Jerac

The soil pipe into which the toilet discharges should be vented. Has something happened to block this vent, or if it is vented with a one way air admittance valve has it stuck. Either way it sounds as if the plug of water going down the soil pipe is sucking the water out of the trap instead of having air vented in behind it.

Thanks for your reply. I don't know why you can't use a straightforward low voltage ohm meter, but everything I have read says it will not work. I suppose I could rectify the AC, but I didn't think that 3 metres of damp earth had much reactance at 50Hz.  

This query follows on from the earth resistance issues raised in the 'Consuel Being Unreasonable' thread. I am approaching Consuel inspection and I want to get a reasonable idea of the resistance in advance. The earthing consists of two spikes 3 metres apart, bonded together to connect back to the barette. Would I get a realistic figure for resistance if I break the bonding between the two and using a small 230volt inverter  run a 60watt lightbulb in series with the two spikes, measure the voltage between the spikes and the current flowing between them and calculate the resistance between them  using ohms law and then halve the value on the basis that in use the spikes will be in parallel rather than series. I will keep the neighbours dog away from the spikes while they are live!!!

The UK building regs contain a table of sizes and spans. A copy is in this site.  http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/load-bearing_walls.htm  

You need to fit the feed pipes so that they are firmly fixed within the wall and at the same spacing as the fittings on the tap plus or minus a few millimetres.  When you fit the offset connectors you do not screw them in tight, but use some rotation and the offset to correct any misalignment or out-of-level. The serrations are so that a good wrapping of PTFE is gripped and carried into the joint to make a seal.  The fibre/rubber washers provided are usually for the joints where the tap screws onto the offset wall fittings.  Sometimes  small filters are provided to fit in this joint. The pipes do need to be very firmly fixed in the wall otherwise the first time someone grabs the tap to steady themselves the whole lot will come away!  Be careful when you rotate the offsets to level things up.  This type of tap tends to be fabricated rather than cast in one piece. I had one and attempted to rotate the offset with the tap attached and cracked the joint where the side pipes go into the main tap body.     

Hello We bought a wall mounted bath/shower tap from Lapeyre from their 'bargain basement' section.My OH checked it carefully & all seemed well.We fitted it,cutting holes in plasterboard etc,but when we turned on the water it leaked badly from the fitment.There is no way of mending it.When I checked the invoice it clearly stated 'produit declasse/nirepris/ni echange/vendu dans l'etat'. In Britain we would still be covered by the law that states something must be 'fit for purpose' even if sold as a bargain.Does this apply in France or must we write off our 129 euros to experience? We are quite happy to pay more if necessary to get a working tap as obviously this was a one off when we bought it. Thanks Liz          

Don't bother.  If you go out on a cheap short period return and fail to use the return half they will zap your credit card for the full fare.

As I understand it EDF will only allow a temporary supply for a maximum of 12 months, and I believe that it is limited to 3KW, so for hot water it will supply an immersion heater but not an english type instant heat shower.

There is a direct SNCF route from Rennes through Vannes and then on along the south of Brittany.  There is also a route along the north of Brittany to Brest. In the other direction Paris is about 3 to 4 hours away.  

Thanks.  That is what I had hoped.  The through the wall bits are already conduited and the cables are well away from the mains paths and cross at right angles.

I (think) I have finally mastered the consuel requirements in respect of the mains electrical wiring for our conversion. Now I am tackling the requirements for communications and TV outlets. Can anyone tell me what is required for the installation of TV Coax and telephone/computer  (Cat5e UTP) cables. Must they be in gaine like the power cables, or can they just be clipped to the woodwork in the roof space? Thanks,

Recently I complained to LD Lines about their pricing structure for vans. I have a car derived van which I use on a non commercial basis for renovating our property. I looked for a crossing recently and found the van fare to be triple the fare for the equivalent car. I received a prompt reply......... "We fully understand your point of view and we are happy therefore to inform you that we have just set up a new fare for personnal vans which will be soon available on the website." I await with interest! Jerac

Are you using a SCART cable, or connecting via the coaxial aeriel connection?

