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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 09/03/2009 at 18:38
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My employer, a large Govt Dept, has recently introduced a cyccle to work salary sacrifice scheme. As an employee one accepts a reduced salary in exchange for provision of benefit of a loaned bike for work use. Salary reduced by discouted retail cost of bike so that effectively it is paid for from gross income in 12 equal instalments.
Employer may offer an option to purchase at market value at end of loan agreement but cannot commit to do so due Consumer Credit Regs.
I'd like to use it to acquire a premium folding bike but am having trouble costing the end to end deal.
How is market value calculated and do the Revenue require evidence of it?
Contracted supplier (Cycle Solutions/Wheelies), its rival suppliers and numerous public sector C2W schemes published on internet suggest market value is accepted as 5-7% of original retail cost of bike or a nominal sum not exceeding one month's salary sacrifice.
My employer is insisting on a valuation from an independent cycle dealer claiming that this is an HMRC requirement. I suspect that HMRC take no more interest in the final value than they do in whether the bike is actually used for work travel and that the bike shop clause is a bright idea suggested within employers HR Dept. I don't intend
to pay the ebay price of a S/H bike on top of the salary given up.
Can anybody advise on current HMRC position or from employer perspective or more generally?
Thanks in anticipation.
Edited by Bromptonaut on 06/03/2009 at 23:04
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This covers the point pretty well:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/consultations/ben-exp-mins170408.h...m
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Must work like the old PC4Home type scheme. Got a PC this way with full at home warranty for 3 years etc. At the end you had two options: (1) Pay a fee of £50 and the PC/TFT/etc is yours or (2) pay a final admin fee of £50 and they will arrange to collect....
... they would not say at the start this was the case but was and they hinted at it.
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Thanks to all who replied and particularly hxj for the link to the HMRC working party minute - how did you find that? At first I thought it supported my employers argument but in fact if you read local cycle dealer to include web suppliers with C2W experience, there's ample evidence out there that 5% or so represents market value at the end of one of these deals.
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You going to go for it then ?
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The offer is a b-spoke Brompton listed @ £880 for £550
I'm going for it on the basis that 95% of the usage will be on my daily commute or attending meetings at HQ, two miles from my own office I'd prefer to own it to avoid insurance and mainteance complications but if I just carry on riding I may be unchallenged for years.
tic>Is there anything equivalent to adverse possession for consumer durables as opposed to land /tic
Edited by Bromptonaut on 07/03/2009 at 21:35
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I think I'm on the same scheme (Cycle2work), a government initiative?
Anyhow a colleague took it up 18 months ago and after final payment they didn't contact him again to collect bike/offer him to buy it.
I should think it's rather impracticable and uneconomic to go around collecting and reselling bikes on the small scales these schemes operate under, considering the residual value of the bike in most circumstances.
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Call a few repair guys and ask them.
I had my upright freezer repaired - a new compressor etc.
I told then to stop talking about " buy a new one etc" and give me a quote.
The repaired unit lasted for many years and I have only just replaced the freezer with another upright.
If yours is an taller upright then this is what I found when trawling the market place.
If they are cheaper to run they are more expensive to buy and have very thick walls and therefore very poor capacity.
I bought a cheaper Frigidaire freezer that costs more to run but has lots of space.
Quite a few have lever type door handles that sort of prise the door off the seal rather than mine which needs quite a tug to open the door.
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thank you for the info/advice henry k but I've just been to my local electrical store and bought a cheap big fridge/freezer - £350 - (which is nowhere near as nice as my old one but less than half the price).
They've just delivered it, slipped them a £20 as promised so everyone, except my wallet, is smiling. Sort of...
I've put my "freezer cleaning knife" away :)
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This is a general question as I do not have all the details of the case and nor do I wish to pry.
Would there be any concensus on what would be a reasonable amount of time, for a life insurance company to pay out on a claim, assuming that it was a straightforward case with no complications? I do not know if there are any third parties, such a Solicitors invoved.
Just before Christmas, husband of late middle age neighbour died in hospital. He had a heart attack about a year ago and did not properly recover from this, so his passing was not entirely unexpected.
Widow ( a nervous type at the best of times ) is becoming increasingly distressed at the time it is taking for the company to deal with this matter.
If anyone could give any indication of what might be a reasonable period for this to be dealt with, or, a length of time after which, a delay could be considered to be excessive, it would be much appreciated.
