The great "can't fix that" racket

[mpbarrett]

4 hours ago, thebrookster said:

This is one off several reasons why I "upgraded" to the Honeywell Evohome system. I can have the heating come on pretty much as many times during the day as I like, program it all with an app, and even better for me I can "zone" every single room, each with it's own schedule.

The difference to my heating bill means it has more than paid for itself in the last 6 years of running it. Not a cheap outlay mind you, although I believe there are cheaper alternatives out there now.

I have the same system, its excellent. Made by Honeywell so very good hardware.
Can operate it remotely or by using the control panel. Internet goes down not a problem just keeps working (unlike some smart systems).  Even use it to control the oil radiator in my garage.
the zoning is very good, just need to keep the doors closed.

Mike

[MilesA]

Very interesting. As my mother drifted into dementia, we used a lot of technology to monitor and support her. We installed Hive which gave my sister or me the ability to manage heating if my mother lost the plot, as she did sometimes. However, very much like the sound of the zoning function with the Honeywell system.

Miles

[thebrookster]

2 hours ago, MilesA said:

Very interesting. As my mother drifted into dementia, we used a lot of technology to monitor and support her. We installed Hive which gave my sister or me the ability to manage heating if my mother lost the plot, as she did sometimes. However, very much like the sound of the zoning function with the Honeywell system.

Miles

Miles, whether it is suitable or not will depend upon what type of heating system you have. Us Brits are pretty bad at these, and have a horrible tendency to install radiators in series, so turning one off shuts everything! My system (and Mike's I guess) has two pipes running round with the radiators in parallel (sticks in my mind this is called an "S" style, might be adrift here though), this is what is needed.

Worth having a search though, I've not looked into it (no need lol) but I have been led to understand there are cheaper versions now available. IMO worth it, for example I leave bedrooms off during the day and same with rooms not in use. Works with underfloor heating as well I understand (my house is too old for this). For older houses like mine (built early 1800's) it is a godsend, as a fair chunk of the heat simply heats up the outside! 

[rogerguzzi]

Hello All

              I installed these type about 4 to 5 years ago not linked but you can set the rooms to come on when you want and if you need heat just twist the dial to higher temperature and it will do that until the next timed cycle so you can not forget it and leave it on for ever!

The only thing I would say is you need 30mm thread on the valve as the adaptors are rubbish(better to change the valve? and I think most modern ones are 30mm)

Electronic TRV Radiator Thermostat Valve Digital Programmable Head Model M | eBay

At todays fuel prices they would probably pay for them selves over one winter?

Roger

[thebrookster]

Only downside I can see to those Roger is I guess you still have to program the boiler? One advantage of the Honeywell system is it links to the boiler and controls that, indeed on my system which also does stored hot water (so has two solenoid valves) it controls the solenoid valves (which in turn controls the boiler).

[MilesA]

1 hour ago, thebrookster said:

Miles, whether it is suitable or not will depend upon what type of heating system you have. Us Brits are pretty bad at these, and have a horrible tendency to install radiators in series, so turning one off shuts everything! My system (and Mike's I guess) has two pipes running round with the radiators in parallel (sticks in my mind this is called an "S" style, might be adrift here though), this is what is needed.

Worth having a search though, I've not looked into it (no need lol) but I have been led to understand there are cheaper versions now available. IMO worth it, for example I leave bedrooms off during the day and same with rooms not in use. Works with underfloor heating as well I understand (my house is too old for this). For older houses like mine (built early 1800's) it is a godsend, as a fair chunk of the heat simply heats up the outside! 

Thanks.

Our radiators are not in series. But that is about the only correct thing about our system which was installed about 35 years ago. Our local, longstanding and reputable heating engineers have probably been kept afloat by us in addressing the multiple issues with it. The fundamental problem is that the bore of pipe is simply too small for the size of the house and about 50% buried in walls. Everyone from engineers to receptionists in the company know about our unique system and examples from our house of how not to install a C. heating system are used by them when training their apprentices! One of the best was a series of hot pipes laid on top of a 10' RSJ so sucking out the heat.

I certainly wouldn't be installing anything without consulating them!

Miles

[rogerguzzi]

1 hour ago, thebrookster said:

Only downside I can see to those Roger is I guess you still have to program the boiler? One advantage of the Honeywell system is it links to the boiler and controls that, indeed on my system which also does stored hot water (so has two solenoid valves) it controls the solenoid valves (which in turn controls the boiler).

Hello Phil

               Yes that is true and perhaps if starting to do it again I may go for that system but our is a bit complicated with the Solar hat water as well as that decides when the boiler heats the tank at certain times of the day!

