thunderhorse

[quote user="Jonzjob"]... if you have a router it's not difficult to make your own... [/quote] I have a router, but it only connects to the Internet... [:P]

[quote user="Rob Roy"]... We used Danish (teak) oil... [/quote] I still don't know what the 3V3 oil is that we purchased from Castorama (huile Plan de Travail), but the sheen is coming up after two more coats, and it certainly isn't tacky. @ Rob - is Danish oil actually teak oil?

[quote user="Ab"]Hi, I have aSCHOLTES gas hob new 6 years and use butane without problem. today gas runs out and I PUT NEW BOTTLE ON BUT FLAME BLOWS AND STUTTERS AND NOT AS HIGH OR STRONG AS NORMAL. IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY OF BOTTLE CONTAINING WATER?? hob has5  metal discs resting on supports and no apparent dirt around -AND PROBLEM SAME FOR EACH GAS RING. there are 2 bottles and if one is removed is there a chance air can enter system to reduce gas flow or give parial gas supply?? Will buy another bottle and try again unless you have ay ideas. If not sandwiches again Thanks for your quick response..[:(][B][/quote] If nothing has changed except another bottle of identical gas, then it sounds strongly like air in the pipe. Quite normal. How long have (had) you been trying to light the gas without success? Normally a few seconds is all it needs.

[quote user="Christine Animal"]Is there a reason for having beech worktops rather than granite, marble, tiles, etc. ?  A lot of you seem to be doing it, is it a fashion or you just like the idea of wood? Where we were before we had a wooden surround for a washbasin, but just because I fancied it like that.  It was varnished and was waterproof, but is it really practical for a worktop?[/quote] I think it's the appeal of a natural material. Yes, the upkeep is more, but they do look rather nice. My sister-in-law has got over the fussiness with hers over three years and bashes away on them to her heart's content - and they still look good - that lovely hint of distressing!

Many thanks so far. I'll continue with the 3V3 (I bought two tins, whatever oil it is...) and see how it goes. Opinion seems fairly divided on the issue of linseed v. Danish. [:D]

I've just fitted the kitchen out with (unoiled) beechwood tops, and bought 3V3 huile plan de travail (both Castorama). I suspect the oil is linseed, but it says nothing on the tin, and Castorama didn't know... The manufacturers of the worktops give one set of advice for oiling, and instructions on the tin are markedly different (thicker coats). C'est la vie. Friends have suggested making sure to use Danish oil, not linseed. So, is Danish oil any better than linseed? I also want to get the tops smooth and shiny asap. Would there likely be problems lighly sanding and oiling every week, say, until such is obtained? Thanks for advice. [B]

We have just had the same problem - both corners approaching 95 deg. Typical! Resolution was simply by centring the units so that the other units ran off along the walls with a slightly widening gap (between unit and wall), and cutting the beech worktops to suit (suggest you get 65 cm tops to allow a bit of cutting here and there.) If you take your time before locking everything together and screwing down the worktops, it won't be at all obvious. And it's probably far easier than butchering the corner unit and invalidating the guarantee. Hope that helps. [:D]

Many thanks. I'll see if Brico Depôt will take a housing off a new one for me so I can double check all measurements...

We found best value hunting around was Lapeyre - and a 10-year guarantee. The local menuisier then fitted them for us. If you ask a menuisier to supply, the cost will naturally go up. You can order from Lapeyre on line.

The water pump in the ancient chaudière has packed in - it's a Salmson Euramo 3010-3020 of approx. 1974 vintage, and so far has proved difficult to replace. Two screws and the motor has come out of the housing. Looking at modern water pumps - Salmson, Wilo, Grundfos etc., whilst the cast 26 x 34mm connections are different, the pumps look almost identical (voltage, speeds, pressure, temp...) Is there any reason why a modern pump shouldn't work if unscrewed from its supplied pipe connections, and bolted back into the old cast housing? (The housing bridges both up and down water supplies - the pump is on the red side, with a summer/winter valve on the blue side. There is a separate little valve regulating flow between the two.) Cheers

Thanks for the responses to date. All other considerations aside, so far there is nothing to indicate that any form of permission is required in order to site soil pipes externally. Is that correct? Cheers.

I understand that fitting WC soil pipes to the exterior of houses is a bit of a no-no, but can't find any relevant info. Is this an urban myth, or can someone point me to the relevant information? Cheers, peeps.

Many thanks, peeps. [B]

In the course of renovating our kitchen, I'll be taking up the lino in order to tile. The cement screed has been thinly glue-combed all over with what appears to be a PVA type of stuff, with the lino then rolled out on it. It's been down several years. It's a pain ripping up the lino [+o(], but once done, would it be safe to apply tile cement straight over (seeing as how some apply PVA before tiling anyway?) Assuming not, what would be the best way of getting rid of the thin adhesive coating? (A hot-air paint stripper and a lot of elbow grease has been suggested...) Cheers

Many thanks. Is the acid French stuff? And a good point regarding a potentially slippery surface.

