Dc

I'm referring to the bevelled edge 6 cms into the placo on both longest sides. Normally they become part of the joints when taping and enduiting. My ceiling joists are about 60 cms apart and 5 metres long and I was hoping to get two strips out of  each board to fill 1 gap but don't want to see this bevelling. If I cut it off I won't get 2 strips so am looking for an alternative. Any ideas. dc

Is it possible to buy plasterboard without bevelled edges as I am going to fill in and insulate between ceiling joists? If not is there something else to use as I intend to metal rail, laine de verre and then cover with plasterboard or something equally cost effective. Any advice greatly appreciated. dc

I have an above ground pool 7m x 3.75m filled with tap water which was very green after lifting the cover. I cleaned the leaves  and dirt out and without any real thinking added some choc rapide and filtered the water. The water is now blue and cloudy. I have just measured the ph level and it is very low and the chlorine level very high. What should I now do to rectify the situation. This is the first winter I've had a pool and I've obviously cocked up the process. Can anybody please help/advise on the best way forward. best regards dc

Hi bill, Stapled the foil to the roof joists, installed placo on suspended metal rail and then put laine de verre in the gap between the two. I used that Airflex - it is good stuff as it is fairly rigid but of course a bit pricey. On balance laine de verre and an air conditioning unit. regards dc

I have found the reflective stuff keeps the heat out but is not great with keeping the heat in. Consequently I have now started installing 100mm of laine de verre as well as the reflective stuff, I'm fed up seeing my boiler drinking fioul as though its lager in a pub in the uk on a friday night. Hope this helps. dc

On the old toilets I think that was the case but on these new suspended ones they try to save water so i'm not sure how they work. If I were to draw a line from the top of the waste pipe at the back of the toilet the water level in the bowl is lower so there must be a chance that something is out of kilter. We have 3 toilets and 3 vent pipes and there is no leak. The nearest sink or toilet must be 15 metres away as the crow/ water flies/flows. I am going to purchase a new connector/seal tomorrow as I can't see what else it can be. thanks for all help regards dc

toilet is on its own no other items sharing the waste pipe. I'm beginning to think the seal on the waste pipe must be the problem! dc

air admittance valve is 50 cms away. dc

I have marked the existing water level and slowly poured water into the bowl. The water slowly seeps away until it reaches the mark and the bowl smells of drains which slowly gets worse??????!!! dc

I have got an air admittance valve (durgo) installed. So what can it be?? dc

Can somebody please help. I have installed a new wall suspended toilet and the toilet bowl  smells of the drains. There does not appear to be any gas bubbling up through the water.  I have installed it as follows: The white waste pipe supplied with the toilet is attached to the rear of the toilet at an angle of 45 degrees as it exits sideways towards our fosse. Where the supplied white waste pipe joins the grey soil pipe I have installed an extra pipe with a durgo valve at a point higher than the cistern. The toilet is level as is the supporting frame.  It flushes away beautifully but within a few moments there seems to be a drain smell which gets stronger over a period of time. If it's not coming up through the water then how can it get into the bowl as the flush feed is through a seperate pipe. Can it come throgh the rim? please help as it's driving me around the twist!!!!!! regards dc

Our tank is in a very cold part of the house is it worth lagging the tank to keep the water hotter or would I be wasting my time. Any advice greatly appreciated. regards dc  

Which digital receiver?????? dc

tv and receiver have scart option. Have set up, but as suspected picture is in black and white even though tv 9 years old. What next ?? dc

tv is a Sony and 9 years old???   dc

I have just purchased an analogue satellite receiver, dish & lnb in order to receive French tv. Will this work on an English tv or have I bought the wrong set up. Any help greatly appreciated. dc

Hi Maxsan, Have you got shutters attached to the window frame because that will make a difference about what they remove. On our house, window frames with shutters attached to the old frame were left in situ and only window frames with no shutters were totally removed. I hope this helps, any questions please e-mail me. regards dc