Plus to change it now I am not sure we would save that much gas now as we have it tuned to our needs 99% of the time.

We have 9 of the valves and if they were on all radiator it would be 12! which I think would make the kit £1000+!!!

Roger

[Nick Jones]

Something bad has happened….. before I’ve even got out of bed…. And it involves the Saniflo…..

Wah 

[Escadrille Ecosse]

14 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

 And it involves the Saniflo…..

Oh... 

[rogerguzzi]

Deep Joy!

Roger

[Nick Jones]

Mechanical obstruction (mainly organic) on the inlet side. Buzzing noises but no action….. No photos either. Trust me, you didn’t want any.

At least the thermal overload in the motor did it’s job. Several times probably.

Possibly it would benefit from a new capacitor…… but once the, errrr, obstruction  was cleared , it sprang back into life. This was achieved without the usual full removal process, for which I am very grateful.

Capacitor will be ordered. Fitting it does require full extraction.  Joy to look forward to.
 

Ban on solids for the time being.  This will annoy certain people, though my views on walking to the far end of the house, past two other functional toilets, in order to use one which relies on two pumps, one with a very dubious reliability record, to function are already well known!

I say again. You cannot have a Saniflo without also owning a wet vacuum cleaner…..

Now I have to try to remember what I was actually planning to do today….. after I’ve swilled out the wet vac……

 

[Escadrille Ecosse]

19 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

You cannot have a Saniflo without also owning a wet vacuum cleaner…..

[Nick Jones]

Quite. Suboptimal device in many ways. The Saniflo that is. The Hoover Aquavac is a trooper!

[JohnD]

I wondered if  the recent freeze could have blocked it, but you mentioned an 'organic' obstruction.

My central heating failed on the coldest night recently.  A Saturday!  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!   But I have a maintenance contract and they were here first working day, and asked that the kettle be boiled.     Not for a brew-up, but a melt down.   The drain from the condensor had lost its insulating coat and had frozen up, blocking outflow and disabling the boiler!

Five  minutes and he was on his way!   But it had happened again the next morning, so I used some spare roll cage cover foam (!) that will go over the existing pipe foam, keeping it in place and doubling the insulation.

John

[rogerguzzi]

2 hours ago, Nick Jones said:

Mechanical obstruction (mainly organic) on the inlet side. Buzzing noises but no action….. No photos either. Trust me, you didn’t want any.

At least the thermal overload in the motor did it’s job. Several times probably.

Possibly it would benefit from a new capacitor…… but once the, errrr, obstruction  was cleared , it sprang back into life. This was achieved without the usual full removal process, for which I am very grateful.

Capacitor will be ordered. Fitting it does require full extraction.  Joy to look forward to.
 

Ban on solids for the time being.  This will annoy certain people, though my views on walking to the far end of the house, past two other functional toilets, in order to use one which relies on two pumps, one with a very dubious reliability record, to function are already well known!

I say again. You cannot have a Saniflo without also owning a wet vacuum cleaner…..

Now I have to try to remember what I was actually planning to do today….. after I’ve swilled out the wet vac……

 

Hello Nick

                 A good dose of Exlax in the dinner should do it! Ha Ha

Roger

Ps I do not think me and the Memsahib will have that problem in India?

We have our tickets now and final instructions and coach down and hotel for the night booked and we have our Cheap Evisa,s £70 instead of about £550 and a drive down to London to get them

This day in 3 weeks we will be in Kolkata all beig well but probably knackered

[mpbarrett]

probably can fix it but still annoying. 

Managed to knock my almost new TEX door mirror off the Herald today. Wasn't another car but our Green rubbish bin, being badly driven by me! Trying to avoid the bag of baking potatoes got too close to the car and hit the mirror, its ok but scratched and has damaged the rather nasty plastic fitting on the door (I guess its meant to fail). Either need to make a new one of find a replacement.....

Post Covid so don't have much energy or drive, and very breathless, at the moment, poor Jane (wife) is still testing positive after 8 days and not feeling very good. Not the best Christmas, very quiet, all arrangements cancelled, and all on our own as no one wants to come and visit! 

Mike

[Nick Jones]

Oh…. Oops! Get fully well soon - both of you!

Which bit broke? The nasty “rawl-plug” pad thing?