The cement-screeded floor in our boiler room (only a few square metres) has been stained and dripped with CH oil over the years. Having just acquired the property, I want to floor-tile the space, but can't conceive of the tile cement lasting. Can anyone recommend an industrial cleaner that will rejuvenate the cement screed; is it better to run an angle grinder over the surface and cut it back; or worst case, break it up and re-lay? Any advice appreciated. Cheers. [:D]

Hi, nomoss, That seems to cover it now. The grenier already has existing stair access, has a proper floor, and two small windows in the front. Converting this space into bedrooms and adding a large window and lucarnes shouldn't increase the SHON as I now understand it. Cheers. [:D]

Hi, Derf, It must be me, but I'm still not getting it. Two floors, the upper unconverted = SHOB. If I take away the eaves and other bits as per the schedule, I'm left with SHON (this is equal to the ground floor + remainder of grenier I want to convert). According to the form, if I now create SHON (the two new bedrooms in the grenier) from SHOB, that floor area is being counted TWICE as SHON, and makes SHON greater than SHOB, which is impossible. The only way I can see to make it make sense, is to initially only count SHON as current living space, and I don't know if that's correct. OK - ground floor = 125 sq.m. Unconverted grenier = 125 sq.m. Usable grenier for conversion = 65 sq.m (remainder is low eaves/combles etc.). Therefore SHOB = 250 sq.m. How would you calculate the SHON before and after conversion? Very many thanks. [B]

Hi, peeps, I've just obtained a PdC to fill in for a potential house purchase. All accommodation on the ground floor, with an unconverted loft above accessed by standard stairs from the hallway. I've worked out the SHOB as total ground floor area x 2 (ground + first floor total). The SHON works out as ground floor area + unconverted loft space (allowing for combles/eaves etc.) Is this correct so far? If so... Now, the more I read about it, the more confused I'm getting. An example in the PdC shows a garage (SHOB) converted into a lounge (SHON). This implies that the unconverted loft space that I want to use shouldn't be included in the SHON calculation at all yet, and that SHON is currently habitable space (not potential to be habitable as in a loft conversion). I'm creating by transformation SHOB into SHON (PdC 4.5.1 (C)) otherwise eventually the SHON will be larger than the SHOB (illogical). In summary, is the current SHON the ground floor habitable area, the SHON then increasing when the loft is converted, the two together still being less than the current total SHOB? Some kind soul help me out here. Cheers! [B]

[quote user="tj"][quote user="rog"]Can I also tap in to the out going line for wastes from other bathroom fittings without fear of sewage waste backing up into other sanitory ware?[/quote] You should try and make sure the unit waste comes after other fittings like the shower or bathtub, in any event you should fit non return valves to the wastepipe of any other fitting that could be affected if a blockage occurs. Non return valves are available here around 20 - 25 euros [/quote] Didn't realise that macerator waste could mix with other grey water. Is that only for newer fosses of a particular type?

The house we're looking at purchasing has an old oil c/h boiler (servicable). Cast iron pipes run through the grenier and along the beams, and even across one window, and I'm loathe to convert the grenier with a layout dictated by these substantial lagged pipes. It has been indicated that re-routing all the pipework would not be cost-effective. There is no hot water tank: turning the tap flashes up the boiler, apparently. It appears quite inefficient and costly, so perhaps it's better to have the lot out. What to replace with? All other things being equal, is gas from a garden tank cheaper to run than an oil system? Is it better to keep the c/h separate and install a hot water tank on cheap-rate electricity? With a modern and efficient boiler to run, say, six or seven rads, does anybody have any ball-park figures for having had this work done? Could a decent insert with a ducted air system or back boiler be just as viable? The house is tradional stone, about 150 - 200 y.o., five moderate rooms downstairs, hopefully two new bedrooms in the grenier. Any thoughts appreciated. Cheers.

We're looking a buying another house. Assuming the roof (traditional canal tiles and older lats) is sound, we will convert the grenier into two bedrooms and insulate/plasterboard the roof from the inside. Obviously, if a tile slips, then water ingress into the insulation could be a problem. On the other hand, stripping the roof to put on a membrane could be far more expensive (and not easy to then know if a tile has slipped), but at least the roof should be permanently watertight. Does anybody have any feelings on the subject? I have to confess to cost being a consideration if a membrane is not generally warranted... Cheers, peeps. [:D]

It could be any number of things - hard drive failing, boot sector virus etc. There is a very quick and simple solution, but it depends on whether or not you've backed up your important personal data: zero the drive, format it, and reinstall your OS. If you haven't backed up and don't want to lose data, then you may have a long haul. Are you on XP? Can you run recovery from the install CD?

I'm switching broadband provider, and sending a letter recommandée + AR to Orange in Bordeaux. Anyone any idea how long they take to cancel an account? I know they'll want the Livebox back, but I want the overlap with providers to be as short as possible... Cheers, matey peeps. [:D]

Thanks, peeps. As long as it's got an ethernet socket, then I understand it should be OK. I know some Linux distros have trouble with USB modems. But the Livebox works fine via ethernet. [:D]