Would you consider this DIY?

[my-spirit-soars-free]

I bought a cat flap - Staywell. Looked at the instructions, looked at the list of tools (drill, jigsaw, measuring tape) and decided there was nothing there that I cannot deal with, I have fitted cat flaps before.

 

We actually had a previous flap, but a friendly burglar broke it, and broke out the door, so now we need a bigger flap, the old hole having been enlarged.

 

Anyway, I enlarge the hole to the new template, flap fits, everything is lovely, use the screws provided... they are about 2 inches too long. OK, look for the shorter ones (when I last put in a cat flap the thing came with a range of screws... nothing. Looked at instructions - it tells me to trim the bolts, carefully, so that the nut still fits, and to be sure to file down the end so the cat cannot injure itself on the sharp, cut edge.

 

Now that is beyond me, I don't even have the tools, so I phone up Staywell. They tell me they cannot send me a set of shorter bolts, they cannot tell me what they are called so I can order them online, and tell me that if I am not up to a bit of DIY, which all their customers other than me are, I need to buy shorter bolts at B&Q.

 

I go to B&Q, they tell me they are special carriage bolts, that the size of the square can vary as well as the diameter of the thread, and they certainly don't have the same sort in a shorter fitting. Neither do Screwfix. Neither do the specialist hardware store.

 

The instructions for the flap specifically state you cannot leave the bolts too long, it could damage the flap. h, and I cannot lock it at the moment either!

 

Anyone got any suggestions? I am fuming, yes, I should have noticed that bit of the instructions and sent the thing back before I started, but I feel badly let down by the manufacturer - does anyone else agree that cutting bolts to size is beyond the normal skills required for DIY?

 

Any suggestions as to what I can do, given I now have a cat flap with bolts sticking out?

[rebel11]

Hi my

 

Your probably fed up with them, have you checked there website for the shorter bolts?

 

This must be a fairly common problem.

 

http://www.staywell.co.uk/Intl/UK.aspx

 

The other alternative is take the existing bolts, mark out where they need to be cut, go to an independent DIY Shop or even a garage, they should be able to cut them down to size.

[my-spirit-soars-free]

They only sell spare bolts of the original length - I asked that when I phoned them. I have just checked the website, just in case, but there is only one bolt set listed for the cat flap.

[rebel11]

Plan B

 

The other alternative is take the existing bolts, mark out where they need to be cut, go to an independent DIY Shop or even a garage, they should be able to cut them down to size.

[my-spirit-soars-free]

I hadn't thought of asking a garage, I will do that on Friday when I take the car in.

 

 

Thanks for that idea!

[rebel11]

No probs,8-)

[kwaks]

Hacksaw, cut them yourself