retread

Letter from Channel 4 Dear Sir. On behalf of Channel 4 Television, may I thank you for your application submitted on behalf of your wife for our new reality show. Also, thank you for the charming photograph of her that you enclosed. Whilst agreeing that she could make a worthy contribution to the programme if selected, I would like to point out that the correct title of the series is actually “Fact Hunt”. Kind regards..... 

An engineer dies and reports to the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter checks his dossier and, not seeing his name there, accidentally sends him to Hell. It doesn't take long before the engineer becomes rather dissatisfied with the level of comfort in Hell. He soon begins to design and build improvements. Shortly thereafter, Hell has air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators. Needless to say, the engineer is a pretty popular guy. One day, God calls Satan and says with a sneer: So, how are things in Hell? Satan replies: Hey, things are going great. We've got air conditioning, flush toilets, and escalators. And there's no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next. What! God exclaims: You've got an engineer? That's a mistake, he should never have been sent to Hell. Send him to me. Not a chance, Satan replies, I like having an engineer on the staff, and I'm keeping him! God insists: Send him back or I'll sue! Satan laughs uproariously and answers: Yeah, right. And where are you going to get a lawyer?

Always makes me laugh, so OK the pool is 27° and lovely, but the same people who complain will rush to Devon/Cornwall and splash round in the sea at 16°

There was a tread on a totally different forum that claimed that Algae bloom was also induced by thunder and lightning , but could the Donner und blitzen be a symptom for hot weather and increased pool use, no of days without a cover and increased UV? Mind you the chap had a thousand and one scientific reasons why the lightning was causing the problem. All down to Ozone, Excess nitrates caused by the lightning etc seemed plausible but you know me easily confused :-)

A Caravan , being towed by a French Vehicle , assuming its over 750kg, must have its own CG and thus carry the Number of that CG def not the towing vehicles plaque. A caravan may be parked on the road provided that it is not causing a nuisance.   However Camping is forbidden according to the FFCC:-  sur l’emprise des routes et des voies publiques sur les rivages de la mer dans les sites classés ou inscrits dans les zones de protection - des monuments historiques - du patrimoine architectural et urbain - des monuments naturels et des sites dans les réserves naturelles dans les périmètres de protection des points d’eau captée pour la consommation dans certaines zones fixées par arrêtés pris par les Maires (au nom de la commune ou de l’Etat). Les interdictions prises par ces arrêtés ne sont applicables que si elles ont été portées à la connaissance du public par affichage en mairie et par apposition des panneaux réglementaires aux points d’accès habituels vers les zones interdites. Taking the last mentioned, you must have seen the small Caravan forbidden signs upon entering many touristic towns. Now Aires for Camping Cars are a slightly different case in that Camping on an Aire is also forbidden, strange but true, but camping is denoted by having anything except the wheels of the vehicle on the ground, this includes levelling ramps, corner steadies, roller and waste balls and so it is at the least uncomfortable for a caravan to park outside a camp site. Also the parking spots are designed to fit Camping cars ie are about 3metres wide and up to 7.5 metres deep. so with your car and caravan combo you are not going to fit. I cannot see the attraction of an Aire for a Caravan, they are quite often charged and a car +caravan would attract two charges why not use a site, where you can have all the facilities that a caravanner will require?

All I can say is that it works my way, if you like boys tools then that's up to you but 10€ test strips are perfectly adequate for the job so long as the water chemistry isn't wildly out of kilter the system will work, don't go believing the scare stories spread  by purveyors of meters and systolic pump. Just remember which side their bread is buttered! As as for checking every three minutes...why? how much contamination can family add to a pool? how can you duplicate that lovely soft feel you get with a salt pool.

