The Home Improvements Thread (3)

[kolaval]

Need some advice on lagging (i see that what it's called) for water pipes.

After yet another leak over the built-in closet I'm moving my plumbing outside.
Thing is it gets cold here in winter, we've had an instances where pipes would freeze.

My plan is to put pipes in lagging and run them in pvc trunking as close to the roofbeams as possible.
Would that suffice (I do not know what I do not know)?

Also which insulation (temu seems way cheaper again)?

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[SiR_BP]

Looking for recommendations

Anyone know of a person/company in Cape Town (Preferably Southern Suburbs) that offers monthly/weekly pool maintenance services?

 

[SHL]

Be very careful with caustic soda, it gets really hot and will damage plastic and PVC parts and corrode chromed finishes.

Make sure you wear eye protection and don't get any on your skin.

Update, finally got rid of the smell using caustic soda. It wasn't a once-off treatment though. I used 2 x tablespoons mixed with cold water twice a week. I let the mixture sit in the channel for an hour before flushing with hot water. Problem solved.

 

[Pho3nix]

Thoughts guys. I’m trying to get this wall replaced. Two companies have quoted around R4k both.
My issue is they are both charging a day rate even though both admitted it won’t take all day. Thoughts or recommendations for contractors in JHB?

 

[WAslayer]

Thoughts guys. I’m trying to get this wall replaced. Two companies have quoted around R4k both.
My issue is they are both charging a day rate even though both admitted it won’t take all day. Thoughts or recommendations for contractors in JHB?

Small job, so it's not worth most contractors time to charge anything less than a full day rate..

 

[Pho3nix]

Small job, so it's not worth most contractors time to charge anything less than a full day rate..

Would imagine if they charged me fairly I’d recommend them to other peeps in the area :/

So gatvol

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Would imagine if they charged me fairly I’d recommend them to other peeps in the area :/

So gatvol

Maybe look at just finding a handyman type service if you want something cheaper, although I'm not sure how much cheaper anyone would be willing to do that job. Last resort, rope a friend in to a braai and buy them a good bottle of whiskey.

 

[Pho3nix]

Maybe look at just finding a handyman type service if you want something cheaper, although I'm not sure how much cheaper anyone would be willing to do that job. Last resort, rope a friend in to a braai and buy them a good bottle of whiskey.

Leaning towards this tbh. Will keep looking for alternatives

 

[WAslayer]

Would imagine if they charged me fairly I’d recommend them to other peeps in the area :/

So gatvol

Unfortunately it's not about fairness.. your best bet is finding someone who specialises in repair work or some general contractor/handyman type that's used to doing small jobs..

 

[PhireSide]

Where on earth would I find a fitting like this? It is the interface pipe between my water meter and the ball valve that connects to the rest of the house.

The bigger plastic thread has a nut on that secures it to the meter housing, and the smaller plastic thread is where the ball valve is connected to. The brass nut affixes to the water meter itself. The pipe seems to be joined in the middle and that is where it is leaking from, and I am battling to find a replacement fitting.

 

[PhireSide]

Where on earth would I find a fitting like this? It is the interface pipe between my water meter and the ball valve that connects to the rest of the house.

The bigger plastic thread has a nut on that secures it to the meter housing, and the smaller plastic thread is where the ball valve is connected to. The brass nut affixes to the water meter itself. The pipe seems to be joined in the middle and that is where it is leaking from, and I am battling to find a replacement fitting.

View attachment 1851453

Sorted, I went to Plumlink and they sorted me out with some fittings that I could use (adapters, PEX pipe, etc) and now hopefully there won't be any more leaks.

 

[Düber]

Sorted, I went to Plumlink and they sorted me out with some fittings that I could use (adapters, PEX pipe, etc) and now hopefully there won't be any more leaks.

View attachment 1851528

It annoys me when these "proprietary" special fittings are used, they usually turn an easy job into a utter mission.

 

[PhireSide]

It annoys me when these "proprietary" special fittings are used, they usually turn an easy job into a utter mission.

You're telling me.

What annoys me most is that, there where the bigger of the threads are, they joined the two halves of the pipe. Why they didn't just use one length of pipe, and weld the flange with the thread to it, I don't know. This failure could have been avoided.

 

[silversafer]

Installed a Geysertech hot water system for my neighbour last week

This uses the standard element but delivers DC from the MPPT controller during the day

4 x 425 watt panels, Pi2R controller, display, mounting hardware and cable cost R14 550,00. My electrician helped to fit it and charged R3500,00

If the water is 35 deg in the morning, by 18h00 it is 65 deg

Geysertech Solar. Affordable Solar Geyser Solutions.

GeyserTech+ Solar. Affordable Solar Solutions. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power direct to your existing geyser. Save electricity by converting your existing geyser to solar PV power without replacing the element. Our Pi2R solar geyser controllers are made in South Africa. Ideal product for...

geysertechsolar.co.za

View attachment 1777709

Greetings chrisc.Can one rely on Geysertech PV water heating on daily basis and use Eskom as only a backup? How efficient is Geysertech PV geyser?

