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It’s about supporting statements, and yes it’s the BCO who decides, but if you approach them with nothing then you’ll just get the knee-jerk FO. Phone calls and emails cost nothing, but hopefully sense will now prevail for the current client with so much positive supporting feedback, from both the council and the fire brigade. Just wondering what the odds are, of the bins catching fire on bin day lol.

Hello, I could really use some help with my Klargester Bioficient 1. During a recent snowstorm the cover over the control panel blew off. When I went to refit it, I noticed that the air pump was not running. I’m not sure if this is related or just a coincidence, it may actually have been off for a few days before I noticed. The system has not tripped the consumer unit and power is still reaching the control box. However, the display is blank. If I press the reset button, the display briefly flashes the number “23” a few times, then goes blank again with just a small red dot showing at the bottom of the display. Things I have already checked: Fuses appear to be fine The unit is still receiving power I replaced the Secoh JDK 80 pump with another pump, but it still doesn’t run and the error remains I had a look in the chamber and there is nothing obvious like it's backed up or anything. Does anyone know what error code 23 indicates or have any suggestions on what else I should check? Also, how long can the system run without the blower before it starts causing problems with the treatment process? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I thought that since they are below dpc there could be damp rise up the blocks and it needs to escape somewhere.

Does anyone know with a raft foundation how close you can get to existing structures? We have an existing sewer connection on our site with a manhole that drops about 4m and then runs to the boundary and main sewer. The constraints of the site mean we will need to get as close to it as we can. (The quotes for moving the sewer connection have been high.) Separately we gave a brick boundary wall that will be the rain screen for the ground floor of our build. To avoid the expense of a demolish and rebuild could the raft get close enough to avoid this? Grateful for anyone's experience!

It's funny the cash in hand malarkey. From the other side, it's so common for me to be asked by customers if I'll do the job cash in hand. I never do jobs cash in hand because they're the ones that show up the nature of the customer - they want cheap cash in hand deals but at the same time also want all the regulatory sign off and building regulations notifications is incredible. And they want all the back-up as and when suits them. As a trade, you need your wits about you to choose your customers wisely too!

I think there are 2 options here. 1. is to calculate the press loss in each loop to correctly determine the index circuit and then see if you have enough residual head at the heat pump. My suspicion is you probably do. If you wanted to do this then as you have the flow rates already, you might already have the pressure loss figures from the design documentation somewhere? If not, the pressure loss can be calculated from the flow rates. It's a bit laborious. 2. is you just take a punt and remove the buffer and additional pump and see what happens! I think you'll probably be okay, we won't know for sure until you get it up and running. Then there remains the question as to why they installed a buffer in the first place. Was it: - just a mindless design that plonked it in there; - to do with a calculated or feared pressure loss issue; - to do with system volume as your system doesn't hold the minimum volume per minimum kW output of the heat pump; - to actually buffer excess output from the heat pump as it's oversized? I would be worth doing a system volume calculation to make sure you have sufficient volume. That way if you don't, you could plumb in the buffer as a volumiser and this will save you a headache and repipe if you just cut it out and then have issues. The last thing worth doing is to understand your house heat loss co-efficient - this is how much heat your house loses per Kelvin change in outdoor temperature. To do this we need your calculated heat loss at the required design outdoor temperature and design indoor temperature difference. This figure is useful because we can then find out at what outdoor temperature the heat pump will reach minimum modulation to understand where it might start to cycle and then understand if the buffer was put in for this reason, although I doubt this because the buffer is so small.

Yes you can tile these. I am not sure why they would need to "breathe".

It's alright the fire brigade saying that its making sure you don't have an anal BCO who refuses to sign off. That's the nut you've got to crack. A lot of money to put on the line without that in black and white.

We have built a timber frame extension with grey trench blocks below dpc. The blocks look a bit ugly so was thinking how to improve appearance. Thought about using brick slips or tiling (for example with quarry tiles). Will these stay stuck on the wall and allow it to breath as it is below dpc? Any other suggestions? Thanks Andrew

Thanks for all the comments, I am waiting for my planning consultant to come back to me but is it generally possible to build a bin store on the small grass verge that borders the access road? Around halfway down the track there is a grit box at the side of the road, up against a wall - whilst there is no footpath as such down the unadopted road and it is a dead end I can't see us being allowed to stick our bins there however nice the store we build looks?

5-8mm

Then I would want them to have everything and be bloody good.

That's it..... I knew that necking is the precursor to fracture. My mum did warn me.

