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Posts Tagged ‘check<’
Posted in Electrical Work on Mar 06
Thankfully as winter starts to move on, now is a good time to check that your outside lights are in good working order. Some of the work is easy and safe enough to do yourself. Changing a bulb is a good example, as is cleaning the glass in the light fitting. If the light is not working though, you would be better off using a qualified electrician to solve the problem. Wiring and switching is too dangerous for an unqualified person to work on. Rather check with Mr Skill, find a qualified electrician, and ask them for an electrical quote.
- Make sure that the light switch is in the “off” position. Better still; isolate the light circuit on your electrical board.
- Have a stepladder handy should you need to reach up to the light fitting.
- You may have to remove a piece of glass to access the bulb.
- Wipe the interior of the light fitting with a clean rag.
- Now, remove the old bulb. Be careful, it might be hot.
- Replace the bulb with a correctly-rated new one.
- London electricians always recommend using energy-efficient bulbs. They may cost more, but they will last much longer and therefore require less maintenance.
- Refit the glass panel, having cleaned the surface first.
- Test the new bulb once you have installed it, by flicking the light switch to “on” after you re-set the distribution board.
- Never replace a bulb with a wattage-rating higher than the fitting manufacturers recommended maximum.
If, after having been through the above steps the bulb still does not light up when you switch it on, find an electrician by clicking on Mr Skill.
It’s all about horses for courses and being smart. You wouldn’t consider using a plumber to fix your own car, so be wary of trying to fix your own electrical problems!
Tags: bulb, check, circuit, cloth, cost, efficient, electrical board, electrical quote, energy, find an electrician, fitting, glass, ladder, light, london electricians, maintenance, off, on, rag, rate, screw, switch, test, wipe, wiring
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Posted in Handyman Services on Feb 20
It’s surprising how many enquiries we receive about attaching things to walls. While this is the perfect job for a Handyman, it’s quite simple to do yourself. That’s provided you have the right equipment and safety gear. Should you decide to have a go, then these are the seven main things to watch out for.
Safety Tip
 A London Handyman will always have a strong ladder, an assistant and a modern electric drill to help him do his work. If you don’t have the same, please don’t even try to do the job.
- Always use a sharp masonry drill bit that’s slightly undersized for the wall plug you’re installing. You can always make it larger afterwards, but you cannot make it smaller.
- Before you drill, consider what might lurk inside the wall. Never drill directly opposite an electric box, or in line with a water pipe. Remember to check outside the house too.
- Re-check your measurements carefully before you drill. If the item you are fitting has more than one attaching point, fit a single one initially. Then you can level it and mark the other points.
- Make sure the drill is at right angles to the wall before you press the switch. Are you wearing safety goggles? Drill bits occasionally do snap.
 Have a friend hold a vacuum cleaner extension pipe in position to suck the dust up before it covers everything.
- Drill through the plaster on the standard setting before you switch to impact. Never force an electric tool. Use it in ten second bursts and do not let it overheat.
- When you are finished, lay the drill down somewhere safe, and unplug it from the wall.
Do you think that you could do the job yourself and avoid the cost of Handyman Quotes? Many people do.
Many others prefer to Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill instead, and get on with other more important things in their lives.
Tags: accessory, assistant, attach, bit, brick, careful, check, drill, dust, electric, equipment, find a handyman, glasses, goggle, handyman quotes, impact, ladder, level, london handyman, masonry, pipe, plaster, plug, right angle, safety, shelf, switch, television, vacuum, wall
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
I’ve recently sanded down an old wooden table I’m rather fond of and finished it off with a high lustre polyurethane seal. I wish I could claim all the credit for the final effect – just don’t tell anybody I used ideas I gleaned from a retired London Painter living in the village not far from me.
• Work in the best light – That does not mean under blazing overhead light that shines back in your eyes.  What is does mean is natural illumination streaming softly through doors and windows at a low angle. This emphasises the grain that you must accommodate, and turns imperfections into shadows that you can easily see. If you don’t have natural light available, set a desk lamp at one end of the bench.
