When the Chairman of one of the major Associations in the electrical industry completed his Term of Office, as a token of appreciation for both his efforts and guidance to the Association during his year in Office, the members decided to present him with a useful gift. This would be a constant reminder to him … Read more
A prerequisite of success in virtually any do-it-yourself plumbing project is a sound understanding of the existing plumbing system of the house. The cold water distribution systems, hot water supply systems and above-ground drainage systems in common use in the United Kingdom are described and explained below. Cold water distribution A communication pipe connects the … Read more
FINDING A PLACE In this article I want to concentrate on what to look for when buying an older property in need of repair. It is only fair to warn you about the amount of work and hardship you are letting yourself in for! It is not all ‘roses round the cottage door’. Be certain … Read more
According to Government figures, about 10,000 families build their own homes every year. This is more houses than are built by Wimpey, and nearly as many as are put up by Barratts – and the number is growing. The building industry has its ups and downs, but for the last ten years the number of … Read more
How big should a central heating system be? Well obviously no bigger than it has to be. Over-sizing can result in waste of fuel and an unnecessarily costly installation. Under-sizing results in complaints of lack of temperature and too little hot water. Complaints of lack of performance are very difficult to answer, particularly if you … Read more
Clay is the most common brick material. Commonly used is ‘fletton’ clay and the manufacturing method is ‘wire-cut’. Strong and durable. Some clay bricks are still made by hand. Calcium silicate An alternative material (also called ‘sand lime’). Smoother and lighter in colour than clay. Concrete Moulded concrete bricks in a variety of colours and … Read more
In the average home, something like a third of the habitable space is in fact tucked away in the loft. So if your problem is one of space to meet the needs of a growing family, a survey of the loft space could be worthwhile. The money you can spend on moving these days would … Read more
LAMPS are held in holders designed either to be suspended on the end of flexible conductors or to be screwed to bho ceiling or a rigid fitting. A holder consists of a brass casing in two parts, held together by a screwed collar and an internal porcelain base. The base includes two projecting spring terminals, … Read more
THE gas-filled lamp has now largely superseded the vacuum lamp, as it emits a whiter light and is more efficient: that is, gives more light proportionately to the electrical energy used. The bulb, after being exhausted of air during manufacture, is filled to half atmospheric pressure with a gas called argon, which is unable to … Read more
IT is important to know which lamps are suppliel through any particular pair of fuses. If the information is not already given on the fuse-box, and the fuses are not even numbered, the following course is advised. First, make sure that there is a lamp in every holder in the house, or at least one … Read more
LIGHTING current is brought into a house by two conductors connected with the street mains . Immediately after entering, the conductors are connected to a pair of fuses controlled by the company. Beyond this they run (one has to traverse the companys meter on the way) to a double-pole main switch, the opening of which … Read more
LIGHTING going up and coming down stairs that cannot be distinctly seen. The lounge orliving-room has to be lit for two purposes – which we will call General and Intimate. General lighting is required when the whole room is in use, as when you are entertaining or at other times when a number of people … Read more
A Guide to the proper Lighting of each Room in a House YOU cannot create a successful scheme of decoration and then add the lamps as an afterthought. For the scheme is not complete without its lamps and their shades, and if they are added afterwards the chances are they may spoil your room or … Read more
CHOOSE electric light fittings according to the style of the room. There is a rich variety of colour and of shape. A light over the bed is a necessity. Where there are twin bedsteads there will need to be one over each, and in the case of a double bedstead one on each side. Some … Read more
An electricity supply to a detached garage, outdoor workshop or greenhouse requires a separate circuit of 20A or 30A current rating. The circuit can be from a fuseway in the existing consumer unit with a double-pole 30A switch fixed near the consumer unit. If there is no spare fuseway it is necessary to install a … Read more
Fuses the fuses of various current rating have different physical dimensions (except the 15A and 20A which are of identical size) which prevents, say, a 5A cartridge being replaced by one of higher current rating, on 03 bath There are two types of circuit fuses, rewirable fuses containing ordinary fuse wire, and cartridge fuses. The … Read more
Some appliances need to be wired direct into the domestic supply. These include items such as showers, immersion heaters and cookers. Instant showers A shower unit has an electrical loading of either 6kW or 7kW and therefore requires a circuit of 30A current rating, since the current demand is 25 or 29 amps respectively. The … Read more
