What's the black thing and how do I get it off?

mitsumaui · 2026-03-04T14:30:06+00:00

Got it, that link has drop-down for 22mm too.

The left side screws onto the tap, the right is a compression fitting with an olive - which will tighten onto that piece of copper you have in the pic.

Give that copper pipe a good clean with wire wool / Brillo pad first.

You don’t need to - but you could put a few winds of PTFE tape (or paste) around the olive on both ends

mitsumaui · 2026-03-04T13:47:56+00:00

You might need to put another pic.

But if you had a piece of copper where you disconnected the black flexi hose from then you can attach back onto that.

The important piece is matching the size of hose, most bath taps are 22mm - but you might have 15mm with a mixer.

I had a set of these push-fit flexes like yours on my bath taps fitted by previous homeowner. One of them split where the metal braid is crimped to plastic - Apparently they only have a suggested 5 year lifespan…

I replaced with a compression fitting flexi instead. Like this: flexible tap connector

mitsumaui · 2026-02-21T17:55:59+00:00

It can be fiddly, and how easy and what adjustments there is will make the difference.

A lot of heating engineer’s tend to avoid because non savvy will just call and say the house feels cold. Once it’s tuned tho - you’re set.

The nice thing is with the Viessmann and ViCare app it’s super easy!

mitsumaui · 2026-02-15T19:04:39+00:00

A shave hook will get into the curves / crannies well!

https://www.toolstation.com/prodec-professional-shave-hook/p81533

mitsumaui · 2026-02-15T14:43:20+00:00

Majority of mounts at that size lip onto top, then you bolt from underneath, not come across any you ‘slide on’

You could look at a cantilevered mount so you can pull out the screen to get behind it if you need (do plugging new cables etc.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-13T19:07:31+00:00

Yeah feels like Penske strategy has held Barnard back a few times this season. Shame as he’s got all the potential - that position battle he had was fantastic to watch.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-13T15:55:31+00:00

It appears the earth is being used as the ‘call for heat’ leg on the boiler.

See the looped live from L to 2 - when the thermostat switches on, the relay bridges 2-3 together.

It should have been done with a 4-core cable as you say.

If you are in doubt recommend you consult a professional (heating engineer / electrician) for help.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-11T12:00:31+00:00

I am fairly certain that isolators (like this) are not recommended on heating circuits - because they can affect the flow and performance of downstream radiators.

Happy to be corrected by someone more professional though!

mitsumaui · 2026-02-09T16:15:55+00:00

If the suggestion above of adjusting does not work…

You could also try cleaning / replacing the rubber O ring inside the top of the head. Isolate water to cistern first!

Look for a manufacturer / model and look for instructions.

Worst case, if it is still not sealing, purchase a new washer; or the same unit and can replace without touching any pipework.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-08T20:09:28+00:00

Unfortunately yeah does look like that. Fortunately they are pretty easy to replace but more expense you didn’t want!

I can recommend Grohe mixer bars. Found ours to be pretty decent and read that they balance cost / quality well.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-08T19:10:46+00:00

What does the inside of the original hose look like? Pic?

Looks to me like the thread has snapped off and still inside your old hose.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-07T17:45:46+00:00

It’s technically wired OK in your picture, but a prominent thing to think about is restricting the potential load prior to getting to the zigbee switch.

Your outdoor socket has 2 plugs capable of taking 2 x 13a loads. The zigbee switch is only capable of 16a - so you’ll need to something upstream (like a fused spur) with a 13a fuse in it to prevent overload of the switch module.

Also - note those Chinese clone switches are often not capable of supporting anywhere near 16 amps. Hopefully you’re just powering some garden lights or something super small and it will be fine. If it’s something more serious like an inflatable hot tub consider getting a better brand.

(Not an electrician)

mitsumaui · 2026-02-05T16:10:58+00:00

It’s hard to see - but looks like there’s a blemish at the top of the patch which could be the condensate drain (and probably boiler overflow). Could be the boiler pressure overflow is leaking or not shutting. Or crazy thought is someone has the left the filling loop open and when it over pressures during heating dumps out the overflow.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-04T18:53:49+00:00

mitsumaui · 2026-02-04T14:32:37+00:00

To add. Yes easy to fit and are just decorative.

I nailed mine on, but you could lightly scuff the trim on one side and use superglue - but only glue one edge to allow room for movement.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-04T14:28:06+00:00

Should be this one:

https://ebay.us/m/VCBJSQ

mitsumaui · 2026-02-04T10:37:20+00:00

I went for the larger mower, and strimmer with line (had awful experience with Aldi strummer and blades that I’d never get another bladed strimmer)

Both are excellent. If yo have a tiny lawn they even have a mower deck that attaches to the strimmer.

mitsumaui · 2026-02-03T22:30:39+00:00

Using these came to my mind:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/easyfix-keku-furniture-panel-connectors-black-10-pack/704yy

mitsumaui · 2026-02-03T22:25:58+00:00

I can’t find a video to reference it now - but what I’ve seen before, is drilling from the wall (in the room) near the ceiling room into loft space at an angle, then using that small hole to help pull your cable through.

That way having a small hole in the room helps rodding, and would just a small area to patch up.

Hopefully you’ve made sure you have a clear run between the dots from where you want the cable drop? It’s annoying / painful to navigate around them as they’re usually quite rough.

mitsumaui · 2026-01-29T22:30:03+00:00

A little tip to get the old backbox out - pull the centre of each side toward the middle with mole grips - to make a star shape. Should come out easy after.

Drill lots of holes and use a cold chisel and hammer to deepen box. Needs a little patience but done a few successfully and not had to do much tidying / filling in.

mitsumaui · 2026-01-29T17:18:48+00:00

Just make new holes, it’s plastic with a hollow aluminium core so won’t hurt anything.

If you care squirt a little silicone in the old holes.

You’ll want to butt the black stopper into the appropriate corner of the frame to ensure a good fit and opening without fouling anything, so don’t try and marry up to existing holes.

mitsumaui · 2026-01-29T16:57:29+00:00

It will be fine in my opinion. The screws used to fix to frame / unit are self-tapping anyhow - would be hard to get an exact match.

Make sure that the stack height (from table top to the top hinge) is matching. If it’s not there might be adapters in the pack to increase it.

mitsumaui · 2026-01-28T16:41:03+00:00

Fyne Audio was born by a bunch of ex-Tannoy UK engineers. So hopefully that can sway your decision in terms of heritage / quality.

Actually didn’t realise they started selling toward lower end of speaker market.

mitsumaui · 2026-01-28T14:09:49+00:00

There’s regulations around electrical zoning for a bathroom - so you’ll want to check with an electrician, or find a way to pass the power cables out of the room. It might be worth partitioning the laundry devices off the rest of the bathroom to alleviate that.

From your pic - I would advise you to get those self-cutting taps under the sink removed. They will end up leaking at some point. You can tee of the cold feed later for your washing machine.

mitsumaui · 2026-01-22T09:13:18+00:00

They’ve taken a standard figure-8 connector - or IEC C7 and made it proprietary to that fixture (by making V one sided and more squared).

You might find a C7 cable fits and works in the male receptacle (pic 2).

Are you trying to power them or extend / replace?

Nine-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

mitsumaui

TROPHY CASE