Hello DIYsest of all threads. Share with me please, your wisdom on the following:
Slammy bastards
Most of our internal doors have a self closer on them (I’m told it’s for fire regulation) but this means all our doors slam shut. I’ve tested those cushioning sticky-dots but they didn’t do shit. Any ideas what we can do to stop these slammy bastards?
Alarm!
Any recommendations for burglar alarms? One of those smart boggers with an app and that? Or are they more faff than they’re worth? We have a cat, so it needs to be pet friendly.
Stripping trouble
Any tips for stripping wallpaper behind radiators without taking them off?
Thanking you in advance.
not sure about the door
alarm - get a company around to quote you
radiator - it’s easy to drop a radiator off it’s brackets. if you’re decorating and the radiators are old i’d budget to get a fresh radiator hung anyway. get a plumber around to remove the old one if you’re not happy doing it yourself and then get them back a week later to put the new one up
Cheers!
We probably will get new radiators, but certainly won’t be able to afford it any time soon. Also, we’re painting this week so need a faster solution than taking the radiators off. Might start a small fire underneath them - the paper will burn off before anything else takes too much damage, I’m sure.
if you have a steamer then that can help remove big pieces of wall paper. if not then just paint over as much as you can and then finish the job when you swap the radiators.
removing a radiator is straight forward though and a helpful thing to know how to do. loads of youtube videos to help you through it.
Slammy bastards: Is it a flat or a house? How many storeys is it?
Alarm!:
https://community.drownedinsound.com/t/home-security/23365/49?u=marckee
Stripping trouble: Just take them off - it’s dead easy, plus it’s then easier to put reflector panels behind any radiators on external walls:
Just don’t ever look behind your radiators.
Slammy: it’s a 3-storey semi
Alarm: Thanks!
Stripping: Thanks!
Slammy - don’t they have a little chain that does the slammy. You can just snip that in two. Might mean you burn to death…?
Yeah, it’s a little chain, but not sure I want to risk a flamy-death or invalidating insurance. Tough one, because doors slamming really does piss me off.
I presume that you’ve only got one staircase?
In that case, yes, you do need closers on the doors. What kind of closers do the doors have? Most of them are adjustable and can have the final part of the swing damped so that they don’t slam.
I wouldn’t try to put any pads within the frame to cushion the swing - there’s a risk that they prevent the door sealing as it’s meant to do.
Yep, one staircase
It’s a brass-looking chain. Will research adjustability - thanks!
An alternative to taking them right off is to loosen them either side (they will drizzle a bit) - lift radiator up off it’s wall bracket, lie it on the floor and then re-tighten it so it’s still plumbed in but lying on the floor.
Saves draining it and all that.
I’ve done this a few times and it works but there needs to be enough play in the pipework to lift the radiator clear of it’s mount. You can test this by lifting it up and see if it clears the bracket.
To loosen the big nuts at the side you’ll need an adjustable spanner and a pipe wrench.
I don’t follow this.
How do you lift the radiator and lie it down flat with it still plumbled in? Do you have flexible pipes?
RE: Alarm
We tossed up getting a wireless one (£350) vs getting a wired one (quotes were around £700+).
We went wireless in the end and fitted it ourselves. I got one that plugs into the phone line rather than getting one with an app because the app ones all had shite reviews (if you look at the Yale app on the appstore it has 1/5 stars and people moan it drains all their battery).
The alarm system we’ve got now is the Yale EF series I think. It has pet friendly PIRs if you want and is pretty easy to set up.
This one?
That’s the one we have. The app-based on looked like a stupid idea.
That’s the one. I think I got the starter pack for it plus a pet PIR and a couple of remote fobs.
Yeah, dead easy to fit. The batteries have started running out after two years, but they’re easy enough to swap out.
you can loosen the joints so that the pipes stay in position but the radiator can lie down. You need to rest the radiator on something, and then tighten the joints back up. It’s possible to do (my dad does it) but it can be messy if you’re not careful. It’s an option if you’re working on your own and don’t fancy handling a radiator on your own and trying to stop the gunk going everywhere. You also need enough flex in the pipe work to be able to lift it off the brackets.
Ah, so the vertical pipes stay where they are, and the radiator rotates down about the axis of the connecting valves?
I get it now.