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Proposed changes to Permitted Development rights for small wind turbine
-rick- replied to FarmerN's topic in Wind Generation
Where do you draw the line though? Just because someone CAN harm themselves (or others) with a product doesn't mean we shouldn't offer it for sale. Mandate clear instructions, mandate regular reminders on bills and questions when people change energy suppliers. Make sure information is regularly shared publicly but don't say 'oh someone might do something stupid with this so we won't offer it for sale'. The products will still be available, idiots will still buy them and the safety of those products will be less than if you had sensible rules around them rather than saying no. -
As it has been for the last 50 years...
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Generally by the 'wildcat' drilling companies. Nuclear fusion is going to be market ready in 20 years time.
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Just to come back to this. The planning officer did want the energy statement at planning stage by a registered assessor to make sure the building will meet criteria before giving it the go ahead. I went ahead and instructed Energy Digest to do the statement, SAP and overheating report. Yes it cost a bit but it’s done now and ready for the building warrant stage. SAP came in at 111 A+ Co2 reductions below.
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Black stove paint is widely available. Our local farm shop even stocks it (least they used to) and they have a branch in Liskeard which might be close to you? Mole Valley Farmers
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Painting wood burner
Nickfromwales replied to BotusBuild's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
VHT (Very High Temperature) paint is used on exhausts and the such, so start there. -
Just to update that S75 independent expert concluded that the installation is defective as well: Installation did NOT meet the standard of reasonable skill and care Doors/windows were installed too tightly due to inaccurate measurements Little or no insulation between frame, cill, and masonry This has created thermal bridging, especially at the bottom of the installation Condensation and mould confirmed under normal living conditions (not lifestyle-related) Standing water in the frame due to lack of proper drainage (no weep holes) Evidence of poor sealing, contributing to water and air ingress The recommendation is full removal and replacement of the doors and side panels.
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Following a water leak, we have a log burner that has developed a patina of rust on the door and frame. We're going to give it a gentle clean to start with to see what the extent of the problem, thinking it's likely just surface rust from the moisture that was in the air. Is there a paint that anyone can recommend once the rust is removed?
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H I have 8 aluminium cills which are not required for my project (they were manufactured 20 mm deeper than requested). 3 are approx 600mm, 2 are 1220mm and 1 is 2400mm. see Additional cills.pdf I don't want to send them for recycling if I can help it. PM me if you are interested. I just need postage costs Cheers
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Exactly my point. You just assume nothing bad is happening because you cant see it. Yet...! Which is down to dumb luck. This kind of ignorance is exactly what will be applied to PIS. There are plenty of examples to be found with an interweb search, and plenty more if you talk to an electrician. The point is that this is not just about what you plug in, it is about the state of your home wiring too - the stuff you cant see. It doesn't have to be dodgy DIY wiring, it can be simple wear and tear in the system (e.g. neutrals working lose over time) or lower quality or counterfeit materials used unknowingly and hidden behind the walls. Even the bits you can see (like modern electrical sockets), can hide dangers until too late; charging an EV pushes the the plug and outlet right to the very limit of its capability. To quote Jerremy Harris, the normal sequence goes something like this: 1. The plug gets warmer than normal, after a long period of running at high load. 2. Heat is conducted down the line pin, and transferred to the hard brass contacts in the socket. 3. Over time, the brass contacts fatigue from the heat, lose some of their springiness and so no longer make such a good contact with the plug pin. 4. This increased contact resistance causes the socket contacts and the plug pin to get hotter, as now there are two heat sources. 5. The build up of heat further reduces the socket contact spring pressure, increasing contact resistance still further and making things even hotter. 6. If left uncontrolled, then the area around the line pin will break down and char, and there may be enough heat transferred to the thermoplastic that many plugs are made from to cause it to distort, perhaps even catch fire. For years, plugs were all made from thermoset plastics, and this gave two big advantages. The obvious one is that they don't melt and distort when they get hot, the less obvious one is that they provide an early warning when they get hot, as most of them give off a pretty strong fishy smell when really hot. Modern sockets are now made with thermoplastics that are more brittle and don't give off any warning smells. By the time you see scorching of the plastics, hidden damage has already happened internaly. Why granny chargers are dangerous and fatalities will occur before they’re banned - Norwich Electricians Granny charger fire warning | General Chat Forum | MGEVs.com MG EVs Community EV charging cables: how safe are aftermarket leads? | What Car?
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The market is driven by cost not quality. People searching for the lowest price know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Exactly. There are lots of sockets in a house = I can plug in as many panels as I like. The uninitiated will think 'hmmm, AC panels are cheap' = 'I can take my house offgrid' (= 999 !!! 😞). Are plug-in solar users expected to understand how electricity works?
