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jondeau

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Everything posted by jondeau

  1. This post was edited by the moderators as it broke the forum Code of Conduct
  2. [quote user="Le Plombier"] Jondeau old bean Just as well you are retired You obviously have never worked in France and have absolutely no idea about the differences in most things out here If you did you might make a sensible comment Le Plombier [/quote] Well, well.......what have I said to upset you ? It's a mystery to me...........can't be the drainage post because you've never rodded any so how would you know? I used to have a holiday house in Boisse, 17,700 near Surgeres. Which I renovated myself .....I used a local plasterer to do some of the internal stuff. Dominic Panzerri he was called, lived in the village of St. Saturin de Bois. I can't remember his address........but I'm pretty sure it was route De la Fontaine, just round the corner from the bar in St. Saturnin de Bois...his wife was Diane and she was a South African. The were quite a few English people in the area, and I'm  sure some of those will have met Dominic and Diane Dominic and I got on fine and I assisted him on several jobs.........purely a reciprocal arrangement . Over the years, my periods in France varied from a month or two to about eight months at a time and I've seen French plumbing at it's worst.....and it is the worst you could imagine. I have also lived (and worked purely as a hobby ) just outside Montauban in Southern France. So leP......what are you doing in France ? This post was edited by the moderators as it broke the forum Code of Conduct
  3. [quote user="Le Plombier"] Jondeau Not a problem and ludicrous eh ? Maybe you should come and work with me for a while I will show you blocked drains you won't believe, the vast majority blocked solid with grease By the way I don't clear them, I leave that to DynoRod Le Plombier [/quote]   LeP old chap........I've retired.....and not before time too in my opinion. Over the years I've rodded many a drain though I will admit I've never had occasion to do a French one. Biggest causes of blocked drains, in no particular order......Human hair, tea leaves, coffee grounds, waste food, sanitary towels, nappies, roots and indeed grease. But I've never come across a drain that was clogged solid with grease (seen pictures of them on TV though but only in Londons restaurant areas) One other thing, I almost always went and did them when anyone asked.........people remember, and months or even years later when they want a heating system or a major job doing they ring up their reliable plumber.          
  4. I have no idea what the French do with their bulk storage vessels never having seen one, but I can't imagine that they would run an uncontrolled supply pipe from one into a house. Bulk propane is normally stored at a pressure of about 7 bar, but this can rise as high as 10 bar in hot weather though a buried tank is unlikely to reach this. Still, it's not a pressure you would want indoors. I can't see this being likely, it would be foolhardy in the extreme. Why is a Vaillant boiler three times the price in France ?   Err........ if you ever find out let me know.  
  5. Like anything relatively new on the market fantastic claims are made for it......I remember double glazing companys advertising 50% savings on your heating costs. (in actual fact 50% of the 10% you lose through the glass)   Somebody somewhere is recouping their development costs on this at the moment......wait a couple of years and you'll be able to buy the bits on E-Bay for pennies. After all it is not rocket science.....you could knock up your own equipment out of a couple of old fridges, a length of hosepipe, two Tesco bags and a couple of  rubber bands.        
  6. Forty thousand Euros !! How on earth can that be cost effective.
  7. [quote user="teapot"] There are now rigid to flexible compression joints that are demountable, if you can find them in France, If not PM me and I can arrange that. [/quote]   Makes you wonder why they bother to make such a fitting if both materials are solvent weldable.    
  8. [quote user="johnv"] Mr Invisible here ..   [img]http://www.jonrb.com/emoticons/shout.gif[/img] IT'S THE SAME PRICE IN THE UK NOW [/quote]   Unfortunately it's not. Even screwfix are selling 15mm tube at a rate that equals £7.75 for a 5 metre length, considerably less than the 14.90 Euros quoted on here. Trade prices are even lower.    
  9. It does sound as though the joint has been bodged together in the first place, it is not normal practice to glue flexible pipe into solvent weld joints or pipe. Flexible pipe is normally of a different type of plastic that is unsuitable for solvent welding. The correct adaptor should have been used to complete the circuit.    
  10. [quote user="La Guerriere"]Can you connect UK 15mm to French 14mm using UK 15mm compression fitting but with a French olive on the 14mm side ?[/quote] No, I wouldn't risk it, but using the same method as before, just swap the French 1/2" FI x 16mm for a 1/2" FI x 14mm and  screw it into an English 1/2" x 15mm male iron. As a matter of interest.......most English 15mm compression fittings these days are threaded 1/2" bsp and would screw into a female iron French fitting (in case you don't have an English MI handy. But a word of warning, as compression fittings don't have a proper 'shoulder' to butt against FI fitting, getting a perfect seal may be a problem.
