joidevie

[quote user="Théière"]Fortune favours the brave, There is nothing anywhere written down no matter how ambiguous that says you can't. No sharp bits longer than 5.5cm? I would go for it, even if there is someone objecting they have a manager and they would need to prove why it was more dangerous than any other 3 kg item.  A bottle purchased air side is far more potentially dangerous. Don't be bullied [/quote] Price to check in bag online - £25 Price to check in bag at the airport if item disallowed - £100 (!!!) Price of sander new £60 Price of sander in France £95 Looks like a potential spread bet at Ladbrokes.. At least I will be able to check in a handful of other 'difficult' items... I'm tempted to try it, but it's been real hit and miss on other occasions, and usually the items have been cheap enough to throw away rather than go and check in.. It just take Mr jobsworth to 'find' a problem with the article and you're stuffed (although, on the whole, they are decent people, but once in a while.....)

... I think I'll check it in.. I need it this visit, but stupidly didn't realise that Ryanair's "off peak" bag fees don't start until a few days later.. So £25 instead of £15.. Still, it was €50 cheaper to buy than in France, and I get to pack some other overdue items in the box.. And the same cost as a 15kg DHL (well, almost, but no waiting in for deliveries..) Chancing it in hand will only be hassle as it may need checking in on the day (higher fees).. The problem is, it so depends on who's making the decision on the day in security.. I've had so many mixed responses at security. "depends on who's on duty on the day" is the usual get out if faces are long..

Hi.. Security at Stansted can be unpredictable to say the least. I was hoping to carry a new boxed orbital sander in a bag - any ideas if they'll take it? It's 3kg (I've carried a music player before of that weight) but I'm worried as it's a power tool they'll baulk? Any ideas? Thanks...

Thanks everyone so much, this is most useful.. As ever, some really clear pointers.. Great forum.

Hello all.. Last year it was recommended to me to lodge a 'testament' with my Notaire 'leaving' my house with to person of my choice in the event of my death to avoid any great tax burdens.. This amounted to no more than a hand written piece of paper where I wrote to whom it should go to (with the contents). The Notaire dictated to me what to write and it is now in my 'dossier'.. More recently I have been drafting a UK will and my solicitor is not entirely impressed with the document as it is merely a 'statement' (the paper itself is not even 'signed' by the Notaire himself, though he did witness my writing it).. Is this type of 'testament' (or will) indeed completely 'valid'? And in UK law too? Many thanks in advance for any help on this..

[quote user="Cendrillon"]joidevie do look at ACOVA they do really brilliant radiators with a kind of jell inside, they can be thermostatically controlled and look great. [/quote] I did look at the Acovas, and after looking at the prices my eyes were watering so much that I couldn't see any more.. OK, only joking, and they do look great.. Possibly an option for one room (as a treat) and then cheapie convectors for the less used rooms..

[quote user="idun"]For quick heat in a bedroom, I'd probably have electric radiators, hoping that guests wouldn't leave them blasting all night long. [/quote] Cheers.. And I presume you mean a convector rather than a fluid filled on this not..?

Hi.. I have read the many 'descriptions' of the differences in radiators (from panneaux rayonnants to inerties..) and I actually think for much of the house I will go for simple convectors as many bedrooms are part time use etc. The old ones we have dotted around which we dismounted from the walls have served well to quickly heat the air while the wood burner kicks in.. I am however looking at 'possibly' having something like a fluid filled ticking over in the main room (with the wood burner) and bathroom instead as they 'retain' more of a localised heat.. The main large room struggled during the very cold last year, and I'm not sure if a fluid one will really do enough.. They seem to be only around 1000w, and while the convector chucks out satisfying heat quickly, I fear the fluid might just sit there and not cut the mustard.. I have no problem with the 'dryness' of the convertors as the house is always a little moist in winter, and I find the panneaux rayonnants a little ugly.. Any gut feelings on this one? Many thanks.. PS. The house is an old stone house however is now properly glazed..

[quote user="Pommier"]Have a look at the thermostat on the chauffe eau. Does it look like this? http://yfrog.com/f3dsc0916lj If it's set on 5 that's the highest temperature, so try turning it down to 3 or 4.[/quote] Great info from all again, and this temp control setting pic.. So, is the consensus that on a normal tariff that say a 200l tank with 2 showers a day (maybe 3 if there's a visitor), and only with a little kitchen use (we have a dishwasher), that say two of hours of 'on' time (via a timer) is noticeably cheaper to run? And what type of timer is recommended and where it's wired in? And are there normes about where the 'timer' is located? Many thanks again..

So leaving it on whilst absent for two weeks is much more expensive that re-heating from scratch (5hrs) when returning to the house ? Also, should we have consider some king of temp control as the water that comes out is hot enough to boil an egg! (it's a new 200l Atlantic)..

Double post, sorry - just seen the other thread. (cannot delete this however?).

Some great suggestions, many thanks! It would be a block and beam floor.. Discussing with macon..

Hi.. Does anyone have any clever solutions for stealing a bit of light into a potential bathroom that will have a small flat roof (terrace) above it but no windows in the walls? Is there anything that can be put in during the construction stage? Also, the best option for an air outflow? Many thanks if anyone has any ideas..

[quote user="Théière"]You could give these people a call, They know the subject very well.[/quote] Thanks for the interesting link...

[quote user="Chancer"]So not stone at all but concrete?[/quote] Yes, 'concrete'.. But I thought it would amount to roughly the same thing?..  An early bench test is possibly showing good results with oil/grease stains on a hydrofuged surface without the subsequent wax/polish.. More soon!

