tracteurtom

[quote user="Tay"]..............  Most people who live near to us are involved in farming, which is perhaps why they have this knowledge? [/quote] All our neighbours are farmers and I've had the first week of May quoted to me (we're in Correze).   I quoted the "not till the 1st of May ..... " saying to a friend who has farming connections in  Lancashire England and they knew of a similar saying that quoted the end of May.  It would appear to be a very local thing!

The dates for the last frosts are app. May 15th here and the 8th in the Creuse. Interesting, where did you find this info, its quite specific?

Bob, We are in exactly the same position (I was even an Electronics / Radiocomms Engineer!).  Old French Farmhouses with 3 phase power, all cobbled together with not a thought for safety, its a good job EDF fit their disjoncteur - albeit 500mA.  I'm told France is not bad compared to the likes of Spain.  The new standards though are very good, better I think in many areas than the OTT British ones. As an Electronics Engineer, you will be fully aware of the dangers (electrocution and fire) and for piece of mind, get it sorted.  Start with a new Distribution board and slowly work your way through the mess, the use of spurs make this much easier than UK ring mains.  I still cant believe where I've found unprotected live wires : in the garden, previous owners must have had the standard lamp there and just removed it, did not disconnect the power; in the attic, old wiring just coiled up with a light fitting and bulb on the end buried under glass fibre insulation; old cloth covered ali wires, still live, not going anywhere.  the list goes on, but those 3 are the worst, and most worrying.  I understand it is still OK for you to DIY the wiring (not as in the UK), but those draconian rules will come and a Certificate of Conformity will be required for a property sale, 10 years was suggested  in the previous post?? BTW - dont use the UK T&E as it is illegal in France, the earth conductor must be insulated and the same size as the line and neutral.  The wires are the cheap bits, its not worth it!

Bang on chris, with that kind of knowledge you must also be / have been a Bee Keeper? I plan to "heft" the hives this pm (need to don the suit as they are busy!) and make a judgement re feeding from that.   But as you say, a boost now would get the Queen active and then a sudden cold spell could kill the larvae.  Unfortunately my bee books relate to the UK and as we all know, the climate here is somewhat different so bee activity must also be different.  I do have a couple of French books but my French is not good enough to understand the subtlely of the detail and because its a technical subject,  its not fair to ask someone who's not interested to translate.  Bee Keeping is about being in touch with nature and basic instinct is always a good guide - you learn from your mistakes!  It does seem to me though that the Bees has hardly slept this Winter and as a result we seem to have quite a strong worker population, hence my thoughts on feeding. The  Flowering Redcurrant is a good indicator for the Bee Keeper, once its in flower and its a shirt sleeve day, its time to have a look inside the hives. Not til the first of May can a Man say that Winter has gone away.  I read this recently, (cant find the source now) but it does have a ring of truth about it, even in France.

Not sure where to post this, Bees don't really fit into the pets/animal welfare sections, so I thought I'd try here as the Gardeners are more likely to be Bee Keepers. Are there any Apiculturists out there? I'm in the Limousin, where the winter (what winter) has been so mild, I don't think the bees have slept, they seem to have been out and about most days.  Noted yesterday that pollen was being brought in to the hives!  I think it may be time to give the bees some food, any thoughts anyone? If there is an active Bee Section on the Forum, apologies for posting this here, any chance of the link?  Thanks

Firstly, I'm not an expert, and I would say you need to seek professional advise.  However, I believe the regulations do not allow you to share flues between boilers etc. I think you need to create a separate chimney stack for each appliance.  The rules for flues/chimneys are very tight and any new install must comply with the latest regs.