• Choose the right sandpaper – Sandpaper comes in different colours, although there are no industry rules. Some suppliers use colour to highlight different grit size. Others use it to indicate different types. Choose three strengths of paper designed for the job in hand, so you can work progressively from coarse to fine.
• Use sanding tools – The chances of achieving a level finish using bare hands are low, because fingers are creative things, not mechanised machines. Use a sanding block for a smaller piece of work,  and a power sander for a larger job. Bear in mind that power tools are more productive. Use finer grit paper to counteract the effect.
• Use a jig – Wrap sandpaper around a reverse shape to sand right into a tricky corner, and move your work gently up and down against it. Work carefully – the results can be quite dramatic.
• Check progress as you go along – Put a used nylon stocking over your hand and run it gently across the surface of your work to find rough spots. If you’re a guy though, perhaps you shouldn’t admit to wearing pantyhose in the workshop?
You won’t need to Find a Painter to do a hobbyist job like this. But you will need to get Painting Quotes on Mr-Skill for wooden doors and window frames. Trust me. I tried that. You don’t want to go down that road alone.
Tags: angle, bench, block, check, choose, coarse, colour, door, find a painter, fine, finish, grade, grain, grit, jig, lamp, level, light, london painter, natural, nylon, painting quote, paper, power, progress, reverse, rough, sand, sandpaper, seal, shadow, shine, size, smooth, soft, stocking, strength, table, tool, window, wood, work
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
Posted in Electrical Work on Oct 25
Although they may appear complex, electric stoves are actually very basic apparatuses concealed in fancy metal cabinetry. Suppliers build them to last a lifetime safely – if they give problems, the cause is almost inevitably a switch or element that has failed. A householder may legally replace components like these, provided the stove is wired via a safety breaker to the switchboard.
 If your stove does not have a breaker switch on the kitchen wall do not follow these instructions. Find an Electrician instead.
• Obtain the correct replacement switch from an authorised dealer. Do not be tempted to buy a pirate part.
• Turn off the breaker switch and make sure that the stove is isolated. Tape over the switch so that it cannot be inadvertently turned on again.
• Electric switches on modern stoves are mounted on a panel below the cooking surface. Lever off the control knob and remove this panel which is held in place with screws.
• Remove the screws attaching the offending switch to the panel on the inside, and draw it away. Make a drawing of how the different coloured wires are connected.
•  Transfer these wires one by one from the old switch to the new one. Electricians in London like to call this monkey see – monkey do. When done, compare the result with the drawing to make double sure.
• Attach the new switch inside the control panel. Replace the panel after making sure that everything behind it is perfectly connected, and that no wire is in contact with the metal casing. Refit the control knob.
• Make sure all the stove switches are turned off. Turn on the breaker switch on the kitchen wall. Test all the other stove circuits first, and then the switch that you replaced. Everything should be perfect. If not, then there is another problem. You urgently need to get a Professional Electrical Quote.
If at any time you notice anything untoward inside your stove, stop immediately and Find an Electrician on Mr-Skill. Do not take chances with electricity! Electricity has the power to kill.
Tags: attach, breaker, check, colour, cooker, drawing, electric, electrical quote, element, find an electrician, isolate, kitchen, knob, london electricians, panel, pirate, problem, remove, replacement, safe, screw, stove, switch, test, wall, wire
Posted in Electrical Work | Comments Off
There is nothing quite as lovely as a water feature tinkling in the background on a gorgeous summer’s day. Before you even think of asking Mr-Skill for Landscaper Quotes, you first need to decide on the design and the location.
•  Choose on the position of your water feature first, because there’s no point in rushing off and buying one unless you know where it is going. Will it be a detail on the patio, or something more generous in centre of the garden? Take advice from a registered electrician before you finally decide. That’s because the cost of running cabling can be higher than you think, and cost is distance-driven.
Your next step is to choose the water feature that best suits your needs. There is a huge range of pre-fabricated ones available, although some gardeners still prefer to Find a Landscaper to build one especially for them.