I think there is a difference of attitude between my approach to my pool and the accepted theories. for instance while we both want to achieve a clean pool, I do not see the proof of that in a high chlorine reading during the day, rather I prefer to sanitise during the night when there is no UV to burn off the Chlorine. that being said I regularly achieve readings of 0.75 to 1.3ppm in the afternoon! A salt pool uses chlorine generated in the sanitiser to destroy any nasties in the water as its pumped through rather than having a higher level of partially inactive chlorine in the pool itself, as I said earlier the use of Cyanuric acid actually decreases the activity of the chlorine so the actual breakdown of bacteria takes much longer. My major cost is electricity to filter the water in the pool overnight, now my model may not be suitable for heavy use but on this forum I believe we are talking to others with domestic pools used by themselves and occasionally a few friends. To be sociable, and I admit to make the pool experience a little more enjoyable to those who stand close to the outlet jets, I normally run the pump (and thus the sanitiser) and the Skimmer while the pool is in use. I keep the pool clear of leaves and grass cuttings, as well as keeping the overnight temperature loss to a minimum by judicious use of the cover. As for your test methods, as an engineer I cringe, A Standard should be obtained i.e. a definite amount of Cyuranic acid dissolved in a measured amount of distilled water and then tested using your kit, this will then show you how accurate your system is, its not only the meter which can be erroneous but also the concentration of the reagent which can vary from batch to batch.

Just to come back to the OP's question, how easy is it to maintain a salt pool? If you have an adequate set up there is very little to go wrong with a salt pool, some are even fitted with a sensor and a metering pump so that the Ph is maintained. If You can come back with the manufacturer of your equipment ie Electrolyser and filter, those of us here with actual experience of running successful pools will be able to give you our tips. When you become responsible for your pool first check the salt content and the Ph using initially test strips say 10€, if you want to become a total geek there are photometers  say 150€ to measure your parameters to two decimal places but as there is usually no standard solution for calibration with these instruments then their value must be questionable and their evidence would not, for instance, be accepted in a court of law. Once the salt and Ph levels have been measured and adjusted if necessary run the pump and thus the eletrrolyser for the required time, for my pool 8 x 4 x 1.5 at 50% I calculate that the pump needs to run for 1 hour( over night so you benefit from lower cost leccy)  for every two degrees C water temperature. Again check the chlorine levels with the strips any thing over 1.5ppm and lower than 5 ppm will be fine. Longer will be needed if you are starting with any green in the pool in fact if you turn up the wick to 100% and leave the pump running for a day or so you should be able to clear the pool of all green stuff particularly if you have a good pool cover to restrict the amount of light entering the pool. remember that algae are plants and all plants need light, water and food, ie nitrates to multiply. already having salt in your pool will help with the plant life, cut down on the light and remove the nitrates or muck as we call it and then treat with Chlorine almost guarantees a weed free pool. Severe cases can be treated with an algaecide. The 'experts' on here advocate the use of a stabiliser to increase the apparent Cl content of your water, studies I've seen seem to provide a contra indication, sterilisation should be carried out at night so there is no UV effect and the Stabiliser actually inhibits the oxidising power of the Chlorine produced. 

Have to agree ( with Graham and Brenda),  My pool rarely gains any green even with a minuscule Chlorine content and salt at the recommended levels, I always find that knocking comments from the 'Advocates' of javel and Hydrochloric acid injection into pools soon raise their heads when discussing this subject almost as if they have some sort of commercial interest  ;-)

