Home DIY

Gravel. Or pea shingle. I am expecting about 900kg of the stuff to be left in a bulk bag out in the street. I need to get it up a steep front path, round the side of the house, down three steps, up four steps and up to the end of the back garden. I have a wheelbarrow but I suspect it won't be much use on the steps. Would it be nuts to move it all by bucket?

Ramp on steps?

Two buckets, 15kg in each, 30 trips. Three strong friends (four if they're weak), case of beer, job done.

Yeah pretty much... trying to make the most out of what I've got... don't think I could face a whole ground floor though.

Hire the proper kit! There's nothing worse than sanding without a big/powerful enough sander. Trust me, I did our cellar stairs and the wooden panelling next to it with hand sanders and it took forever. I don't know why I didn't buy a better sander...

The place we used for our floors do a weekend package where you can hire the big belt sander and an edge sander cheap for floors for the whole weekend because trades are less interested in using them then. Will PM you their deets now.

That sounds feasible, apart from the fact that all my friends are miles away. Maybe just me and my two buckets. I could whittle a milkmaid's yoke. Should be done in a day.

I personally think you'd be fine. Lots of manageable loads is the key.

I've done similar before in a morning, had pretty stiff legs the next day...

You will be fine with buckets, I once moved 5 dumpy bags of gravel like that, not up and down steps, but through a terraced house, wasn't exactly fun, but it goes pretty quickly.

No chance you can change that bulk bag to the same in 20kg bags? They're much easier to shift.

But yes I agree with a few friends it's hard work but doable and won't take too long.

Get some of those big plastic flexible buckets...

I could whittle a milkmaid's yoke.

There's a sentence you don't see on here every day.

Barrow on plank on steps.

Those concertina ladders are terrifying - there’s nothing to slow the extension down so if they come off the hook or you get it wrong, the whole lot comes down at speed with no regard for fingers, feet or pets. They will also roll if the angle isn't shallow enough so you end up swinging about.

I had a concertina one up to my loft and it was fine.

Wouldn't want to use it every day as it wasn't that stable but for loft access every few weeks it was fine.

You just had to make sure that the bolts were tight or the whole thing felt a bit loose.

Bingo! Job done. Neighbour lent me two planks, and after about 20 barrow loads it was all done and I went to the pub for haddock and chips and two pints of seafarers. Thank you all for reassuring me it was possible!

Nice one. Was genuinely doubtful that a barrow would have been worth it, but it obviously was.

hey, what am I, chopped liver?

Ramp was the winner here, even if the plank I was using was way too long so I had to swerve off it on each trip before it started acting like a seesaw.

With many thanks to @withered_preacher (and others) here is the gravel in its new home

1 Attachment

Well done and quickly executed as well!

Those concertina ladders are terrifying

I had a concertina one up to my loft and it was fine.

Mixed reviews then. Your story is the kind of thing I'm concerned about, I like my fingers and cat.

I guess the one at my mates old house was a decent one. It almost stayed put when lowering or raising it and felt way more stable than it had any right to be.

The one we had was this model https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/Concertina-Loft-Ladders.html - I would try anything else first.

I had this one https://www.ladderstore.com/alu-fix-concertina-loft-ladders

The opposite problem, it was stiff enough that it took two hands to pull down/push up.

Our miele dishwasher inlet drain light is showing, and I wanted to bounce my logic off the hive.

The Internet gives two possible causes, 1) drain impeller

https://youtu.be/uLZX3AB2k5Q

I've checked the area is free of debris and the propeller spins freely. I've also opened the dishwasher after turning on and have seen it spinning.

2) circulation pump rotar
https://youtu.be/Ih9tfZ7k3Ns

I managed to get the impeller (?) to start turning using the fork trick in this video. Although the previous video I'd followed implied that you moved it sideways / left-right rather than rotating it, so I'm concerned I could have damaged it with my hamfistedness.

The error light went off for a bit, but is now back on.

We're in a hard water area so I wondered if soaking that area in vinegar overnight / for a prelonged period would help break down possible build up? Then give it another go after a good veg oil soak.

Any other thoughts / hacks?

Is there something stronger than vinegar I should be using? I'd worry about drain cleaner damaging the metal and rubber.

I'm happy to call out a repairman, but given I previously sorted the poor washing by giving it a proper clean, I thought I'd at least give it a couple of attempts.

Cheers.

Is a £15 laser measure from ebay going to be accurate(ish), or is it going to burn my house down?