Have you tried the brass wire brushes?  I find these very good for this type of work, but it is hard going.  You could also try a knotted wire brush in a drill or angle grinder.  The dust generated will be horrific using any power tool, I know from experience.  If that doesnt give you  the results your looking for then you are left with power washing and or sand blasting.  Chemical cleaning is a possible, not sure what you would use, but there are all sorts available in the supermarkets, some sort of acid maybe?  If its smoke damage (open fire smoke) then you are going to have to get very agressive to shift it and in truth, sand blasting is the only option. Sorry thats not what you wanted to hear and no help whatsoever.  Its a pity the adverts on French TV for the miracle cleaners are way off from the truth - one wipe and that manky toilet is like new again!  I'm sure that kind of advert would be forbidden in the UK. Good luck, its not going to be easy.

[quote user="Clair"]Mr Clair broke 2 wooden handles, hence the fibreglass one...[:)] [/quote] and I broke a fibreglass one so I only use wood now!  Another problem with fibre glass is once the protective surface is damaged (and it doesnt take much of a knock to chip) the tiny shards of prickly stuff (the glass) get stuck in your skin.  Each to his own.

Could it be that the reflective mulitlayer stuff is getting a bad press because of the way its installed?  As I see it, if you fit a thick layer of glass fibre stuff you not only get insulation, but also draught proofing.  It is difficult with the thin multilayer stuff to effectively seal the gaps between roof timbers and the like.  Now, if you are installing the multilayer stuff from the top - ie the roof tiles and battens are off, then its much easier to get a proper overall seal. Manufacturers claims, well, if you believe all you read then more fool you. The claims will be based on an ideal installation, in a perfect environment, probably a small closed box in a Lab!  200mm  + of rock wool, you can even "feel" it working!

Pro vs amateur, Bricolage vs trade shop, who knows, all depends on the deals that are available.  Unfortunately, you need to check each item and make a decision from there.  Lots of info from the UK via the web, not too many French sites selling tools (or maybe its because I've not found them yet?), For what its worth, I've just spent  £500 at Machine Mart on a VAT free day.  I thought it was a good deal and better than any I could find in France.  Be aware, any electrical item you buy in the UK will need the plug changing, no big deal,  but it adds 5€ ish to the cost and will probably void the warranty.  Also, I find Facom tools (very good quality) are reasonably priced in France compared to the UK I think that Facom owns Britool now, another famous UK name lost.  Great fun with students in the colleges with the Facom name.........................[:D]

Nick, Any links to that 2000€ geothermic water heaing system?  It sounds a really (really) good deal, all prices I've seen are up to x10 that amount. I'm just in the design stages of a solar / back boiler set up - all DIY - and would seriously consider geathermal, but its the price.  I've even factor in buying a mini digger! thanks

Interesting the French plumber's recommendation as in our house we have a cork wall.  At least I think its cork, its does a good impression of it anyway.  Its in slabs approx 500x800x50mm and looks very easy to make a wall with.  Its black in colour which makes me suspicious that its treated in some way, fire proofing may be, or it might not actually be cork?  Its obviously designed for use in a bath/shower room as this is the only cork wall we have and its - wait  for it - a shower room! Fully agree that ventilation is key,  by all means make your salle d'eau spalsh proof, but without good working ventilation, damp will be a major problem.

Fulcrum, You still meet that rule as the earth wire will still run along the same route as the lines and neutrals, will it not?  Its just 1 wire and not 2. Looking in my copy of the "L'electricite pas a pas" (sold at Bricolages)  in the conducteurs de protection section it clearly shows an earth wire being split 2.5 - running, 1.5 teeing off for lighting.  Interestingly it also shows the earth wire being shared by a washing machine, an oven and a light fitting.  The point is that the earth wire is distributed via jointing boxes and NOT via the sockets and light fittings. As I said before, I always run the light wiring in its own conduit and jointing boxes, I find this much simpler,  and of course this means a separate earth wire is run for the lights.  You must always consider  the mechanical integrity of any electrical installation.  Its not easy deciding whats best, but keep it simple is a golden rule.  Sharing earths (even if it is allowed in the regs) can end up with an install looking like the inside of a pin ball machine!