 

[hellfire]

I want to install a CCTV camera in my garden.
Long term, I want to build a garden arch and the camera will be installed on that structure.
The preferred installation point is very near my JoJo tank.
Short term (let's say 6-12 months) I was thinking of securing a post to the tank and mounting the camera to that post
How should I do that? Ratchet ties? Rope? Don't do it?

The tank is a 5kl and generally at least 80 percent full, so the pole and camera won't destabilise anything.

 

[WAslayer]

I want to install a CCTV camera in my garden.
Long term, I want to build a garden arch and the camera will be installed on that structure.
The preferred installation point is very near my JoJo tank.
Short term (let's say 6-12 months) I was thinking of securing a post to the tank and mounting the camera to that post
How should I do that? Ratchet ties? Rope? Don't do it?

The tank is a 5kl and generally at least 80 percent full, so the pole and camera won't destabilise anything.

I mean short term ratchet straps around the tank are probably the simplest option.. make sure to get stainless steel though, if you plan to use the straps again in future..

 

[RaptorSA]

Obviously, nothing groundbreaking here, but it feels good to be part of the club and about the only one in the complex who won't be moaning on Whatsapp when the next municipal water shutdown hits. Those unplanned days when you wake up and have to go without a shower for 2 days kills productivity and motivation.

750L should be enough for just me for almost a week, but left space for adding another tank in case it's ever needed.
The 0.9kW VSD Pump with brushless motor is not cheap, but it's pretty cool tech, looking forward to pushing it from 3bar to 5bar and see if it can finally run my upstairs shower heads a bit better.
Also added an unused tank inlet for potential future hookup to our borehole, if that happens I'll do the filters later.

It's also right next to a gutter that can potentially harvest water from 1/2 of the roof, the flat roof where my kitchen is and the entire carport roof where the solar panels live, will decide if it's worth it in future.
Busy painting a wood trellis to cover that hole in the wall and will wait for the concrete base to dry properly then seal and paint it too.

I don't think I'm going to try and hide it, I like the look of it and being able to see what's going on with no effort, will get some brasso and shine up the copper piping at some point, rather lean into the look so to speak.

 

[Kung Fu Porkchop]

Nothing groundbreaking, but it feels good to be the only one in the complex who won't be moaning on Whatsapp when the next municipal water shutdown hits. Those unplanned days when you wake up and have to go without a shower for 2 days kills productivity and motivation.

750L should be enough for just me for almost a week, but left space for adding another tank in case it's ever needed.
The 0.9kW VSD Pump with brushless motor is not cheap, but it's pretty cool tech.
Also added an unused tank inlet for potential future hookup to our borehole, if that happens I'll do the filters later.

It's also right next to a gutter that can harvest water from 1/2 of the roof, the flat roof where my kitchen is and the entire carport roof where the solar panels live, will decide if it's worth it in future.
Busy painting a wood trellis to cover that hole in the wall and will wait for the concrete base to dry properly then seal and paint it too.

View attachment 1852518

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that set you back? We need to do something similar pretty soon and I have a jojo tank, but I'll need everything else

 

[Neuk_]

Nothing groundbreaking, but it feels good to be the only one in the complex who won't be moaning on Whatsapp when the next municipal water shutdown hits. Those unplanned days when you wake up and have to go without a shower for 2 days kills productivity and motivation.

750L should be enough for just me for almost a week, but left space for adding another tank in case it's ever needed.
The 0.9kW VSD Pump with brushless motor is not cheap, but it's pretty cool tech.
Also added an unused tank inlet for potential future hookup to our borehole, if that happens I'll do the filters later.

It's also right next to a gutter that can harvest water from 1/2 of the roof, the flat roof where my kitchen is and the entire carport roof where the solar panels live, will decide if it's worth it in future.
Busy painting a wood trellis to cover that hole in the wall and will wait for the concrete base to dry properly then seal and paint it too.

View attachment 1852518

Nice We did ours recently but with a 5kL tank, VSD pump, filters, UV light, etc. I'd love to do a borehole but neighbours have had varying success from 500l/day yield to absolutely sweet **** all.

 

[RaptorSA]

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that set you back? We need to do something similar pretty soon and I have a jojo tank, but I'll need everything else

So we have a plumber in the complex who lives just a few doors down from me (so I didn't shop around for better quotes).
I chose to go with him since it's nice to have someone around who knows the system and hardware, and the dude seems really proud of his work.
All in it was R26K. I'll also be spending another R3.5K for an electrician to do the electricity hookup and trunking for the pump, but the price also includes a decent surge protector and free COC on my DB board, something I didn't know I needed for insurance purposes, so probably a good thing I decided not to DIY some of it.

I'll be killing my home loan in <=5 years, so I wasn't going to split hairs cost wise on a few grand here and there... I'm no property expert, but I suspect even without internal kitchen upgrades etc. being able to have a 174sqm place that's got solar and water in a decent complex in JHB is a decent asset these days, even if property pricing in this craphole is k@k these days.

I've seen some kits around with the tank pump etc. for +-R11-R15K (non-VSD pumps though, I think), so I'm guessing it's possible to do it for cheaper if you get the hardware yourself and just get an installer.