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It never ends... the DIY thread! (Read 61517 times)

tommytwotone

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#225 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 09, 2023, 10:26:24 am
I did the one on our old house in the time it took to boil a kettle, but that was a normal Yale one with a key on both sides. From memory it was 3 screws, absolute piece of cake.

Only thing I'd bear in mind is to make sure you get a non-snap / more pricey one.

James Malloch

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#226 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 09, 2023, 10:33:11 am
 :worms:
I did the one on our old house in the time it took to boil a kettle, but that was a normal Yale one with a key on both sides. From memory it was 3 screws, absolute piece of cake.

Only thing I'd bear in mind is to make sure you get a non-snap / more pricey one.

This is a normal Yale one too. I’ve not looked at it yet but will have a play around today to work out what size it’ll need.

Thanks! Doesn’t sound like a bad one to do 👍🏻

James Malloch

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#227 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 09, 2023, 08:07:32 pm
I did the one on our old house in the time it took to boil a kettle, but that was a normal Yale one with a key on both sides. From memory it was 3 screws, absolute piece of cake.

Only thing I'd bear in mind is to make sure you get a non-snap / more pricey one.

Just took ours apart and measured up. Only difficult part was finding the right size one on Amazon that didn’t look like a knock-off.

Got a decent one arriving on Wednesday for £30. Saves the £100 call-out fee! Thanks for the tips

James Malloch

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#228 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 10:48:35 am
We’re trying to increase the pressure of our shower and after taking the head off we’ve found that the head it the problem (pressure drops 75% vs not having the head on). We’ve tried cleaning the head thoroughly but think it’s likely got many many years of build up inside which we’re struggling to budge.

Our local plumbers/builders merchant said they didn’t have anything to fit the wall-mounted outlet and suggested we contact Grohe to see if we can get a replacement.

Grohe got back saying we can buy a new head (£160 from amazon) but they also said:

Quote
Remove the neeple with 10mm Alan key and you will havethe standard hole of Female 1/2inch. This will fit any shower arm.

From the photo it looks like the darker bit of the fitting (with the rubber washer on) has an Allen key fitting within the outlet so I assume we can take just this bit off. If we do that, would that likely mean there’s a female 1/2” thread which can then be changed to fit a different shower arm? And are these fairly universal?

It’s mounted high up (mixer taps are lower down) and I’m reluctant to start taking old bits of pipe off in case I break anything!

Few pics below for reference. And this is the shower head we have - but it would be nice to get one which sticks out a bit more.

Any experience welcome!




Paul B

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#229 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 11:02:40 am
Leave your shower head in a container full of white vinegar over night.

SamT

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#230 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 12:11:45 pm
It looks to me like that nipple is just treaded into some 22mm plastic water pipe??  (bit dodgy in itself).

And if so, I'd be loath to unscrew it, as instead of a nice brass female thread to connect something new to, you'll have a bit of bodged 22mm thread that will be difficult to get anything to fit to it again.   :-\


Johnny Brown

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#231 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 01:47:53 pm
Neeple? Are they really writing in a comedy German accent?

SA Chris

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#232 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 02:23:24 pm
then it would be zee neeple.

I reckon they are going for Glaswegian

James Malloch

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#233 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 08:19:54 pm
Leave your shower head in a container full of white vinegar over night.

I put a load of drain unblocked through it the other day but took it off again after you mentioned this  and then looking it up online.

This time I actually managed to see some build up in the pipe with a tactically aimed headtorch. After a lot of faff I managed to get it out. This alone increased the pressure by 2-3 times!

I’ve got the full thing soaking in vinegar now so hopefully that will unblock any remaining bits and add a bit more pressure too.

Thanks for the tip! Saved a £160 new head!

It looks to me like that nipple is just treaded into some 22mm plastic water pipe??  (bit dodgy in itself).

And if so, I'd be loath to unscrew it, as instead of a nice brass female thread to connect something new to, you'll have a bit of bodged 22mm thread that will be difficult to get anything to fit to it again.   :-\



It looks a bit weird, but the whole thing is done with expensive materials etc and it’s been in there for ages (based on old rightmove adverts) so I’d hope it was done properly.

But that’s the kind of thing which made me not want to try changing it….

nic mullin

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#234 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 25, 2023, 10:41:24 pm

Our local plumbers/builders merchant said they didn’t have anything to fit the wall-mounted outlet and suggested we contact Grohe to see if we can get a replacement.

Grohe got back saying we can buy a new head (£160 from amazon) but they also said:

Quote
Remove the neeple with 10mm Alan key and you will havethe standard hole of Female 1/2inch. This will fit any shower arm.

From the photo it looks like the darker bit of the fitting (with the rubber washer on) has an Allen key fitting within the outlet so I assume we can take just this bit off. If we do that, would that likely mean there’s a female 1/2” thread which can then be changed to fit a different shower arm? And are these fairly universal?


Sounds like you’re sorted with the vinegar suggestion, and I’d trust your instinct not to take any of the plumbing apart unless you need to.

