Oxbow16

@Gus Potter - sorry crossed threads. Thanks or the input and your idea. I'm happy with the wood approach looks wise, plus it would be the easiest and I guess cheapest solution. If it isn't good to use my wood idea from a building point of view, then perhaps the lead would be an option. Otherwise I'll stick with wood. Cheers

Excellent. Here's a pic of how it was before, which I'm happy with aesthetically. But the wood was up tight to the bricks, and so water ran down the wall to the wood, across the underside of the render, and then down the glass in streams (the window is west facing and sees A LOT of weather). So does my idea sound like a good one, to have a similar set up but with the wood spaced away from the bricks a few mm so that the water can't get to the window? Should help the timber last for longer too hopefully. Could it cause any problems doing that?

Never heard of that before... I found a weak magnet and it stuck so seems you guys are right Doesn't stick on the inside of the house. Is that because the plaster is thicker? Not that it matters, just out of curiosity really. Thanks for the replies and for putting my mind to rest.

Thanks Mr Punter. Yeah, I can see what you mean RE the weep holes. On reflection the gaps are so empty that it seems obvious they were left like that rather than anything having come out. As for the steel lintel, where would this be? Behind the brick? Can't see anything steel up there, but then I don't really know what I'm looking for either!

Hi We've got a large picture window in our single storey extension (which was built around 18 years ago). There was a decorative sacrificial timber above the window on the outside which I removed today. I wanted to put spacers in so that it wasn't butted up tightly to the wall, so that the water would drip before reaching the window and running down the glass. Anyhow, I expect to see a stone or concrete lintel behind the wood but instead there's a row of bricks. Didn't seem right to me but then I don't know much about such things and so just wanted to check it out. There seems to be a DPM between the two rows of bricks. And there's some big gaps as well where there's no mortar between bricks. Do things look in order or might I have a problem with this? Many thanks

Thanks @Mr Punter As a complete novice can anyone guide me through what I need to do to replace the mortar please? I haven't done much of this kind of thing before. As for the sealant, I have used Geocel The Works in the past and that seemed to do the job great. I used it where timber windows joined the walls, and some of the gaps were huge. It stood the test of time though and never had any issues with it. Would that be ok in this application or would low modulus silicone be better? Cheers

Hi all I've got a couple of question about this if anyone could spare a moment to set me on the right tracks. 1. I've got a lot of uPVC windows with no sealant where the frame meets the mortar. The gaps are small, under a mm I'd say. Are they ok as is or would it be best to seal them? If sealing is needed, what would be best to use? 2. On a couple of these windows chunks of mortar have fallen away. Should I repair with mortar or something else? If using mortar, what product / mix do I need? Some pictures of both things below. Many thanks

Here's that pic. Excuse the mess!

Both panes are side by side and within 800mm of the floor. I'll upload a photo in a mo.... Interesting RE the flame. I'll look that up on YT and give it a try. Thanks for the tip.

Many thanks for the replies. To answer some of the questions.... The two units are side by side and therefore more or less the same height so yes both need to be safety. Hmm, and I'm not certain whether ours has or not. Guess that's one of the things in question. A bit much for a one time use I think. Good to know they exist though, although seems they just detect the coating and nothing else. So if every unit/pane should be marked, I'm starting to think they just forgot to make one of them safety glass. Very annoying. Not sure if they are laminated or not to be honest, but I'm thinking not. Here's a close up of the kite mark: Thanks again

Hi I recently had a few DG units replaced in my uPVC windows as the old ones had failed and misted. I've noticed a couple of things that I just wanted to check... 1. If a window needs safety glass and the window has two units at the same height, should both units be marked as safety glass or just one? In my case only one is. Does that mean the other unit is not safety glass? Or is one mark enough to say the whole window is safety glass? Hope I'm making sense here! 2. Do the panes have a front and back or are they the same both ways? I was looking at the writing you get on the spacer bars and noticed it is the right way up on some panes/facing inward and upside down on others/facing outward. Is this normal or should it always point the same way? 3. Is there any way to tell whether a unit is standard, a-rated, or whatever? I seem to remember once seeing an installer use a gizmo to check the u-Value of our old windows. He held it up there for a couple of seconds or so and got a reading. But I can't find a tool like this and if such a thing does exist I can't imagine it would be cheap?? Any other ways to tell? We had the option of Standard or A rated and went with the later. I want to make sure we got it! Cheers

I'd best get a new bottle of glue for me syrup then! Which model do you have, if you don't mind me asking? Ta

Hi I'm looking at getting a new cooker hood. Like most people I guess, I want it to be as effective as possible but without the need for ear defenders while cooking :lol: I'm looking at this Luxair hood and the stats are here: https://luxairhoods.com/image/catalog/PDF/Cooker Hoods/Wall Hoods/STD/LA-STD Technical Info 2.pdf They put a smaller motor in the 60-90cm hoods, and a larger one in the 100-110cm hoods. The larger motor pulls a heck of a lot more air, but is quieter. All the stats are in the link. But for example, the best comparative is speed 3 on the smaller vs speed 2 on the larger. Small motor = 680m³/hr. 61dB. Large motor = 700m³/hr. 52dB. I have been speaking to Luxair about other stuff and tbh I'm not convinced by all of their answers and specs. Which is why I thought I'd check with you guys whether this seems plausible or illogical. Any thoughts? Cheers

I think I'm with you on most points. I've had my share of terrible customer service and online shopping experiences of late - the worse being with Toolstation, Europcar and M&S. All totally shambolic. But can't agree with you here. Why should the underpaid overworked minions be the punchbag for what should be aimed at the people well above them? Don't shoot the messenger and all that. I increasingly think nowadays that the best you can do is vote with your feet/wallet. Might cost a little more, might be a tad more inconvenient, but - as mentioned above - these are all first world problems and might be worth enduring to support companies who give a sh!t and boycott those who don't.

