Tim+ <tim.downie@gmail.com> wrote:
> Here’s the problem.
>
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/ehr8Lr1L7hKXg52r7
>
> Need to get from the access hatch to the yellow screwdriver. Alas the
> tarmac is all part of the public pavement but I think I’ll risk cutting out
> a fillet along the front of the drive and then drilling underground near
> the gatepost. I’ll put some conduit in and reinstate the tarmac somehow.

For that I'd be tempted to uncover the foundations of the wall the other
side of the gatepost. Then CF can drill through, and run along the fillet
of tarmac that's previously been dug up. They obviously can do tarmac works
since they installed the toby in the first place.

(it's hard to tell from the pic, but which of the fillet and the slice at
the bottom left was them? Does the pavement conduit run parallel to the
houses, or are you a spur that comes in from the road on the left?)

Theo

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> Tim+ <tim.downie@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Here’s the problem.
>>
>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/ehr8Lr1L7hKXg52r7
>>
>> Need to get from the access hatch to the yellow screwdriver. Alas the
>> tarmac is all part of the public pavement but I think I’ll risk cutting out
>> a fillet along the front of the drive and then drilling underground near
>> the gatepost. I’ll put some conduit in and reinstate the tarmac somehow.
>
> For that I'd be tempted to uncover the foundations of the wall the other
> side of the gatepost. Then CF can drill through, and run along the fillet
> of tarmac that's previously been dug up. They obviously can do tarmac works
> since they installed the toby in the first place.

They can, but I suspect that once the toby is installed by the street
cablers, that team bugger off and leave the “house connectors” to do their
bit. The house connectors can’t move a toby or do tarmac.

Now this is just supposition but it’s the only explanation I can think of
for their refusal to move the toby.

>
> (it's hard to tell from the pic, but which of the fillet and the slice at
> the bottom left was them? Does the pavement conduit run parallel to the
> houses, or are you a spur that comes in from the road on the left?)
>

The street fibre just runs parallel along the pavement with T junctions to
every toby.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> Tim+ <tim.downie@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Here’s the problem.
>>
>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/ehr8Lr1L7hKXg52r7
>>
>> Need to get from the access hatch to the yellow screwdriver. Alas the
>> tarmac is all part of the public pavement but I think I’ll risk cutting out
>> a fillet along the front of the drive and then drilling underground near
>> the gatepost. I’ll put some conduit in and reinstate the tarmac somehow.
>
> For that I'd be tempted to uncover the foundations of the wall the other
> side of the gatepost. Then CF can drill through, and run along the fillet
> of tarmac that's previously been dug up. They obviously can do tarmac works
> since they installed the toby in the first place.
>
> (it's hard to tell from the pic, but which of the fillet and the slice at
> the bottom left was them? Does the pavement conduit run parallel to the
> houses, or are you a spur that comes in from the road on the left?)
>
> Theo
>

Fingers crossed this passes muster for the fibre installers.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi24Nujp9k2xMBEe7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MHUDyp1Ct5B6V7Uz8

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

On 13 Aug 2023 08:44:05 GMT, Tim+ wrote:
> BrightsideS9 <reply_to_address_is_not@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> On 12 Aug 2023 08:31:58 GMT, Tim+ <tim.downie@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>> On 11/08/2023 21:22, Tim+ wrote:
>>>>> Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>> Do you know of a neighbour who is connected to cityfibre? have a peek in
>>>>>>> their toby, round here the virgin fibre duct is about 8mm O/D
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If there is a CF crew working nearby, you could ask if you can have an
>>>>>> offcut of their duct. Then you'd have exactly the right materials. I
>>>>>> expect they're set up to blow fibre through a particular diameter of duct
>>>>>> and their setup won't work with a random hosepipe or whatever.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The other option would be to contact CF and say you're a developer doing a
>>>>>> 'redevelopment', and ask what they would recommend for new build sites. I
>>>>>> know Openreach and Virgin have documents describing how to make new build
>>>>>> sites fibre-ready, but I can't find any documents for that from CF.
>>>>>> Presumably they can tell you, though.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Theo
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Here’s the problem.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/ehr8Lr1L7hKXg52r7
>>>>>
>>>>> Need to get from the access hatch to the yellow screwdriver. Alas the
>>>>> tarmac is all part of the public pavement but I think I’ll risk cutting out
>>>>> a fillet along the front of the drive and then drilling underground near
>>>>> the gatepost. I’ll put some conduit in and reinstate the tarmac somehow.
>>>>
>>>> Doesn't the outside of the brick pillar define the border of your
>>>> property? No matter where the tarmac is, if it's inside the edge of the
>>>> brick it's on your property, and you can do with it what you wish.
>>>
>>> I’ll use that argument if any busybody argues. ;-)
>>>
>>>> How
>>>> do you cut into it? I've not seen what gas/electricity/water/cable
>>>> people use. I would have assumed a cutting disc would melt the tarmac
>>>> and the disc would end up a sticky mess. Do they use a wide
>>>> chisel-shaped bit on a pneumatic drill?
>>>
>>> Not sure yet. Depends on how stony it is. May just try a vibrating
>>> multi-tool and a lot of sacrificial blades. Maybe just chisel it.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> As for what you reinstate it with, another piece of whatever is used to
>>>> border the end of your drive would seem to be about the right width.
>>>> Tarmac patches always seem rather tatty to me.
>>>
>>> I was going to rake out the existing tarmac, pop it in an oven dish, warm
>>> it up and see if I can re-use it.
>>>
>> For £10 you can get more than enough cold lay tarmac from Wickes, B&Q
>> (or Amazon if you are eligible for free delivery and want to pay
>> double the price from Wickes and B&Q), to fix your chiselling and do a
>> decent job.
>>
>
> Cold lay stuff never looks the same. I'm hoping that reusing the old stuff
> will look better.
>

