NickG

I have accidentally pressed the red '0' button on my Disjoncteur Differentiel (Merlin Gerin DB90) which made the black '1' button pop out - now it won't stay in when I press it. Can anyone suggest a solution, as my freezer is starting to defrost!

We have an existing in-ground pool in need of renovation at our house in the Haute Pyrenees (65) and need some advice... When we bought the house the pool had not been used for 8 years, had filled up with leaves and had small trees and grass growing in the bottom! Having spent 3 days knee deep in gunk, we have found that the pool has a concrete bottom and solid metal sides, albeit with a lot of surface rust. The pool measures 13.8m x 6m and is 1.05m deep at the shallow end and 2.5m at the deep end (estimated). The shallow end is 4.55m long. The pool then slopes away for 5.6m before reaching the deepest point. The deep end has a 30cm ledge on three sides before sloping in towards the middle on all sides. There is also a separate paddling pool that measures 6m x 2.9m that is connected under the terrace by a pipe to the main pool for its supply of water. So far we are planning to have a slatted cover or Abri for security and to help keep the heat in. I think I have also seen Poolguy recommend: armoured liners (we’re having gite guests), direct injection chlorine auto-dosing and zeolite filled filters in other threads, but have no idea of what the cost of all this might be for a pool this size. Also before we even look at installing a new liner, my girlfriend wants to fill in the deep end - to make the pool more family friendly and to substantially reduce the volume of water to be heated! I am keen to keep the pool as it was built. Can anyone suggest a ball park figure for the cost of a new liner/heater/filtration, and the potential difference in heating cost between the pool as it stands and if we made it all one depth?

Thanks for the tip, but Eddie Coencas from radiateurfonte.com was the specialist I mentioned above that told me the radiators are made by Chappée. He has emailed again to suggest that I get them restored locally by looking in Pages Jaune under the category 'décapage', as he favours dipping over sand-blasting, to avoid the risk of making small holes!

Thanks to everyone who replied - very useful info, and the concensus seems to be keep them. I had also emailed a request with photos to a radiator specialist I found on the web in Paris. He says the majority of the radiators are made by Chappée. They do not appear to be modular, and are not ornate. They have the diagonal flow and return described by 'the build doctor'. I think most UK restorers would refer to them as 'school radiators', but I really like the look of them. The house is only 1960's chalet style and I don't think the heating system has been used for 8 - 10 years. They are all wall-mounted, and having already taken 8 - 10 spare ones out to put in the garage, I can confirm that it will be back-breaking work to remove the remaining 14 (some on the 3rd floor) for reconditioning! Subject to what our plumber says when he quotes for the heating install, I would really like to give them a try. Can anyone who has restored their own rads recommend a national chain from which I can hire/buy decent sand-blasting kit? If I'm looking for a local restorer, what category should I look under in Pages Jaune? Finally, how do I calculate the size of cast-iron radiator needed for each room, as we're knocking some walls down and dividing other rooms up, so the radiator currently in situ may end up being the wrong size! With number of varying sizes throughout the house and in the garage, I should be able to match the appropriate rad to the new sized rooms! Thanks Again Nick

We are renovating a house in the Haute Pyrenees that has around 14 cast-iron radiators. I am keen to investigate the cost involved in having them reconditioned and the valves adapted for use as part of a new gas central heating system. Does anyone have experience of having had this done in France or know of a company in Dept. 65 that can provide this quote? Also can anyone comment on the relative efficiency of cast-iron radiators vs. modern equivalents? Thanks Nick