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Uffcat

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Everything posted by Uffcat

  1. Does anyone know whether we are able to advertise our property for sale with more than one agent please?
  2. Uffcat

    cat on speedferries

    Ours travels with no problem at all on the car deck.  If you are concerned, ask your vet to give you a tranquillizer tablet to be given about an hour before the ferry leaves.  Depending on which make he prescribes it will sedate a cat for between 4 and 8 hours, perfect for a journey.  Or just cover the cage with a blanket and leave a window partially open, the cat will sleep.
  3. By sticking my arm (plus camera) down from the chimney vent I've come up with two photos.  The first shows a view from above.  The thinner rod from the lever comes in on the right hand side and connects to the other assembly, which then has a thicker rod running right through the chimney. [IMG]http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l360/janlawther/fire3.jpg[/IMG] The second picture is a side view showing the lever system.  I assume this is stuck in the "open" position. [IMG]http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l360/janlawther/fire1.jpg[/IMG]
  4. Still pursuing the damper problem, we have had the chimney vent off so that we can see the top of the stove.  We can see the rod coming up from the outer damper handle and it appears to be connected to another rod which it should presumably turn by pulling the first rod in or out using the knob on the actual frame of the fire.  This runs through the "chimney" itself and has a securing nut on the other side.  It's a difficult spot to reach but so far we have been unable to persuade it to move.  Whatever sort of plate the rod should be moving is presumably jammed in position inside the chimney itself and I can't see how we are supposed to reach it. I'll try to get my camera in there to take a picture as I'm not sure I'm explaining this very well!
  5. Wow!  Whole new world here!  After unscrewing a piece of wood which was impeding the decorative brick top piece from hinging out we discover that ours does exactly the same.  We had no idea!  The wood was obviously put there to stop bits falling down or heat escaping and presumably there is a better way of doing this or a better way of mounting the wood so that the brick piece can move? About the only problem now is that we still can't budge the damper rod.  I can't see how to get to the assembly to try to free it either as it seems to be fully contained somehow.
  6. Thanks, great idea!  I'll give it a try.
  7. Thanks for that.  Not sure how we will "ungunge" the lever but at least we know which direction it should be going in.  WS40 hasn't achieved anything yet.  So that's why we can't damp it down. On the point of the two ringed levers at the bottom - yes we do have these.  We had no idea what they were supposed to do, other than apparently disengage the bottom hinge and allow the door to open from the top (only about three inches).  We have just been turning the levers around so they propped the bottom open on the casing!  I can't see how the door would go into the casing.  How does this work please? Do you have any idea what make these fires are please?  You're right about the seal, too.  I'll look out for one when we next go to Bricodepot - our nearest is Perigueux.
  8. I have a book which suggests sponging with undiluted mouthwash!  It does make you wonder what on earth it does to your mouth if it gets rid of mildew!
  9. We inherited an inset stove with this house.  Our only previous experience with such things is a "proper" multifuel stove, ie freestanding.   We could always damp that one down to last overnight but we don't seem to be able to do that with the insert.  We close down all air inlets etc and still it roars away. There is no make written on the stove and we have no instructions.  The only info is a model number, S 1 O (or 0) on the front.  There is one knob on the top right which we can't work out a function for.  It leans downwards and appears not to be bent but will not move in any direction.  Does anyone know what this is for and which way the knob should go?  It is obviously jammed - any suggestions for making it move?  Might this be a "jammed open" vent? [IMG]http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l360/janlawther/DSCN4410a.jpg[/IMG]
  10. We have our internet connection and free phone calls to 52 countries via Tele2, all for a pretty constant €35 per month (it only varies if I call mobiles and even this seems to be pretty cheap) and no need to pay anything to France Telecom for the line itself.  I must say I'm very happy with it but am now wondering about the UK equivalents of 1471 and 1571.  I seem to remember the inital blurb from Tele2 mentioned this service being included but I can´t now find the information to help me set it up.  Does anyone have this system?  If so can you point me to the right page on the Tele2 site or repeat the instructions on the forum please?
  11. Uffcat

