Michael

Scotslassie.    Check out new Decret 2008-1353 du Dec 19th 2008 prolongeant validite des permi de construire.[On Legifrance.gouv.fr].Sarkozy passed new law extending C Us, because of the current climate.I have been to the local planning govn office and double checked this because mine expires in May 2009,[and I have used the extra years extension] they confirmed this Decret, it is now good untill 2011.

50mm clearance all round, minimum from any combusible material. Normal plasterboard is considered combustible.

[To install uk way if you are going that route.]You install  a villager with backboiler useing a minimum 4 gallon f/e tank on a open system with 20mm fr or 22 mm vent,the gravity primary pipework would be 28mm to the standard uk hws cly,pipework run should not exceed 20ft rising all the way.You do not use gravity primarys on unvented pressurised type mega flow hws etc etc.Michael.

Clair.Yes it is easy to install,measure the pipe incoming to your boiler/burner.8mm,10mm or what ever,and buy the appropiate oil meter with compression fittings, do not use Ptfe tape on the oil line when fitting use the correct oil line stag.It would be cheaper to buy the standard meter [not pulsed].Type in -Commercial Heating Control Parts Centre to find out who your nearest supplier is.Michael.

 Dorothy.You can cut in or drill in a boss strap adaptor anywhere below the soil and vent pipe, or even buy a pan connector with the adaptor with the spigot for the basin waste already on the branch.Michael.

Flatcoat I have just sold one of my parcels of land with planning permission etc, the cost of the Geomet was  paid by myself [that is the land boundary perimiter] 1200 euros, the cost of that was incorporated in my selling price If you are asking who pays for the fencing or hedge etc or owns the new boundary, thats up to the guy who is selling the land to have stipilated. I did not want the bother or expense of the new boundary separating my land ,so in the agreement was written  that the new owner is responsable to construct all fences/gates within 1 year of purchase.The Geomet work must be done before the exchange of contracts. The next barn/land we are going to sell is going to be done differently ,The buyer can decide on the amount of land they want and pay all costs of the Geomet.hope it helps .Michael.

In the building trade on sites etc its always ceilings first,butting up dry lining walls or spreading the walls up to the ceilings, also the wall plaster board or spreading that way tightens up and covers up any loose or dodgy ends on the overlap of the ceiling boards.Michael.

 Chez.One of my fields sounds just just like yours [4 Hect]The Notaire valued it on thursday  to sell at 15000euros. In Eure.Michael.

Trees. It sounds like you are putting the Ptfe tape around the thread of the fitting which is incorrect.Three turns of tape around the olive on the pipe will solve the problem.Michael.

Yes on compression ,If you are connecting up a Cylinder or Boiler I would run the first metre or so in copper or as in manufactures instrs. Michael

WJT.  Hot water cylinders can be fitted with Immersion heaters by installing a Essex Type Cylinder Flange.Br/Euro standard EN 60335.27.3 Your Plumber probably thinks its to old to mess about with and its prob scaled up anyway.Michael.

I thought it would bring a smile,but I still do all my calcs in the Roman age. Nicos will prob just add 15 and double it..Anyway the question he asked was answered -- without a lot of waff. Brussels has not sent  me a directive to work in Centigrade yet.and as far as I'm concern B.T.U.s still rules  Michael .  [In UK at the moment with my thermals on, in my house with 2ft thick stone walls thinking about increasing my rad sizes]    

 Nicos. My U values on most solid type walls are always calculated on a 18inch solid brick wall,U=.265 based on an outside temperature of 30degree F,rooms or buildings 1.5 air changes per hour, in really exposed conditions i add 10%.  Michael.

I am at the moment dividing up some of my land and the cost of the geomet is1200 euros per division. If he cannot find any boundary markers and all owners of adjacent land are not at hand it will take months to sort out for land register,with the new regs that came in force on 1/10/07the average time taking is 3 months if everything is straight and simple.Here in Eure anyway.Regards Michael.

 Here in Eure i have just paid the first of two instalments of 860 euros for the consent. Regards  Michael. 

To set the outlet pressure Uh--------------------

Powerdesal .Now you are getting a bit technical for this thread!!we are now getting into the the area of flash steam vessels to run low pressure heating systems etc but my concept is on that track.If we hear of a boiler in space then we will know that Chris has not cracked his problem.Regards Michael.

