Home DIY

I've lifted all the boards in my house. Best tool for me was a roughly 2" wide wrecking bar. Very useful tool. Like the second one down from the top here:

http://www.toolstop.co.uk/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/5bb7920612629ed9a67ed51a3b74d14a.jpg

Can cut boards with a plunge cut blade on an oscillating hand tool.

Replacing a couple of bits of rotten (old leaky shower caused) floorboard, the wood they're pinned too is also rotten.

I presume it's good practice to replace this, if not at least essential... is cutaway remaining and fit new bit acceptable here or is it a tradesman proper job?

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What are we looking at here? A floor joist?

Shove a roughly 3mm wide blade screwdriver into it and see how far you can go.

It's a floor joist with a large chunk rotted away... this pic shows next one along too, in much better condition & with fresh drill mark from where my first cutting hole was going to be.

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If I had discovered that on a professional basis my approach would be removing the joist entirely, checking where the ingress of water was and trying to fix it. Then replacing it with a new joist. That would be a few hours work depending on the difficulty involved in detecting and fixing the leak.

If you just want it to last another 10-20 years bang another joist next to it and cover it up before it bothers you!

If you just want it to last another 10-20 years bang another joist next to it and cover it up before it bothers you!

Ideal. Ta.

P.s. the leaky shower was replaced with a bath. This is long overdue follow up work.

Oh shit, it's so rotten that I couldn't see it! Yes, best option is to hack out and replace. If it were me, I'd take the slightly easier option of just cutting out the offending section and bolting on a brew section with brackets. Apply anti-wet-rot if you are paranoid.

Is that on the ground floor? Trying to make out what is below the joist.

Having a similar situation, but not as bad as yours, I cut out a section 200mm long and 15mm section out of the top of the joist, well trimmed the joist to that size as that was the bit to get rot free wood and then replaced the bit with fresh wood Then made the area in to a flitched joint by adding a metal plate and similar sized wooden joist bolted through. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flitch_beam

Or give these people a shout http://www.joist-repair.co.uk/

Speaking of leaky bathroom fittings, my sink is the shittest design (I didn't choose it) and has a flat top, which channels the water from your hands on to the floor, where it pools on the lino and makes a scummy puddle, possibly going through into the floor below long term.

I'm thinking a rubber strip, silicone sealed to to the edges of the sink top part of the sink, to contain/channel water back into the sink will be the best solution, short of replacing the sink. Anyone got any better ideas?

Silicone will only divert the water flow or create a puddle at the wall/sink join. Is that a better outcome short of getting the sink to tip slightly forward?

That's a fair point, I hadn't considered that it was just badly fitted rather than badly designed.

I've got a similar problem with our bath tub, hopefully a bit of nudging should cause the water to drain into the tub rather than down the back...

Is there a Corgi registered boiler/plumber person on the Forum recommended books...?

We're fixing to get our boiler replaced and relocated.

It's gas safe now....run by our friends at crapita !!!!!

Where abouts are you?

se4

(Reply to @lynx & @rodabod )

It's on top of a concrete layer as that part of the room is directly over the alleyway (passage/ginnel?) that runs between us and next door.

Think I need to cut away more then replace with added joist plates to rejoin it all together strongly. Bigger job than hoped, but best do it moderately well than have one of us dangling feet into the alley.

Tell you what people. Get an electrician.
I found out some of the electrics in the house were shonky.
Lighting cable to connect a spur of a spur socket box.
Lighting upstairs on too high a fuse.

My combi boiler seems to have packed up. The pilot light indicator is flashing red and there's a whooshing kind of noise when I run the hot water tap (no hot water though). I can sometimes get it to light and a bit of hot water but the whooshing noise persists and the pilot goes back off again. Any suggestions before I call a plumber?

Also, I suspect that I may have to remove this cupboard before I get a plumber in, agreed?

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What is your pressure valve showing? Is it a closed loop system? could need topping up if it is.

Having googled this it looks like that is a distinct possibility, cheers. The next challenge is to work out how to top it up given my boiler conveniently doesn't have any model no. on it and half of it is behind that cupboard.

The filler loop system is the same on all boilers I've ever seen.

Somewhere underneath where all the pipes come out there will be a silvery flexy hose connecting two of the copper pipes. This hose will have a black valve lever on it. Turn valve, watch water pressure rise on dial on boiler, turn off when at 2 BAR.

I am not a plumber, this is just how I've fixed 'low pressure' before.

Lol kitchen fitters

The next challenge is to work out how to top it up given my boiler conveniently doesn't have any model no. on it and half of it is behind that cupboard.

From a google image search it looks like a Vallaint 242 Turbomax.

http://www.vaillantservice.co.uk/VAILLANT/Vaillant_Boiler_Self_Help.html

The filler loop controls the water pressure in the central heating side of the system. Another common September problem is the valve which switches between hot water and central heating circuits, usually replacement time. I would take that cupboard down for the plumber, it's not worth paying his hourly rate for him to do it.

Thanks all. I'll have a look when I get home and see if I can get it topped up and go from there.