Home DIY

sub £100 cordless drill reccomendations?

Makita? Ryobi?

I have this one
http://www.screwfix.com/p/hitachi-dv18dcl2-18v-1-5ah-li-ion-cordless-combi-drill/64945

Bought it for £99 a few years ago and haven't been let down by it yet. I think Makita, Hitachi and Dewalt are all pretty good at that price. Check Screwfix and B&Q for deals then pick your favourite colour.

Stairs- you'll want to put a carpet on them the second or third time you slip down them.

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That was exactly what I was going to say.

All you have to do is polish the banister or something near the stairs and it'll become a freaking ice rink.

I Couple of coats of Ronseal diamond tough floor paint (which has mixed reviews)

We used this (grey one though) on sanded bare pine boards, no primer before, no varnish after, just a couple of coats with lots of time to dry, I have no complaints, we have a wheely chair and light foot traffic only though.

To summarise this Ronseal product, I would say the description on the container is a true reflection of the its performance IRL.

We have used a Farrow And Ball floor paint on our floorboards - it has stood up to 2x Greyhounds + toddler very well.

I would normally dismiss F+B paints as overpriced crap, but this is their specific floorpaint (which was recommended by a decorator friend) rather than their usual "emulsion with a bit more pigment than dulux" rubbish.

Think we still have half a tin under the stairs so will see if I can find out exactly what its called.

^ this looks like a good place to start: http://us.farrow-ball.com/floorpaint/content/fcp-content

;)

I'm so excited. We've agreed a floor plan.
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/products/sebastarosa/#ad-image-0

I think i will be reading this thread a lot for a long time while we self build

I've been having some problems with my bathroom fan: first it was dripping a lot, then it fizzed and stopped working completely. I've just taken it down and found this...

http://imgur.com/gA9seRa
http://imgur.com/pD96jSH

It's obviously been dripping for quite some time and parts are corroded. Also, it's been put up and taken down several times and the plasterboard in the ceiling is like Swiss cheese.

Can I fill these holes, paint over the leak stain and re-fit a new fan? My concern is that I don't know what the leak was caused by and that it will carry on and happen again.

I've peered into the tube attached to the fan and can't see anything untoward. Can anyone recommend how I fix the leak, and then how to repair the ceiling prior to fitting a new fan?

Looks like the last owner had bought a new one but never fitted it - but I just looked and it's the wrong connector; there's no timer in it and it just has a little plastic plug whereas the current (broken) one just accepts a mains wire.

Where in the bathroom is the fan Sparky?

i.e. over the bath/shower/basin, or away from these water sources by [distance]?

i.e. which of these zones would it be in:

This is the bathroom, shower head in bath, off to the left:

http://imgur.com/nhOppKN

And this is the fan, above the toilet:

http://imgur.com/6QJOQEz

Can you access the loft / crawlspace above it? Be worth a look to see whether you're dealing with external water or whether it's suffering under the condensation it's removing...?

Is it actually supposed to be in the ceiling? Perhaps that accounts for the build up of water within the fan?

suffering under the condensation it's removing

9/10 its this. make sure the ducting is replaced and well lagged.

Yeh and buy a new fan which is intended to work in the ceiling.

No way to get into the roof, which is a problem. I'm on the top floor of a four storey building and it's a Dutch roof (?) so not much cavity above and no access.

When you remove the unit have a good feel around and check. But it's probably drowning in its own juice.

This was my suspicion. But I'm buggered if I can think of any way to sort it because of the poor access. Currently thinking about a bodge: fill holes, paint over stain and fit a new fan. Then see what happens. Not ideal though.

I can't see what's wrong with your plan. But I do suspect that there will be a choice of units which are better served to operate in the ceiling. Something which won't allow water to collect in the unit itself.

Out of interest - do you suspect you have a long piece of ducting up there before you hit the external wall? Some fans are not powerful enough to blow too far. Also if the duct is getting cold as it's not insulated up there then the steam is becoming water right away these factors may be something to do with it?

*I'm not an expert by any means, just having a mull.

Are you renting? This sounds nuts but have you actually checked the outside wall to be sure that the duct is connected to an outlet flap at all? When we moved into our place a trip to the garden made it apparent our cooker extractor duct was just coiled up in the loft and not actually going anywhere!

I own the place but it's on the third floor so I can't really explore outside. It's possible that it just leads to the loft - or tiny crawl space as there's not really a loft - but I'd hope not. There are glimpses of insulation when you look up the hole so it's probably getting cold as it goes above that.

How about this?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/manrose-chrome-ceiling-wall-mounted-20w-extractor-fan-timer/12473

I've just popped the fan off properly and held a torch up there. The first few inches are manky and a bit mouldy but then it's really clean and clear. It's hard to tell from the picture but this is the ceiling and the duct goes straight up for a bit then veers off towards the nearest external wall which is about 12ft away. It stays almost vertical but leans that way. I can't see more than a few feet.

http://imgur.com/sTfR4IY

Your guess is as good as mine but second opinions and all that: looks like the ducting is a bit bunched up and water is collecting in the creases of the first foot or two? I guess you wander to B&Q and have a look at the more pokey fans in the hope that a bit more power and some modern design might propel moisture further from the unit?

The ceiling is plasterboard- you could buy an access panel frame and cut said panel into the ceiling with a Stanley knife.

I own the place but it's on the third floor so I can't really explore outside. It's possible that it just leads to the loft - or tiny crawl space as there's not really a loft - but I'd hope not. There are glimpses of insulation when you look up the hole so it's probably getting cold as it goes above that.

How about this?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/manrose-chrome-ceiling-wall-mounted-20w-extractor-fan-timer/12473

Very mixed reviews for that sparky. It's difficult not to bunch up that ducting so you'll probably always get a bit of condensation. Definitely worth checking the outlet. If it's a gravity shutter/louvres check that they open when the fan is running.