It is a fairly simple job to convert a single 13A socket outlet to a double. Materials required: One 13A double socket outlet. One plastic two-gang surface mounting box. A short length of green/ yellow PVC sleeving. Surface to surface conversion Turn off the main switch. Release the existing single socket from its box and … Read more
The modern rocker-operated 5A lighting switch is a square plateswitch containing 1, 2, or 3 switches on the one plate and has two screw holes for fixing to the lugs of a one-gang plastic shallow surface box or a metal plaster-depth flush box. Each box contains an earth terminal to which is connected the sleeved … Read more
The modern ceiling rose has three terminal banks arranged in-line plus an earth terminal. One outer bank has three terminal screws, two for the neutral feed wires, the other for the blue flex wire. The other outer bank has two terminal screws, one for the circuit switch wire, the other for the brown flex wire. … Read more
Cables used for home wiring are mainly twin and earth PVC flat sheathed cables containing one red and one black PVC insulated conductor and one uninsulated earth conductor. The red conductor is used in the live pole of the circuit, the black in the neutral pole. (The black conductor is also used in the live … Read more
The mains electricity supply in a house or flat is in two parts. First the electricity board’s apparatus comprising the service fuse unit, the meter to register the electricity consumed, and, where night storage heating is installed, a time switch. This apparatus is sealed and must not be tampered with. You are responsible for any … Read more
All too often lighting is limited to a single dangling bulb and lampshade; yet it has an enormously important and all-pervading effect on your house. No matter how good your decorating is, if the light is bad a room will look uninteresting. Good lighting can transform a very ordinary setting. What is good lighting then? … Read more
Older wiring had red insulation for the live line, black for the neutral line and green for the earth wire. Newer wires conform to a European standard. If you have a 13 amp plug with a fuse, the live wire may connect under or alongside the fuse. The neutral terminal (marked N) is at the … Read more
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 1 Electricity can kill. Treat it with respect. 2 If unsure about the safety of any equipment, consult an electrician. 3 Remove plugs before examining equipment and switch off at the mains before working on fixed equipment. 4 Do not overload circuits by using too many adaptors. 5 Do not use wall switches … Read more
A casual glance at shop windows in the High Street will be sufficient to indicate the enormous range of electrical fittings on the market. If you know precisely what you want you may get fittings a little cheaper at chain stores such as Walmart, but you will not necessarily be able to get advice. So, … Read more
Full central heating involves heating the whole of the house to a required temperature and maintaining that temperature irrespective of how cold it is outside the house. Since the boiler or central heating unit and the distribution equipment must have sufficient capacity to meet extreme outdoor conditions, the running costs of full central heating are … Read more
Home lighting offers the creative homemaker much scope. Although intended primarily for illumination, lighting can be used to enhance the furnishing scheme and décor. It can transform a dull room into a bright and exciting room. By means of switching, lighting can be changed as mood or social circumstances demand; a lot of light for … Read more
Always be wary of electricity. Here are the 12 most important rules. 1 Turn off the main switch and remove circuit fuses before doing any work on an installation. 2 Do not undertake any electrical job unless you are confident of your capability. 3 Carefully follow manufacturers’ instructions when given. 4 Buy only good quality … Read more
Fuses When a circuit fuse blows, turn off the main switch, remove the fuse in the consumer unit and try to find out what made it blow. It could be over-loading. If it is a lighting circuit fuse, examine the flex of the light which blew the fuse when it was switched on. Also examine … Read more
A ring circuit is a multi-outlet power circuit which may supply an unlimited number of 13-amp plugs, socket outlets and fixed appliances but is limited to supplying an area not exceeding 1000 sq ft (100 sq. m). Where the floor area exceeds this, more than one ring circuit is necessary. It is wise to install … Read more
There are two principal methods of wiring lighting circuits in the home: the loop-in ceiling rose method and the joint box method, used mainly for surface wiring where there is no access for cables above the ceiling and for wall lights where looping in the absence of ceiling roses can be difficult. The loop-in method. … Read more
Electricity comes into the house from the street via a service cable. In the street the service cable is connected to one of the phases and the neutral of a four-wire distribution cable. The phases are coloured red, yellow and blue respectively. Some houses are supplied from the red phase; some from the yellow phase; … Read more
