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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/29/22 in all areas
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4 points
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I was advised against it by a guy who worked for a water authority and inspected the things, he said he’d never have one. He’s inspected houses where the cisterns have gone black and stink. When you look at the crap and bird shit that gets washed off your roof.2 points
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Rather than just cut the wires, trace them back to where they join either in a junction box or at another switch or socket. Let's be honest here, 1946 wiring NEEDS rewiring. So personally I would disconnect the whole of the old install, install a new consumer unit and start with a couple of sockets by the CU for powering tools etc while you rewire the whole thing as part of the renovtion.2 points
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If it helps I've compiled a list of ways you can connect blinds/curtains to Loxone.... Option 1: Hardwired Power with Loxone Wireless Control Example motors: Geiger Solidline Air - this is the motor Loxone promote Loxone Parts Needed: Loxone Air Receiver Pros: Loxone wireless protocol built into motor makes integration easy and no additional hardware needed at the window location (such as a wireless transmitter) Hardwired power means no batteries need re-charging No need for wiring back to a relay or main panel or plant room Only need 240v power at each window which could be taken off a socket or lighting circuit Cons: This is a 45mm motor which means it will only go in a 65mm+ tube meaning the minimum rollup size is going to be around 70mm which is quite large High torque motors (great for RLs but overkill for standard blinds) Wireless control limits distance from transmitter to receiver Wireless control is not 100% reliable although it is good and always getting better As more devices become wireless there is more radio traffic and more risk of interference 'Dumb' motors with no 2-way communication or feedback to the system Option 2: Hardwired Control Switched through Power Example motors: Somfy WT, Nice Action, Vestamatic MM or ME Loxone Parts Needed: Loxone 240v relay appropriate to the number of blinds you have. Pros: Total reliability of control Hardwired power means no batteries need re-charging Easy to trouble shoot Wide range of motors Cons: Home-run wiring needed from the relay to every window Intermediate stops need to be done via a timer rather than using logic in the motors 'Dumb' motors with no 2-way communication or feedback to the system Option 3: Hardwired Power with Wireless Control Example motors: Somfy WT, Nice Action, Vestamatic MM or ME Loxone Parts Needed: Shading Actuator Air Pros: Hardwired power means no batteries need re-charging No need for wiring back to a relay or main panel or plant room Only need 240v power at each window which could be taken off a socket or lighting circuit Wide range of motors Cons: Wireless control limits distance from transmitter to receiver Wireless control is not 100% reliable although it is good and always getting better As more devices become wireless there is more radio traffic and more risk of interference Intermediate stops need to be done via a timer rather than using logic in the motors 'Dumb' motors with no 2-way communication or feedback to the system (Loxone say it is a pain to setup) Option 4: Hardwired Power with Dry Contact Control, 0v Control, DCT Example Motors: Nice Edge AC or DC, Gaposa Sileo XS50 AC or DC, Somfy Sonesse 30 DCT, Glydea DCT, Movelite DCT Loxone Parts Needed: Loxone 0v Relay with number of channels appropriate to the number of blinds Pros: Total reliability of control Hardwired power means no batteries need re-charging Easy to trouble shoot Cons: Good range of motors but mostly in a higher price bracket than the switching through power option Home-run wiring needed from the relay to every window Intermediate stops need to be done via a timer rather than using logic in the motors 'Dumb' motors with no 2-way communication or feedback to the system Option 5: Hardwired Power with Digital Control Example Motors: Sonesse 30 RS485, Sonesse 50 RS485, Vestamatic SMI, Nice Smart, Glydea RS485 Loxone Parts Needed: Loxone RS485 extension Pros: Total reliability of control Hardwired power means no batteries need re-charging, power can be local to the blind Easy to trouble shoot Easy to set multiple intermediate limits and get hembar alignment at the stop positions Data can be daisy chained making communications wiring easier 'Smart' motors with 2-way communication, system can see blind status (open, closed, etc.) Cons: Slightly limited motor range although some good options available Potentially more complex commissioning needed, especially when intermediate stops required Power and communication wiring should usually be separate, therefore two cables to run (although power could come off a socket or lighting circuit) Option 6: Wireless power with Wireless Digital Control Example Motors: Sonesse 30 WF RTS Loxone parts needed: Loxone RS485 extension Other parts needed: Somfy RS485 RTS transmitter; Pros: Easy installation as no cabling required Long battery life (8-12 months depending on frequency of use) Cons: Maintenance required, battery charging once a year Wireless control limits distance from transmitter to receiver Wireless control is not 100% reliable although it is good and always getting better Slightly complex commissioning for AV integrator and blind installer Option 7: Wireless power with Wireless Dry Contact Control Example Motors: Sonesse 30 WF RTS, Nice Edge Battery motor Loxone parts needed: Loxone Dry Contact Relay Other parts needed: Somfy DCT RTS transmitter or Nice 0v radio transmitter Pros: Easy installation as no cabling required Long battery life (8-12 months depending on frequency of use) Cons: Maintenance required, battery charging once a year Wireless control limits distance from transmitter to receiver Wireless control is not 100% reliable although it is good and always getting better2 points
