All Activity

I put these in that long ago I have no idea what 2 of them are. Lights which never got installed I think! 😆

Ive had my solar install working for about 4 years with no issues, one of the things i installed was a solic solar divertor mainly because I didn't want to give anything back to the grid for free and they wouldn't pay me for it as it was a self install so didn't have the paperwork needed. Diverter lights up as should an when it was all lit up green (producing more power than using) we had power going to Emerson heater in the hot water tank. The button in the solus to switch on the immersion also worked on install. Skip forward to now and I've had a new fancy meter fitted (upgraded to 3 phase) that shows export as well as usage, went to look at the reading after it's been installed a week and I've used 40kw but Exported 10kw an it's not even been sunny this last week...... The solus still all appears to be working, there's no way it's ever heated my hot water tank up to full temp so why am I exporting? Really hope I've not been giving away leccy for the last 4 years. Our install is only about 3kw so say we only have 500watt "spare" is that not going to have enough ooooomph to get into a 2kw heater or would it still draw it in? Or is there any other reason it's still exporting? I new when I installed the diverter it would have very little effect on the hot water but wanted to use all my own power up!

We had a fun day commissioning, but it's not something you can't rush.

Given you've got a shelf and window all at the same height, I'd want to start with a full tile above that and finish with a full tile below and just accept the floor and ceiling may be a sliver. You might want to aim to finish the bottom with marginally less than a full tile, just to make sure you don't fall short!

I wouldn't want to be at the bottom of that trench or responsible for anyone else being at the bottom of it, and if you may have to go even deeper, the cost and risk will rise further. I'd ask your SE for alternatives.

Well I will have that too. I think it will be better to have the scene control portable so you can have it on the coffee table or the sofa. I might just have it so knocks on the table change the scene. And it will also be automated using presence sensors, time of day, etc. In theory the light switches will hardly get used. Ah, well we were the opposite. SWMBO insisted that things must have a switch so grandma could still turn lights on and off (grandma can't even use a mobile phone these days). And if we ever need to sell I wanted to be able to say, if you don't want/like the smart lights it can be taken out. Fortunately although I keep getting notified every time a wash cycle completes, SWMBO hasn't cottoned on to getting me to cross load the machines yet - or into buying a robot vacuum. Old habits die hard.

I didn't realise that existed, thanks. I downloaded the app, entered my location and it told me I was pointing at the incorrect antenna (as are all the house nearby, potentially). I was too tight to pay the £5 or so to 'unlock' the bearing information that I needed in order to point at the correct antenna, but it was easy enough to find the antenna on Google Earth and then the measuring tool gave me the bearing I would need, the compass on the smart phone did the rest. The result? We were pointing at an antenna about 5 miles away, we are now pointing at one that is over 31 miles away and it would seem the picture is as good, if not better. I suspect the coming storm will highlight any deficiencies.

We had trenches from about 2m at the deepest to about 1.3m at the shallowest. Very experienced digger driver made it look very easy. Dug 5th October last year filled (with 9 loads of concrete) 7th October. I would say that it was only possible due to the skills of the driver.