Also available at strategic places on Autoroutes are 'depannage carburant' points, often at or near peages.  These are a basic (french)card operated pump delivering petrol or diesel available 24/7, but are limited to about 70euro.

Look at Eurotunnel.  You have to have a booking with them at the time of taking out annual cover, but then it continues.  Last year I had cover on a 1997 Vito van (transit size) for £69 for the year.  Several trips later the clutch exploded at Alencon. Called the number (which turned out to be the AA) and had a truck with me in 20mins. Transported to Caen where a tow on and off had been arranged, picked up at Portsmouth and transported to my local garage, via home to unload. Renewed this year for £79.  They were OK about covering a van as it was for personal non-commercial use, but I think there may be an age limit which could rule out a 1989 Volvo.

We stayed in The Royal Limousin a few years back when our daughter was studying in Limoges. It was comfortable & also very central-easy walk to lots of restaurants etc. Jerac

Does anyone know whether the Consuel will inspect and certify a part installation? We are converting a barn in 53. The project is in two parts. There is a single storey part at the back of the barn which contains all the complicated electrics and plumbing. This is now at an advanced stage of completion and will provide living space while we tackle the cathedral like part at the front, which is a long way from having lighting and power outlets. We use a generator at the moment, but would like some heat and hot water over the winter months.  EDF have agreed to give a supply and have put a peg in the ground where the pole will go. They have also offered a provisional supply for construction, but I would prefer to go for the definitive 18Kva. So, can I get certification for the part that is finished, and add the rest later? Jerac.

Sides of at least 80cm. Jerac. Cambridgeshire and 53

We had the same problem - it is a genuine health and safety issue. Even when beaten flat the long grass constitutes a trip hazard and so must be cleared before builders start walking about with heavy or dangerous burdens.

I had the same query when considering converting a basement storage room. Here is the reply I got from our surveyor..... In France any part of a room that has a ceiling height of less than 1M80 is classed as non habitable other than that there is not normally a problem. If the storage room forms part of the house then you would not require any building permit, if however you wish to create external openings i.e. doors or windows then you will need to make a "Declaration de Travaux Exemptes de Permis de Construire"   Jerac 53 and Cambridgeshire

"Is it possible to trim off the excess between the "Tableau" and "Total" size on Lapeyre windows? It looks to me from the pictures in the cataloge as if the extra is just a lip around the window, is that in fact the case?" Certainly it is possible to trim some off the frame, but as I recall the trimmable lip is only about 1cm all around. I had to plane some off our when I fitted them but I doubt that you could lose all the extra without getting too close to the hinges, and weakening the frame. I cannot be sure - at the moment I am in the UK and my windows are in 53. Jerac  

The traditional way of fitting the windows is to fix them to the indoor side of the wall into a rebate that is 2 to 3 cm wider than the actual window aperture, so the 145.2cm window is fixed into the wall behind the 140.0cm wide aperture. The shutters are then sized to the 140.0cm size of the outside aperture.  Does this make sense?.  If not try following the thread 'conseils - poser - exterieur - fenetres' on the Lapeyre site. If you do what we did, and fix them in the  english style - fitted within the aperture, then you need an aperture and shutters to match the totales rather than tableau size. I suspect that this may catch a lot of English renovators who are accustomed to a 140cm window actually being 140cm wide! Jerac

December 2005 - and eagerly awaited! Have a look at http://www.alis-sa.com/ for up to date progress.

It is the usual practice for the size of windows to be quoted on the basis of the finished aperture but for the window to actually be about 50mm bigger for it to be secured into the wall. This could have been a major problem for us, but fortunately the vendors of out house (well, barn when we got it) had warned us - because they too had had this problem. Some suppliers are better than others at describing window sizes - have a look at the Lapeyre website   http://www.lapeyre.fr/Lapeyre  . The descriptions of their windows show both finished size('Tableau'),  and fitting size ('Totales'). Jerac.  53 & Cambridgeshire

www.alis-sa.com will keep you up to date on developments.