Accidents occur frequently during do-it-yourself or leisure activities, when attention is concentrated on the job, and sensible precautions often forgotten. Over-reaching to do just that little bit more, finding out it is too much, can cause home accidents. Painting and decorating Check that the ladder is in good order, that rungs are not weak or … Read more
When planning your home, quite apart from all the other aspects, you need to think about making it a safe place in which to live (particularly if there are young or elderly people in the house). Sharp tools, power tools, step ladders and scaffolding are all potentially lethal items if they are not handled with … Read more
The electric kettle is a very useful appliance and worth looking after, since you will only realize how much you rely on it when it breaks down. A regular check takes only a matter of minutes, while the length of time it takes to boil a pan of water on a cooker compared with the … Read more
Food mixers and blenders are two of the most labour-saving appliances available for the kitchen. There is a wide range of models and your choice will be determined — apart from appearance and price — by the number of jobs the appliance can perform using the variety of attachments available with each model. Some food … Read more
Refrigerators and freezers are designed to keep perishable foods for varying lengths of time by storing them under suitable conditions and at the right temperature. The appliances work by means of a liquid refrigerant flowing through tubes which vapourizes into a gas and absorbs the heat from its surroundings — the freezing unit and refrigerator; … Read more
There are two main types of electric fire: radiant heaters which give off reflected heat from the front of the fire and convector heaters which give off convected heat from the top of the casing, supplying background heat to an area. Some heaters combine the two types, with radiant elements for instant heat and a … Read more
There are many makes and models of hair dryer on the market from which to choose; while looks and price will influence your choice of dryer there are other factors you should consider when buying. For example, it is worth enquiring about servicing both in and out of guarantee, since you may not want to … Read more
There are two basic types of electric iron — dry and steam. Some repairs are simply a matter of maintenance involving no special tools, while others are complicated and best left to a qualified person. Bear in mind if you embark on a complicated repair and find you cannot put the pieces back together properly, … Read more
Along with the growing trend towards automatic washing machines away from twin tubs, there is an increased demand for tumble dryers. A tumble dryer is often purchased as a twin to an automatic washing machine; many manufacturers market the items as a matching pair and provide a stacking kit as an optional extra to enable … Read more
There are three basic types of domestic washing machine. The single tub is purely a washing machine, with possibly a wringer to extract excess moisture from the clothes; the twin tub is a combined washing machine and spin dryer; the automatic carries out washing and spinning in a single drum. Thee are two main types … Read more
The digital television set is now a standard fixture in many homes. Most areas are able to receive dozens of free channels through Free View. However, it is often necessary to fit a special arial on the roof to get the new digital services. Depending on the area in which you live, there is a … Read more
Fitting a bell, buzzer or door chime is a simple job, since many are sold in kit form specifically for DIY installation. All work off a low voltage supplied by dry batteries or a small safety transformer which is permanently connected to the mains and reduces your 240 volt household supply to 3, 5, 8 … Read more
Wall-mounted lights and spotlights offer wide scope for lighting arrangements since they can be installed in any room as the main lighting or to supplement existing lighting, which is usually supplied by a conventional ceiling rose. If you have individual lighting, such as a rise and fall pendant over the dining table, wall lights can … Read more
The bathroom can be one of the most dangerous places in the home if you don’t follow the rules for electrical safety. But it can also be one of the most comfortable with the introduction of electrical fittings. As long as you install them correctly they will not only work at maximum efficiency, but need … Read more
One great advantage of an immersion heater fitted to your hot water cylinder is that it can be used to supply as much or as little hot water around the home as you need at any particular time. It can also supplement other heating systems such as gas, oil or solid fuel. With care, you … Read more
A storage fan heater resembles in appearance a storage radiator, but it is generally larger and has an inlet and outlet grille. The fan heater is normally of a higher loading and contains a tangential fan. This draws in cold air which passes through ducting in the storage casing and over the storage blocks, where … Read more
Storage heaters are a relatively efficient method of supplying heat in the home; because heat is stored, you do not have to provide a continuous supply of energy. After the initial supply needed to provide the heat for storage, the electricity can be switched off and heat will still be emitted. There are various makes … Read more