Thanks for the replies.. The worktops are actually re-cycled cast cement washing slabs we found in the yard here (the house was the old plumber's place) and are highly absorbent.. I think the decapant route may the the way forward. One suggestion has been that the 'stains' are in fact the grease staining the wax top coat and not the stone itself (good theory) so we will do some more tests on hydrofuge only on some samples (ie no waxing).. I'll come back with the results once we know more!

Hi all.. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to use to protect a bare stone kitchen worktop from grease/oil etc? We treated it in a floor 'hydrofuge' moisture sealer and have then waxed it in Briwax Stone & Granite polish, butthe worktop repels water based mess perfectly, but anything oil based just soaks in and stains.. And is impossible to to clean as it is now so well sealed from water! Any ideas would be hugely welcome.. Many thanks...

Thanks.. I'm beginning to think the roughening is quite recommended to 'stop' the cord (or hemp) spilling out of the threads during tightening.. I'll report back once I get 'round to the shower fitting..

Hi.. I just received a set of Grohe shower taps with an 'S' union wall escutcheon kit like this one The 1/2 male end has linear scores all the way along the thread (visible in the photos in the link)..  Am I right in thinking that this for use with threading sealants? I'm currently using Loctite 55, and not hemp/paste, and the instructions for the Loctite talks of 'scoring' threads before use. I assume Grohe have simply done this for me, or is this pre-done scoring for hemp only.. Or is even PTFE ok with the Grohe thread.. Many thanks, and please excuse my ignorance..

Are you a registered UK tax payer?

Great, many thanks for the helpful answers.. Seems I was on the right track..

Is there some easy trick for joining two lengths of straight grey PVC (40mm) where I need to join them but am unable to move them to either side? I've had to cut into a section to add some additional pipework, but am left with a join to make where the pipes are quite rigid and yanking them to either side to slip in a 'manchon egal' is impossible.. I've seen the 40cm grey flexibles which is an obvious option, but eventually being behind placo I was hoping for a more 'serious' method - or am I concerning myself too much about using a flexible? Perhaps some 'manchon' which can be slid over one of the pipe ends, the pipes then aligned, much glue on either end, then the manchon very quickly dragged over the section to be joined (whilst gently twisting to give a good bond)? Is this orthodox or a bit risky? Many thanks for any experiences..

No problem.. I too feel the thread is too short - but attaching a really short piece of 15mm copper with a male 1/2 brass would make it too long non? And I don't think the Bristan is adjustable in any way - I have one in the UK and it is a completely fixed width. I'm no plumber, but might I 'recess' the placo mounting kit a few more mm's to take a 15mm pipe with a male 1/2 brass attaced (and use some sort of deeper cover plates to gain even more?)? Ever used one of these?  Can they be cut with a pipe cutter? Is the brass stem designed to take a compression fitting? Is it too soft and needin some sort of insert? http://www.speedfit.co.uk/Home/Products/Brass-Fittings/10,-15,-22---28mm-Size-Brass-Fittings/MALE-STEM-ADAPTOR.aspx [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/johnguestbrass.jpg[/IMG] http://www.supremeplumb.com/cgi-bin/DMdatabase.cgi?action=/home/suprem13/public_html/cgi-bin/home/Shop/Plumbing_Fittings/JG_Fast_Track_Ring_Main_System.txt&item=00069 Or a more industrial version, but maybe a little hard to use with an olive compression fitting? [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/sealey-cas15sta-15mm-stem-adaptor-12bsp-00105135L.jpg[/IMG] http://www.toolbox.co.uk/sealey-cas15sta-15mm-stem-6836-105135 This way one could always later fit the French 'mitiguer' adaptor with the step up in thread and off centre in order (those things that are supplied with the French mixers) if one wanted to revert to a French mixer. Maybe I just need to hear that I should ditch the UK Bristan and go French/European?

Is it not 15/21 or 1/2 inch? Is this a case of giving up or is there an easy obvious solution? Cheers.

Hi everyone, I hope someone can help a little. I have a new Bristan thermostatic shower I an considering fitting onto a new placo/tiled shower area. The Bristan comes with two 90 degree 'elbows' with 15mm UK chrome olive compression fittings supposedly at a 153mm width/spacing.   [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/osborne_thermostatic_surface_mounted_with_adjustable_riser.jpg[/IMG] I am looking to connect this to a 'sortie cloison' with 1/2 inch female brass fittings, but these seem more designed for a typical French 'mitigeur' and not UK 15mm pipes sticking out of the wall. [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/sortie1.jpg[/IMG] My first question is how to best (if at all, I may still pack it in and buy a French mixer) connect the Bristan cartridge to the wall. The chrome thread for the olive nut seems not deep enough to form a 1/2 inch 'threaded' connection? [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/_MG_0281.jpg[/IMG] I want to retain a French style 'outlet' on the wall for any later changes if possible.. A second question lies in the plumbing to the 'sortie de cloison' itself. I am using 20mm 'multicouche' (pex?) in the barthroom as a feed, but am not sure whether to reduce to 16mm for the shower or simply go 20mm directly into the shower? The difference in internal diameter is quite marked - can I over power the shower mixer with the 20mm or might it cause a problem? Should I 'reduce' to 16mm? ANJOU CONNETIQUE seem to stock the 'kit cloison' dedicated to 'multicouche' with an option for 16mm or 20mm [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/connection20mm.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/bristan/kit.jpg[/IMG] http://www.anjou-connectique.com/kit-sortie-de-cloison-multicouche-c-89_213_494_499.html I hope I've been as clear as possible, and would really appreciate some help as I've been around the block on this one.. Many thanks.