Many thanks.
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Insurance companies are very good at dragging their feet, regardless at what stress or hardship they may be putting on people.
Commenting on one case is difficult as we don't know the full story. As a further example my dad was 65 last October - he's still waiting for the cheque for his annuity payment.
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If anyone could give any indication of what might be a reasonable period for this to be dealt with, or, a length of time after which, a delay could be considered to be excessive, it would be much appreciated. >>
Three months MAX for a simple straightforward case.
If death abroad, if cremated, if under suspicious circumstances, etc. then expect a lot of form filling, certificates, documentary evidence, witness statements, etc. before getting the money. A year or more in those cases is easily possible.
Edited by jbif on 07/03/2009 at 13:03
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Many thanks jbif, appreciate your input.
Rgds.
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I managed to get a payout in a couple of weeks, but only after promising the rep that I'd visit his office and seize goods to the value if he didn't sort things very quickly. This was for a very small policy but form his attitude I suspect that for a larger amount I'd have had to wait far longer than is reasonable.
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I've noticed an increasing trend for messages to say "Edit .........." near the end. It's obviously been written before the message has been posted, so what's the point of saying it? The message hasn't been edited, it's had a postscript added.
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Its an indication that it was added as a Post Script - don't worry about it.
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Is that all? I thought it might be the latest way of demonstrating that one is cool. I'm always on the lookout for ways to increase my coolness rating, innit.
;-)
Edited by L'escargot on 07/03/2009 at 10:15
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if u wan2 incrs ur kool r8ing den u need to spk lak dis yea - thafe
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Is that all? I thought it might be the latest way of demonstrating that one is cool. I'm always on the lookout for ways to increase my coolness rating innit. ;-)
I have been trying to work this out.
How does one edit one's own post?
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I'm always on the lookout for ways to increase my coolness rating innit. ;-)
Relax, dude. You are already universally acknowledged as the king of cool in the Back Room.
Increase you coolness rating? The thing you speak of is impossible.
:-)
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Before 1960 probably, when I was too young to know any better, I spent a couple of evenings in the company of an Anglo-French individual given to bawling at random in an intensely excited voice: 'COOL, MAN!'
Awfully embarrassing in the Soho streets when you were trying to pass unnoticed with your snootily vulnerable air, ragged black overcoat and cracked shades...
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It might mean that it was posted, then edited and re-posted. If anyone read the pre-edit version, they might spot the 'EDIT' next time they visit the thread and read what they otherwise would have missed.
EDIT: madux - there's an 'edit' link available at the bottom of your post for a few minutes after posting.
Edited by Focus {P} on 07/03/2009 at 12:52
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But I can't see a way of posting then editing, then re-posting.
Maybe I am just thick - or over 5?
Thanks First time I have spotted that!
Edited by madux on 07/03/2009 at 12:54
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But I can't see a way of posting then editing then re-posting. Maybe I am just thick - or over 5? Thanks First time I have spotted that!
The 'edit' facility is only available for a short time ( 5 minutes?) after a message is posted.
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The 'edit' facility is only available for a short time ( 5 minutes?) after a message is posted.
Correct. It also becomes unavailable if someone replies to your message before those 5 mins have elapsed. DD
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I only put "Edit" in myself if I have genuinely added something after I posted. If I correct spelling or something I would not. I do it so anyone reading the thread knows I added something.
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I've noticed an increasing trend for messages to say "Edit .........." near the end.
I tend to put "Edit: ..." when I edited one of my responses, if I feel anything to do with the edit needs explaining. Sometimes one sees an edited psot and thinks "I wonder why/what was edited" - some moderators do this, which is a Good Thing IMO and worthwhile, in their case, doing as a matter of course.
It's obviously been written before the message has been posted
I've never done or noticed this happening[1].
[1] Footnotes, yes, good.
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Can anhyone point me to a forum similar to HJ but for hi-fi please? I know about AV Forum but is does not cover hi-fi.
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Try:
whathifi.com/forums/default.aspx
www.hififorum.co.uk/
www.avtalk.co.uk/
There are others.
Edited by Stuartli on 07/03/2009 at 09:51
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>>I know about AV Forum but is does not cover hi-fi.>>
I left out AV Forums because bintang made this point..:-)
Edited by Stuartli on 07/03/2009 at 14:57
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www.audioasylum.com
Is a favourite of mine.
