MaryM

Thanks everyone. The device proposed is a Stuart Turner catalytic conditioner. The theory is that changing the crystal form of calcium carbonate causes it to be held in suspension instead of sticking to things. Changing form is well-documented science (polymorphic transition), what I'm unsure about is the conditions which bring about such a change, and how the catalyst induces/assists/accelerates the change. Decided to risk the cost and see, as it relies on a physical change and not a chemical one. If it fails I'll look further into Combi-mate, as their base is very local to me and I could ask to see someone in person to discuss.

I can hear the 'oh no, not again' resounding ... I've read the threads a few years old about water conditioners and don't want to revisit the arguments, but can I ask if there's been any progress? The plumbing design in my house makes a conventional salt-based system difficult to install, I've had these in my previous 2 houses and loved them, but can't face the amount of domestic upheaval (rising main one side of the garage, waste on the other and kitchen as far away as it can be on the other side of the house) needed to accommodate my insistence on untreated outside tap and drinking supply. I have a cartridge under-sink filter for drinking water (conveniently situated in the garage but better than drinking untreated tap water) and it works very well. I am in the Thames Water area, pretty hard stuff. This week I paid quite a lot for a plumber to replace the flush valve in my bathroom loo, second time in the 9 years I've lived here. It took 8 months to find someone who would actually do it, so I'm not in a position to argue about price. I keep the manufacturers of limescale removers in business with the industrial quantities of their products it takes to keep my bathroom/kitchen/utility surfaces looking remotely clean. I'm aware that none of the several types of conditioners/scale inhibitors will not give me soft water, but if their claims to reduce limescale deposits/residues do have any substance, I'd be interested in that single benefit alone. The plumber who fixed the loo suggested a 'conditioner', he's quoted £440 parts/labour, I've asked which make/model he is proposing and had no reply. I'm particularly interested in a comment by @Jeremy Harris in an older thread along the lines that 'some' products 'seem to' have an effect on scale deposits, may I ask which class of product? The only clue I have is that a couple of years back I bought a shower-head with some sort of mineral beads in it that did improve the water quality in my shower, however it cut the flow to a miserable drizzle compared with the Aqualisa shower head so I ditched it. No idea how it worked. I do also have a 'scientific background' backed up by a Physics degree, so arguments concerning pH, electromagnetism and so on do not faze me, however I can't see how some of them can possibly apply to the claim that a product changes the crystalline structure from one which does adhere to shiny surfaces, to one which does not. I can believe that creating a colloid would do that but uncertain how this is achieved. If @Jeremy Harris or anyone else can help me understand, I'd be willing to punt a few hundred quid on a device to save me paying the plumber for a third flush valve in a few years' time ... Thanks to anyone with newer info.

II've worked out what VCL stands for, could someone please explain to a non-builder what OSB and PIR mean? thank you! ?

@Ferdinand now you've got me worried I don't use hydroponics but I do use an awful lot of horse muck gives a whole new meaning to what my friends say my cooking tastes like ... ?

@Ferdinandbecause you clever people actually BUILD things, even if you cut off bits of yourself and get attacked by venomous reptiles in doing so I just get hijacked by builders who charge me megabucks to trash my garage (although I did once sew through my finger with a sewing machine ...) stick to gardening, then you can shove a fork through your foot, cut off your fingers with secateurs, poke your eye out with a garden cane, electrocute yourself cutting the mower cable ... ?

@AnonymousBosch I reckon you can be very clear minded about having a death wish! I don't read most of the threads because I don't understand what they are about, this one looked fairly understandable - GAAAAHHHHH!

OMG why did I look at this? why don't I stick to garage disasters & green walls of herbs? YOU ARE ALL COMPLETELY NUTS!!!!

@Ferdinand yes I have thought about it, I want to be able to move things around until I get an idea of where the sun hits & when, the brick wall will act as a radiator so I need to find out if things bake in hot weather my fencing chap is very ingenious and if I want a permanent planter he will come back and do that up till now I've been fighting ivy, brambles & ground elder (as well as slugs & snails) crowding through the fence every year so I haven't used the space much before

@Ferdinand only if slugs don't eat them - I've got about an inch of soil over builders rubble so I put some raised beds in with decent soil, the slugs round here must use stepladders, they get everything even when I put copper rings round bean seedlings but I do very well with this sun-loving crop! this is what happens when the conservatory gets too hot

my garden faces almost due south, very hot in summer I'm not much of a garden-sitter but one of those who plonks down with a cuppa and 5 mins later sees something that needs doing, and there wasn't anywhere to do that out of full sun, that part starts to get shade by early afternoon so the seat my idea, but design down to my clever fence builder however, much more important @Ferdinand peas don't like hot & dry so a couple of deep troughs either side and more temperate - we'll see!

