The Home Improvements Thread (2)

[ElixirCoder]

I asked this question in the Battery thread, not sure if it is the right place so i thought ill post it here as well.

Would it be a good investment to take a second loan on your house to buy an inverter, batteries and panels?

You need to weigh it up against the repayment term and include interest and also take into account that you will likely have to replace batteries in anything from 5 - 10 years

 

[Doom5003]

You need to eat it up against the repayment term and include interest and also take into account that you will likely have to replace batteries in anything from 5 - 10 years

Ill have a look at what my current interest is and calculate how much of an increase there will be and go from there.

 

[xrapidx]

Why is there such a variation in tile adhesive (cement) prices for 20kg bags? See anything from R40/bag to over R200/bag.

Also, is it worth adding a bonding liquid? Considering I discovered the sliding doors leak in from outside - I'm fixing it - but won't know if it happens again until it causes issues - as the leak will be under the tiling.

 

[SAguy]

Why is there such a variation in tile adhesive (cement) prices for 20kg bags? See anything from R40/bag to over R200/bag.

Also, is it worth adding a bonding liquid? Considering I discovered the sliding doors leak in from outside - I'm fixing it - but won't know if it happens again until it causes issues - as the leak will be under the tiling.

I'm not a builder obviously, so my experience/knowledge is limited - but as you can guess we had a lot of fixes and patching done during the renovation nightmare.

Where bonding liquid wasn't used I have cracks between newer and older plaster. The edges of the one door threshold also kept being stepped off every time they patched up - with the last patching bonding liquid was used and the edge has survived so far.

They also used it when re-screeding the floor, and I can tell you that the new layer of screed is properly bonded.

The stuff is expensive, but appears to do what it's supposed to.

 

[Smokey mcpot]

Why is there such a variation in tile adhesive (cement) prices for 20kg bags? See anything from R40/bag to over R200/bag.

Also, is it worth adding a bonding liquid? Considering I discovered the sliding doors leak in from outside - I'm fixing it - but won't know if it happens again until it causes issues - as the leak will be under the tiling.

Depends on area you’re tiling on to and also the setting times you’re looking for. Besides those factors, brand name also comes into play. So if tiling into wooden floors then you’d use a different cement from the one you use for concrete floors

 

[xrapidx]

Depends on area you’re tiling on to and also the setting times you’re looking for. Besides those factors, brand name also comes into play. So if tiling into wooden floors then you’d use a different cement from the one you use for concrete floors

Well this is ceramic tiles straight onto concrete, previously tiled - with sliding doors that leak from underneath. Think I'm going to treat it as a bathroom.

EDIT: I see now - we previously used TAL Goldstar 6 - and the number refers to the setting time - the lower it is - the higher the price.

 

[Smokey mcpot]

Correct. Tal is a good brand to use. I like 12 hour glues as it’s not too pricey and doesn’t take forever to set so very convenient when people are living in the place. Also saves us time when we need to come back and do grout or other work in the same area.

6 hour rapid set is nice, but your tiler needs to know his stuff as it sets so quickly that it becomes unusable very quickly. I’ve seen guys add water to make it “usable “ and that actually ruins it and removes some of its properties.

when tiling I’ve got 2 guys. One will mix and lay he glue while the other lays the tiles. Even the guy who mixes is experienced and knows when, where and why certain things are needed.

 

[xrapidx]

Correct. Tal is a good brand to use. I like 12 hour glues as it’s not too pricey and doesn’t take forever to set so very convenient when people are living in the place. Also saves us time when we need to come back and do grout or other work in the same area.

6 hour rapid set is nice, but your tiler needs to know his stuff as it sets so quickly that it becomes unusable very quickly. I’ve seen guys add water to make it “usable “ and that actually ruins it and removes some of its properties.

when tiling I’ve got 2 guys. One will mix and lay he glue while the other lays the tiles. Even the guy who mixes is experienced and knows when, where and why certain things are needed.

That's actually a good point RE: the working time.

I don't know the tiler - the guy I had previously was great, but seems to have vanished. Maybe I'll get the 12 hour just to be safe, I see the pot life is almost 3x the 6 hour.

