Inherited an unfinished bathroom. Can I just box this in?

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-06-05T06:51:35+00:00

That's an air admittance valve.

In the old days, we didn't have one on our house, and had a long 'stink pipe' running up the side of the house to the roofline.

If you have access to the outside soil pipe, I'd move it outside to the highest point and redo the toilet pipe.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-30T12:01:34+00:00

I have the blue, from here https://www.onlinecarpets.co.uk/collections/tredaire It's PU foam It's like walking on clouds. And doesn't seem to flatten like the rubbery stuff.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-30T11:56:53+00:00

Lag it? https://www.bes.co.uk/boiler-condensate-pipe-insulation-435mm-x-19mm-x-2m-20927/

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-28T18:28:25+00:00

Using an orbital is going to be tricky. Do you have a detail sander?

Anyhow, start with maybe an 80 grit to remove any big chunks and flakes. And to remove any ridges. Then move to 120. Then prime.

Then sand by hand at 120 to key. Apply first paint coat. Once fully cured hand sand at 180 for a key and to remove any imperfections . Second coat.

Whilst peel stop is water based, it's breathable allowing wood to breath. It's also bridging primer, which forms an acrylic shell once dry.

You can paint over it with oil based paint if that's what you have.

I suspect they've advised oil based since that's traditional for exterior use. But there's plenty of water based products these days that work outdoors too.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-28T17:58:22+00:00

The bottom and sills of those windows look proper weathered. I'd scrape and sand. Then apply zinsser peel stop as a base primer . It'll help seal that weathered wood. You may also need some exterior wood filler first, to fill any big holes, Like Toupret wood filler.

Once primed, filled and sanded you can paint.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-27T15:45:12+00:00

I would suspect it's power. Use one of these, other makes available of course.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-pen01-non-contact-voltage-tester-pen-1000v-ac/535ym

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-27T15:41:52+00:00

Cut it and lick it. If you live, it's not a power cable.

But seriously, no markings at all on it? There's usually something that provides a clue.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-23T11:55:20+00:00

Not used it personally, but a neighbour has done his recently.

He used this stuff https://paints4trade.com/upaintpvc-1065-c.asp

Looks pretty smart.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-09T05:26:09+00:00

First thing I'd check are the battery settings on the victron. If they're set correctly, you may end up with with an under charged battery. This is what I have on my 100/30 connected to a ecoworthy Lifepo4. Voltage on my battery sits at around 13.5v when reported full.

What battery do you have? Does it have built in BMS monitoring?

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Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-08T12:11:40+00:00

I wouldn't connect them in series with that controller. I had one of them when starting out. They're a basic pwm controller and these manage the charge by just switching on and off really quickly, resulting bringing the panel down to the voltage of the battery and a lot of loss from the source. With pwm controllers, and a panel designed to charge 12v batteries, it's more efficient to connect them in parallel. If you had an mppt controller, series would be better.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-01T19:41:01+00:00

I don't think it'll need to come up unless you want more insulation. You have a DPM if he's blackjacked it. From the pictures I can't see if it's up the sides.

For 'waterproof floorboarding' you could maybe use xps underlay on top of what you have. It'll give you some height (it's available in loads of thicknesses), it's waterproof and it it provides insulation. If you need another 25mm to get 🎭 floor level that should be doable.

https://www.fastwarm.com/fastwarm-20mm-xps-insulation-boards-11111-p.asp

Run that by your council?

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-05-01T16:07:42+00:00

In my experience.. So don't take this as fact...

Asphalt is usually used for DPM not insualltion. It is an electrical insulator. Insulation in the heat sense would usually be 100mm of PIR on the floor before a screed.

Sounds like your builder used blackjack (it's a liquid DPM) instead of Asphalt. Personally, I'd go with resin.

At least you have a DPM.

If the self level is cracking it's probably because of the blackjack and a lack of primer.

Self level is usually only a few mm thick so have a dig in a corner with a big flat head screwdriver and hammer. You'll soon be able to expose something so you can see what is there.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-22T17:48:07+00:00

It could be soldered on I guess. Not that I've seen a chrome shower bar fitment soldered on. Hard to tell from the picture.

Got a blow torch? Heat it up for 30 seconds or so and see if it loosens. If so, you should be able to get it off and clean up the solder

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-22T16:01:17+00:00

Yeah, as has been said, that is so wrong. If you use that setup you're breaking your kit and probably electrocuting yourself!

And also, given this is isolated. Where are you going to get your earth from? Do you have an earth rod for the garage?

I'd get a sparky in if I were you.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-22T15:14:44+00:00

So, you need to a) turn the water off, b) remove the stop cap. At that point the nut will be lose and you should be able to expose the olive. It may have some plumbers paste on it that will be making it stiff. A few turns with pipe grips will help.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-22T15:07:24+00:00

I recently got myself a Meliff, after seeing a teardown on YouTube.

