Home DIY

Actually I have some Dinitrol that'd probably do the job. Anyway I think that ad was actually a week old, so it's probably gone now.

Isn't that just a tad carcinogenic?

Well we don't tend to lick it...

Where's the fun in that

For srs though - you don;t need to lick things for them to be dangerous.

cf. sharks & fire.

Cheers mate - invaluable intel

So 1960s crosswall house has developed a couple of leaks front and back - I posted a while back about the window sill and @Airhead helped me out recommending Zinser All coat - it was hot and sunny and I did fuck all about it. Now its winter and the big rain a few weeks ago really started pissing in at the ground floor ceiling to wall joint, which is actually a giant floor to ceiling window frame.

I have just this morning bitten the bullet for scaffold. And glad I did. At the first floor there are vertical hardwood timber mullions dividing the windows. I started poking around to discover one (in our bedroom) is mush all the way through - so now theres a proper hole in the ship. My diagnosis is that the window frames (face fixed) have, over the years, come away enough to let water collect and dribble around them and into the timber. The house was partially over clad in uPVC at some point but they neglected to do the top section over the first floor windows - so there's no drip either.

I've got more horrible upvc cladding to overclad this top section and can mastic seal around the windows, but these mullions are a fucker - wet rot i'm assuming . Anyone got any thoughts ?

Im thinking to dig out and seal off the base of this mushy hole some-how - over clad the mullion externally with some nice timber (cedar) and the seal the windows up to this, then come at it from inside next summer with expanding foam and filler. I guess the alternative is to cut all or part of the mullion out and replace completely.

2 Attachments

Investigating switching our In-Line Loft or Ceiling-Mounted bathroom extractor fan for a more powerful one.

What do I need to consider?

1. size
   
2. hole diameter
   
3. Electrics
   
   

Anything else?

Some refer to "Connected Load (Watts/Kw)" which I assume is effectively the same category as "Power Output (Watts/Kw)" except its the initial power required to spin it up to speed. Is that right?

My current one is 25W, so I assume that something that is listed as having 18-23W would not pose any issues and if a new on had a connection load of ~25W it would be fine.

A follow up question is what sort of insulation would be best for this NW corner of the loft given the spot lighters, and are there any addition considerations I need to be aware of.

For background the aim is to help reduce mold build up in the cold NW corner.

Cheers.

1 Attachment

I'd consider taking lifting that orange insulation, letting it dry out and checking its not mouldy. That was advice sister got for a damp cavity wall, not the same obviously, but stopped her getting condensation in a bay window once she put the dry insulation back in.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/LoftLeg-Loft-Lid-Downlight-Protector-Hood/p/148851

Repaircare system would fix that permanently. You could cut/chisel or grind that out until you reach something halfway decent and splice in some new wood with repair care epoxy resin.

23w/240v=.095amps which shouldn't trouble almost any size of domestic wiring.

Thanks mate - makes sense will do. Fun times - at least I’m not doing it off a ladder ! Any recommendations for sealant round the windows I have some silversil stuff but was thinking ct 1 - seems to be lots of branded ‘frame sealant around too. This is to fill the 2-6mm Gap around the face fix flange of the window frames ...

@Kurai @Airhead

Thanks.

Those down light protects seem like an easy option.

Is there any advantages to the kingspan style insulation board over regular loft wool type for my application - ie a 5'² section of the loft that's ~3' high and doesn't need to be walked on.

My gut says loft wool doubled up will be superior to board. Although the neatness of the insulation boards between the joists appeals.

Probably not in terms of warmth but I know which I’d rather work with.

Our induction hob isn't working and the AEG guy says it's not the hob but the cheap switch that can't handle the power it's drawing.

Can anyone suggest a better suited switch?

1 Attachment

What is the hob rated at?

I'd trust MK so something like https://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-essentials-45a-2-gang-dp-cooker-switch-13a-dp-switched-socket-white-with-white-inserts/614hv

thanks it's Electrical power rating 7.9 kW

40A so any 45A cooker isolation switch from somewhere reputable should be fine.

👍

The important part of that is the size of cable feeding the socket. 45A would be far larger than any breaker size you're likely to see and considering a lot of houses only have an 80A supply for the whole house a 45A induction hob would probably be a lot of heat!

The switch you show in your picture is a switch for the cooker supply with a normal 13amp socket attached for convenience. They are probably not connected to the same circuit.

It's quite common for a contemporary oven to have a current draw below an induction hob. You might expect an induction hob to be 16A. I have mentioned Ohms law before, it's so simple and really helps with these kind of problems. 3400w/240v=14.16A. Watts/Volts=Amps

It's also often the case that there is a cooker circuit circa 20A which has the appropriate size cable running to a fixed wiring outlet which the cooker used to be connected to prior to the invention of more efficient cookers. It's also often the case that the hob required a small amount of voltage for a clock and programmer, so a 13amp socket may be present behind the cooker or in a cupboard next door.

If you have this scenario you can swap the induction to the 20A circuit and put the cooker on a 13amp plug. Otherwise you don't have a cooker circuit or the wiring still comes out too low i.e. 16A instead of 20A or your electrician is being vague.

I think you are replying to the wrong person but @MTB-Idle has a hob that requires a 40A circuit according to the spec so should be connected to that.

I think my house only has a 60A fuse, I'd be screwed if I wanted a fancy induction hob.

I did not know that these things existed! Thanks.

I had the same problem recently and used one of these and decent Polyfilla to patch a hole in our cellar ceiling:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giraffe-Plasterboard-and-Drywall-Repair-Patch-15cm-x-15cm/323371878636?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

It's a functional cellar so the finish doesn't have to be perfect, but when we paint over it I reckon it will look decent actually.

cc: @hugo7

I wire plugs all the time. I mean, not literally, obviously.

I was taught how to wire a plug at secondary school. One of the few useful things they taught me.