bejay

The effluent from a septic tank is far from fully treated. It is a highly complex and variable mix of organic decay products and bacteria, some of which are pathogens. It is in the drain field in the presence of oxygen and aerobic bacteria that the decomposition is completed.  It seems a reasonable  possibility that if this drain field is saturated after heavy rain then  this secondary process is not occurring at the moment. Whether this is just a temporary problem or is a flaw in the design of the drainage system can only be determined locally. Back to the installers I think. bj

[quote user="powerdesal"] edit. Is there any way of doing superscripts on the message panel.-  ie 752.4 x 10 superscript 6  ? [/quote] For these purposes most people settle for 752.4 x 10^6. Otherwise you have to develop a Latex fetish ;-) bj

[quote user="Clair"] Our boiler and fuel tank feed two pumps (our house and the gite). [/quote] Clair Do you mean by this, two C/H water circulating pumps? bj

[quote user="sheldonrobbo"][quote user="marc62"] Hi All   A question that I am fully qualified to respond too! does not happen very often. As the general manager for one of the largest kitchen manufactures & fully responsible for installations (installed 32,000 kitchens in 2007) I would not recomend the method which has been suggested. I reccomend that a masons mitre is used to make a good level joint, a jig is to be used (trend is the preffered choice but they can be hired) any decent kitchen fitter will have one. A router is to be used to cut the tops, a blade with a double cutting edged is better choice. The cut edges are to be sealed, silicone is to be used to seal the edges, do not use PVA glue, varnish or paint as the board will act like a sponge & it will create a ridge in time. Three bolts are also to be used to pull them together even. If you follow the guidelines you will achieve a perfect joint which you should not be able to feel. I fully agree with the suggestion tho practice on the offcuts first as you only get one chance to get it right. Remember the old saying "measure it twice - cut it once". One final word of advise would be to use 40mm worktops, with 30mm tops leave you very little room for error when cutting the keyholes & bolting up. Hope it helps   Marc [/quote]     As a kitchen fitter with 20+ years experience, i agree with all the above . The only additional thing i recomend is to use biscuit joints between the worktop bolts to align the worktop perfectly. If this this all sounds a bit complicated then i suggest you get a pro in to get the job done right. Worktops aren't cheap and in my experience people rarely save money doing it themselves.   good luck [/quote] Very good full advice. Its a help to use a sharp new router bit and if possible fit the worksurfaces soon after buying them..If the are left stored in poor conditions they can develop a very slight cup across the face, only a fraction of a millimetre but it doesn't make the job any easier! bj

[quote user="Gluestick"] With honeycomb briques, bejay, it simply runs into the large crevices before it sets. [/quote] Consider using  containment sleeves if this is a  problem. They  are there on the Screwfix link together with all sorts of other bits and bobs  to make your resin injecting experience happy and fulfilling (and very expensive). As I say  though it does need a little experimentation.but it is very effective stuff when used appropriately. bj

Consider a resin injection system if all else fails. http://www.screwfix.com/cats/100071/Fixings/Injection-Fixing;jsessionid=XNJVNKLJAANJYCSTHZOSFEY There's something for everyone here but little experimentation may be required for a particular situation. bj

The most significant thing about basic copper(II) carbonate in this context is its possible absence. Interested parties should read this link below: http://www.fwr.org/copper.pdf It is written by people who understand this subject in depth  and in my opinion is a much better source than lucky dipping in wikipedia. bj

[quote user="trees"] Now we have quite a lot of new copper piping in the extension, and last visit, I noted that the shower stall, the bidet, and the sink in the shower room, all white, were showing signs of turning blue[8-)] [/quote] There seems little doubt that normally aquired acidic water can cause this problem. If I have understood your post correctly it is the new pipework that is causing the difficulty. It does appear that new pipework together with standing water can build up corrosion products to above normal levels which would not be reached if the system were in continuous use. I think the best advice is still, at least in the first instance, to enquire locally to find out if it is a general problem in the area and work from there. bj

