Recent content by RealPolitik

It’s a rental, and it hasn’t been fixed in time for the next tenancy because I’ve been messed around by both joiner and uPVC people, whilst having other stuff going on. The other replaceable windows are largely in good condition (but given low uPVC cost and high fixed fitting charges, they might...

The usual red tap does feel very like it’s about to shear off. To clarify - if I turn off the red valve between cold cistern tank and hot cylinder, will the full contents of the hot cylinder drain when a hot tap is left open (both tanks are at attic level)?

Thanks, as I thought

I need to change an upstairs bathroom tap which doesn’t have any isolation valves at the moment. The cold supply is direct from the mains, for which there is an electric cut-off valve - if I can turn off the fill valve from the cold water feed tank to vented tank, will the lack of flow mean that...

Mainly because it will likely be sold afterwards, so I’d like the certificate, and fitting costs are prohibitive for a single window.

Thanks, that makes sense. I was considering new wood into the uprights and filling, but I think that’s going to be too involved given the state of it.

Have a softwood window which has rotted away at the back of the sill, and on the lower inch or so of two uprights - I would like to get it patched up so it will look presentable for a year or so until all the house windows are replaced. How would you approach this - chisel it flat and screw a...

Not familiar with these things, but is that a fairly usual type of valve (ie will I be able to find a replacement to fit in the same space)?

I cleaned them up, used hardener, glued and clamped the spilts, cut a piece of wood to fit the gap and packed out the difference with two-part filler (including filling the groove for the old compression seal, for a bit more strength). Seems OK so far…

Got an unbranded shower mixer control which is slowly but constantly dripping - are there generic cartridges which might fit something like this, or does it need replacing? If replace, am I likely to find a straight replacement? I can’t see any grub screws or similar holding the fascia plate on...

It’s a conservation area, so slightly more involved, and I think another custom-made window with associated bits is going to be £1k or more. Zero chance of anyone else paying for it!

I need to repair the attached window frame - it’s softwood, and the inner section where the window stay pin mounts has split from being constantly soaked with condensation. There’s some wood lost, although the rest of the frame is good. Would it be better to try to splice in new wood (and...

It’s had some troublesome tenants who have just left. There was no visible rot with the bath panels in place.

Have had a leak from a shower screen which a tenant had very helpfully partially-siliconed to the bath and hinge after throwing the seal away - it has rotted the bottom corner of the frame, the bottom of the stud upright and the cover piece (pictures attached), and the wood is still very wet...

Conductor size is the cross section of the actual copper bit - when I said 10mm I meant the diameter/width of the three cores plus insulation.