Absolutely Anything Else

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

But there's always stuff to do inside, from trying out new recipes to painting walls.

just curious: How do you deal with ventilation of paint fumes?

I am an old DIY renovator. But I am low tech. No fancy doohickies to heat exchange in and out air in the winter. So any and all indoor paint jobs stop in the fall and do not start again until the spring when I can open a window for at least 24 hours.

Ordinary white wall paint is not a problem.  Water based and you can shut the door.

But some of it - like floor paint - is really bad stuff.   

I've actually got a ventilator (mask) with different screw on filters for different fumes. I  also usually have a fan on the job and blow the room air OUT the window.   That helps a bit.   My next paint job is floor paint in my cellar.  I looked at an epoxy paint coating for it but not only is it pricey, the fumes were really serious even  though it'd be tough - industrial strength.   So I decided on a cheaper less volatile version but less hard wearing.   It's not a high traffic area.

We can open the window in our cellar as we've got bars on it.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Water based and you can shut the door.

Hm. The paint can says otherwise. Besides..... Except for the bathroom and bedroom, we have an open floor plan. Both upstairs and downstairs. Few doors to shut here.

Very "un-Hungarian" where there are typically hundreds of tiny little rooms everywhere in a house. Which was the former floor plan of our house before we tore down many of the walls -- none of them were weight bearing walls.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Water based and you can shut the door.

Hm. The paint can says otherwise. Besides..... Except for the bathroom and bedroom, we have an open floor plan. Both upstairs and downstairs. Few doors to shut here.

Very "un-Hungarian" where there are typically hundreds of tiny little rooms everywhere in a house. Which was the former floor plan of our house before we tore down many of the walls -- none of them were weight bearing walls.

Those tiny room houses I never understood what that was all about.   

We have an odd house. We had the outside walls (obviously all supporting) plus two large walls that were supporting across the middle.  We now have one supporting wall, two new columns and a very large steel beam.   We rebuilt the top floor entirely.  We have doors on all the rooms here mainly to shut in or out noise.   So we can shut the doors for anything else of course.  Paint inside on walls is that kind of  white emulsion/titanium dioxide (?) stuff which is almost like whitewash.  Pretty harmless.

I've been thinking about having a well and solar panels.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Those tiny room houses I never understood what that was all about.

Nor I.

Here are some old photos (scroll down a bit) of me tearing down those silly walls. And where I turned three tiny rooms into one really livable space:

https://stcoemgen.com/2016/10/11/findin … ng-photos/

fluffy2560 wrote:

I've been thinking about having a well and solar panels.

Solar panels are okay. But most of the ground water here where we live has become contaminated by people installing illegal septic systems. I would not trust untreated ground water in Hungary.

klsallee wrote:

....

Here are some old photos (scroll down a bit) of me tearing down those silly walls. And where I turned three tiny rooms into one really livable space:

https://stcoemgen.com/2016/10/11/findin … ng-photos/

That's pretty cool.  We did some similar things here although we used construction workers to make it go a lot faster as we needed to move in quickly.  But when we started, we had lots of stupidly arranged rooms.

I cannot fathom how people designed things back then - some decisions just seem weird.   What were they thinking?!

This place here was a "ket-generacio" house before we reintegrated it.  In my experience, no kid really wants to live with their parents like that - they would much rather clear off somewhere else where there are fewer prying eyes. 

When one starts a project like that and then looks back, it's  sometimes a case of "if I knew then what I know now".   

fluffy2560 wrote:

...Solar panels are okay. But most of the ground water here where we live has become contaminated by people installing illegal septic systems. I would not trust untreated ground water in Hungary.

That's good to know.  Mrs Fluffy has some experience with wells and tells me that you need to have the water tested regularly for potability.  Rumour is that we're talking 40m of drilling down to the aquifer (we're on a slight hill, at the foot of a much larger one).   We have seen others nearby having wells sunk.  My main interest is to use the water on the garden - we can use 6m3 a day without paying the water company/local government for it.  That's plenty of water.  We could use a rainfall catchment system but when we looked at the cost of installing it, it's actually cheaper to drill a well and dump the rainwater.  Shame really.

For solar - more my area of knowledge - I've been investigating. I wanted about 7 kW but that's an optimistic 28 panels on full output (assume 1m2 per panel, 250W per panel).  I don't have room or correctly pointing roof space for that.   

