jerrytlr

Update - got the tester today, CYA measures at 33mg/litre - no idea if that is low or high! Any thoughts? Cheers Jerry

I'm still waiting for the tester to arrive.... so still not sure where my CYA level is... However I have gone back to adding Javel - 24hrs in and the chlorine level is nice and high again but the pool is still very green. I'm beginning to think that abandoning it until next spring is the way to go too! Cheers Jerry

Hi - I bought the tester you recommended of course :-) Zeolite - that's it. I am backwashing quite regularly. Looking at it today I think the algae is winning again - chlorine had dropped once more and I didn't have time to do anything with it yesterday, now it looks a bit greener than a couple of days ago.... So back to the brico to get more Javel on Monday. In the meantime I have put some multifonction tablets in to try and stop the chlorine dropping any further - bad idea, or good idea...? Really need that tester to arrive so I can check the other parameters. The test strips I am using at the moment are showing low chlorine (as of this pm) but all other parameters about spot on.... Cheers Jerry

Hi it's a sand type but doesn't have sand in it - can't remember what it is...! I am monitoring the pressure gauge to check it is not getting too clogged, I have backwashed it once but it didn't really need it... Cheers, Jerry

Now been through 4 cycles of 10 litres of Javel, the pool looks a lot less green but still very cloudy (can't see the bottom even at shallow end). Do I just need to keep the filter running until it clears? It has been running 24hrs/day for a few days now.... Or do I just need to keep the chlorine level up high until the cloudyness goes away? TIA for your advice Cheers, Jerry

Quick update - the javel seems to be working! Chlorine level read nice and high a short while after adding it and the green colour is starting to fade. After a few hours chlorine had fallen way back again so I added another 10 litres. Hopefully a couple more cycles like this will clear it... Cheers Jerry

Nobody has ever added any stabiliser... unless it has been added due to the chlor shoc or the multifonction tablets I have been using. I have just ordered a tester that is capable of measuring the CYA to see if that is the problem. Unfortunately it won't arrive for a few days. In the meantime, I added 10 litres of Javel from the brico this morning, and will add some more this afternoon - I'll see if that makes any difference..... Thanks for all your help Cheers, Jerry

Hi Théière, yes it is a liner pool. Does that change your advice? Thanks v much for your help Any recommendations as to a good pool tester to buy? I need to stop this happening again ;-) Best regards Jerry

Hi - agriculture is pretty much 100% cattle, very little fertiliser or weed control chemical use. The pool is about 10m from the nearest trees. It is in a location exposed to a lot of sunlight, and we are still in the process of building the terracing so when it was being used quite heavily a few weeks ago there was probably higher than normal dirt ingress into the pool. It is not possible to see how much dirt is sitting on the bottom though! It is also not covered at all at the moment, as without the terracing being finished, we cannot install the cover (this should all be done within the next couple of weeks). Hope this extra info is useful! Can I post a picture on here? May help confirm that it is indeed algae (I am pretty sure it is, but best not make any assumptions...) Cheers Jerry

Hi sorry to post yet another 'green pool' problem - I promise I have read some of the previous threads on the subject, but am still not sure what to do. Here is the basic info: - recently installed 10 x 5 in ground pool - about 70m3 - was fine for several weeks with lots of users, was happy maintaining water with just multifonction tablets - suddenly went green over about 2 days. I mean really green - cannot see the bottom of the pool type green. - big dose of Chlor Shoc - no difference at all the next day. - measured water again - alkalinity seemed low, added bicarb which brought it back in range - another big dose of Chlor Shoc, no difference at all the next day. - measured the water, pH high, so added loads of pH- until it is now in the right range - another big dose of Chlor Shoc, no difference at all the next day. pH still in range. Chlorine level reading is still near zero. Filter running 24hrs a day during all of this. Used 3 different water testers and all seem to be giving a more or less consistent result, apart from the alkalinity which seems hard to measure . It seems I am adding Chorine to a pool with a good pH level, and it is doing nothing. It is a brand new tub of Shoc by the way... Any thoughts on what is going on here, and what I should do next? From the previous threads, I wonder if I should add plain Javel from the supermarket instead of Shoc?? Water is very soft in my area. Any help gratefully received!! Cheers, Jerry

Can somebody point me to a link describing HADOPI in a bit more detail (in English!)? Is it really the case that the connection owner would be deemed guilty unless they can prove their innocence, if a guest downloaded something illegal? I have a segregated network in the Gite, so that guests cannot see any devices on the family's network, but of course it is all using the same broadband router and connection... Cheers, Jerry

