Graham's Top Tips

[Penners]

And yet we still haven't standardised plastic waste pipe/fittings, so that different manufacturers' products are interchangeable. :roll:

Or am I being commercially naive?

 

[AMc]

Its also worth noting that if your mains wiring is 'esoteric' as it may be in many older houses then you may not be able to use mains networking at all.
I have 2 consumer units and 3 phase power. I was told by the AV installer and the electrician that the chances of getting any network working over mains was slim and the chances of connections working between the phases at any speed worth mentioning were worse.
I nearly didn't add the network as we weren't planning on working in one half of the house at all but when we decided to insulate and heat the floors it seemed sensible, more so when I realised I could get into my office and one of the bedrooms from above and through the bathroom walls without disturbing the decoration.

FWIW I also added ceiling speakers in the bathrooms with terminals in the ajoining rooms and speakers in the garden which have seen a lot of use.

 

[Feltwell]

Back to Top Tips......

The "Top Tip Whilst Stating The Bleedin' Obvious" award goes to Screwfix, who today delivered to me a pack of 2 craft knives in a box which was emblazoned with:-

CAUTION KNIVES ARE DESIGNED TO BE SHARP

No Sh1t Sherlock....... :roll:

 

[robgil]

And yet we still haven't standardised plastic waste pipe/fittings, so that different manufacturers' products are interchangeable. :roll:

Or am I being commercially naive?

They should be interchangeable , A 2'' pipe is still 2'' pipe no matter who makes it.

 

[MdB]

They should be interchangeable , A 2'' pipe is still 2'' pipe no matter who makes it.

Oh how I smiled...

(always but always take a sample of the pipe you want a fitting for into the plumbing shop. It doesn't matter what it has printed on the pipe there absolutely no standardisation on what the measurement is for - some are internal diameter, some are outside diameter, some are half way between the two and some are I don't care lets just put this number on it...)

 

[Flyfisher]

Plus, for all us period property owners with a right old mixture of plumbing through the ages there are "2-inch" metric pipes and "2-inch" imperial pipes.

Like MdB, I've also learnt to take a sample of the pipe or fitting in question when buying plumbing fittings!

As for internal and external diameters, a pedant might, at this point, digress into the difference between pipes and tubes . . .

 

[skier-hughes]

and wall thicknesses!

 

[Penners]

a pedant might, at this point, digress into the difference between pipes and tubes . . .

As, I believe, you and I have done in the past, FF.

So what does that say about us...?

 

[Penners]

They should be interchangeable , A 2'' pipe is still 2'' pipe no matter who makes it.

Oh how I smiled...

(always but always take a sample of the pipe you want a fitting for into the plumbing shop. It doesn't matter what it has printed on the pipe there absolutely no standardisation on what the measurement is for - some are internal diameter, some are outside diameter, some are half way between the two and some are I don't care lets just put this number on it...)

Rob, in all seriousness, plastic waste fittings are an absolute b*gger for non-interchangeability between manufacturers. So to be on the safe side, always try to buy the same brand.

 

[Feltwell]

When using mosaic tiles that come in "sheeted" form, i.e. stuck to a mesh backing, do not use a wet-type tile bench saw to trim a row down 1 edge.

If you do decide to do this, you will discover that the glue that keeps the mesh rigid, and that attaches the very fiddly & small tiles to the mesh, is water based - and as you pick the sheet up off the saw half the tiles will fall off. You will also probably discover that you can't get tile spacers that are the same width as used to space the tiles on the rest of the sheets, so you will need to take all the little tiles off and fix them all to the wall individually.

Guess what I'm doing this afternoon - luckily, it's only a splashback for a sink. I could go and buy another box of tiles to get the sheet I need but I'm too tight to waste £30 !

 

[Penners]

That's actually a very useful tip, Feltwell. So your sacrifice has not been in vain (for the rest of us!).

 

[FamilyWiggs]

In a similar vein, and from personal experience, I can advise not to remove the little 1cm small square tiles from the backing mesh in order to cut diagonally using a powered tile cutter. The tip of one's finger can take some time to regrow. :shock:

However, once the blood was washed off and the technique of "sanding" them using the edge of the disc had been perfected, the finish was worth the effort!

 

[Penners]

:x

 

[Feltwell]

That's actually a very useful tip, Feltwell. So your sacrifice has not been in vain (for the rest of us!).

Hmm. 256 very small tiles stuck to the wall later, I feel like I've tiled a whole bathroom but I've only done a splashback!!

The water makes the mesh "collapse" and go floppy as well by the way. As they are supplied, the mesh backing is quite rigid to keep the tiles spaced correctly - but it's the glue that attaches the tiles to the mesh that keeps it rigid. So, even for the tiles that don't come unstuck, the mesh is useless once wet. You live and learn! It would be nice if the tile box had actually said something about this though :evil: especially as a powered tile cutter is the most practical way to cut these, they are far too small for the usual "scribe and snap" method.

In a similar vein, and from personal experience, I can advise not to remove the little 1cm small square tiles from the backing mesh in order to cut diagonally using a powered tile cutter. The tip of one's finger can take some time to regrow. :shock:

However, once the blood was washed off and the technique of "sanding" them using the edge of the disc had been perfected, the finish was worth the effort!

Yes, I was very careful cutting these, especially as I had to take the blade guard off the machine to do it! Anyone would think they put it there for a reason........ :roll:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Oh I lost the blade guard ages ago. I took it off when I was cutting the thick heather browns. Plus you can't see what you're doing if it is in place - far too dangerous! :shock:

Another GTT - if you lose the blade guard for your tile cutter, you simply turn the cutter around and pull the tiles towards you. This stops you being sprayed with gallons of dusty water!

 

[Penners]

Now THAT is an excellent tip, FW! I'd never thought of it, despite my years of education, learning, experience and mental decay.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Do fit non-return valves, apparently. I am still unsure as to precisely where they must go but it seems they have to be in place to separate different water systems. We don't have any here. Imagine my surprise when piping hot water came out of the cold tap as I was cleaning my teeth! This means our supposedly pure well water is contaminated with rainwater so another GTT is not to use antibacterial spray or antibiotics and be quite dirty generally so you build an 18thC type resistance to contaminated water and shouldn't experience too many problems drinking straight rainwater.
Might cancel our friends' stay next week though, 2 adults, a 7 yr old, a 5 yr old and a 3 month baby!

 

[LadyArowana]

Do fit non-return valves, apparently. I am still unsure as to precisely where they must go but it seems they have to be in place to separate different water systems. We don't have any here. Imagine my surprise when piping hot water came out of the cold tap as I was cleaning my teeth! This means our supposedly pure well water is contaminated with rainwater so another GTT is not to use antibacterial spray or antibiotics and be quite dirty generally so you build an 18thC type resistance to contaminated water and shouldn't experience too many problems drinking straight rainwater.
Might cancel our friends' stay next week though, 2 adults, a 7 yr old, a 5 yr old and a 3 month baby!

 

[Lime]

Might cancel our friends' stay next week though, 2 adults, a 7 yr old, a 5 yr old and a 3 month baby!

You are much more likely to get sickness and diarrhea from the kids.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Sure you're right!