Basic DIY questions?

[Saul Goodman]

Thanks. That's what I need to know.

The female one is what I want to replace. I need to replace it with something that will fit onto the male one.

This is actually the correct connector type. (If it was 4-pin)



But any 4-pin 2.54 female dupont connector will fit. The correct one just has a locking mechanism

 

[Saul Goodman]

... and clean those pins before you fit the connector. They look pretty corroded, which isn't conducive to a good connection.

 

[kalmatthew]

Also be aware they aren't always the easiest connectors to terminate especially without the right crimp tool.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Also be aware they aren't always the easiest connectors to terminate especially without the right crimp tool.

Or solder, if you buy cheap Chinese dupont ones, with CCA (copper clad aluminium) wires. But I'm assuming he'll be buying them with the connectors already fitted.

 

[Elpenor]

Time for another question to the very helpful thread

This weekend I intend to top up the insulation in my loft. Currently it’s partly boarded, with insulation (I think) underneath the boards. It’s kind of a chessboard layout in the middle of the loft with some parts boarded and some not. The eaves are not boarded at all. So my thought is to buy a few bags of insulation and top up the thickness where it’s exposed.

For now I’m not going to mess around with removing / raising the loft boards using those legs you can get to lay more insulation underneath - that’s a job for another day. I also understand that’s it’s not a good idea to lay insulation directly onto loft boards - though I can quite remember how? So I will only lay where the insulation is exposed for now.

I have gloves, goggles, masks. Do I need a boiler suit or similar? What should I cut the insulation with if I have to (a stanley knife)?

How many bags do I need for a small 3 bedroom house? Is there any limit to how thick it’s laid?

 

[Saul Goodman]

Time for another question to the very helpful thread

This weekend I intend to top up the insulation in my loft. Currently it’s partly boarded, with insulation (I think) underneath the boards. It’s kind of a chessboard layout in the middle of the loft with some parts boarded and some not. The eaves are not boarded at all. So my thought is to buy a few bags of insulation and top up the thickness where it’s exposed.

For now I’m not going to mess around with removing / raising the loft boards using those legs you can get to lay more insulation underneath - that’s a job for another day. I also understand that’s it’s not a good idea to lay insulation directly onto loft boards - though I can quite remember how? So I will only lay where the insulation is exposed for now.

I have gloves, goggles, masks. Do I need a boiler suit or similar? What should I cut the insulation with if I have to (a stanley knife)?

How many bags do I need for a small 3 bedroom house? Is there any limit to how thick it’s laid?

270mm is the recommended thickness. Work it out from there. But you can go as thick as you want.

 

[keybored]

Not unknown for me to repair something as a matter of principle, rather than just getting a new one, and end up with some kind of frankenstein fitting which is 25% original parts and 75% new parts that don't quite match and which in total cost about 4x the price of just replacing the whole thing.

Teuchter's Broom

 

[spitfire]

Time for another question to the very helpful thread

This weekend I intend to top up the insulation in my loft. Currently it’s partly boarded, with insulation (I think) underneath the boards. It’s kind of a chessboard layout in the middle of the loft with some parts boarded and some not. The eaves are not boarded at all. So my thought is to buy a few bags of insulation and top up the thickness where it’s exposed.

For now I’m not going to mess around with removing / raising the loft boards using those legs you can get to lay more insulation underneath - that’s a job for another day. I also understand that’s it’s not a good idea to lay insulation directly onto loft boards - though I can quite remember how? So I will only lay where the insulation is exposed for now.

I have gloves, goggles, masks. Do I need a boiler suit or similar? What should I cut the insulation with if I have to (a stanley knife)?

How many bags do I need for a small 3 bedroom house? Is there any limit to how thick it’s laid?

If it's the horrible fibreglass stuff then the guys I see fitting it on site use a bread knife.

 

[spitfire]

And yes, get a disposable paper boiler suit or 2, it itches like fuck. I hate it.

 

[Elpenor]

If it's the horrible fibreglass stuff then the guys I see fitting it on site use a bread knife.

Cheers, hope I won’t have to cut it much.

 

[teuchter]

Time for another question to the very helpful thread

This weekend I intend to top up the insulation in my loft. Currently it’s partly boarded, with insulation (I think) underneath the boards. It’s kind of a chessboard layout in the middle of the loft with some parts boarded and some not. The eaves are not boarded at all. So my thought is to buy a few bags of insulation and top up the thickness where it’s exposed.

For now I’m not going to mess around with removing / raising the loft boards using those legs you can get to lay more insulation underneath - that’s a job for another day. I also understand that’s it’s not a good idea to lay insulation directly onto loft boards - though I can quite remember how? So I will only lay where the insulation is exposed for now.

