The Tickover blog
Guides for a home that just ticks over.
Practical, UK-specific answers for every corner of the house. What to check, what it should cost, when it can wait, and when to call someone good.
Heating & hot water
Boilers, radiators, cylinders and controls, kept warm and legal.
12 guides
Heating & hot waterFull guide
The complete guide to boiler problems
Every common boiler fault mapped: pressure drops, error codes, no hot water, kettling, leaks and cold radiators, with honest costs and clear DIY limits.
7 min read
Heating & hot water
Boiler dead in a cold snap? Check the condensate pipe
Boiler locked out on a freezing morning? How to spot a frozen condensate pipe, thaw it safely with warm water, and lag it so it never happens again.
5 min read
Heating & hot water
Boiler error codes, decoded
What boiler error codes actually mean, the five fault families behind them, the two you can fix yourself, and how to reset a locked-out boiler properly.
5 min read
Heating & hot water
Boiler losing pressure? What it means and how to fix it
Why your boiler keeps losing pressure, how to top it up safely in five minutes, and the point at which a dropping gauge means you need a Gas Safe engineer.
4 min read
Heating & hot water
Hot water cylinder problems (vented and unvented)
Hot water cylinder playing up? Lukewarm water, tripping immersion heaters and dripping tundishes explained, for vented and unvented tanks alike.
5 min read
Heating & hot water
How to bleed a radiator (properly)
How to bleed a radiator step by step: the kit, the order to work around the house, and the boiler pressure top-up afterwards that almost everyone forgets.
5 min read
Heating & hot water
No hot water from your combi? Work through this
No hot water from your combi boiler? The ten-minute checks to run first, the parts that usually fail, and what a repair typically costs in the UK.
4 min read
Heating & hot water
Power flush: do you actually need one?
When a power flush is the right fix, when a chemical clean and magnetic filter do the same job for less, and the red flags to spot in any flush quote.
4 min read
Heating & hot water
Radiator cold at the bottom? That’s sludge
Why a radiator goes cold at the bottom, how magnetite sludge builds up, and what actually clears it: chemical clean, power flush or magnetic filter.
4 min read
Heating & hot water
Thermostat settings that actually save money
The thermostat, TRV and boiler flow temperature settings that cut heating bills without a cold house, including the free win most homes never touch.
5 min read
Heating & hot water
Underfloor heating playing up? Start here
Underfloor heating cold, slow or patchy? How wet and electric systems fail differently, what you can safely check yourself, and when to call which trade.
4 min read
Heating & hot water
What actually happens in a boiler service
What a boiler service actually includes, how long it takes, what it costs, why it protects your warranty, and why summer is the clever time to book.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Leaks, taps, toilets, showers and drains, before they get expensive.
11 guides
Plumbing & waterFull guide
The homeowner’s guide to plumbing (without the panic)
How water moves through your home, the five failures behind most plumber call-outs, and the two-minute preparations that turn floods into mop-ups.
6 min read
Plumbing & water
Blocked sink: the order to try things in
Soda crystals first, plunger second, trap clean third, chemicals a distant last. The sequence that clears kitchen fat and bathroom hair without drama.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Find your stopcock before you need it
Where UK stopcocks hide, how to test that yours actually turns, and the yearly quarter-turn habit that stops it seizing. Ten minutes now saves a ceiling.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Fix a dripping tap (and when to swap it)
Washer or ceramic cartridge? How to tell which tap you own, fix the drip in half an hour, and spot the point where a new tap beats another repair.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Low water pressure: causes and fixes
One weak tap is a clogged aerator. A weak house might be a half-shut stopcock. Work the logic from tap to street, and know what your water company owes you.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Outside drain blocked? Whose problem is it?
Since 2011, shared drains and anything past your boundary belong to the water company. How to tell whose blockage it is, and when the fix is free.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Shower running cold, weak or scalding?
Electric, mixer or power shower: each fails in its own way. Descale the head first, then match the symptom to the part before anyone opens a unit.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Stop your pipes freezing this winter
Lag the loft runs, drain the outside tap, keep an empty house at 12°C, and thaw any frozen pipe gently while watching for splits. One afternoon covers it.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Toilet keeps running? Here’s the fix
A running toilet is either the fill valve or the flush valve seal. The food-dye test tells you which in an hour, and both fixes are within DIY reach.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Unblock a toilet without making it worse
The golden rule is no second flush. How to manage the water level, plunge properly, skip the wire-hanger myth, and tell a blocked pan from a blocked drain.
