Bodges you’ve seen.

[chopper602]

Ok, it's not a bodge as such, but after moving into our new house in November (it's about 16 years old) I'd had problems with the central heating and put it down to a faulty thermostat (put the temp down to 10c and the boiler would still fire up when turned on), so all ready to replace it when an engineer who is installing a log burner next month offered to take a look. After a cursory look at the thermostat and then the boiler he spotted the problem. The thermostat wasn't actually wired to the boiler. The wires disappear into the wall and have no idea where they go! The previous owners must have had the heating running full pelt when ever they, or the timer, turned it on - hate to think of the bill

[boyse7en]

chopper602 said:

Ok, it's not a bodge as such, but after moving into our new house in November (it's about 16 years old) I'd had problems with the central heating and put it down to a faulty thermostat (put the temp down to 10c and the boiler would still fire up when turned on), so all ready to replace it when an engineer who is installing a log burner next month offered to take a look. After a cursory look at the thermostat and then the boiler he spotted the problem. The thermostat wasn't actually wired to the boiler. The wires disappear into the wall and have no idea where they go! The previous owners must have had the heating running full pelt when ever they, or the timer, turned it on - hate to think of the bill

The previous owner had a wife who constantly fiddled with the heating so he fitted a fake thermostat for her to play with without costing them a fortune in gas.

[geeks]

boyse7en said:

chopper602 said:

Ok, it's not a bodge as such, but after moving into our new house in November (it's about 16 years old) I'd had problems with the central heating and put it down to a faulty thermostat (put the temp down to 10c and the boiler would still fire up when turned on), so all ready to replace it when an engineer who is installing a log burner next month offered to take a look. After a cursory look at the thermostat and then the boiler he spotted the problem. The thermostat wasn't actually wired to the boiler. The wires disappear into the wall and have no idea where they go! The previous owners must have had the heating running full pelt when ever they, or the timer, turned it on - hate to think of the bill

The previous owner had a wife who constantly fiddled with the heating so he fitted a fake thermostat for her to play with without costing them a fortune in gas.

Possible they had a smart heating system they took with them such as Hive or something as well.

[ATG]

TimmyMallett said:

geeks said:

Bravo

Back atcha

[samdy]

I guess this counts as a bodge. Last week I walked past a few groundworkers cutting a trench with a disc cutter across the entrance to a small-ish parking area that residents use around the corner from me. Thought it a bit odd because the road's adopted and the guys definitely weren't from the local highways department.

There was some coiled up ducting next to their van, and they were cutting toward where a Model S usually parks. I could hazard a guess what was happening.

Walked past again today to see the ducting had been laid and the trench (poorly) filled over with tarmac. There's a plastic tub sat next to the Tesla which has an orange cable leading into the ducting, up the gable wall of the adjacent house and in through an open window! I'll have to get some pictures when I get an opportunity.

I'm not the type to do it, but I can't imagine the local council would be particularly pleased with this setup.

[myvision]

I had to bodge the air pump lines on my pond back in 2014 lots of insulation tape used!!
This bodge is still going strong today so is it really a bodge?

[LordLoveLength]

Yes that’s a bodge!
Reminds me of my old next door neighbour. House had an external overflow for the toilet cistern which started dripping, so the obvious answer was to get the ladder out and tape a length of hosepipe into the gutter hopper!
Was like that till he moved several years later

I mean when the bodge takes longer / is harder than fixing the problem properly you know you’re dealing with special.
He was a fitter supposedly so a hands on type which just makes it worse.

[paulrockliffe]

ATG said:

Used to be a pipe with a tap on it sticking out of my grandparent's garage floor. My uncle turned it on and heard a hiss. Turned out to be a gas pipe straight off the mains. Perhaps at some stage my grandparent's house had had a gas meter and supply. Anyway, this unmetered pipe was occasionally "flared off" with the aid of a cigarette lighter to heat the garage. What, apart from theft and risk of fire and explosion, was wrong with that?

I have two in my workshop. I've wondered about them all the time I've been in the house, but they're too rusty to risk opening as they might not close again. It used to be a Blacksmiths so probably something to do with that.

I recently discovered the workshop was leased to the Gas Board when they plumbed the village up, so they were put in then. Chances of being live I would say are fairly high, but I don't dare find out.

[Rostfritt]

chopper602 said:

Ok, it's not a bodge as such, but after moving into our new house in November (it's about 16 years old) I'd had problems with the central heating and put it down to a faulty thermostat (put the temp down to 10c and the boiler would still fire up when turned on), so all ready to replace it when an engineer who is installing a log burner next month offered to take a look. After a cursory look at the thermostat and then the boiler he spotted the problem. The thermostat wasn't actually wired to the boiler. The wires disappear into the wall and have no idea where they go! The previous owners must have had the heating running full pelt when ever they, or the timer, turned it on - hate to think of the bill

I had something similar in my house. The wireless thermostat was downstairs with a receiver wired to the boiler upstairs. I spent ages trying to get the thing to work but could not get any lights on there. I took a look inside and the cable for the receiver went into the boiler and just ended next to the circuit board. There was a short 1 inch length of wire jumping the two control wire terminals.