Out of interest, do you have a particular question you're going to ask?
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Given that you were out in the tropics and a cockroach with a body (minus legs) as long and wide as a matchbox - were to be hiding in the folds of your curtain - dare you turn off the light?
A rhetorical question you understand......... ;-)
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with a body (minus legs)
It's not going to walk over and harm you, so pull it's wings off! ;>)
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Cockroaches, which have been around as long as sharks or longer (i.e. far longer than any mammal), are very aware insects and very quick in their reactions. In my experience they don't crawl on you except by accident. I understand though that if you are moribund they may sneak up and start eating the calloused skin off your feet before you are actually dead.
Nasty though they are, I don't have the stomach for crushing them with my bare feet as I have seen people do in West Africa (where they are just as big as those Filipino jobs, as are the Aussie ones).
Many years ago I had tea with a couple of gay dope dealers in Brooklyn. Their whole flat was crawling with cockroaches of every size, even on the sofa, because being Buddhists they didn't kill or chase them. But the roaches, even the baby ones, stayed six inches away from you at all times.
Edited by Lud on 07/03/2009 at 14:37
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....... if you are moribund they may sneak up and start eating the calloused skin off your feet before you are actually dead.
I wish I'd known that before I agreed to pay for a chiropodist for 'er indoors!
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Also if you cut thier head off, they will still live for upto nine days!! - before they die.....of starvation!
p.s
why has the giant cockroach in the curtain got no legs in the first place??
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The giant rat behind the curtain bit them off.
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At the end of the Summer my partner bought an all bells and whistles bird feeder and within a day had half a dozen birds there all the time, filling their faces/beaks, with nuts seeds and dripping balls. This year, despite the harshest weather for 18 years, there are no birds and nothing is being eaten. Any ideas or similar reports from elsewhere in UK? We are in the Reading area and getting no birds at all.
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 07/03/2009 at 13:40
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I'd hazard a guess at magpies.
Bound to upset somebody but until 2 years ago, lived here 6, we had magpies galore and barely heard or saw a single songbird all summer long.
The magpie really is a killer, and despite being beautiful in its own right will kill every fledgling it can get to, they can clear an entire hedgerow in a couple of days.
So i've despatched a goodly number of them since and as i sit typing this we have 2 goldfinches and umpteen other songbirds jostling each other for position on our numerous feeders, in fact the finches of various sorts are so prolific now that we get through about a Kilo of nyjer seed a month, and the songs morning and night are wondrous.
Also i don't know where you get your birdseed, but some of the so called wild bird seed isn't, i get my seed in bulk from a certain online site, its much better quality and more varied and more attractive to the small birds, the stuff from some high street shops is more wheat grain than anything and is only likely to attract pigeons.
AS you'll have to deal with the magpies if you want the songbirds back IMO.
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We have had bird feeders for several years.
I use carefully selected seed with no wheat in it. We also leave apples on the lawn for blackbirds.
Since the snowy weather we are seeing very very few birds.
Just prior to the snow there were lots of small birds of several varieties.
Much as I agree about not wanting Magpies around, I do not think they are the culprits the time.
I bought an nyjer seed holder and a bag of seeds last year and very little had been taken so lots still left.
I live near Kingston Surrey.
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We have several magpies in our area and, as rightly pointed out, they are a particularly nasty threat to other birds - the same goes for gulls, who I have seen literally snatch young ducklings off the local park lake whilst they were closely following Mum and Dad.
I buy a 20kg bag of good quality bird seed for £12.99 from a local pet supermarket; much cheaper than the small bags at almost £3 a go at Tesco, Morrison's etc.
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There's variable bird population at my caravan in leafy North Yorkshire.
I have a couple of cheapo feeders and one year I couldn't fill them fast enough.
The birds were waiting/fighting each other to get on with Mr Robin being the most aggressive.
Another year and a fill of the feeders will last nearly a week.
The birds seem to have their own set mealtimes and the one thing that always keeps them away is wind.
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We haven't had many of the usual visitors to the seed feeder - not many greenfinches recently. I think they're going down the road to a neighbour who hangs out fat balls etc! Must improve the offerings. Magpies nest in large trees nearby so that may explain absence of smaller birds, as has been suggested. However, the meal worms attract a few others nevertheless. Long-tailed tits (up to 6 or 7) have parties on the feeder, and closely examine all the shrubs. Wax-wings (3) seen in nearby lane, last week
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Always had magpies in my garden and they're not a huge problem although they do account for a few youngsters each year.