Depending on the age of the binder etc, you might find you are going to
fill your kitchen with carcinogens

Rupert Moss-Eccardt <nin@moss-eccardt.com> wrote:
> On 13 Aug 2023 08:44:05 GMT, Tim+ wrote:
>> BrightsideS9 <reply_to_address_is_not@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>> On 12 Aug 2023 08:31:58 GMT, Tim+ <tim.downie@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>>> On 11/08/2023 21:22, Tim+ wrote:
>>>>>> Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Do you know of a neighbour who is connected to cityfibre? have a peek in
>>>>>>>> their toby, round here the virgin fibre duct is about 8mm O/D
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If there is a CF crew working nearby, you could ask if you can have an
>>>>>>> offcut of their duct. Then you'd have exactly the right materials. I
>>>>>>> expect they're set up to blow fibre through a particular diameter of duct
>>>>>>> and their setup won't work with a random hosepipe or whatever.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The other option would be to contact CF and say you're a developer doing a
>>>>>>> 'redevelopment', and ask what they would recommend for new build sites. I
>>>>>>> know Openreach and Virgin have documents describing how to make new build
>>>>>>> sites fibre-ready, but I can't find any documents for that from CF.
>>>>>>> Presumably they can tell you, though.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Theo
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here’s the problem.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/ehr8Lr1L7hKXg52r7
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Need to get from the access hatch to the yellow screwdriver. Alas the
>>>>>> tarmac is all part of the public pavement but I think I’ll risk cutting out
>>>>>> a fillet along the front of the drive and then drilling underground near
>>>>>> the gatepost. I’ll put some conduit in and reinstate the tarmac somehow.
>>>>>
>>>>> Doesn't the outside of the brick pillar define the border of your
>>>>> property? No matter where the tarmac is, if it's inside the edge of the
>>>>> brick it's on your property, and you can do with it what you wish.
>>>>
>>>> I’ll use that argument if any busybody argues. ;-)
>>>>
>>>>> How
>>>>> do you cut into it? I've not seen what gas/electricity/water/cable
>>>>> people use. I would have assumed a cutting disc would melt the tarmac
>>>>> and the disc would end up a sticky mess. Do they use a wide
>>>>> chisel-shaped bit on a pneumatic drill?
>>>>
>>>> Not sure yet. Depends on how stony it is. May just try a vibrating
>>>> multi-tool and a lot of sacrificial blades. Maybe just chisel it.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> As for what you reinstate it with, another piece of whatever is used to
>>>>> border the end of your drive would seem to be about the right width.
>>>>> Tarmac patches always seem rather tatty to me.
>>>>
>>>> I was going to rake out the existing tarmac, pop it in an oven dish, warm
>>>> it up and see if I can re-use it.
>>>>
>>> For £10 you can get more than enough cold lay tarmac from Wickes, B&Q
>>> (or Amazon if you are eligible for free delivery and want to pay
>>> double the price from Wickes and B&Q), to fix your chiselling and do a
>>> decent job.
>>>
>>
>> Cold lay stuff never looks the same. I'm hoping that reusing the old stuff
>> will look better.
>>
>
> Depending on the age of the binder etc, you might find you are going to
> fill your kitchen with carcinogens
>
>

20 minutes at 160C and there wasn’t even a discernible smell. Enough to
make the tarmac more malleable though.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

Tim+ wrote:

> Fingers crossed this passes muster for the fibre installers.
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi24Nujp9k2xMBEe7

If you get a picky one, they might moan about bend-radius for the fibre?

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
> Tim+ wrote:
>
>> Fingers crossed this passes muster for the fibre installers.
>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi24Nujp9k2xMBEe7
>
> If you get a picky one, they might moan about bend-radius for the fibre?
>

I did wonder about that and tried to maximise it in the corner by the
gatepost by undermining the drive slightly. Do you know what the
recommended minimum radius is? Anything’s got to be better than their poor
Virgin service. They seem to be in an area where Virgin have given up
trying to provide a reliable service.

They plan to move to Zen.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
> Tim+ wrote:
>
>> Fingers crossed this passes muster for the fibre installers.
>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi24Nujp9k2xMBEe7
>
> If you get a picky one, they might moan about bend-radius for the fibre?
>

Good news! Son-in-law applied for fibre internet and Cityfibre came round
as the property had been “red flagged” after their last visit. Initially
repeated their “we can’t do this” until my duct and pull through rope was
pointed out. They’ve now agreed that it’s an “easy job”.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

Tim+ <tim.downie@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I mentioned before that my daughter is having trouble getting fibre to
> their house because they had a resin bonded driveway done shortly after
> Cityfibre had been along and put their access “toby” in the pavement
> outside their house. It seems that this is a barrier to putting a duct in
> that ISPs and City fibre don’t feel motivated to do anything about.
>
>
> I’m tempted to attempt a bit of oblique drilling beneath the drive from the
> toby to reach a nearby flower bed where I can dig down to where the drill
> would emerge. Obviously I’d need to put in something to feed the fibre
> through so I’m wondering about suitable ducting. Would garden hosepipe
> suffice or would I need something bigger? Would fibre installers balk at a
> “non-standard” bit of ducting?
>

Following the visit by the “duct fairy” the installation of the FTTP was a
breeze for the fitters and my daughter has a spanking new 300 Mbps
connection with Zen.

All’s well that ends well. Only fly in the ointment is that because their
fibre is provided by CityFibre it is a lot cheaper than that provided by
OpenReach (my fibre connector). :-(

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls