Home DIY

Hoping someone can point out the flaw in my understanding here;

We had a fault in the kitchen loop trip the RCD. In the process of narrowing it down it tripped a couple more times before isolating it to the extract fan.

We resolved it by replacing the fuse; but my understanding would be that if the fuse failed then there shouldn't be a circuit, so no current running, in which case it shouldn't trip the RCD?

ctek

But surely it still needs to be plugged in to mains power right? Or does it have some sort of clever cycling powered only by the bikes battery? If so could you post a link to the model.

Cheers.

Any recommendations for curtain rails?

Looking for one that's about 3m with a pull cord but not massively expensive.

John Lewis* or Dunellm depending on your budget.

*'Any Day' line is good for most things at a lower price.

In this kind of situation where the solution defies logic sometimes it's coincidence. RCD faults are very often moisture related, could have been whatever was tripping it dried out while you were changing the fuse. Can you put the old one back in and test it again?

Any tips on the best mechanical ventilation approach to combat condensation in a cold roof?

Our roof was fitted (by a previous owner) with a completely impermeable membrane, and no ventilation at all. The seller fitted some vent tiles, and I've since fitted some lap vents but some leadwork has recently failed and the considerable moisture that's built up has nowhere to go.

We can't afford to replace the roof right now, but I want/need to do something relatively quickly to protect the timbers in the roof. The best (read: relatively affordable and easy) idea I can come up with is to fit some mechanical ventilation in the loft space.

Should I go for extraction or PIV in these circumstances?

The loft is well insulated/sealed from the livable spaces, if that makes a difference

Just in case it's not obvious, I didn't use birch ply

Mine is https://lordsbm.co.uk/lto00070

This seems really odd. Are you 100% sure the membrane is impermeable?

Could there be another cause all the condensation that's building up? What humidity level is it showing at the moment, and is that reading constant across the space? - wondering if it could be ingress from a gutter or steam coming from your boiler/similar.

Yep, pretty sure.

The lead flashing around the chimneys has failed, as has the lead-lining on the parapet guttering (although this is mostly affecting the wall).

We're having the leadwork repaired asap, but I'm worried about how long it'll take the timber and the condensation to dry out with the existing sub-par ventilation.

If you're having other remedial work then I wonder if the lowest effort solution is an extension lead and dehumidifier with a manual control - factoring in winter external air humidity is quite high. Then work/speak to the guys fixing that as to what the best solution is.

I doubt you're in imminent danger. Even with actual water soaking into wood it takes a decent amount of time for rot to set in. Plus a new roof will have pressure treated timber.

Here is a picture of blue roof timbers that have been face down pressed into the ground for 4 years. The ¼ furthest from the ground is not yet rotten.

(it's a grip peice for a gang plank for my kids' den)

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Where is the insulation? Make sure nothing is blocking the eavese / soffits.

If it's a cold roof and a sealed off loft, where is the moisture coming from?

Random, but anyone ever repaired a Henry Hoover in which the 'boost' function wasn't working? I'm loathe to replace, but with a big puppy and messy house we really need the maximum suction possible 😂

Prepared to be told I'm over thinking this, but if I wanted to insulate and plasterboard a detached garage, I wouldn't need any for of planning consent, right? It would just be to make the place look 'nicer' and be warmer when working on bikes and tinkering. I don't think it would be a 'habitable space' - it won't be used as a home office etc. It already has electrics and a separate RCD, if that makes any difference?

@Fox didn't you fix a Henry Hoover?

Planning don't care what the inside of your garage looks like, if you don't change the use type. Unless it's Listed.

You've got a good memory! I did, and one of the issues was the boost not working actually @owl

It was just a matter of replacing the hi/lo switch with mine. If everything else is working fine that will be the most likely culprit.
https://www.averncleaningsupplies.com/products/221102-hi-illuminated-rocket-switch-numatic

Ah, amazing, thanks both! Did you test anything to determine that it was the switch that needed replacing or is it pretty much the only thing that could cause the boost to not-work? For a £10 might as well give it a shot anyway I guess, better than offering it up to someone who will just do this anyway and then sell for profit....

Thanks, I wish there was a way to monetise it.

My switch went intermittent before failing, so it was easy to know.

I therefore didn't know how the circuit for the boost/no boost works, but I just googled it and apparently if it's not the switch it's the small PCB which can be replaced, see below:
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/henry-hoover-hi-lo-not-working.541481/

There's no way of knowing which has failed, but that thread suggests that if it's the PCB it would have failed in the 'hi' mode, which would bring us back to the switch.

So yeah I'd replace the switch, if it's not that it's the PCB.

Tour guide?

My Henry's switch failed and I repaired it so it was on permanent boost. Long time ago and Henry is no longer with me, so I can't remember the specifics, but it's very simple in there once you open the cover

I'm having another pass at my home office after living with it for a couple of years - digging out cracks and repainting in general. Theres this pipe cover running down one length of the room which I've sort of butchered to fit in a deeper rad (think floor the pipe angle).

What do you think I should do with it? I sort of want to rip it up and see what's under there (see if I can do away with it all together)/make the hole around the pipe good.

Am I being silly and should I just leave it?

Before anyone says it - levelling out the rad is part of my journey

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Where is your desk going?

Along the wall on the left I think. Want to be as close to the radiator as possible as its got 3 external walls, and feel as though I shouldn't really put my screen in front of the window.

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