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    Insulate bay roof while replacing facia & soffit

    1940s (we think) ex council house. The main roof is slate, originally with torching & no felt - so I assume the bay was done the same. I'll shortly be replacing the facia and soffit on the bay. When I did the main ones at roof level, there was virtually no gap between top of the brickwork and...
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    How to test (single-phase?) ac induction motor

    The same small circuit boards the coils are mounted on - yes, very small !
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    How to test (single-phase?) ac induction motor

    I've taken one or two apart in the past. The ones I seen are brushless - and that means multiple windings driven by a switched DC or "AC" supply. I would suggest most likely switched reluctance.
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    Vintage electric central heating help

    As people are finding when going for a heat pump install - not only (often) do they have to update all the radiators, they have to find room for a hot water cylinder of some sort. From stuff I've read, these are often stainless, which costs more than copper for an equivalent cylinder. Was just...
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    Vintage electric central heating help

    That is the easiest way, not the only one. Its also the simplest system in operation. Indeed, and the hot water. It also means you can design the heating system according to its needs instead of the limitations of the boiler - in particular the requirement for a minimum flow rate. Modulating...
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    Vintage electric central heating help

    That is indeed a nice system. But £25k ? Sounds like someone was taking the p1ss.
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    C1 ?

    If the property is uninhabitable because of substandard electrics like that then the landlord is in breach of his responsibilities. What happens next does depend to a certain extent on contract wording. Absent anything saying otherwise, the landlord has contracted to provide a swellibg - if it's...
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    Voltage to maintain rechargeable cells.

    There used to be lead acid 6V lantern batteries, and lead acid C and D cells. At one time I considered making a unit with 3xC or D cells (forget dimensions now) and the charge controller into something that would fit within the space of a lantern battery. These days easier to replace the...
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    Voltage to maintain rechargeable cells.

    A lot depends on the battery technology you want to use. Lead Acid is relatively simple - look at the manufacturer's data sheet and it'll show the different charging regimes - including long term float from a constant voltage (CV) supply. Anything else, and especially lithium, is ... not...
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    Chasing for data cable - conduit?

    Not seen those, nice. Only trouble is it's fiddly plastering across the bridge. If you don't, then fittings can bend or crack (depending on materials) due to lack of support on one side. And/or you have loose fittings. while it's a bit more work to go 35mm, the extra space in the box is well...
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    Chasing for data cable - conduit?

    Just stick a bit of white oval in - it costs little and gives complete freedom to replace/alter cabling later - do you really know exactly what you might want in the future ? Just take it into the backbox (nibble out the hole if required) rather than the common practice of stopping half an inch...
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    What would you do here - repairing loose dry dash round door ?

    Yes, I planned to take it back to the corner. I can't make my mind up whether it would look naff if I smooth rendered it which would be easier. Oh decisions, decisions ... I'm thinking I need to leave a gap (for sime silicone) between tbe render and frame - otherwise one good slam and it'll...
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    Is this wall a risk?

    In general, if a bit of your property falls and causes damage or injury to someone or their property - then you are liable. How liable then comes down to specifics - and what could be proved. At one extreme, you have an obviously dangerous wall and you've been told about it but done nothing. Not...
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    What would you do here - repairing loose dry dash round door ?

    Thanks. The more I think about it the more I think this bit needs a pro. I've patched lots of small areas - holes drilled for cavity insulation, old vents, removed pipes, etc. People keep saying how good it looks, but I can see every one. And this bit will be very in your face as you walk up to...
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    Fuzzy feeling from laptop lid

    No, it's connected to the mains, one side of which is earthed. The filters and parasitic capacitance will generally pull the secondary side (output) towards half the mains voltage (i.e. 120V for us) relative to esrth. As we have a weak link to earth (again, mostly capacitance), there is a very...
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    Cable for a borehole pump

    You basically have it. Such a cable doesn't have to be buried, merely installed in such a manner that it isn't likely to get damaged or cause a nuisance (such as a trip hazard). If someone is saying otherwise, challenge them for the reg thst requires it. There isn't a reg that says "SWA doesn't...
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    Solar Panel Isolation / Short Protection

    There's no live or neutral - from the panels comes DC, which will be floating as well, so just + & -. But if you look online for panel characteristics you'll find that they present almost a constant current output proportional to light level. So if you short the oitput, you won't get a high...
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    Fuzzy feeling from laptop lid

    I've experienced this in the past and some time ago attempted to measure the current - it was way down in the "not a raliable reading" level.on my not very high spec multimeter. Apple's supplies are earthed if you use the power cord, but not if you use what they call a duck-head adapter. Another...
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    Adjusting hinges - uPVC door

    Thanks, really helpful - I'll give it a go when I get home. I tried lifting covers off but they didn't seen to want to move and I didn't want to break anything :eek:
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