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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Smelly water feature
Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer.
Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? -- Dave The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk 01634 717930 07850 597257 |
#2
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Smelly water feature
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message ... Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? Bleach. |
#3
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:33:32 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? Many garden centres do a 'clear feature' additive for water features. Bleach would do as a temporary measure, but it degrades in a matter of hours in strong sunlight. Only add a very small amount, as it might harm any rubber pipework, couplings etc. That presumes, of course, that it is just a water feature and doesn't have any fish. -- the dot wanderer at tesco dot net |
#4
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Smelly water feature
In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote: Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? Aspirin? -- Tony Williams. |
#5
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Smelly water feature
"dennis@home" wrote in message ... "The Medway Handyman" wrote in message ... Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? Bleach. Milton? |
#6
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:33:32 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote: Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? I'd try Milton. Rather less damaging and toxic than bleach (if it's OK for babies....). Get at the chemist. -- The information contained in this post is copyright the poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by http://www.diybanter.com |
#7
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Smelly water feature
Bob Eager wrote:
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:33:32 UTC, "The Medway Handyman" wrote: Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? I'd try Milton. Rather less damaging and toxic than bleach (if it's OK for babies....). Get at the chemist. Milton *is* bleach. Milton contains Sodium Hypochlorite, same key ingredient as most household bleach. If you get a thin unperfumed bleach with no extraneous additives (eg Tesco's Value Bleach) I'm pretty sure it's the same stuff for less money... Here's a useful reference: http://www.milton-tm.com/healthpro/pro_faq.htm Cheers Tim |
#8
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:12:04 UTC, Tim S wrote:
Bob Eager wrote: On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:33:32 UTC, "The Medway Handyman" wrote: Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? I'd try Milton. Rather less damaging and toxic than bleach (if it's OK for babies....). Get at the chemist. Milton *is* bleach. Milton contains Sodium Hypochlorite, same key ingredient as most household bleach. If you get a thin unperfumed bleach with no extraneous additives (eg Tesco's Value Bleach) I'm pretty sure it's the same stuff for less money... Here's a useful reference: http://www.milton-tm.com/healthpro/pro_faq.htm My point was the lack of toxicity. Milton is bleach with some extra purification - to reduce toxicity - as your reference says. Perhaps I should have said "Milton is not just bleach". As for the money, it depends on what value you place on safety - given the relatively small amount required, cost is not really an issue. -- The information contained in this post is copyright the poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by http://www.diybanter.com |
#9
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Smelly water feature
Bob Eager wrote:
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:12:04 UTC, Tim S wrote: Here's a useful reference: http://www.milton-tm.com/healthpro/pro_faq.htm My point was the lack of toxicity. Milton is bleach with some extra purification - to reduce toxicity - as your reference says. Perhaps I should have said "Milton is not just bleach". As for the money, it depends on what value you place on safety - given the relatively small amount required, cost is not really an issue. Hi Bob, Milton *would* say that, wouldn't they... Personally I wouldn't worry about it for a water feature in the slightest. To put this in perspective, my late mother told me once that she couldn't afford Milton for my baby-bottles and she came to a similar conclusion concerning the fact that many products were based on the same key ingredient as Milton. Not wanting to poison me, she rang up Domestos's technical people and asked if such-and-such a Domestos (non-perfumed, non thickened etc) product was safe to sterilise baby bottles. She was assured that it was. I'm still alive 38 years or so later... Perhaps Milton does use Sodium Hypo made to a higher standard, or maybe they don't. But I *really* don't think anyone's going to get poisoned by using regular bleach in suitable proportions in the context given here. However, this is academic - if little is needed, the OP can use Milton if it makes him happier Just my 2p's worth. Cheers Tim |
#10
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Smelly water feature
"TMC" wrote in message ... Bleach. Milton? Milton is bleach. |
#11
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Smelly water feature
"Bob Eager" wrote in message ... My point was the lack of toxicity. Milton is bleach with some extra purification - to reduce toxicity - as your reference says. Perhaps I should have said "Milton is not just bleach". As for the money, it depends on what value you place on safety - given the relatively small amount required, cost is not really an issue. Milton is not less toxic.. you have to rinse it out. It will do the same damage as bleach does if you don't. bleach /can/ have smelly stuff and detergent added and is usually stronger than Milton but that's about it. |
#12
