The Repair Shop star Dominic Chinea has been forced to put his plans on hold at his Cornwall home after an unexpected problem left him fearing the worst
The Repair Shop star Dominic Chinea has been forced to put his workshop plans on hold after discovering a worrying problem at his Cornwall home.
The BBC restorer, who is known for breathing new life into treasured possessions, has had plenty to keep him occupied lately, from tackling jobs around his property to getting his beloved Land Rover back on the road.
But a recent update on his YouTube channel revealed that an unexpected household problem had taken priority, leaving him concerned about the condition of the property’s electrics.
Dominic moved to Cornwall from Kent with his wife Mary and their dog Wendy several years ago. He explained that he had been working in his workshop when he had to return to the house to find out why the hot water had stopped working.
“This is a classic case of what happens when I’m back here,” he said. “I’m trying my best to get stuff done in the workshop, but this house is falling apart around me,” reports Cornwall Live.
The property had already been experiencing problems with its heating after a leak developed in the oil tank supplying his Aga. Dominic explained that the appliance was the house’s only heat source and had been switched off because the tank had developed a hole.
“The only heat source this house has is the Aga, which is oil-fired, and that is off at the moment because the tank holding the oil has got a hole in it and is leaking,” he said.
With a replacement tank expected to be expensive, Dominic had been putting off the work and using an immersion heater to provide hot water instead.
However, that solution was thrown into doubt when he discovered the hot water had stopped working. After initially hoping the fault would clear up on its own, he decided to investigate the electrical system.
The discovery was alarming, with Dominic revealing that the wiring connected to the immersion heater had been badly damaged.
“It very nearly caught fire,” he said.
“That is slightly terrifying,” he added.
Dominic admitted he could not be certain what had caused the damage, suggesting the wiring might have become too hot or deteriorated over time.
“I don’t know what’s happened. Maybe it’s got hot. Maybe it’s just old wiring that’s just gone a bit brittle and kind of crumbly,” he explained.
“I don’t know, but that is a little bit scary. I’m not sure how close I was to a fire, but I don’t really want to know.”
The incident has added to Dominic’s frustrations with the property, where he said electrical repairs had become a recurring problem. Rather than carrying out a complete overhaul, he has been fixing issues as they emerge.
“The wiring in this house is a nightmare. I’m sort of repairing it as things like this happen,” he said.
After checking his electric meter, Dominic was relieved to find that power was once again reaching the immersion heater. However, he still needed to establish whether the heating element itself was working correctly.
The household problems come as the restorer has also been spending time bringing his Land Rover TD5 back to a roadworthy condition.
The vehicle required substantial attention before it could pass its MOT, with Dominic previously showing viewers the extent of the rust damage to its floor. He bought replacement panels and later shared footage of himself attempting to fit them.
After putting considerable effort into the restoration, he was delighted to confirm that the Land Rover had passed its MOT and was back in use.
He has also been trying to get his workshop in order, clearing away accumulated mud, sawdust, corroded metal and broken bolts.
However, his plans to install shelving and cover the workshop’s bare concrete walls have been delayed once again, with the leaking gutters needing to be repaired before he can move forward.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
