DIY for beginners
1-How to change a light bulb! What you need A bulb That’s it. Changing a light bulb is such a simple job to do yourself and yet huge numbers of us don’t know how to do it… Well here you are, a step-by-step guide to changing a light bulb in seconds! Step 1 Remove the lampshade or light cover if you can’t easily get to the light bulb. Be careful! Step 2 Buy a replacement bulb! Sounds easy, and it is, but you need to buy the right bulb fitting for it to fit… The best way to find out what type of bulb you need is take out the dead bulb first. Take it with you to the shop, just to be sure, as there are different sizes and types available depending on the lamp or light fitting design. Turn off the light, and make sure it is definitely in the off position to stop the chance of getting a shock. Make sure the bulb is cool, if it has only just blown then it could be very, very hot so give it a chance. If you’re not sure what type of fitting you have then to remove the bulb try twisting the bulb ANTI-CLOCKWISE lightly until it unscrews completely. If it doesn’t easily unscrew then you probably have a bayonet fixture. To undo a bayonet you need to push the bulb lightly upwards into the fixture and it should move up. Then twist the bulb ANTI-CLOCKWISE and it will come free easily. There are 2 types of fixture – • SCREW – Easy to spot because the metal bit at the bottom of the bulb has a screw-looking shape. • BAYONET – If it isn’t a screw bottom, then it’s probably a bayonet. This has a flat surface with 2 bits of metal sticking out at the sides, opposite each other. These literally slot into 2 grooves in the fitting, then you twist to clip the bulb in place. Now go buy the right light bulb! Step 3 Fitting the new bulb is just the reverse of removing it. Make you’ve turned the light off so you don’t get a massive beam of light in your face the moment you plug the new bulb in, trust me it’s not a good thing! If you have a screw type fitting bulb then simply place the metal end into the light fixture and screw it in CLOCKWISE, applying a little upwards pressure to ensure the screw fits into the fitting correctly. Don’t do it up too tight, only until it stops! Test it and you’re done! If you have a bayonet type fitting then you need to be a bit more careful. Try to line up the 2 metal points sticking out of the bulb with the 2 grooves in the fitting. Once they are in you’ll feel a definite click, so don’t force it. Usually once the bulb is in the grooves it will slide in and will have a springy feel as you push upwards into the fixture. Simply push upwards, supporting the light fixture if necessary, then once it won’t move anymore twist it CLOCKWISE until it feels like it has clipped in. Test it out and you’re finished! 2-How to fit or change a plug. What you need A plug A screwdriver Pliers (to strip the wire ends, you may not need to) A fuse for the plug – check the appliance for the watt rating first Changing a plug is really easy, honestly! Step 1 If you’re taking off an old plug and replacing it then first you should remove the old one. Unplug the appliance from the socket and turn it over so you can see the heads of the screws. Use a medium size screwdriver and undo the screws, turning them ANTI-CLOCKWISE. Once you have removed all 3 (or sometimes 2) pull the bottom from the top of the plug, be a bit careful to stop the fuse and pins dropping out. You will now see the fuse, the top of the 3 pins and 3 wires attached to the top of these pins. Loosen the brass top screws on the top of the pins then pull the wires out, so the plug is detached. You should now have just a wire with 3 colour wires coming out of the end. Step 2 Time to fit the new plug to the wire. The wires are coloured like this – • BLUE – Neutral • BROWN – Live wire • GREEN & YELLOW – Earth The plug will have markings inside to show you which pins to put the wires into. They will be – • N – Neutral • L – Live • E – Earth If the bare wire ends are in good condition then make sure all the strands are together and insert each coloured plug into the correctly marked pin – So put the blue wire into the ‘P’, the brown wire into ‘L’ and the green & yellow wire into ‘E’. Tighten the brass screw on the top of each pin as you go. If the wires are frayed and not in good condition, then use the pliers to clip off the bad wire then strip a short amount off the end (about 10mm), twist the ends of each of the 3 wires so all 3 look neat and so there are no strands sticking out. Clip in the fuse if it isn’t already in, then place the top half of the plug onto the bottom half. It will clip together nicely, make sure you don’t catch any of the wires between the plug casings as this can damage the wires, so don’t force it! Place the screws into the holes on the bottom of the plug and use the screwdriver to screw them back in (CLOCKWISE), until tight. Now test it! If you find it doesn’t work then check the connections and change the fuse. You can also test the plug by putting it onto an appliance you know works to see if the fault lies with the plug or the appliance. 3-How to turn off your water supply/water mains - What to do if a pipe bursts or you have a leak What you need A wrench (unless the valve has a hand tap) If a pipe bursts then you need to know how to turn off the mains water supply, to stop loads of water pouring out and destroying your home. There is always a mains water valve (often called a stopcock) that is located on the connecting pipe linking the main water supply to your home. This is where you will turn the water off, find it!!! The quicker you know where it is, the quicker you can turn it off. The mains water valve could be anywhere in your house, so hunt around. More common locations include above or around the front door, in utility rooms and near boilers. It may be a valve with a turntable knob, and they are often red in colour. If the valve isn’t hand adjustable then you will need a wrench. Turn the valve until the water stops, depending on the valve it could be clockwise or anti-clockwise – mine is clockwise. The water should stop pretty quickly as it stops the system having water pressure. Different valves need to be turned a different way so try turning it anti-clockwise, it only needs a quarter turn. If the water doesn’t stop then try the other way. If you have a valve that needs a wrench then it’s a good idea to keep one close in case you have to stop the water quickly in an emergency. 4-How to unblock your gutters! What you need A brush A long hose pipe It’s important to keep your gutters clear, otherwise metal gutters will rust away and you’ll have water pouring down and causing all types of problems for you. It’s not too tricky to do them yourself, and it’s essential to get it sorted if you have a tree overhanging your property to avoid an expensive repair… Step 1 Get a ladder! Make sure it’s safe, if you don’t feel confident enough to do it then don’t take any risks and get professional help. Try not to rest your ladder on the gutter if you can avoid it. Clear the gutter of leaves and dirt, get rid of the fine dirt too otherwise it will only speed up the build up and you’ll have to clean them more often. Step 2 Get the hose and turn it on. Shove the hose down the pipe, if the pipe has bends then try to manoeuvre the pipe around the bends to get it nice and clear. Don’t give up immediately, a garden hose will get around most gutter pipe bends with a bit of help. The leaves should come out of the bottom of the pipe as the water pressure forces it clear. If you find that the hose doesn’t clear the blockage then you may need to take a section of the gutter out to clear it. If you have metal pipes then this becomes more difficult as you may need to cut the pipe, if you’re unsure then it’s best to get it done by a professional. 5-How to bleed your radiators. What you need. Radiator bleed key (may not be needed if your radiator has an adjustable nut, just use a small spanner/wrench) Radiators that don’t work properly is a real pain, but it’s not too tricky to fix if you think it’s air in the system. Here’s how! It gets in there when you add new water, and can also build up due to the water pump. How do you know? The tops of radiators will often be cold, or the whole radiator. Also high level pipes may not feel hot. Step 1 Turn of your central heating system. There’s no need to shut the whole thing off, just make sure the thermostat is turned right down so it won’t turn and start water pumping around and potentially all over your floor. It can get more air in too! It works best with warm water in the system (the increased water pressure pushes the air out), simply turn the valve ANTI-CLOCKWISE until you hear a hissing, which is the air escaping. You can use a cloth to catch any water that may spray out. Once Water starts to dribble out, tighten the nut/valve again (not too tight). Done! Try your heating, if the whole radiator now feels hot you’ve cracked it… 6-How to put up a shelf. (pirate theme - walking the plank?) What you need. Screws (may be provided with the shelf – if not then don’t get screws too long, around 40mm) Pencil Masonry plugs (rawl plugs) Masonry drill (2mm wider than the screw width) Hammer Spirit level A shelf and brackets Step 1 Decide where you want your shelf to go, and using the spirit level draw a line where you want the bottom of the shelf to go. Don’t draw too hard. Put 1 of the brackets on the line so that it lines up with where you want the shelf to sit. Hold the bracket up and draw through the holes where the screw goes, so you know where to drill. Leave about 5 inches of overhang at the end of the shelf. Now do the same with the other bracket, leaving a gap between the 2 (depends on the length of your shelf). Remember to line this one up in the same way on the line you drew. Draw through the bracket holes. Step 2 Get the drill out. Set it to drill clockwise and drill your holes where you marked earlier. Be a bit careful, if you’re drilling into plasterboard then there could be wiring inside, if in doubt use a no-contact current & voltage detector (cheap and useful) – simply turn the device on and bring it to the wall to see if it detects a current close (which means there could be wiring inside the wall). Step 3 Once you’ve drilled your holes, put each of the masonry plugs into the holes and tap them gently in with a hammer so each is almost flat the wall. Step 4 Use a screw to put up 1 bracket in the top hole only so it hangs, and tighten it a little. Now do the same with the other bracket, and place the shelf on top to check it lines up using the spirit level again. Step 5 Screw in the other screws and tighten them. Now place the shelf on the brackets and attach these to the brackets (this varies between designs, many are a short screw upwards into the shelf). Admire your skills! 7-How to change a fuse in a plug. What you need. A new fuse (make sure it is the correct rating, check the appliance for guidance) Screwdriver Step 1 Unplug the appliance from the socket and turn it over so you can see the heads of the screws. Use a medium size screwdriver and undo the screws, turning them ANTI-CLOCKWISE. Once you have removed all 3 (or sometimes 2) turn the plug over to the top side and lift off the top half, be a bit careful to stop the fuse and pins dropping out. Step 2 The fuse is situated in between 2 clips that link 2 pins together. Carefully unplug the dead fuse from the brass tops of the 2 pins, being careful not to pull the pins out of the bottom of the plug case. Clip in the new fuse (doesn’t matter which way), then replace the top half of the plug onto the bottom half. It will clip together nicely, make sure you don’t catch any of the wires between the plug casings as this can damage the wires, don’t force it! Place the screws into the holes on the bottom of the plug and use the screwdriver to screw them back in (CLOCKWISE), until tight. Now test it! If it’s still not working… If you find it doesn’t work then check the connections and try the fuse in a different appliance that your know is working. The plug could also be dead, you can also test the plug by putting it onto an appliance you know works (with a working fuse) to see if the fault lies with the plug or the appliance. 8-How to check and change a fuse in a car. What you need. New fuses of the correct amps Pliers Have your wipers or lights or electrics windows stopped working? It could be a fuse, and it’s easy to check… Step 1 Find where your fuse box is located, it’s often inside the interior, under the steering wheel or it can be in the engine bay in a box. Inside the fuse box will be all the blade fuses lined up. Usually the positions are labelled on the underside of the lid, look for the function e.g. the lights, that aren’t working and use the guide to find the correct fuse. If the fuse box doesn’t have a guide then check the car manual or search the internet for the fuse guide (almost everyone is available). A Haynes manual will also have the fuse labelling diagrams inside. Step 2 You should be able to pull out the fuse with your fingers but if it’s a bit stiff then use the pliers to carefully pull it out. You should be able to see if the fuse is blown because the metal connection joining the 2 metal prongs will be broken and melted, the fuse may be melted a bit too. Get your new fuse (make sure it is the same amp rating as the old one, check the guide to confirm this) and simply slot it back into the hole, again being careful. Check it and you’re done!!
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