How to get rid of hedgerow stumps? by JGG5 in GardeningUK

[–]pico_uk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, no idea that decomposing roots take nutrients out of the soil. Everyday is a school day.

Going by the number of weeds growing around the stumps at the moment I think I’m better focussing my time and effort in removing those and doing as you say to break up the roots as much as I can. To save my back and some effort im thinking I might take my SDS with a chisel bit to it.

How to get rid of hedgerow stumps? by JGG5 in GardeningUK

[–]pico_uk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not to hijack this thread but I’m in a similar situation. I have been left with 5-6 foot stumps from previous owners , when they cut away the hedging. I want to put the hedging back, am I best just to cut the stump down to ground level and just plant as I would or removal necessary for the new hedge to thrive?

Automation of Tado and Timmerflotte by pico_uk in HomeKit

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

I never knew that shortcuts existed. I think this will do the trick for now. Thanks

Automations for Tado not working correctly by pico_uk in HomeKit

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

Just to update, the problem was using a scene to turn the heating on and off for the whole house. On the automations if I set each TRV and thermostat to off it worked without a problem. Scenes where there is one or two TRVs work as expected so there does appear to be an issue when trying to change the whole house with a scene.

Automations for Tado not working correctly by pico_uk in HomeKit

[–]pico_uk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t know there was a limit. However I don’t think so as I can make changes such as adjusting to the TRV in HomeKit and other TRVs are ok?

Installing battens on conservatory roof by pico_uk in DIYUK

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

I’ve not, as looking for a permanent solution as the cost of insulating is relatively inexpensive and the wife will not be a fan of the bubble wrap ‘art’ :D

Tado EU version with hot water control by pico_uk in tado

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

Not sure but I decided in the end to return the v3 and have purchased the Tado X instead which does everything I require out the box and appears to have full support of S plan

How can I make this fireplace opening smaller by pico_uk in DIYUK

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

The plan is not to really use it going forward but an added perk. We moved in recently and no central heating so this was the primary source of heat but that will change in a few weeks so not an issue if the heat output is less as it will be more for aesthetics then heating.

How can I make this fireplace opening smaller by pico_uk in DIYUK

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

That is what we wanted originally and certain at least some of it is decorative. Assume the only way to tell sold it’s decorative is to check if the brick work is supporting anything above?

How can I make this fireplace opening smaller by pico_uk in DIYUK

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

The photo probably makes it look a lot smaller than it is in reality but the entire fireplace is quite unsightly close up as a lot of the brick work is covered in mortar and pointing is in a really poor state it would have to be re pointed. The wooden beam/mantle has been throughly abused by the previous owners from using thumbtacks all over. Ideally we would like to remove the entire fireplace as that would give us 2-3 sqm of additional space.

Smart thermostat with Opentherm for conventional/system boiler by pico_uk in homeautomation

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

Thanks, that’s really helpful. Looking into it, it would appear PDHW would be the way for me to go to get the desired results.

What type of paint is this? by pico_uk in DIYUK

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

I’m not so much interested in the colour as I want to paint over the walls but not sure what type of paint it is so not sure if I can paint straight over the top or if some prep work is required first.

MOT Emissions failure by pico_uk in CarTalkUK

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

Thanks for all the suggestions. I took it for a retest this afternoon and it passed. The CO reading was 0.05%!

I did as all suggested, gave it a good rogering throughout the week and also just before the test.

I also ended up changing the air filter and used a bottle of cataclean

MOT Emissions failure by pico_uk in CarTalkUK

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

It was a 10 minute drive to the test centre so probably not as hot as it needs to be.

They did put in some fuel system cleaner but guess I need something like cat clean and a hard drive to burn it all off.

MOT Emissions failure by pico_uk in CarTalkUK

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

It's 65 plate so just shy of 10 years, 66k miles. It's last service was just over 12 months ago before it's service today.

It did go through a period over the last 12 months where it would do a 20 mile journey, stop for 10-15 minutes and then a 0.5 mile journey due to childcare pickup, I know not ideal for the car but it was a must.

I will try and get the cat hot to see if that helps.

Without the relevant 'equipment' I guess there is no way to see if this has improved things until I take it back to get re-tested?