Aside from the raisins for the blackbirds my main purchase is a 7.5kg sack of black sunflower seed which feeds sparrows, blue tits and the robin. It's vital to offer it in a form that can't be accessed by pigeons or doves though, otherwise what would feed all the others for a day disappears in five minutes.
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. I think they're going down the road to a neighbour who hangs out fat balls etc!
The little blighters are rather mercenary arn't they, during the regular scuffles in our garden the greens tend to beat the goldies off, but the goldies are greedy, they'll stay glued to the feeder for 10 minutes or more.
Incredible the quantity of nyjer they'll stuff down.
Haven't tried mealworms before, but give another couple of weeks when the many blue tits around will be looking for nesting sites and i intend to try them too.
I'm much of the opinion that culling magpies is the only long term answer here, thats Northamptonshire by the way.
Sparrows, thrushes, wrens, all finch's etc the resurgence in numbers since we started on the maggies has been heartening, but its an ongoing problem and you have to be ready for them when the little birds fledge.
Those in areas not suitable for other means have you considered a legal Larsen trap?
Very effective where you have a problem.
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Thanks very much for the replies so far! We don't see magpies at all but I think that those who suggested duff seed may be on the right tack. We will try some new stuff and make sure we don't get anything wheat based. We have had!trouble with grey and one black squirrel but got round that by greasing the bird feeder pole.
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I have no idea why my offerings including meal worms are being ignored.
I am left with two robins and a couple of blue tits
No problem from tree rats especially as they run off with a bit of apple.
Although cats are around they have always been there.
I still suspect the harsh winter.
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We've seen a similar thing here in Basingstoke.
Before we went on holiday (1st Feb) the airspace around our feeders was more congested than Heathrow. Since we got back, things have been very quiet. Even the cheese-monsters - our resident blackbirds - aren't feeding as often, even though we've been tempting them with their favorite Sainsbury's cheap cheddar and apple.
We thought that the local Sparrow Hawk had started to take an interest again but it sounds like it's more widespread.
On a positive note, we have some Hawfinches visiting the garden, the bluetits are busy checking out the boxes and the robins and bullfinches are getting territorial.
Kevin...
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Again, many thanks for the inputs! I would have thought that harsh weather would have increased the numbers of hungry birds. The answer to our problem was that moisture had got into the seed feeder and set the contents like concrete and the poor things couldn't feed! Took it down and cleaned it up refilled with seed and already some birds are back. We will go for a better quality seed and hope that the improvement continues. A result
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The answer to our problem was that moisture had got into the seed feeder and set the contents like concrete
That can be a problem - our seed feeder hangs from the bird table, so I go out every other day or so, detaching the seed feeder and giviing it a good rap on the table to deposit so seed on the table helps keep it clear, as does having a couple of feeders and using them in circulation whilst giving the rested on a good clean
We have a variety of feeds in the garden, but the staples come from Costco, mixed birdseed at £6 for 9 kilos and fat balls at about the same for 50, if anybody is interested ;-)
funny how all us environment destroying petrolheads are interested in the natural world, isn't it ?
Edited by borasport20 on 08/03/2009 at 18:30
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You will always see lots more birds in late summer 'cos they've been breeding from March to September!
The subsequent attrition rate whether from cats, magpies, sparrowhawks or roadkills is massive. We get greenfinch, goldfinch dunnocks, sparrows, robins and tits but above all starlings. One set breeding under my eaves and another pair in next door's loft and raising two or three clutches each. Twenty plus juveniles squabbling over the fat balls was nothing unusual up to onset of Winter.
Only a few left now but they're in and out of Warren's loft again this afternoon!
Edited by Bromptonaut on 08/03/2009 at 19:09
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The wild bird population seems to vary immensely with the area. At our last house we hardly saw any birds in our garden except blackbirds, despite the fact that we were only a couple of hundred yards from a farm (where there were loads of birds) and open countryside. At our current house we get loads, including loads of magpies and starlings, both of which are supposed to be on the decline.
One thing I've learned from bitter experience is that rats also like bird food. Our council pest control officer said that rats build their nest close to where they find a source of food, and in populated areas the source of food is invariably provided by people putting out food for wild birds ~ especially waste food thrown onto the ground. Rats are accomplished climbers so they can reach any bird feeders.