On standard kits of say,  12m2 for the panels I could only get 2.5-3.0 kW on maximum output if I was lucky.  Maybe only 50W on a really cloudy miserable day (like today).   It wouldn't even charge the overnight batteries.  Cost wise it's not worth it at all but  on the other hand,  a level of independence from the grid could be seen as being prudent (eventually). 

Moreover, if I can use the power to charge a car this could be even more sensible.    It only seems to make sense if the power can be stored cheaply enough.  I have  some enthusiasm for Tesla but I am suspicious about the longevity of the solution.   Electric cars or Powerwalls that have defective battery packs are essentially useless scrap.  If an electric car could do say, 800km per charge, then it'd start to be an option for just driving around here but useless for longer journeys of 1000s of km.

15 mins to Moscow Square on the BKV
Fluffy I assume you meant "Szell Kalman ter"?  You're showing your history there!

Some interesting threads here, and I haven't commented, so apologies for the slight unfocused ramble I'm about to embark on.

Hungarians in France.  There are a significant number including former President Szarkozy being the product of Hungarian parents.  However there were waves that went out, like the one in '56, the one in '90, and the one since 2004 when Hungary became part of the E.U.  The UK was a popular destination due to its labor laws and perceived opportunities.  However, I can name quite a few friends who left for what was deemed a great salary only to have them return less than a year later fully disillusioned to the Brits and the cost of living there.  I believe I read somewhere that confusion over Brexit has decreased European immigration there immensely with some of the more talented fields, like nursing, experiencing a 96% drop in foreign citizen applications.  I would expect this trend to continue as the pound drops in value and the financial reasons for moving to the UK become fewer.  I agree that Austria and Germany remain strong contenders for Hungary's talent pool.

When I moved to Hungary for work, I lived in Szekesfehervar. In total for about 1.5 years and I continue to visit regularly. "Szfvr" was Hungary's first capital and is one of the oldest cities in Hungary, being continuously inhabited since the 5th Century B.C.  The Arany Bulla was signed there and 50+ kings of Hungary crowned and interred there.  The city has seen tremendous growth due to an infusion of EU funds and the downtown area is gorgeous. It doesn't hurt that Orban's family lives there, owning 3 very nice houses on one of the main strips outside the city center.  Skfvr is also a transportation hub for several cities west, like Balaton and Veszprem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_diasporahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sz%C3%A9k … 9rv%C3%A1r

Well done on the reno!  When I was looking to buy a house, I would only look at basically open plan models, which meant newer homes. They've really gone to the "american kitchen" design and tossed the traditional multi-closed off room with lots of walls in favor of this more open design. Not only are people more interested in it, it also allows for more efficient use of space, more units per floor potentially, a youthful feel, and attracts a price premium.  One interesting thing they are doing in Budapest nowadays is allowing developers to add a floor -- the top floor -- to older buildings in return for a complete rehab of the building.  So folks who can't afford that new facade, that new elevator, stair and garden repair, etc. simply allow the developer to completely renovate the existing structure, in return for adding a floor on top of the highest existing floor, much to the chagrin of that property owner I assume who no longer owns a "penthouse". They then get to sell whatever number of apartments they've built on that floor in return.  Personally I thought it an ingenious idea.  Although I think it'll be decades before that wood herringbone or block flooring disappears from any of these buildings.  It's like cockroaches in the city!

We have paint, some new wallpaper, stuff to fix the floors with etc.
The thing is getting started.
I have learned over the years that the more I ask my husband to do something the lazier he is.
I once out in Erd at my MIL's old house decided to show my husband that I wasn't lazy. I started to paint the bathroom walls, the house was up for sale and we had fixed up the kitchen but he gave up on the bath.
I was going along just fine but with those high ceilings and my fear of high places, I couldn't go up higher then the second ring on the ladder.
He refused to finish the job because I was too pushy about it. We sold the the old place with two tone bathroom walls.
Stubborn doesn't even cover it,can lead a horse to water but can't force it to drink!
Sad thing is in Paris as a young man my husband got a job for awhile with a bunch of old French Foreign Legionnaires who had a professional painting crew.
He really knows the tricks of painting and how to go about doing a good job of it.
Guess he really takes being "retired" to heart.

In Budapest I don't mind getting the ladders out to do some decorating but I really resent it if I just have to deal with a few curtain hooks that have gone astray. However I do love living in an apartment with such high ceilings compared to the UK and I even really like the standard woodblock floors and would never change them.