• You could recess a water feature in the middle of the lawn and install a water jet in the centre of it. Installation costs will be higher and the disruption disappointing. In the end though, you will have a delightful feature for many years to come.
•  Perhaps you prefer something more compact and self-contained. There are any number of designs that have water flowing between stacked containers. Just remember that these are never more than adjuncts to other space, as opposed to being centre pieces.
• Your third alternative is something even smaller and more ornate. London Landscaping Firms often favour these because they have a tiny footprint and if used indoors you merely plug them in. Another advantage is that they are highly portable and make perfect gifts.
We take electrical safety seriously at Mr-Skill, and that’s why we insist that you request an electrician to check electrical safety for you, and to wire-up all outside water features too. Remember water, electricity and your body can be a harmful combination – act safely, please don’t get hurt.
Tags: cabling, check, compact, container, cost, decide, design, detail, distance, electrician, estimate, feature, find a landscaper, Garden, generous, gift, landscaper quotes, lawn, location, london landscaping, need, patio, plug, position, pre-fabricate, recess, safety, self-contained, space, summer, tinkling, water
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Roofers lay tiles loosely over each other in an overlapping pattern, and hold them in place with edging fascias, and special tiles cemented in place along the ridges. If these ridges fail, then there is a possibility of a strong wind lifting sheets of roof tiles with disastrous results. This fairly common problem usually begins as roofs settle after the first few years, and  the rendering beneath the ridges separates.
This is not a job for an amateur with a bad head for heights. In fact, we strongly recommend that you Find a Roofer to do the following work for you instead.
• Identify which ridge tiles have worked loose. This could be just one, a few, or the entire ridge, and the solution varies accordingly. If you can remove the loose tiles without disturbing the adjacent ones then this could save you time and money, although it is unwise to take chances and end up with a patch job.
• Obtain a supply of replacement ridge tiles. Remove offending ridges, set them aside and carefully chisel the loose rendering off the roof tiles beneath. You can leave a small residue of old rendering behind, provided that this is firmly attached.
• Soak the replacement ridge tiles and the supporting roof tiles with clean water until they have taken up a slightly darker hue. This ensures that they do not suck the moisture out of the new rendering, and weaken it.
•  Loose fit a new ridge tile, make a chalk mark on either side of it, and set it aside again. Lay two generous lines of suitable tinted rendering within the chalk lines. Press the ridge tile gently into place and remove any surplus rendering with trowel and damp cloth. Repeat the process as necessary along the entire ridge, remembering to close in the ends of the last ridge tiles if you replaced these too.
• A competent London Roofer will always check carefully that there are no cracks or holes showing anywhere on the ridge. This is because a strong gust of wind can blow rainwater through a tiny hole into the roof space below with surprising force, and form damaging pools on ceilings.
Should you decide to get a Roofing Quote on Mr-Skill, then we would be delighted to put you in touch with several rated tradesmen working in your area. We know you will be satisfied with the price and quality of the bids that you receive, and we wish you well with your roofing project too.
Tags: chalk, check, chisel, competent, crack, disturb, fascia, find a roofer, gust, hole, lift, london roofer, loose, loose fit, mark, moisture, overlap, press, rain, remove, rendering, repeat, replacement, roof, roofing quote, separate, settle, soak, tile, water, wind
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the dining room opening directly into the garden on a balmy summer’s day? What a good idea except you only have a window, and climbing in and out through it is hardly everybody’s idea of fun. Well then, why not convert the window to a set of french doors instead? After all, Door Fitters in London do this sort of thing every day.
o Call in a supplier to measure up, quote and make up a new set of doors for you, and do nothing else yourself, until these arrive and have been checked for size. They should be exactly the same width as the existing window, unless that  is you are looking for a whole lot more work to do.
o Empty the room completely. Remove one opening window pane so you can climb in and out through the opening. Secure the inter-leading door and mask around it. Also mask around the doors of any cupboards and protect anything else appropriate from dust.
o Remove the window and its frame completely, being extra careful not to disturb any plaster. If you notice any cracks in the wall above the opening immediately prop it, and seek expert advice. Changing windows into doors is a job only for the brave. That’s why so many British homeowners get Door Fitting Quotes on Mr-Skill instead.