Almost certain your problem is that vent pipe in the loft.  We had the same problem, the vent pipe was fitted with a mushroom but it was tucked in under the eaves of the roof (brilliant!).  After much sniffing around, blaiming fictious rotting vermin, it suddenly dawned on me that it could be the vent pipe.  Extended the pipe to above the roof / gutter line and it was like magic, no more smells!  and to think our house had been lived in before we bought it, makes you wonder...........................

[quote user="fulcrum"]No you can't. Each circuit has to have its own earth running along the same path as the phase and neutral for that circuit. Also make sure you are using the correct diametre conduit. There are regulations for the number of wires and wire guages allowed down each conduit. [/quote] Umm, thats not correct.  Your wife is very astute!  You can split the earth between the sockets and lights, so long as you  keep the 2.5mm2 running  back to the dist board and you do the joining in a box and not at the sockets.  Electrically, this is OK, however, mechanically its difficult to ensure a good connection when joining a 1.5mm2 to x2 2.5mm2, the choc/domino block always seems to leave the smaller wire loose, so I wouldn't recommend  it.  Your problem is probably due to too small a conduit.  I always keep the lighting and sockets cabling separate in individual conduits.  This keeps things simple and lets you drop the conduit for the lights and sockets directly to where they are needed and make fault finding in years to come easier.

Strange, rabbits are for eating are they not!!!!!![:D] Seriously, we moved to France in 2005 with 2 Gerbils (dont ask, vermin I know, but the wife and kids were besoted with them) and it was not a problem at all for Eurotunnel.  Just declared them and we were waved through.  But Rabbits, you really need to look in to this and make sure it is OK because if you get turned back at the ferry, there will be lots of tears...............

Cats in France dont have any where near the same respect as dogs - certainly in the country areas.  Cats come and go as they please, the owners never have them injected for the various viruses etc.  Its a very british thing - I think - to become atached to a cat.  You will need to site yourself near a large town to get any sort of business. Dogs on the other hand, well, the  French love their dogs and it has crossed my mind several times if a kennels business would be viable.

Is the PC fully patched (up to date with all the Microsoft updates)?  Win98 is old now (I know how it feels!) and it could be an issue with the system not be able to recognise 1GB.   Not checked  the Microsoft Knowledge Base re this, but it could be a known issue and there might be a download availabe to fix it.  Also USB  support is not native to Win98 so you  need to ensure you  have the correct drivers. 

Also interested in this.  As far as I can see the solar water heating system is quite simple and should be easy to DIY install for all us jack of all trades.  I cant understand why the costs are so high.  Maybe the pros are keeping this to themselves with high  markups knowing that the grants will attract all the customers they need? Links to DIY web sites anyone?

The more you think about something, the more reasons you find not to do the something.  Go with your gut reaction, life is not about money.

Totally agree Matt. Remember the furor when XP was lanched, much bad press about the "activate windows" process and how it allows BillG to spy on you?  As it turns out, XP is the best OS (not counting Linux, as it doesn't fit in the user friendly pack) to date.  I just hope that Vista can take its place.  DRM is  a very sticky issue and the big companies are going to fight it to the end to maximise their $/€/£  bottom line, whatever OS you use. I also wouldn't read too much into the sensational journalism re the Vista lauch, its mostly written by kids straight out of Uni looking to make a name for themselves, but thats another thread. Re Vista, personnally would avoid the upgrade options.  It is never a good idea to upgrade a OS, a clean install is the way to go.  Unfortunately, that probably means a new PC for many, but at least then, you will have a PC man enough for all the gui stuff.  Also wait (if you can) for SP1 and DX10.

