This month, Romana from Richmond asks…

Dear Samuele,

I always like to be prepared around the house, just in case I have a little emergency.

Are there any basic tools you could recommend, just in case I have to deal with a plumbing issue? Please also tell me, what kind of things I’d be able to fix myself?

Yours sincerely,

Romana

Samuele says:

Ciao, Ramona! And grazie mille for your question.

That’s wise thinking. It’s always good to be prepared.

Naturally, if you have any kind of plumbing-related issue at all, I’d always recommend calling in the professionals. But if you’re confident you can tackle something small, it’s often good to at least be able to do a temporary fix.

Firstly, here is a bit of kit I’d suggest buying.

It contains a hammer, plyers, adjustable spanner, and multi-headed screw driver.

All nicely organised in a convenient little box. Perfect for slipping under the kitchen sink – and it costs less than £20.

They’re handy for all sorts of odd jobs around the house – changing fuses, hanging pictures, assembling flat pact furniture. But you’ll also be able to tighten/loosen stiff radiator valves, fix wobbly taps, and deal with many other small jobs.

I’d also recommend buying tweezers.

They can be used to remove hair and debris from sinks and plug holes.

Although we don’t use it ourselves, Duct tape provides a quick fix for patching leaks and taping wonky pipes together. It’s always worth having a roll to hand.

And lastly, if your budget stretches to it, buy a Wet n Dry vacuum cleaner. Any spills or nasty messes, they make super-quick work of cleaning up. They can even save you the cost of calling a plumber out for certain jobs.

Hope that helps.

Samuele