cheminot

It appears that I've missed all the fun! I havent had time to look at replies since I posted this so I suppose I'll just have to settle for the grass snake. I was hoping for something a bit more exotic but my 'other half' is quite relieved! cheminot

I saw a snake on the road outside my house when I returned from the brico in my car this morning. It was about a metre long and very dark green with no visible pattern makings on it. As it scuttled off as soon as I arrived I couldn't take a photo of it. Can anyone identify it from my description please? cheminot.

Many thanks Poolguy. I have now ordered a pump/filter setup capable of up to 8m3 per hour as I like the idea of some spare capacity. cheminot.

I have had enough of the struggle to keep the pool clean with the pump/filter setup that was supplied with my Intex pool. It is totally inadequate for the purpose. I would be grateful for any recommendations for a replacement set-up. My pool has about 18000ltrs capacity. My thanks in anticipation. cheminot.

Many thanks for all your replies, off to the brico in the morning...........! cheminot

I need  a tube of the compound used to fix bolts into concrete/ brickwork. The type that you inject into the drilled hole and then just push the bolt in then it sets solid. As I dont even know what it is called in english (hence the subject title) I certainly dont know what to ask for in french!  Can anyone help me with this please? cheminot

Can I ask another question on this subject please? I have just filled in my first tax return and as I am covered by an 'E' form have left section VIII of the form 2047 completely blank. Should I have also written explaining that I have an 'E' form or will leaving it blank suffice? cheminot

[quote user="tj"]HI Just reread your original post, I was under the impression it was Astra 2/ Hotbird, as theres nothing much on Astra 1 all the BBC's and ITV's etc are on Astra 2. Simplest way is get a motor 75 euros, and the worlds your oyster as they say. [/quote] No, the dual head lnbs are all Astra1/Hotbird as far as I know.  I've never seen an Astra2/Hotbird configuration. I dont want to receive UK tv on it, I have a seperate sky dish for that, but to update events, I bought and fitted a new lnb today. Instant results!  I can now get either Hotbird or Astra1 but not both! I'm going to leave it on Hotbird, that has more than enough channels for me, many of which are shared with Astra anyway. cheminot

[quote user="tj"]The dual LNB is attached round the body of one of the pair ? Try attaching to the other, so, if when looking from front the left is attached move it ove to the right one.  [/quote] Thanks for the suggestion. I tried that, it didn't work either! cheminot

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]If you've got unlimited time and easy access,   my next step would be to connect the monobloc dish up to your existing Astra 2 box and see if you can align one of the LNB's onto 28.2 deg E.   Without Diseq signalling one of the LNB's will be "live" (although I don't know which one) but at least if you get it working on Astra 2 then you know that one of the LNB's in the monobloc is (still) working,   and then you could have another look for Hotbird/Astra 1.... [/quote] Thank you for your suggestion. I tried this yesterday with the same result, nothing! so the chief suspect is the lnb unit. Fortunately they are cheap to buy so I'm going to get another one and try again. cheminot

Thanks for the input so far. To go into more detail, I also have a seperate sky dish set up which works fine. To test the cable I swopped the hotbird cable onto the sky setup and it worked perfectly so I am as confident as can be that the cable is not the problem.  Regarding the Hotbird/Astra setup, yes it is a double lnb on a single cable. I followed the instructions carefully so provided they are correct then I am trying to set it up on the correct lnb. I did try lining it up on the other one just to be sure, but with no result, not even any signal strength! The real puzzle is that it worked OK to start with. I am wondering if there is a fault with the lnb itself. I may have to resort to buying another one to find out! cheminot

I've bought a digital satellite kit from the brico. It is one of those with a double lnb for Hotbird/Astra1 connection.  Fitted it all up and using coordinates obtained from the internet set it as per the instructions (most unusual for me).  Eventually I got a signal strength and quality of around 70% on Hotbird but nothing on Astra. This didn't bother me as there are enough channels on Hotbird for me. The next day I find that the signal strength is still around 70% but the quality is 0% and no picture.  I have tried 'tweaking' the dish as before to get the picture back but the signal quality remains stubbornly at zero. Any ideas what to do about this please? cheminot

I am in the middle of building an Abri (shed) in my garden. Because I live in a conservation area the planning authority laid down very strict criteria for its construction which differed from my original plan. They simply listed what type of constuction/materials and even the finish colours of wood, render and tiles I must use saying that provided I complied with this I could go ahead. I would say that provided there are no restrictions like this on your permis then you can use whatever method of construction you prefer as long as you keep to the stated dimensions. cheminot

Many thanks Clair! cheminot

Can anyone tell me what the french name for a sewing needle threader is please. Dictionaries have been no help on this one! cheminot

I grew 'Desirée' and 'Julienne' varieties last year. They turned out to be very similar in their characteristics, ie; red skin, waxy. and they grow to a good size. I have used them for all methods of cooking and they have both proved to have excellent flavour. They also keep well, I have four sacks left to last me to the next crop and I will certainly be growing some more this year. cheminot