Edited by L'escargot on 09/03/2009 at 07:24
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We are in the Reading area and getting no birdsat all.
I am in Reading and we put out a feeder full of seeds 2 months ago. I've seen sporadic blue tits, and the feeder isn't even half empty yet. I put it down to them being wary of my garden as it is oft visited by next door's 3 (expletive deleted) cats. Or vermin, as I think their correct title is.
Edited by Alanovich on 09/03/2009 at 11:32
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We currently have a blocked external drain, which is causing a manhole on our property to overflow. Before I go into those details, please let me give you some background....We live on a private road (cul-de-sac) which has 9 properties in a "L" shaped configuration. I live in the first property located on the end of the "base".
According to a neighbour, the drains are configured such that they run parallel along both sides of the "L", join and enter the main drainage system at the "corner" of the L. Therefore we are furthest from the mains drainage on one side of the plot.
I have just tried to clear the blockage by rodding it through ...never a pleasant job.....I have rodded from my property, through to next door and the next property again....still didn't clear the blockage. After rodding about 80 feet, I must have hit a junction or similar - just wouldn't go any further.
So my question is ......what is the best thing to do? Obviously will need to talk to the neighbours concerned. Would it be a good idea to get my insurance company involved? Need to get this sorted out fairly quickly......
Thanks in advance.
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1. Assuming this is a foul drain.
2. You need to - with your neighbours' consent -
3. Take up as many manhole covers as you can (take care to prevent anyone or anything falling down the manholes.)
4. Establish which are foul drains and which are surface water drains.
5. Replace the the surface water manhole covers.
6. Establish the direction of flow of the foul drain
7. Find the the first manhole which is not blocked.
8. The blockage is between the first manhole which is blocked and the first manhole which is not blocked.
9. Rod between these two manholes.
10.Whether to rod upstream or downstream?
11. Depends, rodding downstream, you can use gravity as an aid. Rodding upstream could could be useful to determine the point at which the blockage has occured - potential drainage defect.
12. Good luck! Wear gloves.
13. Appropriately no. 13, I don't know about insurance.
14. My apologies if all of this assumes little knowledge on your part.
Edited by drbe on 08/03/2009 at 07:49
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If it's a foul water drain, I'd also advise wearing an old pair of swimming trunks - nothing else.
SWMBO can hose you down afterwards.
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Thank for the replies - Yes, it is a foul water drain.
I'm wonderiing whether to call "dyna-rod" and be done with it.....because even though it's obviously a communal problem, I/we seem to be the only ones effected.
Cheers.
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Let us know how you get on Chad.
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Thank for the replies - Yes it is a foul water drain. I'm wonderiing whether to call "dyna-rod" and be done with it.....
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I was impressed with the clever jetting head they used to clear a drain near me, a clever bit of kit.
Be interesting to compare prices in these harder times!
On Friday a relative was recounting his similar problem.
Could not clear a blocked drain as there appeared to be a 90 degree bend preventing rodding.
He had recently had a new toilet suite installed.
His local man said there appeared to be many more blocked drain recently.
He suggested that low water content loos and also half flush features were contributing to the problem.
Sounds a possibility. Bring back high level cisterns with a proper chain ? :-))
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Just a word of warning. Some years ago I had problems with a drain/loo backing up and as husband was away, called a 'firm' to deal with it. Not unexpected in an old house, with the build up of muck, but it had not happened since the family bought the house in 1958. Well, the call out was about £200 then there was an extra £50 ish for using the pressure washer. Bit the bullet and paid up.
Problem has happened quite frequently since and we have dealt with it using rods and a pressure washer.
Two years ago an electricity company dug up the lane to lay cables and managed to cut through our sewage pipe. When the relevant waterboard repaired it they showed us two bricks they had found in our pipe - which they suggested had been dropped in the manhole cover in our garden!
I have no proof, but the drains have been clear since.
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Interesting. We live in a residential estate. Some weeks back (maybe 6 weeks ago) we got a letter from the local council saying that a house about 14 doors away (who happen to have recently had a major amount of extensions etc!) had a problem with the foul water drains, and that the council had identified which houses might be either affected or be the cause. The range of houses seemed quite a lot, especially as it included a number of houses in street behind ours - two gardens length away at least!
