New Grump of the Day

[tobydog]

It vents into the cold tank, so not only was the hot water boiling, but the water coming from the Cold tap was too hot to touch!! Fifty gallons of cold water has been raised almost to boiling.

Stat is only a couple of years old.
Humph.

Ivor

We had a very similar problem some years ago. You could make tea from the water coming out of the cold taps. To help drain the cold water tank we opened the taps but also flushed all the toilets repeatedly. Never had such clean toilets before or since.

 

[88v8]

Immersion heat element should have a normal on/off and a safety overtemp cut out.
So something ain't as it should be.

I suspect that it shouldn't have been made in China.
Do recall that it was cheap. Asked the chap if he had a better one, he just looked at me. It was a Trade place, so I guess cheap is all that matters.
It was the plumbing trade that acquiesced in the introduction of basin taps with no squares, but then of course they were cheap.

...the water thermo siphoned between them.

Aha. Hadn't thought of that. Did wonder how on earth it all got heated by puffing steam on it from the top. At what temp does thermo-syphon start?
Our tank is plastic. Quite old. Imperial fittings. But on a board. And it has a fitted fibreglass cover, so that survived as well.

I have an idea that there's a spare stat in, ummm, somewhere, perhaps along with an immersion in a box. Why? Was it left over from when I fitted a new cylinder and if so will it fit the new immersion or not, or was it the right length but duff and I just kept it for a pattern. Or did I throw it out a few months ago. So now I shall waste time looking for something I may or may not have that may or may not work if I find it.

Ivor

 

[worms]

So now I shall waste time looking for something I may or may not have that may or may not work if I find it.

Ivor

I feel your pain, that is a situation I know well!

 

[MatthewC]

In recent heavy rain, we've had water pouring down the valley to the gutter and then straight over onto the front door step far below; the splashing then caused the water to breach my defences and enter the hall. So, yesterday, I borrowed a ladder and had a look: the cause was a split slate on my re-laid roof (Nov 2010) - the loose bit had slid down the valley and neatly bridged the gutter, causing a good percentage of the water to flow OVER the gutter!

I could also see two other slipped slates, and this is the real grump here. When the first few slates were laid in 2010, some little *** stole the first bit of lead - see my blog http://houseintheenchantedforest.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/theft-of-lead.html. I thought they made this "good" quite quickly, and the reason I now find was that they used adhesive to hold them in place! I just do not think that adhesive will ever work on slate, certainly not reclaimed slate.

Now I need a hire a tower and get up there myself...

To quote from Ivor, humph and faugh!!

Matthew

 

[paulc]

Removing the last few bits of wallpaper around a window in the kitchen, I find one patch not wanting to come off. Despite a liberal soaking from a water spray, it is stubbornly affixed to the plaster and slightly raised in comparison to the rest of the paper.... Some bodge merchant (aka window fitter) has gone and used silicone sealant to glue down the wallpaper.

 

[Me!]

Wickes linseed putty -


I was in Wickes getting some other stuff and remembered I also needed some putty, ... never again!

 

[MatthewC]

Wickes linseed putty -
putty.gif

I was in Wickes getting some other stuff and remembered I also needed some putty, ... never again!

I thought that was normal! 8)

 

[88v8]

Well I've heard of dead mice in cereal packets, but never a mummified hand in a tub of putty :shock:

Ivor

 

[MatthewC]

I've just returned from a holiday in Sicily where there is a lot of good architecture that could do with some restoration work. There are also lots of ruined buildings, which I would love to get my hands on. Sadly, just like other places both here and abroad, the use of the inappropriate materials is widespread. Why can't people see that if you want to preserve a building, then the cheapest option is not the best? They just don't look at the long term at all.

Our guide found out quickly that I was an engineer when he (correctly) blamed engineers for a collapsed church tower where they had replaced the dome with a far heavier concrete structure. After a chat with the guide, and a few explanations with the rest of our small group, I was getting comments like "this must make you sad" and "I can see why that annoys you"! I think the worst example was a vaulted ceiling in a museum where they had repointed the limestone with cement in an awful style where the pointing was not only raised but they had used a straight edge as well, then painted it all white. The result was dreadful!

