JohnBishop

At first I thought you basically smashed the TV to save on electricity and abstain from BBC or SkyNews propaganda but you just bought a new TV! If you think that it will pay for itself in 3 years then great. Read this: http://mileswmathis.com/fridge.pdf If we look at what happened with standing charges increasing by 100% it costs over £300 just to be connected to the grid. The shysters want to push more and more people into deep poverty or off-grid. The government bribery grants are just for the time being. The same old tactic of the banksters: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+47%3A13-26&version=NIV

Hi, What would be your recommendation for underlayment in these two scenarios: 1. 1st floor standard wooden decking - wood laminate flooring and vinyl flooring in the bathroom 2. ground floor concrete base - vinyl flooring (kitchen) and wood laminate flooring I also have to work out what to use for the hallway and stairs I reckon vinyl would be a better option Thanks

The emergency came over and they found the old vendor put a cap on the supply but with no washer. I am looking into getting a local gas safety engineer to take off the cap to recommission the installation.

Yes, I have phoned up the gas emergency line as this gas smell in the outside cabinet is not something desirable. They come within 2h. I reckon the gas is leaking from that dodgy looking valve. I smell the gas regardless if it's ON or OFF.

Yes, apologies, I just attached it above.

Because this is a housing association they sold this property "as is" but I can see apart from walls the heating was properly maintained until the property was vacated and they have a procedure what to do before they leave it empty including draining the radiators and leave them open basically. So I came, I shut all the radiators that have this drain valve near it, I have turn on the mains water, checked all the radiators for airlocks twice then I removed the final airlock near the water tank. When the boiler turns on the water pump upstairs also turns on.

Is this the valve? It's in a quite obscure location I would have to lie on the counter to twist this. https://ibb.co/c6WMDvJ I don't know if it has been cut off to the property, I don't know what can make them do that. The property was unoccupied I think for about a year. The boiler has been serviced July 2020.

I have bought a property and this has a boiler and an immersion heater with a pump. If electric heater is off the boiler should heat the water as well. I have reinstated the water pressure as the old vendor has drained the whole system. As long as I had these airlocks the boiler was complaining about lack of flow so I have released the remaining air using the valve near the tank / water pump the boiler no longer complaints about that but now it is not igniting. I went to basics and wondering if the gas is actually flowing. Couple days ago I have open the valve next to a gas meter then I also activated the gas smart meter. When I selected Emergency Credit it said something about "opening a valve" which took about a minute then an audible click. I thought everything is set but the boiler goes in circles and I don't smell any gas unlike I smell in the gas meter cabinet. There is this gas pipe for the cooker as well. I thought I try and see if gas is coming out of it and I pressed that ball inside the connector valve - nothing. Are you aware of any other places I should look for? This is not a big house that I would expect a series of gas valves. I assume the two valves in the gas cabinet are fine - 1st mechanical is in OPEN position, the one inside a smart meter has also opened up. I have topped it up with £50 just in case this Emergency is not good.

I know food grade steam cleaned IBC tanks.

I have seen people doing it in US, I come across at least 2 people on YouTube: and this man has a complete solution with 3 tanks with one acting as surge tank, 2nd as filtration only tank and 3rd tank as filtered water tank. This would only require a pump as JohnMo has pointed out so this can stand on the ground or 2 layers of centre blocks rather than on columns you also have a cheap and complete water filtration with charcoal from Thailand:

no I don't think I need that much, I want and DIY solution not commercial. Reverse osmosis is perhaps the only solution for flats but this does not filter all the fluoride in the water, this can only be guaranteed by distillation which is not cost effective. I would want to be in complete control of the filtration system not just ease of mind replace filters every 6-12 months. This is also dependent on 3rd party that can go bust anytime or there are supply line issues and I won't get filters for a year.

I didn't say I will leave water in a clear tank. Of course there are some black IBC tanks but it is sufficient to cover it nicely with 500G heavy duty polythene plastic.

Thanks for your point. I mean this is a setup purely for drinking water so even 1000lt tank would be sufficient considering it is being topped up by rain. 2000lt is an overkill for 2 people in the house but some of this water could be used in the garden as I don't want to use water from the mains which is polluted with Hexafluorosilicic acid. I will have another 2 separate IBC tanks for the garden but 1st I need to build a shed or some roof to gather water there. Perhaps I could get away with a single 1000l tank for drinking water but then I would have to put it even higher to get some pressure at tap level - about 0.5m raised ground floor. Do you mean to use 50x50 angle iron to secure the corners against impact from the side?

Good idea with the paving slabs. I think I could use 8 slabs to help spread the load on the top for steel base and on the bottom for the concrete.

Hi All, I hope you are doing well in these strange times. I am thinking about putting two IBC 1000 litre tanks on top of each other when full it would be 2000kg but I don't want to put them just on the floor but also conserve the the energy at put them at a certain height so I get some water pressure out of it. I think to put them about 1 meter high on an existing concrete floor. I was thinking about 4 columns made of 2 bricks. The tanks have a steel or hardened plastic base that should handle the load when stacked, I have seen it. What do you think? Is there any load calculator so I can calculate if these 4 simple columns are sufficient or do I need a 5th column in the centre or some reinforced concrete columns instead? Best regards

There are two types of these secret gutters. Which one would you recommend? The one that requires mortar or not or it depends? https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/dry-fix-roofing-grp-bonding-gutter-70mm.html https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/corodrain-3000mm-secretjoining-gutter-pack-of-10.html

I mean I see over 30% of the semi-detached houses in the neighbourhood have different tiles and ridge tiles in the middle so it does not look like rare or bad practice. Example picture 1 and 2 What I understand based on your input is that a roof without ridge tiles last longer. Example picture 3 and 4. I reckon the problem is that this hasn't been done properly - no protection underneath (no secret gutter) and mortar disintegrated over time. The question is if the fireplace should be reinstated to provide a better ventilation but I also would want to install a wood stove as a backup.

My surveyor has done L3 survey at the property and it seems all the leaks originate from the ridge tiles but I think also the chimney AND/OR the area around the chimney what would explain the wet spots on the 2nd picture above. The fireplace on the ground floor has been completely walled/sealed. I think I need this fireplace back for better airflow. I think they walled it because the council tenant was burning stuff he wasn't supposed to. The ridge tile on the other side does (Southern) looks better and is not leaking (I reckon because mortar has a better chance of drying) but will eventually needs doing. How do you think what would be the cost of fixing this? I have asked for quotes 3 local roofers but they didn't come back yet, I don't know maybe not interested in fixing things but replacing the whole roof but I don't want to go that route yet as I am planning to put solar panels in not distant future so I would do it at one go. I reckon this cannot be done without a scaffolding or at least some of the work would require scaffolding.

@dpmiller @Dave Jones @Carrerahill @Russell griffiths Thank you for your suggestions I reckon I get rid off the ropey ridge on the other side as well as this will leak there too. I think they haven't done a good job around chimney as well what would explain the damp on the chimney wall.

Yes, it's newer than the neighbour's but the ridge bit needs doing. What is this black residue under his roof, is it from the water exposure, an overflowing gutter? This is northern side so the green stuff can be justified. His roof could be leaking in few places. I think chimney also needs an inspection.

Hi All, There are leaks on the shared wall and after looking on the outside I think the rain water seeps from the neighbouring roof I think it's flatter than mine and some water makes its way under my tiles. Something is not right. There are also some leaks into the chimney. I think this also needs doing. Please advise. Best regards