4 min read
Plumbing & water
Water leak? Do these five things now
Stopcock off, electrics safe, pipes drained, evidence photographed. The five-step drill for a water leak, then who to call and what an emergency costs.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Trips, sockets and lights, and knowing exactly when to stop DIYing.
10 guides
Electrics & lightingFull guide
Home electrics: what you can touch, what you can’t
A calm tour of your consumer unit, the legal DIY boundary under Part P, warning signs that need an electrician today, and what UK electrical work costs.
7 min read
Electrics & lighting
EICR explained: who needs one and what it costs
What an EICR covers, who legally needs one and when, what C1, C2, C3 and FI codes mean, and typical costs for UK homes and rentals.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Extension leads: the rules nobody reads
Every socket and lead has a 13-amp budget. The maths that keeps extension leads safe, the daisy-chain rule, and when it’s time to add proper sockets instead.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Flickering lights: annoyance or warning?
One lamp, one room or the whole house? How to read a flicker, which patterns are harmless, and the loose-connection warning signs that need an electrician.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Garden power done safely
Garden power without the drama: RCD protection, proper outdoor sockets, IP ratings in plain English, and the jobs that legally need a qualified electrician.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Light still dead after a new bulb?
New bulb, still no light? How to tell a dead lamp from a dead fitting or circuit, what you can check yourself, and when the fitting needs an electrician.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Socket stopped working? Safe checks only
A socket that’s died is usually a trip, a fuse or the appliance itself. The safe checks you can do without a screwdriver, and when to book an electrician.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Tripped fuse box? Reset it the right way
What to do when the fuse box trips: find the culprit by elimination, reset RCDs and MCBs the right way, and know when a tripping circuit needs an electrician.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Video doorbells: wired, wireless and what’s legal
Battery or wired? How video doorbells connect, what renters can fit without drilling, and the ICO rules when your camera sees past your own front path.
4 min read
Electrics & lighting
Whole house without power? Run this checklist
Whole house gone dark? How to tell your fault from the network’s, why 105 is the number to call, and how to keep food and phones going until power returns.
4 min read
Damp, mould & air
Condensation, rising damp and ventilation, diagnosed properly.
7 guides
Damp, mould & airFull guide
Damp and mould: diagnose it properly first
The three kinds of damp, how to tell them apart before paying for the wrong treatment, and why most cases are condensation you can fix yourself.
6 min read
Damp, mould & air
Bathroom extractor fans: the unsung heroes
The toilet-paper test for suction, why a dusty grille halves performance, ducting rules, and what a replacement fan costs installed.
4 min read
Damp, mould & air
Condensation or rising damp? Tell them apart
Tide marks or corner mould? The foil test, the signs that separate condensation from rising damp, and why free damp surveys deserve a second opinion.
4 min read
Damp, mould & air
Drying clothes indoors without growing mould
Every load of washing releases about two litres of water into your rooms. The one-room strategy, method running costs compared, and the radiator myth.
4 min read
Damp, mould & air
Penetrating damp: find the way in
A damp patch that grows after rain has a way in somewhere. How to trace it from gutters to pointing, and why the inside fix always waits.
3 min read
Damp, mould & air
Removing black mould, safely and for good
How to remove small patches of black mould safely, when a bigger or recurring problem needs a professional, and the only fix that makes it stay gone.
4 min read
Damp, mould & air
Waking up to wet windows? Fix condensation
Why your windows stream every morning, the habits and ventilation tweaks that stop it, and where a dehumidifier fits in. No moralising, no gadgets required.
3 min read
Doors, windows & security
Locks, alarms, glazing and the things that keep the house shut.
8 guides
Doors, windows & securityFull guide
Locks, alarms and the fabric that keeps you safe
The annual security walk-round for UK homes: the lock standards insurers name, alarm testing rhythms, and doors and windows that close like they mean it.
6 min read
Doors, windows & security
Burglar alarm crying wolf? Calm it down
Why burglar alarms cry wolf: ageing backup batteries, spiders on the PIR, draughts and dying door contacts, and the fixes that keep the neighbours onside.
4 min read
Doors, windows & security
Carbon monoxide alarms: the five-minute brief
Where carbon monoxide alarms go, what to do the moment one sounds, the symptoms that lift in fresh air, and what landlords must fit by law.
4 min read
Doors, windows & security
Garage door heavy, stuck or screaming?
The garage door fixes that are safe to do yourself, the spring rule you must not break, and the remote battery to check before booking an engineer.