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Did you read the link? That was the point of the original post... [/quote] So why title it "I'm glad I use Macs!" then? Another ignorant comment from a misinformed MAC user !  oops I've started the war...................dam[:P]

Further info for you Clair: I have a compressor in the workshop that is powered by a single phase 1.5kW/ 2HP motor (not dissimiliar to your motor I would guess).   The compressor motor will regularly trip a 20A breaker (non motor type), particularly if  its cold and its running to top up the cylinder - ie heavy/high load on start up.  It never trips the breaker when starting with an empty tank - ie light load.  When it does trip, resetting the  breaker, usually gets the motor running. So from this I conclude that the in-rush current with a heavy load is around 20A, or is limited to 20A via the breaker.  A generator would have to be capable of supplying a minimum of 20A (thats 20 x 230V = 4600VA) to start this config.  In addition, I would allow say a 20% overhead, that takes the generator capacity up to around 5.5kVA! Your motor is capable of delivering up to 2kW (2.6 HP), thats a big motor for single phase.  If the motor is heavily loaded on start up, it could very well be expected to deliver its full 2.6 HP.  However, I'm not sure you can simply pro rata the  above figures to suit your motor.  It may be perfectly happy to start with a 20A in-rush, then again, it could need a further 30% (1.5kW to 2kW) to be happy.  That would equate to (20Ax1.33x230 = 6.1kVA + 20% overhead)  =  7.3kVA!!!!!   Now thats a meaty genny.  Also, bear in mind the conditions that you will be expecting the genny to do service. Power cuts happen at the most inappropriate times - heavy snow fall, followed by -15 deg temps. so forget buying a cheap generator, as it WILL let you down when you most need it. I cant help thinking, we are using a sledge hammer to crack a nut here.  A 250l holding tank  is quite big, thats alot of flushes, even more if you can somehow divert the sinks/bath/shower etc waste.  It it possible to remove the motor from the pump?  If so, you could get Mr Clair to attach some from of manual drive - push bike may be!! or even a small petrol engine.  In an emergency, needs must! I hope the above gives you something to think about.  There's no guarantees with the numbers however. I have assumed that the motor in question is a 1500 or 3000 rpm machine.  It should say on the motor plate.  If its a high rpm / low torque job (10,000 rpm etc) then its a completely different story and a simple 3kVA genny would sufffice.

Please lets not start a fan boy war on this Forum re I hate MACS, I love PCs and vice a versa.  There are many computer forums that already cover this topic in all its boring detail!! Now I sit in the PC side of the war and..............................................[:D]

Brett, This has been a excellent thread, many thanks for raising it. Now my 2  euro cents worth.  I was made redundant in 2004,  Both my wife and I are in our 40s with 3 children (then aged 5, 11 and 13).  We were presented  with an opportunity.  We had  always want to live in France, to escape the over crowded, over commercialised UK yes, but these more to it than that.  We really really wanted to live in France.  Why France, well for many reasons, but it all comes down to the basic fact we love France and WE WANT TO LIVE HERE!  So we sold up in the UK and bought a small holding in France, moved in full time in 2005, aah, ignorance is bliss!  After 2 years, the time has flown, we havent earned a penny and are still trying to generate some sort of income, still trying to sort out our Carte Vitales and the tax situation, etc etc.  The kids have settled well, have good friends and are now fluent, yes fluent in French and are in the top quarter in the marks at school.  OK it's a country college and many pupils are more interested in their cows/sheep etc wellfare than pythagarus, but never the less, we think they have got more out of the French education system than they would have if we had remained in the UK system.   Our lives are very different, we are worried about money of course, but the live style is just so much more what - for us - life is about.  Its not about money, you only have one life, and the life you're living now is not a practice for the the real one.  Brett, you have achieved a lot in becoming a Solictor, and your partner, also in her TV career.  Your earnings potential is far far higher than ours ever was.  We have friends who are solicitors. We cannot believe what they spend, just their Tesco bill would keep us in our life style, but then, I would hate the worry of their mortgage !  Its your decision, and you without question have more options than we did, (still in high paid employment for one) but as others have said do not think France is an easy option.  Would we change our minds and return to the UK, no chance.  Would we make the same decision again knowing what we know now, absolutely. Good luck in what ever you decide.