint that leaks is usually blocked, misaligned or assembled the wrong way up.
beginner30 min2 min readWhy is my hot tap slower than my cold tap?
Why a difference between hot and cold is normal on some systems and a fault on others, and how to tell which you have.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy is my shed damp inside?
Telling a leak from condensation from ground moisture, and the ventilation and base changes that dry a shed out for good.
beginner1 hr3 min readWhy is my towel rail cold when the heating is on?
Why towel rails trap air more than any other radiator, checking the valves, and the difference between a plumbing fault and an electric element.
beginner40 min5 min readWhy is there a crack above my door or window?
Openings concentrate stress at their corners, so cracks appear there first — and the direction, width and pattern tell you whether it matters.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy will my basin pop-up plug not hold water?
How a pop-up waste linkage works, the adjustment that fixes most of them, and what to do when the seal itself has gone.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I change a door lock barrel?
Measuring a euro cylinder correctly, removing the old one, and choosing a replacement that is actually secure.
intermediate45 min3 min readHow do I choose the right wall fixing?
How to match a fixing to your wall type and load — plugs, hollow-wall anchors, toggles and what each will genuinely hold.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I clean a dishwasher that is not cleaning properly?
The filter, spray arms and salt levels that determine whether a dishwasher actually cleans, and the loading that undermines it.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I clean a sofa?
How to clean fabric and leather upholstery safely, starting with the cleaning code on the label that most people never check.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 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.