XLB Far Eastern  exterior grade ply  is about three times the price of plain MDF  This price difference rapidly starts to disappear when you look at surfaced MDF panels. I can guarantee you that there will be a trade scale supplier of 18 and 22 mm boards near you  wherever you are in France.but they may well be not be normal timber merchants. Exterior grade ply is marked WBP in the UK,  not sure in france. bj

When  it is appropriate  I like to try feed both wires under both screws in terminal  blocks. This is easy with two single strand conductors but much more difficult  with multi strand wires. I agree that is impossible to know just how many strands are actully clamped by a screw connection. I recently invested in a pair of decent quality crimping pliers and the necessary colour coded connectors and terminals. As it happens I have only used them on 12V DC  systems so far but I have found that they work very well on on multi strand conductors becuse they compresss straight across all the strands. They are not foolproof and you do need to match the cable to the connector but the end result is very neat.  One rarely sees solder joints these days in heavy current (as opposed to electronic) work. bj

1. Hailstorms;  it is very common for very intense summer storms to produce golf ball calibre grellons hereabouts, easily capable of denting cars and breaking roof tiles. Caussenarde I know you are correct about the size of hailstones My car has the dents to prove it, The only person I know who has fitted evacuated tubes was told by the fitter that the only thing they wouldn't stand is being struck by golf balls. HTH bj

Llwyncelyn. I think you can guarantee that new boards fitted by an electrician will have a 30 milliamp earth leakage trip in them. It does sound as if you have only 4kW per phase which is very likely to trip out the EDF supply long before any other overcurrent protection. There are two simple remedies, get EDF to raise the power supply for which you will pay an increased annual charge This figure can be found very easily on the EDF website (and its in English) or do what many French do which is just live with it. There is nothing  particulaly old fashioned about three phase and there are some of us who would get down on their knees and pray for such a supply.but it can cause practical difficulties. Punch wrote a full explantion of these problems in a very recent thread on 3phase.. bj    

  1)  You cannot measure the contents of an LPG cylinder by measuring pressure. The only accurate way to do it is by weight. This is not exactly a practical procedure with  an underground tank. So...... 2) A gauge is fitted to the tank which measures the liquid level in the tank, very like a petrol gauge except that it is mechanical..I assume that the gauge is calibrated to allow for the cylindrical shape of the tank but that, PatF you would need to confirm with your supplier. bj      

[quote user="Gluestick"] Apart from the fact that I don't agree, since the effective pressure reduces in direct proportion to the contents, your earlier statement - as above - disagrees with your last post! [/quote] I am not sure that I understand why you say that. Perhaps you have not read it fully. You are correct in one respect. The presure will of course drop as the cylinder becomes nearly empty. But this does not alter the fact that the pressure in the tank does not follow the inverse proportionality required by Boyles Law.Which is why it shouldn't be used. May I respectfully suggest that you read the wikipedia link you posted,.this may help. But, I suppose, enough of 17 th century Physics! Regards. bj  

A pressure gauge is fine for measuring the contents of an oxygen cylinder because this is a true gas which does obey the simple gas laws. Butane and propane can of course be used in small devices without a regulator because of the constant pressure. The fine tuning is done with a needle valve, bj

[quote user="Gluestick"] Always remembering, of course, that a gas under pressure is subject to Boyle's and Charles's and Gay-Lussac's laws and also ............................ [/quote] People do seem very fond of Boyles Law! Propane in a cylinder is a vapour in equilibrium with its liqid phase and Boyles law does not apply. The pressure inside a cylinder remains fairly constant which is why you can't measure the contents with a simple pressure gauge. It is however dependent on temperature. bj      

Going on what you say...... It is unlikely to be a balancing device It is much more likely, I think, to be a a flexible connector between the motor shaft and the pump shaft. It sounds as if it is breaking up and it will definitely need repair or replacement. bj

