Carrerahill

Can you make them lower - without seeing the situation it is hard to know for sure, but pipes can be run under cabinets for sure - just depends on other aspects how difficult it would be. If waste goes through the wall then that is an issue, but if through the floor or at floor level that would work, or core new waste hole at floor level etc. Can you post some images of the location/pipes.

Sorry, I just read the WD40 bit...Hoover/Vacuum. Yes.

No, use electrical contact cleaner or even compressed air, WD40 may damage the epoxy/lacquer causing it to break down and then short out the motor and it will also leave a film of WD40 on it which will then cause everything to stick to it afterwards exasperating the issue. Is it corded or cordless? The overheating is probably not related to the dust on the motor but rather the volume of air past the motor head reduced by blocked up filters. You say commutator? Is it not a digital brushless motor? My parents have a shark and frankly I think it is useless - slightest build up of dust and it starts to flash a green LED button and overheat - I go and find their Numatic Hetty if I have cause to vacuum at their house! Best vacuums ever!

No, it will not, you will have rusty staining on everything it touches. Once the layer or protective rust has set up it certainly stops, but by that time it is too late for the materials it has stained. Google New York Corten Steel road staining - I remember it was used on a job years ago, and there were a lot of concerns about the staining, and someone produced a photo of a whole road in New York that was rusty coloured from a new building. It was there for years! Nice in the right situation, but needs managed.

Right, I started on them tonight - well, finalised a plan, clearance after the insulation is 40mm - bought 47mm Appleby boxes, they have small holes all the way around them, I am going to rip or buy some 40mm battens, box will be secured to the stud on one side and a batten will be fixed to the other side which projects up/down to noggins etc. The boxes will be sat to sit proud of the stud @ProDave to force them being neatly cut. Good thing is I will be there and the guy doing it will take instruction - I am actually labouring with him as it's over the weekend. I suppose I will be on electrical cutout duty! I have pinged the laser around and marked my mounting heights at 400mm, 175mm above counter in the kitchen - this worked well with some noggins -1200m for switches. I agree with you, @Onoff the issue is the install in the first place and I would be using my DeWalt Oscillating tool with the big half circle blade which makes really nice net cuts in PB. @CC45 hit the nail on the head, I think this is a 'my house' situation - my plan would not be viable for most electricians who would just get annoyed if I made them do this. Thank you all for your input. I'll post some photos once I get onto this - need to go and solve something with the building control officer who tonight emailed about lateral retaining straps...

To be fair I have used Abbleby, among other brands - I just don't like them. The install is fine, not an issue, nice clean job and they do the do, it's down the line when you remove something and the box loosens and you pull cables through them and they move and twist and bend and damage the plasterboard. I just like the solid install that the metal boxes provide and although the plastic ones are self extinguishing and flame retardant plastics, they are still plastic and they still burn and melt - I like knowing that the bit you don't see, is encased in metal. I'll have a think. I am going to Screwfix about 19:00 tonight so I may just go plastic but it will irritate me!

First fix electrical is being finalised over the next 2 days - cables are all in - it's just prepping everything before plasterboard goes up and running any last minute cables (CAT5/RF/Speaker) before the opportunity is gone! The extension is TF - I know how this is done, I know what is done commercially and what most electricians would fit, but I don't like plastic pattress boxes. I want to use metal back boxes but the mounting situation does always become a little more complicated - I have come up with solutions to fit the odd one or add a couple of sockets before now but not a whole extension. I have 2x6 studs with 4" of rigid insulation between them so I have about 45mm service void then obviously the 12.5mm for the sheet plus a little for skim - so my plan was to go and pickup 35/40mm metal boxes and install them. I have just been onto the site with a 25mm box (all I could find) trying to think of the fastest way to securely mount them and a lot of them! I first picked up a piece of CLS and sort of considered 2 battens to trap the box then screw up and down through the box into the timber - nice solid option - skew-nail the CLS to the studs - OK fine. Due to the locations of the sockets and light switches and things and their proximity to door frames (so twin studs for cripples and kings, trimmers and jacks and what not) there is a myriad of spacings - not always 600mm centres so this becomes a big joinery exercise to make up all the pieces and nail them all in. I know this is all solved and arguably the first fix electrics are then complete as they are if I simply use plastic but I hate them with a passion - don't make me do it! So what have you guys done - images please. I have seen people use 1x4 1x6 rough and jam that in, set in piece of ply/OSB so I have some options, but just wanted to seek ideas from the general forum on this one. No pressure, but I start this evening! Ideas and photos please! Thank you all.