    TENS machine

    We both use a TENS macine.  I was retired on ill-health grounds due to osteoarthrosis apparently brought on by a fall.  One of the options presented to me was a nerve-deadening treatment so that I just wouldn´t feel the ongoing dull pain.  I decided against this on the basis that the pain was probably trying to tell me something.  Instead I decided to institute my own form of treatment. This consisted of 1) weight loss.  I was 4 stones overweight and losing this not only helped my back problems but also completely got rid of my blood pressure problems at a stroke. 2) walking EVERYWHERE.  No getting in the car unless the journey is over 2 miles each way.  This really helped my back to the point that if I feel twinges I now head off on a long brisk walk before I think of other alternatives. 3) daily glucosamine and cod liver oil capsules.  These take about 6 weeks to become effective but seem to work for me. I only use prescribed painkillers as a last resort and sometimes just use anti-inflamatory tablets on their own. 4) the TENS machine.  I was a sceptic but I find this really works.  Two ten minute sessions will cure my most serious bouts.  I use it on a high setting and am usually a little sore the next day but it's unusual to need treatment for more than two days. My husband, who seriously damaged his neck and spine in a cycling accident some years ago successfully uses exactly the same system so I don't think my regime is just appropriate for osteoarthrosis/arthritis. Check out EBay or, as you say, Lloyd's Chemists.  I understand the pharmacy at Morrison´s supermarkets have a really good offer on at the moment too if you can find someone to check that out for you.
  12. My son works in IT in the UK and when I asked him why my emails to him at work using my tele2.fr account were bouncing back a few weeks ago he said he had put a general stop on all .fr emails through the company server as there was a very high incidence recently of spam from .fr accounts.  Not sure why and fortunately I can use a UK based email account when I want to contact him.
  13. I have just checked our vet's info and see they give an emergency 24/7 number.  You may have to pay a little extra but I've found the vets to be really reasonable in France.  We are also in the Dordogne, the vet is in Nontron.
  14. This is just by way of a general thank you and a comment upon how useful these forums are. Last night I suddenly realised that we were not receiving Channels 4 or 5 on our Sky box.  We don't actually have a Sky subscription, do not have a French TV aerial but receive our channels via a Digibox with Sky card.  I have no idea why this works or how, but it normally does.  My first thought these days when we have problems is to check out the forum.  Finding the thread on missing Channel 4 we just unplugged the box, replugged it in and away we went!
  15. Thanks for both of those suggestions.  The second scart on the TV is in fact not to do with the computer connection.  That was a translation problem in the instruction book  which we managed to inteprete when we looked at the Spanish instructions.  I've wired it as per the website posted by Clair and this ties in with your first suggestion Martin.  Thanks so much for this almost instant solution, we have been messing around with this all evening trying to make it work.  Now watching the Grand Prix with total surround sound!
  16. Would someone please give me the basic connection sequence for these please? We have a French Samsung TV (two scart sockets but one is for a computer set up I believe), an Eltax 280 AV unit (connected to the tv with an optical lead) a Pace skybox (currently connected to the TV with a scart lead) and a DVD player (2 scart sockets) which I cannot seem to wire into the system successfully.  It does work as I can plug it directly into the TV if I disconnect the Pace skybox but I'm sure we should be able to leave it in the setup and have it working.  We don't have an aerial for French TV as we only use the sytem to pick up Free to Air TV.  We have various spare scart leads. Any help would be much appreciated!
  17. It sounds like an interesting concept to me! We have a friend living in Almeria (admittedly a lot hotter there) who has made a fabulous (and simple) heating system which he says extends their use of the pool by a month either side of the season.  It involves nothing more than a couple of hundred metres of black irrigation tubing coiled up like one of those old-fashioned licquorice sweets and a small pump. The water is pumped from the pool into one end of the black pipe, goes all around the coil and back into the pool.  The coil lies on top of his carport so is not obtrusive either.  He says it raises the temperature of the water by about 5 degrees.  It appears to work so well I'm still trying to work out where I could place a similar setup here, I like the idea of the warmer water very much.  Perhaps you could fill your trough with thin black tubing as it would solve the paint peeling problem and also the bits problem.
  18. Thanks for everyone's input on this question.  We had a vidange today and, other than suggesting we bought some new rocks for the pre-filter, the two guys who did it said our fosse set-up is working fine, just needed emptying.  As I suspect the Brit dodos who lived here before for four years had not bothered with such things I suppose I am not in the least bit surprised.  Having already had to spend €800 having all the pipework cleared because it was totally gunged up with paint and white spirit they poureed down the garage sink I suppose we should have known this would happen.  Imagine all the stuff which managed to get into the fosse BEFORE it clogged up! It seems the lady from SPANC was in the village last Thursday and despite sending a letter to say we were on her list we didn't see her and have heard no more.  As I assume it is up to them to arrange another visit (we were in all day so nothing we could do about it), I suppose we just sit tight and wait to hear? The only concern we have now is that I cannot see a vent pipe between the house and the fosse anywhere.  What is the likelihood that one is just not fitted?
