HI LEMONADE
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR YOUR HELP REGARDING MY CLOCK. I BOUGHT A NEW MOVEMENT WITH THE RADIO CONTROLLED FEATURE LIKE YOU RECOMMENDED FROM MAPLINS.
FITTING WAS AS YOU SAID QUITE STRAIGHTFORWARD. I DECIDED TO USE MY EXISTING CLOCK'S HANDS WITH THE NEW MOVEMENT AS THEY MATCHED BETTER.
I AM NOW THINKING OF ADAPTING ANOTHER CLOCK WITH THE RADIO CONTROLLED MOVEMENT EVEN THOUGH THE OTHER CLOCK WORKS FINE.
I AM REALLY AMAZED THE WAY IT WORKS. ALL I NEED TO DO IS INSERT THE AA BATTERY AND ADJUST THE MINUTE HAND TO 12. THE AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT THEN SWITCHES ON AND THE CLOCK ADJUSTS ITSELF TO THE SECOND! FANTASTIC!
WHY COULDN'T THE 'WATCHMAKER' WHO I CONSULTED IN SUTTON HAVE BEEN AS HELPFUL? ALL HE WAS INTERESTED IN WAS SELLING ME ANOTHER CLOCK. BUT AS I EXPLAINED EARLIER, THIS CLOCK HAS SENTIMENTAL VALUE AS IT WAS MY LATE WIFE'S RETIREMENT GIFT.
THANKYOU LEMONADE SO VERY MUCH.
I REALLY OWE YOU ONE.
GEMSTONE
We are about to move house and want a dishwasher. I know the kitchen has plumbing for a washing machine. Assuming there is none existing, how easy would it be to put in the necessary connections for the dishwasher?
Hello Aidy_b
Plumbing in a dishwasher is quite simple. Domestic dishwashers require one cold water feed and one drainage outlet.
You can purchase many DIY kits from DIY outlet stores. The water inlet is just T'd off from the existing cold water inlet and there is a waste outlet convertor which the outlet hose attaches to.
Basically it is very easy to do.....If you're stuck, please let me know and I'll be glad to offer further assistance.
If there's existing plumbing for a washing machine, (assuming you'd wish to also plumb in a washing machine) you can purchase 'Y' fittings for connecting both washing machine and dishwasher water inputs together and likewise similar drainage 'Y' connections for the drainage.
Hope this was helpful to you.
hi lemonade. do you know much about panting.? i want to paint two wooden doors which are horrible as they have dark brown woodstained coatings. is there some way of painting them. i tried to use a one-coat gloss on one of the doors but you can see a darkness behind where the woodstain is. should the doors be stripped first.?
i would apreciate any advice you can give.
by the way how are you.?
samantha xx
SamC wrote:hi lemonade. do you know much about panting.? i want to paint two wooden doors which are horrible as they have dark brown woodstained coatings.....
.......by the way how are you.?
samantha xx
Hello Samc
I'm very well thanks.
You need to prime the wood first. Use 2 coats of wood primer. The first coat will seal the wood and the second coat will cover the woodstain. Follow up with one or two coats of your chosen colour.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes to you.
Lemonade
Hello Lemonade,
This is my first post to this forum, so hello. I have recently bought a flat in Sydenham and have a few DIY issues which I haven't done anything about because a) I don't know how and b) hate the thought of cowboy contractors. Thank you very much for the extremely kind offer of information.
Firstly, the rainwater pipe which drains of the roof of the house (it's a semi-detached Victorian property) drains straight onto the flat roof above my living room. I need to divert this directly to a drain, don't I, in order to avoid water sitting on the roof? Trouble is the pipe needs to bend back on itself. Can I let it just drain onto the ground rather than into a drain? I'm not sure I've explained that very well.
Secondly, is it easy to remove a cracked pedestal wash basin from the wall and plumb in a new one? I cracked it myself by dropping a hammer drill into it. Very annoying. Also, while I'm at it, I might replace the bath at the same time. Likewise, is this easy?
Hello Lizzie
Welcome to the forum.
I'm not too sure what you mean about the rainwater pipe. It should be OK for the pipe to exit onto a flat roof as long as the flat roof has its own guttering which will carry the water away. The water never actually goes down a drain, but it goes into a "Soak away" which basically is a large hole in the ground which is covered.
Replacing a sink is not too difficult. It would be ideal if you could purchase the exact sink as you have...This would make plumbing and fastening match without any changes, but even if it is different (which it probably will be) it should not be too difficult.
Please see a personal message I have sent you. It includes my mobile number which you may call if you need. Also it may be easier to explain over the telephone rather than in text form.
