markc

Just about any slate can be reused, but, there will be breakages, lots of sorting, cleaning, swearing and throwing them into a heap … and then wishing you hadn’t bothered.

The L shape is pretty much self supporting (if you join at the corner. And the nearest run, I’m guessing is between walls? So a support/restraint near the top at both ends removes the cantilever load from the bottom.

@Thorfun what is the length of run? Turning a corner makes life much easier. With balustrades it’s not just the ultimate strength but also the deflection under load (flex when it’s rocked back and forth) the fixings may well be massively over the top to resist load but floor flex or compression can give unacceptable deflection at the top. This is why you often see vertical glass strips either in front or behind to act as buttresses to reduce movement.

To big to use in a general bathroom, unless they now to small ones so practical to drain water after each use rather than filter

Oddly I have been thinking about this for years, I never considered using the bath as a radiator but i looked at spa baths and non of them heated the water, only circulated it so went cold very quickly. That got me thinking of taking water from the bath, heating and returning either as a whirlpool or even falling like a conventional tap … just one of my endless “if I get chance I must do this” lists of engineering tinkering projects.

Hi, to use one yourself you don’t need anything, the hirer should give you a hand over (familiarisation) and you are on your way, platforms upto 25m working height can be on a trailer and towed by a 4x4. A lot of spiders are owned/operated by small organisations or one man bands are they a generally very helpful.

As a balustrade the loads are relatively low UNTIL someone runs or falls into it, with the channel fixed flat into a hard surface the bottom corner of the channel becomes the point of rotation and the fixings are in tension. if spacers are placed under the channel the point of rotation becomes the edge of the spacer and localised around the fixing, this changes the fixing load to more bending moment than tension and the calcs become much more complicated. also if spacers are used, the channel is subjected to localised stress around the spacer and could tear out when an increased load is applied. much better and safer to fix the channel hard down with full contact on a solid surface.

Spider platform, low ground weight, usually crawler tracks, stabiliser legs and good outreach, fly jib and cage rotate can get you most places, failing that a bigger spider platform or crane with a man basket hanging on the hook to get up and over most things, or get someone in who is used to working on roof ladders for the really awkward bits.

Interesting read…

Short cycling of a gas boiler can make a massive difference, I tried turning my CH water temp down to 60 degrees and gas consumption rocket due to short cycling. My boiler is purposely over sized as I spend more time away from home than in it and even then I prefer the house at 16-18 degrees and around 14 overnight or when I’m not in it. Interestingly I have paid £150 per month (gas and electric) for the last 7 years and it always works out about right over the year. Old solid walled railway house with a half decent extension (before I got it) double glazing (average) but good loft insulation.

Put energy prices up (which I agree with) public outcry for price caps and hand outs. increased costs for businesses, transport, food, clothes etc. - more public outcry and handouts. cut the population - massive reduction in CO2, energy use, waste and no housing crisis …. But who’s going to do what is really necessary?

+1 to mounted on the outside, the oak frame will shrink and move so any glazing or frames in between need to allow for a fair amount of movement. i once saw glass sat in deep channels in an oak frame with gaskets that allowed movement but it looked bulky and ugly

Good morning and welcome, lots of us about

You need to determine which of the browns is live, with light off test each against neutral or earth .. with a meter or tester, not by shorting! As Joe says, it should be bottom one but not necessarily

If there is a big bang and all the lights go out - something isn’t right 😉

This is so strange, cold/damp patches and lines are often cold water or gas pipes buried in the plaster, sometimes old conduits that go through to the outside but I can’t think of any reason for the multi ‘layer’ patches.

Is the internal wall masonry or stud? And is it damp around the light switch or is that just shadow.

203x133 is a pretty stable section so web restraints not required, when you get tall narrow sections the top flange wants to roll over so fixing the twin beams together is required

@Rlove90 dig the hole and clean around the pipe and inside the wall opening, brush/rinse away any mud and dust. Assuming the hole isn’t huge, a can of foam will fill the voids and seal against the wall and pipe. Will be interesting to see what the ground is like and if drainage can be improved to take water away from the wall - ground level above inside floor level is often problematic

If the water is coming in through the wall penetration you really need to dig out on outside to get access around the pipe, clear out all the mud and insulation then seal up around the pipe to prevent water getting into the wall

Will the glass be bottom fix only or if fitting between frames are they in side channels? A sketch of your intended install would help a lot.

@RobertW have you identified the frame drain holes? The bottom of the frame should have some, just thinking if any water getting into the lower frame has no means of escape (usually into the cill) then it could find its way out at the end of the mitres - effectively inside the building.

Good afternoon and welcome Dave (educated guess).

+1 for frameless, glass bonded directly into slit openings look very neat.

@oliwoodings I assumed the slate went under the frame and the frame would (should) have been drilled on the front face to drain. also the slate appears to slope towards the door instead of away but this may just be an optical illusion.