cookehouse

UNBELIEVABLE someone else tryng to make a DIY solar panel for a pool! Its criminal to use anything other than free, green oh and did I mention free energy. This year, I used 'solar rings' (blow up giant polo mints but I didn't think they were very effective.) I then made a timber box, layered insulation, a sheet of corrugated iron painted mat black with black painted copper tubes in the 'valley' of the corrugation. To get a good contact between the tubing and the iron I drilled small holes and threaded copper wire through pulling and twisting to hold the pipe tight to the sheet. I then covered the box with perspex. The water supply was a partial bipass of the circulation return - so no extra leccy. The results were encouraging so mark 2 is now on the drawing board. As with you, experimentation has now stopped - cold stopped play - I will however be preparing for the spring by laying down some insulated pipes to the 'laboratory' (bottom of the garden) as one of my problems was losing the heat from the returning pipework. I have no doubt it will work all I have to do is make it effective - not necessarilly efficient oh and of course it must be a work of art - I paid enough for the pool I dont want it look like Steptoes back yard. Good luck with your future trials

Thanks Pickles Looks like a good idea but not quite there yet. I live in a rural area where the internet is not either reliable or fast so even though the upload maybe OK the download probably aint SJ

Anyone using a slingbox in the UK to watch TV (and maybe more) over here. Technical: do you know what the minimum internet requirement is? Legal: Do you need a TV licence in France?  I'm a summer resident with no TV here but a Virgin cable connection in the UK SJ

Has anyone any experience of using solar rings. A bit like a blow up pizza! I have covered about 70% of the surface area and sure enough even in this weather (dep 24) the pool went from 14 to 23 degrees in 3 weeks - The problem is controlling chlorine. The filtration runs for 12 hrs / day and the chlorinator is set to minimum but runs when the pump does (salt water system) The chlorine is at 3 ppm . I assume that because the pool is totally covered at night and 70% covered in the day the loss of chlorine is minimal and the doser (electroliser - if thats a word) continues to add chlorine or could the fact that I am having trouble lowering the pH also contribute. Anyone tried these rings or any budding physical chemists got any ideas. I was going to sign poolboy but thats wishful thinking 

Thanks guys Yes did enter 26 chrs code and switch was on - just repeated it and cofirmed il ne marche pas HOWEVER I have just had success I repeated the whole process with the cable attached and then disconnected it - I'll go to the foot of our stairs - it worked I'M WIFI This all goes to prove computers do have a mind of their own. So don't forget If at first you can't succeed suck sausages!    

When your techno know how is worse than your French, life is difficult We have a livebox and can use ADSL via the wired connection but not WIFI I know the computer is OK as I logged on using the WIFI facility of a hotel  We contacted FT who directed us to the local FT shop. They weren't very helpful and said 'of course it wont work' and we should get back in touch with FT. They did say however that a plug in device would help. Has anyone out there had problems wirelessly connecting to livebox ps the computer is an acer aspire 9300/7000 series 

Not sure whether this post should be here or in the building section. Anyway, we have a small, almost shed like construction housing the pump, filter controls etc. We want to extend it to accommodate some garden furniture and pool parafinalia. Before I decide on a design and go to the Marie does anyone know of any general rules e.g. upto xxm3 no permission xxm3 to yym3 permission 'a' etc etc or can anyone point me in the direction of where the rules reside. The house is rural and not near Chateaux or the like.    

I have transferred money in the past using the 'safe' high street banks, but have found brokers give much better deals. However not being able to see bricks and mortar fills me with trepidation. Anyway, I find the best deal is with Escapecurrency (for the amount I'm transferring). Anyone out ther in cyberspace dealt with them? any comments?    

Having spent the last umpteen months resisting Mrs Captain Webb I have now finally been broken down and must say am now looking forward to taking the plunge ! (sorry) Having got loads of quotes and listened to the various arguments for example, between salt and chlorine and filtration systems etc etc  we have now come to some conclusions and are now left with the endless list of "extras".  Can anyone tell me what is the difference between a winter cover and a tarpaulin - except of course the price. Whilst it makes little diffence in the overall cost of the project I am reluctant to pay for a name.    