A French permis will only allow you to drive a campingcar with a PTAC of less than 3.5T and with a trailer of less than 750Kg.  ( I have a horrid feeling that the trailer weight is included in the 3.5T but you will need to read the regs) Your prefecture would allow you to drive a heavier motor caravan if you can prove That you passed your test before 1970odd but because the DVLA do not keep records that is impossible.  A Heavy trailer can be towed if you pass another test and have a bi annual (Annual after age 76) medical and you could keep your 7.5t allowance if you have it again by submitting a valid medical certificate at the time of exchange.. A Frames are suspect legally in France and Spain the advice from the FFCC is given below:- 24/05/2010 - Voiture attelée à un camping-car, quelle réglementation ? Il s’avère que vous êtes de plus en plus nombreux à souhaiter partir en vacances en camping-car accompagné d’un petit véhicule afin de faciliter vos déplacements. La FFCC a enquêté, voici la réponse reçue de la Sous-direction de l'Education routière en charge de ces questions techniques le 14 mai dernier : «L’article R 311-1 du Code de la route définit les catégories de véhicules pouvant être utilisées sur les voies publiques et les ensembles routiers qui se décomposent en trois catégories : le véhicule articulé, qui est un ensemble composé d’un véhicule tracteur et d’une semi-remorque ; le train double qui est composé d’un véhicule articulé et d’une semi-remorque ; le train routier, qui est un ensemble constitué d’un véhicule à moteur auquel est attelée une remorque ou une semi-remorque. Selon ce même article, seule une remorque est autorisée à être attelée à un véhicule à moteur. Hors opération de dépannage, un ensemble roulant composé d’un camping-car et d’une voiture est interdit sur les voies publiques. En conséquence, une voiture doit être obligatoirement placée sur une remorque (porte-voiture homologué) pour être tractée derrière un camping-car.» Il n'est donc pas permis en France d'utiliser le système Towtal permettant de tracter une voiture même si c'est légal dans plusieurs pays d’Europe. Bottom line. It  is therefore not allowed in France to use the system Towtal (ie A Frame) to tow a car even if it is legal in several countries in Europe

Works south of the border too................ A woman goes to the Doctor in Glasgow , worried about her husband's temper and threatening manner.The Doc asks, "What's the problem, Janet?" The woman says: "Weeell, Doctor Cameron, I dinae know what to do. Every time ma man comes home drunk, he threatens to slap me aroon'." The Doctor says, "Aye, well... I have a real good cure for that. When your husband arrives home intoxicated, just take a wee glass of water and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish but don't swallow it until he goes to bed and is sound asleep." Two weeks later she comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn. She says, "Doctor that was brilliant! Evrae time ma mon came home drunk, I swished with water. I swished an' swished, and he didnae touch me even once! Tell me Doc, wha's the secret? How's the water do that?" The Doctor says: "Janet, it's really nae big secret. The water does nothing - it's keeping your mouth shut that does the trick."

Another product is diméthylamine or hédonal MP-Jardin sold by Beyer. Its available in your local Garden centre as Désherbant gazons, a small 400ml bottle will treat 800m2, Works well, results in two or three days and the hardest part is pumping up the sprayer. Just remember to only spray on a calm day and of course not over a valued plant. We will now have the green environmental gardeners telling us how good it is to spent weeks trying to dig out daisy and pisenlit roots[:P] while keeping the nettles from out of their sandals[:D]

I think it's a mistake to even try and produce a fine lawn here in the SW, luckily the seed I bought from the local coop agricole was a 'native ' race so after the garden turned brown throughout the summer and we were left with the job of only topping the weeds we were gratified to find that when the rain returned last month the whole lot greened up again not some thing I had expected! One tip I followed was to set the mower quite high and thus encourage the roots to dig down a bit further and also discourages the moss etc.

After the builders moved off we were left with 2000m2 of clay/soil mix and 2000m2 of old field, luckily I has a decent rotavator for the clay and spent an obscene amount on bags of semis pour pelouse raking it out and tramping the soil down before seeding. At least that stopped the topsoil running off and produced a green area to call it a lawn would be stretching the truth. The second year we had a terrific crop of wild flowers or weeds no need to spend a fortune they come free. Parts of the park cannot be cut with the ride on so that became the 'conservation area' and cut twice a year when it becomes too overgrown with docks etc. the rest, old field and newly seeded, has been treated with selective to try and control the broad leaf weeds and clover. but in truth if you want a bowling green anywhere South of Calais you are out of luck.[6]

Showed this to the boss and she says that yes A the intent would be to worry him and B the curse would be ineffective because it should have been nailed to the door. The wearing of white socks with a suit could however be cause for a visit from a fashion coven [6].

