What "man jobs" have you done today?

[BennyC]

Yeh under floors / weight I just don’t trust plastic fittings. But that’s me. May be ok

Fair play, I probably don't trust a compression fitting not to weep if set in self levelling

Time will tell I suppose, foot traffic over this area will be absolutely minimal and there is 14mm engineered hardwood flooring going on top so it should be fine.

 

[Buffman]

I’d 100% be replacing those push fit with compression fit if being set in concrete like that

I'm pretty sure generally compression fit is held in poorer regard than plastic push fit (and there is a school of thought all compression fit should be accessible) so I wouldn't be so quick to change it.. .

 

[Dis86]

I'm pretty sure generally compression fit is held in poorer regard than plastic push fit (and there is a school of thought all compression fit should be accessible) so I wouldn't be so quick to change it.. .

My last house I had to replace every single push-fit. 2 separate full batches leaked on every seal. 3rd batch was OK.

 

[Buffman]

My last house I had to replace every single push-fit. 2 separate full batches leaked on every seal. 3rd batch was OK.

Indicates an installation error at that rate. Probably not using the correct (or any) inserts on plastic pipe to plastic coupler

 

[Dis86]

Indicates an installation error at that rate. Probably not using the correct (or any) inserts on plastic pipe to plastic coupler

No, it was literally all from 2 batches. It was a manufacturing error hence the third batch all being fine.

 

[Richie]

Teed off and left tails for another small radiator in the kitchen. The builders plumber obviously doesn't know his left from right or flow from return so the TRV on this rad will need to go on the RHS I should have really checked myself but just took his word/markings for it.

I've heard conflicting opinions on this - it doesnt matter what side the trv is on.

 

[dlockers]

I've heard conflicting opinions on this - it doesnt matter what side the trv is on.

Depends on the rad. Some have a T the other side of the return flow. If you get the pipework backward, you get the rad backwards.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Depends on the rad. Some have a T the other side of the return flow. If you get the pipework backward, you get the rad backwards.

Not sure I understand that - on a particular branch of the network, what difference does it make it if goes TRV -> rad, vs rad -> TRV?

 

[dlockers]

Not sure I understand that - on a particular branch of the network, what different does it make it if goes TRV -> rad, vs rad -> TRV?

So when my plumber was fitting the column rads, it explicitly states to fit flow on the side opposite to where you bleed the rad. He said it was because the return side has a T internally which makes the left/right of the rad distinctly different.

They actually ran return/flow incorrectly (as it was unlabelled from upstairs) and he insisted on fixing it as the downstairs rads were taking an age to come on.

(basically the rad itself had a very specific return/flow spec)

 

[moji123]

Attempted to change a double light switch. Couldn't figure out the difference between L, L1, L2 and Common, so gave up.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Teed off and left tails for another small radiator in the kitchen. The builders plumber obviously doesn't know his left from right or flow from return so the TRV on this rad will need to go on the RHS I should have really checked myself but just took his word/markings for it.

Wasn't able to bury a standard elbow deep enough in the floor for it to sit below finished floor level so quickly soldered some elbows to some offcuts and used a straight coupler instead.

T+G flooring will be laid once the builders have added a thin self levelling to match the existing plywood seen on the left, so can be got at if ever really needed without too much trouble.



My second hand £30 wall chaser coming in handy to knock out a 40mm channel which houses two runs of 15mm pipe quite nicely.

Would you need to lag those pipes? I’d have thought so otherwise you’d just lose loads of heat to the slab, especially if it’s not an insulated slab.

 

[vail3r]

Attempted to change a double light switch. Couldn't figure out the difference between L, L1, L2 and Common, so gave up.

Just label the wires and put them in the new switch exactly as you take them out the old one.

You can use some masking tape and just write l1 l2 and C on it and stick it to each wire

 

[dlockers]

Would you need to lag those pipes? I’d have thought so otherwise you’d just lose loads of heat to the slab, especially if it’s not an insulated slab.

This might be a good shout however I have a similar situation and it makes psuedo underfloor heating

 

[BennyC]

I've heard conflicting opinions on this - it doesnt matter what side the trv is on.

After posting I became aware that some/most TRV's are uni-directional so it shouldn't matter, assuming the radiator doesn't have an internal T as dLockers mentions.

This particular one will be newly manufactured so we'll ask the supplier to confirm.

The main thing is that the return isn't feeding back in to the flow so it won't cause issues with other radiators struggling to heat up.

Would you need to lag those pipes? I’d have thought so otherwise you’d just lose loads of heat to the slab, especially if it’s not an insulated slab.

My O/H will spiral wrap them before the SL goes down. If copper then yes I would say absolutely. Whilst plastic emits far less to the touch than copper, yes you would still loose some heat in to the slab.

 

[Siliconslave]

Bathroom sink trap was leaking - turned out that the whole thing had corroded and cracked so it sheared off when trying un-screw. Naturally after popping to screwfix it turned out the bottle trap didn't fit so had to go back and get a telescopic bottle trap, which also ended up being the wrong size (like a numpty i'd measured wrong) so return trip this morning to swap for the right one

 

[koolpc]

I would very much try to not have any fittings buried in the floor.

 

[moji123]

Just label the wires and put them in the new switch exactly as you take them out the old one.

You can use some masking tape and just write l1 l2 and C on it and stick it to each wire

Problem is the names aren't consistent on the old and new switch. The old one has L1, L2 and Common, the new one has L, L1 and L2.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

L=common or live (it’s your permanent live to the switch).
L1/2 are your switched lives.

L1 for a 1 way switch and you’ll need wires in L1 and L2 for a 2 way switch (E.g. upstairs and downstairs for a landing light).

As above, just label the wires and move them into the corresponding terminals.

If you are not confident, find someone that is or get an electrician in.

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

No pics but I managed to deposit half a roll of insulation into the roof space (all that was needed, not a big space) above our downstairs bathroom which only had a single layer of old looking insulation in between the roof joists - so ive whacked down another 170mm across the joists this time. Some real bloody cowboy plumbing in there though for the shower, none of the shower pipework is running next to or within the joist space to keep it tidy.

Hoping this keeps the room a tad warmer now as its the coldest in the house. Next job in there is to think about fitting an inline fan in as there is no ventilation whatsoever.

 

[200sols]

I'm pretty sure generally compression fit is held in poorer regard than plastic push fit (and there is a school of thought all compression fit should be accessible) so I wouldn't be so quick to change it.. .

Yes compression fitting are a no go ever in any concealed place. I'd choose speedfit in a concealed area myself.