Vicces1 wrote:

15 mins to Moscow Square on the BKV
Fluffy I assume you meant "Szell Kalman ter"?  You're showing your history there!

....

No, I really mean Moscow Square!!!

Szell Kalman Ter is not for us!

anns wrote:

...However I do love living in an apartment with such high ceilings compared to the UK and I even really like the standard woodblock floors and would never change them.

You need a feather duster on a very long stick and high ceilings look ok but they add to heating costs.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Vicces1 wrote:

15 mins to Moscow Square on the BKV
Fluffy I assume you meant "Szell Kalman ter"?  You're showing your history there!

....

No, I really mean Moscow Square!!!

Szell Kalman Ter is not for us!

Oh, I thought because of the transportation.
Now I know you are just visiting Ronald Reagan and the US Embassy!

Funny, in the early 2000's when we came back to Hungary to visit my husband was a bit turned around in his directions.
Things had changed names over the last 40 or so years.
He would walk up to you young person and ask where Moscow Ter could be reached via the subway or bus. He was always using the old commie names for everything. Everyone just looked at him with their mouths open like."where did he come from"?
Things do change over time...
Sadly though many young people may of forgotten what their elders went through so that they could have it so good now.

Vicces1 wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Vicces1 wrote:

15 mins to Moscow Square on the BKV
Fluffy I assume you meant "Szell Kalman ter"?  You're showing your history there!

....

No, I really mean Moscow Square!!!

Szell Kalman Ter is not for us!

Oh, I thought because of the transportation.
Now I know you are just visiting Ronald Reagan and the US Embassy!

I'm passively resisting the change as I think some of these things are just too PC.  It's not a bad thing to have streets, squares etc named after capitals or famous towns.  It internationalises the place which is just fine by me. I might passively resist further if there's any talk of a Putin Utca soon.

As for Ronald McDonald, ooops...I mean Ronald Ray-gun...ooops again, well, he was in cowboy films and had a pet monkey called Bonzo.  Obviously had a sense of humour. What's not to like about him?
I think his wife (2nd one) was a bit of a wet fish.  Didn't seem to have any personality at all.

fluffy2560 wrote:

That's pretty cool.

Thanks. I am pretty proud of my DIY renovations.

But it is still ongoing in other parts of the house, and I am %!@&!!! tired of mixing mortar, concrete and plaster!

I am more a woodworker. And not a lot of wood in Hungarian houses.

fluffy2560 wrote:

For solar - more my area of knowledge - I've been investigating.

Off and on, I have also have considered solar. But honestly, I just do not grasp electrical well enough to decide. Do let me know what you glean from your research. As I said before, you are my sparky guru at this forum.

fluffy2560 wrote:

You need a feather duster on a very long stick and high ceilings look ok but they add to heating costs.

We have 3 meter ceilings. Had to install a ceiling fan to push the warm air back down.

But, still better than the standard two meter-ish ceilings many other houses around here have. And when I lived in Urnäsch Switzerland, the house I lived in had 1.8 meter ceilings** in most of the common areas of the building. I am 1.9 meters tall. Had to walk with a bent neck to our apartment. What a pain.... in the neck.....

** Side note: People are historically pretty short in that part of Switzerland. Ergo the low ceilings. How short? Well, one joke goes like this: How does an Appenzeller commit suicide? He jumps off the carpet.

Well I am fairly short but I still love these high ceilings. Mine are nearly four mtr high. In two of my rooms l have upper galleria. One was already in and  I use it for storing my suitcases and a spare single bed for visitors. I have still got a full height room below.

Over the summer I had a much larger galleria built over my main room. Its beautiful and I am using it as an arts and crafts room but  I think generally Hungarians in the City use them  for bedspaces, so that they can have a living room below and the heat rises so they then go above to sleep in a warm space.
Its a shame but many of these big apartments are being divided up by developers and small rooms with a gallery, advertised as one bedroomed flats, are all that people get for their money. Whereas a few years ago they would have purchased twice the amount of space for the same price.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

That's pretty cool.

Thanks. I am pretty proud of my DIY renovations.

But it is still ongoing in other parts of the house, and I am %!@&!!! tired of mixing mortar, concrete and plaster!

I am more a woodworker. And not a lot of wood in Hungarian houses.

fluffy2560 wrote:

For solar - more my area of knowledge - I've been investigating.

