Leaderboard
Popular Content
Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/28/19 in all areas
-
is It? LOL I know I am thick but no-one told me that........thats why they seemed pleased!! Scuttles off to corner to put on hat with large D!5 points
-
Well, finally an update. We won the appeal. The inspector pretty much confirmed what we were saying all along about "overdevelopment" and visibility ("intent observer" wouldn't be able to compare the houses in the row due to vegetation) and the neighbour's houses not being the limit the plot can take. Happy days. Big thanks to everybody for the support and advice during this process. On the back of a recent post by @Big Jimbo and following a quick conversation with Mr Luxton at one of the shows I am seriously considering putting in another application that utilises space behind the existing attached garage to form a gym (ground floor only). I do want to bully the bastards who pretty much stole a year of our time - if I can. More questions to follow :-)4 points
-
Apologies to @PeterStarck : I deleted his last post by accident. Sorry Pete... More evidence of my descent into a second childhood. Ian3 points
-
I think you first have to quantify the risks. Most discussions here focus on 3rd party liability due to members of the public entering your site and second, the risk of invited tradesmen trying to take advantage of a self builder. Theft is a distant 3rd of discussions here. What gets stolen? I am told it is not heavy materials like bricks, sand and cement. Fancy tools are attractive but protecting these is not the role of boundary fencing. This leads me to conclude the largest material theft risk is when a house is not yet a lockable weather tight shell and there are valuable portable materials on site such as copper pipe, cable reels, a boiler or system hot water tank.3 points
-
I've sat outside these exchanges for a while as I have fitted a number of SA units and wished for the 'whole picture' to be freely discussed without my interjection. I think that's been exercised so time for a spanner in the works...…. For the majority of commentators, there is a wide knowledge and understanding of how the unit works, vs say Mr & Mrs Smith who know zero and just want hot water. So, I have fitted these units ( PCM 58 btw as PCM 34 is currently removed from sale until the bench test unit achieves the required number of cycles that will confirm it's longevity / robustness ) for a good few Smiths and so far so good. I have fitted ones for pre-heat to combi boilers, one's which replaced a copper vented hot water cylinder and one's which do space heating & DHW combined. All I can do is offer my honest, impartial feedback to this exchange in order to answer the OP's questions, so FWIW; One unit, a PCM 58 size 9 Hw+I, is in and working and has been for about 5 months. This is for a family of 3, and the SA is their only means of producing DHW. If there was any issue with this I would be the FIRST to know. I have also fitted a size 6 and a size 3 in an architects house, ( the 6 doing the family bathroom / utility / kitchen and the 3 doing the ensuite only ), and likewise, as their only means of producing DHW, again, if there were issues I'd be getting shouted at accordingly. I am being shouted at by neither, and both have given me testimonials for both the units and my services in fitting them with the latter asking me to go back to undertake further work there. I felt I should comment to give some balance, and it should also be noted that I fitted the 2 units at @Barney12's home where he has had nothing but grief from day 1. Where the issues may possibly lay is in the history of these units meeting the 'adopters', where some folk were dealing with a company still in development, whereas now they refuse point blank to sell to the public, nor to respond to the public as they should have done ( or not done ) from day 1. Because they now only sell to resellers the buck stops with the installer, and the only installers permitted to buy and sell these units must prove their worth to SA and gain the necessary accreditation to boot. My point being this; that to specify and install these units you need to know how they work, what their USEFUL capacity is, and which unit is to be selected correctly for each instance. For eg; I have been asked to specify one for a client to replace a copper DHW cylinder and on paper a size 9 should suffice. As it will be heated by PV I have subsequently viewed the 9 as a 6, so at 50% depleted it would not have sufficient capacity to fulfil the needs of the household, so I have selected and subsequently recommended a size 12 unit for this particular instance. That unit will be fit and forget, and I will ever hear from them again, of that I am sure, but that is because I know how to specify these correctly. Simple. The controller 'issues' are something that are best described as 'quirks', but are known and should have be considered by SA when stating the equivalent capacities in their installation manuals, especially when they knew they would end up in the hands of folk who couldn't decipher them properly. That point is NOW moot however as the units now being distributed should only be coming to 'the Smiths' via an approved SA installer so the 'thinking' would be removed, the quirks not causing any sleepless nights, and as above they should be fit and forget. The only remaining 'issue' then is the cost, where the client may consider this approach an unnecessary expenditure, eg where a size 9 on paper should suffice, and I recommend a 12 ( so an uplift in cost of ~£300 ), and the client has to bear that uplift for me to be able to recommend a SA...