I use Dewalt tools virtually everyday at work, they have a vast range of battery powered tools on the market, and if like me , you may need to use several tools to complete one project, it is handy to have batteries which are interchangeable between the tools so you are not sat around waiting for a particular battery to recharge.

Dewalt  battery drills come with many useful features such as variable torque, variable speed, hammer action or SDS, drill only, hammer only (for chasing out) and key-less chucks. They are powered by batteries ranging from 12volts to 36volts.

Dewalt have developed new, more powerful and longer lasting batteries for their battery tool range, the new lithium ion XRP batteries will recharge twice as many times (around 2000 times) as existing batteries before there is any reduction in power and run time. The batteries I use are Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) and normally last around two years before I replace them, bearing in mind that I use my Dewalt battery tools constantly, the new battery range should last a long time, especially if the tools are used for DIY projects only.

If I had to recommend a battery drill, either as a gift or to purchase yourself for general DIY projects around the home, I would go for either a Dewalt 14.4volt (DCD935L2) or the 18volt model (DCD925B2) both come with hammer action, variable speed, torque control and are powered with a XRP Lithium ion battery.

A little bit of home maintenance before winter sets in can save a lot of unecessary repair costs so its worth spending a few hours checking over your home to see if anything requires attention.

Outside the home : -

1. Remove all debris and leaves from gutters, downspouts and grids.
2. Check paving and driveways for cracks and repair as necessary to avoid frost causing more damage.
3. Clean paving and driveways of leaves and moss to prevent slips and falls.
4. Check fencing panels and posts are in good condition and have been treated with a wood preserve.
5. Repair any loose or missing pointing and rendering on walls as this will allow water in the joints which may cause more damage should it freeze.
6. Any garden furniture should be cleaned and stored until the weather improves.
7. Give all padlocks and locks on sheds, etc, a spray of WD 40 or light oil to prevent them from seizing up.
8. Check all pipes have sufficient protection against cold weather to prevent them from freezing, use pipe insulation where necessary.
9. Check outside lighting is working correctly and clean if required.

Inside the home : -

1. Check all draught proofing around windows and doors is in good condition, replace any that is inefficient or missing.
2. If you can afford to or have a maintenance contract, have the heating system serviced prior to the winter season.
3. Bleed the radiators around the home so they are working efficiently.
4. Fit an electronic wall thermostat to control the room (s) temperature more accurately than the old bi-metal strip ones, they are much more accurate and programmable and can be purchased for less than £20.
5. Take precautions if you are using portable electric / calor gas heaters, making sure they have sufficient clearance from surrounding surfaces and objects and adequate ventilation as may be required.
6. Replace smoke alarm batteries and if you don’t have one install a carbon monoxide alarm.
7. Show capable members of the family where to turn off the water and gas supplies in the event of an emergency.

Tools required :-  Side cutters (snips), a medium posi and flat screwdriver depending on the plug top, a Stanley knife and if you have them a pair of wire strippers.

Remove approximately 5cm of outer sheath from the flex, to do this score around the flex with your knife taking care not to cut into the conductors inside, just bend the flex at the score mark once or twice and it should pull off (fig1).

fig 1

Prepare the plug top by unscrewing the top and loosening the cable grip inside. Now place the flex where the cable grip will hold it in place and mark the live conductor (Brown) for cutting, cut and strip sufficient insulation from the conductor to provide enough copper for the terminal screw to screw down on securely.

If you are connecting a small flex, say for a portable stereo, then it is good practice to strip twice the length of insulation you need and double back the copper conductor on itself, to give a better connection (more copper will help the terminal screw to achieve a tighter connection on the conductor). 

Once the live conductor (Brown) is terminated I normally fit the cable grip around the flex to hold it in place ( fig 2 ), this is down to personal preference, you can of course fit it last if you prefer. Now measure the neutral conductor (Blue) to length, strip and connect (fig 3), and finally measure the earth conductor (Green / Yellow) to length and again strip and connect (fig 4).

Now fit the appropriate fuse to suit the appliance (see fuse ratings in plug tops post) and put the top back on securely (fig 5).

fig 2

fig 3

fig 4

fig 5

KW ÷ VOLTS = AMPS

1 KILOWATT = 1000 WATTS                  VOLTS = 240v

So if you have a 240 volt heater rated at 3 KW (3000 watts) it will have a load of 12·5 amps, therefore it requires a fuse rated at 13 amps.

Fuses rated at 3, 5 and 13 amps are easily purchased from most DIY stores, fuses rated at 2 and 10 amp are more difficult to purchase unless you go to an electrical wholesalers.

The problem in most homes is that if a replacement plug top is fitted to an electrical item it will more than likely be fitted with a 13 amp fuse, regardless of what the wattage is.