My feeling is that in France, Germany and Spain the use of an A frame is illegal for anything other than recovery, the subject is continually cropping up on the Fora dedicated to motor homes both in the UK and in France. I further understand that the TUV certification offered as 'proof' only applies to the tow hitch supplied by Alko and not to the A Frame as such.The French Law is stated here:-Extract from Le monde du Camping-car   (if that's allowed?)

Thats exactly what I meant the link can be found here Espace client relevé Hope that helps :-) I've used it for the past few years and provided I put in the figures within 9 days the billing is based upon my reading. If you are non resident and have someone looking out for your maison secondaire then a quick call to them would enable you to get the latest reading, 

[quote user="idun"]I used to check our EDF and GDF meters every few months and jot it down on the last bill or in the diary. I like to know where I am with these things and if our bill was wrong, I'd get in touch and give them the right reading. I hate estimated bills.[/quote] Slightly off topic I know but. With EDF its possible to read your own meter every two months after being prompted by an E-mail and enter the details on your EDF Espace client, just look under Relève client, saves all the flaffing about with estimated bills for four out of six. I suspect GDF run a similar scheme.

Mia Culpa Yes it should be the black wire you ignore. but it was a while since I had to do my own leccy, when in doubt call in a (French) qualified electrician.

As far as I know French electric panel radiators, that is wall mounted ones, have a fourth blue wire which allow them to be controlled from a central point. you can use the radiator from a normal socket by ignoring the blue wire.

Judjuing by the fittings supplied for my Godin Wood fired Cuisinier, he's missed out a double female adaptor which sits over the spigot on the fire and into which the pipe goes, 'poujoulat' supply black shiny or mat pipe in lots of lengths, www.poujoulat.fr might work try. co.uk as well. The female end should fit snugly over the corrugated end of the adaptor at ceiling level onto the solid dual wall tube back to the roof vent, not knowing any better I filled all joints between single wall pipes with fire cement, there is a telescopic tube available to aid fitting and of course removal of your fire for repair/renovation.

Got Confused because the thread started as a cry for help about wood fired cookers, but it got skewed which is why I offered advice re what I believed was a domestic wood burning cooker. Glad you and yours are happy burning Pine, if youv'e got it use it. Most of the pelleted burners use a lot of pine. Think you sugested a Franco-Italian brand available thro 'Wanders' But our posts got Mediated, Was your Cooker a 'Chatelain'? if so You should not compare it with a pro Piano see:- http://www.meilleurduchef.com/cgi/mdc/forum/fr?f=ustensiles&id=1141828629-28564-1539 For a more balanced view, If you were seeking a semi pro model to grace a domestic Kitchen then Britannia style E might well suit see here:- http://www.britannialiving.co.uk/range-cookers/ Sorry back in my day pianos were vast Coal fired animals.

We get our wood in the traditional 1 meter lengths, good excuse for a chain saw!!, Theyr'e already split and I tend to cut into 500mm to suit my Godin Cuisiniere and the Godin 'Cantou' Log gobbler in the living room (which will take 700mm logs). OK so its exercise but better than appearing on 'Fatbusters'. As for cooking, deep winter we run up the Godins 1st the cuisiniere, which stays in overnight, and then, if its extreeeeeemly cold, the log gobbler. but from spring thro' autumn we use the fan oven and gas hob, boss tells me she tends to use the fan oven in the winter too especially if its any clever stuff like a victoria sponge. The Godins are Basic, tough as old boots and the log gobbler has a two speed fan which allows us to channel hot air to the bedrooms.

Lots of proven sites here http://survivefrance.ning.com/forum/topics/where-do-you-shop

Did exactly this with two woodburners in 2008 we even installed a new chimney from poujoulat couldn't be simpler but you will need to order the bits through your nearest agent, web site will give you that........Go on go for it.