Valkie wrote on Aug 11^th, 2021 at 11:42am:



Use soft turn washers - they are a miracle.


https://www.bunnings.com.au/fix-a-tap-13mm-1-2-soft-turn-tap-valve-2-pack_p50146...

They probably grew up with fibre washers that keep going for ages when they wear out by just closing the tap harder and it's a habit they can't break.

I have a hot water system with a slight rusting smell in the water. I only use hot water during showers. The taps in the kitchen and the bath sink are both with their hot water taps tightly turned off. I cannot bring myself to challenge hurting my body by ingesting dirty water from the hot water system.

Fitted some nice new ceramic inserts last night.
They even look perfect.

She is as happy as a pig in shite.

Explained how they work and that you do not need to force them.
Watched her a few times and she is using them correctly.

I can see my next job....the shower taps will also have to be done.
She made me some cakes for doing it.
Didn't have the heart to tell her I don't eat cake, so I "took them home to have with my dinner".

She is a nice old duck, ex university lecturer.
But Parkinson's is gradually getting to her.

glideslope wrote on Aug 13^th, 2021 at 3:04pm:


My grandfather was a master plumber and roofer in the old days.
I used to love going with him to "help" with a job.
Most of his work was on the north shore in some of the older mansions, they always wanted the best.

He was skilled at woodwork, plumbing, plastering and sheet metal work.
Finding leaks in these old places was a true calling, and I have crawled after him into roof cavities and under the floors of many a building.

He used kero torches to heat his soldering irons, huge blocks of copper on a steel shaft with a handle, to solder the copper roofs and repair chimneys.
For smaller work he had an LPG bottle and torch, but these "modern" tools were not his favourite.
By eye, he could cut a piece of sheet metal to shape and solder a chimney or patch a gutter.always the true tradesman, he always did a beautiful job.
The bottle of acid flux and the finger thick solder was always in his carry all.

Many of the old houses had steel pipes, some for water, some for electricity.
He had this old stock and die with a portable vice and thread the pipes to fit.
He used horse hair to seal the pipes, only later using the thread tape.

He was always quite wealthy from memory.
Had a huge home and perfect garden, his weekend hobbies.
He passed away only a few years before I was old enough to be his apprentice.
I was planning on being a master plumber just like him.

Instead, I went into tool and die making, then onto engineering.
But I will always lament the fact that I never got to be a plumber like my grandfather.

He was a tall, powerful and intimidating figure of a man.
Quietly spoken, but very knowledgeable.
I never understood why my father never followed in the family business.

Seriously? Most "elderly" have bad arthritis. My mother couldnt even type her fingers were so bad . . . . elderly need their washers changed sometime . . . just because young ppl can do it doesnt mean old can

Spot

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Aug 16^th, 2021 at 1:28pm:


I know where you come from.
I changed all door handles in my in-laws home and mine to lever type.
All my taps are ceramic 1/4 turn
The mixer in the shower is temp controlled so it's impossible to be burned.

I have security rails in the bathrooms and shower.

And I remodelled my shower so that there is a larger area and no step into the shower.

Gradually I am making my house invalid friendly.
My wife had her knees replaced 5 years ago and it opened my eyes to how hard some things are for the elderly or infirm.
With this in mind, and the fact that my wife's family have serious arthritic issues in later in life.
All that remains is that I need to put some ramps at the back door to eliminate the three steps.