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Bodgetastic

Does what it says on the tin
DrFfybes
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Re: Bodgetastic

#447479

Postby DrFfybes » October 3rd, 2021, 1:49 pm

stewamax wrote:
DrFfybes wrote:They had however had a brilliant water filter installed, quite a posh one with a byoass and it's own cutoff. This was useful as it has ben fitted on the rising main into the house BEFORE the stopcock.

... and the first job is to find and free off the not-touched-since-King-Æthelred water-supplier's stopcock in the road. That is unless the water comes from a spring locally named Manon de Sources.


The water supply comes in a 15mm supply through the woodland from a nearby lane that eventually loops around to our gate. There is a meter in our hedge next to the woods, about 35m from where the dupply emerges in the garage in 32mm plastic, before T-ing off to 2 x 22mm plastic and going back into the floor, one side to the tap near the veg plot (we know this as there is a cutoff before it goes back into the floor), the other presumably to the house, where somehow it re-emerges in 15mm copper.

There are also 2 ornamental "hand pump" style ornaments in the lawn which have functioning taps, not sure how they are fed but presumably before it gets to the garage.

Paul

bungeejumper
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Re: Bodgetastic

#447528

Postby bungeejumper » October 3rd, 2021, 4:52 pm

DrFfybes wrote:The water supply comes in a 15mm supply through the woodland from a nearby lane that eventually loops around to our gate. There is a meter in our hedge next to the woods, about 35m from where the dupply emerges in the garage in 32mm plastic, before T-ing off to 2 x 22mm plastic and going back into the floor, one side to the tap near the veg plot (we know this as there is a cutoff before it goes back into the floor), the other presumably to the house, where somehow it re-emerges in 15mm copper.

Have you considered getting in a dowser? :) Not quite such a ridiculous idea as it sounds. Those mysterious twizzling sticks did a pretty fair job of locating one of the underground springs in our garden. Even in my sceptical hands!
There are also 2 ornamental "hand pump" style ornaments in the lawn which have functioning taps, not sure how they are fed but presumably before it gets to the garage.

Ah, that'll be the Gardena technique. Plastic snap-on connectors, plastic hosepipe, bury it all in the ground before anybody sees it, cross your fingers. And then move house, sharpish. :lol:

BJ

GrahamPlatt
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Re: Bodgetastic

#447536

Postby GrahamPlatt » October 3rd, 2021, 5:35 pm

DrFfybes wrote: One internal wall had blistering paint. It was an old outside wall before the house was extended and has no damp course. It had gypsum plaster applied, then some waterproofer, then several coats of paint (which peeled off easily). I chipped off plaster up to the dry level and I'm leaving it to dry and have some lime plaster and clay paint to go over it.


Do tell how lime plaster addresses this problem. I have a similar issue (well, the wall has always been internal, but there’s no damp course) and the gyproc sheets that have been applied have the paint flaking off up to 20cm from the (tiled) floor due to what I presume to be rising damp. I was thinking of stripping off the gyproc and pasting the “brickwork” (river boulders stuck together with clay from what I have seen) with bitumen. Be glad to hear of a better/the correct solution.

Cheers

Mike4
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Re: Bodgetastic

#447561

Postby Mike4 » October 3rd, 2021, 7:24 pm

bungeejumper wrote:Have you considered getting in a dowser? :) Not quite such a ridiculous idea as it sounds. Those mysterious twizzling sticks did a pretty fair job of locating one of the underground springs in our garden. Even in my sceptical hands!


Seconded. I have first hand experience of using dowsing to find a mains stopcock in the middle of a one acre lawn.

First cross of the bits of wire, dig hole, immediately found the mains water pipe. ASTOUNDING. A second go at dowsing for the stopcock specifically, same again. Was an old chap from the water board doing it. "Dig here" he said, 10 metres away, and bingo! there was the stopcock.

Very woo.

88V8
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Re: Bodgetastic

#447982

Postby 88V8 » October 5th, 2021, 11:00 am

GrahamPlatt wrote:
DrFfybes wrote: One internal wall had blistering paint. It was an old outside wall before the house was extended and has no damp course. It had gypsum plaster applied, then some waterproofer, then several coats of paint (which peeled off easily). I chipped off plaster up to the dry level and I'm leaving it to dry and have some lime plaster and clay paint to go over it.

Do tell how lime plaster addresses this problem. I have a similar issue (well, the wall has always been internal, but there’s no damp course) and the gyproc sheets that have been applied have the paint flaking off up to 20cm from the (tiled) floor due to what I presume to be rising damp. I was thinking of stripping off the gyproc and pasting the “brickwork” (river boulders stuck together with clay from what I have seen) with bitumen. Be glad to hear of a better/the correct solution.

The standard response to damp nowadays is to try and shut it out with cement render, injected dpcs, bitumen, plastic liners etc.
This can work, to a degree, but damp usually finds a way around.

Lime mortar, lime plaster, lime render, limecrete floors, allow moisture to filter through, what we limies think of as 'breathing'. It then dissipates harmlessly instead of being trapped in the structure.
In the same way, limewash used internally avoids the condensation & mould that accompanies plastic paints.

Much more on damp issues in old houses and undoing modern 'remedies' here https://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=e29e119209fb257d9b1999e6937b3107 on the Period Property forum.

V8

DrFfybes
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Re: Bodgetastic

#451359

Postby DrFfybes » October 19th, 2021, 5:04 pm

After spending a day removing ones cistern and fixing the syphon, I attacked the second one.

This is a concealed one, skillfully hdden behind some thin T&G cladding on a frame.

I removed the top trim, then teased a couple of boards loose. No sign of an isolator for the water, which was a disappointment. So I tied the ballcock arm up with some bungee cord and bits of wood, and removed the balll to bail out the cistern. Rummaging under the ballcock with a torch I spotted a yellow button on the side of the siphon, and something 'pinged' in my head.

Some brief googling later and it turns out to be a Telford Turbo 88, a 2 part syphon that can be serviced in situ easily. I am astounded. This is probably the first thing I have found in the house where they haven't bodged in the cheapest nastiest bit of kit they could find.

10 mins tapping the boards back (the skirting was glued on to the bottom of them) and a quick trip to Screwfix for a service kit.

All done in 10 min :)

They had even 'insulated'' around the concealed cistern, which consisted of bits of rockwool loosely shoved in. I also noticed the flooring under the pan was newer than the rest in there, and was screwed down wheras the rest was nailed, so I suspect there has been a leak at some time.

Paul

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Re: Bodgetastic

#451366

Postby bungeejumper » October 19th, 2021, 5:25 pm

DrFfybes wrote:I am astounded. This is probably the first thing I have found in the house where they haven't bodged in the cheapest nastiest bit of kit they could find.

"Blooming heck, Ethel. Thirty pounds? Just because it was a Saturday? That's the last time I'm letting a professional come in here, spending my money on a load of poncey stuff that I don't need. I think I'd rather have put up with the leak, thank you very much. From now on it's going to be the Tommy Walsh DIY range at Poundland or nothing. Nothing but a bunch of moneygrabbers, those plumbers, mutter mutter....." :|

BJ


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