What "man jobs" have you done today?

Simon42 said:
Is it just not lifting enough water to start the siphonic action unless you try again and again quickly?

If so its probably the plastic sheet under the right part of the flush mechanism that lifts the water has worn around the edges or split. These are very cheap to replace (and can be made/modified easily enough) and worthwhile if the flush mechanism comes apart in two pieces without cistern removal as some do, but its hard to tell from the pic. If you do have to remove the cistern to remove then as others have said worth putting in a new flush mechanism and potentially a fill valve depending on whether a full toilet replacement is on the cards at some point.
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Yeah that describes it pretty well. Then you kinda get "lucky" on whether it'll flush or not (not just about building pressure). I might dismantle and take a look..........
 
ChrisD. said:
Following on from the discovered leak, decided to rip everything out and have the room redone. Past few days/evenings with a mate, turned this:

Into:

Plasterboard wet & mouldy, ply wood wet and mouldy, and the chip board is wet. Debating about taking that out too. That 'does it smell damp in here' question that comes up has been answered. Now have to wait about 18 years for her to decide on colours/tiles etc.
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Isn't your place a new build?
 
sigma said:
Isn't your place a new build?
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2017, we are the second owners. NHBC won't cover it as it's not structural. Insurance will wriggle out of it, as they will say it was caused by a lack of maintenance and leaks caused by a lack of maintenance are excluded in their Tc&Cs.
 
dLockers said:
I think he means if leaks aren't covered then what is covered.
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Leaks are, just not ones caused by lack of maintenance. Burt pipe generally can't be helped, cracks in grout can. Besides, we wanted to redo the whole room anyway, and an insurance claim would have just put it back to how it was.
 
Loss or damage:
• Whileyourhomeisunoccupiedorunfurnished
• While your home is not being lived in for more than 5 days in a row unless sufficient heat
is maintained in the home or the water supply is shut off at the mains throughout your
absence
• Caused by subsidence, landslip or heave as a result of escape of water or oil
• Caused by the failure or lack of grouting or sealant known to you or that you ought to
have been aware of
• Caused by water escaping from pipes or plumbing that are not properly lagged
• Caused by gradual causes
• Caused by general lack of maintenance
• Caused by sinks, baths or trays overflowing due to the taps, showers or other water
faucets or dispensers being left on (this is covered if extended accidental damage
has been selected)
• Caused by infill materials settling, swelling or shrinking due to an escape of water • Caused by sulphate reacting with any materials your home is built from
• Caused by oil escaping pipes in outbuildings
• Arising from leaks from swimming pools or hot tubs fixed to solid floors.
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Like I said, we were planning on having the whole room ripped out and redone anyway.
 
Yeah just don't answer the door and tell them 'yes boss it's been leaking for months'. Most people wouldn't be aware until symptoms I.e bad smells or water damage elsewhere.

Grout is just cosmetic all the waterproofing should be below that so clearly a poor install in a newbuild. The tanking and for that point the grout should not be failing after 6 years.
 
200sols said:
Yeah just don't answer the door and tell them 'yes boss it's been leaking for months'. Most people wouldn't be aware until symptoms I.e bad smells or water damage elsewhere.

Grout is just cosmetic all the waterproofing should be below that so clearly a poor install in a newbuild. The tanking and for that point the grout should not be failing after 6 years.
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And, as I alluded to twice now at least, we wanted to do the whole room anyway before noticing any leaks/water damage. An insurance claim would have just put it back how it was, or a very similar spec.
 
Insurance wouldn't cover it anyway, they'll send out an assessor and it would be very quickly identified the issue was with a lack of maintenance which is ultimately what damaged caused failed grout and sealant is. Insurance has never covered this sort of thing, otherwise if you fancy a new bathroom you'd nick a hole in the grout and wait for it to fail and hay presto, bathroom refit.

I'd be surprised if it was even tanked properly in the first place, they usually just whack tiles directly to plasterboard and call it done. As others have said, grout is the first line of defence but it shouldn't be the only waterproofing and require the whole room to be scrapped if it leaks. As a minimum there should be two layers of waterproofing before you hit something squishy.
 
The size of the job ahead has been messing with my head the last few days (coupled with my busted hands and a cough/cold). Luckily it hasn't been as bad as expected:

iz5XUPC.jpg
N.b. the white is a skim of polyfilla as I ran out of plaster. I'll sand it with 120 to get it smooth enough but it had divits big enough that warranted a mm or so all over.

Unfortunately it does mean I will have to invest the time and effort to get it really nice. The bit above the chimney was a few coats of white, a few licks of polyfill etc... in layers. It looks absolutely perfect though.

It does look good though! I also like the wallpapered ceiling as a contrast to everyone having perfect ceilings. It is shrodingers ceiling at the moment too - as a bit peeled off and it looked like perfect skimmed plaster but I ain't betting on that :D
 
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Also I put my absolutely battered 1930s T&G boards that had been outside the last few days on marketplace and a lad came with a trailer and not only took the good stuff, but all the proper broken stuff - AND all the bags of smaller offcuts (including random bits of chipboard, lol). Top man!
 
After fixing the garage door frame then covering it with 70x70mm L shaped plastic I have now put on a 30mm strip down the edge of L shape to the brick wall. I left a few mm gap so I can mastic it.

Have you ever started a job you wish you had never thought about - No wonder our window and door mastic looks like it's been put on by a blind clown, If the window and door fitters struggle then what chance have I got. It's the mortor course that ruins a decent line.

I am two thirds down one side so gave up for today and used 50m gallons of water to wash tarmac drive - We live by fields and you wouldn't believe the amount of sand that is blown in from fields.

I cana tek it :rolleyes:
 
DXP55 said:
It's the mortor course that ruins a decent line.
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Although you've now put on a trim piece, for me the best approach is to fill the frame gap flat with sealant first and then stick some uPVC cloaking profile on. The 20mm x 6mm or 30mm x 6mm trim is especially good at being able to follow larger changes in uneven brickwork and its just decorative as the actual sealing silicone is hidden behind it.

I always do this for uPVC windows I have fitted/fit myself and I've done this on some larger wooden frames as well. It may sound odd leaving some small visible gaps but having replaced windows in every house I've had and trying various sealant/trim combinations this one looks the neatest, never discolours and protects the silicone from sunlight.
 
Good thinking that man - perhaps I could just put a small quadrent on top of strip after I have sealed it and not bother how good it looks.
Should have had 40mm strip now not 30mm.
 
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