In case you need to change things around in future, it’s possible/likely that the thing the “neeple” is screwed into is just a male-to-female coupler (something like this: https://plumbing4home.com/1-2-half-inch-tap-pipe-thread-extension-female-x-male-chrome-brass/ ) to extend the original fitting which is buried behind the tiles just a bit too deep for the shower head to attach to.

If you decide to mess with it for any reason, be aware that the thread will be straight, not tapered, so will leak if you just screw something into it with a bit of PTFE tape. You need pipe sealing cord (looks like dental floss).

In case you need any bits, I’ve found national shower spares to be really good (had an issue with plumbing for a Grohe shower a while back and nobody had the right parts locally).

James Malloch

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#235 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 26, 2023, 10:16:46 am

Our local plumbers/builders merchant said they didn’t have anything to fit the wall-mounted outlet and suggested we contact Grohe to see if we can get a replacement.

Grohe got back saying we can buy a new head (£160 from amazon) but they also said:

Quote
Remove the neeple with 10mm Alan key and you will havethe standard hole of Female 1/2inch. This will fit any shower arm.

From the photo it looks like the darker bit of the fitting (with the rubber washer on) has an Allen key fitting within the outlet so I assume we can take just this bit off. If we do that, would that likely mean there’s a female 1/2” thread which can then be changed to fit a different shower arm? And are these fairly universal?


Sounds like you’re sorted with the vinegar suggestion, and I’d trust your instinct not to take any of the plumbing apart unless you need to.

In case you need to change things around in future, it’s possible/likely that the thing the “neeple” is screwed into is just a male-to-female coupler (something like this: https://plumbing4home.com/1-2-half-inch-tap-pipe-thread-extension-female-x-male-chrome-brass/ ) to extend the original fitting which is buried behind the tiles just a bit too deep for the shower head to attach to.

If you decide to mess with it for any reason, be aware that the thread will be straight, not tapered, so will leak if you just screw something into it with a bit of PTFE tape. You need pipe sealing cord (looks like dental floss).

In case you need any bits, I’ve found national shower spares to be really good (had an issue with plumbing for a Grohe shower a while back and nobody had the right parts locally).

Cheers, that’s good to know!

Had a shower this morning and it’s worlds away from how it was. The extra cleaning of the head last night seems to have made a bit more difference and it’s now got the same pressure as the taps. Basically just over 3x faster at filling a jug. Don’t have to stand right up against the wall now  :2thumbsup:

SamT

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#236 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 26, 2023, 11:31:19 am
Had a shower this morning

That's good to know.

Paul B

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#237 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
January 26, 2023, 11:45:20 am
Basically just over 3x faster at filling a jug. Don’t have to stand right up against the wall now  :2thumbsup:

If you want a chuckle then we actually issue people "jugs on a stick" at work for measuring flow in hard to reach places (rather than having them lean over a railing or something equally dodgy). They are literally jugs from the local kitchen shop lashed to broom handles (or similar) with jubilee clips!

James Malloch

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#238 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 03, 2023, 10:54:59 pm
Definitely not one for DIY, but does anyone have an idea how big a job it is to move internal walls if they’re just stud walls?

We’re thinking about moving and one place we saw has a really weird upstairs.

It would need lots of fitted furniture ripping out, full redecoration and carpets, so it would be back to bare bones anyway.

It needs:

- archway joining two rooms sealing up

- new doorway installing (where there would originally have been one that has since been blocked up)

- 3 stud Walls taking out and moving by a metre or two.

None have any light switches or anything on them, but maybe there’s some electrics within them?

We would obviously get a builder in, but have no idea how big a Job things like that would be… any ideas would be welcome!

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#239 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 03, 2023, 11:18:15 pm
If its genuinely a stud wall, it's a piece of piss. Day to remove and couple to put up new wall, doors etc.

We got a builder to rip out a stud wall, build a kitchen including bar (after ripping out old bathroom) and built a bathroom where the old kitchen was. All in it was 8 weeks but he was a one man band.


James Malloch

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#240 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 04, 2023, 10:39:09 am
If its genuinely a stud wall, it's a piece of piss. Day to remove and couple to put up new wall, doors etc.

We got a builder to rip out a stud wall, build a kitchen including bar (after ripping out old bathroom) and built a bathroom where the old kitchen was. All in it was 8 weeks but he was a one man band.

That’s useful thanks!

Pretty certain they are just stud. Sounded very very hollow and they aren’t part of the original structures.

The house basically had an extension and they chose to make lots of weird shaped rooms in - joining the old house with the new part. But the extension is offset and has steps down into it which makes lots of odd rooms. I think we would put the Original House back to how it was and then re-jig the extension.

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#241 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 10:06:49 am
Few more house questions…
One place we’re looking at has an under ground garage/workshop (under the summerhouse).

Would be a cool place for a board, but it’s got a leak. Nothing seemed to be damp so I guess the raised floor must allow it to flow through with some kind of outlet.

It’s breeze block and fully underground (surrounded by soil) so I imagine it might be hard to fully seal (unless there is just the one leak).

Any idea on how such a room could be made leak Free? Would you have to dig it out and seal the outside? Photo of inside is below…

The second photo shows the main leak at the bottom of the ladder (which has water damage). Water was just flowing through when we visited.