Is this the external concrete/stone/metal ones or internal timber?

Thank you all. Aico it is then!

Thanks. https://www.safelincs.co.uk/aico-ei140-series-with-alkaline-back-up-battery/ ?

Can anyone recommend any decent smoke/heat alarms. I want to get a "system" from a manufacturer and while I am at it I will kit out the existing house and extension. I just want a simple scaleable solution. What have you guys gone for? Thanks.

Does your grease gun have an air bleeder? Air pockets in the packed grease will basically stop it from working.

I second this!

Yeah, the North American stuff is usually blue or purple isn't it? I also note they almost always use a proper product to clean and prime the pipes - looks like it may just be a solvent or indeed acetone.

Another thing, use fresh solvent and don't be tempted to use stuff that is old - every time you open it the solvent flashes off some more.

Key thing - it's like very slow solder joints going off! Move it and you run the risk - like I said I did with one of my connections earlier this year.

No, you do NOT need to do this.

The solvent is just that, solvent, it chemically reacts with the PVC so having it smooth or rough is not really going to make much of a difference, it will "melt" the plastic. In none of the guides or technical documentation does it ever say to roughen anything. I would suggest not doing, it just takes a a deep groove that may not fill with solvent and end up leaking (why you shouldn't clean up copper pipe for solder too roughly). If you look at and smell the solvent weld it is just a sort of thickened solvent - so the filling properties are from the gooey plastic squishing up and sealing it. There has never been any adhesive or real substance to this stuff in any of the brands I have used. First ever time I was sceptical because the fittings (both same brand) had quite a loose fit. But right enough slap on the old pipe melter and it formed a sort of solvent plastic soup which just filled everything up. I have since used bottles and bottles of it. If you paste some onto a piece of wood it will just flash off and you are left with a very slight residue. A tip I would say if you have never used it is work fairly quickly (but don't rush like first timers do). Get all your pieces setup and cleaned and dry. Undo the lid, paste up liberally both sides of the mating surfaces, line up the pieces then push together and give a little wiggle twist to mix up the melted plastic then hold it and keep it firm. On a boss like this I would hold it for about a minute or support. Different on pipe sections where you can make joints up and lay them down to set. I did have 1 union earlier this year where I stuffed the pipe into it, held it for a bit and didn't pay attention and it snuck out about 4-5mm - it did end up leaking but it was my fault for thinking it would stay put (it was a long piece into a Tee so the pipe wanted to drop) - to be fair it was a final piece and I was concentrating on the other end.

Pest I know. I have come to learnt that generally Toolstation is a bit like Home Bargains - shop about and there is plenty of good stuff, but there is also a lot of tat. I'd have tried 3 - it would have sat on my mind, and I would have ended up getting a good'un.

It is just a type of vertical reinforcement for masonry, sort of like an independent structural column for wall ties - but can also have flanges or other means of connection to the masonry. Depends on the wall makeup, loading etc. Who spec'ed them?

It depends how you will charge your tenant - I sublet an office in our building and to make things fair we simply bought a meter on ebay for £12.00 (same type as used by the utility co.) and wired his whole supply via this. Works well - he just pays his unit rate (we added 0.5p per unit to include for standing charge a little). If however you need 3 separate supplies that are wholly responsible for by your tenants then you need to contact the utility and have them do it all. I would not worry about phases and things, it all depends what is there and the DNO will advise.

Right, as much as I am enjoying this interesting discussion, and I do enjoy many of the discussions on this forum - we have some brilliant minds here and it would be great to sit in a pub with many of you and discuss many things from concrete pours to EV's, but I must shut my laptop down for the night (lowering my carbon footprint by shutting down and I switch off at the wall!) and go home!

Be careful, on a global stage many of us are the richest 10%! To be in the richest 10% of the globe, all you need is about a net worth of £100,000. If you earn over £25K you are in the top 1% of the globe by earnings.

You know what I am saying - it is just a point. Global single child policy?

However, the wood burning statistic is critically flawed. The calculations were based on a null and void figures, they worked out how many wood burning appliances there were (I think they said 1.5million at the time) and basically calculated the burn time as an average of something like 15 hours a day every day. Most wood burners I reckon are only on at weekends and for the evening.