What I have fixed today

[Lons]

As I said before Roger, he isn't much of a plumber and not to be trusted especially when he didn't make a return visit. you have to wonder if some of these guys are properly qualified.

A mate in the village had oil central heating installed just a few months ago, I helped him take out the old wood burner. Rads were already there but he needed a certified fitter to install the boiler and oil tank to comply with regs. Was recommended a local guy who did the job only a hour or two at a time, didn't turn up when he promised and didn't do a good job either. Several oil and water leaks which he never came back for and we had to fix. He said he was OFTEC certified but it's now apparent that he isn't but is trying to be. Unfortunately my mate didn't ask to see his certification but has put a less than glowing review on social media.

Gone are the old days when trust and reputation were above all else or am I wearing those rose tinted glasses again?

 

[Eric the Viking]

In stark contrast to the above, my old friend Al, who retrained as a plumber when we were both made redundant from a Fortune 100 tech company, called by a few weeks ago.
Our boiler is in an awkward attic space, with little space directly beneath it for things like drain cocks. And it was one of those that was weeping, and threatening a damp patch on the ceiling immediately below.
I do a lot of my own plumbing, or I did, when I was fully fit. Now I can't, at least for some while.
Al not only replaced the drain cock, but, unbidden, put a short length of pipe into its tee-piece, moving it out from under the boiler so as to be much more accessible.
It's the sort of thing that good plumbers do...

 

[Pete Maddex]

IKEA SMÅHAGEL 3-port USB charger with one port not working, dry joint on the circuit board, I had to find my smallest tip for my soldering iron and two paires of glasses.

Pete

 

[Lons]

Spent an hour and a half cleaning and setting up my Startrite 352 bandsaw this morning. Needed to change the blade so on with a shiny new Tuffsaws offering and while I'm in there got it all cleaned and greased which of course leads to tweaking the tables level which made me realise the extension I'd fitted to the left wasn't coplanar any more so shim and support that, then adjusting and shimming the fence. Ever wished you hadn't started, still it's running like the proverbial sewing maching again.

And I bled all over the thing, the tiniest scratch off the blade, didn't even notice but I forgot I'm now taking blood thinners.

 

[AndyT]

IKEA SMÅHAGEL 3-port USB charger with one port not working, dry joint on the circuit board, I had to find my smallest tip for my soldering iron and two paires of glasses.

Pete

That's the spirit! It may be a cheap mass-produced item but it doesn't have to become e-waste if there's the right person with the right tools and determination available.

 

[John Brown]

IKEA SMÅHAGEL 3-port USB charger with one port not working, dry joint on the circuit board, I had to find my smallest tip for my soldering iron and two paires of glasses.

Pete

I have one with the same problem. I bought a couple a while back on the strength of a Big Clive teardown. I was considering trying to fix it, but, according to the Big Clive video, the case is welded together, requiring Dremel surgery. Was that your experience?

(They're only £6 each, but I don't fancy driving to Bristol, and they don't seem to deliver under £15).

 

[Pete Maddex]

I have one with the same problem. I bought a couple a while back on the strength of a Big Clive teardown. I was considering trying to fix it, but, according to the Big Clive video, the case is welded together, requiring Dremel surgery. Was that your experience?

(They're only £6 each, but I don't fancy driving to Bristol, and they don't seem to deliver under £15).

Hi John
Mine was clipped together no glue, start from the usb sockets then down the sides, the end was tricky but I managed to prise one of the clips open, they are the same as the usb end.

Only £6 but a 4 mile meander through the store.

Pete

 

[John Brown]

Hi John
Mine was clipped together no glue, start from the usb sockets then down the sides, the end was tricky but I managed to prise one of the clips open, they are the same as the usb end.

Only £6 but a 4 mile meander through the store.

Pete

Thanks! I'll give it a go...

 

[Cabinetman]

I’ve been dragged away from my workshop build to sort out the pantry in our new home. There were three impractical fixed to the wall shelves which didn’t give enough storage space, so out they came followed by a lot of cleaning up of the plastered finish on top of the drywall, so I’ve been playing with mud as they call it here.
Then fitting the uprights to the studs, this was originally the outside of the back wall of the house so the studs are probably 200 years old, not regularly spaced and not particularly level !
Then instead of the wire mesh type shelving we went for Melamine covered chipboard, now it’s at least 30 years since I last attempted to cut this stuff and things have improved a whole lot, cross cutting on the Tablesaw gave an almost acceptable finish!
T

This will be really beneficial as every surface in the kitchen is full of stuff from the move grrr, slowly getting there!
Eventually there will be a short wall with a doorway closing this off from sight.
Ian

 

[AndyT]

Very neat and tidy!

 

[Steve Maskery]

That looks very good Ian. Just for scale, how far apart are the uprights, please?
S

 

[Lons]

Excellent Ian. Spur (or similar) shelving is a great solution. We used to sell boat loads of the stuff back in the day when there werefew clones.

 

[Cabinetman]

That looks very good Ian. Just for scale, how far apart are the uprights, please?
S

Hi thanks, roughly 16” centres but the old guys weren’t too fussy and at least two are 18”.

Excellent Ian. Spur (or similar) shelving is a great solution. We used to sell boat loads of the stuff back in the day when there werefew clones.

Again thank you, the main brand over here for years (I believe) was Closet Maid, but for ease this one is a knock off from Home Depot.
Using wire shelving you have to be very careful to get the uprights exactly the right distance apart for the ends of the arms to hit between the wires, I didn’t have that problem this time using the Melamine shelves.

 

[duke]

Nice Ian, the brackets look sturdy. Mud for mudding , there is a local guy who advertises himself as The Mud Man.