…..BUT...…..they'd never be aware of that mechanism as I would just be quoting for the size / type of unit which I calculated would be suitable for their needs and they would simply either accept or decline the quote. Ultimately SA is 'the loser' in that situation as I would have to make their product look expensive where it could / should be cheaper, but all this is early days in the grand scheme where most here probably do not know that SA have now pulled away from the public as aforementioned, in recent months, to ensure this kind of error cannot happen anymore. Credit to them for raising that drawbridge, albeit a little late in the day, but as the saying goes "pointless locking the stable after the horse as done a bunk" so they ( SA ) should really have been making more effort to remain in constant / constructive dialogue with their "early adopters" which it seems they haven't. @recoveringacademic; Should you be snogging this box of salty yogurt? I'd prefer not to have to bleach that image from my mind.... @mrsRA would be a bit pissed off if there were another in your marriage.... Avoid? No. Specify properly and install to suit? Yes. Tin Hat suitably super-glued on and awaiting the flack...…..3 points
-
Spent the last week floor tiling - still a bit left to do (need to get hold of more adhesive). When I get home I'm whacked - I'm sure you would get tiling fit eventually but respect for those who do it for a living. Grouting today had the sweat dripping off me. Perhaps we don't appreciate the trade boys and girls enough sometimes.2 points
-
So... uPVC is inert, resistant to all but the most corrosive of alkalis and acids, and does not cause condensation like metal products. Galvanised steel on the other hand is mildly reactive, usually put together with aluminium fixings that create galvanic corrosion with any moisture in the air, and is also prone to condensation unless properly insulated. So, I’d say the chance of failure is a lot higher with steel than plastic ..!2 points
-
To me that article looks like it has been written by a marketing person. For example the flexible ducting I have seen being installed is indeed ridged on the outside but smooth on the inside.2 points
-
It shouldn't be hard to get down to the PH standard of 0.6 ACH with the blown cellulose roof, as the roof is the part that really does benefit the most from having the benefits of blown cellulose, IMHO, both because warm roof airtightness can be an area that's a bit harder to ensure and because much of the advantage in using a longer decrement delay insulation will be felt in the roof, as there's little heat capacity in the roof covering.2 points
-
2 points
-
Just stuck some magnets on a wall as an illustration. The big magnet has a hole in the centre, which is just the right size for a pencil (if you want to mark the wall). The smaller magnets are showing the heads of the screws found by the larger magnet. Took me maybe 30 seconds to do this, and most of that was spent finding the first stud (others are easier as you can guess roughly where they will be):2 points
-
Hard to beat a nice strong magnet. I have a reasonably OK stud finder, but I don't wholly trust it, as it can struggle a bit at times. A really strong magnet will reliably find plasterboard screws, and once you have found one of those you can be pretty certain there's a stud or batten behind it. I then use lots of small (around 5mm diameter) magnets to mark the position of every screw head I find. The result is a map on the wall of where the studs/battens are, with no pencil marks anywhere.2 points
-
Sorry Nick but this is just wrong. ANY system should be able to cope with scenarios that are "not normal" its called a bloody boost or override switch! To give you just one of numerous examples I could think up: So I'm Mr Smith who has no knowledge of how his system works and has NO boost or override switch..........."Dear family, please don't go away for a few days and leave me on my own. I'll have to have three showers in the morning otherwise the water will go cold tonight when I have a bath and I can't do ANYTHING about it" Add the complexity I have which is where my dual 12kwh Sunamps provide DHW and Undefloor heating (220m2 passive standard house) with NO other form of back up and I can can really screw your head with "not normal" scenarios. For the avoidance of doubt the system was designed by Sunamp originally as two 9kwh units but after they both completely failed they were upgraded (FOC) to 12kwh.2 points
