When have you suprised yourself, more by luck than judgement or skill at fixing something you know little about and maybe save a few quid?
I had my best moment tonight. Our central heating stopped working due to low pressure. this often happens the first time its turned on after summer when it needs a top-up, especially as I also bled the radiators yesterday too which made it worse.
Low an behold, my wife went to have a shower today and no hot water and the low pressure error code came up. No probs I thought, just let some more water in and off we go.
I turned both taps hoping to hear the whoosh of water, but silence. Odd I thought. I repeated several times to no avail. I tried for the next half hour to get a result but nothing.
I then looked up online and it turns out there is a common issue with a sticking non-return valve in the pipes around the repressurisation gubbins. I wasnt sure where it was but I had a good tap about all the pipes surrounding the taps. Nothing.
Oh well, I resigned to call out British Gas with an estimate at £200. Ouch. I knew what it most likely was but frustrated it would cost alot for something so simple.
Anyways, resigned to our fate, we sat down and watched our DVD ( Jonah Hex, not bad ) and in the interval, I decided one last go, so I picked a screwdriver with a heavy handle, opened the taps both fully and gave every bit of pipe a sharp tap. Last tap I gave it an almighty crack and the sound of gushing water prevailed, followed by me frantically turning the taps back off as it doesnt take much to fill it up again.
Problem solved by a combination of the wonderful resource, the internet, some logic and a large tool plus brute force. I splash of dum luck too no doubt.
I know almost nothing about plumbing or central heating though, which makes it a sweet victory. Its far more satisfying than cleaning a car because I know how to do that.
Last edited by: FoR on Mon 19 Sep 11 at 22:58
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>> a large tool
Harsh words about yourself. Had you down as being slim too :-)
Result for now but I'd find a recommended, friendly heating engineer to take a look before the winter. Something isn't right and better to sort it now than when we are in winter again.
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>>Had you down as being slim too :-) <<
Not in this life :-p
It shouldnt be an issue for a while now, it doesnt tend to loose pressure over the winter, its usually at the end of the summer it requires a top-up. I knew it was getting low but id not anticipated the sticky valve stopping me top it up.
Tomorrow im going to top it up again to the max so it doesnt need doing for a while.
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Is great doing things like that, I remember being so proud when I diagnosed and replaced a faulty timer switch on our heating. Also fixed a leaking water tank, managed due to a faulty inlet valve.
I love fixing things, which I suppose is one reason I like my job.
The big skill of DIY fixes is knowing your limits :). I won't touch gas or any of the plumbing in central heating, but basic electrical and plumbing repairs don't bother me. In fact the only traders my parents have had to call out in the past ten years is a window fitter (a new UPVC window) and a gas man to fit a new cooker.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Mon 19 Sep 11 at 23:47
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Ingenious solutions to a problem are very satisfying. A minor triumph for me took place last year.
I was charged by SWM with the task of fitting a new roller blind in the bathroom. After a month's putting the job off, I got round to it. Brackets almost on when I dropped the screwdriver.
A combination of events ensued...the driver fell the 5 feet or so and landed point down. It also just so happened that it landed on the joint between two of the ceramic tiles on the window sill. The glaze chipped off, only a couple of mm, but enough to show the brown terracotta base against the white grout........it stood out, to me, like a crater on the moon !
What to do, apart from panicking ? SWM was downstairs, she would be up to inspect the work and make her criticisms....I was staring death in the face. I finished the job quickly....but what's to be done about the damage ? If I tried to sneak out to the workshop, she would see me and no doubt be off upstairs to have a look. Prayer ?.... no.
Then the spark from heaven landed.......what's white, spreadable and to hand ?
Toothpaste !!!
A dab on the little finger, worked into the hole made it invisible...the finger was licked, tools packed up and your's truly announced smugly that the job was done
Duly inspected and approved.
Of course, the toothpaste disappeared after a few weeks of cleaning but I was well out of the frame by then.
Just a small example of male superiority.
Ted
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If it's losing pressure it's got a leak somewhere....if the rads need bleeding regularly, it's not got enough corrosion inhibitor in it (which may be a result of adding water and diluting it)....might need a visit from the tech anyway?
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When we lived in a Barn (conversion) with wood frame windows, the clown who fitted them first time around had used an ordinary silicon sealant instead of the correct low-modulus stuff, consequently many of the D/G sealed units blew over time, so I calls a geezer in to replace 11 sealed units, and as I watched him remove the old units, instead of using a craft knife to cut around the sealant, he used a wooden wedge to hammer down in betwixt the glass and the frame!!
I told him to pfd off and ended up doing them my self in the end - simple enough job.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 20 Sep 11 at 10:16
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One of the tiles fell off a Victorian fireplace in Iffy Towers.
I stuck it back on with Gun Gum - car exhaust putty.
I was quietly very pleased with myself, I had the gum in stock, and it must be almost ideal for a fireplace because it cures with heat.
This might be very basic for some of you, but it was a good effort from a DIY numpty such as me.
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The engine cover on the Berlingo resonates at certain engine speeds. Re tensioning it's clips just changes the resonant frequency!!
Bit of chopped up bike inner tube wdeged in one corner damped it out nicely.
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A folded bath towel stuffed twixt washing machine and worktop has stopped the damn thing joining us in the middle of the room on spin cycle for over a year now.
Ted
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1. Get some inhibitor in there. The "air" you bleed out of the radiators is hydrogen, arising as the radiators turn to rust.
2. In future run your central heating once a month (or, better, fortnight) during the summer. This includes turning your thermostatic radiator valves from 0 to 5 and back again (do this monthly all year round).
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The satisfaction of beating the odds - rtj70
