Recent content by jossper

Blimey - I didn't think I would get so many replies - or cause such controversy! In answer to some points raised/questions asked- Namsag - I think i can see what you mean about removing the case of the fire to improve access - happy to do that, but I'm not going to remove the complete fire...

Because - A) She hasn't got the money B) She is 96 and I don't think ripping her house apart to install a modern boiler is practical The boiler is corgi serviced anually - I was interested in doing extra checks between times - say monthly.

Is it possible to do a spillage test on a back boiler unit without removing the fire from the front? My grandmother has a prehistoric New World Stowaway & I'd like to test it regularly if possible. The boiler is serviced anually, & she has a CO detecter, but given the local seagulls habit of...

Those MICC cables look as though they are connectd directly to the cutout, so they presumably feed meters elsewhere in the building. Surely that would make them the property and responsibility of the DNO? I've seem a similar arrangement used to feed flats above shops around here. Paul

Remove bumper & staighten brackets etc as suggested. Heat up damaged area with a hot air/paintstripper gun. You need to do this slowly & carefully so the heat penetrates through the plastic - the idea is to soften it not melt the surface. Its suprising how hot you have to get it. Then push it...

Are there any special requirements for installing a gas boiler in a garage? Garage is semi-detatched from house, single brick walls with piers, corrugated asbestos cement roof. Boiler will be a condensing combi. Thanks in advance for your help. Paul

I don't have much faith in your polish "electrician". Any decent sparks should be able to sort this out easily. I would agree with Daytona about the contact to the lamps - I've had compatibility problems with the linear halogens - the little nipples on the lampholder are not always long enough...

You have to be careful taking measurements of AC voltages with multimeters. Most older/analogue meters (such as AVO 8s) are calibrated to read average voltage which is 0.636 of peak. Mains voltage is quoted as RMS which is 0.707 of peak. Unless your meter is labelled as something like "true RMS"...

Securespark, I didn't want to cause offence, didn't mean Uranus in particular, more Uranuses (Uranii?) generally. Nor did I mean any particular phase, be it red, yellow, blue, brown, grey, black, or limegreen with purple spots. Sorry chaps, bit drunk, talking ball-cocks Merry Xmas (hic!)...

I've found cables to be much more prone to damage since Jan 2005. :wink: Must be something to do with global warming (everything else seems to be) or the phase of the Moon in Uranus or something. Happy Christmas all, Paul

This is a Jacobs Ladder used for film/TV special effects. It runs off a 10kV 50mA transformer intended for neon signs. The spark shown is approx 40mm across NOTE: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME And...... here is the PAT label :roll: Quote from the guy who owns it: "Just one of the...

DESL, I once went to a house owned by a bloke who owned a tile shop. He'd tiled everything, everywhere, badly! All the walls, all the (suspended) floors, even the stairs! The living room looked like a giant public convenience with a sofa in it.

Well, I suppose at least they'd pass the insulation test! Might fail on loop test though :)

True, it could be detected in theory. But the testers they used at that time were mostly concerned with DC line conditions and AFAIK couldn't easily measure ringing current. To accurately tell how many bells were connected from the exchange end you would have to know the loop resistance of the...

Years ago, when BT was Post Office Telephones, phones were hard wired, not plug in. If you wanted another phone in your house you had to get the Post Office in to do it, and they would charge you for installation & rental for the extra phone. One of my colleagues "illegally" installed her own...