The stuff at the top could be solved a lot more easily I think as that’s all surface level.





Also any idea how to rip out a resin floor? Photo below…


nic mullin

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#242 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 12:21:45 pm
Since the other walls are dry, it’s a good bet that there’s a damp proof membrane in or outside the walls. I’d guess that water is getting over the top of that at ground level (causing the leaks at the top), and the water that doesn’t leak through at the top is running down the inside of the membrane and accumulating at the bottom, then leaking through the wall there.

It’s possible that there’s a hole in the membrane at the bottom, which is letting groundwater in, but I’d have thought that the easiest way to find out would be to fix the issue at the top and see if the leak at the bottom dries out (the drying out could take quite a long time).

We had a similar issue in our garage (built on a slope so one wall is  below outside ground level but above inside floor level). I made a channel on the ground outside to stop rain water accumulating against the wall and send it down an existing surface water drain, which was quick, easy and fixed leaks coming through the wall at outside ground level and at inside floor level. This was good, not least because I didn’t need to find out how to fix a leak in a damp course that I assumed was present somewhere in/around a partially buried wall, which I was dreading.

Never ripped up a resin floor, but I’d expect it to be difficult. I’d also be a bit circumspect in case it was covering something someone else didn’t want to deal with (e.g. old tiles containing asbestos). Depending on what you want to replace it with, you might be better off just putting new flooring on top.

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#243 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 12:28:12 pm
Since the other walls are dry, it’s a good bet that there’s a damp proof membrane in or outside the walls. I’d guess that water is getting over the top of that at ground level (causing the leaks at the top), and the water that doesn’t leak through at the top is running down the inside of the membrane and accumulating at the bottom, then leaking through the wall there.

It’s possible that there’s a hole in the membrane at the bottom, which is letting groundwater in, but I’d have thought that the easiest way to find out would be to fix the issue at the top and see if the leak at the bottom dries out (the drying out could take quite a long time).

We had a similar issue in our garage (built on a slope so one wall is  below outside ground level but above inside floor level). I made a channel on the ground outside to stop rain water accumulating against the wall and send it down an existing surface water drain, which was quick, easy and fixed leaks coming through the wall at outside ground level and at inside floor level. This was good, not least because I didn’t need to find out how to fix a leak in a damp course that I assumed was present somewhere in/around a partially buried wall, which I was dreading.

Never ripped up a resin floor, but I’d expect it to be difficult. I’d also be a bit circumspect in case it was covering something someone else didn’t want to deal with (e.g. old tiles containing asbestos). Depending on what you want to replace it with, you might be better off just putting new flooring on top.

Thanks a lot for the response.

On the flooring, it’s in a newer (relatively - last 30 years say) extension so I think it’s just a weird choice from them rather than covering anything worrisome. The owner was in it for a long time. But as you say we would probably Chuck some vinyl on top of it in the short term until the kitchen was changed in the future.

And the part about the garage makes sense, thanks. It’s a house we’re weighing up at the moment. So one to Worry about once we are in (if we get it) but it puts my mind at ease though.

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#244 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 01:21:45 pm
No worries, good luck!

I've got a job coming up that i'm not sure about if anyone can advise - our UPVC windows have a sill on the outside that is about 50mm wider on each side than the rest of the opening. The sill is about 20mm deep, but the gap it fits into is one brick high. To cover the remaining gap, whoever fitted the windows just bunged a bit of mortar in, which  has unsurprisingly worked loose or fallen out over time. I'm confident that if I do the same as they did, the same thing will happen again. I'm tempted to try trimming the sill down to the same width as the rest of the window frame and putting in a bit of brick to fill the gap completely. Can anyone with more knowledge of UPVC windows than me (which will be most people) think of a good reason not to try this?  I need to do something about it before the starlings start nesting in the holes again! Thanks.
« Last Edit: February 06, 2023, 01:45:48 pm by nic mullin »

Fultonius

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#245 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 02:41:56 pm
Photos?

nic mullin

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#246 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 04:49:54 pm
Sorry, this should show what I mean. I want to replace the big chod of mortar with something that won’t fall out. Any suggestions on the best way to do that much appreciated.



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#247 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 08:33:00 pm
Thanks, much easier to visualise now.

I'm no expert in...much...but if it were me I'd say the best thing to do would be try to get some matching brick, cut to size and mortar it in?

If nothing else, this might prompt someone to disagree with a better answer!

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#248 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 09:45:37 pm
Thanks, that was my initial thought, and I have some matching bricks. My concern is that the different thermal expansion of the brick and mortar and sill will cause the mortared in brick to loosen and fall out - I’m pretty sure that’s what has happened with the mortar that’s there at the moment. Anyone have a method for avoiding that? Something flexible between the sill and the mortar?


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#249 Re: It never ends... the DIY thread!
February 06, 2023, 10:30:47 pm
Yeh if that was me I’d cut a brick down and mortar it in as neat as possible to match in with the joint lines, then mastic remaining gaps between the sill and brick (presumably there’s already mastic down between the frame and brick? so can match it with that colour).

 

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