Home DIY

Are towel warmers considered a necessity out there?

In the Bathroom?

Well my wife seems to think so, apparently a soggy towel isn't a welcome towel!

Your humidity levels must be through the roof.

you have no idea!

Does anyone have a wood router and a few straight-cut bits I could use for a matter of hours? I want to cut some grooves along a few longish pieces of timber. I don't have a car so could really only come to yours to use it if you happened to live in Brockley... If I can't borrow one I'll probably buy a cheapo one from Screwfix but would rather borrow if possible!

Electrics question: I have a couple of Habitat lamps that have stopped working. The bulbs are all fine, so I assume it's the transformers (which are integrated into the plug). The specs for the transformer are printed on it (see the image). They take 12V G4 bulbs (20W max) Is there something I could replace the transformer with that will resurrect the lamps? I'm happy to do a bit of wiring.

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^ does the electric lead plug into the base of the plug-top tx?

EDIT (previous answer was stupid): No, it's moulded in via the cable grip rather than plugged in, so it would require stripping and re-wiring to a new transformer (assuming that is the problem). The body of the plug/transformer could probably be sprung open with a bit of persuasion.

One problem is that I don't think I can just continuity-check from the transformer into the torpedo switch or bulb fitting as you would do with a 240V lamp.

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can you post a pic of the lead into the in-line switch, and the lead into the lamp base?

Like this? It's fairly straighforward I think. One strand of the cable runs straight through the switch, the other is made/broken by the switch. No further electronics in line that I can see.

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ok, i was wondering if the switch was a thyristor circuit as opposed to a make/break contact.

any 12V 60W halogen electronic tx from ebay would do the trick, put it in an oversized heat resistant insulating junction box with a cable gland for stress relieving at each entry

Thanks rive_gauche, so it would be the kind of transformer used for running 12V ceiling spots, that would usually be hidden in a ceiling, but just boxed for safety. Incidentally, 60W seems quite over-specced for a single 20W bulb. Is that much headroom necessary? Would the 5A (or even 2A) version of this work?

If the lamp fitting can take a bulb greater than 20w then rate the power supply (tx) to 60w. It'll run cooler. Overheating>smoudering>fire is the risk here.

We hated the railing around the stairwell in our kitchen:

So we made a new one:

Once we've figured out how to mount it, it will go off to powdercoat, something along the lines of RAL1000. Next step is a different floor, but the bathroom and insulation have priority.

^ If that's in a dwelling, there are some safety issues.

I thought about that, but considering the people walking around here I didn't think it would be an issue. When (/if) grandchildren start to appear there are so much more things that need kid-proofing that some chicken-wire or somesuch around this would be fine too.

Looking on a site the other day I noticed that you can get replacement elements around £20..

liking the swastika motif there tijmen..

Godwin's law?

Didn't really have a problem with the previous one tbh, but that looks great.
RAL 1000?!
Nooooo - leave it rat, clear coat!

20W is the idle power, but you'll get a higher inrush current when the bulb switches on from cold. I'd over-spec it anyway. You may be able to work with a wall-wart supply somehow, if you don't fancy doing too much hardware work.

The old one didn't fit with the rest of the house, it wasn't too bad in itself but it was very heavy visually.

If it were up to me it would have been nickel-plated, but sadly it's not. The RAL1000 appears in several places in the house, so it will make sense and not be as loud as other options.

Ah well, I still don't have my preferred window placement in the kitchen either, one day though...

Cheers, I've had a look around and the one i need to get is around £45, it's for a Dimplex 120W towel rail and apparently a pain to change these things, it's a bit ugly as well so think we're just gonna ditch it and get a new one, it's around 20 yrs old so it's done a good turn!

Is it possible to mount a sink in a corner unit so the drainer sits over the unit next to it as opposed to being central within the corner unit?

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