@Ferdinand looks a useful orientation, I guess you get some afternoon sun when it's higher in the sky, and not directly on to the wall you're planting, that's good if you wanted to try some veg, I'd stick with the wall idea for things that don't need too much root space and can be replaced fairly often, then get a small veg trug to sit under it https://www.primrose.co.uk/vegtrug-wall-hugger-small-103cm-46cm-h80cm-p-97637.html?cPath=734_737_12407 I can't grow anything except tomatoes in mine in the summer, but I'm kicking myself into action now by sowing an indoor window box with rocket this afternoon! thanks for the idea and it's lovely to be able to post something on this site in return for all the useful info everyone has given me in connection with my garage disaster focussing on the positive, my attached neighbour is building a massive extension that puts a brick wall immediately outside my conservatory, as I am not like you clever lot on here and can't do it myself, I got my fencing chap to build a sort of 'pergola' last week so I can grow a 'green wall' of my own (great minds thinking alike) the idea is to put planters on the gravel base and grow climbing things, starting with peas, up canes, and to hang baskets from the top trailing down, there are some super cherry tomatoes you can grow in baskets, roll on summer!

@Ferdinand I wouldn't try any of the Mediterranean herbs: basil, oregano/marjoram, thyme & so on, they like heat & sun and the shrubby sort like rosemary (good you don't like it much) will need more root space than the small pods, so will any of the tap root types like parsley/dill I'd go for microherbs/greens, you can buy packs of mixed seed and see what does best: https://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/micro-leaves-seeds-cid614.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gAmVBM8yT6ldbGo8eLq7hfCcO3zx1GN0xm5QDMxoHrgCXsyr-trRGAaAn9zEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds my first choice would be rocket, you can cut the leaves when they are really small and still get a lovely peppery kick to a salad, and peas for the shoots, you can keep re-sowing them what a great initiative to use a bit of spare space! I've written about my mouldy conservatory in another thread and I'd never be without one, mine is south facing and hot as hell in summer, but I had tomatoes (in a pot) right up to Christmas, it's down to finding the right plants for the conditions best of luck!

most herbs like lots of light, if you can put a light source in there you will get better results I know lots more about gardening than building ? https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROOT-Spectrum-Growing-Kitchens-Propagation/dp/B078WJMLL1/ref=asc_df_B078WJMLL1/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=230204386967&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1704992636428449924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007247&hvtargid=pla-421648809808&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

@Big Jimbo it's pretty ancient, I bought the house in 2014, sellers said conservatory was built before they bought it in 2003, but structurally sound apart from the roof when I bought it I had the roof replaced, it was polycarbonate with holes in so I had a new glass roof, would be prob 2015 the mould in there doesn't worry me as I can wash it off (but I will start wearing a mask when I do that), but seeing that photo at the start of this thread and reading the dementia stuff does, because I couldn't clean up a plasterboard wall same way on the outside, more worrying if it's underneath and you don't know it's there @andyscotland gave me lots of advice about this on my original thread, damp/condensation/timber rot, but I hadn't considered the black mould risk

thanks @ProDave I've been in touch with Knauf Technical and they said the same, I just didn't understand what 'lining the boxes' meant the trouble is a lot of the plasterboarding has been done and my builder isn't willing to take it down to put in a vapour barrier I have an unheated conservatory that gets filthy with black mould every winter, it's easy to clean off, I've just done some of it and ended up with a bucket of filthy black water but if it was plasterboarded over I wouldn't be able to do that could I expect to get this from cold brickwork under plasterboard?

currently having a row with builder over a few things, including insulation he has put in my integral garage the external wall is single brick with damp course, the floor has no damp protection he has built a timber stud frame, connected direct to the floor & wall, the spaces between are filled with Knauf cavity slabs, no vapour barriers or sheathing to protect the timber then plasterboarded over and the joint sealed I am alarmed to find this might cause mould growth and at my advanced age, although many people would say I am already somewhat demented, could put me at increased risk of the genuine article looking at the photo at the top of this thread, is it likely my garage will end up like that? it's used as utility/garden workshop space and visited frequently, the washer & utility sink are in there (or will be if it's ever finished) photo of unfinished insulation, I've already been advised on another thread this is not good, what do people think about the specific mould risk?

