The Household Handbook: How the Things in Your House Actually Work — Stopcocks, Fuse Boxes, Boilers and What to Do When Something Stops (Switzzer Plain Guides)

Everyone should know where the stopcock is.

Nobody needs to become a plumber. What everybody needs is to know where the water shuts off, which switch tripped, what the boiler is complaining about, and what to do in the first ten minutes before anyone arrives. This guide is about knowing where things are and when to stop — including the two jobs, gas and the fuse box, that are never yours to do.

• Where the stopcock is, and how to shut the water off
• Fuse boxes, trips, and finding the guilty appliance
• Boiler pressure, cold radiators and error codes
• The eight tools that handle almost everything
• How to describe a fault so the right person comes