 

[Cabinetman]

Nice Ian, the brackets look sturdy. Mud for mudding , there is a local guy who advertises himself as The Mud Man.

Those brackets are just for wooden shelving, haven’t seen them before, complete with holes for screws, and amazingly they are in the right place so that common sizes of screw don’t go through the surface of the melamine. Also amazingly I managed to find white painted screws in the right size!

 

[Planeiron]

Had a blockage and no visible rodding access point. Drain guys found the manhole which had been paved over.



Picked up a recessed manhole from local builders yard and mixed up a bit of muck. Bit of old osb stops any mortar falling in before it goes off.











Hopefully won't have to open this but at least I've the option now. Pavers all cut with a grinder. Pretty cheap job.

 

[Cabinetman]

Lovely neat job!

 

[Planeiron]

Thanks Ian. I was holding my breath cutting those thin pavers at the edge. Obviously had no spares!

 

[duke]

Crazy that someone paved over the access. Job well done!

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

Crazy that someone paved over the access. Job well done!

Planeiron is not alone, I regret to say. My previous homeowner placed blinded over two, with fine quarry dust and sand, well tapped, then built a deck over them!
When he extended the sewer under the house he then placed floor joists on top of the connection, fracturing the sewer and that led to subsidence. Roy Rogers is out there Folks.

 

[Planeiron]

Actually Sam, there's another paved over manhole on the other side of the house as well. Wonder did your previous homeowner live at my address at some point too?!

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

Actually Sam, there's another paved over manhole on the other side of the house as well. Wonder did your previous homeowner live at my address at some point too?!

He did have two sons...

 

[chataigner]

Replaced the tap in a wash basin in our main bathroom. Simple enough except that my almost 80 yr joints did not appreciate laying on my back inside the vanity unit.

As for covered drains, in my last UK home in Sussex the previous owner had placed a couple of paving slabs over a manhole, then laid a concrete drive over it. We found it when the gas folks came to lay a pipe and discovered "a brick wall" under the drive - one side of the inspection chamber.

 

[Phil]

Our three bedrooms have large sliding glass doors.

Nice, but can be lifted off the track if wanting to burgle.

Our insurer stated that the doors need a deadlock fitted to prevent the doors being lifted off the track.

Easy to drill and install and not expensive (2015 when we took occupation). The lock pushes into a hole drilled in the door frame, with a release key (kept in a cupboard).

Over time the door runners have been replaced resulting in the door frame hole out of alignment, lock does not work.

Been on the TDL for quite some time.

Yesterday all three doors were fixed, existing hole enlarged slightly and one door the fitting had to be relocated. About an hour’s work. (reason – we leave on holiday on Wednesday – yes, we do live in a secure estate, but the North side of the house is not visible from the street or neighbours)

 

[Planeiron]

This one is related to the manhole that I uncovered and installed access for. It seems the previous owners did like to cover up waste pipes. After odd smells and signs of a leak I cut 3 holes (only 2 shown) in this wall for access and to cap off a waste pipe going into the soil pipe that was never properly capped off! The things you discover when you go digging.



This Turner prize style installation needed covering. Moving the soil pipe may happen when we eventually renovate the bathroom but it won't happen for a while. The pieces where carefully cut near our on studs with a multitool. I then could place the plaster back, screwed in with drywall screws and the gaps filled in with toupret filler. Painted with leftover paint. Fairly well hidden though can be seen if you look hard enough.

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi Dave, that’s a really good result after cutting, haven’t heard of Toupret filler, is it a type or a make?
Ian

 

[Planeiron]

It's a French make. I just make up some from the powder and water and it usually gives a nice result.

 

[Pete Maddex]

I put a new motor in the Dyson it was only £18 from Ebay, only needed 2 screwdrivers, now running fine.

Pete

 

[Cabinetman]

It's a French make. I just make up some from the powder and water and it usually gives a nice result.

View attachment 54972

Thanks, I’m sorry but that gives me another question, “will not flash or grin”?

 

[Planeiron]

Thanks, I’m sorry but that gives me another question, “will not flash or grin”?

It's pretty serious stuff

 

[Cabinetman]

It's pretty serious stuff

Haha, brill.

 

[Lurker]

I put a new motor in the Dyson it was only £18 from Ebay, only needed 2 screwdrivers, now running fine.

Pete

A while back (maybe ten years) when they were popular, I had 5 decent Dysons that I skip dived. In every case there was a blocked filter somewhere, otherwise they worked fine. I concluded that people didn’t read the instructions when they acquired them and overlooked the filters.
Recently I’ve found on a skip a nearly new Hetty (pink Henry vacuum) the cable was damaged by the cable rewind.

 

[Pete Maddex]

A while back (maybe ten years) when they were popular, I had 5 decent Dysons that I skip dived. In every case there was a blocked filter somewhere, otherwise they worked fine. I concluded that people didn’t read the instructions when they acquired them and overlooked the filters.
Recently I’ve found on a skip a nearly new Hetty (pink Henry vacuum) the cable was damaged by the cable rewind.

I have a Festool vac that was abandoned, it had a break in the middle of the mains cable, £60 for a new one but I had a nice length of rubber mains cable stashed away for just such an occasion.

Pete

 

[Planeiron]

Fantastic when things are rescued from the dump and given a new lease of life. It is bonkers what people just discard. Feels like it's getting to the stage where some people mightn't be able to change a fuse! Non-electrical but I went through a period of rescuing old garden bench ends that just needed new slats, a good clean and a lick of paint.

 

[Lurker]

I have a Festool vac that was abandoned, it had a break in the middle of the mains cable, £60 for a new one but I had a nice length of rubber mains cable stashed away for just such an occasion.

Pete

Isn’t it a nice feeling when something you have saved because it might come in useful one day, comes in useful one day.