Water Softener; how it works;  Hard water from the main supply flows into a coalescent filter element (this is the large cylindrical lump inside the main body {salt chamber} of the softener or, in the case of most Culligan and some other makes it is a separate unit). The water also partially fills the salt chamber absorbing some of the salt to make a brine solution. The coalescent filter absorbs the hard salts contained in the water and discharges soft water to supply taps etc. Eventually the filter cannot absorb any more of the hard salts and must be cleaned. This is called 'Regeneration'. To regenerate the filter the softener control unit switches the water supply to 'bypass'. At this time hard water will flow through to the taps unsoftened hence the regeneration is usually programmed for the early hours when water consumption will be minimal. While the supply is bypassed the control unit takes the brine from the salt chamber and back flushes the filter with it. The soft sodium-based salts in the brine absorb the hard salts in the filter and flush them away, it then backflushes the filter with clean water to wash away any brine residue. Finally, the control unit switches back to 'service' mode where the mains water is being softened and the salt chamber is refilled ready for the next regeneration. There are few things to go wrong with a water softener but here are some of the commonest:  Q. Is the water partially softened or not at all?  A. Test the water before and after the softener. If the results are the same both sides check the softener is switched on and the manual bypass is closed, this might be fitted to the softener itself or the adjacent pipework. If the water is softer after passing through the softener but not full soft: Again check the bypass is fully closed. Check the salt level (I have never heard of too much salt being a problem) Q. Are you using more water than the softener can cope with between regenerations? A. The harder the water the less can be softened before the next regeneration is required. Some softeners have a simple timer control which starts the regeneration at a predetermined time and if the consumption exceeds the softeners capacity between regenerations it will eventually cease to soften the water resulting in the calcaire deposits on taps etc. In this case you can either manually regenerate it if it doesnt happen often or reset the timer to allow more frequent regeneration if it is happening regularly. Other softeners are throughput controlled, ie. Every X000 litres of water throughput the softener will automatically regenerate. With this type if the water is not fully softened it is usually because the control unit is not set to the correct input hardness. Q. Is it using any salt? A.If the salt level doesn't drop check the siphon pipe in the salt chamber. You will have to virtually empty the salt chamber for this. examine the filter (which should be!) on the end of the tube and clean it if necessary, check the tube itself for any perforations, replace if necessary. After this if you are still not getting soft water then I recommend calling in the service agent as it is likely to be a control unit problem or, if the softener is getting on a bit the filter unit may need changing. Hope this helps cheminot

Thanks Mikew. I went into Mr Bricolage today and found some which was a felt-like material which they sell by the metre, job done! cheminot

We have bought a rug for our lounge which has a tiled floor. Is there any product available in France to prevent it from sliding that does not involve sticking it to the floor please? cheminot

I paid for this camera by paypal. Under the paypal terms and conditions any claim has to be started within 45 days of payment. As I have had to wait 12 weeks for (non) delivery I am outside their claims timescale. Even if I wasn't, I doubt very much if it would achieve anything as they only say that they will try to recover the money from the seller (fat chance!). cheminot

The 'nut next to the pump' you refer to I assume surrounds the pump shaft. If so, then it is the gland nut which retains the pump seal or packing. undoing it will not allow the shaft to come out of the pump. The pump shaft will be attached to an impellor inside the pump and can only be removed by dismantling the pump. The 'piece of metal with leather inserts' you refer to should be in two parts, one fitted to the pump shaft the other to the motor shaft. If you undo the motor from its mountings it should pull apart at this coupling. Be sure to mark the shaft and coupling before you take them apart to ensure they go back exactly the same way and retain any shims or spacers in their places. I cant say any more without knowing more about the installation, can you post some photos of it perhaps? cheminot

I ordered a camera from the above named french online store. The price was good but quoted a long delivery time (8-12weeks). As I was in no hurry to get it this did not bother me. I have now found that their website is closed as is their phone line and I cannot find a postal address.  By doing a 'google' have found that they are being prosecuted for non delivery of goods and there are a lot of other people who have apparently lost their money. In the circumstances I am quite lucky as the item I ordered was quite low value but I read of people who have lost in excess of 1000euros, even so, I would like to try and get my money back. Does anyone know how to go about it? cheminot

Or it could be a centrifugal clutch to absorb start up load, either way, if you remove the motor one half of the coupling/clutch should come with it which should enable you to see more clearly what the problem is. Until then it will be difficult to advise you further. cheminot

Around here seems to be very light on industry of  this nature, but thank you all for your ideas. I will keep on looking. I'm sure I'll find supplies somewhere. cheminot

I really dont know where to post this one.  I am looking for a supply of metal  bars predominantly round bars of varying diameters. When we moved here I brought with me my metalwork lathe and naturally I want to put it to good use. I did bring my small stock of metal as well but having done a few jobs for people it is gradually being depleted. I have been to a local steel stockholder, but if I buy from there I have to buy complete lengths as they do not cut it. This works out expensive and I could also potentially be stuck with a lot of metal that I have no use for. The local 'serrurie' will cut metal but does not stock the sizes I need most. Any ideas please? cheminot