Home DIY

i'm getting a kitchen done at the moment and the electrics have to pass building regs

guys initially said they'd put a new CU in, but have since said they'll have to have two separate boards (the existing one, and a new one). This is because the rest of the electrics in the house wouldn't pass regs, and a single new CU would necessitate a full house rewire (which we don't want/can't afford!)

That all makes sense to me but thought I'd sense check it here too...

two separate boards

I have that. New board for the kitchen put in by the previous owners with fancy things like RCDs, our loft extension was added to some spare ways in that. The rest of the house is fed from a 'proper' fuse box with fuse wire and all that good stuff.

Meanwhile my parents house was 'recently rewired' when they bought it in 1971 and hasn't burnt down yet.

It was more wondering about draw/volume of air moved, if there are things substantially better, since this is a pretty old model

The highest quoted air flow I could find in a 100mm fan was the Vent Axia Svara at 110m3/h. It's expensive but I found one much cheaper on eBay. Has a lot of additional features which are nice to have and the mechanical design is actually really good, has a very good sealing gasket which was important for me as ours is very much in zone 1.

I need a release agent for silicone that i can accurately brush onto painted metal windows.
Am thinking vaseline but need to thin it slightly but not with a solvent that will attack the metal paint (dulux metalshield)
Will be using colour matched silicone to fill the gaps on large crittall opening frames that are distorted so the gaps can be 5mm tapering down to .5mm so not something I can do with conventional rubber strips.

Did wonder if silicone spray stops silicone adhesion? you can use cling film but its a faff and wrinkles making a poor seal.

If the frame is smooth and flat you’ll be able to get a prefect edge & wipe off the excess from the frame using silicone tools

unfortunately no the frames are rough in places despite being stripped, plan is to paint the release agent on the frame and try and gauge the correct amount of silicone for the gap and then close the window wiping off any silicone that spills over the lip of the frame with a tool or wet finger.
bit difficult to explain without seeing the frames, they centre tilt so the gaps get bigger the further away from the hinge.

looked into getting the frames straightened but that involves their removal, fitting ply in their place, then back at the factory having glass removed and through heat/percussive persuasion straightening them but without having the outer frames to check they fit. then glass refitted.
the cost was nuts as was the experts doing what i’m about to do!

Can't you just use masking tape or am I missing something?

No, for 2 reasons, in places the paint is fragile, no idea why as the correct primer adhered well and I used the correct dulux thinner, some days were hot some cooler which may have something to do with it.
So bit fucked off after all the effort it took to strip/prime/paint.
So masking tape will look shit and likely pull paint off in places
So I want to make a silicone bead to stop most of the draft enough to stop the secondary glazing bowing when we get gales, the wind even lifted a 1.25x1.8m panel out of its track one stormy night and I nearly shat my pants.
Pic shows the daylight in one of the bigger gaps

The gaps are not small,

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Couldn't you use a putty?

That’s actually a good idea if there’s a product out there I could roll out a long sausage tapered to fit. It would need to have some compression/flexibility after curing and withstand -10° to +40° as the gap between the glazing is like a mini greenhouse.

I'm pretty sure you can get a type of putty in a tube to use in a standard silicone gun.

You could then use profiling tools.

https://www.soudal.co.uk/pro/products/sealants/putties/universal-putty

Give them a call and see if this is suitable or what they recommend. Generally technical departments know their stuff.

Thanks, will make enquiries

What’s have all the 99p BIN dismantle and take away kitchens, conservatories and greenhouses gone from evilbay? My guess is too many folks win them, but don’t come and collect? Oh well…

I need to build a little cupboard / box in the consumer units by the front door. Going to use 12mm mdf boards but what size wood would you use to build the frame that I'll fix to wall and floor?

I'm repairing and painting our front door. I have repair care for big and small filling.

What product should I use to fill the gaps in the trim that holds the panels in?

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Something like this would give enough strength and area to screw through, assuming it's not going to be taking vast weight/people standing on it etc

Something flexible and paintable like this

I like Wickes

Went to buy repair care today, no cheap but i can deal with that. What's put me off is you need the gun to for it and its another £50

I've almost run out of wood filler. The last pot was the light tan colour.

What colour do people think is most useful?

(needs to be Ronseal if that matters as I bought a load of extra hardener)

^ the hardner should be compatible (think I've got a ronseal I'm using with styrene free brewers) I hate to admit it but upol (usually come with pink hardener) do make softer silky more sticky fillers, rest are much of a muchness - I'm not a fan of white filler, just something with a little contrast to what it's going on

Okay thank you, I bought some 46mm by 25mm pine and was hesitating in using that or buying some 38x38mm which seems more robust and might be easier to use

Is there a specific upol you'd recommend for wood?

Pretty sure my current pot is natural and Imo it's always too light and sticks out. So wondering about changing it. Tbh a good chunk of the time it'll be painted over. But not always.

unfortunately I didn't do the purchasing it was in fact sold as the car body type, think there are three that are available for wood - I'll have a look and edit it in here (it won't be the deep fill gray one - less gritty the better// I'll have to take that bit back it looks like easy1 was most used)
I wouldn't get too bogged down with finding/using it as it looks like colour is more important for you ronseal is fine
NB those ronseal multipurpose are not two parts no hardener easier to use