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:52:40 UTC, "dennis@home"
wrote: "Bob Eager" wrote in message ... My point was the lack of toxicity. Milton is bleach with some extra purification - to reduce toxicity - as your reference says. Perhaps I should have said "Milton is not just bleach". As for the money, it depends on what value you place on safety - given the relatively small amount required, cost is not really an issue. Milton is not less toxic.. you have to rinse it out. It will do the same damage as bleach does if you don't. bleach /can/ have smelly stuff and detergent added and is usually stronger than Milton but that's about it. All I'll say is...read the link....and leave it there. -- The information contained in this post is copyright the poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by http://www.diybanter.com |
#13
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Smelly water feature
Tim S wrote:
Bob Eager wrote: On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:12:04 UTC, Tim S wrote: Here's a useful reference: http://www.milton-tm.com/healthpro/pro_faq.htm My point was the lack of toxicity. Milton is bleach with some extra purification - to reduce toxicity - as your reference says. Perhaps I should have said "Milton is not just bleach". As for the money, it depends on what value you place on safety - given the relatively small amount required, cost is not really an issue. Hi Bob, Milton *would* say that, wouldn't they... I'll quickly add, before anyone else does, that I found the link just to confirm to myself that Milton was still primarily Sodium Hypo - and it does have some useful data concerning concentrations. I suppose my brain's marketing-********-filter automatically blanked all the claims that it was somehow "special" and magically pure! Cheers Tim |
#14
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Smelly water feature
dennis@home wrote:
"TMC" wrote in message ... Bleach. Milton? Milton is bleach. I thought he was a poet.. |
#15
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Smelly water feature
In message , The Wanderer
writes Many garden centres do a 'clear feature' additive for water features. Bleach would do as a temporary measure, but it degrades in a matter of hours in strong sunlight. Only add a very small amount, as it might harm any rubber pipework, couplings etc. That presumes, of course, that it is just a water feature and doesn't have any fish. If you wanted to go really technical you could add a UV steriliser in line with the water flow, or even an ozone bubbler that effectively acts as a continuous biodegradable bleaching effect. These are all things that could be sourced on ebay for Koi pond use. -- Clive Mitchell http://www.bigclive.com |
#16
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 10:45:32 +0100, "dennis@home"
wrote: |! |!"TMC" wrote in message ... |! |! Bleach. |!Milton? |! |!Milton is bleach. NO! Milton is bleach *plus* salt in specific proportions -- Dave Fawthrop sf hyphenologist.co.uk 165 *Free* SF ebooks. 165 Sci Fi books on CDROM, from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page Completely Free to any address in the UK. Contact me on the *above* email address. |
#17
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:33:32 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! It had gone stagnate. The suggestions of bleach will kill things but once the bleach has dissipated the bugs'll come back. Running the feature to keep the water oxygenated will be a better long term solution, along with cleaning out any gunge from the bottom of the tank after leaf fall in the autumn so any bits don't sit there and rot. But isn't decking and water features so last century? -- Cheers Dave. pam is missing e-mail |
#18
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Smelly water feature
On 2007-04-10 11:50:59 +0100, The Natural Philosopher said:
dennis@home wrote: "TMC" wrote in message ... Bleach. Milton? Milton is bleach. I thought he was a poet.. Sigh.... Days of the Empire.... Paradise Lost... Tennis on the lawn... Tennyson the poet.... etc.... |
#19
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Smelly water feature
On 2007-04-10 09:48:09 +0100, Tony Williams said:
In article , The Medway Handyman wrote: Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? Aspirin? That would be the conversation that TMH would have with his GP when he telephones late at night to say that his bog is blocked up. TMH tells him to huck a couple of aspirins into it and to call in the morning. |
#20
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Smelly water feature
On 2007-04-10 12:54:10 +0100, "Dave Liquorice" said:
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:33:32 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote: Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! It had gone stagnate. The suggestions of bleach will kill things but once the bleach has dissipated the bugs'll come back. Running the feature to keep the water oxygenated will be a better long term solution, along with cleaning out any gunge from the bottom of the tank after leaf fall in the autumn so any bits don't sit there and rot. But isn't decking and water features so last century? It's just that they haven't reached t'pennines yet..... ;-) |
#21
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Smelly water feature
Dave Liquorice wrote:
But isn't decking and water features so last century? Decking is alive & well & prospering I'm glad to say. Nice little earner. -- Dave The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk 01634 717930 07850 597257 |
#22
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Smelly water feature
