DIY tasks would be so much easier if they came with an undo button, letting you instantly revert at least to the point of things not working quite right rather than being in pieces on the floor. Finishing off fitting the lock to my side gate took a while but, all things considered (such as the potential hazards of drills and chisels), went fairly smoothly. I can now securely lock the gate, which will be much easier than reaching over to try and secure the bolt when I go out.

I should have stopped there instead of going on to try and fix the drip on our shower. I managed to get the unit off the wall but found I didn’t have the tools to open it up and peek inside to see if there was any obvious seal that was leaking. However, getting it back on the wall was problematic. I think the builder who put it in relied on tile grout to hold the back plate to the wall (seal broken when I took the unit off, revealing one screw with minimal efficacy for holding it tight) and, on my first attempt to put the unit back, turning the water on was met with a spirit-dampening spray of water.

Lunch and another seems to have cured it. I found that an old milk bottle top allowed me to use the existing screw and one new one between the tiles to hold the back plate on securely without having to drill through the tiles. I also read up on how a nut and olive arrangement allows for a water tight compression joint.

No water sprayed out when I turned the supply back on (at least the builder did put isolation valves on the pipes, making this part easy) although, since I’m out for a bit this evening, I think I’ll leave the water off for now rather than risking a leak (or worse) while I’m not around.