Onoff

E: "Faye says it's not gonna fit through the gap". F: "It's pretty tight!" Is this the script for another "home movie"?

Using up some 50 & 25mm EPS. 50mm first and I should get a cover of 25mm over that:

I remember I think Tomorrow's World where they followed a crew going around Scotland attaching CO2 "sparklet" powered injectors to the base of telegraph poles that pumped in some form of preservative. Carol Vorderman ü Maggie Philbinü Kate Humble ü/ ? Judith Hann ?

Pleased with the "rigidity" of the tap adapters through the ply/stainless backing plates. All seems good and solid. Now a couple of random plumbing questions: 1) Using chromed copper pipe is there any difference if using copper or brass olives? The brass ones that came with the 15/16mm elbow were a real tight fit. They went on, eased by a smidge of Jet Blue Plus but I wasn't sure they were going to! 2) Pushing the Pex-Al-Pex elbow onto the Pex was quite hard. I worried it was starting to lift the first O ring out of it's groove so I countersunk the end of the Pex a tad. Right or wrong? I also gave a little squirt of silicon spray to ease it in. With hindsight I'm sure there was an easier way of feeding this rad but with no proper flow and return anywhere near... Anyway, getting the "economy" thickness insulation on the Pex-Al-Pex: 16mm Pex-Al-Pex is a bloody tight fit in 15mm pipe clips and the retainers won't snap into place. All for 1mm! Who knew! Think I'll just snap them off. The more I try and "plumb" properly the more I respect those who do it for a living. God knows why there's the historic plumbers vs electricians issues (aside from scorched T&E ). Like the old vampires vs werewolves thing I guess, they're both pretty bad ass!

I've always thought with short timber posts in the ground, that if you were able to drill up the middle with say a couple of inches left undrilled at the bottom you could tap a funnel in and periodically full with "creosote" or old engine oil.

OK, I'll insulate then on the basis of cutting down losses to the rad. Cheers. On the subject of insulation and keeping the bath warm I'm thinking to infill between these studs on the long side of the bath: Currently behind that vcl is 50mm of Celotex then the cavity wall. I've some 100mm off cuts that I'm looking to use up. Or would some 50mm EPS doubled up be better. Thinking that Celotex is a bit noxious smell wise in a warm environment.

Ta. I wasn't looking forward to gingerly bending it back on itself then threading down the hole. It'd be one minimum bend radius followed by another. Then, in two minds whether I need to insulate these pipes to the rad or not. On the one hand I can't see the point of heating the boxed in space under the bath...might be detrimental to the pump motor too. Or should I leave them uninsulated so the (big) bath doesn't lose heat so quick when full? Where they go thru the slab I'll either thread them through some 20mm flexible conduit then make good the concrete or run thru some 15 mm pipe insulation and again make good.

I do so wish I'd planned for the pipes to the towel rad BEFORE I cast the floor slab! I need to get the pipes to it under this wall (where the tape is) and run parallel to the UFH pipes that are in the grey foam insulation for protection until I dig up the adjacent floor. Got as far as a 125mm core cutter through the first 2" of the slab then a 127mm Starrett through the A142 mesh. Not sure whether to try and bend the Pex-Al-Pex or just get two elbows?

Just bought a battery pcb to try and resurrect a genuine BL1830. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-5x3-3cm-18V-PCM-PCB-Lithium-Battery-Protect-Circuit-Module-Board-For-Makita-UK-/152190429598?hash=item236f41a99e:g:9dIAAOSwqfNXoBVv On eBay for around £6 from Hong Kong etc if you don't mind waiting. Will report back or you'll see the pictures of the fire in the paper!

Good point, thanks for the reminder! Yes I have some. I'd put it to one side and forgotten about it tbh as at one time I was looking at push fit fittings which don't play nicely with chromed copper. Tempted once the two lengths of Pex and chrome tails are in, to temporarily bridge the chrome tails to form a pseudo loop and use my (Welsh designed ) test rig to prove those elbows:

So... Running the 16mm Pex-Al-Pex around to where the rad is. I'm using a 16/15 elbow: So it'll end up like this, two stubs of 15mm copper poking through the plasterboard at 965mm centres ready for the rad. The thing is, the next step is to put the vcl on the wall and then the plasterboard so I WON'T be getting to these compression joints again! Assembling with a smear of Jet Blue Plus btw. Should I test them somehow or just take a chance?

Look, I get very little excitement in my life so the adrenaline rush from taking chances like this is welcome!

Ta. You'll never see the insulating tape again but I'll know it's there! Get your missus to phone mine please. Mine can't believe what HASN'T BEEN DONE! Anyway, running the Pex-Al-Pex for the towel rad through the dwarf wall now. Not easy so the home brew decoiler is making a reappearance. Having to lay on the floor and turn it with one foot whilst dragging the pipe through the studs then round the next corner and through the next lot of holes to where the rad's going. Just realised I could do with being 18" taller...

