Comments for HouseWiz

Comment on RepairCare by Graeme

Graeme — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:06:39 +0000

Incompetent.

Stay away from Repaircare. I logged a fault on 21 February and on 4 April it is still not fixed. I have a problem with my Freezer temp. being too warm so thought a fixed price repair would be cheaper than buying a new appliance. How niave I am.

The engineer has visited three times and installed two parts which have not fixed the problem. I have been waiting two weeks for another part which was the final straw. The egineer has admitted that he does not know what the problem is and that he is guessing which part is at fault. This does not exactly fill me with confidence.

I have now asked for my money back but do not expect to get the full amount but feel that the T&C are in my favour. However I’m sure that this will not matter one bit when speaking with them. I should have just bought a new freezer from the start.

I will never use this lot again and hate the fact that I did not use someone local that knows what they are doing.

Comment on Covering a fireplace by Adam Field

Adam Field — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:04:54 +0000

I’m covering my fireplace with the batten and plasterboard method but the inside of my fireplace is slanted like this:

____________
/ \
/ \
___/ \________

How can I make my battens flush with the wall inside the chimney but also provide a flat surface to mount my plasterboard on.

I think a plane might do the trick but I’d appreciate a second opinion.

Thanks

Comment on RepairCare by Raymond

Raymond — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:09:07 +0000

I would like to share my recent experience in dealing with an inept RepairCare ‘qualified ‘ engineer, and RepairCare customer services in particular. I have a SMEG A2 cooker and for some reason the electrical part of it, i.e. the oven, clock, ignition, etc, stopped working.
I contacted RepairCare and during the first visit by the engineer, I was told that the clock is broken and the cooker needs a new clock unit, which he will order. He returned a week later and fitted the new clock. Low and behold, the cooker is still not working even with the new clock.
His second diagnosis was that there is a fault with the wiring loom and will therefore need to order a new wiring loom unit. A week later, I received a call from RepairCare informing me that my cooker is ‘un-repairable and dangerous to use’. I was told that the wiring in the cooker is ‘burnt out’. There were certainly no signs of ‘burning out’ when the back of the cooker was opened up for the very first time by the ‘qualified’ engineer since I had it from new.
I was puzzled, and being an electrical engineer myself, decides to have a look before calling out SMEG. As all engineers will agree, if an electrical appliance is not working, the first thing to check for is if there is a live feed to the appliance. I pulled the cooker out, had a look at the cable connection to the mains and straight away noticed the cable that came with the cooker was damaged. The neutral and earth cables were chewed through by some pesky rodents!!! No wonder the ‘qualified ‘ engineer could not find the fault; there is a live feed to the cooker [that will show on his multi-meter] but no neutral return from the cooker. Such fundamental error in concentrating on only the cooker and not checking on the cable supplied with the cooker. I had the cable repaired and the cooker now works like new. To think that my cooker was declared ‘un-repairable and dangerous’!!!!!!
I went back to RepairCare first to complain on the repair undertaken and also to as for my money back. They agree to refund all but £45 for callout. My point to them was that if the engineer did his job properly, I would have spared all the hassle of having multiple visits and at the end of day, the engineer mis-diagnosed the fault and still had not repaired my cooker. To date, RepairCare still maintain that my cooker is ‘un-repairable and dangerous’. I requested for the same engineer to re-inspect the cooker but they declined, they just feel fit to keep the call out charge. I have no qualms about paying the call out charge if indeed my cooker is un-repairable, but am now asking back for the call out charge out of principle. Corresponding with RepairCare over email can be quite frustrating, the numerous emails were all met with the polite reply ‘ our qualified engineer has inspected the cooker and find it un-repairable and dangerous ‘.

Comment on Covering a fireplace by joanne

joanne — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:18:54 +0000

Hi, I have a 1963 tiled ugly fireplace. I want to take out the whole surround, then cover up, paint and skirt, to add more space, plus I have carpet coming in a few weeks.
I have taken out the top/wall part of the surround, it was indeed attached by metal lugs and the whole thing was reinforced concrete and extremely heavy ! I am yet to try and do the bottom/hearth part this weekend. What I want to know is ; What do I re cover the brick chimney breast with once it’s all done, is it cement straight onto the bricks and then a layer of plaster or just plaster ???
Please help.

Comment on Avocado trees – wild, in the UK? by joe

joe — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:15:09 +0000

A friend of mine has a 30ft avacado tree in his yard in Newlyn, Cornwall, with a trunk diameter of about 12″. He reckons it is about 70 years old. The trunk is grey with coarse bark and the leaves are dark green, and waxy with a similar shape to hornbeam.

Comment on RepairCare by A Millar

A Millar — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:04:40 +0000

Never Use these People.
I wish I had read the reviews before booking them.
After the usual delays getting an “engineer” to come out., they say they cannot complete the repair because there are no available parts ! The appliance concerned is a Siemens oven ~ 6 years old andf the parts are widely available.
However under the terms and conditions they charge you £45. It could actually be a total scam. – Beware

Comment on Electric shock? by mick

mick — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:11:03 +0000

its equipotential bonding not electropotential

Comment on Connecting a new socket to the mains by Rich

Rich — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:24:08 +0000

Never twist wires together, it’s against BS7671 IEE Wiring Regulations. Double over the ends of the cables to give a bigger CSA in the terminal but NEVER twist! The same goes for the earth wires.. despite the fact that they are probably twisted together in the existing sockets, un-twist them.

And ALWAYS consult with an approved qualified electrician, there may be tests that are required. Part P has been in for some years now yet it still surprises me how many DIY buffs still illegally play with their electrics and probably make them dangerous.

Comment on Safe drinking water by James Norman

James Norman — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:53:40 +0000

Very useful info. have old style water supply – direct cold water to kitchen only. Intend updating. but presumably must still feed hot water supply via a tank.

Comment on Removing a fireplace by colin owens

colin owens — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:38:00 +0000

when taking the fireplace down as indicated what precautions have to be taken for the stack above the roof