The one item in the house that is usually fused incorrectly is the table / bedside lamp, it probably has a lamp of no more than 60 watts so has a load of 0·25 amps and could be fitted with a 13 amp fuse, if the lamp develops a fault there’s a good chance the cable will melt before the fuse blows and could even cause an electrical fire. So fit the lowest rated fuse available either 2 or 3 amp.

• Fit a fuse that is rated correctly for the electrical item it is protecting.
• Kettle 13 amp
• Table lamp 3 amp
• Hi-fi system 5 amp
• 3 kw heater 13 amp, 2 kw heater 10 amp
• Radio 2 or 3 amp
• 500 watt – 3 amp,1kw – 5 amp, 2 kw – 10 amp, 3 kw – 13 amp

Fortunately the majority of household electrical items bought today are fitted with a moulded plug and the correct rated fuse, but it is worth having a selection of different rated fuses at home, then at least when they need replacing you have a suitable fuse available.

Always check connections are correct and tight if you have to replace a plug top. (see how to fit a plug top post ).

The following are colours used to identify conductors in a 3 core flex.

• BROWN = LIVE
• BLUE = NEUTRAL
• GREEN/YELLOW = EARTH

Replacing a damaged or faulty socket outlet should be a fairly straightforward task, but if you aren’t completely confident in your ability then you should use the services of a qualified electrician. You must switch off the consumer unit and remove the appropriate circuit fuse / miniature circuit breaker, this reduces the risk of electrocution should the consumer unit be switched on again by accident. Check that there is no voltage present at the socket using preferably electricians test lamps, socket tester or a test meter, these are available from most DIY stores or electrical wholesalers at a reasonable cost, (always handy to have around the home if only to check fuses etc).

Unscrew the two 3.5mm fixing screws that hold the socket in place, if the socket won’t come free you may have to score around its edges with a sharp knife to cut through any paint or wallpaper and it should come loose, take note of the connections on the back of the socket and the colours of the conductors, you will find connected either : -

 OLD COLOURS

RED, ( LIVE ) TO THE ‘L’ CONNECTION.

BLACK, ( NEUTRAL ) TO THE ‘N’ CONNECTION.

GREEN / YELLOW, ( EARTH ) TO THE ‘E’ CONNECTION.

OR : -

NEW COLOURS

BROWN, ( LIVE ) TO THE ‘L’ CONNECTION.

BLUE, ( NEUTRAL ) TO THE ‘N’ CONNECTION.

GREEN / YELLOW, ( EARTH ) TO THE ‘E’ CONNECTION.

If the socket has a metal back box then this should also have a G / Y EARTH wire connected to it.

Disconnect the conductors from the damaged / faulty socket and reconnect to the replacement one, take care that you have connected the right conductor in the correct L, N, or E connection as not all sockets necessarily have the same connection in the same position, ( i.e. the L connection on the new socket could be where the N connection was on the old one ). When you are satisfied the connections are correct and tight, re-fix the socket using the two new 3.5mm screws that come with the new socket, if they are not long enough use the old ones.

Replace the circuit fuse / miniature circuit breaker in the consumer unit and switch it on, check the socket is working correctly. There are various socket testers available on the market, although they don’t give you test results like you would get from an electrician, they do indicate that the socket being tested is connected correctly and has an earth present, which is obviously very important, you simply plug it in and indicator lights on the front will tell you if everything is ok.

New socket and socket tester

Safety tips :- Take care when working at height, especially on ladders, if possible only use a hand grinder at height working from a scaffold tower, wear a face mask that covers both your mouth and nose, wear safety goggles. Use an extension lead fitted with an RCCD plug top, (see – Safe DIY practice).

Over a period of time, mortar in brickwork seams can become loose and break up due to inclement weather, when this occurs it should be repaired to avoid water penetrating the brickwork, which could result in possible damp problems within the property. 

Re-pointing brickwork is a very time consuming job, but can be carried out with only a few tools. Small areas of brickwork can be repaired using a ladder to reach the work area, but if as an example, most or all of the wall requires attention, I would recommend hiring a scaffold tower to work off, as you will be spending a lot of time working from it and you will be working with power tools at height, therefore you need to be comfortable, be safe and have both hands free. (see- Tool hire)

You should start re-pointing at the top of the wall and work your way across the whole wall, therefore I would re-point only three or four courses at each pass. Re-pointing from the top down will ensure any dust and bits of dropped mortar can be cleaned off as you move down and it won’t spoil the brickwork you have already re-pointed.

You can remove mortar from small areas of brickwork with a lump hammer and bolster chisel, working off a ladder. To remove the mortar in larger areas I would use a hand grinder with a diamond tipped disc working off a scaffold tower (don’t forget the face mask and safety goggles). Remove the mortar to a depth of around 3/4″ (20mm) and brush away any debris and dust from the seams, take care when using the grinder that you don’t damage the brick faces as you make the cuts.