-
One thing first; I have nothing but praise for @Nickfromwales His commitment to detail (his OCD almost matches mine!), work quality and ethic are right up my street. In fact if it wasn't for his input and intervention in my personal Sunamp journey (much of which is not written on this forum) I would have personally driven from Devon to Scotland and poured the salty goop through Sunamp's letterbox! Now that's said, I'll continue: We appear again to be having endless string of conversations about "workarounds" when actually we should be focusing on what Sunamp are marketing and what you get. My focus is on the electric units (as that's my only reference point) What I believe to be factually correct based on the information provided thus far is: They are not a direct replacement for cylinders or thermal stores The usable capacity (and thus comparisons with the above) are not as advertised They do not and cannot optimise PV. That is simply an untrue statement when they have to be 50% depleted before they call for power. Also; the soft start function throws many PV diverters into a spin! Even THE MOST BASIC of DHW (and space heating) system allows you to "boost" your energy requirement to cope with scenario's where "normal" demand is exceeded. With the electric Sunamp unit you simply cannot do it. I'm sorry but that has to be a fundamental design flaw. End of chat!2 points
-
Yes, in essence, but I would not go to 2x 9's I would go to 1x 12. A 9 is equivalent to a 212L UVC, and that is fit for most domestic homes with the Smiths and their 2.4 children, so a 12 would be ample. I would only go to 2x x sized units if the DHW demand was high and then the SA would out-perform the equivalent UVC hands down, plus to answer @PeterStarck's question fully, there would be no pressure reducing valve, no cold mains pressure relief valve, no temp and pressure relief valve, no D1 and D2 overflow / discharge pipework, no G3 installation criteria and zero ongoing G3 annual inspection ( for the life of the U|VC ) which would equate to a saving over 20 years of around £2k minimum. A proper G3 annual inspection should comprise of the draining down of all of the hot water from the tank, then a witness of the tank reheating and the control valves / thermostats all shutting off accordingly, then a manual test of the PRV's ( which makes the bloody thigs start leaking / passing water so any installer will refuse to touch them without that caveat in place ), and then a full visual inspection of the D1 and D2 discharging to waste...…...followed by isolation of the cold water supply, draining off of the head of cold mains pressure, then the checking of the pre-charge pressure in the 'gassed' side of the expansion vessel to ensure the EV is in good order / the bladder hasn't ruptured. What a damn ball-ache!!!!!!! Anyone who does any less than the above has NOT carried out a proper G3 annual inspection and you should not have wasted your time and money getting them out I the first place. I know of one landlord who was left with a £30k bill when his insurers failed to pay out because of a failed maintenance / installation instance in a block of flats where the two flats below were flooded. UVC's are constantly losing charge in the expansion vessels, which needs annual checking and topping up, and I've seen the aftermath when owners shrug off that routine where the UVC pops and floods the house. Greater still is the fact that most are upstairs and even greater again is the fact that thy are connected to the cold mains so have an infinite supply of mains pressure water to spew out until you get home from work. To answer it specifically, the sheer size of the equivalent 440L cylinder? 2 x size 9 units would still fit under a kitchen / utility worktop whereas that cylinder would be roughly 1800mm high x 660mm diameter. The cost of 1x size 9 SA ( ~£1800 depending on which model ) would pay for the 440L cylinder. In 20 years the cylinder would have cost more to inspect let alone buy.2 points
-
2 points
-
Okay I try again . What is the advantage of two 9kWh models compared to a UVC storing water at 45C.2 points
-
So reading the above posts since @Nickfromwales raised his tin hat above the parapet. The situation can be summarised as follows: For an electrically heated unit, SA recognise the 50% "problem" and have "solved" it by telling the installer to specify a larger unit to stand a chance of delivering the amount of hot water the customer expects. While from the customers point of view, they will get a unit that works, it will be at THEIR expense of paying for a bigger unit that they really ought to need, and the installer may or may not have been too shy to actually tell them they are paying extra to overcome a known problem that SA don't seem willing to properly deal with. So while Mt & Mrs Smith may be happy, I am afraid that is once humongous "sweep it under the carpet" exercise.2 points
