We woke up on Tuesday morning and all we could smell was heating oil. The boiler was leaking.
Not great.
I didn't have time to deal with it then so I turned everything off and went to work hoping there wouldn't be a massive oil slick when I got home.
When I got back I went about finding the problem, cleaning off all the oil and then letting it leak again. I found the problem straight away, someone in the past had used a hydrolic pipe to from the filter to the boiler instead of the proper braided pipe, this had worn through and oil was starting to weep onto the floor of the boiler.
My dad picked up a new pipe for me the next day and I fitted it and had it working again that night. The pipe cost £5.01 but I'm sure if I got a plumber out it would have been over £100 to have the problem sorted, with call out fees and the like.
I can never understand how people that can't do things for themselves afford to live, that said I'm lucky this was an easy problem and one I could manage.
When we moved here all we could smell was a sewage type smell. We traced it to the plumbing for the dishwasher..it had been plumbed direct to the septic tank without a u bend (BLECH!).
ReplyDeleteOh, the joys of being a homeowner!
Jane x
Nice smell I bet! When I worked for a major house builder we often had problems of sinks draining into washing machines and people wondering what had happend to their clothes! Amazing what work some people will think is finished!
DeleteIt has just cost us nearly three hundred euros to have the French plumber come out and fix a non leaking connection to our temporary sink in the temporary kitchen. You are right. It is better to do the jobs yourself, much cheaper. But Lester had had a fiddle around and hadn't quite managed to get it right. Ah well, at least he tried!
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a lovely and happy Christmas.
I want to write a comment without sounding too xenophobic but I think I'm going to fail - French AND a plumber! I bet it's a nightmare if your not from the same country as I'm sure they think they can just write a cheque. I shouldn't discorage people from using trades though (as I am a carpenter!) but I hate using them until I find one I can trust.
DeleteWell done for trying to fix the problem though - it can be tricky getting stuff tight enough not to leak but not so tight you break it!
Knowing how something works is half the battle. It's amazing how much $ a singleton home-owner like me has saved over the years by figuring how exactly what is wrong before deciding to tackle it myself or call in the marines. The internet is just invaluable for research. Glad you fixed your leak and, like your leak, many needed repairs are usually traceable to someone's else's bad work. Cheers! Happy (and warm) Christmas. :-D
ReplyDeleteThe internet is great for that (and for fixing my van) It's also great for buying the parts as then your not being ripped off just because you're not from that trade. Also by knowing what is wrong you gain a certain level of respect with who ever you get in to help.
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