The floor is also not 100% flat - considering it was previously tiled - and the pit that was filled - so - he might struggle a bit. (the tiler is aware, he did some minor tiling here two weeks ago)

 

[SAguy]

Anyone fitted an additional 40mm outlet to the bottom of their JoJo tanks before?
My 5000l JoJo has an outlet on the one side, but I want another one for the other side.

I'd need to drill a hole and fit this guy, but I imagine having to think it through a bit since I can't get into the tank to fit it. I'm also wondering if I shouldn't use plumbing silicone to seal it.

Could probably just lower the inside parts into the tank on a string and try hook it from the newly drilled hole.

40mm Female Water Tank Fitting

40mm Female water tank fitting available from JoJo Tanks. Full range is available in diameters of 15 mm, 20 mm and 40 mm

www.jojo.co.za

 

[ElixirCoder]

Anyone fitted an additional 40mm outlet to the bottom of their JoJo tanks before?
My 5000l JoJo has an outlet on the one side, but I want another one for the other side.

I'd need to drill a hole and fit this guy, but I imagine having to think it through a bit since I can't get into the tank to fit it. I'm also wondering if I shouldn't use plumbing silicone to seal it.

Could probably just lower the inside parts into the tank on a string and try hook it from the newly drilled hole.

40mm Female Water Tank Fitting

40mm Female water tank fitting available from JoJo Tanks. Full range is available in diameters of 15 mm, 20 mm and 40 mm

www.jojo.co.za

Why do you need another one?

 

[SAguy]

Why do you need another one?

I've got two tanks next to each other, my current setup is like this:
Red is the pump, blue is 40mm white pvc pipe, valves at every connection.


I need to put a side gate on that side of the house, and the pvc pipe is taking up what little walking space there is on the side. So I'm going to do this instead:



It will clean up the area and remove the tripping hazard.

 

[xrapidx]

Why can't you get in? Going to be difficult without getting in

 

[ElixirCoder]

Yeah, you or someone will probably need to get in to do that.

 

[maumau]

Our boundary wall fell over and the neighbour and I will share the costs of rebuilding using existing bricks.

She says the contractor quoted R19 600 for a 25m x 2m wall, single brick. Does that sound fair?

Reason I'm asking is years ago a building company said they'd give me a quote for double the actual price so I could con our neighbour into paying the whole price instead of half. ..... and, no, we didn't use them as they were clearly crooks.

 

[SAguy]

Why can't you get in? Going to be difficult without getting in

tbh I haven't actually climbed on a ladder and really checked the size of the opening properly.
If I can fit in I'll definitely give it a go, seems like a fun thing to do.

If I can't fit in... hide your kids cause I'm coming for them.

 

[xrapidx]

tbh I haven't actually climbed on a ladder and really checked the size of the opening properly.
If I can fit in I'll definitely give it a go, seems like a fun thing to do.

If I can't fit in... hide your kids cause I'm coming for them.

Well I fit in my 2500L at 105Kg Although, its the gardener going in next time.

 

[SAguy]

Well I fit in my 2500L at 105Kg Although, its the gardener going in next time.

I'm a size 36 waist - so I should probably fit in.
Just need to remember to take a ladder with me... or my cellphone.

 

[xrapidx]

I'm a size 36 waist - so I should probably fit in.
Just need to remember to take a ladder with me... or my cellphone.

Good idea, I did neither and almost got stuck, thought I'd be able to pull myself out - but - limited space, and the tank is soft, so doesn't really support weight when trying to jump out.

 

[MDE]

I'm a size 36 waist - so I should probably fit in.
Just need to remember to take a ladder with me... or my cellphone.

Best to put the tank on its side when doing that kind of work.

 

[Steamy Tom]

I've got two tanks next to each other, my current setup is like this:
Red is the pump, blue is 40mm white pvc pipe, valves at every connection.
View attachment 1043743

I need to put a side gate on that side of the house, and the pvc pipe is taking up what little walking space there is on the side. So I'm going to do this instead:

View attachment 1043745

It will clean up the area and remove the tripping hazard.

how much space are you actually going to save though? the pipe is 40mm and the elbow maybe should add like another 40mm at most so like at most it sticks out 8-10cm? maybe if your valves are in line with where the pipe comes out before the elbow etc maybe rather conisder moving that to the longer straights to avoid how far it intrudes on the space?

personally i feel like keeping tanks seperate is better for flexibility and now effort to go add another point etc