Good luck
I have a heated towel rail which ever since I moved in doesn't seem to work. As soon as I moved in, the pipe leading to the ministopcock on the radiator rail was slightly warm although the actual towel rail didn't heat up (not sure if the mini stopcocks were closed!). Now since I have had a rewire and an earth wire attached to the towel rail, it no longer works. I have used a screwdriver to open up both mini valves on the towel rail with no effect.
Is there another valve that might be leading from the boiler?
Hello Kidney
Welcome to the Forum!
It sounds like the main problem is an air lock. However may I enlighten you with the use of "mini-stopcocks"
The mini-stopcocks you refer to are known as a Radiator Valve (the large one with the tap) and a Lockshield Valve (the smaller valve)
Sometimes Thermostatic Radiator Valves are used to regulate the temperature. (TRV's)
OK make sure the central heating is on and any room thermostat(s) are set to Maximum. Open the Radiator valve fully and close the lockshield valve. (Although the Lockshield Valve appears to have a tap fitted, usually this is just a cover which although turns actually doesn't do anything. In order to turn the valve the cover needs to be removed. The cover either screws off by a small screw at the top of the cover or simply pulls off or can be prized off using a flat bladed screwdriver)
Remove the cover to the Lockshield Valve and using a pair of pliers or a small spanner, tighten fully. (clockwise)
You should have a bleeding valve at the top end of the radiator. (it usually looks like a square nut) A bleeding key can be purchased from most DIY or hardware stores and costs about £2.00 at most. Gently open the valve a few turns. You will hear air escaping. When water (and no more air) exits the bleeding point you have successfully bled the radiator, then tighten the bleeding valve. (Tip...Have some paper towel or rag to hand as sometimes the water can splatter out and is usually black or dirty. The water can stain wallpaper or other decor)
Once this is done open the lockshield valve about 3 full turns at most and refit the cover. (the lockshield valve is a regulator unlike the Radiator valve, should not be opened fully as this will also prevent the radiator from warming up properly.
The safety earth connection attached to the towel rail or indeed any other radiator should not make any difference to the radiator's operation. This is coincidental. Also as the rest of your central heating is functioning correctly, I would not think any other valves leading from your boiler would be causing you problems.
Anyway, try out what I've said. Please get back to me and let me know how you get on.
All the best.
This might be a weird one and I apologies if the answer is so obvious that I should know it myself ... we have just moved into a loft apartment which has access to the roof. We had a look at it to assess whether we could build a roof terrace. We are not sure what to think: the space is big, the roof is very very slightly slooping down on both sides. The question is whether we could make the roof even, whether it could sustain the weight of people stading on it, and costs associated to it. There are probably many more things to consider that we are unaware of. I guess we will have to ask for the opinion of someone who can see it, but I thought I'd ask you first.
I see this is your first post within the Sydenham Town Forum, so welcome aboard.
Yes that's a tricky one without actually seeing it. Is your roof you wish to make into a terrace tiled or felted? How is the roofing structure held and what of the building structure below? The weight of surrounding walls, or ballustrades, paving, etc will have to be a factor as the joists may not be up to taking the extra weight ...Unfortunately there are too many things to consider without seeing it....Sorry.
I would recommend you contact a Structural Surveyor for an expert opinion. The Surveyor will be able to advise you whether or not it would be possible, knowledge of legistlation and safety aspects, etc.
All the best with that one. Hope to hear how you get on.
my washing machine has stopped turning!
it fills with water and goes through the motions,but doesnt turn so i end up with half a machine of sopping clothes and half of dry ones.
is there anything that i can do?
i fixed my tumble dryer a while ago when that stopped turning because the belt came off the drive,so i dont mind having a go at fixing it myself.
help please,the washing is piling up and its half term
Hello Leaf
Can you tell me what type of machine you have please?
Does it have a rotary control knob (timer)?
When the drum is supposed to turn, is there any noise?...If so can you describe the sound?
Let me know and hopefully I'll give you some clues...Meanwhile I guess you'll be frequenting your local launderette!
Hello Leaf
10 years is a very good lifespan for a washing machine, so you've probably made the best decision to get a new one.
Like most domestic appliances, 7 years is an average life so you've done well.
Why can't there be a decent automatic ironing machine eh? That would be something!
Hello Illuminance
Sorry I can't be of much help to you. I've looked on ebay but only to find 1 seller in USA who is selling their 120v version.
I've looked within other places on the net, but I've had little luck.
All I can suggest is if you contact a neon sign manufacturer, they may be able to point you in the right direction.
... we have just moved into a loft apartment which has access to the roof. We had a look at it to assess whether we could build a roof terrace. We are not sure what to think: the space is big, the roof is very very slightly slooping down on both sides. The question is whether we could make the roof even, whether it could sustain the weight of people stading on it, and costs associated to it. There are probably many more things to consider that we are unaware of. I guess we will have to ask for the opinion of someone who can see it, but I thought I'd ask you first.
