Nick Trollope

Andy and Tony are both right, but you really should try to get it the right way round! Could you not trace the cable back to a point where the connections are identifiable? (Such as on the main breaker).  

Burn off the insulation when pulling an earth cable? Eh? How much energy would you need to do that? Have you tried to start a fire with 2 PVC sticks? No, it is easy to pull wires through gaine - after all, that is exactly how it is designed. If there is no earth cable in the gaine, push a "tire fil" (available from Bricodepot for about 10€) - use a lubricant (washing-up liquid eg.) if you wish, attach the G/Y wire and pull back - gently, or you may burn the cable and set fire to your house..... It is done all the time, I can assure you....  

No regs for the digger. It does not need to be registered for the road (then again, you can't use it in a road). No TVA/duty if it is not new. Only problem is likely to be the trailer - you would need to find a tralier that is registerable in France (IW or other big manufacturer) and check before purchasing.  

I've got a Dewalt nailer (D51845 I think). Had it for years, never given me a hint of trouble.....  

Sorry to be a downer, but, have you done the maths? Let us assume that there are 150.000 English-speaking households in France and let us assume that 25% of them need curtains (37.500) and that 50% of them (18.750) can't make them themselves, plus 50% of the remainder can get them in the UK (leaving 9375 potential customers in the whole of France). Let's now assume that 50% of them have no money (4688) and half of them can go to the shop down the road to get them you have a little more than 2300 potential clients - in France. You have yet to decide on your marketing methods, but if you scattergun the original 150.000 (allow 150.000€), and you get a very good (and unlikely) 2% order rate, then you will need to earn over 3200€ from each client to pay for the advertising, plus 130€ from each client to pay for your cotistations (remember that this is profit, not income), before you can pay yourself anything........  

[quote user="Punch"]Are you absolutely sure about that Nick ? I'm with GiantPanda on this one. As I have always understood it a devis for works estimated at over 150€ is obligatory . It's what my accountant has always told me. [/quote] Both me (and I presume), you, undertake "emergency" work, for with I charge 45€/hr or part thereof and I start the clock running when I get the 'phone call (ostensibly to cover my diesel costs). I tell the customer this when he/she calls (plus parts at trade + 30%). That is my devis. You will appreciate that a written devis is impossible when you have not seen the job and the customer rarely (read never IME) wants to wait whilst you prepare a devis - at 45€/hr in his living room! The law, according to my accountant allows this as long as everyone understands what they are getting into. It is wrong for the OPs plumber not to quote an hourly rate, but he should have asked. I'd bet he'd have done so in the UK!   Plumbers and pelicans.....  

Not so There is no legal requirement for a devis for any work - it is sensible, however. In the OPs case, he did not get (ask for) a devis, so he is stuck with the bill. All he can do is speak to the plumber and get him to reduce it.  

Having done it a few times, I'd agree with Anton. Don't forget that on total rebuilds, the TVA rate is 19.6%. However, the only way to be sure is to get devis!!  

[quote user="teapot"] All LED's are low voltage [/quote] No they ain't - or rather a GU10 LED (the original question, remember) aren't. LED's themselves are current devices, but most LED "bulbs" are GU10 and hence mains voltage (GU10 is a mains-voltage spec).  

Looking on Google Earth, there is a huge area (about 13Km across) surrounded by what looks like circular fields. What is it?  

You are all missing the point; Most building trades are (heavily) regulated in France (as they are in Spain, but not the UK). French law requires all building trades to be insured (decenale and public), this insurance is only available to French-registered tradesmen. Of course a large company can employ Poles or Spaniards, provided they themselves are registered and insured. The workers are employees, not self-employed. So, it is illegal to use workers of any nationality that qre not properly registered and insured - nothing to to with EU law, which does not negate the need to comply with additional national laws.  

The problem with old chemical-dry products, like plaster, is that they go off too quick and lose strength. Does sieveing it fix this?  

[quote user="BIG MAC"]Nick we are currently using thermal imaging to show dampness in building fabric, another string to your bow maybe? With fixed wire testing getting mega pricey T.I. is becoming more popular over here also for interims[/quote] Yes indeed. I am actually waiting for a place on an English-language course on the whole gamut of uses for TI. Should be fun (not as much fun as doing it in French, however!!)  

About 10K, but it will repay in no time, so the salesman told me.... Where are you?  

Perhaps 70-100€ per SqM, depending on the complexity of the work. If anyone told you that building work is cheap in France, they lied. What were you quoted?  

Best advice, call an electrician! Failing that, the multigang and socket should be OK at this current, but obviously weren't. Due, most probably to an old/dirty socket causing increased resistance. Resistance = heat in a circuit such as this. Unplug it (obviuously) and don't use multigangs again..... PS. You wouldn't expect a trip to go - after all, they are designed to go once the current reaches its pre-set maximum. You house would have burned down long before that happened! PPS. I have just bought a thermal imaging camera. Superb for detecting faults like this before they become serious. PPPS. Try registering as a thermographer. Entertainment in itself......  

I think you have answered your own question there.  

[quote user="Punch"] That's a good point - On a single phase electronic meter I think it is either N°4 or N°5 to see what the maximum demand has been, but I have no idea if a start up current would register or not. [/quote] No it wouldn't; they are all "averaging" meters. I have a customer whose (temporary supply) breaker trips out occasionally - always at 07:30 hours (or thereabouts). It is nothing in the property, so I can only assume that it is noise caused by some large piece of (agricultural) machinery. Would this explain the OPs problem?  

[quote user="sunshine 2"]Letters sent 'a recommande' are only held at the PO in France for 2 weeks - so if an attempt to deliver it to the address was not successful then a card would be left asking for someone to visit the PO to collect it.  If they do not then go to the PO for 2 weeks then the letter is returned to sender - so it's really quite easy to end up having a letter returned. [/quote] BUT, a court (or Hussier) would regard the letter as delivered and the contents read - even if it is obvious that they have not been. Strange, but true....  

Simple. Write to your chambre, giving them the details of the date and they will create a collection of forms for each of the caisse, for your signature. They individual organisations will then send you a closing bill.... 31/12 should be a good date as you will have no payments left to make. In theory!

[quote user="teapot"]How about air source heat pumps? although you will have to dig up your floor for the under floor heat pipes at least you won't have to dig up the garden as well.[/quote] Read Le Plombiers reply. In my experience, they do not work (in as much that there is not enough energy available in the air to heat a house without backup). They cost a fortune to run as a result (as the backup is usually electric). Geothermal (as in ground-source) is good, once you have installed it - but very very expensive to install from scratch - and if you can't use underfloor, it's efficacy is severly reduced. My current "best bet" is wood pellets, which are not as inconvenient as LP suggests....  

Also be aware that TVs with PC inputs (which ones with Tuners in tend to be) are very low (VGA) resolution - I haven't found one that works properly at better than 1024x768.  

Likewise. I use a WD 640Gb external HDD (cost about 99€) connected to our "main" machine and software called Comodo (free) running on the others (4), which backs up over the network (part wireless, part wired) - easy!  

Daniel calls our TomTom "Pandora" - woman in a box or summat. Years ago, I had one of the first talking cars (remember the MG Montego?) that was female and used to say things like "handbrake on". I gather that they had to reprogram "her" for the German market because their market researchers said that German men wouldn't accept instruction from a female voice......

BTW, what is wrong with his TVA number? Looks fine to me. Or has it been changed?