  19. Thanks for that, you have begun to save us from feeling completely horrified about what is happening here!  The house has three bedrooms.  So perhaps the first grey water set up is potentially a bac you think?  If it needs emptying every three months is this something we should have professionals to deal with?  The only possibility for the vent pipe is into the loft - it's a complex arrangement to get up there but we will do it tomorrow and see what is happening up there, if anything.  After the inspection cover over the laval rocks there is another manhole about 12-15ft away, a square concrete cover over a small pit with one pipe entering and presumably draining away into the ground.  The water coming out of this pipe is grubby looking.  Should this be clear?  I think we should get the whole system cleaned/emptied and start afresh, even if we only have a partial emptying to allow us to start the system up easily.  We have already had to pay to have some of the pipes unblocked before they even get to the fosse thanks to the previous owners emptying white spirit and paint into the garage sink so heaven knows what else they did to clog up the system or when they last had it emptied.  Their only comment to us was that we should toss some Eparcyl down every so often - something which is obviously not a solution in itself!
  20. I brought our Breville back from the UK when we lived in Spain and it's been great.  I also know someone who bought a really cheap one from Lidl's and it's great too - it makes two smaller loaves which is good if, like us, you don't actually use much bread,  you can slice and freeze one for toast etc.  They do take up a little space but if you are already into making your own bread I would highly recommend one.  You can even set it to come on during the off-peak electricity period.
  21. The fosse stamp says 2250 litres, so it's probably undersized.  I'm interested to see what we might be made to do as I'm sure we will not be alone in not complying with the rules.  Other than that it seems to be working well enough.  I thought we had missed the visit although we had been in all day.  I've checked with a neighbour and they DID have a visit and had not made any prior arrangement.  The letter was a little ambiguous and I had not been sure we should have telephoned to confirm we would be there.  Apparently not so they have presumably just not managed to find us!
  22. Further to the question above, we have now had another look (we seem to spend all our time with our heads in this fosse system!) and suspect that the first "grey water" tank joins the "black water" one at some point.  The grey water one is quite smelly although the main one is fine.  Should we be removing the greasy scum from the top of the first one?  We are having a problem with smells getting back into the shower nearest this system and had assumed it was a problem with the trap not being deep enough.
  23. Can someone please help me identify what sort of fosse system we have? The house was built in the 80s and we have no paperwork or information from the previous owners.  We have not yet had our fosse inspection and just want an idea of what we may be up against when we do.  The (apparently) separate tanks have a year of manufacture (1987) and capacities stamped on a metal plate.  We have no idea when it was last emptied and plan on having this done shortly. The grey water goes into a concrete tank with two paving slabs on tap and appears to be divided into two chambers, with one being roughly twice the size of the other (smaller one first).  I can't see how the water gets from one to the other, no visible pipework.  Could this first chamber be the grease trap?  There is no other place one could be situated.  The loos discharge into a larger concrete tank with two inspection covers.  The first is over a large tank which contains the loo waste and the second seems to have a basket with rocks in it.  It appears quite dry.  Surely this can´t be a grease trap on the far side of the black water disposal?  There is then a further inspection cover about 3 yards further away where there another drainage pipe, presumably going into a soakaway of some sort.  I can see no signs of any vent pipes between the house and the first chambers.  Is this likely?  One bathroom is on that far side of the house about six feet from the first point of entry so I would have imagined any venting pipes would be pretty obvious!  A new bathroom was installed about 5 years ago and there is a slimmish pipe from pipes from the shower and basin in the garage with a plastic cover but grillwork underneath.  Could this be a vent for this new part?   Thanks for any help in advance!
  24. As someone living not more than a stone's throw from the proposed car track, can anyone tell me what is happening there?  I seem to glean that the proposals may have been turned down?
  25. I´m not sure whether to bring a TV to France we currently have in our home in the UK.  It is quite new, a Sharp 20in LCD LC20S5E/WH and the paperwork sugests the tuner is NTSC • PAL • SECAM.  Does anyone know whether that means it has all those options?  Would it be easy to retune to receive French TV if we bring it back?  WE don´t want to use up precious room in the car if it will only work as a satellite TV. Thanks
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