The letter gave us something like three days to deal with the problem, and if we didn't, then they (the council) would deal with it and the bill would be split between the parties shown to have "caused" it.
Given the short time frames, and that we don't know half our neighbours, and also I reckoned we were on the outer limit of culpability, we chose to not do anything, and presumably no-one else did anything as I expect someone would have put a note through the door if they'd planned anything.
I haven't yet heard anything, or seen any activity. But I'd imagine you can put it in the hands of your local council. Note it was definitely the council, not the water people. If you want me to find the letter and get any detail drop me a PM.
btw one of my mates reckoned the insurance wouldn't be interested, unless I had one which specifically covered drains etc - which of course I'd cancelled just 3 months before...
Edited by smokie on 08/03/2009 at 18:10
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How old is your house and the others?
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Thanks to all who responded to my question and put forward helpful suggestions.
Edited by tyro on 07/03/2009 at 20:25
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Hello folks, this one for the legal eagles.
We have some land, including a couple of fields that have been under an Agricultural Tenancy. The farmer that grazed them was a tenant and has moved out of the farmhouse and the owners have sold it and the land to a local man wo is not a farmer and who wants to develop the house and sell-on. Tne farmer is probably going to give up farming or focus on the bits of land he actually owns.
Our fields can only be accessed in a vehicle through the farm yard. Question is, does the tenancy survive the change of ownership and can the new owner deny tractor access to our land?
Anyone know of a legal forum where I might pose this question too?
Thanks
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All questions will be subject to the lease and agricultural tenancies are a specialist area.
But in general:
"does the tenancy survive the change of ownership" - usually yes. The buyer shoud be aware of all tenancies.
"and can the new owner deny tractor access to our land" - probably not as the lease will contain details on access rights.
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You need specialized and specific advice - not from a forum ! (although the above is reasonable)
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I do not know if it is relevant in this case, but the small farm behind us could not be sold because the farmhouse had an agricultural convenant. It took a long time to find someone who was actually prepared to farm the land rather than keep horses on it.
Edited by deepwith on 08/03/2009 at 17:13
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I would appreciate some advice.
My existing Potterton Diplomat 44 boiler, at 45 years old [still has the original pump working well] has reached the end of life. I need advice before trying to find a good plumber in the Gatwick area.
The existing boiler btu is only 44000, which is about 11 KW, so finding one to get 50% more is not a problem. Choice of which boiler to buy, is.
Because the existing floor mounted unit is 3.2 metres from an outside wall, the provision of a vent pipe for the condensate involves going a long way round involving about 6 elbow joints and 8 metres of pipe. Boilers have a pump so,
1) can I assume they will cope with that pipe?
2) What smallest size pipe can I use? Will half inch copper do?
3) Who makes the most reliable floor standing boiler these days. (A wall unit is out as there is no room)
4) Will I need need to line the chimney? The existing exhaust vent is a 4 inch vertical iron pipe going 4 feet up before entering the chimney brickwork. Finding the top end of that inside the brickwork, so as to put the lining on it, could be fun.
5) Could I reduce to using a 3 inch pipe, as the exhaust is fan assisted on condensing boilers? -- this might allow a liner to be dropped over a piece of 3 inch used to extend the 4 inch via an adapter, says he, looking for an easy way out.
Putting the new boiler in place of the old will, at least, make for short pipe modifications apart from the condensate one.
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Perhaps I need a plastic condensate pipe because of water acidity?
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Needless to say after 45 years gas regs have changed quite a lot! You need a full survey before deciding what you can and can't have and the potential building work, pipe rerouting which may or may not be required.
My parents had to move their boiler from kitchen to hallway and that was after about 25 years of changes. Sounds simple, but there was plenty of plumbing work which needed alteration.
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Hi daveyjp, I am not so sure I need a survey. The reason for the 45 year life is my maintenance, including me updating it to have a hot-tank and a room thermostat plus a control system, plus a few boiler gaskets etc.
I have just chatted to a plumber who did a couple of installations in the same road here. So far I learn that I can forget the chimney. It is not usable. It has to have its own new exhaust via an outside wall. So one question is whether that pipe length plus the elbows in it will exceed what the boiler can use.
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"So one question is whether that pipe length plus the elbows in it will exceed what the boiler can use."
If you are asking that you do need a survey. It's not a separate job, a Corgi plumber will do it anyway as part of specifying a new boiler.