5 min read
Doors, windows & security
Misted double glazing: fix the unit, not the window
Mist between the panes means the sealed unit has failed, not the window. What a new unit costs versus a full window, and the truth about drill-and-dry.
4 min read
Doors, windows & security
Smoke alarm beeping? Decode it and make it stop
One chirp a minute, three beeps, or a full siren at 2am: what each smoke alarm sound means, which battery fixes it, and when the unit has expired.
4 min read
Doors, windows & security
Stiff locks and sticking doors: easy wins first
Why locks stiffen and doors stick, the graphite-not-oil rule for cylinders, five-minute hinge fixes, and when to swap a lock before it locks you out.
4 min read
Doors, windows & security
uPVC door won’t lock? It’s probably alignment
When a uPVC door needs a lift, a shove and a prayer to lock, the multipoint mechanism is out of line. The lift-and-turn test, hinge tweaks and real costs.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Roofs, gutters, walls, fences and everything the weather attacks.
11 guides
Roof, walls & outsideFull guide
Roofs, gutters and walls: the outside survival guide
How rain should travel from ridge to drain, the ground-level checks that catch roof, gutter and wall trouble early, and how to hire a roofer well.
7 min read
Roof, walls & outside
A slipped tile today, a ceiling stain tomorrow
How to spot slipped or missing roof tiles from the ground, why one tile matters more than it looks, and what a fair repair quote looks like.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Chimneys and log burners: sweep, check, burn
How often to sweep for wood and smokeless fuel, what Ready to Burn means, the cowl and flaunching checks from the ground, and why the CO alarm is not optional.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Cracks in walls: which ones matter
Most wall cracks are cosmetic. Learn the four signs that point to movement, how to monitor a crack with pencil marks and photos, and when to call a surveyor.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Fence down? Repair, replace and who pays
Storm-flattened fence triage: whether the post or the panel failed, who actually owns which fence, and why insurance almost never pays for it.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Flat roofs: lifespans, leaks and honest options
Felt, EPDM rubber and GRP fibreglass: how long each really lasts, what ponding and blisters mean, and when to patch, re-cover or replace a flat roof.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Gutters: the cheapest insurance your house has
Blocked gutters quietly fund the damp industry. How to spot an overflowing gutter, the safe-DIY line, what a clean costs and how often to book one.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Mice, rats and wasps: what actually works
Exclusion beats extermination: the pencil-width gap rule for mice, why rats mean checking the drains, and when a wasp nest stops being a DIY job.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Squeaks, creaks and bouncy boards
Why floorboards squeak, the talc and screw fixes that end it, the pipe-and-cable check that must come first, and when a bouncy floor means joist trouble.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Trees, hedges and storms: rights and responsibilities
Overhanging branches, TPO checks before any cutting, nesting season rules, high hedge disputes and whose insurance pays when a tree comes down.
4 min read
Roof, walls & outside
Water coming through the ceiling? Act in this order
Water through the ceiling: the exact order to act in, why one small hole in the bulge saves the whole ceiling, and how to tell roof from plumbing.
4 min read
Appliances
Washing machines, ovens, fridges: fix, repair or replace.
9 guides
AppliancesFull guide
Repair or replace? The appliance decision guide
A broken appliance forces a fast decision. Use the 50% rule, typical UK lifespans and honest repair costs to choose repair or replacement with confidence.
6 min read
Appliances
Cooker hood doing nothing? Filters first
A cooker hood that roars but shifts nothing usually has saturated grease filters or a carbon filter years past its lifespan. Clean, date, replace, in order.
4 min read
Appliances
Dishwasher leaving grit and grease? Fix the basics
Grit on glasses and greasy plates usually trace back to the filter, spray arms, or empty salt and rinse aid. Ten minutes of maintenance fixes most of it.
5 min read
Appliances
Fridge or freezer not cold enough? Act fast, check smart
A warming fridge puts food on a timer. Check power, real temperatures, door seals and coils in order, and know when a sealed-system fault means replacement.
4 min read
Appliances
Oven not heating evenly (or at all)?
Lopsided bakes, cold air from a running fan, or an oven that trips the electrics mid-roast: here is how to read the symptoms and what an element repair costs.
4 min read
Appliances
Small appliances: fix, fuse or farewell?
Before binning a dead kettle or toaster, check the 13A plug fuse and the socket. Then the honest maths on repairs, descaling, repair cafés and WEEE disposal.
5 min read
Appliances
Tumble dryer running but nothing’s drying?
A dryer that tumbles but never dries is nearly always an airflow problem: lint filter, condenser box or a kinked vent hose. Fix those before paying anyone.