o Mark perpendicular lines from the left and right bottom sides of the existing opening down to floor level, on both sides of the wall. Check and double-check these carefully. Cut through these lines with an angle grinder, working alternatively from the inside and the outside, until you can see light shine right through. Do your best to cut square with the wall, because this will make the rest of your task far easier.
o Break out the wall using a large hammer. The masonry will be resting on the damp course and may even come out in a single piece, so take care it does not fall on precious children, tools and dogs.  Remove the rubble. Tidy up the opening. Clean up the room. The dirty work is done.
o Remove the french doors from the window frame (if pre-fitted) and offer the frame up to the opening. It should be a close fit, but not a tight one. Wedge it in position and check that it is vertical, plumb, level and square. Use more wedges to adjust it until everything is perfect. Get this wrong, and the doors won’t close properly.
o Attach the frame permanently to the wall with plugs and screws. Remember to drive them in the last few turns by hand, in case they need to come out later to make a change. Then hang your doors, making tiny adjustments as you go along until everything is perfect. Install the locks and handles. Your home is secure again, and you didn’t need to Find a Door Fitter either (although you could have on Mr-Skill). You can even open up the inter-leading door again to receive a well-deserved cup of tea.
All that’s left to do is to tidy up the inside rendering, touch up with paint and seal around the frame outside with silicone. It’s nice when a job like this comes together relatively easily. Won’t the neighbours be surprised…
Tags: angle grinder, attach, brick, check, child, clean, crack, cupboard, cut, dirty, dog, door fitters in london, door fitting quote, dust, empty, exact, find a door fitter, frame, french door, Garden, hammer, handle, hang, horizontal, idea, level, line, lock, mask, masonry, measure, open, paint, pane, perpendicular, plaster, prop, quote, remove, render, room, rubble, screw, secure, side, silicone, size, square, summer, supplier, tool, true, vertical, window
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
Posted in Electrical Work on Aug 04
A dimmer switch has the effect of turning down the electricity in much the same way as turning down a tap reduces the flow of water (although that is just an analogy). It is a simple, cheap improvement that adds ambiance to any room. Just be aware that dimmers do not work on fluorescent tubes and some low energy bulbs, at least as yet.
o  Obtain a suitable dimmer switch that matches your current installation and is suitable for use in the UK. Turn off the power at the mains and double check that the power at the switch is dead by turning on the light switch. I learned this trick from a wizened old Electrician in London who liked to say if it’s wired to bypass the mains switch then it won’t be the first one that I have seen.
o Remove the cover plate over the existing light switch and withdraw the switch itself. Before removing any wires from it make a simple diagram noting how each colour wire is connected. This is to avoid needing an Electrician Quote in case you end up having to reinstall it and forgot which wire went where.
o Remove the wires from the existing switch and set it to one side. You might like to keep it in your bottom drawer because you never know when you might need it. Gently draw any slack wire out from the wall and check it carefully for any damage. If the wire ends are getting frayed give them the necessary attention.
o  Connect the wires to the replacement dimmer switch according to the instructions, making sure that it is correctly orientated so it will slide neatly into the recess, remembering to tighten the screws up nicely. Now take a five minute break for reasons I will disclose. Have a cuppa tea, exercise your dog, show your wife how much you love her – in fact do anything you like that takes five minutes or even more.
o Re-tighten the screws that hold the dimmer wires in place noting how the wires under them have settled. This is the single most likely reason why wires sometimes still come loose, and is a secret you might well like to pass on to a friend. Press the dimmer switch gently into position, screw it down and refit the cover plate to complete the job.
Now you can turn the main switch on again and test your job. Not working? Check the bulb. Still not working? You may not need to Find an Electrician yet. Remove the dimmer switch and have it tested. Now aren’t you glad you made a diagram of how the old switch was connected.