Damp down the seams with water using a paint brush or water spray bottle before pointing the seam with the new mortar. The mortar mix should be stiff enough for you to ’slice’ it and push it into the seam with the finger trowel, if it is too wet it will just end up everywhere bar the seam. Dont mix too much mortar at any one time, otherwise it will ‘go off’ before you get a chance to use it. Try to mix the mortar each time using as near as, the same quantities of sand and cement, so the mortar is of a uniformed colour (see – Mixing concrete or mortar by hand). When the new mortar has started to set, strike / point the seam with your trowel or piece of pipe to give the brickwork seam a professional finish.

Decking is constructed from timbers such as Larch and Cedar, and although the timbers are very weather resistant and will have been pretreated with wood preserve, it will without a little maintenance start to look dirty and stained. Cleaning the decking once or twice a year will remove surface deposits that can create a slip hazard, especially during and after wet weather conditions.

To clean the decking, you can use a high pressure washer, or warm water with a little household cleaner, use a stiff brush to get any stubborn dirt, moss etc, out of the grooves in the decking timber, then rinse it down with clean water and let it dry out.

If you intend to paint over the decking with a preservative, you may have to sand the timber with a power sander to gain a clean stain free surface.

There are a wide range of wood stains / preservatives available for your decking, I prefer to use one that will soak into the timber rather than just coat it, this reduces the chance of it flaking off. I also always use one that dries with a clear finish, because I have seen decking boards that have been stained with a coloured stain, and after a few months depending on use, the colour starts wear to off the timber and it looks like it has not been maintained for years.

Try to use a good quality decking preserve i.e. Cuprinol, although brand names tend to be a little bit more expensive, in my experience, the finished results are usually very good and last longer. A little time spent maintaining your decking should ensure you get many years of use and enjoyment from it.

Assembling flat pack furniture can be many a home owners nightmare, but if you follow a methodical route, you can assemble almost anything without having to spend the money you saved on flowers, or a week with a marriage guidance councillor.

Start by carefully unpacking your self assembly unit, using a Stanley knife and / or scissors. You can use the packaging to protect both the floor covering and the unit from being scratched, if you are assembling a large item, such as a wardrobe make sure you have plenty of room in which to build it and an assistant to help if required. Open a window if the room is warm, as patience can decrease as the room temperature increases.

You will usually have an assembly drawing and parts list with the unit, spend five or ten minutes checking all the parts and fixings are included with the unit, there is nothing worse than having a screw or two missing when you have half assembled the unit. Place all the fixings and small parts in one or two containers so they don’t get ‘lost’ . Check all the unit parts are in unmarked condition as they sometimes pick up a few knocks during storage and delivery.

Have a good look at the ‘How to assemble’ drawing, read it from start to finish before you pick up any tools, I am as guilty as the next person for ‘its only a tv stand, what do I need a drawing for’ and then spend the next 3 hours trying to prove I was right, when I could have assembled the unit in about 15 minutes.

When you are assembling the unit, take care you don’t use the wrong length of screw by mistake at the wrong point during assembly, as many units use screws that appear to be the same but can vary in length slightly.

Battery drill / drivers can help to speed up assembly of most units, just make sure it is set on low speed with a low torque setting as screws can easily be driven through chipboard etc by mistake, I normally tighten up the last couple of turns of screws and bolts with a screwdriver or small spanner, as you can judge when they are ‘tight’ much better by hand.

Hopefully you have assembled your piece of furniture successfully and without incident, like anything, the more experience you get, the better you become at flat pack assembly.

• How to remove an existing internal door
• How to cut and plane a new internal door to size
• How to mark hinge positions on a new internal door
• How to hang a new internal door in position
• How to fit the door handles and latch
• Preparing a new internal door for painting
• Painting a new internal door

Tip :- Screws that have been painted or varnished over will need to have the paint or varnish removed from the screw heads, this can be done using a small screwdriver, giving it a few light knocks will dislodge the paint or varnish, enabling the screwdriver tip to sit fully ’home’ in the screw head slots. Use the correct size of screwdriver to suit the heads of the screws you are removing, aside making the job easier, this will help to prevent the screwdriver tip from slipping and rounding the screw head slot (s).

Remove all the screws from the door frame side of the  bottom hinge first, have an assistant steady the door so it does not twist. Then remove all the screws from the door frame side of the top hinge.

The old door and wedges can now be carefully removed. 

Unless the existing hinges on the old door are in very good condition and of an appropriate size, I would discard them and fit new hinges to the new door.

Now you are ready to start hanging the new internal door.

 (see How to cut and plane a new internal door to size)

 (Back to main page :- HOW TO HANG A NEW INTERNAL DOOR)