Eek, a Leak!

Rain, 6°C

Not moved into my new house yet but did call in to drop some stuff there. I decided to switch on the mains water. While eating a sandwich, I could hear dripping.

That is a sickening sound to hear. Water was coming through the kitchen ceiling. Immediately, I turned off the stop cock and rushed upstairs to find the source.

It’s that big nut. White tape was visible and it looked askew on the thread. Next, adrenalin.

Here it is after my repair. The top nut was cross threaded and not fully screwed down. With the weight of the water gone, the tank may have tilted preventing the nut lining up straight when the seller drained the system.

It looks like they opened the joint to drain the tank with a syphon. I can’t find a drain tap below the tank so I did the same with a hose into the bath

It was then that it occurred to me what happened. The seller drained the tank as described above.

Next step. Once drained I cleaned the joint with a wire brush and put new PTFE round it before winding the nut back down.

I hope that’s right. A plumber is coming on Wednesday so he’ll let me know.

Finally. I drained the heating circuit again so it can be refilled with some corrosion inhibitor added.

Moral: keep an emergency repair kit, spare pipe, hose clips, and some flexible threaded pipe.

The surveyor got it right, that wasps’ nest is the biggest I’ve seen too. I’ll get a picture another day.

Should I open a separate blog to document the work on this house?

Something in the water is watching.

12°C, sun and light rain.

Something in this pond is watching. There were two ripples from their dive for cover as I approached. Yesterday there was a glassy eye, a frog I think. Actually, two.
That’s great for such a small garden pond.

From the bottom of my garden, I see space for essentials like a compostheap and a larger pond. The Electric fountain can go though.

I’m in.

6°C, after a snowy start, the next was vigorous.

A chance to try something seen at my old house, an igloo. The snow wasn’t really suitable, it refused to compact densely. The roof fell in before this photo.

Anyway, the real house: I have the keys, the place is all mine.

Mine.

7°C, sun with few showers.

I get the keys tomorrow.

Maybe, I should blog about its modernisation here. The long wait is over, now the hard work begins.

Ainsdale long loop, walk.

Wintery, -2°C, cold brisk E with some sun and snow showers.

I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 13.50km, time: 03:53:01, pace: 17:16min/km, speed: 3.48km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2737465336

Top temperature today was -2°c though the snow underfoot was still quite powdery. Take away for windchill and it’s -11°C. You can avoid that in the dunes, much of the route runs in the valleys. I chose one of them to stop for lunch. Part of the route was familiar and marked with coloured posts.

The initial idea behind this route was to include a visit to a wreck out just below the mean tide line. I knew the sea would be far out but there was lagoon like water blocking the way. There is no way that I’d wade out to the sand bank where the wreck lies, not in this weather.

Fun thought- the image of me, knelt in remote dunes negotiating details over the mobile of my new house purchase in bracing winter weather.