Saturday, October 16, 2004
First fit electrics
Hopefully we are now ready for the concrete to arrive on Monday for the floor. The builders have covered all the hardcore, waste pipes, conduits and sand with a plastic membrane as a damp proof course, then two layers of polystyrene and finally a heavy duty wire mesh. Since they left Caroline and I have fed the water pipes through the three pieces of blue conduit buried in the floor. It sounds easy, but even with the supplied string to pull it through it is tough going. Any bends or kinks really build up the friction, and after about 10m of pushing and pulling you think you're never going to make it and you've got you're fingers crossed that the string doesn't break or come untied.
We had the same situation with the big fat electricity supply cable, but by now we were getting the hang of it. Even on short runs with two people it's not that easy. I think for the 30m run from the distribution board to the gites I might pre-load the conduit laying straight and flat on the ground before burying it in the the trench.
Before pouring the concrete floor I have had to place all the electricity cables I need on the wire mesh. All the cables run within flexible plastic gaine (conduit between 16mm and 25mm diameter depending on the number and size of wires) and are tied to the wire mesh and fixed to the walls in the appropriate positions for sockets, light switches etc. I've had to do alot of reading and research to understand the French regulations in NF C 15-100. Distribution uses a radial system, rather than a ring main like in the UK. Everything runs off a separate spur, each with a disjoncteur (circuit breaker) from the fuse box. Various spurs are then grouped together and further protected via an interrupteur differential (RCD) of various types and sensitivities depending on the destination (kitchen, bathroom, etc.) So you end up with lots and lots of wires spreading out from the fuse box. So far I've used about 250m of cabling just to provide the power supplies (and a couple of lights) for both gites downstairs. They each have their own fuse boxes, so everything is duplicated both sides. I'm glad my friend Ian came over this morning for moral support and to help tie in the last of the cables.
If you really want to know more about French electrics then try this book, L'installation électrique, it's my bible at the moment.
The last thing to worry about was the walk-in shower in the downstairs bedroom. The intention is to have a 'wet room' style shower without a shower tray to give access to people in wheelchairs. It adds extra complication because all the drainage and waste traps for the shower need to be below the floor level buried in the concrete and the floor tiles will need to slope slighty towards the plug hole. If I just leave the whole floor be level I'll never get a fall on the floor. I've no idea if I've done the right thing, but Ian and I knocked up some shuttering 1m by 1m square and placed it over the shower drain. The resulting hole can always be filled later, but I'm sure the builders will have a bit of a laugh on Monday morning.
First fit electrics
Now the ducks have grown a little it seems that we may have been a little premature when christening them. We now think Victoria is Victor and Albert is Albertine. We are not experts in sexing muscovy ducks, but judging by the relative sizes it look like we may have guessed wrongly.
It's turned a little chilly this week, so the new fireplace has been pressed into action for the first time since it was finished. I've been burning some old oak floorboards from the barn, a broken wooden stepladder and an unused grain shute. Apart from a grate full of rusty nails, we get a week of free heating.
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