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The thing with inhibitors is they deplete, a static system will locally deplete the inhibitor and you may get some corrosion. Enable the pump any seize and it will run the pump a couple of minutes every week or so.

For general interest. When written risk assessments became a requirement, we put one together that was about 8 pages long, and attached to it a standard A4 form for each specific task. So there might only be one at the start of the job. HSE snap visits (maybe 10% of projects or one per year) asked to see it. They were able to read it in 5 minutes, and follow up with questions and a site tour. One inspector said he wished all manuals were like this, but that sadly it was changing. What they most want to know. Who is in charge? Everyone on site should know. Then asks that person what is happening today, and show me the relevant paperwork. Then a look at the work in progress and site in general. Often they'd give good advice When I retired, our file had expanded somewhat, as required, but was kept relevant and job specific, and was generally one lever arch, half full. On a major national contractor's site I saw they had 3 very full, big files. I happened to be in their cabin, being a subcontractor, when HSE turned up. The manager couldn't find the relevant bit. HSE not impressed. That file was designed to keep the hierarchy safe, not the site personnel. Mine he read and praised, looked at what we were doing and that was that. The bulk of the paperwork that is just waffle was (and is) of no interest. So do it. They don't expect a professional file for a self- build but would from any biggish contactor you are using. They have always been decent people in my experience. The best bit of advice I can give for safety is to think "what could go wrong" and note the measures in place or sort it. Practically it is often by not having too much going on at the same time. If I could find one of my blank forms I'd depersonalise it and publish it here...but I can't. Maybe someone else can. What you really, really don't want is HSE turning up to you after dealing with a nasty accident somewhere else and finding a shambles.

All true, we also have to wash a few times a year.

Depends how it is worded and chatted. If x-axis is accidents, and y-axis is volume of useful paperwork, then if my hunch is right, it should be a negative correlation. Swap the axis around, and it becomes positive (but still shows the same result). if, on the other hand, the paperwork is too voluminous, badly written and unorganised, them the correlation could be 0, or flat, but with a lot of variance between data points.

architects have been doing this (badly) for years.

be careful, building over sewers is picked up during conveyancing and will scupper a sale.

Don't believe the maintenance free claim on these. A neighbor has some, yes it doesnt rot and get as dirty as wood. But it does move more and need adjusting every summer after it swells up. All the nice lined up gaps are all over the place.

the structural opening is the stop end. DPC is to stop damp climbing, it cant there is an opening. A tray is to deflect moisture falling down the cavity above, it cant there isnt one.

... erm , stronger positive correlation I think. 😁

Probably best to check them at the end of the heating season, rather than the beginning of the new heating system.

I suspect there is a stronger correlation between sites with good paperwork and low accident rates.

That's an old thread, I have changed and simplified mine loads since then. ESBE and pump at manifold gone. Flows sit around 2 to 2.5L/min depending on loop length but more importantly room temperature target.

Just out of curiosity what flow rates have you set the manifold to?

Let's put this in perspective. How many on here have had a formal visit or request to inspect the site or request to see the safety document? Unless you have an accident or complaint it's very unlikely.

Interesting - this is about proportionality and talking responsibility to me and feels like the pendulum has swung too far - but clearly many here disagree. Yes I've read the rules. Yes I've written and requested the required documents. Yes I make best efforts to comply - including inductions/signatures/tidyness/etc. No I don't want people hurt or worse on my project. My points were: its extra work, extra expense, another whole layer of bureaucracy, not that clear to a self builder (or indeed a traditional builder who didn't have to bother with it pre 2015.) In summary yet another barrier to the average person putting them off taking on a self build which is what this thread was intending to mitigate.

After installing our HP a year ago and it running well throughout last winter, I thought Id run it up over the weekend after a few months shutdown. It started and ran fine and I shut it down after a few hours then went to check the magnetic filter. Found the filter with quite a bit of flaky debris stuck to the magnetic tube. I don't know whether the debris accumulated through last winter or came from the weekends test run. There was more debris this time than any of the half dozen filter cleans/checks I did in the weeks after installation last year, so glad I checked it. After getting only minimal debris in the weeks after install, I was quite surprised how much flaky grot was in there! Our system is 90% rads so maybe we're going to see more debris than an UFH system, even with inhibitor, but worth checking any filters in your system to make sure they're clear.

Do a Google image search or Pinterest to find examples. I would be inclined to make the worktop 5-10mm overhang all round including overhanging the end panel. It is a different material/element, wouldn’t look right if it is flush.

Although for many years it was all made in Scotland from hydro power so zero carbon.

The paving may still shift about as the ground swells and shrinks. Not much you can do on a domestic patio.

Evening all. As the thread title suggests, I am planning to lay a mix of patios and paths in the garden of my SB. As part of achieving the necessary levels for the house itself, the courtyard garden was excavated down to subsoil level, which in my case means thick clay. Not sure if the photo shows it clearly, but the clay is fully exposed throughout, there isn't a pinch of soil to be found anywhere! I plan to compact about 100mm of MOT type 1 and 2 subbase, then use normal 5:1 mix on top, then lay slabs having back-buttered them with adhesive. In other words, I'll just do the normal thing. My question is, should I not be doing something else, too? Is the normal method sufficient given the ground conditions? Ta

No better people the ask than the worktop template people, they’ll have come across is many times I’m sure. I couldn’t recommend anything as I don’t have an island unit

Our kitchen units have this, I think it’s a very intelligent way to deal with unnoticed spills, leaks etc. 5 or so years on, ours are not causing us any issues and in all honesty I’d forgotten they were there until you posted, no dirt collecting etc. Aside from you (because you’ve seen them) no one else will notice. It looks like yours have been done well, I’d be happy with that.

Our kitchen island will have a quartz worktop with one waterfall end and an end panel at the other end. The kitchen company have proposed that the worktop should overhang the cabinets below by 5mm as standard. Although on the back side of the island we have some open shelving and therefore dispensing with the overhang altogether and having the worktop flush with the shelving unit on this side will likely look sharper. However we have realised that the waterfall end has to match the worktop in width. Therefore the waterfall piece will not match the width of the end panel at the other end of the island to the extent of any overhang. That is, End Panel is 980mm wide. But with two 5mm overhangs the waterfall end would need to be 990mm wide, or with one side flush and one with a 5mm overhang it would need to be 985mm. (Note we have no barstools or breakfast bar overhang anywhere on the island) So how have others dealt with this ? Just accept one end of the island being slightly wider than the other ? Have no overhang on the backside of the island to keep that room facing side nice and flush ? (We have templating tomorrow)

The problem is the reason we should drop the policies is that "they cost too much and we should use the vast reeves or North sea gas and oil to make ourselves energy independent" Which is all bollocks. But sticks in certain minds alongside "we are being invaded" and "the most pressing issue facing our nation is where somebody takes a piss"

The best solution would be a heat pump and possibly a battery EPC regs don't reward that (zero for batteries and a heatpump yields a couple of points over the existing storage heaters). Plus there are planning and install issues (5 stories, conservation area, AONB). The best solution. The one we are going with is to swap the heaters for new HHR storage heaters. If I can get solar fitted I will - and probably a battery. As for the gas properties the issue is not making it more expensive for the tenants (plus the EPC issue). Right now I can't make the bus case stack up despite trying many permutations. Again solar is the current front runner.