Off and on, I have also have considered solar. But honestly, I just do not grasp electrical well enough to decide. Do let me know what you glean from your research. As I said before, you are my sparky guru at this forum.

I'm rubbish with wood.  I can do metal - I actually like welding.

Re: Solar. What I know currently off the top of my head is that the average off the shelf system is 4kW, panels are about 250W (absolute max) and occupy about 1.5m2 each.   So to get about 4kW, you need at least 16 panels but realistically you could say 20 to cope with differing weather and installation conditions. 

4kW seems way too little - on a cloudy or short day such a system would barely manage anything.  It has to be really useful about 7kW makes more sense. A washing machine will take 2kW and something like a tumble dryer more like 3kW.   I'd forget even thinking of heating water or using it for an electric cooker.   For 7  kW, one would need 28 panels, which would be 42m2, quite a bit of optimal south facing roof.   Each panel weighs about 20kg, so that's 560kg on your roof.  Heavy!  Battery storage would probably weigh the same (but this can be say, on the ground floor or in a basement)

There are combined hot water and PV (photovoltaic = electric generating) panels but I haven't checked much on them as there's nowhere to install the hot water equipment here.   I can do PV panels as I have an outbuilding roof I can use - too far for hot water.  I've got space for maybe 20 panels here.

It's pretty expensive - just north of 10K EUR for 4kW all in.  So maybe 18K EUR for 7kW including a battery storage device.   At that kind of costs, the payback period is considerable and the entire thing maybe even uneconomic.

If I ever  do it, I will probably put it on my outbuilding and install it myself.  How hard can it be?!

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's pretty expensive - just north of 10K EUR for 4kW all in.  So maybe 18K EUR for 7kW including a battery storage device.

Or current electrical bill is 20 Euro a month. It would take 75 years to recover that installation cost.....

Looks like I then only have enough disposable cash this year to wire up the outhouse.

But the hamster on the treadmill currently powering the light bulb will be happy. He can retire.

Best weather year around I have ever experienced is in Belgium. Never too hot or too cold. Rains for 20 minutes then sunny again. And never ever that suffocating American humidity.
Now the best seasons are another topic. Winter is the best in Vermot or New Hamshire, plenty of fresh snow and sun. Summer is the best in Finland, Sweden and Norway they have the most amazing crystal air and transparent soft sunlight in the Summer that makes everything look like a painting.

MOHCTEP wrote:

Best weather year around I have ever experienced is in Belgium. Never too hot or too cold. Rains for 20 minutes then sunny again. And never ever that suffocating American humidity.
Now the best seasons are another topic. Winter is the best in Vermot or New Hamshire, plenty of fresh snow and sun. Summer is the best in Finland, Sweden and Norway they have the most amazing crystal air and transparent soft sunlight in the Summer that makes everything look like a painting.

======================

"Suffocating American humidity"?  Where might that be?  I lived in New York, Florida, Texas, and California; had summer home in Vermont, and visited often in neighboring states of those, but never found it as unbearable anywhere in the U.S. as in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, or Fiji (maybe Orlando).  Been to 30 countries and lived in five.  To me the best winter is where there is no winter, although Christmas is pretty nice in Vermont.  The Palm Springs area in California is the best from Thanksgiving through Easter, but I found the best overall weather out of all the places I visited is in the Sydney area in NSW, Australia.  I heard that Brisbane in Queensland is even nicer; and I've never been to Hawaii, which also is said to have great climate...

Panni36 wrote:

"Suffocating American humidity"?  Where might that be?  I lived in New York, Florida, Texas, and California; had summer home in Vermont, and visited often in neighboring states of those

I agree. Mid western states can be humid. But not really that bad compared to the tropics (where I have spent more than a little bit of my time).

Grew up in SoCal. Palm Springs is definitely a good place to be in Winter. Even so, LA was never humid, even if the air was brown some summer days.....

I find I can't actually open and close the curtains in one room without standing on something. I suppose Hungarian buildings are designed with summer in mind rather than winter.  Winter is a good time for painting the ceilings!

The opening and closing of high set curtains is difficult. I have been looking everywhere for one of those long poles with a hook on the end that they used to use in my old high ceilinged primary school but no success so far.
Maybe I will find  the right shaped  double ended hook on the internet somewhere. Then I can fit it to a long broom stick.
Goodness knows what it is called in Hungarian.