  11. Without wishing to counter anything that has already been said......... And purely from a technical point of view, it is possible to use 15mm tube in France, all you need is a supply of  English 15mm x 1/2" male irons. In France you can buy 16mm x 1/2" female irons, these two fittings can be screwed together to give you a 15mm x 16mm adaptor should you need to join onto French pipes. Pressure is not a problem with English tube..........well, not the ranges we are talking about anyway. I must admit I have never done it.......but I've often thought about it, and were I still there these days, with a £200 difference for a mere 50 metres of tube I might well be inclined to do so.  
  12. [quote user="Northender"] The prices quoted on the link seem a little on the high side , I seem to remember seeing them around 150euros at Bricomarche (Montayral 47) .     [/quote]   Yes, I'll go along with that........150- 200 Euros is normal      
  13. [quote user="LEO"]J G  Speedfit  is a far superior and more advanced  product than Hep2 ( Speedfit is white and Hep2 is grey) [/quote]   I much prefer Hep2o.......it is far more flexible than Speedfit and the Speedfit plastic inserts used to be nightmare to get into the pipe.
  14. [quote user="Pierre ZFP"][quote user="jondeau"] The UK MI will screw unto the French FI......... [/quote] That sounds very biblical  [:D]   [/quote]   It was a typo............   In my defence, I was on my third glass of red wine at the time.      
  15. [quote user="Quillan"]No I had a look there it's 16mm that they sell. If I could find a way to convert plastic15mm pipe to 16mm I would, save a load of grief. Thanks for the thought anyway.[/quote]   You can.......sort of. As thread sizes are the same, you could buy a French half inch female iron x 16mm french hep2o connector ........and also from the uk order a half inch x 15mm male iron. The UK MI will screw unto the French FI.........   Hmm.....sounds a bit sordid I know, but it will give you a !5mm Uk x 16mmFr fitting.
  16. Grease traps........which is what we are all talking about despite the variety of names, are designed to trap oil and grease in order to prevent blocked drains. There is no doubt that drains clogged up by grease are a problem; in inner city areas where there are lots of restaurants and 'fast food' outlets. Domestically there really is no problem worth speaking of due to grease.......and if you are on a fosse septic I really can't see what it has to do with anybody else what you put down your sink. I have never found, (despite living and working in rural South Devon for the last thirty odd years, most houses on fosse)  any problem whatsoever with grease. And as for a 200 litre/40 gallon grease trap ...........it is ludicrous     
  17. I've sat back and watched this thread for a while, mainly because when I lived in France (not that many years ago) such things were unheard of . So I waited until somebody who actually works there posted..........thanks Le Plombier.   Bac a grasse I believe...........(may not be spelled correctly.)........ is a bit of an over reation domestically speaking , but in my view, the French having ignored plumbing systems for donkeys years are now rapidly trying to catch up with the rest of  Europe. I do feel they are at last on the right track.......though it must be said overreacting and enacting ill thought out legislation. hopefully eventually they will  sort out a decent plumbing/drainage system.   Not sure about about a 40 gallon grease trap though!!!!!!      
  18. Re: dragonrouges  problems   In such circumstances the more obvious route is to reroute the wastepipe.......wastepipes can frequently be hidden behind/or through kitchen units with a minimum of upheaval. Final connections to the drain can be made outdoors without any disturbance to your completed kitchen. And at a fraction of the cost.        
  19. I don't like blue.........well not the sort of blue that is common on shutters in France...... My grandfather used to call it 'duck egg' blue......   I've never seen a duck egg so I really cannot comment.
  20. [quote user="Cathy"] [quote user="jondeau"]give the wife a damp cloth and tell her to hold it over the overflow connection)[/quote] Or the husband....  [Www] [/quote]   Well possibly Cathy.......but one would have to ensure that the plunging wasn't too mentally and physically exhausting for the little woman.    
  21. This is what comes of posting after the second bottle of red wine.....   ....I have often advised against this myself.......(some of you people would do well to heed this)   Nontheless........same principles apply. When you are rodding drains/plunging sink wastes .....make sure the pipe is full of water. What actually clears pipes are the shock waves created by the plunger. With sinks however, you do need to ensure that any sink overflow is sealed off (give the wife a damp cloth and tell her to hold it over the overflow connection) whilst you do the technical bit. Almost never fails.......   Almost.  
  22. If you can lay your hands on a set of drain rods.........you should find that with them comes a set of attachments which should include a 100mm rubber disc. This is the drainage equivalent of a 'plunger'. Two rules for plungers...........make sure the drain is full of water/sludge. And remember that the backward stroke of a plunger creates a vacuum behind it.....so both forward and backwards strokes should be used.......the backward stroke is extremely good at causing the breakup of blockages. A lot of vigour is required.......give it some stick......... 99% of blockages can be cured by this method.........and a bit of sweat.   Unless you are very rich...........avoid drain clearing companys.      
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