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when I got back to my Mother's house I wanted to test the outdoor shower my Grand Father installed 58 years ago

it works!
house outdoor shower.jpg

but only when I cover a split connector w/ my hand!
holding split pipe.jpg

I guess at some point, someone, or all of us, forgot to turn off the shut-off valve inside & drain the outside valves. ugh what a shame
the valves.jpg

they have very powerful water pressure, so I doubt any JB Weld brand pipe repair wrap product would work, but tempted to try. but from what I could feel, it's a sizable split
Screenshot 2024-07-04 at 1.55.09 PM.png

J-B Weld FiberWeld 2” Pipe Repair Cast

 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Been sanding our dining room floor; hitherto it is been my workshop/junk room, but the domestic authorities have decreed it will be upgraded to a proper room. To be fair, this is a good idea really, even if a workshop was a nice thing to have

Anyhow, took a loose board up to find these underneath

6BD25DFE-9D76-45AA-BFEE-AA78E5BBBA90.jpeg



38F0681A-E6E3-4129-B3C4-0154CA66D54C.jpeg

It seems there was a bell system at some point. Mrs PP has been investigating old census records and most of the time there were multiple households living in the house but no mention of any servants. Interesting bit of history
 
Been sanding our dining room floor; hitherto it is been my workshop/junk room, but the domestic authorities have decreed it will be upgraded to a proper room. To be fair, this is a good idea really, even if a workshop was a nice thing to have

Anyhow, took a loose board up to find these underneath

View attachment 737819


View attachment 737820
It seems there was a bell system at some point. Mrs PP has been investigating old census records and most of the time there were multiple households living in the house but no mention of any servants. Interesting bit of history


View: https://youtu.be/zgKxham7q7Y?si=Vbq1o1S8DWUlKVdc
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
Ah, so that's why the downstairs toilet needed the flush handle pumping.

20240802_152106.jpg


But the new Fluidmaster doughnut is waaaay too big. You'd think these would be a standard size, and they're sold "for all close-coupled pans". Bollocks are they. Off to Toolstation, which apparently sells the smaller 80mm size.

20240802_153145.jpg
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
when I got back to my Mother's house I wanted to test the outdoor shower my Grand Father installed 58 years ago

it works!
View attachment 736448
but only when I cover a split connector w/ my hand!
View attachment 736450
I guess at some point, someone, or all of us, forgot to turn off the shut-off valve inside & drain the outside valves. ugh what a shame
View attachment 736452
they have very powerful water pressure, so I doubt any JB Weld brand pipe repair wrap product would work, but tempted to try. but from what I could feel, it's a sizable split
View attachment 736453

J-B Weld FiberWeld 2” Pipe Repair Cast

If that valve with the wheel head is the shutoff valve, it won't work anyway because it's (a) outdoors and (b) almost certainly a gate valve, which is completely useless at making a seal against mains pressure (and rarely much good against tank pressure either).

I'd drain it and get the blowlamp out. Solder as much as possible with dry pipe and make the valve connection to the supply last, which will be a compression fit. Soldering with Yorkshire fittings is easy if you know there is no moisture.
 
If that valve with the wheel head is the shutoff valve, it won't work anyway because it's (a) outdoors and (b) almost certainly a gate valve, which is completely useless at making a seal against mains pressure (and rarely much good against tank pressure either).

I'd drain it and get the blowlamp out. Solder as much as possible with dry pipe and make the valve connection to the supply last, which will be a compression fit. Soldering with Yorkshire fittings is easy if you know there is no moisture.

thank you. the shutoff is inside the wall. everything outside gets opened before winter sets in
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
20240803_074127.jpg


Looks like I need a 70mm *stepped* doughnut to fit this very obscure flush adaptor. I know it was fitted by a former neighbour, who is a boiler engineer and mediocre plumber on the side.

It looks like a back-to-the-wall pan with a proprietary close-coupled adaptor. That adaptor is flexy plastic and takes the weight of the cistern during fitting, although the cistern is subsequently screwed to the wall. It flexes. A lot.

20240802_210307.jpg


If this doesn't work then a new pan is pretty cheap, although I'd also need a new Multikwik connector for the soil pipe. The cistern doesn't have its own bolt holes (it uses the external bolts on a close-coupled fixing kit) so it would fit most pans.

All this was unavoidable - the cistern HAS to come off to service or change a torn siphon diaphragm.
 
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newts

Veteran
Location
Isca Dumnoniorum
View attachment 739654

Looks like I need a 70mm *stepped* doughnut to fit this very obscure flush adaptor. I know it was fitted by a former neighbour, who is a boiler engineer and mediocre plumber on the side.

It looks like a back-to-the-wall pan with a proprietary close-coupled adaptor. That adaptor is flexy plastic and takes the weight of the cistern during fitting, although the cistern is subsequently screwed to the wall. It flexes. A lot.

View attachment 739655

If this doesn't work then a new pan is pretty cheap, although I'd also need a new Multikwik connector for the soil pipe. The cistern doesn't have its own bolt holes (it uses the external bolts on a close-coupled fixing kit) so it would fit most pans.

All this was unavoidable - the cistern HAS to come off to service or change a torn siphon diaphragm.

Possibly Twyfords Nocturne close couple washer.
Lunns.net is god for wc spares
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
It looks as if that is indeed what the plastic monstrosity is. Thanks.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Nothing exciting ;)
I have been slowly painting the fences around the house over the last couple of weeks using it as gentle rehab for my thumb joint fusion.
On another subject the toilet remains unfinished as were still waiting for the builder to recover from his hernia operation .
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
Fitted ethernet to my lads garage. Cutting open ceilings, to route cable, digging trench, lifting paving stones.

All working now. Got to go back and do remedial works
1000014198.jpg
 
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rogerzilla

Legendary Member
They are the work of the devil. It's probably worth replacing the ribbed washer that goes into the pan at the same time, it may leak now the rest of the plastic housing has been wiggled about.
I doubt it will come out easily by now. I ordered the genuine Twyfords close coupling kit and the yellowish foam washer that comes with it looks as if it will do the job. Far more compressible than the usual black rubber doughnuts, and doesn't protrude into the pan inlet at all. These Nocturne accelerators have a 70mm inlet, smaller than a standard doughnut.
 

newts

Veteran
Location
Isca Dumnoniorum
I doubt it will come out easily by now. I ordered the genuine Twyfords close coupling kit and the yellowish foam washer that comes with it looks as if it will do the job. Far more compressible than the usual black rubber doughnuts, and doesn't protrude into the pan inlet at all. These Nocturne accelerators have a 70mm inlet, smaller than a standard doughnut.

Wise to swap the whole kit👍
I repaired a few of these in years gone by & it can be frustrating experience.
 
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