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dinks

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Everything posted by dinks

  1. We live in a small hamlet in  24 and our house is attached to the property next door. This is owned by Australians that spend time in the house twice a year for no more than 5 months .Then rent it out to fellow Australians the rest of the time. The problem we have is that the electrics in there house are so dodgy that last year whilst the house was rented and whilst the renters where out two of the main electric feed wires that were well past there sell by date touched and sent a power surge through the house, luckily the people renting came back to unplug all three TVs and other electrical items just in time as they were all smoking.   When they had the supply wires changed the English registered artisan, he told them and us that they were so lucky that the whole house and ours did not go up in smoke. And she should stop over loading the sockets and get the place rewired as soon as possible. She told us and the artisan that she was getting the work done when she came back in March this year, but we had to go back to the Uk for ten weeks before she returned .So when we got back we where duly invited in for a drink to find that she still has all the sockets well over loaded and had changed her mind and was not getting the house rewired as she had had no problems whilst she had been there.!! Are concerns are that we or the renters may fall fowl of her neglect.   So my question is should she have any up to date electrical certificates as she rents the house out.   Many thanks  
  2. Well if any of you could help it would save me banging my head agenst the wall I Have plugged the sky box with  free view card into a existing dish of  the guy 3 houses down from us ,and successfully had the card activated and box working well. Then take the sky box back to our house plug it in get up on top of  the roof with a meter to find the satellite ,the meter bleeps it hart out at 3 different points so get the gps out and Decide what one is the right one. Only to come down to the TV to see hat there is no signal or signal strength  . And after trying all the satellites that I could find and going back to the right one again Have given up.   So if any one has any ideas it may save me from the bottle Many thanks
  3. we have had canal + for 12 months but after going back to the uk for 2 months we got a sky free viewing card and box and now have it with us in france. Can i just realign the existing dish and fit the sky box or do i need to change the lnb many thanks
  4. Lets hope you don’t find one of these !!   We live In a small hamlet in SW Dordogne at this time of year there are only 3 French households and 2 brits households  that are occupied. One of the French guys owns 2 houses and is in the process of renovating one of the houses , This house was owned by a French lady that was none to of been very active in the resistance in the war . Well yesterday he was taking apart  a old insert cupboard when something dropped by the side of him.    This is what it was  http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/shan3962/kju.jpg after asking me to look at it and me saying that it looks real to me He then phoned the police at 10.30 am to tell them about it, They sent out the quick response team that turned up at 6.30pm today to have a look . One look and they made a phone call and a special unit will come out tomorrow at some point to deal with it.   I love the speed of life hear and hope that none of you find one of these . Will post up date tomorrow .  
  5. I have two godins One goes over 6 meters up the inside of our barn that forms one half of are home,150mm single skin pipe. When it gets To 750mm from where it goes through the roof I have put 180mm pipe over the 150mm pipe and filled it with Rockwool  and extended that up through  the roof and 750mm on the out side, but then this comes out just before the ridge and have no tar what so ever. But in ore other barn the pipe only goes up 4 meters to the roof and then as with the other godin 750mm before I have added 180mm pipe and filled this with Rockwool this then has to get past the other barn roof witch is 1.5 m higher and then because it comes out at the bottom of the roof on the northern side I have gone up 2.5 m ,But the last meter dose not have the additional 180mm pipe and insulation .and when cold and wet at the same time I do some times get the tar smell  first thing in the morning where the godin has been shut right down for the night . But when I get my butt back on the roof I will fit the additional pipe with insulation and this should stop it.   You would be better to have a T  peace at the back of the godin and not a 90 bend .      Have a look at this site ity may help .   http://www.backwoodsman-stoves.co.uk/MAINMENUS/Chimmenu.html    
  6. The tar like substance is caused by either the gases cooling down and then condensation  forms . Or if the fire is running shut down to much this makes it do the same.   You could also have the pipes fixed so that the male end coming down over the female end ie up the wrong way. How far out of the roof dose the pipe sick out?
  7. We had a real old wild type rose that had grown up on to the wall it was  then trained by the last owners .10 meters in both directions from the ground . Because we had to re-point the walls it had to be cut back to save my poor old hands getting ripped to bits when I re-pointed.   I left a stub of 200mm out of the ground and now after 3 months of the winter it has grown so many shoots that I know that come the march /April I will struggle to keep up with it . Cut them back and don’t worry.
  8. We live in-between Verteillac and the charente border . And know of a local artisan from Riberac That fits pools for one of the pool company’s . He has been in the building game for 30 years ,went to school hear when his family moved hear 36 years ago. All his worker are French but he is English but dont let that put you off if I hadn’t told you wouldn’t of none. He is well respected in the area with French and english. If you PM me with your email I will give you his numbers.
  9. Sounds like to much to me . Around her (dep24) they charge about 30/50 euros m2 . But every job is different (access, condition of existing walls/mortar )    We did 144m2 on are small barn and the materials cost 5 euros m2. But then we are not having to pay half of that to the government .