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Vaillant ashp (my battle with).
zoothorn replied to zoothorn's topic in Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)
Hi Onoff, sorry to hear you're struggling a bit there.. we both lucky only a few more weeks until it -should- be spring proper. Yes. You see I can make 1 effective room, 2 even. Despite having 1 old stone wall acting like a fridge on end. And with you guys' help this is in fact what I did. I have 1 room which retains this "low output" HP rad heat: my new build bedroom. The weirdness still affects it though: dark moisture-wet peripheries, of course on the stone end wall, but nowt to worry about if the room's warm. So you see now, I tramp down AM from this newbuild bedroom warm room (which I ventilate for 1/2 the day as soon as I leave it).. down into sittingroom, which thrn feels completely different. Then in into kitchen/ bathroom, which feel a step further on in coldness, & whichever adjacent room I flit between, I -have- to turn on a fan heater. Or I'd be uncomfortably cold. The sittingroom being big, can't be affected by the small fan heater: meaning I just vacate it until bearing an hour or two upon an leccy blanket + hottie, for my need to listen to my records/ vinyl. So I have the IDEAL comparison. New build room, to original old stone big room, to oldbuild 80's extension. The 80's oldbuild extension (despite the 1" of celotex you suggested adding in 1 kitchen wall, a perfectly good idea of course) is actually, worse than the old sittingroom. How.. considering no draughts (none anywhere- blocked all up within months of buying the place p, bc I could sense the cold even in july & thought "that must, surely be draughts- no, it wasn't so simple as that unfortunately).... how is it so bad, despite no draughts. Well this is the sticking point it seems. My theory, vs kind chsps' ideas on here (that the HP can be effective in the 3 problem rooms: I say a HP just can't be). I'm doing their tests now, so the results (of sorts) in 3 weeks. From this compsrison, I can tell the fundamental factor, is structure & how it can retain heat, outputting from a HP system with it's 'medium at best' temp rads. Thanks, Zoot -
Show me your pond!
ToughButterCup replied to canalsiderenovation's topic in Landscaping, Decking & Patios
Not much need for commentary : the pond is fed entirely from the roof run off. (SUDS) Cost? Absolutely everything inclusive : £5 or 6 hundred. Tops The sand (bulk bags) in the photo below is 'buried' under the garden as a filter for the roof run off. Its been working hard recently 😑 This is where that pipe in the photo above runs into the pond. Overflow from here into the pond in the field below our site ( The one with the GCNs in ) -
Show me your pond!
Russell griffiths replied to canalsiderenovation's topic in Landscaping, Decking & Patios
still probably too big for what you would need, not sure if it gives the right feel though. about as natural as it gets. my friend has a wildlife pond he dug and used a liner, I will see if he has any pics. he’s the type of bloke who would have researched it for a year first. -
I did a Dunster house for someone that was excavate, membrane, compacted type 1, gravel grids with 10mm pea gravel.
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What about the undiscovered quantities i keep seeing being talked about. There could be a lot more than what is known?
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I think my plot would fit nicely into that pond 🤣
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Show me your pond!
Russell griffiths replied to canalsiderenovation's topic in Landscaping, Decking & Patios
just messing. get your spade out, you would need to shift a few tonnes to get a pond like my one. serious photo to follow when I can find one. -
Following with interest, my boss says she wants a pond as well.
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Vaillant ashp (my battle with).
Russell griffiths replied to zoothorn's topic in Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)
Have you not noticed the oil crisis oil for heating is not available at the moment by me, with the depots saying a 3 week wait for deliveries, then they are saying that they won’t give you a price until they have it. it’s nearly 3 times the cost as it was last summer. I think @Onoffis trying to conserve it for hot water. Once that tank is empty it don’t work anymore. -
There is a concerted campaign for more north Sea oil drilling licences. The line being fed (I assume as it"s popped up in a few places) is "there are 500 million barrels of oil in Rosebank" The bit *never* said is that the UK uses 1.5million barrels *per day* so we are arguing over (at best) 1 years supply. Given realistic extraction rates it might produce maybe 10% of the UK supply for a decade. Hardly a game changer. Of course, we can stretch that out by reducing our demand for oil (and gas) by doing things like insulating our homes, switching to electric vehicles and other transport modes, using heat pumps etc. All things called "Net zero"
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Maybe not that instant either, you may feel some radiant heat directly in front of it. But room doesn't get instantly get hot.
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Why don't people do some simple maths. Your heater is costing you approx 52p per hour to run. Electric is circa 26p per kWh. Oil even now is about 10p per kWh - Less than half the cost of electricity. Sorry life's too short to be cold, running electric panel heaters to save money, not real.
