OT; One of lifes mysteries

The plastic flap is only poly sheet, they are affected by chemicals in the water!

I think we used something different when we did ours last, might have been PTFE or soemthing

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

If that the case what are the chemicals doing to me then :-(( I must admit I have considered repairing the old one, ma boy ( stroking nose as he types)

Martin P

I've had the poly sheet crack and found chunks gone AWOL. I made one from an old fertiliser bag once. Maybe the chlorine in the water gets to it over the years?

Julian.

When we were putting the shingles on the roof of the Longhall, we covered the roof in blue polythene which we removed piecemeal as we progressed. In less than a year, it was cracking up -UV damage we thought - and continued to break up into ever more tiny pieces. We were concerned because no matter where you were on the site (3 acres) you could see bits of windblown blue plastic.

Less than two years later, it has all gone - vanished into the ether & has left no trace whatever.

We used black polythene after that & it is still in use, covering up piles of maturing oak etc.

So, Martin, you need a black flap valve!

regards,

Kim Siddorn

An awful lot of plastic these days is biodegradeable. It goes brittle, breaks up, and disappears in the enviroment or turns to dust if elsewhere. It doesn't need UV to do it either. Some supermarket bags I've had with things in out of sunlight for a year or 6 have just fallen apart on being disturbed. But one containing the letters from a scrabble set dating back maybe 20 years is still soft, strong and flexable.