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I have not called any professional because there is the Coronavirus "how long is a piece of string" Pandemic. Since January 2021 boiler started leaking water drops after I saw heavy smoke coming from the flue, so I turned boiler off and took the bottom cover off to collect the drops. I have put washing up bowl under the boiler to collect the water drops and then each day once or twice I empty it. The boiler is a few years old and so part/s sourcing is a challenge and it probably requires a total boiler replacement. From January 2021 to now I can see corrosion / limescale deposits and some rusty stains on the washing up bowl. I have switched from gas central heating to electric radiators. To bathe I heat water pot and use bucket. So I'd be grateful if professionals could tell me the steps on how to stop the boiler water drops until the coronavirus situation improves. The system has hot water storage cylinder, cold water tank and is therefore called standard / regular / traditional / conventional boiler. (i) Do I have to go into loft and do something at the cold water tank (large)? (ii) Do I have to drain cold water tank (large), if so is this by siphon pump as using plumbing wrenches might be complicated because it could cause accident for layperson? (iii) Do I have to shut the stopcock function in the cold water tank (large) - is there anything in the market to do it cleanly and for long time rather than using timber and string? (iv) Do I have to insert a stopper / bung in the water outlet - how can I make sure that water flow does not shove-out the stopper / bung after a few days or weeks? (v) Do I have an easier method - is there some pipe above the boiler that has a valve which can be switch off the water flow using a screw driver? (vi) Do I have to do other stuff for doubly ensuring water drops whichmethod is used remains shut? (vii) Do all registered plumbers / gas engineers have to carry gas masks by their regulation bodies, if eventually a professional has to be called? Thank you.

Can anyone give me suggestions for covering the rust showing on the corners of our front porch, in the render? I plan to give it a coat of white paint to freshen it up but assume if I just paint over the rust, it will soon show up. Its on most of the corners both at the front of the hosue on the porch and at the back on the kitchen extension. I wondered about Hammerite as better it has a slightly different shade of white than the rust. Or could I then paint over it?