Young's Modulus is all you need to know. As you tighten a bolt, or screw, it stretches, so gets a little thinner. The idea is to stretch it enough to hold itself in place, and allow for some more stretching when extra loads are imposed. There is a limit, called the elastic limit. Below the elastic limit, the bolt/screw will return to its original shape, pass the elastic limit, called the yield point, the material is failing and does not return to its original shape. Once a bolt/screw has been overtightened (the yield point reached), any extra load deforms the material and failure is happening. This may not be visually apparent at first, but it is failing. Alternatively, tighten till it goes loose, then back half a turn.

it does but if you look at the two details in comparison, they are different. The detail from MBC is spreading the load between EPS & slab. The above detail is compac foam sitting 60% approx. on slab, 40% on insulation. It needs supported full depth and down, not on 100mm of insulation.

@Ed_ Not read all of the above, apologies but it is Friday night. 🍷 If it’s of any use we used GRP angles to support the sliding doors and negate any thermal bridge. MBC, timber frame.

The entire 2 storey outer leaf of the MBC TF twin wall system sits on it (the EPS upstand), and it's rated to also take the feck knows how many kg/m2 of cement board + adhesive + 30mm thick stone slips that hang of that outer leaf.

Will the EPS that's holding the whole house up compress? Erm, "no". Once the weight of the static (not dynamic) load of the window / door is spread out over the 3/4/5m lengths, and is sat onto ridiculously strong CF200, then you can literally park a car (or a window) on it. Bear in mind it is higher load capacity EPS too, not the stuff that stops your new washing machine getting damaged in the delivery truck. If both Norrsken and MBC are doing this routinely, I think the pill of chill can be taken. As principal consultant I have to go to actual peoples actual builds, and actually do these things. I sleep well, and my phone stays quiet at night, which comes from nearly a decade of working with high-end fenestration and all types of foundations and insulation systems. Nobody's rung me up to say they've had an issue.........yet. I am quite meticulous in the execution and methodology of these installs, (batshit crazy levels of OCD actually), so it is accepted that a crap fitter using the same materials would have a poor outcome with reduced longevity. Do the job right, do it once.

Can't get a labourer for less than £140-£160 in the land of the English. Last time I QS'd a job (very) near London, some were advising to allow £600 a day (landed) for a sparky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Got to pay to sharpen their tools and all sorts

As long as its anti-tear, yes. This is better stuff, and can be delivered. https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BG10T.html?source=adwords&ad_position=&ad_id=&placement=&kw=&network=x&matchtype=&ad_type=pla&product_id=BG10T&product_partition_id=&campaign=shopping_excluded&version=finalurl_v3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17412537060&gbraid=0AAAAAD-6GhlJa-VEmBUZA3QiMsZIdbAub&gclid=Cj0KCQiAk6rNBhCxARIsAN5mQLsb5uQjxT58j8lVt6RN3m5ce5vT9k99qOyPwbiZavHMyGxo9IJ4eRsaAiHjEALw_wcB

would diall silver foil tape from screwfix do the job?

£280 wouldn't even get you 2x labourers or apprentices in the south east imo. It seems roughly correct for a groundworker, although I'm not familiar with the rates they can charge.

That's what I had to do. Had to break out a load of concrete to get access though, which is why I was looking for a short cut. Decided to do it properly though

Sensible deviations should be allowed, per case, with the applicant paying the admin fees to review and resolve each case. Wheelie bins in a nice store at the head of the access to a property should be acceptable, vs ugly rows of bins being left permanently on display (to the detriment of the area). Homeowner can then transport refuse to the bin store at their inconvenience. On bin days you pull the bins out of the store to the kerbside. Simples. "Nick for president!!!!" I suggested a used golf buggy to my current client, with a trailer, for doing the 200m 'refuse runs'. Fleas come with the dog, with adverse sites, but the owner can decide if they are happy to accept the compromise and inconvenience (or build somewhere else!).

For a current new build I'm consulting on, 200m driveway, the fire brigade said that they would simply lay down hoses to go up the drive, and reach the nearest hydrant in the lane. They are willing to provide a supporting statement, agreeing that the presence of an "Automatic Fire Suppression System" (Mist or sprinklers, mist in this case) mitigates the majority of their concerns. The client suggested a 45,000L holding pond, or even paying to extend the hydrant feed in the street onto their property (at cost) and the fire brigade remained pragmatic and agreed that simply laying out hoses would be 'the norm'; plus they'd likely dispatch a water bowser to arrive as a failsafe anyways. Start talking to these people and you may be pleasantly surprised.