-
I've owned and lived with both versions of the Sunamp, probably one of very few that have, plus I've now got 3 1/2 years experience with these things, a fair bit longer than anyone here, and longer than any Sunamp installer (there were none at all when I fitted our Sunamp PV). I can say categorically that, as far as the electrically heated models are concerned, the Sunamp PV was significantly more reliable, worked pretty much exactly like an immersion in a hot water tank and was able to utilise all of the heat storage capacity available, i.e. the 5 kWh model could usefully store and deliver 5 kWh. On the other hand, the electrically heated Sunamp UniQ models are far less capable. They can only usefully store around half their rated capacity, even though they are practically double the weight and significantly larger. What's worse is that in practice, they can deliver LESS than half their rated capacity when used with an excess PV generation diverter. We never ran out of hot water with the Sunamp PV, with it's 5 kWh capacity, but have run out twice with the much bigger 9 kWh capacity Sunamp UniQ. What's more, we would have run out of hot water many more times if I hadn't discovered that this could be prevented by resetting the unit manually every day. I've stressed the electrically heated models above because both models we've had have only been electrically heated. If heated with hot water, then I would guess that the major flaw in the controller that we have experienced may well either not be an issue, or be an issue that can be easily worked around. As long as a hot water heated model is provided with hot water at a few degrees above the PCM phase transition temperature of either 34°C or 58°C then it will charge, if there is any charge capacity available. I'm afraid I do not agree that the solution to the flaw in the controller is to just spend a lot more money on a unit that has twice the storage capacity required. It may get around the severe design flaw in the controller, but frankly a 9 kWh unit should be able to always store and deliver 9 kWh, not be artificially de-rated by an installer to 4.5 kWh, as bodge to cover up inadequacies in the product. Apart from anything else, the specifications are clear, and if a 9 kWh model is not able to reliably deliver 9 kWh every day, then it's not compliant with the manufacturers specification, so should be marketed as a 4.5 kWh model.2 points
-
My PCM34 cells are effectively an ASHP buffer, they are charged by my ASHP up to 45oC, the ASHP shuts down at about 42 when the SA unit stops calling for heat. They are used as the the UFH buffer and also DHW pre-heat. The PCM58 cells then provide the DHW.2 points
-
Bang on schedule the raft components arrived on Monday morning. We knew it would be quite a big volume of material on a small site and getting it unloaded and put somewhere it would not get damaged or need moving was s little tricky. JUB insisted on sending the raft on pallets. Our builder was not that impressed with this as unloading the lory requires a folk lift which is something we don't have on site. So we had to hire a set of folks for the digger. With the raft safely stored at the back of the plot the work to prepare the site progressed. The drainage had been marked in the site setting out exercise along with electrical and water ducting. Trying to keep raft punctures to a minimum but also allow for future needs was a concern. In the end we kept it to a minimum with electrical conduit for the rain and foul water pumps and two for water. Along with the raft we received a letter from our neighbours complaining that I had put our water meter box on their garden wall. In retrospect a valid complaint, it was one of those decisions made in expediency without enough thought. Our water supplier Portsmouth Water will now only make new connection when an above ground water meter box is installed. I duly bought the one box they permit (so much for choice), water pipe and water conduit. Not having a house on which to mount the box, I made the required connections and left the box mobile so it could be put in place in due course. At which point I called in the Portsmouth Water, regrettably they said they could not make the connection until the box was in situ. Having explained our situation and the need to get water on the site it was suggested I could mount the box on the wall by our property. At this stage I should have thought about it rather than simply get on with it, my mistake entirely. The wall it outside my boundary, by millimetres true , but still NOT ours. Our neighbours were not impressed so Monday was spent moving the box and apologising to my neighbours. I shuttered and cast concrete into the wall footings and