BotusBuild

Break out the rope and tackle or a chain hoist. Boards underneath. Drag it up. Done!

That's some journey. I wish you speedier travels on the remainder of your build ?

Got any lumps of discarded concrete onsite that need breaking up? ?

In? Out? Shake it all about! Do the hokey cokey, and turn it round? That's what this building lark is all about In for me - somewhere to put the shampoo ?

My water connection scheduled for today was postponed as SWW/Kier (who do their work) are now on "emergency works only". I also got my Travelodge booking cancelled as well so it would have meant a day trip (200+ miles each way) for me to do the "customer side" pipework which was doable. Although I would have been isolated from everyone on the journeys and in doing the work on the site, this was not a necessary journey. July is the new scheduled date

It's cheap enough at the moment (£1.02 at my local Asda)

That's what I was doing ? Regarding all those other products I shall investigate and make a bold choice ?

I will try Jet Blue Plus next time ? Just used PTFE tape round the olives and on the threads. It's mainly sealed, just some minor weeping (a drip every 3-4 minutes that I know will calcify over the next few weeks), which now everything is heated up dries out quick enough in the airing cupboard. I'm not draining that system again to try to get rid of something I know from experience will "self seal" in good time.

Woohoo - Got the parts, new DHW cylinder fitted yesterday, some small seeping leaks but I know these will seal with calcification by the hard water. "Something for the weekend" !!! Who was I kidding?

Guys, Thank you, I have managed to fix the old one by cannibalising a new drain tap. But the saga continues. It turns out there was also a leak on the hot water cylinder in the area where this was connected. New cylinder picked up yesterday but different to spec on the website as it has an extra female 1.25" hole. Of course, now I have to wait for the hardware stores to re-open after the PM's announcement last night ? [In the meantime, the family booked a local TravelLodge for the night to get a shower!! Don't think that can happen again, so the pressure is back on] ?? Still smiling

Thanks, just popping into B&Q to see if I can find a BS2879 compliant drain tap to cannibalize (they are controlling numbers in the store)

Yes, looking again it could start BS...

Might be 2873

@Onoff, think it ends 2879

@ProDave, take a close look at the 3-part "washer" ?. It was part of the piece directly above it. This is a really old style drain trap/cold inlet I think from the early/mid 80's

Continued on this thread

FYI - the brass piece fits into the side of the hot water tank near the bottom (the larger thread), and the cold feed comes in the other (22mm compression), and obviously the other bit is the drain tap and you can see the need to replace in the first pic

Thanks @Onoff I found that one too ? I have now changed the valve, but now have another problem, more later. In the meantime some pics, first the old valve and head and then the new The new head was never going to fit on the old valve ? and finally inside the old head to see the motor. Might take it apart more later on. But now I have to locate one of these Anyone know what that piece of brass is called

I've looked at that option too. The SwitchMaster VA1 has been obsolete for years, and now even the internals cannot be found ?

Nope. Tomorrow I will provide some pictures to show why not - basically the head unit (the silver coloured part in the pic) of this will not fit on the valve (the brass part) of the current fitted valve and you cannot buy a replacement head unit for the current fitted valve

Unfortunately, you can no longer get a replacement actuator for the Switchmaster VA1 mid-position valve ? It all has to be replaced.

The virus is getting everywhere and has finally done for the existing SwitchMaster VA1 ???

That's exactly what I was thinking - may try to take the actuator apart this evening (love to annoy other members of the household!) to see if there is anything I can fix/clean to give it a little extra lifetime

This is definitely new activity - never heard the clicking before, and for "repeatedly" read "for over 30 minutes" - yes I was that patient to wait for it to move from CH/HW to HW by switching off the demand for CH (much to OH's and siblings annoyance!) ?

It sounds like the original (fitted in early-mid 1980's?) 3-port valve on our heating system is giving up. It's a SwitchMaster Midi Valve Actuator VA1. On the outer case it has the 3 positions Hot Water, Central Heating, and Central Heating/Hot Water. This evening, as it gets to the CH/HW position it starts to click - looking carefully I can see that the red pointer progresses and then clicks back repeatedly. There is a white dial and with the aid of 20p coin I can turn it past this position, and all the usual control system magic then kicks into action (good!). So for now I can "encourage" it to do it's stuff by listening out for the "clicking" that coming through the pipework ? Does anyone know if there is a replacement for the motorised part - the actuator (it just pulls off) so that I don't have to drain the system and replace the valve itself as well? I would have to drain the systems as those clever 1980's plumbers didn't fit isolating valves !!!