Tags: ambiance, bypass, cheap, check, colour, connect, correct, cover, diagram, dimmer, electrician in london, electrician quote, energy, find an electrician, fluorescent, inspect, installation, light, loose, main switch, mains, off, plate, power, recess, save, screw, settle, slack, slide, suit, switch, test, tight, uk, wire
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Carbon monoxide is a colourless, tasteless odourless gas that is the product of incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels. These fuels include gas, oil, coal and wood, but all are however safe when used correctly. According to the Health and Safety Executive, approximately twenty people die in Britain every year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by wrongly installed gas appliances, and flues that  have not been properly maintained and cleaned. If there ever was a reason to Find a Heating Engineer, then surely this is it.
These people all probably died from a sudden intake of the deadly gas that prevented their blood from carrying oxygen to their tissues, skin and other organs. The gas may however also kill almost imperceptibly over a longer period of slow leaks. These are the sensible precautions you could follow to avoid this happening to you and your family.
o Make sure that any work carried out in your home is done by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is competent to do the particular job. You can get Gas Fitting Quotes right here.
o Arrange for regular inspections by a Gas Safe registered firm as recommended by them.
o Ensure that any room containing a gas appliance is adequately ventilated, and that any chimneys, vents and flues do not become blocked. If you have one, get your chimney swept annually,
o  Never use any heating appliance that burns carbon-based fuel without a flue installed by a Gas Safe registered fitter. Paraffin and cabinet heaters are never completely safe and should not be used.
o Fossil-burning appliances outside the remit of Gas-Safe registered fitters should be regularly inspected by another person competent to do the work.
There could hardly be a London Plumber who does not also recommend the installation of audible carbon monoxide alarms in every room, although these are no substitute for proper maintenance. This is because in the event of sudden failure, carbon monoxide could kill you in your sleep. Sobering words today from Mr-Skill.
Tags: alarm, appliance, audible, carbon monoxide, check, chimney, clean, CO, coal, colour, competent, danger, die, find a heating engineer, fitter, flue, gas, gas fitting quote, gas safe, inspect, install, installation, kill, london plumber, maintain, odour, oil, poison, register, registered, safe, service, smell, sweep, swept, taste, vent, wood
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
In the good-old, bad-old days, as the older generation of London Roofers still likes to say, roofs were simple, easy going things with single pitches and only chimneys to seal around.  These days things are noticeably different – every hip, and every pitch and every valley represents a challenge for heavy rain, not to mention the mini-bali inset gables that are all the rage at present.
Waterproofing is intended to create a barrier to prevent rainwater from entering a roof and damaging the ceilings and furniture beneath. When it falls directly from above, the design of tiles and cappings is often sufficient to make sure it runs away. Problems arise though when the a gale is driving the water into every crevice, and this can get a lot worse after a cowboy roofer stomps all over your roof while cracking tiles.
It is a wise idea to Find a Roofer on Mr-Skill from time to time, and to ask them to check that everything is still in place, and that nothing needs repairing. This is especially valid in the case of tiled roofs, because tiles are heavy, timbers do settle, and cement under ridges does crack loose over time.
 If you are buying a house, and the one that you are considering has a flat roof, then my advice is to avoid regular Roofing Quotes and to buy something else with a simple pitched roof instead. This is because water inevitably collects on flat surfaces in pools, and will eventually find a way through. The only technique I know of avoiding this is to re-seal a flat roof long before the covering starts to deteriorate. In the greater order of things, flat roofs are cheaper to build, but cost more to maintain. Beware the buyer.
The most important thing of all is to be careful about who you allow to go up on your roof. Urban legend is full of stories of unscrupulous roofers who create work for themselves up where a homeowner never goes. This is where Mr-Skill comes in. Our reputation depends on the honesty and integrity of our roofers, and we intend to keep our good name intact by screening them carefully.
Tags: barrier, break, cap, capping, ceiling, check, chimney, covering, crack, crevice, direct, find a roofer, flat, gable, gale, gutter, hip, inspect, leak, london roofer, maintain, pitch, proof, quotes from roofers, rain, ridge, roof, roofer in London, roofer quotes london, roofers London, roofing quotes london, sag, seal, settle, storm, tile, valley, water, waterproof, wind
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
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