On 2007-04-10 19:56:38 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said: Dave Liquorice wrote: But isn't decking and water features so last century? Decking is alive & well & prospering I'm glad to say. Nice little earner. Ideal in fact. Material cost not that high. Construction not that difficult and once you know the key pieces like a solid framework easy to produce good results. Price expectation not particularly related to materials cost. Seasonal but it does compensate for the £5 tap washers. Have you thought of selling the customers up? Patios and decks need cleaning this time of year. Pressure washer needs servicing. Trouble is that that costs more than buying new one. However, as a trusted advisor you could sell them a nice PW that they wouldnt otherwise buy. |
#23
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:33:32 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote: Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? Yes, you can add the foam / brush filter that you removed and washed for storage last Autumn. Don't leave them in there if you're not pumping water through them regularly. |
#24
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Smelly water feature
On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:18:50 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:
But isn't decking and water features so last century? It's just that they haven't reached t'pennines yet..... ;-) Wouldn't last up here. If it didn't get blown away it would rot. You have seen the shed picture haven't you? http://www.howhill.com/weather/view....2005&m=04&d=28 Christmas Eve 1999 the entire roof was blown off as a unit. It cleared the wall that the shed is leaning against in the above photo and just clipped the top of a similar height wall the other side of the road. The road is wide enough for cars to pass at speed, despite the blind summit. -- Cheers Dave. pam is missing e-mail |
#25
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Smelly water feature
Andy Hall wrote:
Ideal in fact. Material cost not that high. Construction not that difficult and once you know the key pieces like a solid framework easy to produce good results. Price expectation not particularly related to materials cost. True enough. I can buy really good 28mm deck boards and treated sawn timber from a local importer at really good prices Seasonal but it does compensate for the £5 tap washers. I don't do £5 tap washers :-) I will re washer taps, but my minimum charge is £30 for the first half hour. Not that local plumbers will do it at all, they can't be arsed so it seems. Patios and decks need cleaning this time of year. Pressure washer needs servicing. Trouble is that that costs more than buying new one. However, as a trusted advisor you could sell them a nice PW that they wouldnt otherwise buy. I do the odd bit of patio cleaning and it's fairly profitable. The market for selling HPC is highly price sensitive and highly competitive, so I'm not really interested. True enough, if I found a potential client wanting a good machine I could earn a margin, but there is a perception problem peculiar to HPC's. A jigsaw, for example can be bought for £20 and a really good one could cost £100 - 5 times the price. With HPC's you can buy one for £40 but a really good one would cost £500 - over 12 times the price. -- Dave The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk 01634 717930 07850 597257 |
#26
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Smelly water feature
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message ... Spent the weekend getting the garden ready for summer. Pressure washed the deck & furniture, oiled both & decided to clean out the water feature. What with handymanning it none of it got done last year so it was all a bit of a mission. Water feature was really smelly when switched on, I suspected something had got into the tank & died! Turned out just to be filthy, cleaned out tank & filter and all is well. Is there anything I can add to the tank water to keep things clean & fragrant? -- Dave The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk 01634 717930 07850 597257 Nooooh! bugral point in adding any chemicals, only kill anything living. Will also deter,or kill, visitors ie. birds, hedgehogs, voles etc. Kids, now there's an idea. Why is the water feature smelly? Perhaps because it is stagnant? Ever see a burn or brae that was smelly. No, and you'll never. Just introduce some flow of air to assist water circulation. Only needs to be minimal. GS ps. sorry about the kids thing. Lov'em, but couldn't eat a whole one |
#27
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Smelly water feature
"Clive Mitchell" wrote in message ... .... If you wanted to go really technical you could add a UV steriliser in line with the water flow, or even an ozone bubbler that effectively acts as a continuous biodegradable bleaching effect. These are all things that could be sourced on ebay for Koi pond use. That would be my choice, if I didn't just leave the pond pump running throughout the winter. It only gets switched off if it seems likely that the pond will freeze over and the Medway is not so much further North that it is likely to be a lot colder. Colin Bignell |
#28
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Smelly water feature
In article ,
Andy Hall wrote: That would be the conversation that TMH would have with his GP when he telephones late at night to say that his bog is blocked up. TMH tells him to huck a couple of aspirins into it and to call in the morning. Sinking a few branches of willow in the pond is supposed to keep the water clear... and my Nan would always drop an aspirin into a vase of flowers. -- Tony Williams. |
#29
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Smelly water feature
On 2007-04-11 10:32:41 +0100, Owain said:
The Medway Handyman wrote: True enough, if I found a potential client wanting a good machine I could earn a margin, but there is a perception problem peculiar to HPC's. A jigsaw, for example can be bought for £20 and a really good one could cost £100 - 5 times the price. With HPC's you can buy one for £40 but a really good one would cost £500 - over 12 times the price. I'm sure Mr Hall could find a really good jigsaw at £240 :-) Owain Well.... the Festool is in that range. Bosch blue, which is almost as good is around half of that. |
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