My brother has a maison secondaire with a Weissmann fioul boiler. Whenever he switches it on it always heats the domestic hotwater first before the radiators come on. Is this normal here as when he is not using the house he wants to heat it when it is cold but obviously won't need domestic hot water. Also the boiler has a frost sensor outside but when its really cold the boiler keeps firing and in a cold spell is on permanently and as there is no internal thermostat it just drinks the oil. Any help/advice greatly appreciated. regards dc

Can somebody please help! I am trying to help a retired, widowed lady who lives alone, has no transport, no tv (everything is English so won’t work), radio only picks up one station  and only exists on a meagre  pension with her adsl  connection with wanadoo/orange. The story goes as follows:   Friend of lady installs livebox via usb connection with fairly old pc but windows xp home edition and system works intermittently for a few days and then phone packs up along with internet connection. Wanadoo engineer called, when he arrives examines set up and tells lady system not synchronizing because both filters included in box don’t work and to get new filters. Cost of call out 50+ euros. Lady buys new filter and installs. Same problem, no internet, phone gives engaged signal, disconnect livebox and phone works ok. Knight in shining armour arrives (me) re-installs software and box, no improvement. Take filters and livebox to my house and firstly connect all filters to my system and prove that these are all functioning ok. (so much for wanadoo engineer). Then attach livebox to my portable and install system using lady’s software and passwords etc but on my line. Same errors no internet and my phone with engaged signal. I think this suggests the livebox is broken? Tried my portable at her house in case its to do with the line ie fixed to her telephone number as I don’t understand how adsl works but still same problems. Ring Wanadoo  helpline and eventually speak to somebody and use my better than basic French to explain problem. Nice lady at wanadoo gives me a special number to enable exchange livebox for a new one, but tells me I must go to nearest France Telecom shop to make the transaction. 5 days later off we go to Rochefort  (35 mins away) on my trusty steed ( well, in the car anyway) park up and find shop. Queue in shop for twenty minutes before wanadoo employee tells us to go to after-sales shop next door. Man in shop exchanges livebox for new one and a queue of 5 people forms behind me all clutching livebox ready for exchange. I was only in there 2 minutes, and asked man if they were having problems with livebox, he grunted and I left with my new Qrange box. Drove Lady home and arranged to meet lady and install new Orange box 2 days later. Arrive 2 days later full of confidence but on reading new instructions read that Orange recommend connection via Ethernet cable. Unperturbed I look for an Ethernet port (rj45) in the back of computer and guess what there isn’t one. So of course I try the usb method and guess what exactly the same problem, only this time xp tries to repair the network but still no internet connection and phone gives engaged signal. I have spent about  12 hours trying to make this work, loads of petrol and what little hair I have left I have pulled. So please can somebody help me to improve this lady’s existence here in France and tell us what we doing wrong.   Regards Dc

I recently read that if one has a car accident with another car that both parties must fill in "le constat amiable" and sign it. What is this document, do I need to keep it in the car and where do I  get it from??? Any help greatly appreciated. regards dc

This was a plastic uk licence with the European symbol!!!!   dc

Can anybody advise me of the licence rules in France. I got stopped in La Rochelle this morning and asked to show insurance docs, carte grise and driving licence. The policeman advised me that as I lived in France and was not on holiday that my uk licence was not valid and that I should exchange my licence for a French one at the prefecture. I don't want too as I may go back to UK???? Any advice greatly appreciated.   regards dc

I have just installed a new toilet in a new bathroom and connected the waste pipe to the fosse. I have noticed a drain smell in the in the toilet bowl and the water is perhaps a little low (not sure with these new style toilets). I have not installed a vent pipe, is this the problem? I don't understand how the smell can get past the water trap. Any help/advice greatly appreciated. regards dc

I 've got quite a lot of plasterboard joints to sand and was wondering if anybody could suggest an electric sander with dust extraction capable of doing the job. Any help greatly appreciated. regards dc

have received avis d'impot for 2005 and have 2 questions please.   1. What is the charge " impot sur les revenus soumis au bareme" and its "decote" 2. What do I now do with my piece of paper?  I assume sign it and send to who? Forgive my ignorance but first tax return. Any help greatly appreciated. regards dc