Sorry if this is in the wrong section but does anyone know how to discourage ants. The tiny manic ones and their winged dopier cousins have invaded my Belle Meres room (there is a joke here but I'll resist) I've swept them up and taken them outside but more return. Surely they can't be the same ones. Is there a simple method of encouraging them to invade somewhere else, but not our room, without using anticide or is that the only way (of course we could always send  Belle Mere home and hope the ants follow      

Cheers Nick, I will be using a pro but want to give him a proper brief you see you may not know an electrician who wires up each socket with an independent circuit breaker - but I do and I dont want to hire his twin. cookie

Thanks everyone for your comments! I have taken them on board and will modify the design. Fortunately it is an existing supply (3 phase , 15 amps per phase) this of course makes planning more interesting to ensure even distribution.  My plan now is to run small circuits of one or two and use 1.5 mm for lighting and where the load is say a bedside lamp and use 2.5 mm for the remainder. I already have a 30mamp 3 phase ELCB do you recommend subsequent ELCBs on the individual phases. I will run 1 phase from each bar of a triple box and my 3 phase water heater from its own box. cookie

Have read recent posts and Renovating and Maintaining your french home I felt confident in planning out the first fixing. That was until I visited a friend who was in the process of having the job done professionally by a French sparky. I was planning on 4 to 5 fittings per circuit both lighting and power. The example I have now seen has a dedicated circuit for everthing 36 cicuit breakers and still counting does seem over the top not to mention the gaines - it looks like a small power station. Have the rules changed? or is the French sparky over egging the installation. Whilst I cannot see anything wrong with dedicated circuits what do you do when her in doors decides on an extra light or socket when you finished plastering over the chasing. 

I have a split level house with the downstairs room cut into a hillside. The floor is concrete and extends from the room to a covered patio. The room is quite dry. There is no DPC. Not sure whether to lay the tiles direct onto the concrete or to lay a DPC first. I really want to avoid laying DPC/screed/tiles and think maybe DPC/tiles would be unstable. Any experienced tilers out there suggest solution?  

Any apple gurus out there? I am told that my favourite of all apples - the Cox's Pippin won't grow in 24. Anyone know of a similar tasting apple that will grow here?  

Did not know which section to put this in as it covers really all of them. Our 8 year plan has just been brought forward by company rationalisation (redundancy is such a depressing word). Our plans have therefore moved from leisurely to hurried. Does anyone know of an all encompacing book on tying up loose ends in the UK and registering / tax changing / and the million and one things I am sure we need to do before making the final move. yours rather nervously Cookehouse 

I think our plumbing evolved rather than being designed. Our supply goes first of all goes through a pressure reducer from what to what I dont know. All the pipework is in 12mm. When the sink tap is opened the shower stops. Clearly the solution could be wind up the pressure, but I'm not sure by how much. What do you recon the maximum pressure should be. Also, is it usual to have such a narrow bore for all the pipework? my memory of chemical engineering has long since gone. Cheers Cookie

Having found woodworm on the last day of my last visit and announcing 'I'll be back' in a sort of threatening Swartzeneggar way I now need to make a plan. I have read that Boron is a watersoluble non toxic treatment. Has anyone tried it? Does it work? or or are the French worms tougher.

Thanks guys. It seems as though I should have received a bill at least for the Taxe Hab. and others have keener tax collectors. It does seem odd however that we are now June and still no demands.

Bought last April and I have only just paid the vendor my share of the taxe fonc. The house was previously empty and he didn't pay Taxe hab. The vendor reckons I shouldn't pay it either as it is not my primary residence. I have not received anything. Am I sitting on a bombshell? Taxes are not my favourite purchase but I am concerned like death, tax is the only other certainty.   

Now I'm worried! How safe is a holiday home? Is it really possible that after 48 hrs away we could have squatters that have more rights than we do?

Can anyone recommend a structural engineer in the Dordogne area. Someone who would take on small projects. e.g Dismantling and then rebuilding a balcony.

We have an oak floor (parquet) which looks untreated but is in great condition. Anyone know the traditional way of treating and maintaining it?

We have a small (5m x 1.2m) concrete balcony at the back of the property. We'd like to extend it to about 5m x 4m. Does anyone know if we would require permission if we a) removed the old concrete and built a timber balcony or b) extended the concrete one.