Bob You are of course quite correct in your definitions of disjoncters and interrupters. JR is right to say that a that a 32A breaker is used to protect the installed wiring. For a cooker this is a mixture of tradition and futureproofing. Cooker power requirements  can change over the years and indeed in a new property an electrician may well not know what particular device will be connected. Also the level of power supplied to a property can be altered wihin the EDF main switch, Which will trip first depends on the designed disconnection times of the two units rather than the actual current. It should be the 32A trip because it is not a safe situation if the main trip disconnects for a single fault. For anybody who is familiar with UK electrical systems there are two fundamental differences in the existing French systems Firstly in France the earth systems are the responsibility of the customer whereas the UK system its very largely supplied by the supplying utility, secondly, there is, for good reasons, a very great insistence on observing correct polarity in domestic wiring. This has not been so in Europe. The French regulations reflects these two facts in their use of IDs and double pole isolation. They have to start from where thay're  at ! bj    

Hi Set your GPS to UTM WGS84 This setting  works with the blue grid squares on GPS compatible 1:25000 IGN maps. There are other coordinates on these maps and the addition of this grid system is fairly recent. It is nowhere near as well established as the  British grid system. A good reason to buy new maps (if a reason is needed) bj

Hi there In the UK the basic general principle was that that the trench should be dug down to subsoil level. This is usually marked by a distinct change in colour and the depth varies according to local conditions. This is then inspected and approved by Building Control.. I don't believe this facility is available in france but I think this process wiil give you a good starting point. In the end though this sort of decision is down to local knowledge and experience. There is no 'official ' depth. bj

Hi Thanks for the replies everyone Maude,  It is these very houses that you describe that set me wondering about the possibilities of something  visually different, There are just so many of them springing up all through  western France. Perhaps if I agreed to paint the woodwork orange......... bj

I would like to consider building an eco- house in France (nothing more definite than that at the moment)   I don’t envisage anything very architecturally dramatic, sort of a house-looking house with a pitched roof etc. but I would like it to be timber clad.   In the UK if you can get planning permission from the point of view of external appearance and its acceptability in a particular location then the rest is a question of technical design which is approved by building control   I suppose my question is, how does all this work in France. Who approves  a non standard design. Is it at the whim of a local maire, is there a committee who decides these matters, does it go before more regional departments, is there a right of appeal, are certified architects plans essential etc?   I have occasionally seen this type of house, usually deep in the heart of nowhere but so many new houses seem to be built to some sort of generic local style that I am left wondering if there is any real option to build anything a bit different.   Can anybody offer any insight.   bj

[quote user="Magpie"] We are at the moment on three phase electricity which blows all the time . The three phase is rated at 20amp per phase and I was wondering wether to change to single phase at 45 amp. Any help out there? [/quote] There is no intrinsic reason why three phase should 'blow all the time' Perhaps only one phase is actually in use. I personally would be deeply reluctant to relinqish a three phase supply but then I do have a liking for stuff containg big electric motors. bj

[quote user="Gyn_Paul"]While I'm waiting for the washing machine to work (possibly) I might as well ask another question.. I'm lining the roof of the loft. it comprises dimond-shaped black pseudo-ardoise, on lathes, on rafters, on purlins: standard sort of roof, really.The two sides face due East and West, and consiquently it gets VERY hot. I intend to cover it with panels of high-density t & g foam mounted on the rafters, and then with plasterboard. this will leave a number of cavities the depth of the rafters, and the width of the space between them These will need to be ventilated, and to that end I shall construct a cavity at the apex into which the rising hot air will flow, and thence exit at either end through air bricks. Obviously there will need to be vents at the lower end to allow air into the cavities. The question is... can these supply air vents open into the room or must the air come from the exterior ? p [/quote] If  I have understood your question........ The lower air vents should be open to the outside.  To do otherwise would completely negate the principal of air tightness. and I think you would have an uncontrollable flow of cold air into the house when your roof isn't hot..It might help to fit an aluminised vapour control membrane to your rafters before the fittingi nsulation boards if these boards don't already have one built in. bj  

Yes   French electrics can be quite a surprise after the robust simplicity of  a British T&E ring main! Its a good system though and worth the effort but I don't think its most ardent admirers would call it economical. bj