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  • EADD Moderators: axe battler | Pissed_and_messed

EADD Plumbing and DIY Thread v. Screwing Some Old Boiler Up Against the Wall

Nonsense! I just outsourced the welding and the bushing to somebody with facility to do it.

The diagnosis, disassembley and reassembly and test was my work, two hours DIY.

I like your loft floor, are you heating it underfloor or just insulating well?
 
Ah right, that's a fair point, I'll let you off there. ;)

Underfloor heating? In a loft? For fuck sake, first of all Julie slags me off for not staggering the boards properly, and now you think I should've installed underfloor heating as well?? Where do you think we live, Siberia? :D
 
Just an extension. ;) Do you happen to know any cowboy contractors who can fit one for me for a beer?
 
felix said:
Just an extension. ;) Do you happen to know any cowboy contractors who can fit one for me for a beer?
Click to expand...

I'm the biggest cowboy you could imagine so would be willing to do it for you - but I don't come cheap, I'd require at least a bottle of Frosty Jacks and my travelling expenses ;)

You say there are plenty of lighting cables up there? Then there's bound to be a junction box somewhere as well. So if it was my attic I'd just whip the plug off a 13A 4 way (preferably fused and switched) extension and connect the wires to the junction box. As long as you're not planning on running grow lights and heaters up there it should suffice for occasional use.

(Disclaimer: Don't listen to any of my advice regarding electrical installations as I am NOT qualified - i'm just a rank amateur with a basic understanding of circuits)
 
You've got room in the box for two more circuit breakers. Hie yourself to the nearest electrical factors and purchase a new one of the same sort (they aren't all compatible -- some are designed to mount on a common busbar, others have terminals for wires both ends).

For up to 20 square metres, you can have a radial circuit -- a 16A or 20 A breaker with all the sockets wired in parallel as a simple daisy chain, using 2.5 mm² cable (no side branches).

For a floor area up to 100 square metres, you will need a proper ring main -- fit a 32A breaker and "complete the ring" by taking a cable from the last socket back to the breaker box. You can still use 2.5mm² cable; only now there are effectively two pieces of it running from the breaker box to each socket. Also, you are allowed one side branch ("spur") for each faceplate. Not that you will need any, though, since you're installing the whole lot from scratch. Fixed appliances can be connected by means of a fused connection unit -- a single faceplate with an isolating switch and a fuse.

Whichever scheme you adopt, use green and yellow sleeving over the bare earth wires, which should be a couple of centimetres longer than the live and neutral wires. Allow enough slack for the faceplate to be removed and turned up or down for inspection / maintenance. Double over the wire ends into a tight hairpin, so as to increase the contact area with the terminal screws. After a week or two, turn off the power and go around re-tightening all the terminal screws in each socket.

There is no limit to the number of sockets on a radial or ring circuit, just the floor area they cover. But you should install twice as many as you think you are going to need anyway. Mount pairs of sockets side-by-side, not above-and-below, so a chunky power adaptor in one socket won't block off another socket.

The loft really should have its own separate lighting circuit, which will require a 6 amp circuit breaker and 1.0m² or 1.5mm² cable. It would be bodgery, but just about within the spirit of the regulations, to use a 5 amp F.C.U. spurred off a socket faceplate to feed the lights. Avoid unnecessary chiselling by surface-mounting everything (it's a loft, for crying out loud). You should really run the cables in mini-trunking, but if they are just cleated neatly to the wall they will give you a very obvious reminder of their presence anyway .....
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
You say there are plenty of lighting cables up there? Then there's bound to be a junction box somewhere as well. So if it was my attic I'd just whip the plug off a 13A 4 way (preferably fused and switched) extension and connect the wires to the junction box. As long as you're not planning on running grow lights and heaters up there it should suffice for occasional use.
Click to expand...

There's plenty of cables coming up and over, and down to the light fittings in each room. They'll be on the 5A lighting circuit but there's no sign of any junction boxes anywhere. If there were, I'd be confident of hacking into one and breaking out from it. However, I'm not sure that 5A is enough for using power tools etc.

And Julie: thanks, but you're going into too much detail, too fast. :)

I'm not touching the fuse box. I don't feel competent enough to do so, and it would probably break several health & safety regulations. ;)

Cheers folks.
 
felix said:
Ah right, that's a fair point, I'll let you off there. ;)

Underfloor heating? In a loft? For fuck sake, first of all Julie slags me off for not staggering the boards properly, and now you think I should've installed underfloor heating as well?? Where do you think we live, Siberia? :D
Click to expand...

Well, I thought you lived in Aberdeen, which basically is Siberia, just with more deep fried stuff. You're not even going to build a cow shit fired heater then? Oh well. . .
 
Wow you lot are incredibly clever. I haven't a clue what you're talking about n wouldn't have a clue whay you're all doing. I really admire you all, being able to modify your own homes like this; floorboards, electrics etc.

Evey
 
I'm well impressed about what's going on "upstairs"%)

Not only is it functional, storage and all that malarkey, is is aesthetically pleasing indeed, though my comments about prayer flags and Mongolian tenting didn't go down as well as I expected...at first - at this time 8), but hey I'll have my way. That way leads to flooring all out to the top of the tower! Where spectacular view and weather can be found %) It would be the highest point in town!

It's amazing up there <3
 
I can't seem to find a proper "before" photo, but here's a kind of before + after:

0yae5ul.jpg

ljIwjbT.jpg

JR4WBZH.jpg


Next up is some cleaning. The water tanks are a pain in the arse. But never mind; I've been able to move most of my tools & stuff up there, which means we can move our camping equipment indoors, which means we can move our gardening stuff downstairs next to the garden, etc. etc.

150 boards still to fit in the next sections.

%)
 
Hah, it's a square "tower" at the corner of the building, not a castle type tower. But above the tower is a huge void that I'm working my way towards in the loft, which has massive future potential given enough time & money. We shall see.

In the mean time, the middle, largest section is now ready for flooring. Another milestone achieved today. :)

28hSBnO.jpg


And Julie: I have now stopped nailing things. Everything is being pilot-drilled, countersunk and screwed in. Much nicer. I'll probably revisit some of the stuff I've already done and improve it later.
 
@ Bob: Yeah, I know that last photo is showing something that's a bit shit. I haven't done anything to it yet. Cheeky fecker. ;)
 
Haha, yeah, I'm feeling pretty smug so far. ;) That middle bit's gonna be a party hut or something, some day.

We're now talking about Velux windows, and which direction they should point. 8o
 
felix, if you need them bits o' mahogany engraving with a specific image or multiple images, my dads mates got a professional 7grand machine that engraves metal wood any substance .. glass ... I can probably get it done for nowt for yer. hes a dab hand at coasters ... he even shoved a dvd player in there recently and did a decent job on that.

just need a jpg of whatever image you want on it and the wood
 
it also cuts shapes. meticulously perfect too. he showed me one of a welsh dragon and its fucking stunning woodwork
 
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