Home DIY

From memory they need to be fixed to the cabinet to stop the machine tipping forward when you open the door. They also need a door on the front to weight the door enough that it will stay open.

What is it? My problem is that I don't know what the stuff is that I want to strip off the wood.

I think you’re thinking about dishwashers rather than washing machines?

Yes, I am! Thank you for pointing that out.

Washing machines are usually ok without a door attached but they are often unfinished on the sides, so just bare steel.

If there's a specific recco, or a source for illegal paint stripper, then maybe consider it. But based on my recent experience it'll be faster to use some sort of sharp bladed scrapper to shave off the varnish then sand.

You could then use a stripper for the moulding as its such a tricky shape, but only do this after removing as much as you can of the varnish mechanically(?). If you do it before you soften the surface making it an absolute cunt to strip without going 100% paint stripper.

As an indicator of effort: one side with modern nitromoros = 2 whole doors with a scraper & sander

I know your door isn't painted so it's different, but even after stripping I was still left with a shit looking door that required sanding and primer. To get it back to wood would have been another full day.

thanks - i've mechanically scraped a fair load of it off - but there's part of the moulding that's very difficult to get at, particularly the concave bits.

Getting frustrated by lack of power to my shed. Google indicates this is a can of worms and many people do many non compliant workarounds that many other people (esp. sparks) have opinions about - for good reason of course.

Situation is this:

The CU is in the kitchen so cannot run a separate circuit direct. The ground floor sockets appear to be on an RCD (yellow button?) . I need to spur off the double socket nearest the back window and run through the frame, down the garden and into the shed. The shed is - lightweight tiny house construction fully wrapped in tyvek below the cladding - and v dry and watertight.

In the shed as a minimum i would like 4 sockets (LED desk lamp(7w), mac mini computer(50W), monitor(150W) +one spare for phone charger etc) as a bonus a fused spur to potentially run 1m2 of electric underfloor heatmat (150W) .

Current idea based on google is :
metal patress 13A FCU (switched?) just below the DS inside the house > earth gland > 1.5mm2 armored cable clipped to wall > through wall > clipped to fence > into shed> into 1 metal patress DS with earthed gland > wired to second DS > into switched 13A FCU for the heating mat and thermostat / timer.

Appreciate this has come up before and I need an electrician for compliance etc - just trying to scope cost for parts etc. Grateful of any thoughts...

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Where does the supply come into the meter? You could run a spur from the supply and to a new CU in the shed. Probably more compliant and safer.

Supply and meter are right next to the CU in the kitchen. :-(

Fucked then, innit.

My solution currently (in lieu of an armoured cabled off a spare circuit from the CU), and certainly not the right way to do it, just how I do it. Double RCD protected external socket that sits on the kitchen ring. Extension lead that plugs in there and runs out to the shed. In the shed, I installed my own small/garage type CU which has a ring main for sockets and a lighting circuit. The input for that small CU would ideally be the armoured cable. Instead in is a 2.5mm2 length with a 3 pin plug on the end that I plug into the extension lead. I NEVER leave it plugged in. I plug it in when I go into the shed and unplug it when I leave (sits by the door). Even though I have light switches, I don't use them and use the light being on as my reminder to unplug.

My theory is it's just like a caravan hookup, kind of. I did actually show it to an electrician and despite him encouraging me to get the armoured cable in, he just said to swap the previous standard exterior socket for an RCD protected on as I wasn't unplugging it at the house end. So there was a live cable running up the side of the garden that an animal could chew through. So that's why the exterior socket is now an RCD one. I've only had one issue which was self inflicted (adding a spur to one of the double sockets on the ring). But still, all that did was trip the kitchen socket circuit.

For info, I have 4 double sockets on a 16A (I think) ring with a 5th double spurred off one of those. Then two LED strip lights on the 6A light circuit. They daisy chain off each other but have their own switches on the light body that I can reach and use if I need to turn either on or off. There is a proper light switch like I said. It's actually a double as I still have a plan to put a light outside the shed to light the deck. Or a security light once I have a "safer" set up I leave on permanently. There's also a spare 32A circuit for when I have permanent proper power if I want a more powerful machine. My current bottle neck is the 13A plug fuse anyway, which I haven't been close to hitting. Most I do is one power tool (nothing huge), shop vac, LED lights, TV and maybe a battery charger running at once and have had no issues.

Run an extension cable and put it away each day.

Or do it properly with a new circuit. I doubt a proper spark would just take it off the nearest socket on the ring

Didn't we already do this discussion? And decided that you should definitely consult a qualified electrician. But if you cba just do something like what stevo did.

What are you doing at the moment?

ha - sorry - yes we did and yes I will.

At the moment, an extension lead (as and when) - but I want to potentially work / hobby in there in the winter with proper light / power / heat.

Intermittent water leak dripping into kitchen around ceiling lights. Above is bathroom and hot water tank. No correlation between showers, flushing loo, using sink or heating etc. Seems to be independent of wind/rain too.

Bathroom floor is tiles so hard to get access.

What might it be?

Sorry if that read as arsey. It was meant to be light hearted.

It's the heat that makes it tricky Imo.

Obvs you should absolutely do things correctly. But personally for powering a laptop and some led lights? yeah I'd be fairly relaxed as long as there are some fuses in the way. Heat is a bit different isn't it.

Have you thought I'd there is a route through the first floor, floor? Your ground floor is a concrete slab right?

I do kinda think it might be worth trying to get an electrician round as they may just look at the layout and know a practical answer. It's just a bit of a shit job to entice someone round.

There are some cheap endoscopes you can get which might help you locate the source.

Nah I do need to get someone in. I was hoping a friendly luffgusser spark might pop up and tell me it wouldn’t be crazy to hope Screwfix Tony’s approach could work. 🤣

Maybe diy thread is the wrong place.

And yeah the want for uf heating does make it more tricky perhaps.

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good old tony, reassuring everyone from death while drying his clothes in the shed

Borrowed an old one, will investigate tomorrow

Just run one of these and swap the plug-socket round
https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/5637186560/25m-retractable-cable-reel-system-1-x-230v
What could possibly…

All the usual caviates but if heating wasn't on the cards I (probably incorrectly as I have zero qualifications) wouldn't be adverse to Tony's view because like he says you're not drawing much power.

I'd be curious to understand from someone who knows where the risk lies.

I have one of those 3 bar patio heaters in there too. Very directional, radiant heat so I just point it to wherever I'm standing. Again, never permanently connected to power. Hasn't tripped anything yet on my above set up.

Anyone done gutter replacement themselves? Am I gonna hate myself for trying it?