If the curtain does not have a rail cord to open and close it, then high curtain can be opened and closed with a quick jerk if you have decent curtain rings on a sash. One of our tall windows uses this method.

You can also go with blinds for higher windows. That is what we did on our other windows. We installed cloth blinds that roll to the top. But the venetian types are also to consider.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's pretty expensive - just north of 10K EUR for 4kW all in.  So maybe 18K EUR for 7kW including a battery storage device.

Or current electrical bill is 20 Euro a month. It would take 75 years to recover that installation cost.....

Looks like I then only have enough disposable cash this year to wire up the outhouse.

But the hamster on the treadmill currently powering the light bulb will be happy. He can retire.

Yes, it's that bad!  The only thing is the possibility is to sell the excess to the generating company but the FIT (Feed In Tariff) isn't up to much here.  In other countries, it's effectively being used as a way to subsidise solar.   

My south facing outhouse roof area is about 30-40m2.  Unless I can get an economy of scale and a decent FIT then there's hardly any point in it except to establish an off-grid presence.   

I suppose I could justify it as a "hobby" but I can think of better hobbies.

I was thinking maybe install a smaller amount, say 3.5kW but have capacity to incrementally install double the number of PV panels to try and drive down the per kW cost.

Your vineyard could be populated with solar panels.  Looks like that's an alternative "crop" in Germany (as they've rejected nuclear - unlike here).  You could always get some sheep, they nibble the grass between the vines and PV panels.  You can collect the dung for methane and sell the wool in your authentic Balaton woolly cardigan shop.

fluffy2560 wrote:

You could always get some sheep, they nibble the grass between the vines and PV panels.  You can collect the dung for methane and sell the wool in your authentic Balaton woolly cardigan shop.

You may laugh, but I actually looked into that.

Sheep in the vineyard.

For weed control. Wool as a byproduct. Did not think about methane production.

But usually requires a special breed. And lots of training. Maybe when I have more time.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

You could always get some sheep, they nibble the grass between the vines and PV panels.  You can collect the dung for methane and sell the wool in your authentic Balaton woolly cardigan shop.

You may laugh, but I actually looked into that.

Sheep in the vineyard.

For weed control. Wool as a byproduct. Did not think about methane production.

But usually requires a special breed. And lots of training. Maybe when I have more time.

Oh! I was actually half joking about it but OK.   I am not sure producing methane requires a special breed.  Maybe a special diet.  I believe New Zealand is a major methane producer from the large number of sheep there so there is experience.   

I don't think you could train sheep to plug themselves in or to shear themselves. Well, not yet anyway - not until they can be genetically engineered, controlled by computers or simply asked nicely (or all three).

fluffy2560 wrote:

I believe New Zealand is a major methane producer from the large number of sheep there so there is experience.

I think the only reliable way to capture the methane reliably, at the source without any atmospheric release, would require a lot of long plastic tubbing, and some very unhappy sheep.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

I believe New Zealand is a major methane producer from the large number of sheep there so there is experience.

I think the only reliable way to capture the methane reliably, at the source without any atmospheric release, would require a lot of long plastic tubbing, and some very unhappy sheep.

I think possibly just collecting it using a lawnmower type contraption - bit like those golf ball collecting machines at driving ranges would work.  Or perhaps have a biodigester for any kinds of waste materials laying around. That would reduce sheep training costs, remove tubing and lessen the surprised look on their faces.  I believe you already said you had a sheepdog. 

It's a thought (especially on this first snowy day of winter - screwed up my outside work on my car/house I had planned and I am reduced to inside work or worse - real work)

fluffy2560 wrote:

I believe you already said you had a sheepdog.

No. Golden Retriever. But the only thing he retrieves are fleas. Tried a doggy pack so he can help with the harvest:



But once loaded up, he just sits down and wants pets.... That is a golden for you.

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's a thought (especially on this first snowy day of winter - screwed up my outside work on my car/house I had planned and I am reduced to inside work or worse - real work)

Tell me about it. Screwed up a lot my exterior renovation planed this month. But of course, since I had an unforced injury in September due to my stupidity -- had to go to the emergency room -- which halted my work for 3 weeks, it might be, just might ---- but still not sure --- be partly my fault. The jury still out on that.

klsallee wrote:

....No. Golden Retriever. But the only thing he retrieves are fleas. Tried a doggy pack so he can help with the harvest...But once loaded up, he just sits down and wants pets.... That is a golden for you.

