Home DIY

Does anyone have any plumbers they would recommend in the hackney area?

Just had water dripping through the hall ceiling, it was while the bath was draining so I took off the panel and saw this. It tightened a fraction by hand so i reckon I’m onto the cause here, plus the floor underneath was sodden.

Is the longer fix just a case of removing, cleaning, adding some ptfe tape or should I be replacing the white bits?

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Is the longer fix just a case of removing, cleaning, adding some ptfe tape or should I be replacing the white bits?

Can’t say for the plumbing specifics but I’d definitely say that that longer fix involves finding out the extent of the water damage. If it’s been dripping slightly and the patch staying damp for a long time it might’ve done some fairly heinous damage to structural wood. Our downstairs neighbour had basically the exact same issue and will need to rip out their entire bathroom floor when they can get the cash together.

Sorry, fairly intense prediction for a Sunday morning.

For those looking for Makita batteries. http://www.FFX.co.uk have a makita sale on today.

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Think this is a bit of a mess because it looks like the waste pipe was too high - or bath too low, necessitating that curious looking bit of pipe and the slightly shonky angles.

I would try to take it off and clean it all up and attempt a better seal as best I could but be warned it might be glued in somewhere so getting it off might not be straightforward.

Please stop posting links to Makita batteries that are considerably cheaper than I paid last week.

I’d also have got that coffee machine. C’est la vie.

Sorry, it’s a weird addiction of mine based on my neurosis around buying tools. I’m already getting annoyed that I need to have a proper look through to see if there’s anything I need. And then it would make sense to spend £300 because that coffee machine could potentially be useful on site (which is absurd). I hate myself.

Stripping paint with IR stripper, have this run up close to the gas pipe. I'm guessing not good to heat up the pipe and I should try and strip it some other way?

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No glue, came straight off. All rubber bits in good condition, going in with the soap now.

Might also want some descaling if it's got a buildup of crud

I’m going at it with wire wool.

Why are you stripping it? The paint looks perfectly fine to sand and repaint.

You’d probably struggle to melt copper or solder with a heat gun but you’re right to be careful.

Treated myself to a new drill, work light and site speaker (and hopefully free coffee machine). I am a knob.

£45 seemed like a bargain, if a little unnecessary.
https://www.ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Makita-Dmr203-0088381895194-18V-Bluetooth-Jobsite-Speaker-Bare-Unit

So after seeing recommendations for repair care from @Airhead I thought I'd give it a go, have used the 2 part filler before which is a nightmare but this stuff is much better and seems more suited, would recommend.

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Thank you!

There's a seal on mcalpine stuff that we basically tighten by hand and give a nip. You shouldn't need to PTFE it or anything like that.

You could just replace it with a new shallow trap like that, but stripping it to see the cause is the first thing but it also looks like its running up hill from the photo too but that shouldn't cause the leak more running away.

Everyone I've recommended it to has liked it and I've got jobs going back years now with no sign of failure. It's a great product for that job.

Thanks, wasn’t the shallow trap but looks like the plug/overfill pipe above it. Going to disassemble tomorrow after some sleep. Had about four hours on a 12 hour flight which landed at 5am so it’s beer and bedtime soon.

Nice. Looks like you've replaced a lot of material there and kept the shape, which is very cool. How did you do it?

I would definitely recommend it to all and sundry, it really is a good solution for wood repairs.

I would say I replace 70% of the material. I dug it all out with chisels and a router then whittled a very rough approximation of what was missing, then lathered it in the 2 part resin and shaped it with knives until it got to that shape, some points missing in between but saves me having to be a master crafts man to fix it in a more traditional manner

Gives me hope for the work to be done on ours

What type of oil should I use for refurbing some teak shelving? Had to sand the uprights back as previous owners redecorated without taking them down and left paint all over. Thanks.

I’d go with danish oil and consider sealing with clear furniture wax. That’s how we look after our teak dining table.

Cool, I was leaning in that direction. Is there a brand you've had success with?