I have gloves, goggles, masks. Do I need a boiler suit or similar? What should I cut the insulation with if I have to (a stanley knife)?

How many bags do I need for a small 3 bedroom house? Is there any limit to how thick it’s laid?

What type of insulation is there at the moment and what type are you thinking of using?

 

[Elpenor]

What type of insulation is there at the moment and what type are you thinking of using?

Erm it’s the usual rolls of wool type insulation as far as I can tell, and was going to buy a few more rolls of that in Wickes

 

[teuchter]

Erm it’s the usual rolls of wool type insulation as far as I can tell, and was going to buy a few more rolls of that in Wickes

It generally comes as long rolls that are kind of pre-perforated so that you can separate it into strips that roughly match the width between the floor joists. You can save a bit of mess by slicing it before you take it out of the bag though (sort of like cutting up a swiss roll).

I find it fairly horrible to work with especially in a cramped loft space without ventilation, would definitely invest in a boiler suit and some kind of face mask. And do it before the weather gets hot.

There's not really a limit to how thick it's laid other than how deep the floor joists are ... they might be 150-250mm deep. I would say you should fill all that depth up as a minimum. Obviously beyond that you have to start laying across the tops of the joists, but as you say, that's not compatible with having loft boards unless you have a way of raising them up. You could choose to do it along the edges where there are no loft boards though.

There are various other solutions for insulating on top of the rafters which involve some variation on a layer of plywood, then a layer of rigid insulation (polystyrene type for example) then boards on top of that. That kind of insulation is more effective than the mineral wool stuff, so it doesn't need to be as thick to have the same effect. Obviously the best approach depends on how much you need to access the loft and store stuff there.

 

[prunus]

I’d recommend Kingspan boards rather than rockwool/fibreglass. It’s less hassle to work with (you cut it to size with a ripsaw outside the loft) and is better insulation. Also doesn’t shed hellish fibres everywhere.

 

[teuchter]

I’d recommend Kingspan boards rather than rockwool/fibreglass. It’s less hassle to work with (you cut it to size with a ripsaw outside the loft) and is better insulation. Also doesn’t shed hellish fibres everywhere.

Tends to be quite a bit more expensive though. And if you have awkward gaps to fill, like areas near the eaves, it's much easier to properly fill them with rockwool. Even between the joists you have to cut rigid board quite accurately to make sure there aren't small air gaps that undermine the insulation effect. And in old houses the joists often aren't very straight or parallel!

 

[danski]

Don’t believe it’s wise to block right into the eaves if you have a ventilated soffit. It will stop the airflow through the loft which will help dry any moist air/potential condensation

 

[prunus]

Tends to be quite a bit more expensive though. And if you have awkward gaps to fill, like areas near the eaves, it's much easier to properly fill them with rockwool. Even between the joists you have to cut rigid board quite accurately to make sure there aren't small air gaps that undermine the insulation effect. And in old houses the joists often aren't very straight or parallel!

Yes, it is more expensive, sorry, should have mentioned that too. Having done both in different parts of this old hillside farmhouse it is my opinion that the extra cost and time required for accurate cutting of the board is well worth it. Measure twice and cut once, and seal the edges with insulating tape (even if you think you’ve got the sizing perfect). Rockwool feels easier and even feels better when you’re packing it in, but when it’s blowing force 9 outside a smoke test will show that the rockwool insulated ceilings are letting drafts in, whereas the boarded ones are as still as the proverbial.

 

[WouldBe]

There's not really a limit to how thick it's laid other than how deep the floor joists are ... they might be 150-250mm deep.

Being in a loft they will be ceiling joists so might be only 75-100mm deep.


It's best to cross lay the extra insulation so it runs at right angles to the existing insulation.

 

[teuchter]

Don’t believe it’s wise to block right into the eaves if you have a ventilated soffit. It will stop the airflow through the loft which will help dry any moist air/potential condensation

Yup, it all depends on whether it's ventilated or not and if it is, exactly where the vents are and what happens at the junction with the wall. But certainly important not to block any vents that are supposed to be there.

 

[Elpenor]

Don’t believe it’s wise to block right into the eaves if you have a ventilated soffit. It will stop the airflow through the loft which will help dry any moist air/potential condensation

I wasn’t sure about the eaves, that’s good to know. No idea what I have re soffit.

It’s a 1980 or so wimpey built house so very much standard I would think. I will use where existing insulation is in the eaves as a guide

 

[spitfire]

Fill the entire attic with gripfill, it's the only way to be sure.