Like this?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384905746155?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=384905746155&targetid=1814673649342&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045690&poi=&campaignid=19089547614&mkgroupid=142438599285&rlsatarget=pla-1814673649342&abcId=9303859&merchantid=7287744&gbraid=0AAAAAD_Lr1czjyqeTE7S3myWnLx7jHfkv&gclid=CjwKCAiA76-dBhByEiwAA0_s9YHgPfjmb0dHzhDT8VCeHszsLo54uOioa-hqjRZhwsPzJbPk-AbU_xoCqU0QAvD_BwE

 

[mpbarrett]

its the rectangle black piece. I gave up on the horrid plastic inserts, could'nt get it to hold the mirror steady, I think because the door skin is curved where I have put the mirror. In the end put in a couple of threaded inserts to hold it in place but still used the plastic base.
I think a bit of plastic, and some time on the  miller, and will make a new one. £7.95 seems a lot for a bit of plastic!

mike

[Nick Jones]

40 minutes ago, mpbarrett said:

£7.95 seems a lot for a bit of plastic!

Agree. Some sellers wanted more….

[Escadrille Ecosse]

1 hour ago, mpbarrett said:

£7.95 seems a lot for a bit of plastic!

Bit cheaper than a milling machine though I guess 

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

Bit cheaper than a milling machine though I guess 

Not if you already have the mill and need to justify its existence

[rogerguzzi]

3 hours ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

Bit cheaper than a milling machine though I guess 

Hello

         Not if you need an excuse to buy one!!

Roger

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Just jealous 

[zetecspit]

7 hours ago, mpbarrett said:

its the rectangle black piece. I gave up on the horrid plastic inserts, could'nt get it to hold the mirror steady, I think because the door skin is curved where I have put the mirror. In the end put in a couple of threaded inserts to hold it in place but still used the plastic base.
I think a bit of plastic, and some time on the  miller, and will make a new one. £7.95 seems a lot for a bit of plastic!

mike

I was a real skinflint. Found a bit of square syeel bar that was a perfect fit into the mirror base, cut the ends at an angle and drilled 2 holes. Have also seen original types with a monkey metal bit of "flat bar" with the ends "bent" at about 45degrees, but snapped as made of aforementioned monkey metal. But steel would work. Or if you want plastic, just buy square bar and cut it with a saw.

[Nick Jones]

Bloody heating engineers….

Dads oil-fired boiler packed up last week.  His usual people had given themselves the week off. No emergency cover. Great. He called some random “engineer” offering emergency cover. That “gent” went to look at it, tried a restart (no joy, no surprise), then popped the burner unit out. Takes about 30 seconds. Shone a torch inside the burner chamber, claimed it hadn’t been serviced in years (done in October), was beyond economical repair and he could quote for a new one….. oh yeah, and that’ll be £200…. What a prince.

So Dad’s panicking ‘cause he now thinks he needs a new boiler, and it’s mid-winter….

So I went and had a look inside the boiler. It’s quite old, but was a decent one in its day and has been regularly serviced. Very simple thing, basically a flamethrower in a baffled box. Minimal controls.

It pretty obvious why our prince ran away…. He didn’t want to get dirty….

Top baffle plate…. It’s 6mm plate with 30mm of soot on it. Second one was similar. Thing was pretty much blocked solid with soot.

Bottom baffle plate is stepped. It was unkeen on coming out…

….. partly because it was incredibly caked in cack……

Partly because it had gone a funny shape.

The soot was more an inch thick in many places.  I dug it out. Rather like delving in a tea chest full of photocopier toner. Messy. Really messy. Really, really messy. And fatal to vacuum cleaners. Bye bye trusty Hoover Aquavac. 30 years is a fair innings I suppose.

I jumped on the bottom baffle plate and bashed it with a hammer until it was more or less flat again. Could have done with being heavier (that’s both me and the hammer!). Lots of slag and scale fell off it…. It’s been nearly melted.

Suspect it shouldn’t have been getting that hot! Cleaned up the burner head (also choked with soot) and put it all back together.

It fired right up…. But, looking at what was coming out of the chimney, it was not happy. Bit smoky. Back inside there was a bit of a fug forming after less than 2 minutes. Off!

So, serviced three months ago… let’s have a look at the service sheet. No test figures…. “Oh, but that’s just the first visit”. Eh? Turns out that the day after the service a neighbour knocked on the door to tell them there was a lot of black smoke coming out of the chimney. Smoking like a tractor puller at full chat… So Dad got them back and they “fixed it”. Lots of hoovering involved. Yeah. Can imagine…. Must have a tougher hoover than mine though!  

Think they may have failed to notice that the chimney was seriously clogged after the sooting incident and frigged the settings to get it to run against a restricted flue. Possibly some of the soot then burned off so it had too much air for a while, which is what nearly melted the bottom baffle. Bad weather has then brought some of the caked soot down from the flue and obstructed the exit and started the sooting cycle again. 
So now the chimney needs sweeping and the boiler needs properly recommissioning…..

Some butt to be kicked on Tuesday am methinks. Engineers?! Not hardly….