backfilled with type 1 MOT to repair the wall. Having done this I then putting in two concrete posts 200mm inside our boundary and mounting the water meter box on them. This is what I should have done in the first place. Slightly different subject, the Groundbreaker Water box, this is the only box that Portsmouth Water will connect to. At around the £150 mark it's a pretty hideous piece of kit both aesthetically and in product design terms for installation. Given their current monopoly and the fact that all new connections will require one it made me consider looking into producing an alternative. A swift kicking from the boss and I was reminded to get on with the house...maybe later once the house is done. . With the drainage in place the MOT type 1 sub base was spread over the raft area, levelled and compacted. Our builders ICF-homes did this with considerable care and we ended up with a good surface to spread the sand layer which was again compacted before putting down the membrane. Our structural engineers had specified a Radon barrier, we ended up using a standard plastic DPM as Radon is not a problem in our area. The DPM gets glued to the side of the raft sealing it and providing some additional protection for the polystyrene. . With the membrane down the work of setting out the raft. The perimeter is all keyed together It took a while to get the corners located precisely but once this was done the raft slotted together very well with a really solid interlock. The raft was then completed by adding the rebar, four layers around the perimeter. All in all a lot of steel, Pat and I spent most of Saturday morning helping get the rebar in place and wire tying it to make is solid before the concrete pour. Our raft is now complete and this week the surface water drainage will go in. Along with the problem with the water meter box our neighbours also bought up the "Party Wall act". Doing a self build is nothing if not educational. The act came into law following problems with basement excavations in London. It dictates that excavations in close proximity to your neighbours 0-6M have to be notified and agreed. In our case we were within notifiable distance, but fortunately were not excavating to a notifiable depth. Our builders were not familiar with the act and no mention had been made by building controls. The act did effect our other neighbours and I contacted them letting them know what work has been done. Fortunately all the excavations were made and backfilled without incident. Hoping for a less eventful week to allow us to regroup before our first block delivery next Monday. As this is the first build for JUB in the UK the factory are sending someone on site to assist with the build and wall bracing. It's very positive to see the house taking shape, we have our EPC which suggests we should require in the region of 68wats/K to heat the house which is great, but we still only come out as a "B" energy rating! the rating system is bonkers.1 point
-
Well done @oldkettle, you’ve joined the club of those winning at appeal ?1 point
-
The vent at the treatment plant is the key thing, and the chances are the BCO isn't aware that there is one, I think.1 point
-
P17 says you can fit a 110mm vent to the unit assuming yours is a gravity outlet model? If so do that and send him a copy of this manual quoting what they say on p17. If so, sorted! Manual_Vortex_Installation_v7.pdf1 point
-
Many thanks @vivienz, I'll drop you a line to get their details, if that's alright.1 point
-
The decrement delay will be short, perhaps 2 to 3 hours, with PIR foam, as it's heat capacity is pretty low.1 point
-
I would guess that they can, Jeremy. The fins for my brise soleil are beautifully machine elipses in cross section - very nicely worked.1 point
-
Tempted to live with the wide, tapered grout line on the basis the sink will hide the majority. Just hoping it doesn't crack. If it does I'll silicone bead it assuming I can get the gun in! When this has gone off I'll silicone bits around the shelf:1 point
-
Was sure somewhere I read they were changing to 3 x 1kW to allow for some redundancy if one failed... Virgin coconut oil at Lidl for £2.99/300ml. Melting point around 24degC...just thinking out loud...1 point
-
Got to ask yourself, which product do they make the most profit on? Not that I'm cynical or anything, but I've not seen any evidence at all to support the view that PVC degrades after 15 years. In fact I've seen first hand how PVC pipe lasts for decades with no degradation - our last house was built around 1982/3 and still had the original PVC gutters and downpipes when we sold it last year, so they were around 36 years old and still in good condition, plus they had been exposed to the elements all that time. PVC duct should last longer, if anything, as it's in the dark and only subjected to a small range of temperatures. Our semi-rigid ducting is all smooth on the inside. I've got an offcut that has been around the back of the house for the last 5 years, exposed to the elements. I'll dig it out tomorrow and have a look at it.1 point