Chris Why not design the heat exchanger around the flue pipe,you already have the villager type boiler ,so the spigot on the boiler must be at least 150 mm. Get yourself a metre of vitros or cast iron flue pipe the size of the boiler spigot. and make the exchanger  box to wrap around it with the tappings etc ,at the top end of the flue pipe make a flue stableizer,in other words a flap inside the flue to control the boiler air flow [also to slow down wasted heat up the flue]then connect it to the rest of the flue/chimney/register plate or what ever. Also the idea of this is that once its made if you do get a more efficient boiler any time it can be transfered on. I made this system some years ago for curing tobacco although it was on a slightly larger scale.Michael.

Jxedwards.Try Antares .1 Allee Marcel Pagnol-69141 Lyon [Main branch] and ask them where their nearest distributor are.In Uk the Tel no is 0845 6010958.Its direct sales of Heating/Plumbing Components/spares. Or even Pont P.Underfloor heating pipe is the same size no matter what EEC country your in, mostly Model Pex-A95degree 10 bar or Pex-C 50degree 6 bar ECFS. same with the Distribitor Manifolds etc.There is no issue with  pressure on any underfloor heating in Uk/ france, its the same world wide.Its governed by the working pressure of the heating system, not forgetting that it has to work on a lower temp than the rest of the system[if its designed correctly]!!  Michael.

Rule of thumb,for every 3ft in height its 1pound Psi head pressure.If the old aluminium rads are over 15 years scrap them, they have gone well past the sale by date. The price of alloy is at an all time high.20 alloy rads scrap value would probably pay for half the new ones!!. If the pressure is set 1or under1.5 bar on the guage and when hot it goes right up to the pressure of 2.7 bar normal working ,that system seems a little high. considering most combi or pressure systems safety valves blow at 3 bar.Sometimes that shows maybe that  the expansion vessel is not large enough for the system.On very large systems if you are useing what they call a System Boiler with integral pump/vessel etc sometimes you have to install an extra expansion vessel in line.Michael.

How.At the DDE,its changeing on the 1st of october and going to be more complicated ,even at the DDE they don't really know how it's going to be!![more paper work certainly...]I went there to transfer my permit and plans to another name,Michael.

Linarden .Under no circumstances must you reduce the size of a flue, go larger but not smaller.50 mm is the minimum needed for all round clearance from any combustable material,buy the correct ceiling fire plates when going through ceilings etc.If the boiler is a floor standing model I would run the first metre in vitro enamel or twin wall before connecting on to the flexy flue liner, disapates the heat better before it hits the flexy, make sure you buy the correct liner for a wood burner,oil and gas is a different standard,put the correct cowl on the chimney.Sounds a bit dodgy going into the fireplace upstairs, if it is a must to go in that direction i would fit a register plate in that fireplace and run the liner into it.[so the chimney can be cleaned]But the correct way is to run the liner right through the stack.Michael.

 To all you nice people who wished us well .Some little news about our break in.It was not a Frenchman or English ,but an Australian walking tourist staying in a cottage by the Seine with his 12 year old daughter.We went back to france the next day after the breakin ,having arrived at our house,had a good look around,found the trail left in the long grass by the vandels, so back tracked from my property right to the back door of these people and confronted them.Asked him what the bl--- y hell he thought he was playing at etc,turned out he was just plain nosing about.Damage done,shutter forced and two broken window panes.I told him it was not quite the behaviour we expect from our Australian brothers now, and reminded him about their distant past and was he descended from the Botany bay lot,anyway he felt pretty bad about the whole affair and offered to compensate etc.Told him to repair the damage with my tools and i would not call the redcoats.So hi ho now back in Uk to drying out and repair..Michael.

 RH No that ones not ours,thats just a minnow, we have found George downstream  but my betterhalf fell in trying to net him.We have put wire netting across the stream until it the level drops so hopefully the three that deserted the sinking ship will be caught.To top it all ,our house in france has been broken into, i just hope it has not been trashed.Somebody up there is not smiling down on us at the moment ,still it could have been worse,it could have been me falling in the drink!!.Michael.

Thanks Dick for those few nice words. We are still battling clearing up,but its the smell now which is quite overpowering.The full extent of the damage is only just hitting us now the pressure is off and i have had a good survey,at least there has been no sewage through the house,a bonus for being a little isolated.The river Windrush has burst its banks allso the Thames at the place called Newbridge which is near us, the farmers in this area are in a desperate situation having moved there animals to higher ground to other farms in the area,and the crops are looking a bit sad.Our home and work in france is now only going to take second place to Uk while we help to sort this mess out etc etc.Michael.