It's good to hear he was helpful. And I have found some of his videos informative. But some of his info is plain wrong. Calculation for pipe length... You were right in what you said earlier: That's how to do it. They say that all drainage fields have a shelf life. So I guess whether it will last a lifetime depends on how old you are One of the things I read about with interest was having two drainfields with a means to switch between the two. Have one running for 5 years or so, then switch to the other for 5 years or so. Any biofilm build up in field one is then broken down and consumed whilst it is in the rest phase. Downsides... Twice the amount of space needed, twice the amount of work and materials needed, and - depending on how old you are and how long you intend to stay in a place, it might be just as easy to do one and replace when it fails...

I found the same. Not necessarily with your specific questions, but with other questions I had RE septic tanks, drainage fields, what pipe to use, etc etc. Answers were very contradictory. Seems this happens more and more in all walks of life the older I get! "He recommended + He sold them" = Well, I'm sure you can work that equation out Are you talking about: https://www.septictank.co.uk/ Avoid if so and disregard anything he tells you! Just look through his site and you'll see how spurious many of his claims are.

That's all correct I think it's 2m. Where have you seen 1m?

Thanks for the recommendations, which I will look into... If I do get the ones from Amazon I'll try to remember to report back as to what I think of them. Although, to be honest, being quite novice and not having had the tool for long, I'm not sure my opinion will count for much! I didn't realise there were sites to help check whether reviews are genuine (I am, however, well aware that many are not). Do you have any details please? Cheers

Hi I need some new blades for my Worx compact circular saw. I saw (haha) these on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dandelionsky-Circular-Diamond-Cutting-Rotary/dp/B07ZZ2L1P5/ref=sr_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=blades+for+worx+wx426&qid=1604060140&sr=8-18 Dirt cheap - especially compared to Worx branded blades - and on the whole good reviews. Just wondered what you guys with more experience think about them or any other cost effective blades? Cheers

Yes, 8 person sounds right. # of bedrooms + 2. Where are you discharging to? Oh, and I *think* Klargester only give a one year guarantee, but don'y quote me on that.

Thanks Gus, much appreciated. The whole drainage project is going to be a fair bit of money and a heck of a lot of work, which is why I want to get it right from the start. Yes, I'm happy with what we've got - it's just not what I expected. But that's because I'm new to it and I think I just ended up getting mixed up between clean and washed. I still think I'm going to try my best to avoid limestone though; especially in its "unwashed" state like what we have. I just don't think it's worth the risk. There's a few more details at the end of the other thread, which I'll link to here rather than repeat: Cheers

I did some ringing around today and the prices haven't got much better at all, in fact some were higher. That includes direct delivery from quarries. Maybe it's because I'm right out in the sticks (I need it delivered). I was asking for quotes for 30T and tipped, not bagged. If it's not my location, then I'm not sure where I'm going wrong or why the prices are so high. I have got a couple more to try though so am holding out hope. Limestone. A lot of the suppliers/quarries only had limestone and said it would be fine for drainage, albeit one saying for 20 years or so, and another for around 30 years. There was one though who had limestone but other options too. He said prior to his current job he worked in drainage for decades and would definitely NOT use limestone. Apparently, on some occasions he was called out years later to jobs they had done using limestone where the stone had pretty much disintegrated and/or consolidated and the drains had failed completely. That is in line with the other stuff I've read warning against its use. As above, maybe using it covered in the dust etc makes it bad and washed is more effective? Who knows! I had some delivered today and will use it for a land drain that is less needed than some of the others I have planned. For those - which I'll be starting on next year - I'm hoping to find an alternative. That's what worries me about it tbh. I'll be using a geotextile, so it would all sit in the bottom of that which is far from ideal. Plus, it could end up solidify around the perforations in the pipe. @Temp - thanks for sharing that, much appreciated. And thanks to everyone else for the replies and help.

Many thanks for the replies. That's good to hear that I got what's expected. I think what had me worried is that I've been reading a lot about drainage and all the stuff I've read said to get clean/washed stone so that the dust etc doesn't silt up the drainage system, which I could see happening with this. So I'll definitely give it a hose down as I go. It has got me wondering... Is there a difference between "clean" stone and "washed" stone when bought from aggregate suppliers / quarries. Did I ask for the wrong thing by calling it clean instead of washed?

Well, I took delivery of some limestone today. Just enough to do a more urgent drainage job. The bulk of the work I'll be doing in the spring... I'm not too sure whether the stuff received today should be classed as clean stone or not... But I'll start another thread on that if that's ok, rather than go too far off topic on this one. Here's a link to it though for future reference:

Hi I've just had 5 tonnes or so of drainage stone delivered (limestone). It is supposed to be clean / washed. It doesn't look too clean to me, but then I've never bought it before and so have nothing to compare it to. I asked the driver and he said it is definitely clean and not to worry - that's just how it comes from the quarry. So it's over to you guys.... Here's my hand after holding a handful some for a few seconds, followed by some photos of the stone: What do you reckon? Any advice most appreciated. Cheers