I've just had a look through this thread to get an idea of the history. I am MCS certified and I'm fully Heat Geek Mastery trained too and actually based not too far from you in Bath. Rather than go through the unfortunate contractual arrangements between the various parties, which doesn't help anyone right now, we need to pin down the facts. When was your system actually commissioned and did you receive your installation pack from the MCS Umbrella? You should have had a contract directly with them. As @Dillsue says, in this pack you should have received an insurance backed warranty which must be for a minimum of 2 years for exactly these kinds of situations. However, to take it forward to obviously need to know the defects and Daikin suggesting the system is okay is very unhelpful, if not entirely misleading. From what I see in your photos, the installation does not comply with Building Regulations part L as none of the pipe has been insulated around your cylinder etc. That's just the start. The claim that you have to have thermostatic control in each room to comply with building regulations represents a misunderstanding of the regulation when it comes to heating. Whilst building regs do state this, there are technical reasons why a system designer can design a system without any zones, using weather compensation that fully complies with the regs. The designer simply needs to provide the technical basis of the design decision and how it complies with the aim of the regulations. The insulation job of your primary pipework from the heat pump to underground ducting is absolutely terrible. I'd want to check that the matt black insulation used beyond the short length of PE coated stuff is actually rated for outdoor use - I can't see what the print says but wonder if it's EPDM which is exterior grade or bog standard class O which isn't. But either way it's a terrible job. The MCS design requirements are actually not that comprehensive when it comes to specifying the extent of a design. It only really says that the design has to show the calculated room by room heat loss and that the emitters are sized to counter the heat loss at specified minimum temperatures - indoor and outdoor ones. It doesn't include checking that the heat generator modulates sufficiently for annual average temperature, pipe sizing etc. If you received a heat loss calculation to relevant standards BS EN 12831 that included an emitter schedule and dhw cylinder sizing calculation together with a MCS performance estimate, it's pretty much there. You also received a schematic from the manufacturer. All this could be seen by MCS etc. as constituting a design in their eyes. This bit is key here because the 9kW unit is not the same immediate family as the 6kW. Daikin don't seem to publish minimum output data so it's difficult to know with certainty, but the performance measures on open energy monitor show that there is a big difference between the two when it comes to minimum modulation. The 6kW is 1.408kW and the 9kW 4.03kW. Assuming your newbuild is well insulated, a minimum modulation of 4kW if the calculated heat loss of just under 6kW was correct, means you're bouncing off minimum modulation for most of the year. However, if your heat loss was just under 6kW I'd question if the 6kW unit was the right choice in the first place due to potential drop off at your outdoor design temperature. Do you have the recommendation/advice from Daikin in writing, or from anyone else about the 9kW unit? And do you have anything that states the 6kW unit does actually produce the required heat at your design temperature? Ironically, this may be your saving grace here, if the 9kW unit is bouncing off minimum modulation, whatever the distortion there might be with the rest of the system. For optimisation, yes this is rubbish. There should really be a Daikin master and the system should be running on weather compensation. What does the usage data look like after a year of use? Do you have you COP/SCOP figures available. The good thing in all this is that the builder and plumber have said they'll put things right if needed. Beyond these things, it really depends on what you want in terms of resolution - do you want the existing system refined and optimised or are you looking to go the whole way and try to force a change of heat pump and then a subsequent system modification to suit?

I’d say you need to consider what the various risks are and to what extent you are covered. Some of this will depend upon the circumstances and extent of works. Start with your home insurance - you may well find you have no cover because the extent or value of the building works will invalidate it - check now. How close are you and the works to other properties. Could a neighbours wall crack or be impacted by the foundation dig ? Could a building related fire burn down the neighbours house ? Etc The key purpose of insurance is to cover the risks you cannot afford to bear. What happens if the house collapses during the works, if your contents are damaged, destroyed or stolen. If the works mean weather damage occurs ? If the works result in you having an accident or injury ? Maybe you are a multimillionaire and can bear all the risks without insurance- but most likely not. Also take a look at Renovation Plan Insurance to see what it covers to help you understand the possible risks. Don’t make assumptions, do the research. What about legal cover ? You might need to take your builder to court, you might have to defend a case brought by your neighbour ?

Dig a trial hole where the new foundations are going. Clay trenches can hold up pretty well as long as it is not mixed with, say sand, gravel or alluvium. You will want to dig it out one day and pour it the next if possible so you need a big machine (17t) and an experienced operator. You will also need perhaps 6 trucks of concrete and they will need to be able to get close to the trenches. You will need lots of space for the muckaway pile. If the trenches are not self-supporting you will need to do piles.