 

[teuchter]

Yes, it is more expensive, sorry, should have mentioned that too. Having done both in different parts of this old hillside farmhouse it is my opinion that the extra cost and time required for accurate cutting of the board is well worth it. Measure twice and cut once, and seal the edges with insulating tape (even if you think you’ve got the sizing perfect). Rockwool feels easier and even feels better when you’re packing it in, but when it’s blowing force 9 outside a smoke test will show that the rockwool insulated ceilings are letting drafts in, whereas the boarded ones are as still as the proverbial.

I agree however I'd make different recommendations for slapdash DIY-ers than obsessive gap-filling maniacs like me or perhaps you.

 

[Elpenor]

I agree however I'd make different recommendations for slapdash DIY-ers

I know my place

 

[prunus]

I agree however I'd make different recommendations for slapdash DIY-ers than obsessive gap-filling maniacs like me or perhaps you.

No perhaps about it! In my defence I am 800 feet up in the Pennines in a 400 year old house running on low temperature heat pumped heating, it gets very cold and windy here and every little tiny gap the wind can get through makes a difference

 

[Elpenor]

Well I’ve bought the required PPE plus two rolls of top up insulation but not actually done the job yet, for reasons, but have been up for a proper survey and organised what’s up there so I am good to start when I have the time.

Have worked out that I won’t insulate the bit around the hatch as will reserve this for storage. Thats basically about 10% of the loft space. Currently the only thing being stored is the empty shelving!

Of the remaining area about half is boarded with wool insulation underneath so I guess I could lay Kingsmill kingspan boards on top for extra insulation. Everywhere else has wool insulation up to the joist and I will lay the top up insulation across at right angles.

Above the bathroom there are various pipes and outlets so my gut feeling is to not fuck about there so I will leave that area alone.

One positive is that its very windy today but there wasn’t any draft up there at all.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Have worked out that I won’t insulate the bit around the hatch as will reserve this for storage. Thats basically about 10% of the loft space.

Not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean you don’t want the faff because it’s already boarded down? Because you shouldn’t be storing anything where the insulation should go because it’ll bring your ceiling down. I assume that isn’t what you meant though.

 

[Elpenor]

Not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean you don’t want the faff because it’s already boarded down? Because you shouldn’t be storing anything where the insulation should go because it’ll bring your ceiling down. I assume that isn’t what you meant though.

Yes; the bit immediately around my hatch is boarded and that’s where I will store stuff if required (and so won’t put down any insulation over these boards).

I made the mistake of assuming everyone knew the layout of my loft having been up there with me this afternoon

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Yes; the bit immediately around my hatch is boarded and that’s where I will store stuff if required (and so won’t put down any insulation over these boards).

I made the mistake of assuming everyone knew the layout of my loft having been up there with me this afternoon

Well obviously you wouldn’t put insulation over the boards, you have to lift the boards, put the insulation in and then refit the boards.

 

[tommers]

I replaced my kitchen tap last year and the screw wasn't long enough to put the base and the nut back on as the worktop was too thick. So I think we just screwed the nut back onto the screw, anyway it's (predictably) come loose and now I can't find the base to screw it back onto.

So... my question is can I get an extra long screw bit to attach it all properly? I can't seem to find anything.

eg. This but longer

Replacement Monobloc Basin & Sink Mixer Tap Clamp Bracket Kit 1 Bolt https://amzn.eu/d/gQ5rQWj

Ah, this?

[Monobloc Tap Fixing Kit Bolt/Nut/Washer stainless steel 150mm Long | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for [Monobloc Tap Fixing Kit Bolt/Nut/Washer stainless steel 150mm Long at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[WouldBe]

I replaced my kitchen tap last year and the screw wasn't long enough to put the base and the nut back on as the worktop was too thick. So I think we just screwed the nut back onto the screw, anyway it's (predictably) come loose and now I can't find the base to screw it back onto.

So... my question is can I get an extra long screw bit to attach it all properly? I can't seem to find anything.

eg. This but longer

Replacement Monobloc Basin & Sink Mixer Tap Clamp Bracket Kit 1 Bolt https://amzn.eu/d/gQ5rQWj

Ah, this?

[Monobloc Tap Fixing Kit Bolt/Nut/Washer stainless steel 150mm Long | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for [Monobloc Tap Fixing Kit Bolt/Nut/Washer stainless steel 150mm Long at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

If there's room you could just use that as it is otherwise you can cut it shorter with a hacksaw and then run the nut across the cut end to 'straighten' any distorted threads at the cut end.