4 min read
Appliances
Washing machine smells? Your machine needs a service wash
That damp, drainy smell is biofilm from cool washes and liquid detergent. A monthly 90°C service wash, a drawer scrub and a door-ajar habit will clear it.
4 min read
Appliances
Washing machine won’t drain? Check the filter first
A washing machine that will not drain usually has a blocked coin trap, a kinked hose or a clogged sink spigot. Work through them in order, towels at the ready.
4 min read
Energy & efficiency
Heat pumps, solar, smart meters and lower bills without the jargon.
8 guides
Energy & efficiencyFull guide
Cut your energy bills without living in a jumper
The order that actually cuts UK energy bills: measure, stop waste, insulate, then generate and electrify, ranked by what each pound of spend returns.
6 min read
Energy & efficiency
Do heat pumps work in a British winter? Yes. Here’s how
Heat pumps run colder and longer by design. What a British winter does to efficiency, why defrost steam is normal, and when to call your installer.
4 min read
Energy & efficiency
Heat pumps: is your home actually ready?
A no-pressure readiness check for air source heat pumps: insulation, radiator sizing, space, the £7,500 grant, and when the right answer is to insulate first.
4 min read
Energy & efficiency
Home EV charging: cheaper, easier, sooner
The three-pin cable is a stopgap, the 7kW wallbox is the plan: what installation involves, what it costs, and how night-rate charging makes miles cheap.
4 min read
Energy & efficiency
Improve your EPC rating (and when it matters)
How EPCs are really scored, the cheap upgrades that earn points first, the landlord minimum, and how to prep for the assessor so nothing gets missed.
4 min read
Energy & efficiency
Insulation: start where the heat leaves
The insulation order that pays: loft first to 270mm, the hatch and pipes people forget, honest walls advice, and the ventilation rule that keeps mould away.
5 min read
Energy & efficiency
Smart meters: what they do (and don’t)
Smart meters are free from your supplier and quietly useful. What the display changes, which tariffs need one, and the fix path when yours goes dumb.
5 min read
Energy & efficiency
Solar panels in the UK: the honest maths
What solar really costs in 2026, payback as a range not a promise, when a battery earns its place, and why an east-west roof is nothing to apologise for.
4 min read
Home care & seasonal
The routines, dates and small habits that stop big repairs.
10 guides
Home care & seasonalFull guide
The home maintenance calendar: a year of small wins
Month-by-month home maintenance for UK homes: what to do each season, what it costs, and why small routine jobs beat expensive emergency repairs.
6 min read
Home care & seasonal
Going away? The ten-minute empty-home routine
Ten-minute checklist before you leave a UK home empty: water, heating, electrics, security, bins and the insurance rules that actually matter.
2 min read
Home care & seasonal
Insurance and certificates: what homeowners should actually check
What to check on home insurance and trade certificates: buildings cover, public liability, Gas Safe, NICEIC and the paperwork that protects you when work goes wrong.
2 min read
Home care & seasonal
Just moved in? Do these ten things first
Ten first-week jobs for a new home: find the stopcock, test the alarms, change the locks, photograph the meters and track down the boiler history.
4 min read
Home care & seasonal
The autumn home checklist that pays for itself
UK autumn home checklist: clear gutters, bleed radiators, service the boiler, isolate outside taps, lag pipes and test alarms before winter arrives.
2 min read
Home care & seasonal
The home emergency kit that actually gets used
What belongs in a UK home emergency kit: tools, shut-offs, first aid, torch, spare batteries and the one bag you can grab when something goes wrong at 2am.
3 min read
Home care & seasonal
The house paperwork system that survives a move
How to organise UK home documents: gas safety, EICR, EPC, warranties, guarantees and invoices — what to keep, how long, and how to find it at sale time.
2 min read
Home care & seasonal
The spring home checklist: fix what winter broke
UK spring home checklist: walk the outside, spot slipped tiles and fence damage, clear winter debris, book summer services and catch damp while it is still small.
2 min read
Home care & seasonal
What a home really costs to keep
How much to budget for UK home maintenance: the 1% rule of thumb, fixed annual costs, sinking funds for roofs and boilers, and how to stop emergency prices running the show.
2 min read
Home care & seasonal
Winter-proof the house in one weekend
A practical UK winter prep checklist: lag pipes, isolate outside taps, bleed radiators, clear gutters, test alarms and stop the boiler failing on the coldest morning.
3 min read
Reading about it is step one.
Tickover stores the documents and warranties, reminds you before they expire, and shows local trades it has already scored.