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No.
I don't need anything. It is just hard work to do it all on your own. I am quite used to standing on my own feet.
I am not about to start paying out for surveys, as you call it, until I have a pretty good idea myself of what is required. I am not green. I do understand a lot and, what more important, why.
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You cannot fit the boiler yourself and as someone else has said gas regulations have changed. The survey would be part of the quote process. I would get more than one quote/survey before deciding on anything. The quote/survey should be free.
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Can you not do the work yourself and then have it inspected and signed off before use?
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>>You cannot fit the boiler yourself
I thought you could.
I understand you have to be CORGI registered if someone else pays you to fit one, but I'm not sure of the position if you fit one for someone else without charge.
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I thought you could. I understand you have to be CORGI registered if someone else pays you ... >>
IIRC, Mapmaker has the lowdown on all this malarkey, and I think he has spoken here in IHAQ on this subject before.
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You cannot fit the boiler yourself ... >>
? Why not? Buzbee may be a "competent person".
Edited by jbif on 08/03/2009 at 22:39
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I always thought someone registered with CORGI had to fit. Happy to about to learn something ;-)
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... Happy to about to learn something ;-)
This is the statute [ may have been updated - I have not checked]
www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1998/19982451.htm
"3. - (1) No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel unless he is competent to do so."
Free to interpret it as you may wish, but as with all laws, meaning of it can be tested to finality through the Courts.
Edited by jbif on 08/03/2009 at 22:57
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Yes I was sorely tempted to get a boiler and do the fitting and then get someone to sign it off but I think I am getting a bit too old and should do more of letting someone else do it. So I am settling for being educated before the guy arrives so that I can monitor the work. I may have a different view afterwards.
Looking at the spec of a Potterton one that looks right, the condensate pipe is just 10 mm plastic and if it can be routed via the sink it can tap into the sink waste pipe and that avoids frost freezing -- water drain freezing stops the boiler.
The flue pipe as a concentric pipe (in & out) is too short to quite make my roof for an exit -- 4 m max less bends resistance equiv. length, (minus half metre per 45 degrees) but run as two pipes you are allowed 75 metres (less bends) and so taking those two up to a converter to concentric just below the roof and it can be done easily.
The plummer was telling me one big organisation put a lot of heaters in the loft -- not for me they won't.
Apart from safety, imagine having to get a step ladder out each time you need to press the reset button or sort a problem.
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"The plummer was telling me one big organisation put a lot of heaters in the loft -- not for me they won't.
Apart from safety, imagine having to get a step ladder out each time you need to press the reset button or sort a problem. "
This highlights your knowledge about installing boilers is very limited. In order for a boiler to be installed in a loft space the loft must be accessible via a properly installed loft ladder and the loft must be proplery illuminated - no portable lights or torches permitted.
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>>Free to interpret it as you may wish, but as with all laws, meaning of it can be tested
>>to finality through the Courts.
Indeed, and there is no definition of "competent". By the sounds of it, OP, you are lacking in knowledge and thus probably not...
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I know one Corgi registered gas fitter who I wouldn't let within a mile of my combi boiler or any other gas appliance....:-)
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I understand you can do DIY work without being Corgi registered as longs as you carry out everything to the current building regs and you do a good and proper job. It would be ilegal for you to do it yourseld if you cut any corners.
However it would probably take a few days to learn all the regs etc so its a lot better just to get a corgi in to it in the first place. My parents recently asked me to do some wiring work and I point blank refused, I know exactly how to do it and what needs to be done but I am not up to speed on the 17th edition and have better things to do.
I do as much DIY as possible and do all my own water plumbing but when it comes to gas and electrics I think these days its a lot better just to get the pros in unless it really is simple electrical work like changing a light fitting or switch.
As usual make sure you get recomendations, I am sure there are some dodgy Corgi people out there. PS I think its changed its name now as Corgi no longer run the scheme as I far as I am aware.
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>>as Corgi no longer run the scheme as I far as I am aware.>>
Doesn't appear to be the case.
www.trustcorgi.com/Pages/index.html
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This sounds a bit off but my mates are off to a quieter part of Ibiza this year and I keep getting asked to come but my idea of a holiday is to travel and see the sights. My idea is to go by train and ferry. Manchester to London, London to Paris, Paris to Barcelona and then a ferry to Ibiza.