@AnonymousBosch not patronising in the least and the quote above an interesting approach! I do know quite a bit about invoicing for building work, by virtue of doing the accounts for this particular builder for 6 years, 9 years ago he begged me to help out as he was 3 years behind filing tax/VAT returns, I computerised his records and bashed out & filed 3 years' returns one after the other, recovered a stack of cash he'd had to pay on account to both Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise, then continued working for him managing his trade & client accounts, CIS for his subbies, tax and VAT, and as signatory to his bank account, everything was done with absolute accuracy, transparency and on time. I am accountable to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and have to conduct myself to the highest standards of business ethics, he knows that and accordingly knows I do not bend or break rules, he relied on my professional expertise for all that time and I never let him down, which is why I'm so disappointed he's let me down and won't talk about putting things right I did encounter every one of the 'unusual' invoicing practices you list, it caused a lot of bust-ups because I wouldn't allow presentation of fudged invoices or pay fudged requests from subbies, but I stuck to my guns to protect him because if he had a Revenue or VAT inspection (both of which I have managed many times for clients) I know how much detail is required and said his records must be squeaky clean because of trouble when he allowed incompetent people to present costings that didn't stand up, I set up a thorough cost accounting system for him and de-fused a couple of disputes with very annoyed clients, I thought he had learned from this but it seems not, I was treated as 'unreasonable' when I asked for details of what lump-sum invoices I'd paid were actually for copy of a clip from a statement he sent me in connection with my disputed work, you may be able to see why I don't rely on his numbers! I stopped working for him 3 years ago because he'd taken on another incompetent person who couldn't work out 20% VAT and I couldn't stand any more grief, I'm now pushing 70 and not as strong-minded as when I'm working, so the incredibly helpful support I've had from this forum is more useful than I can express, thank you to everyone who's made suggestions and I am taking every and all advice on board in trying to formulate a response, apologies if I've repeated myself and bored anyone who's read my other threads, the worry is not doing my lucidity a lot of good

@AnonymousBosch thanks and yes, I have everything in writing, I got a text message last week about trying to bodge removal of a plasterboard wall to dodge BC but asked for written confirmation of exemption from the council, nothing after that till the latest invoice

@andyscotland that's incredibly helpful, I did think having initiated the resolution he was so keen to avoid would put things on hold so the additional invoice yesterday was a big shock I do hope the solicitor on Friday can tie up the Consumer Rights advice and I'm hoping for a simple letter asking the builder to lay off until adjudication, his fee for the one hour meeting is very reasonable and I'm happy to pay for one letter, fingers crossed

@andyscotland thank you yet again I have a one-hour fixed-fee appt with a solicitor on Friday, trying to get all the ends together before chatting with a friend last evening he said exactly what you've said above about contract to supply & fit (it was) which hasn't been delivered have also asked the trade association to accelerate the resolution asap, it's like wading through treacle, I asked the builder to hold the matter in abeyance till we'd had an adjudication but no luck there I don't have a problem with paying for the kitchen stuff, but he already has my money for the work in dispute and won't consider a credit in the meantime on top of that, the estimate states his usual 7-day terms, with no agreed interim/stage payments, this latest invoice has reduced 4-day terms on it, he doesn't stick to ANYTHING (sorry for shouty capitals, I am so frustrated) also notice he's changed his website advertising about 'working closely with building control to ensure that your project meets all building regulations' and it now says 'where applicable .... relevant building regulations' after I pointed out what he was promising, then saying I should have done it (building control)

Hi there, some of you will be familiar with the long ramblings about my garage work on other threads, this is connected but not about the quality of work I know this is a self-build forum but maybe something similar happens if you're having stuff delivered? my builder's price included some kitchen units which were delivered on 21 Oct, I stopped work on 23 Oct so the stuff is sitting in my garage it can't be fitted until the builder undoes his work that doesn't comply with building regs, which I've paid him for and is now in dispute, I'm asking him to remove the non-compliant work and refund the cost of doing it, he's ignored that he's now sent me another invoice for the kitchen units, on reduced 4-day terms his invoices all say 'all materials remain the property of xxxx Construction until paid for in full' I've asked for a credit note covering the disputed works, he will ignore that as he's ignored every request for help in regularising the job, so I've said as an alternative he can take the kitchen stuff away as it must still be his property because I haven't paid for it what do people think, can he force me to pay for stuff that he says is his property?

@Temp I have a meter so it can be turned off outside but it's down a hole, my keyholder is a very practical woman but opening up holes in the rain might be a bit too much

@scottishjohn the joiner is on his way to do just that - will do for now then I will read all the other ideas and get it properly sorted when I get back all the trouble I've had is with the main contractor, the joiner is an angel, and the contractor did the 'design'

just googling and found this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/rothenberger-universal-stopcock-key-36-/71652?tc=UT8&ds_kid=92700022855735527&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1244066&ds_rl=1249796&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249481&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs_3qmq7t5QIVTbDtCh0eDwx7EAQYASABEgJK3PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds would that reach back under the cupboard floor to turn the stoptap off?

Hi everyone, I've written a lot about my disaster garage job under my 'Hello & Panic' and 'Hello more trouble' threads in the introduce forum, now I've got plumbing trouble - my builder has fixed a sink unit to the wall in front of the mains stoptap, the tap is right down near the floor under the base of the sink unit so you can't reach it. I'm going away on holiday on Sunday and writing a list for my emergency keyholder, is there anything I can do so she can get at the tap if she needs to turn the water off while I'm away?