jondeau

Well I can equate with that.........   You have to laugh sometimes........I lived for about twenty years in France and never went through the rigmarole that you current day property owners seem to think is normal........ Will you ever understand the french......I doubt it.

It does sound as though the safety device is playing up.........however there are several different types available and on a hob I think it is unlikely to be a thermocouple type. It is more probable that it is a flame rectification safety device. This is a bit more complex in that the electrode that delivers the spark to ignite the burner also detects when the burner is lit, it is important to ensure that the tip of the electrode is is touching the flame when the burner is lit. DO NOT try to bend the electrode towards the burner if it is not in the flame, many of these electrodes have a ceramic sleeve which if cracked will render it useless.  

Combustion it must be said, is a complicated subject......so this is the short version. All fossil fuels require oxygen in order to burn, most appliances will extract oxygen from the air around them this is done in two ways firstly by injecting 'primary air' into the fuel before it reaches the burner (mostly gas appliances) and by picking up 'secondary air' as the fuel issues from the burner (gas and oil appliances) A good supply of air to the fuel means that a process known as 'complete combustion' can take place and this ensures that CO production is either zero or negligable. However many things can interupt the process of complete combustion......draughts, a lack of oxygen in the room due insufficient ventilation, or any foreign body impinging on the burner. Incomplete combustion will result in CO being produced.   As far as I am aware, all fossil fuels are capable of producing CO and looking at the flame on the biofuel fire it is obvious that no primary air is injected and that complete combustion is not taking place. It may well be that the burner is so small that it will be OK to use in a large well ventilated room.....   Personally I would want to see some independant certification that it is safe before I would use one. However, this is my opinion only.    

Yes I have, both of these appliances are capable of emiting carbon monoxide gas (CO) amongst other things.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't help feeling that these things are absolutely hideous. Buy one ? I wouldn't accept one as a gift.

Although I know nothing whatsoever about these appliances, I can't help feeling that it doesn't sound quite right that it can burn a liquid fuel with an open flame and give off no noxious fumes.    

Unless you have an exceptionally large boiler in mind, I would imagine that the flow and return pipes would be 28mm at the most. Two 22mm pipes may theoretically give a marginally greater flow than 28mm but the greater pressure loss on these pipes and their fittings probably means that you would be better off with the 28mm.  

The only thing I can think of (assuming there is no smell outside the building eminating from the fosse which may permeate the walls ) is that the waste pipes are syphoning the water from the waste traps of whatever they are connected to. If you have a longish run of wastepipe, when you empty the bath/basin or whatever, the waste water fills the pipe and this induces a vacuum behind it as it flows away down the pipe. This vacuum will suck the waste water from the waste traps and let gasses from the drains into the room. If this is the case, after emptying the bath or whatever, wait a few minutes and run a very small amount of water into the appliance to replenish the water in the waste trap. The permanent cure for this problem is to fit anti syphon valves to each wastepipe as near as possible to the bath/basin. 

It is normal in the uk.........nay obligitary and essential, to fit a pressure reducing valve on the mains water supply to a combi boiler........... Pressure reducing valves are widely available in France........unfortunately french plumbers are somewhat behind the times.

I would imagine that opening an open ended pipe has created a bit of a surge in the supply line, this may well cause the pressure governor controlling your area to 'lock out' in which case it would need to be manually reset. When 'lock out' occurs the governor will normally have a by pass rate which it will default to, to maintain a minimum pressure in the region. It would seem  a bit far fetched in the UK for one open ended pipe to cause lockout........but maybe in rural France supply loops are limited and maybe this caused the problem  

I doubt very much that a thin layer of mortar will stick for very long to a soot covered wall. How about using a board of some kind to cover up the back of the fireplace...maybe even plasterboard would do, then you can paint it whatever colour you like.

This is always the problem....... If you put in anti-freeze into your heating system, then you need not worry about it.....assuming of course that you get the dilution right. I cannot remember the figures exactly, but lets say 10% dilution will protect against against -2C 20% dilution will safeguard -10C...........and so on ad infinitum...........   But of course non of this will protect your domestic pipework.........Frost thermostats will warm up the whole building and so protect your heating and domestic systems, but will consume more fuel, and of course the danger of running out of fuel supplies if you are away is ever present. So you are left with the eternal conumdrum........   JD

If you drain all the water from all the pipework then you will have no problem........However, it is extremely difficult to ensure all the water will be removed by just opening the drain valves, any low lying sections of pipework will retain water in them and this can still freeze. By and large I would say there is no guarantee that you would be able to remove all the water........ I would not chance this as a way to ensure that the pipes will not freeze. Alternatives are anti-freeze ........or frost thermostats, which will switch on the boiler/pump if the temperature drops to about plus one or two degrees.

