20 things brits are clueless about in their home

hollydolly

hollydolly

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Location
London England
Whether it's a leaky pipe or a boiler issue, simple home maintenance is something that was once taken for granted in millions of homes across the UK.

But it seems a whopping 65% of Brits are now clueless when it comes to basic home DIY.

Data has also revealed that the average Brit spends £284 a year on paying for a professional to sort out their botched DIY attempts.

Now, a nationwide poll found that 44% of people don't know how to fix a leaky pipe while 41% don't know where to find their stopcock - should they need to turn off their water supply in an emergency.

Of the 2,000 people quizzed by LV= General Insurance, two fifths also did not know how to re-pressurise a boiler - a must during those cold winter months.
When it comes to basic home DIY, more than a fifth (21%) of the nation admit they are useless when it comes to practical tasks, with 40% admitting they wouldn’t be able to wire the plug on an electrical device, and 34% having never even changed a lightbulb.

Other key tasks Brits don't know how to do are bleed a radiator (38%) and unblock a drain (32%).

But respondents also felt home improvement TV shows lull you into a false sense of security, making DIY look easy.

This lack of home expertise can have other consequences, as almost half of respondents admitted issues around the house cause arguments between them and their partner.

A stopcock, one of the things Brits seemed to be most clueless about, is mostly found under the sink, but if you live in an older house it could be in any of the following places:

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I'm not sure this can be correct..I find it hard to believe that the vast majority don't know how to change a lightbulb..

I know how to do almost all of these things and have known since I was very young... but even more so... surely if it was the younger generation who were polled, then they would just look up instruction online on how to do it ..and if the average Brit is just paying £240 every year for repairs then they're getting off very lightly..




I'll tick off everything I know how to do ......and can easily do myself..

  1. How to fix a leaking pipe - 44%
  2. How to find the stopcock for the water - 41%...yes
  3. How to re-pressurise the boiler - 40%...yes
  4. How to wire a plug - 40%...yes , since I was a child
  5. Bleed a radiator - 38%...yes
  6. Find the electricity meter - 37%...yes
  7. How to restart the boiler - 36% yes
  8. Read the gas meter - 35% yes
  9. Find the gas meter - 35% yes
  10. Change a lightbulb - 34%...again, since I was a child
  11. Hang a picture - 33%...yes, just hung 5 of them a few months ago
  12. Turn the mains electricity off - 33%...yes
  13. Put up a shelf - 33%..yes..
  14. Descale the shower head - 33%..yes
  15. Unblock a drain - 32%...yes duh
  16. Replace the broken light in the fridge - 32%. (no)
  17. Where the fuse box is - 31%...yes
  18. How to get into the loft/attic - 27%...yes duh..
  19. Find the boiler - 26%... yes
  20. Find the water tank - 17%...yes of course... including the tank in the attic


How about you.. do you know how to do all the basic things around your home ?
 

Alligatorob said:
Not all, I used to but home systems are getting higher tech and more complicated. Kind of leaving me in the dust...
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All the things I listed will very likely be different to what's in US homes.. for example radiators and their need for bleeding etc in uk homes..... but a lightbulb ?.... :unsure:
 

I'm pretty happy with most DIY tasks. If needs be, my neighbour who is a builder / surveryor, will tell me what I've done wrong!

I've built walls, installed a new kitchen and bathroom, fitted new lights etc... and before anyone says that you're not allowed to do any work, there is a wide range of things that you can do quite legitimately. Too many things are just 'Jobs for the boys'.

Here's one of my smaller projects.............. (we also make a lot of jams, pickles and chutneys)


gloryhole.jpg
 
hollydolly said:
All the things I listed will very likely be different to what's in US homes.. for example radiators and their need for bleeding etc in uk homes..... but a lightbulb ?.... :unsure:
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I noticed that, and I'd have no idea how to bleed a radiator but never had one in my home.

I have attained a reasonable degree of competence with the light bulb thing, until these LED fixtures came along anyway...
 
Alligatorob said:
I noticed that, and I'd have no idea how to bleed a radiator but never had one in my home.

I have attained a reasonable degree of competence with the light bulb thing, until these LED fixtures came along anyway...
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I can change all lightbulbs including all the new types which I have all around my home. The only one I can't do it the round strip light type which is a whole unit, so it's not a matter of changing the bulb but the whole light fitment
 
hollydolly said:
I can change all lightbulbs including all the new types which I have all around my home. The only one I can't do it the round strip light type which is a whole unit, so it's not a matter of changing the bulb but the whole light fitment
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When we redid the house we put LED fixtures in, lots of them. There is no bulb, when one goes bad you have to change out the entire fixture. Fortunately they are not real expensive, and tend to last longer than bulbs. However ours are now about 5 years old, and I think I have had to replace about 5 or 10%.
 
I've rewired 3 way switching to work correctly in 2 places I've lived. Also added the necessary wiring to introduce 3-way switching to the basement where I live now.

I changed the ballast twice on a a florescent light fixture in the kitchen.

I installed faucet fixtures both in the kitchen and in the bathroom.

I installed downspout to extend an unfinished job using a pop rivet tool to secure the downspout to the ground.

I replaced the flushing mechanism on a toilet at a GFs house one time.

I've replaced the drive belt on an older style clothes washer as well as the belt on an electric dryer.

I've changed the brake pads, fuel filters, spark plugs, rotor, wheel bearings on cars I've had in my lifetime.

I grew up poor and never had the money to hire contractors during our marriage.

So it was roll up your sleeves and learn how to do things yourself.

The hardest part of any job was removing old stuff that didn't want to budge.
 
Ah, my kind of people. I would feel right at home in the U.K. but that's because I grew up in a time in Germany where DIY was unheard of! You always called the appropriate tradesmen instead! There were proud exceptions, of course, but they were few and far between!
 
When I was NOT afraid of ladders, all incandescent light bulbs were replaced with LED bulbs (that is my "planning for the future"!! LOL)
 
OldFeller said:
The hardest part of any job was removing old stuff that didn't want to budge.
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Even if I knew how, I wouldn’t have the strength to do it. Some things, even my husband has a hard time.

Thinking about changing a light bulb, unbelievable. Maybe when answering they were thinking about the ones that are in a 16’ or 24’ ceiling. You’d have to buy a special tool to do it and I don’t think it would be as easy in the videos.
 
Until the last few years, I have been a home owner all my adult, working years. I have finished 3 basements. That means I did all the carpentry work, the plumbing and the electrical wiring. I can wire 120 volts and I can wire 240 volts. In addition I know how to do 3 way and 4 ways switches.

I believe today the problem is the internet and those stupid "smart" phones. Everyone just wants a job where they can stare at computer and rip other people's money off. The young apparently want jobs where they text all day. We have men that are in their 40s and 50s that sit around and play computer games.

No wonder suicides and depression are up and the world is getting into a terrible mess. World War III anyone?
 
Packerjohn said:
I believe today the problem is the internet and those stupid "smart" phones. Everyone just wants a job where they can stare at computer and rip other people's money off. The young apparently want jobs where they text all day.
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But there is at least one advantage, how many Millennials are there that can operate a clutch pedal?
stick-shift-jeep.jpg
 
I bet most of my neighbors could not quickly find the water turn off valve to their homes.
 

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