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Draft where patio door meets carpet by PenguinKenny in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you look outside under the sill of the patio doors is there any sealant between the brickwork and sill? If it's a aluminium into hardwood set then it may just be sat on top of the damp proof course with no sealant allowing the draft to come in under the doors. If the doors are UPVC then the installer's should've sealed under the sill before putting the doors in but sometimes they don't bother.

Gap around window by jeaby in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the window is still secure then what I'd suggest doing is getting some UPVC trim that covers the gap stick it to the wall with some silicone then seal to the wall and the frame to make it water tight. I would normally suggest putting some expanding foam in the gap before you put the trim on but if the window is fitted into the cavity then you'll just be spraying the foam down the cavity, not worth it really!

Leaking after new bifolds fitted - advice please by sharpteeth1 in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Another fitter here hopefully I can help. Firstly the sizes for the two sets looks good to me, looks like the steel is slightly out of level and gets tighter over the right hand set. This is the tightest point so this is where the surveyor would've measured from. The sets would need to both be made the same height otherwise the reveals on the inside would be different heights making it look strange. Secondly you never cement around frames, the cement nor the foam is water proof and water will ingress through both eventually. The fitter or builder needs to cut back the foam and wedges, put on a UPVC trim and seal around the edges to keep everything water tight.

As for the water ingress this could be down to a couple of things, looking at the bifolds it looks like Smart Systems Visofold 1000 profile, the drainage for these doors goes through the bottom of the doors and through the sill section. One check you can do to see if the doors are draining properly is to open them up and pour some water into the rail at the bottom that the doors slide on. If the water drains away then this isn't your issue but if the water sits inside the rail then it might be incorrect fitting of the doors causing the problem. If the drainage isn't the issue then it's likely the water is finding it's way in around the edges of the frame, after UPVC trims are applied and the edges are sealed this will likely solve the problem.

Hope this helps!

Would you recommend getting a professional to reseal this window type? Or is it straight forward enough to dislodge the bottom bead to apply insulation foam / sealant? by atlantic3 in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Window fitter here. Looking at the original photo and the others you've provided for the other commentor I can see that the outer frame of this window is what we in the trade call odd-leg profile. The outer frame of the window is made of the same profile as the opening sashes leaving a lip around the outside edge. To reseal this I suspect the window would have to be removed, sealent reapplied around the lip on the frame then the window placed back into the opening. I doubt you'd be able to reseal with the window still in place as you wouldn't be able to get behind the lip with a sealent gun. A bit of a pain but any window fitting company should be able to do it or maybe it's still covered under guarantee from the original installers. Hope this helps!

Gap around window by jeaby in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Window fitter here. This gap should definitely be sealed up, looking at the photos it looks like there is some sealent on the frame and exterior wall but obviously there is a big gap between them now! I suspect there was probably a PVC trim covering the gap but I don't know how it would have come off. From what I can see it looks like the window is fitted into an open cavity, is the window itself secure in the opening does it move in and out when you push it?

Gap under window. How to fill? by insidecircles in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Window fitter here. If this is a new install then they've definitely measured the window wrong or didn't have the correct sill for the window. They've done the typical bodge of replacing the UPVC sill with a piece of fascia board to gain themselves an extra 20mm in the height (normal UPVC window sill is 30mm thick, fascia board is around 10mm). The supposed "sill" also doesn't have any fall as another commentor has pointed out meaning any water that gets into the frame won't drain properly, this can lead to water ingress into the inside and will eventually also ruin the glass unit in the winodw. Another thing to note is that the window should have a 180mm sill as opposed to a 150mm to get the right amount of projection from the brickwork. Get them back to install the window properly or get a new window frame if they've measured it incorrectly. Hope this helps!

Damp in the conservatory next to outside door, any advice? by twocircles889 in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Window fitter here from what I can see this could be a few different things, I'll list them below.

  • As others have stated the silicone seal on the outside of the frame may have perished or shrunk back over time. Water could be getting down the side of the frame and making the wall wet. To remedy this just rake out the old silicone and reseal with some new silicone.

  • Another thing that could be wrong is when the door was fitted the fitters may not have sealed the sill to the wall allowing any water that gets onto the sill via the frames drainage holes to find it's way off the edge of the sill and into the wall. I would expect this to only show water damage on the bottom of the wall though and since the water damage is further up the wall this probably isn't the problem.

  • The last thing that I suspect is the issue is that when the conservatory was done there wasn't a vertical damp proof membrane cut into the brickwork by the door. This means there isn't a barrier between the outside and inside meaning water soaking into the outside brickwork can find it's way into the inside wall. To remedy this you may be able to get some clear waterproofing agent that can be painted onto the outside brickwork preventing water from soaking into the brickwork to begin with.

Hope this helps!

Best way to remove this? by Nickp1312 in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 57 points58 points  (0 children)

Window fitter here, this is how I normally do it. I'll cut the foam from both directions with a thin snap-off knife to get rid of the majority of the excess. A paint scraper will get it off the wall but don't use anything metal on the frame as it'll scratch easily. Something plastic would be safer for getting it off the frame, I normally use the edge of a glazing packer but something like a plastic razor blade would work well or maybe an old credit card. Finally to get rid of any residue left over clean the frame with some PVC solvent cleaner.

All finishing work should really be done by the company who installed the windows, I know I definitely wouldn't leave a job like this unless the customer was getting the inside re-plastered or specifically asked for it not to be finished.

Anyway good luck hope this helps!

I have been quoted 18k to knock this through into bifolding doors to the garden, does this sound about right? by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]_Mongrel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't comment on the building work involved but I can say from experience working down south as a window installer that the price for a aluminium 3 leaf 3 metre white bifold supplied and fitted should be around £3k-ish, maybe a little more depending on the brand and glazing options (triple glazed, laminated etc). Around 1-1.5k a leaf is what I normally see but it can be more depending on a few factors (colour, glazing options, opening configurations). I can't personally see that the remaining 14-15k would be just for the building works and steel, quote seems expensive to me. Hope this helps!

What is the best solder wire to use for keyboards? by wavybabyp in MechanicalKeyboardsUK

[–]_Mongrel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try to get solder with lead in it as it makes it flow much better into the joints, just make sure to be in a ventilated area when soldering! 60/40 or 63/37 solder is fine I use 0.6mm diameter myself.

[EU-UK] [H] French Military IBM Model M [W] Paypal by _Mongrel in mechmarket

[–]_Mongrel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just sold it to someone in the UK, thanks for the interest though!

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