I'm never showing that picture to the Fluffyettes.   I'll never hear the end of it.  Total glam doggy that one.  Like Lassie or Old Yeller (well, sort of).

klsallee wrote:

Tell me about it. Screwed up a lot my exterior renovation planed this month. But of course, since I had an unforced injury in September due to my stupidity -- had to go to the emergency room -- which halted my work for 3 weeks, it might be, just might ---- but still not sure --- be partly my fault. The jury still out on that.

Oh dear!  Sorry to hear that.

I think it's important to keep up skills in these areas but dodgy materials abound here which cause all sorts of trouble. 

I've just put two curtain rails up and found out the builders have used cheese or paper for the walls.  Drill goes right through it like it's made out of Brie. Luckily I have some special fixings.   Moreover, the idiot who designed it put a set of screws on it which are inaccessible to a screwdriver so you cannot tighten the rods up.  Bought them in Jysk - supposedly like Ikea, cheaper and therefore more dodgy.

I also put a light on the wall, used the supplier plastic screws to affix the glass cover. Then I was vacuuming under it,  the glass either got too hot or the (rubbery) screws were too tight as it then cracked and chunk of it fell on me.  Why?!!  Dangerous idiot design as looks like it doesn't use heat resistant glass. D'oh!  I even used low energy LED bulbs! Imagine with a normal bulb! Could have been a glass explosion.

So many idiot designs.  I won't start ranting about the idiot who bought them.

I've decided I have to do some work on the car -  I don't want to in this weather as it's horrible out there (@@).

In reply from https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 78#3972730

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Re: free movement of travel, yes,  you can go any (even non-Schengen) EU and EEA country (not Switzerland I suppose)

Switzerland has freedom of movement as it is in the Schengen Area.  (signed 1999, in effect 1 June 2002)

The 2014 referendum put that at risk until a compromise was worked out with the EU. Wonder if that could be a model for Brexit?

fluffy2560 wrote:

I think it's important to keep up skills in these areas but dodgy materials abound here which cause all sorts of trouble.

I think that is becoming a world wide problem. (see below)

fluffy2560 wrote:

I've just put two curtain rails up and found out the builders have used cheese or paper for the walls.  Drill goes right through it like it's made out of Brie.

Was it drywall / plasterboard or similar? That stuff is useful for building instant walls (cheaper construction prices), but is lousy for hanging anything not centered on the studs. And in some localities, in the USA, if it was imported from China, it could even be toxic. Not good.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I also put a light on the wall, used the supplier plastic screws to affix the glass cover. Then I was vacuuming under it,  the glass either got too hot or the (rubbery) screws were too tight as it then cracked and chunk of it fell on me.  Why?!!  Dangerous idiot design as looks like it doesn't use heat resistant glass. D'oh!  I even used low energy LED bulbs! Imagine with a normal bulb! Could have been a glass explosion.

I ordered some industrial type of light fixtures for my wine cellar a few years ago. Even asked at the store, specifically, that I did not want something made in China because I have had problems with such before. They said they weren't. Again, my mistake for trusting here. Of course when they arrived they were labeled made in China. I could return them or use them. Figured, okay, I will try one out. Installed it, put in the correct rated bulb, and within three weeks the plastic frame melted. I finally hunted down some made in Germany. They have been up for years now, no problems.

fluffy2560 wrote:

So many idiot designs.  I won't start ranting about the idiot who bought them.

I will rant about myself. I should know better by now. Really. Don't accept substitutes. Not here. Too high a chance it will turn out badly.

But, it just gets really tiring to often have to fight to get proper and correct items. I don't mind paying more, but here where I live it is just so darn hard to get many things despite wiling to pay a premium, as so few local retailers seem to care too much about quality, and don't stock quality, as it is not in demand. I guess because nobody can afford it. An unfortunate reality, and a sad one actually.  But being unable to fulfill an order as specified is incompetence and not appropriate. Which is why I end up shopping on-line a lot and import.

klsallee wrote:

....

fluffy2560 wrote:

I've just put two curtain rails up and found out the builders have used cheese or paper for the walls.  Drill goes right through it like it's made out of Brie.

Was it drywall / plasterboard or similar? That stuff is useful for building instant walls (cheaper construction prices), but is lousy for hanging anything not centered on the studs.....
.....
But, it just gets really tiring to often have to fight to get proper and correct items. I don't mind paying more, but here where I live it is just so darn hard to get many things despite wiling to pay a premium, as so few local retailers seem to care too much about quality, and don't stock quality, as it is not in demand. I guess because nobody can afford it. An unfortunate reality, and a sad one actually.  But being unable to fulfill an order as specified is incompetence and not appropriate. Which is why I end up shopping on-line a lot and import.