So to get a "level" thickness to clamp the tap adapters down: I first wrapped the adapters in insulating tape to take up any slack yet still be flexible. Put it "two rubber washers" down so as not to impede the clamping process. For a worrying minute I thought I might have to use blue and BROWN until I found an old reel of red! Cut a bit of marine ply (then sanded and routed a radius on all edges):: And a bit of stainless from an old kick plate (btw this killed the 38mm Erbauer hole saw): A couple of 3mm packs at the back stuck on with mitre bond: Putting the share price up of Sikaflex: Abraded and cleaned with meths (why not Multisolve or white spirit?). All feeling nice and solid, the nuts up tight against the stainless plate. When the Sikaflex is dry I'll tweak up the nuts:

This just out if interest: Bought a BL1830 clone a while back at random on eBay. Can't fault it the. Charges, doesn't get hot and lasts. Decided to get another for a freebie BHP452 I've just been given (needed a £2 forward / reverse lever). As you do I thought I'd compare the guts side by side. Externally the case looks identical. Looks a bit different inside though. The old clone's on the left and the new one on the right: EDIT: Should have added that the latest clone on the right ( with the red cells) is from here: http://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?isRefine=true&_odkw=makita+18v&_ssn=lycfeng&_sop=15&hash=item25ad3101dd&item=161819460061&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xmakita+18v+battery.TRS0&_nkw=makita+18v+battery&_sacat=0&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xmakita 18v battery.TRS0&_mwBanner=1 Bought on recommendation from a member here who rated them. Not used in anger yet so time will tell! It does look well made though with an attention to detail etc. I must compare to the inside of a genuine Makita BL1830. I've no doubt voided any warranty but for £22.99 I'm not overly bothered. I'll openly admit though that with these clones I NEVER leave them charging unattended.

I bought 16000 45mm collated nails a while back off eBay. I'll have a trawl and see where I got 'em but had no issues whatsover with them.

"Oh yes you can!" (Well it is Christmas! ) I did it yesterday. Ordered whilst working up in London for collection at my local branch, put the voucher code in online and it took the tenner off. Picked up on the way home.

Don't! I've not even thought about the domed ceiling yet. Need the bath installed so I can stand on it to do all the High Renaissance artwork. Seriously though, I must get onto Rapid later to order some by the meter screened flex so as to extend the control wiring.

Gotta sand and varnish the ply box in the floor and paint the concrete under the bath before then.....

Tbh I don't fancy chamfering the (st/st) nuts. I'd be putting point loads around the hole... ...current thought that came to me in the night, is as the bosses are so long I should Starrett a rectangular piece of marine ply with two holes at the required centres and bond that on first (I'll use Sikaflex ta). I'll make a large, 2 hole, st/st washer to match. Should spread the load better around the mounting area and bring the nuts down lower where I can get better purchase on them to tighten.

It's not that it's an angled face as such it's more that it's not parallel to the finished face where the taps are. That and the fact the matting build up means it's not flat . Wouldn't have been as much of an issue of just the taps were on with no boss / adapter as the standard tap nut is that much smaller. The more I think about it the more inclined I am to just overdose the assembly with CT1, do the nut up as tight as and wipe off the excess (top side) with a baby wipe. That should stop the nut ever moving too.

At long last it's decided we're going with the taps to the wall. This will make the pump motor more inaccessible. The logic is that we will very likely need (want?) to replace the taps. The pump motor "might" give up. Access too is a big decider. Having gone to all the trouble to cast the pocket in the slab so the bath floor is level with the bathroom floor it seems silly to put taps in the way of swinging your legs over. Cost too is there as in we're going to use what we've bought! So this will be the final configuration: I've gone for one of the kits that make the taps easily removable. Basically a st/st boss fits into the bath then the tap(s) fit into that. With flexi pipe on the taps a quick Allen key job sees you lifting the taps out. You then add the adapter top part to the tap. Slip it over the bosses on the bath and tighten the Allen screw that engages with the groove on the boss: You can see how the flexi pipes will attach to the taps and pass up through the boss for removal: This shows the tap on the left with the adaptor and on the right "standard" they make the tap sit a bit higher overall by about 10mm: I had to enlarge the hole in the bath with my homemade "2 in 1" Starrett adapter, scary in case I slipped It's 2mm over on the OD: The main issue I have is where the adapter bosses sit. On the underside its not that level so there's gaps under the nut. So looks OK: But from another angle: Not sure on the fix.....cut some rubber for washers or just plenty of CT1 and leave to set? Cheers

I pass my local one every day near enough. I think they were short staffed. There was one lad in trade with a customer and one on the main counter keeping an eye on some undesirables!

Just used my £10 Electricfix voucher. Most unimpressed.....had to use the peasant's counter!

I couldn't find specific maker's names on the main report or the individual test reports which to put it bluntly is the biggest cop out ever! You'll be forced to sift through ALL THE reports to see if the one you have matches it in looks for a start. Then as with so many of the Chinese made ones it might be a copy of a design with subtle differences or QA/QC procedures.