The cost may not to be too bad, I can get to London very cheap, and there is cheap deals on the Eurostar, the hoteltrain to Barcelona is not bad and the ferry is quite cheap. The plan would be to stop of at Paris for a night, Barcelona for a night etc, I may even stop off on the Barcelona train half way through the journey.
I am start raving mad or this a good way of making a boring trip to Ibiza interesting?
I hate flying too much it just spoils my holiday, but I love traveling and I love trains. I am so so with ferries, I don't like them but I am not scared of them. Just learnt my lesson not to have 10 pints of Irish cider in Dublin the night before going on a ferry!
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done a similar thing down to italy, london-paris-nice or cannes-milan-florence- etc
and south of france, lots of trains from south of france over to south of spain
also find the overnight ferry to north of spain is better than flying, can resume journey there by train etc, if you can get to the south coast instead of london this may be a good option
dont think you will save money, but possible to have fun and avoid airports
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I realise it is an expensive way of doing it especialy now I am over 25. I just hate flying (will fly if I really have to) and I love traveling and visiting new places. I know Paris and Barcelona quite well too so I should be fine there on my own for just one night.
We once flew to Berlin and made my our way back by train via Amsterdam, Paris and London.
I will also look into ferries but I can imagine they would be a lot slower than the train but I am studying the ferry routes now. Barcelona dosn't seem that far from Ibiza but t he ferry seem to take 8 hours.
Southcoast is a funny thing from Manchester, the trains to London take exactly two hours, they wizz at 125mph pretty much all the way and you can get tickets for just £10 return. I can get a train to Southampton (probably via Birmingham) but it will be more costly and take a lot longer, it all depends on how cheap and quick the ferries are but it might work out cheaper than lots of random train tickets.
This is already so much more fun than flying!
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I looked at trains for a long weekend in Bordeaux - I would love to do a trip like that by train - but it was going to cost about 3 times as much as flying with the Orange Airline.
I would say that if you can get a good price, then go by train, should be much more fun!
SNCF were advertising overnight seats Paris to, for example, Biarritz "from" 15 euros.
You try and find them, though. They must be taking lessons from the other budget airline.
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I've done this a few times before but its always been Western Europe and managed to get some good deals. I found that pypassing RaiEurope was a good start, I managed to get a realy good deal directly from the German rail operators website (forget the name) but remember it being in red letters. Thankfully with what little German I knew I saw a link which said English although when the tickets arrived they were all in German including the covering letter.
I've just looked at ferries but they work out more expensive. I think the best thing is to just go to Paris like I usualy do and then work my way south down there, the Trainhotel may not be the best option for that, it might work out cheaper to to stop off some where else but this is where it gets complicated.
So far Manchester to Paris, two connections - easy
Paris to Barcelona - Can get a direct 8 hour train but on my budget it means sharing a bedroom with strangers or sitting on a seat for 8 hours.
Ferry to Ibiza very easy but takes 9 hours.
I also have to this journey back too so I would have to do a completly different journey to make it interesting.
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few things
1 overnight ferry to spain is "virtual time" if you remove the time you would have been asleep anyways its not that long a journey, similar deal as sleeper train to scotland, sleep most of the way and you havnt really lost much time, plus the meals on that ferry are great and you can make a real night of it
2 paris to barcelona? dunno TGV from Paris to Nice is fairly quick if I remember, is it quicker to go Paris-Nice-Barcelona? as day trains? your times are for sleeper trains ?
3 another thought a few years ago you could get a sleeper train from brussels all the way down to barcelona, is that one still running? is it any cheaper that route?
4 you can buy a coach ticket from london to barcelona all the way, i guess if you really dont want to fly and you want the cheapest option? or even break a coach journey half way maybe?
decisions decisions
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When we visit Bruges we do Hull - Zebrugge overnight. It takes a while but most when you're asleep as retgwte says. Alternative to drive from Manchester to Hull is travelling Manchester from Manchester to the south and then on to Bruges.
Rattle are you afraid of flying or don't like it? My wife was afraid of flying (but would sometimes) but felt a lot better having worked in a job related to aircraft maintenance. Since then she has been fine because she knows how much effort goes into aircraft maintenance.
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Rattle,
I think that the Eurorail scheme covers over 25s (we considered it a few years ago) Thomas Cook publish an excellent European Railway Timetable - remarkable reading at any time of year whether traveling or not.
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