It's plasterboard for sure which is glued to the walls, then taped and skimmed - there's no wood underneath I believe but as I discovered, due to the shape of the room, there must be a good 20cm gap behind the plasterboard for some reason.  Tapping has not revealed any supports behind it.  In the end I have some special fixings for these rails which finally solved it after much mucking around. 

Construction here is basically reinforced concrete lintels with "air brick" infills as is the norm here.  We have no idea what they did behind the scenes really.  We visited the construction every couple of days and every time we came, things had really moved on.  Now I wish I had taken more photos of these critical places.  I have 100s of photos but I should have taken 1000s of every detail.

Regarding quality, it's downright dangerous sometimes.   

I was examining  my car brake bleed screws I bought here to replace the rusted up ones.  I tried bleeding the brakes before and could never get it less spongy (there's a bit more to this story later).

After getting Mrs Fluffy to assist by pumping on the  pedal, I could see it leaking. Really close examination showed the bleed screw was a different length so I could never screw it in far enough to seal it.  The differences are just millimetres but it's enough to be dodgy.  This is despite it being the right bit for the car in the catalogue.  I also found other dodgy fittings on repaired brake pipes - incorrect threads (some UNF threads are very close to metric but not close enough to seal), even wrong pipe sizes used etc. I had to replace key parts - bad brakes can really ruin your day.  It was very difficult to find the right ones here.

My brakes are less spongy now but there's a small ABS problem now which I cannot solve until the weather improves a bit.   Then I might be able to bleed them again.

On my particular car, they also make the same parts in China as there's an assembly factory there for my model.  Ebay car parts for my car which are on the cheap side are almost certainly from China. I wouldn't buy anything critical from there.

Too bad my husband doesn't have his machine shop any longer or have access to a lathe, he could make you some new parts or repair the items you already have in a flash.He once overhauled the entire brake system, turned the rotors changed everything on my old Volvo but he had a shop at the time and was able to machine parts as needed.
Maybe you could find a small job shop to make new screws for you, might take a few weeks though.
We once went into a small machine shop here to ask the guy to make a part, he was so busy he said it would be a few weeks before he could get to it.
Here is the shop where you can go in and do your own car repairs out of the cold and damp weather, they have allot of  tools that you are free to use plus they have a guy willing to lend a hand if you first make sure he is free. You can hire the stall with a lift by the hour, day or longer just need to call first and make a appointment.
They have 4 stalls to rent out. It's very clean and organized inside.
Here is their online link.
szereldmagad.hu


Hope this helps.

Whoopie, first snow fall I have seen this morning falling in Budapest.
Melting as it hits the ground.
Glad we took advantage of the sunshine yesterday and walked in the city park.
Checked out the ice skaters and went down the sliding tube ramp.
First time for me to be a dare devil, told the guy to not spin me on my first run.
Really hope this year we have some real snow in the city limits, want to use my sleigh one more time since I think this will be the last winter I spend here.
Had tentative plans for a trip to Thailand this winter but had to put them off for my shoulder surgery,was thinking of digging out my ice skates yesterday and taking a spin on the rink, double thought, don't need to break my leg as I will be in a arm sling for a bit very soon.Not in the mood to give a wheelchair a try out with all the stairs here in the city.
Speaking of wheelchairs, in the city park they had a Magic Winter thing happening with Santa, food court, small gifts for sale plus a sort of "amusement" thing where fit people can get into a wheelchair and see how easy it is to roll and open a door for themselves.
Not exactly sure why that would be a fun thing to try out. I know my friend who must use a chair would find that very un PC and have a fit if she saw this amusement.Guess they were trying to do some sort of educational thing but not exactly a very sensitive topic to educate people on with a display. Not much to find funny or amusing having to life in a wheelchair.
Anyways every be safe out there with the slippery walkways and streets.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Construction here is basically reinforced concrete lintels with "air brick" infills as is the norm here.

I learned here they have special plastic wall plugs for these types of bricks so you can put a screw into the wall that will actually hold, and not just turn around and around when you try to tighten it. You have to inject a special glue into the plug, which has special holes in the plug to allow the glue to flow out. The glue expands to fit the air space in the brick to hold the plug. It is outrageously complicated to just hang a shelf that will not fall down.