  10. Way to Go ty its beter to bring some in than not at all. all the guys i know work there butts of so that when the grasss stops they stop,but every bit helps do more of the things we wont to all the best
  11. "Canal tiles are prone to slipping" Not if  they are cliped they dont
  12. Get the pressure washer out come the spring. But you must only point it down the roof, not up the roof or you will get water ingress under the tiles.  And get some chicken wire make a ball or rolled tube  and fit to the gutter out let to stop the moss from blocking you down pipes
  13. Thanks jc it means that I and others who don’t like to admit to braking the law Can just blow right through them speed cameras in or on what ever UK plated vehicle We have.  
  14. A neighbour has been let down by the property management people he has been using for the last three years, they have packed up and gone back to the UK! He got an email from them the day before he was due to fly of to Australia to work then back to his holiday home in France for Christmas . They the  property management people normally put his hot water and heating on 2 to 3 days before he gets hear . So I have been asked to do it for him as I have a key . My problem is that he has asked me not to put the water on if it’s a RED electric day ? What is a red eclectic day or how do I find out what days are , I  think it has something to do with  electric costing more on different days   thanks
  15. One answer would be to use a breather membrane Like a roofing felt will keep water out but allow all inside to breathe  
  16. This may help maybe not In the UK asbestos in slates has not been used for nearly 30 years They still use slates that we called asbestos slates even though they were only fiber cement . If as in the uk the slates are older than 30 years old the older they are the more they have in them (asbestos that is ) 5 years ago we under took a lot of work for the local authorities re-roofing schools because the slates had    asbestos in them well before we could carry out the work we had to send a  sample to be tested , It came back with a trace of the substance in . It was so minimal that we did not have to get special permits to get it dumped and could just put it in the normal skips . HSE were happy for us to just wet the slates down as we took them of to stop any dust and that was the only precaution we had to take . And the slates had been on for 40 odd years . Sadly  asbestos was used for years in so many things some forms of it were very bad an others not so bag . If your slates are not falling off leave well alone If they do start to fall off do the best thing you can and get as many second opinions as you can and you may find that its not such a problem . As for France I would think it’s the same as the uk ,We live in 24 and you don’t see slates that often. As I said this may help, may not        If asbestos was present it should have been picked up when you brought the house     
  17. Sit back and read your posts In one breath your saying its not right to filter and in the other you saying that some one who filters with the( assumption that they are invisible to all others ) has the right attitude I brought my present  motorcycle because it like the many other bikes gives me the  freedom that you don’t get in  a  car. One of the freedoms it gives me is that if I wish I can and do filter ( be that illegal or not) That is one of the choices that I have  (but if in the car  I do not have that choice) But being in the car or on the bike its my choice as to how fast I wish to go and how fast the road conditions allow me to go .And that’s my judgment of the conditions .   How can any one who decides to filter at what ever speed they decide, be spoiling it for the rest of  Us   (The responsible riders )  I.A.M member  
  18. lardy panniers ! It’s the bikes that pull trailers that you  have to watch out for ,they wont even more room and tend to be going a lot faster
  19. I was going to post just after peterws post but thought (don’t bite) I guess that your just one of the car drivers that sits in a lane in a queue of cars and that’s the only time you use your mirrors , Then you see a bike coming and think WHY  should I have to sit hear and the bike just gets to go down the middle of all the traffic . And because your so frustrated you end up pulling your cage that you feel so safe in as far across as you can to stop the bike getting past. Learn to use your mirrors and see some of the other traffic on the roads . And the when you just decide to change lanes just because you think the other  lane if faster then you might just see that bike coming . As a motorcyclist I don’t expect any car to make room for me , As I look at all cars as a danger to me, 30 years on bikes has taught me that . Generally most car drivers in France are more aware of bikes and do give them more room and that’s there choice . But in the cities  its dog eat dog ,and you all have your blinkers on . And when you finally knock one off You will say the same as all the other car drivers SORRY I DID NOT SEE HIM
  20. @TK QUOTE: ( Based on actual experience when working as a builders labourer back in the 53rd state...)....... If I did not know that you Allegedly have green fingers ,I would say that sadly your Sounding like the far to many Alleged artisans that set up in France with the past expertise as  labourers from the uk.   My post was to sow the material costs did not amount to much .
  21. Having been in the building game for 30 years  in the uk And now just having fun doing up the house and living in france (24) I have just pointed all are stone walls, Thankfully we have lots of glass in on of the barns that forms are home . In total it cost us for 170 m2 less than 4 euros m2 for all materials . This included taking apart walls where cracks were and rebuilding and not just doing the franch thing and pouring cement in and saying that that would sort it But then we used the aggregate  in its natural state as it came out of the ground , unwashed or graded . A bit more work but then that’s how it had been done for years .   And of course that did not include my labour and was by hand not mechanical
  22. I have a FJR 1300 Had a new front fitted ,It was a 120/70 zr17 cost 80 euros fitted A bit less in euros than pounds Dept 24
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