What "man jobs" have you done today?

Simon42 said:
Next time consider just buying benzalkonium chloride (BAC), its the same chemical as patio magic, but the last time I bought some it was less than a fifth of the cost. I mix it down from the supplied 50% to 2 to 2.5% which is also stronger than the 1:4 ratio of patio magic provides which I think used to be about 1.75%.

BAC takes a long time to work unlike sodium hypochlorite which is favoured by companies for patio/roof/wall cleaning as it works much faster. However the results with BAC last longer and it isn't damaging to most surfaces as its just a biocide not bleach like sodium hypochlorite. Over the course of a year I turned an awful looking block paving drive and a patio back to great condition from green and spotted. I now just treat both with BAC and sealer every two years.
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Thanks for the info @Simon42 I've just bought 25litres of Sodium Hypochlorite ready for the spring patio/render wash, would you happen to know or have experience of BAC on red algae? would be nice to use something less "damaging" for that stubborn stuff?
 
Simon42 said:
I've bought it from various online chemical supply companies (some sell via Amazon as well) and its always been the same similar thick consistency so not watered down from 50%. As long as it has 50% benzalkonium chloride (BAC) then that's fine.
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Great stuff cheers
 
Tidied up the garage and hoovered it as it's still just bare boards on the floor in there. Got a week off and the plan is to finish my house rewire so tomorrow: rewire consumer unit. Wednesday: empty bedroom into garage, lift floorboards, snagging the last handful of wires around the house.

Then I want to ideally empty the garage again and take the floor up so Building Control can inspect/sign off. So I need to call them and see where we stand :o
 
Spent the morning plugging up gaps under the garden fence to stop a rat from getting in from nextdoor's untidy borders. It's the same rat, he has a kinked tail and one eye. I call him One-eyed Willie.

Our fence consists of 6x6 foot fence panels slotted into concrete uprights, with a concrete gravel board slotted horizontally beneath. The little bugger keeps tunneling under the gravel board.

I can't put down a spring trap because the Mrs puts out nuts for the squirrels, which in turn attracts the rat.

I might have to shoot him, but I must be going soft in my old age. If it was a nondescript rat I'd shoot it with no hesitation, but he looks like he's had a tough life so far and survived, so I'm reluctant to do the deed.

I might just keep plugging up the holes with bits of stone to annoy him.
 
Like a lot here, mowed the lawn, and generally tidied up the garden. It's amazing what cutting the grass and generally tidying up the garden does to its appearance
 
413x said:
Flamed the weeds with my random "oh there's a cheap flame thrower for weeds on amazon deals" purchase.

It was very fun

Some were quite close to the front door so was semi careful not to burn the house down
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I need to address the weeds in the driveway block paving. This does look like a fun way! :D
 
Just signed up to have a water meter fitted -This years price normal is £605.
So been out and bought two more water butts - one for back of back door porch and a new one for greenhouse.
Fitted and plumbed both in today - The old one from greenhouse in now out front behind trailer bay -Not connected to any gutter but will be filled from porch butt by buckets when needed. I have the lids on upside down to catch any rain and make it easier to fill with bucket.
We also waste loads of fresh water every morning getting the smell out of cold water so now that will be put in bucket outside back door to be tipped in one or the other butt. Only expect to be doing this in summer as wife waters the garden a lot.
 
Today I mostly finished building an IKEA Hemnes daybed, stubbornly refusing to look at the online instructions. I'd like to claim "Typical Bloke" points, but since the bed was a hand-me-down from my parents, I know for a fact my Dad would have constructed it by instinct, held together with swear words...

I then took the two old mattresses up to the recycling centre, where I had a 10 minute argument that the absence of my wheelchair from my stuffed boot, was not proof I don't need one, and therefore not deserving of the extra assistance available to those with disabilities...

"I'm sorry, next time I'll tow it up the motorway behind me, shall I?" :rolleyes:
 
DXP55 said:
Just signed up to have a water meter fitted -This years price normal is £605.
So been out and bought two more water butts - one for back of back door porch and a new one for greenhouse.
Fitted and plumbed both in today - The old one from greenhouse in now out front behind trailer bay -Not connected to any gutter but will be filled from porch butt by buckets when needed. I have the lids on upside down to catch any rain and make it easier to fill with bucket.
We also waste loads of fresh water every morning getting the smell out of cold water so now that will be put in bucket outside back door to be tipped in one or the other butt. Only expect to be doing this in summer as wife waters the garden a lot.
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Funnily enough we did the same, as ours went up to the same amount. Contacted Wessex Water, who came out and had a look at our mains feed and said we needed a new entire section of pipe to fit the meter. Two days later, they came out and it's all sorted. i think a grand total of 6 days between requesting a meter and having one fitted.

I went out and bought a watering can as we have a water butt, however rarely used it...
 
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