But like plasterboard, these insulated bricks are large and allow for fast wall construction with inbuilt insulation properties. So -- give and take, good and bad, yin and yang. And I guess insulation is more important long term than infrequent shelf hanging.

fluffy2560 wrote:

We have no idea what they did behind the scenes really.  We visited the construction every couple of days and every time we came, things had really moved on.  Now I wish I had taken more photos of these critical places.  I have 100s of photos but I should have taken 1000s of every detail.

I have a good contractor. But in a pre-fab chimney we bought, his workers started to put in the ceramic flue pipes in upside down. I was there to correct them. Yes, you have to "be there" to prevent errors, or to come soon after to put in a course correction if posssible. But silly things also happened during construction projects I had done in the US, so is not an exclusive issue here.

klsallee wrote:

...I learned here they have special plastic wall plugs for these types of bricks so you can put a screw into the wall that will actually hold, and not just turn around and around when you try to tighten it. You have to inject a special glue into the plug, which has special holes in the plug to allow the glue to flow out. The glue expands to fit the air space in the brick to hold the plug. It is outrageously complicated to just hang a shelf that will not fall down.

You mean chemical fixings.  I use those all the time. 

I've always used the injectable ones but you can also get ones in glass vials.  There's a sleeve you insert, then the glass vial in, then you get your metal stud and hit it with a hammer.  This breaks the glass vial with the chemical inside and your stud is fixed in there forever.   Works a treat. 

I used them with injectable (mixes the two parts in the nozzle) only recently to put up my winter tyre holder.   

The only issue is that it's really expensive per fixing and they don't really do non-branded versions here. 

One way around the sleeve issue (very pricey part of the system) is to use a pair of women's tights.  Cut off a bit and stick it in the wall. Then it acts like the perforated sleeve when you inject.  Much cheaper than the bought sleeves.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Too bad my husband doesn't have his machine shop any longer or have access to a lathe, he could make you some new parts or repair the items you already have in a flash.He once overhauled the entire brake system, turned the rotors changed everything on my old Volvo but he had a shop at the time and was able to machine parts as needed....Here is the shop where you can go in and do your own car repairs out of the cold and damp weather, they have allot of  tools that you are free to use plus they have a guy willing to lend a hand if you first make sure he is free. You can hire the stall with a lift by the hour, day or longer just need to call first and make a appointment.
They have 4 stalls to rent out. It's very clean and organized inside.
Here is their online link.
szereldmagad.hu


Hope this helps.

Yes, it does help a lot to know these places are available - wish it was local as there are some special tools needed on my vehicle and if I cannot get it right, it's not driveable and could be stuck there.   

I reckon the bleed screws provided are actually just the wrong ones but there's so much misinformation on this car (it's an American vehicle), I might just order all the right parts from the USA, Germany or the UK and import them.  They are rarely wrong from there as I can give them the VIN number and they can access the build sheet.  The entire thing is starting to get on my nerves.  Like a bad plumbing installation.  Defective plumbing can ruin your day but bad brakes will mess up your life.

I'm coming to the conclusion I've got a defective brake caliper - seals might be gone but no leakage I can detect. It's an old car and I cannot recall when I changed them last - at least 5-6 years ago.   Price of brake calipers here is close to double what they should be in say the UK.  Moreover, they are not asking for the old ones back for recycling (that's a new thing I've seen here).

So, there's also the possibility there's an air leak in there somewhere or worse, the ABS unit has gone (no warning lights) or has an air bubble (need a special diagnostic tool to fix it). Bush fixing didn't work in my case - you drive with two wheels on gravel and slam on the brakes enough to activate the ABS pump.  Fools the system into thinking you are in a skid situation.

I just cannot find any leaks anywhere.  The ABS unit is hard to get cheap enough - maybe from a breakers yard.  Mrs Fluffy is on that job.

Now the ground is frozen I can drive the car through the garden and up an incline to flat ground.  I'm on a bit of a hill.  On Friday it's supposed to be 10 C which is a mini-heatwave which will be a time to have a look underneath.  If the ground is frozen I won't sink in with spinning wheels and turn the place into a rutted mess/quagmire.

I should try and sort it out this year because next year, it'll all be work work work.  If it's just too crap weather, I think I might just leave it until March!  Get a car cover and put it to bed!