Search results

Well not exactly. The impellor was properly fixed to the shaft, as was the cylindrical magnet. But there was a sticky black deposit on the side of the sleeve that the magnet fits into, and I think it was this that was sometimes causing the magnet to stick. The shaft could still be turned...

Well if anyone is interested, it turned out to be the pump. I had assumed that since it sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, that there must be some sort of control that was allowing/preventing it from running. But I realised it's only on a timer, so I eventually took the pump off for a...

Are you talking about a wood burning stove? What size is it (heat output)? Small stoves don't need an identifiable source of air, but larger ones do. Your idea for underfloor ducting sounds reasonable, but I don't see that cold air will condense on the ducting, as it's the air thats cold, and...

Thanks John. The pump filter is the moulded plastic cage that unscrews from the front, revealing the pump blade, but it's all clear. The pump runs fine after I drain it manually. What I'm getting at is this: Something must "switch" for the pump to suddenly start running, and evidently...

Thanks for the info. I've taken the pressure switch out and the pipe is clear. There are various clicks of switches when I blow/suck on it, but this doesn't necessarily mean it's working properly. I'm trying to understand what it is that prompts the machine to drain - is this something in...

Zanussi, about 10 yrs old, but well looked after. For several years, an occasional wash has failed to complete, requiring manual drain, then the cycle completes. I found grey gunge coating a float ball thing at the drum outlet, cleaning this seemed to solve the problem. The float ball rubber...

You need to work out is it a septic tank or a cesspit? A cesspit shouldn't discharge - it just fills up and then needs emptying (pumping out). A septic tank is supposed to allow biological processes to work, breaking down the solids and producing a relatively clean fluid that can run along...

You will need a drill with hammer action. This thumps the drill bit into the concrete at the same time as turning it. You need a masonry drill bit - this has a hardened tip for stone/concrete. You also need to apply controlled pressure if the concrete is really hard. Hammer action...

You will need to provide a cut down batten for the right side, it looks like there's space to the right of the pipes. Also you should close off the spaces at the bottom definately, and it would be best to do the tops also. Or else when you bang a nail in or lean against the wall the board...

The primer provides a good water resistant coating for the wood, but it's a very thin coating so doesn't easily finish very smooth. Undercoat is generally a bit thicker and smooths out the surface, so the gloss won't have grain lines in it. You can gloss straight over the primer but your...

It looks to me like the plaster slumped out of the join due to overworking it. If so you might just be able to sand or scrape it back flush, then even it up with polyfilla where necessary. Messy though!

Ok well thanks for the tips. I used knotting solution over the stained areas and it covered pretty well with the emulsion. You can see a very slight patchiness to the uniformity of the colour, but only if you look really hard. I think it must have been excessive humidity that prevented the...

The temp drop is probably as much to do with poor insulation as the vent. When you warm up a room, more moisture can be held by the air. When the air cools the vapour will condense on the coldest surface. To have a warm and dry room it's really necessary to keep it warm and allow some...

I think I would use Kingspan (or Celotex or similar) between the rafters, but leaving a ventilation gap between the top of the boards and the roof felt. Then I would add a second layer (say 25mm) across the underside of the rafters, then polythene, then plasterboard. You need to avoid...

The standard these days is 400mm, but yours probably won't be that. If you have a stud detector, you will be able to locate the studs quite easily. If not, you might be able to work out where they are just by pushing hard on the wall with your fingers, and finding the bits that don't flex...

I think the moisture in the room must have been a factor. The stains are 99% on the external walls of the room, I guess these were colder so attracted more condensation? Although at the time, it didn't seem like the walls were damp though. However they did take a long to dry out after...

I wonder if anyone can help me understand and solve this problem I have. I have stripped out the room, removed the wall plasterboard and fitted kingspan between the studs. I used polythene behind the plasterboard and skimmed it all. The room was unheated but ventilated during the works...

Ok thanks for the tip. I used some quick set epoxy "liquid metal" which is holding so far. Must remember that for next time.

Hi, I have been doing up a room, and I drained the system to take the radiator off. I bought new valves etc, and took off the old fittings, including the pieces that screw into each end of the radiator body. When I screwed the new ends in, one of them didn't come tight and just screwed right...

Try a few small smears of gripfill or similar. A few bits of gaffer tape to hold it while the glue sticks. After 1/2 hr or so the tape can come off and you're ready to skim. The odd galv clout can work too if you can get it into the wood.