Recent content by James Carmichael

Thanks. Strangely, it is actively listed in their plans as a private drain. Academic aside: However, they're also keen to point out that their plans may not be accurate and cannot be relied upon, so if you want to know if you have public drains nearby your only approach is to dig test trenches...

I am thinking about a new drainage run for waste water from a sink in a garden outbuilding. My house is uphill, so any drain run to it would need a pump to lift the waste water. However, behind the outbuilding there's a shared lane (owner unknown - it's the typical service lane that runs behind...

Ahh, yes, that's dripping. Ok, thanks everyone - time to call in the gas engineer, internal expansion vessel needs some love!

Thanks. No, it doesn't seem to. I was assuming expansion vessel (there are two on the system, I think - one for the unvented how water cylinder and one in the boiler; the latter would be suspect here?) but the fact that the pressure doesn't just shoot through the roof as soon as the heating...

Hi, I've got a Vaillant system boiler (ecoTec plus 637). It's around 12 years old and has been maintained. We've just been away for a couple of weeks so, keen not to burn gas unnecessarily, I set all the zone thermostats/timers (hot water, 2 x radiators, underfloor heating) to off/frost...

Thanks. We're on a combined foul/surface drain so our water company is very resistant to new connections unless it can be proven that no other solution will work; which I guess the current shenanigans are saying about the prospects of a soakaway. I just hope their next answer won't be "close the...

Well, the answer to that is that the water would simply remain in the topsoil (as it did before I dug the soakaway) and percolate away in its own good time. This means I could solve this problem from the perspective of the surrounding land simply by capping off the soakaway. The only downside...

Hi all, HNY and all that. I've installed an underground rainwater harvesting tank with an attached soakaway for any overspill. The soakaway is a bit sluggish (slighly clay soil) but the best option I had for the time being. However, over the last few days it's been noticeable that the...

Use the right length screw, which means the depth of the floor layer plus the bracket.

Thanks @flameport - so essentially, you're recommending that the concrete floor in the ouhouse is bonded? Why is this not a requirement in the main house?

Hi, I'm having a shed/home office built in my garden, about 20 metres from the house. My house has a TNC-S supply and the electrician has told me the outhouse needs a local TT earth. Fine by me, but ... The outhouse will have no incoming gas or water supplies, and has no other classic...

They may well do, but (a) We are not planning to attach the patio to the building (b) the steps that were removed were attached to the building and had been there for 110 years, were only 5 cm lower than our proposed not-attached patio and (c) Our house does not have a damp proof course in that...

20210728_122630 by James Carmichael posted 28 Jul 2021 at 12:39 PMHi, We had bifold doors installed about two years ago. Outside there's around a 40cm drop to the garden and the plan at the time was to run steps down, so the installers included a 225mm aluminium sill. The doors are face drained...

Hi, I have a manual pump for an old water well in my garden. It's nothing special, 1950s steel pump body attached to brass fittings and copper pipe. I've just paint stripped off years of flaking paint and it's now all bright and shiny. I quite like the steam punk effect and want to put it back...