Two in three Brits are turning to online videos and tutorials to help with simple self-fix repairs in the home.
89% say they are comfortable to give DIY jobs a go by themselves. However, more than half (53%) don’t know how to shut off a stopcock, less than half feel confident bleeding a radiator and only 13% would tackle a frozen outdoor condensate pipe.
Vast swathes of the nation claim to be savvy self-fixers, with almost nine in every 10 homeowners saying they are comfortable to give DIY and simple household jobs a go themselves. However, when pressed about essential winter repairs, this confidence varies wildly between generations.
The new insight shows that less than half of the UK population are confident shutting off the stopcock in their homes.
Less than half feel confident bleeding a radiator, with only 30% of 25 to 34-year-olds prepared to take on the task compared to 73 per cent of people aged 65 or more.
Less than a third of people claim to be confident in tackling a blocked drain. And only 13% admitted they would be happy to defrost their outdoor condensate pipe.
In total, 80% of millennials say the Internet is their best friend when it comes to tackling repairs and now turn to self-help, instructional videos online to help them.
The study, commissioned by HomeServe, shows that around a fifth of 25 to 34-year-olds admit to starting a simple repair job only to get stuck and have to get an older relative to finish the task. A similar number gave up and had to pay a tradesperson to complete it. In contrast, just 8% of those aged between 45 and 54 have had to resort to seeking professional help in this way.
Homeserve has launched a series of How-To videos featuring its engineers.