Hi thinking of buying an international upgrade which will be a very convenience way of marketing into France, but I have no idea which sites the French tend to favour when searching for Gite accommodation. The upgrade will get me onto http://www.abritel.fr/ Anybody got any views on this? Anybody care to recommend any french sites? Cheers, Jerry

Title says it all really - just wondering if it is normal in France to charge guests extra for firewood for the woodburner in the Gite, or whether I should be suppying it for free. There is electrical heating too but to get the Gite really warm then the woodburner is also required.... I'm currently charging €2 for a basket of logs, which covers my costs but not a lot more... Cheers, Jerry

Hi all, I am now living permanently in France and for the time being at least my Gite income will be my only income here (my better half still earns a salary in the UK, and I have a small property related income in the UK still). I currently have only 1 Gite and am thinking of B&B in the main house too. However, we are in the process of renovating a building to create a second Gite so there are loads of expenses going out, which means there will be net outgoings for at least a couple of years - i.e. no profit. Any thoughts as to what the best tax regime to go for is? I am not even sure how much of the renovation costs can legitimately be offset against gite income for tax anyway... I must confess the simplicity of the microenterprise approach does appeal, but it would be foolish to pay tax unnecessarily, when the money could be used to grow the business instead (better for me and for France :-)). Any guidance gratefully received!! Cheers, Jerry

Richard, I am going to put the Gite up on at least one French site soon - can you recommend one that has worked well for you? Many thanks, Jerry

Thanks for the very informative answer! Much appreciated. The room I have in mind has its own bathroom (with a very nice view!) and there will even be a dining room just for the guests which adjoins their room - so I think the physical layout is almost perfect. What I am really concerned about is managing people's expectations - I would be very upset if for example people were expecting complete tranquility... I guess it all boils down to marketing it accurately! The key thing is, it seems it would not be unusual to rent a room in a house with kids - that is reassuring! Cheers, Jerry

Hi all, first post on this forum! We recently moved to NE Dordogne area and now iive here permanently. I would like to start running a low key B&B operation - just one room - in our main home, which I feel has fantastic potential to provide excellent accommodation. My main concern however is that the room is in our main family home, not a separate building, and we have young kids (5 and 10) who wouldn't necessarily blend quietly into the background even if we wanted them to (we wouldn't). Does anybody run an operation like this, or do you all have B&B accommodation that is isolated from the main family home? Or are you all retired without kids living with you (joke ;-) ) Am I mad to even consider it? The guests would have plenty of their own space - it is mainly noise I am worried about. Any thoughts gratefully received..... Cheers, Jerry

Really helpful advice everybody, many thanks! Seems like no need to panic yet, but I do need to think about my marketing strategy a fair bit more than I have so far... Cheers, Jerry

Hi all We recently moved to France (Dordogne), now living here permanently. Our property includes one established Gite, but the previous owners let the marketing and bookings (and condition!) slip for the last year or so before we bought, so I am now trying to rebuild the business. Effectively, it's like starting from scratch. I have read lots of really helpful info on here about where and how to advertise, and how to grow the number of bookings - however, the info I cannot find is - when do customers tend to make their bookings? We are up and running with one marketing site so far, but over the last few weeks I have had only a handful of enquiries and no bookings yet. Should I worry about this? Or are people currently thinking about xmas, and will start sending enquiries and (hopefully) making bookings come Jan/Feb? Would be interested to know what other people have found regarding what 'peak times' are for enquiries, and also how many bookings one would reasonably expect to have for 2011 at this stage..... I am anyway concentrating on improving the marketing of the Gite, but advice on what 'normal' is for enquiries at this time of year would really help me know how much more I should be investing at this stage.... Thanks in advance for your help! Cheers, Jerry

Thanks everybody for your advice! I was in the process of buying the K1300S, and have reluctantly backed out of the deal due to the uncertainty of obtaining the carte gris - it is pointless IMO buying the bike if it has to be restricted, and as this involves new throttle bodies etc., it would also cost a fortune! So I have decided to go down a different route, and am buying a R1200GS instead - with 105bhp as standard.... I'll miss the power, but the GS will make up for it in other ways. Cheers, Jerry

Hi all, I would like to import my K1300R to France, but obviously it is somewhat in excess of the 106bhp limit.... Assuming I can get insurance OK (declaring it as a full power UK spec bike of course), does anybody know exactly what the legality is regarding using it in France on UK plates? Ideally, I would like in due course to import it formally and obtain the Carte Gris, would I have to restrict the power before I can do this, or is the Certificate of Conformity alone enough? Any help/advice gratefully received....including recommendations for insurance companies! BTW I am familiar with the import process for cars (I am in the process of importing two atm), my question relates only to the issue of having a bike with >106bhp. TIA for your help, Best regards, Jerry