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  1. J

    Changing and old 2 gang light switch

    Noted. Camera and tripod in preparation.
  2. J

    Changing and old 2 gang light switch

    Late to jump on this, and not expecting a reply, but would like to say how interesting to read through the myriad of opinions on a seemingly straight forward "how to wire a light switch" question. This would explain why I have pushed to the back of my mind the home setup switch-replacement I...
  3. J

    Replacing bath taps flexi shower pipe with thermostatic flow adjustable wall mount

    whoah! I've not seen anything like these tube spanners for decades! I'm guessing one end would just fit over the tails once the flexi feed pipes are unscrewed and I'm just praying the installer didn't solder rigid copper feed pipes instead of stainless flexis - but he wouldn't have done that...
  4. J

    Replacing bath taps flexi shower pipe with thermostatic flow adjustable wall mount

    Thanks, would that mine were of that 'exposed nut' type, but it ain't: a photo of a similar brand shows the deal, with the threaded 'tails' underneath a solid non-dissamble-able block. I'm stuffed, I think, there will be no room to get pipe wrench in what will be about 4cms gap - but how did the...
  5. J

    Replacing bath taps flexi shower pipe with thermostatic flow adjustable wall mount

    Thanks for your thoughtful response - I'll be checking your suggestion - I'm not bothered about how long the bath takes to fill - it takes an age anyway, being L shaped and extra capacity, plus some members of the household once in can't get out! Where does that upper body strength go? So it's...
  6. J

    Replacing bath taps flexi shower pipe with thermostatic flow adjustable wall mount

    I’m looking to replace my current Wickes bath mounted mixer-tap shower head arrangement with a DIY fit-able thermostatic shower that would include some sort of flow adjustment on the wall at, say, chest height. The idea being to take a shower with a guaranteed temperature, irrespective of the...
  7. J

    DIY or a job for an expert heating engineer?

    500 plus vat - quote for new boiler was 3K ================================================================================= You could probably have descaled it and fixed the problem for £25 as a diy job, or paid a plumber for a couple of hours. Better to ask first! Mod...
  8. J

    DIY or a job for an expert heating engineer?

    I ask, because the boiler manual has very clear instructions on replacing this boiler part (the heat exchanger)0, and it is a two connections ‘water-side-only’ component – no gas involved at all. Any tips or potential pitfalls for a reasonably handy DIY-er would be gratefully received. With...
  9. J

    Heat Exchanger on old non-condensing boiler lukewarm DHW but hot radiators, how?

    Wow! That's some big improvement - tap temperature up 10 degrees and 50% increase in kW output: it's going to be money well spent methinks.
  10. J

    Heat Exchanger on old non-condensing boiler lukewarm DHW but hot radiators, how?

    Jt5, that makes perfect sense - thanks, I had noted that with the kitchen hot tap (next to boiler) running full on, I can hear the flame constantly re-igniting - proof of bunged up 20 years of gunge in the PHEX. That removes any niggling doubt about replacing the exchanger, only to find it was...
  11. J

    Heat Exchanger on old non-condensing boiler lukewarm DHW but hot radiators, how?

    Thanks for that - si it's a 24ci then, that would explain a lot of confusion regarding spare parts availability! Of course, its 20 years old as well. "can't get the parts, mate". I'll try your test - so if the ch pipes get hot when ch is off and the dhw running, it's the diverter not doing its...
  12. J

    Heat Exchanger on old non-condensing boiler lukewarm DHW but hot radiators, how?

    My 21 year-old Gloworm 24cl needs replacing, (I know, I'm saving up), but the engineer said the fault of lukewarm water and warm/cold intermittent showering water was due to the the heat exchanger needing replacement: however the central heating works fine with radiators almost too hot to touch...
  13. J

    Replacing old boiler with like-for-like new one - possible?

    25 years-old Glow Worm 24cl needs replacing, but no-one will take on the job, because of difficult/impossible access to the outdoor vent pipe. Since the boiler's original installation in the first floor flat's kitchen, a conservatory roof has been erected below, in such a position that no...
  14. J

    ERA conservatory door catch stuck halfway

    The installation is about eight years old, exposed to all the weather from the open garden beyond, I reckon you are right. Replacement gboxes are available for £20 and a DIY job it is then. Thanks for your input.
  15. J

    ERA conservatory door catch stuck halfway

    Thanks for that - I'd already given it the WD40 treatment, and when I went to reassemble the handles and spindle, the handles worked again, properly. Half an hour later the handles did nothing again, yet when I loosened the screws and tried just one handle, it turned and the catch retracted -...
  16. J

    ERA conservatory door catch stuck halfway

    The single large uPVC external door won’t close: the wedge shaped catch is jammed halfway and will not retract or move at all: and the spindle cannot shift it. I’m not talking about the multi-point locking system, just the normal open and shut with the handle movement – a single catch on the...
  17. J

    Are supports for Edwardian stone cills structural or decorative?

    I'm booked in for complete 40mm external wall insulation and rendering: the contractor says he will chop off the stone cill supports which extend 3 inches beneath the 100 year old stone window cills, as it will 'make for a neater job'. I'm worried that these 'supports' are not just old fashioned...
  18. J

    Anyone knows how to dissemble a Secta basin mixer tap?

    It's dripping, not too bad but steady. Needs a replacement cartridge, I reckon. But how to take this chunk of polished steel apart without marking it? I'm assuming that the stationary sleeve conceals the cartridge, but all my attempts to unscrew it, or pull/twist it, have not shifted it. Even...
  19. J

    Mounting a 2.5M awning to rendered brick wall - 2 brackets enough?

    Hmm, that sounds like a much less invasive idea of the hammer-chisl-ing-off of the render - blind drilling small holes and checking the drill bit for mortar or brick dust; eventually a small scale 'map' of the area could be built up, and the proper 12/14mm drilling could commence, with...
  20. J

    Mounting a 2.5M awning to rendered brick wall - 2 brackets enough?

    Very true...I'm going to have to chisel away a large enough area of rendering at each mounting point so that I can be certain of drilling into solid brick. Shame, as the rendering is sound and crack-free.
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