What really gets me is that we saw the same thing in Saumur (France) last year, and in Venice the year before. Now, if there's a place that illustrates that rising damp does not exist, it's Venice! But the erosion damage being done by the continuous splashing of water onto the lower four feet of every canalside building is truly saddening - the water in the main canals is permanently rough due to the vaporetti (which are quite frightening to travel on at busy times). Mind you, when Venice eventually succumbs beneath the lido, I'm sure that they will realise that the major cause was all those HUGE cruise ships which they allow to the terminal on the northern side of the city, so that each of which passes St Mark's Square on the way in and the way out. Then of course you also have the cultural and physical damage from 5000 people suddenly flooding a small city for just a few hours. You just don't want to be there if there are three such vessels in at the same time.

They say travel broadens the mind...

Matthew

 

[Abi Cott]

Breaking a rib is a bad idea.

 

[88v8]

It can be quite pleasant if there's a decent amount of well-cooked meat adhering. Or it's someone else's rib, although one might feel guilty.

Have twice broken my own: once leaning on the wooden surround of the coal hole to reach some wood, a self-inflicted event as the stairs I should have used were blocked with (my) clutter.
The other time was last year when I had flu and coughed so much I cracked a rib.

Sympathy. Avoid coughing.

Ivor

 

[Abi Cott]

This was somewhat similar to your coal hole incident. If I'd taken more time to support my body with a board instead of on a joist I wouldn't be where I am nor in quite so much pain.

 

[Zebra]

Ouch, Abi! You broke a rib simply by leaning on it?!

 

[Abi Cott]

Ouch, Abi! You broke a rib simply by leaning on it?!

I reckon that by the time I rolled and reached to get right into the corner under the rafters, and something went pop in an excruciating manner, I had most of my body weight from just below the pelvis supported on a 2" joist. When I was lying flat it was fine. It was the rolling and reaching that was a bad idea.

 

[Feltwell]

Well, I hope Abi is feeling better by now.

My Grump of the Day is that the National Trust are advertising for someone to run one of their properties, Sunnycroft, which is just around the corner from me and built about the same time as Feltwell Towers - a very similar style house, just a lot larger and a bit posher, set in it's own miniature estate! I could quite fancy that - alas I doubt it pays very well, and one has one's own "mansion" to maintain, replete with family who cost one a bleedin' fortune.

If it was in 10 to 15 years time and I was closer to retiring I could really quite fancy that as a last job. Ahh well, who knows, it could come round again.....

 

[Abi Cott]

Well, I hope Abi is feeling better by now.

Not quite 100% but much better thank you.

That sounds like a wonderful project.

 

[Penners]

My Grump of the Day......

Phew! I'm so relieved! It's been ages since we heard a good Feltwell grump - I was starting to wonder whether he's gone all happy/cuddly on us.

 

[Feltwell]

My Grump of the Day......

Phew! I'm so relieved! It's been ages since we heard a good Feltwell grump - I was starting to wonder whether he's gone all happy/cuddly on us.

Penners! You've been so quiet on here of late I was starting to think that Nurse had forgotten to put bromide in your tea again.

Me, happy & cuddly? Well, I've always been cuddly at least. Actually the real underlying grump here is that retirement is still a long way off!

So how is Mr P? There has been more than one innuendo opportunity on here that you've missed you know - not to mention the standards of pedantry have slipped markedly. Grade C- Penners, must try harder.

 

[Feltwell]

You've just got to the end of long day replacing fence panels. You're tired and your arms hurt. They all need lifting 12' in the air to drop into existing slotted concrete posts, and they're heavy. None of them fit without alteration. You get to the last one, it's an odd size as the last panel always is, one of the posts is a long way off vertical so you need to cut that end of the panel at a fairly hefty angle - but never mind, it's the last one, you'll soon be done.

So you cut the panel, and just as you finish doing so you realise you've cut the wrong end :roll: And as it's at an angle, and the panel has good side / utility side, you can't turn it upside down - the only fix (apart from a new panel) is to carefully take the whole thing to pieces, taking out lots of lots of nice tightly embedded ring shank nails, and then carefully reassemble it.........

Doh!

(First person to say "Measure Twice Cut Once" gets an internet raspberry blown at them!)

 

[Penners]

Measure twice, cut once.