I think having the tiles centered to the bog flush offers more pros compared to other options. Pros Central horizontal and vertical alignment to flush plate. Wall mounted taps are both within a single tile Lined up perfectly to fit my window head Almost a full tile at actual ceiling height Cons Pissy 13cm tile at floor level Splitting the difference option Pros Aesthetically pleasing, tile equally sized top and bottom Wall mounted taps within a single tile Cons Slither at window head Slither at actual ceiling Off center at flush, just enough to make it look like a cock up Probably just answered my own question really, think the 13cm bottom tile might be what to go for.

Specifying 2.4m deep footings is a big CDM fail by your designer. Esp on a small residential project. It's just not practical to do safely on a typical self build budget. Back to the drawing board. Ground bearing slab / piles might be a better option.

No but check that your builder has a contractors all risk policy.

We are soon to submit a planning application for a complete renovation and garden room extension. Almost all the work will be done by our builder, though we have started removing plaster, ceilings, rotten doorframes and fitted kitchen ourselves. Do we need special insurance for this beyond standard buildings insurance? Thanks

Hi Craig. Thanks for your reply. We chose a product from a local supplier which I believe is manufactured by Smart Systems/Architectural Aluminium. I've fixed the supplied 225mm cills to the frames and have installed the first window sitting on top of the cill plate (which has been waterproofed using tape as per the Back to Earth guidance - image attached). I'm happy that the smaller windows will be fine simply sitting on the wooden cill plate, but was curious as to whether bigger windows need to have the cill mechanical fixed to whatever substrate it is sitting on.

Isn't it an MCS requirement that the MCS company that's gone bust carried insurance for the situation you're in....flawed design??

Slightly confused by this, the clay is at 10m depth but you are digging to only 2.4m? Why would you dig down to the clay? Piles are expensive but at least the cost is more certain, there seems to be a lot of risk with this approach. 2.4m is very deep before you even consider the "or deeper" and someone getting into the trench seems risky. How do they get the excavated material out of the trench? If you plan to lift it out with the digger then they have to hoist it up to wherever the bucket can reach, and you have a digger on the edge of your very deep excavation... Can you even get in a digger around the bracing you need? What if the bucket accidentally collapses the bracings with someone at the bottom? What does your principal designer say about the risks, as they have a duty to design out risks like this if possible? You're also doing it in Autumn where very dry clay (after this summer) starts getting potentially inundated with water which wont help the stability. Are you sure the trench will be above the water table? What about perched water? Once you start stepping a foundation that deep you are starting to need a lot of concrete. Can you do it in short stretches so you dont open too much up at once and minimise instability?

Our kitchen diner is a L shaped room, 8m by 8m. We kept it simple, 8x large led down lights for kitchen and dining area in total. That is also fine for the island and we have no shadows, as they are nice and bright and shine light in all directions. Two doors into kitchen one switch at each door. Kitchen cabinets and down lights under cabinets are are on a single switch by the hob. You don't need loads of lights and zones. Not a fan GU10 type lights as you need loaded of them

@GaryChaplin I made this form up, plagarised a bit from @Jeremy Harris. Did the commisioning myself with the help of @Adrian Walker Filled in my name where a name was required, sent it of to my BCO and never heard a word. MVHR Comissioning Documentation template.pdf

it all adds character no?

I thought I'd worked it all out and then I got to the window What I should have done then was knock the plaster and concrete internal and just tile straight to block work However I'd already tiled the window reveal :D so Fine cuts it was to be ;)

Finished today, the last of the solar panels on, scaffold down. "Porch" between car port and static complete and all gutter on.

My first thought when reading @Spinny 's post was 'too many switches, would be better to put some automation and scene controllers in'. I think once you've got more than 3 switches in a room that's the way to go. Maybe have local switches near to each light/group of lights but the main switch location(s) should be buttons that control scenes rather than individual lights.

I'd also be asking the SE to consider using pipes or a ground-bearing slab.