Luckily I had a Nest I was putting in. After the plumber I got in to do some other work shrugged his shoulders and said he had no idea how to wire one up, I googled it and got it connected up in about 30 mins.

[dhutch]

Rostfritt said:

chopper602 said:

Ok, it's not a bodge as such, but after moving into our new house in November (it's about 16 years old) I'd had problems with the central heating and put it down to a faulty thermostat (put the temp down to 10c and the boiler would still fire up when turned on), so all ready to replace it when an engineer who is installing a log burner next month offered to take a look. After a cursory look at the thermostat and then the boiler he spotted the problem. The thermostat wasn't actually wired to the boiler. The wires disappear into the wall and have no idea where they go! The previous owners must have had the heating running full pelt when ever they, or the timer, turned it on - hate to think of the bill

I had something similar in my house. The wireless thermostat was downstairs with a receiver wired to the boiler upstairs. I spent ages trying to get the thing to work but could not get any lights on there. I took a look inside and the cable for the receiver went into the boiler and just ended next to the circuit board. There was a short 1 inch length of wire jumping the two control wire terminals.

Same with my first house. Previous owner was 'a builder' and had moved+swapped the boiler himself and not bothered to connect it! Fortunately found the wire after hunting around in the ceiling void nearby and worked every since.

As you say, how they managed to control a sensible house temperature I have no idea. He did mention that 'often the just turn the heating off manually' but didnt give the full picture as to why..! Thermostat/time unit had functioning batteries.


Daniel

[rfsteel]

Flat roof on my bungalow was in poor condition when I purchased back in 2015, so decided to replace it, on removing the old roof we found that the left hand side, 1990's extension, had been bodged onto the right hand side, a 1966 extension, using no wall ties at all on any of it.

[dhutch]

Yeah, well that is fairly special!

[hidetheelephants]

Flat roofs are a nexus of bodgery; they're picked because they're low cost or to please planning restrictions, stty/no access without ripping out plasterboard or ripping up the weathershield so problems hide and fester for years.

[rfsteel]

Had a load of fun and games with the GRP replacement also

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...






10kg of FLEXACRYL roof paint applied this summer has seen the roof remain water tight this winter so far.

[mattman]

chopper602 said:

Ok, it's not a bodge as such, but after moving into our new house in November (it's about 16 years old) I'd had problems with the central heating and put it down to a faulty thermostat (put the temp down to 10c and the boiler would still fire up when turned on), so all ready to replace it when an engineer who is installing a log burner next month offered to take a look. After a cursory look at the thermostat and then the boiler he spotted the problem. The thermostat wasn't actually wired to the boiler. The wires disappear into the wall and have no idea where they go! The previous owners must have had the heating running full pelt when ever they, or the timer, turned it on - hate to think of the bill

When we moved into ours, we found the thermostat was located 2ft above an 8ft long double radiator in the lounge! Luckily we ended up replacing the whole CH system

[Djtemeka]

Started the kitchen refurb in the same property as the bathroom on the previous page.

Window guys have been in and fitted new windows. (Nothing to do with me!)





I’ve removed the wood panneling and hacked off all the plaster and found half a chimney stack …

[andy43]

Djtemeka said:

Started the kitchen refurb in the same property as the bathroom on the previous page.

Window guys have been in and fitted new windows. (Nothing to do with me!)

Aaah I can see your problem there, your designer ordered the pine knock-ons. He should have ticked the Alpine White option.
And left the Bodgefoam tickbox blank.

[Djtemeka]

andy43 said:

Aaah I can see your problem there, your designer ordered the pine knock-ons. He should have ticked the Alpine White option.
And left the Bodgefoam tickbox blank.

The landlord is rather tight. Would rather an off the shelf size than order a custom size. Hence the bodging.

[njw1]

ATG said:

... it's in mid Wales.

I stayed in a very old farm house in west Wales last year that had door frames of about 5ft high on the upstairs rooms, I was absolutely determined that I wouldn't smack my head and even whilst (very) drunk on the first night there I managed not to whack my head. However (you know where this is going...), on the first morning there whilst very groggy and rushing downstairs as busting for a pee, yep, I jumped out of bed and walked face first into the door frame....

...This then woke the missus up and was she sympathetic? Oh no, she found it absolutely bloody hilarious....

[Teddy Lop]

Top tip #47682: Why use overpriced waterproof connections when you can use a choc bloc and just kinda... stylistically smerge it with silicon and optimism.