newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 12 hours ago, PeterW said: In fact .... in that shower in the spare ensuite, there should be a hose ..! Nick one from that ..! Too big. I had to change the fitting on the inlet valve to the 3/8" one so assume I need 3/8" washers? These be ok? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Assorted-Tap-Washers-Inch-Pack/dp/B008IFOK5A/ref=sr_1_4?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1532857538&sr=1-4&keywords=tap+washer+3%2F8" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 12 hours ago, newhome said: Fab, thanks! Dont overtightnen it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 Weird size .. let me check what I’ve got 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said: Dont overtightnen it So you mean my plan of getting the grippers and doing it up as tight as I could get it wasn't a good one then ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, newhome said: So you mean my plan of getting the grippers and doing it up as tight as I could get it wasn't a good one then ... If you use a rubber seal and its plastic components, the rule of thumb is tighten it so far and try it, if it drips, give it another 1/4 turn, repeat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said: If you use a rubber seal and its plastic components, the rule of thumb is tighten it so far and try it, if it drips, give it another 1/4 turn, repeat. The components are metal. Metal pipe screwing onto metal pipe, rubber washer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 And the rotational force goes onto plastic eg too much nail polish ( lady grunt ) and you'll damage it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 2 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: And the rotational force goes onto plastic eg too much nail polish ( lady grunt ) and you'll damage it. Damage my nail polish? ?? ? Can’t have that! I’ll be gentle as always ?. By the time I get to do number 6 I may have worked out what I’m doing ?. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 You seem to be doing ok for an independent lady who works in IT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney12 Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 hour ago, newhome said: So you mean my plan of getting the grippers and doing it up as tight as I could get it wasn't a good one then ... A lady after my own heart. I like the “ do it up until it’s snaps and then back it off half a turn” approach. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Barney12 said: A lady after my own heart. I like the “ do it up until it’s snaps and then back it off half a turn” approach. Yep! It's always quite tempting to do everything up as tight as you can especially when imaging the flood of biblical proportions that will ensue if you don't. And then that oh sh1t moment when you hear it break on the final 'just one more turn for good measure' Edited July 29, 2018 by newhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 Being a big lad I have to be careful not to break stuff and have a tendency to get unfamiliar stuff right second time around! The torque wrench is my friend at work and on the car, tbh If I can see a torque setting I'm happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, Onoff said: have a tendency to get unfamiliar stuff right second time around Well practice makes perfect as they say. The problem I have now is that almost everything I have to do around the house is my first attempt at it, so basically everything starts off with me having no clue and then after watching YouTube videos on the subject for eons nothing replaces how something actually 'feels' when you come to do it yourself. People who do these jobs over and over clearly rely on their muscle memory a lot which is 80% of the battle. I am starting from both a knowledge and muscle memory position of zero I have never used a torque wrench in my life and probably wouldn't recognise one if it hit me over the head 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hecateh Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 23 minutes ago, newhome said: I have never used a torque wrench in my life and probably wouldn't recognise one if it hit me over the head You wouldn't recognise anything for a while if you one hit you over the head ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 This might sound like an odd strategy given that I hadn’t fixed loo number 1 but I dismantled number 3 so that I could fix number 1. I removed the flexible hose from guest bed 2 and moved it to the downstairs shower room. I didn’t want to do that with the second one I dismantled as the inlet valve seems ok in that one so I’m leaving that be and just fitting a new flush valve. That bedroom has only been slept in for 6 nights since the house was built. The inlet In number 3 wasn’t even attached properly which meant it was affecting the flush valve operation! ? The washer I need doesn’t look like a normal tap washer with a small hole, it’s more a ring that goes around the outside as per the photo. Larger size is half inch, smaller is 3/8” and that’s the one I need. If not called ‘tap washers’ what are they? Anyway I fitted the swapped hose, (tightened carefully by hand @Nickfromwales ?) and it all seems to work. No leaks, water shuts off immediately when it gets to the correct level and flushes ok. Happy days. I still have to refit the flush plate but I’m going to leave that for a few days to ensure that everything is ok first. Just numbers 2-6 to sort now ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 Now get up on the roof and change that PITA ST AAV ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said: Now get up on the roof and change that PITA ST AAV ? I would have to have been drinking heavily to even contemplate doing that, and then it would be an even worse idea. No plumber in this neck of the woods wants to do it either ... Why the hell can't you release an air lock somewhere near the ground? What sort of crap design is that??!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 15 minutes ago, newhome said: Why the hell can't you release an air lock somewhere near the ground? What sort of crap design is that??!! With ingenuity you can put the air bleed lower down. I did just this a few weeks ago when re-filling a neighbours solar thermal system. They seem to have endless problems with it, and I strongly suspect there's a small leak somewhere, but all my efforts to find it have failed so far. Anyway, to save ever going to have to go up to the top of the roof ever again, I replaced the bleed valve up there with a fitting that allowed a bit of 8mm copper pipe to be fitted instead. I've insulated this with armorflex and run this back down behind the panels and into the loft, via the fascia. The air bleed valve is now next to the pump, fill point and controller. Opening it allows air to flow out from the top of the tube manifold on the roof and out of the valve inside the loft. To make sure it worked well I looped the 8mm pipe up vertically for a few inches above the external top manifold outside. Seems to work OK as far as I can tell, although it takes several goes to get all the air out of the system. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 (edited) Wish you were my neighbour @JSHarris. Hope they were grateful! Edited July 29, 2018 by newhome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 16 minutes ago, newhome said: Wish you were my neighbour @JSHarris. Hope they were grateful! We've got some lovely fresh raspberries, so I'm happy! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 Now I'm going to kill myself as you quoted my typo before I noticed and fixed it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, newhome said: Now I'm going to kill myself as you quoted my typo before I noticed and fixed it!! No I didn't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, JSHarris said: No I didn't! Well either you or the forum fairy fixed it then 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, newhome said: Well either you or the forum fairy fixed it then I'm one of the forum fairies, so when I edit stuff it never shows publicly! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hecateh Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 17 minutes ago, JSHarris said: We've got some lovely fresh raspberries, so I'm happy! I could give my builder a few raspberries but not the edible kind 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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