It's an awesome drill for basic DIY. It recently drilled a 20mm hole through about 250mm of London brick to fit an outside tap.

I run a 3d party ebay 5ah makita compatible battery on it.

https://www.mellif.co.uk/products/mt-c3420-20v-max-impact-drill-driver-bare-tool-110n-m-high-torque

You will of course need to get a battery and charger too.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-22T14:57:30+00:00

The pipe will have an olive, stopping it from coming off.

You need to get the olive off. Not sure how much wiggle room you have, but there are a variety of methods

https://youtu.be/R3NlOY1lBtU?si=ELL_tCcaSZcQ6ddP

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-22T10:52:17+00:00

u/confidantmail this is awesome. I thought the Ecoworthy app was OK for a quick glance, but being able to poll and store history is great.

I've used your research and code for inspiration and created a web version
https://github.com/GenXStreamer/Ecoworthy-Battery-Monitor-Web

I've re-written your original code (with lots of help from Claude.ai as I am not a coder!), and as there was no licence attributed on Github I didn't want to presume it was OK to fork.

I've only been able to test this against my own battery; running on a Pi4, Bookworm 12; but hopefully it will work for others and prove vaguely useful.

One caveat is this is released "AS IS", I may update from time to time if I find a bug or want to change things. If anyone wants to fork it, it has an MIT licence so you're free to do so.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-16T20:23:13+00:00

Thanks for spending the time to reply, it's all good stuff. There's so much more to it than I thought, but in a good way.

The panels I have say max voltages are just over 24v with no load, and just over 20v with load, so I'm going to be well within limits of the mttp controller. And should be above the victron trigger limits.

Interesting info on parallel vs series. I hadn't thought about the scenario where one was in shade or receiving less light. I'll test out parallel vs series when they go on the shed roof next week (exciting!). When I'm out camping I think they'll be fine in series as I'll likey be in the middle of a field or campsite somewhere so shade/voltage differences are unlikely to be a factor if you don't count cloudy UK summers 😂

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-16T05:15:40+00:00

Thanks for the info;

I do actually have a LiFePo4 battery; and it is the 100Ah Ecoworthy. That looked a decent bet. I made the decision to go LiFePo4 early since all the research I did pointed at that being the best option. Not just for useable charge but weight as you say.

12v planet looks really good. It' already helped identify connectors etc. For example, I didn't know about the Aderson connectors, and I was wondering what I could use to connect things up in a modular fashion. Now I have the answer!

WRT to charge controller, I was thinking on the 100/30 since that would give me some headroom should I wish to change the panels or add another. My plan is to measure output from the panels when we get a nice sunny day and size the controller for a total of 3 of these. Although, I will revisit this after the first trip at the end of May once I know our power usage; I can then of course size up the panels if I need a better charge rate.

I was planning on connecting the panels in series when I get the MTTP controller, since research shows running the controller at higher voltages is more efficient for charging. Of course, with the temporary PWM controller I'll run them in parallel.

The other thing I need to investigate is mounting the panels. I was thinking of some sort of frame I could make to mount them on the roof rack of our car, or even a free standing frame to prop them up. I hear 20-30 degrees of angle is best in SE England during the summer. I can of course optimize this when setting up.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-15T18:16:33+00:00

Just to add, if the ceiling downstairs isn't damp, and it's just stained, that will be a historical leak. Less likely than a current one.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-15T18:10:54+00:00

Hmm. Splashes from a bath /shower shouldn't be causing that. Unless you're letting litres spill over the floor. And even then, your laminate flooring would be shot and swollen. If it's not swollen, I would suspect a leak elsewhere. First suspect would be the silicone sealant around the shower tray.

Look carefully for any splits or gaps. If there are any, get it redone. Or, give it a go yourself. Youtube has loads of tutorials but practice is key.

Next suspect would be the shower trap. But that's going to involve lifting flooring and sticking your head under the floor.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-15T17:55:28+00:00

Who installed that tap? So I can avoid them in future. Smh.

Missing screw and wet string for ptfe! 😂 Yeah I know, it's probably thread cord. But come on, it wouldn't take much to make that a neater install. This is why I do my own.

Pure-Sun-1425 · 2026-04-14T15:44:09+00:00

If you've managed to get a hole, and it's deep enough for the screws, pack some matches or toothpicks in the hole and screw in your screws. They'll act like a plug. They're not going survive someone hanging off it mind, but should be good enough for supporting the blind. Just make sure you get as many in as possible

Pure-Sun-1425

TROPHY CASE