-
Possibly because it’s easy to miss 0.6 so gives them a lot more leeway? Doesn’t mean it won’t meet 0.6 though, just means they are only guaranteeing 1.0.1 point
-
Good point. I might well revisit this subject with them before I sign on the dotted line.1 point
-
Sounds like they exceeded the spec to me, not "almost got there". 0.58 ACH is better than 0.6 ACH.1 point
-
Most of it is easy, I used the Protect Barriair air tight membrane and Tescon Vana tape. However it was thanks to my builders that some of the details were made easy. It was they that suggested installing what has been referred to on here as a "tony Tray" That is basically a length of air tight membrane that goes from the inside of the wall downstairs, around the ends of all the joists, and back to the inside of the wall upstairs. That was easy to install as they put the joists in and made the process or sealing the building easy and effective. If the MBC budget package omits things like that, then you are going to be left with a whole load of joist ends to tape up individually.1 point
-
1 point
-
Don't you then chance overcooking the PCM below the raised sensor array? Isn't it that it doesn't change state all at once but relies on convection currents that can't be "rushed"?1 point
-
I am puzzled why the more basic option has such a very much worse air tightness "specification"? Surely that is down to detailing, and if nothing else YOU can detail that by taping where apropriate, or even adding extra air tightness membrane where necessary. At the moment it sends the message "we don't take so much care" with the more basic product.1 point
-
1 point
-
Our BCO was happy with the vent just being the treatment plant itself, as the air blower means that it's well ventilated and as there are no traps between the soil stack and the treatment plant the whole foul drain run will be adequately ventilated. I just sent him an email with a description of what I wanted to do, plus a sectional drawing showing where the AAV would be and he was happy to approve it. Made life a lot easier not having to fit a dedicated vent pipe.1 point
-
Any explanation for the relatively poor 3ach? Can it not be upgraded? It would be your most rewarding upgrade. Edit:- Assuming MVHR in both cases then reducing from 3ach to 0.6ach looks like about a 35% saving on total heating bill1 point
-
I would have said the reduced heat loss, but having just looked at the specification again I'm not at all sure that's correct. If it's sensible, as @Nickfromwales suggests, to over-specify the capacity to be sure of being able to reliably deliver a requirement that's around half the specified capacity, then the reduced heat loss advantage almost disappears, and the cost is so much greater than a hot water cylinder that it doesn't make economic sense. The only slight advantage would then seem to be that the overall height of a Sunamp installation would be around half that of a hot water cylinder, but the footprint would be much the same, maybe slightly greater.1 point
-
@recoveringacademic Revenge is sweet . You'll know maybe that I can edit your posts Peter?1 point
-
1 point
-
1 point
-
@JSHarris to achieve your target 9 kWh capacity in this new de-rated world, you'd presumably have needed to buy an 18 kWh model (if such a thing exists). How about getting that up your stairs? How much would that weigh?1 point
-
I hope that this is sorted out by the time we need to make a decision. The low standing losses and (at least notional) 'charging' flexibility is very appealing. This has been dissected in detail by minds far greater than mine but could someone explain why the following wouldn't work: Pre heat water via an ASHP (Pv if possible) to a temperature that makes best use of the COP. Feed the UFH if needed straight from the ASHP. Use an electrical heater (powered by Pv when possible) to raise this waters temperature to charge the sunamp. In summer if cooling is needed there should be plenty of Pv available so use some for the ASHP in cooling mode and some for the electrical water heater. I wait to have the scales lifted from my eyes....1 point
-
Thanks too Jeremy. Still scrambled however. Do sunamp do a product to melt the ice on my windscreen or does it stop working when windscreen is 52% de iced1 point
-
Cladding straight onto battens (which had a damp proof membrane fixed to them). The cladding overlaps (each piece has an overlap edge detail) so should be weathertight.1 point
-
So, is any SunAmp product worth considering to provide any form of heating - water or space in a house? (Trying hard to boil this down to a fairly understandable answer to a very simple question)1 point
-
I've got one of those too Dave. And I was just about to decide on which unit to order. I'm not known for being decisive, but this thread causes me to do more than dither.....1 point