Quote Jondeau Emotive, opinionated and uninformed postings like yours are the reason that many people choose not to reply to OP's asking if anyone has any personal experience of certain subjects.   I see.......so you should only post what people want to hear then ?   It may be of interest for you to know that a few years ago I used to work with a French builder in Charente Maritime......he frequently complained about clients changing their minds, altering the job specifications and late stage payments. However though he ranted and raved about this he never pursued anybody through the courts. He did just walk off more than one job though. The point of this is, that though most of you seem to be obsessed with being sued even when you have done nothing wrong.......the truth probably is that builders have enough hassle on their hands with their workload without getting involved with unnecessary litigation.   I do fear that a lot of people on this site always take the most pessimistic view, and then proceed to paint it even blacker.    

I find it a bit difficult to understand the mentality of the people on this site........you seem to be obsessed with the idea that some tradesman will pursue you through the courts (and win ) for not turning up on time to do your job. It is a load of rubbish. For heavens sake.........if somebody does not turn up to do a job when they said they would........then you say goodbye.   Simple as that,........or maybe somebody can quote me a legally binding judgement where a tardy builder gained from doing nothing      

I am a fully qualified, apprentice trained gas fitter (four and a half year apprenticeship with the North Eastern Gas board) followed by eight years on the tools.Following that I joined a heating company and spent the next 32 years designing and installing heating and hot water systems in every thing from one bedroom bungalows to fifty bedroom hotels; hospitals; schools and factories. I have soldered, welded and brazed pipes from 8mm diameter to 76mm......I can still solder lead pipes (lead to lead, lead to brass) and carry out lead burning work. I think my qualifications and experience are more than adequate.  

It would have to be said old chap, that on occasions you do write a load of old rubbish. Pickling is an engineering process whereby metal is cleaned by immersion in acid........ not flux. La-co is the brand leader in the UK, sadly it is not available in France, but you can get it in Belgium.   Quote ' still better to clean joints than to rely upon the muck running out ' I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  

[quote user="chocccie"]   As it is, I won't use it as it is giving the clothes an "old man" smell!   [/quote] So what is it us old men smell like then ?

7m is a long run, however with a fall of 20mm per metre this would appear to conform to the standard for drainage 1:50 so it should be fine if properly supported. There is no reason why bath drainage cannot be connected before the WCs......I would run the soil pipe past the WCs a little (Tee pieces for loos) and then if you are not proposing to run a vent stack from it to the open air, fit a 90 degree bend on it and a short piece of pipe so that the upright section of the stack is above the flood level of the highest piece of sanitary ware you are connecting to it. Onto this you must fit an air admitance valve, this will let air into the stack and prevent syphonage from your sanitary equipment. In the UK this type of soil stack arrangement is known as a 'stub stack'. On the horizontal section of the soil pipe just after the WCs you can if you wish fit a tee piece to the soil pipe instead of an elbow to bring it around to the vertical, and fit a rodding eye.   JD    

That is quite amazing ! I don't think I have ever heard of a rep from from a damp proofing company advising a client that they don't need a dampcourse before. And that includes both sides of the channel....... The thing about water is that it is very reluctant to travel uphill........other than by capillary attraction of course. So asuming you haven't got any water pipes buried in the floor under the damp areas then presumably the best place to look is up. Damp on chimney breasts often comes from defective flashings or masonary at the top of the chimney.   JD.    

Just to throw a spanner in the works..........for a great many years just about all of the plumbing/gas fitting professionals in the UK have used self cleaning flux. No need for wire wool or anything else, just flux the pipe and fitting (tho' most say you can get away without bothering to flux the fitting) and away you go.Saves all that messing about and no more sore fingers from the steel wool. I have never seen it in France.........but maybe I've never really looked, I always bring a supply with me.........Brand names are La-co and errr.......I forget the other(s) I always use La-co........It's American I believe, but you can't have everything.  

It's all very interesting.......but, and I may be in a minority here, does it really matter ?   16% of the profit made goes to tax.......it's a piffling sum and I would have thought a small price to pay for living somewhere you love.

I think it does.....I once spent a very happy evening in the bar at St. Saturine de Bois (near Surgeres. Dept 17 ) it was my birthday, and somehow they knew. This was quite a few years ago, and though my french was ok..ish, I do remember discussing the meaning of life and several other deep, meaningful  issues before the patrons wife drove me home.........

What exactly is a 180 degree turn ?.............a straight line ?

I am intending to use a 109mm pipe and a tube of  KY jelly on mine !