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One more thing. Some of the rwh manufacturers include or suggest a 'leaf diverter' which skims 10% of the water away from the surface with leaves etc and dumps it. This seems like a lot of waste and defeating the object. The same can be achieved by having the rwps go through a grille, or insert a filter in line. My solution was a catch-pit where the silt and leaves were caught, but in real life the muck was insignificant. As SimonR, the backup from the manufacturer was appalling. My supplier has dropped out of the rwh market, fortunately.1 point
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I must just be a dinosaur then. I put Cat 5 to every room, and so far ONE is in use. A bit like a telephone cable to every room, yes only one of those is in use as well. Everything else works on wifi.1 point
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When building a house - you can never put too many runs of CAT 5/6 in. When we did our house (over 10 years ago now!) I insisted on what was considered an absurd amount of cable runs - people were laughing at me over it. Years later I wish I'd done more. The cable costs very little - but dealing with the lack of a cable in a finished house is expensive and miserable. Whatever you think is plenty of cable runs - double it then add some - and you will still wish you did more...1 point
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Inside, wherever the plasterboard joins with the window, my windows are wooden, hard wood but wood still moves a little fill the small gap between stop bead and window with flexible mastic. Even our Jeremy had problems with plaster cracking here and wished he had heard of this before.1 point
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1 point
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Yes. Often described as a Hilti gun. They go straight into steel or concrete with no pilot. Very nasty kick back as you might expect, and needs attention and strength. The only real life issue is in going into extra hard concrete, or extra-strength steel (or too weak a material that just breaks). There are different lengths of nails and different explosive levels too, so check for that. The guns can be hired. I seldom use them where there is any other option, especially as screws are so good these days.1 point
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If you are oiling then don’t use resin or other filler. larger holes glue in a knot or plug. smaller holes etc. Make some sawdust, mix with titebond or similar decent quality wood glue and use that to fill1 point
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When the garden needs watering, the tank will be empty. When the tanks full, it’s because it’s raining……on the garden. Same argument about using PV to run the heat pump for heating in the winter. Both = 👎. If you can fit a huge ( 10,000L ) tank to catch every single drop of rain then I’d say you’d be in with a chance, but a system that flushes the WC’s and washing machine will also have a cold mains fill valve to keep the head of water a minimum of 100mm above the pump inlet, so once you get down to 1000L in a 5000L tank you’ll be back to using fresh water eg a 5000L tank is a more closer to a 4000L useful capacity. When the pump snuffs it you’ll be back to a break even of 20+ years. Add to that the electricity to run the pump all the time your flushing loo’s / watering gardens / washing cars etc and the maths ( and longevity ) go negative. Spend the money on something that will give you enjoyment, like lots more solar PV, so you can wave a smug and satisfying 2 fingers at the big 6. ✌️1 point
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Put it on wheels and it’s a caravan and you can do what you want … it becomes a non permanent structure !1 point
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@craigOur BCO is not insisting on further documentation on this occasion, but he is right that EN12600 is only about "safe breakage" and not "containment" and that documentation should be available to show that design-loadings comply with BS1680, in the same way that this is required for balconies. The complication is that BS1680 is a UK-only standard and the design loadings required are also UK-specific so it's not easy to get this from european manufacturers. There is generic guidance, which @Nick Laslett linked to, but none of this covers triple-glazed units directly so isn't suitable. The one thing I was able to use to make BCO a bit happier was the AGC Glass Europe online "glass thickness calculator" which uses EN 16612 to calculate loadings/delfection and shows that a 4Tc+4T+4Tc does meet requirements BS1680 point/line/unform loadings for the size of our glass units. Our glass is Saint Gobain, not AGC, but toughened glass is pretty much the same whoever makes it.1 point
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Morning. There's a mass of advice here: often buried in discussion which isn't related to the question posted. So, please waste a bit of time here: try out the site search facility and you could also try using google or other search engine to search within the site. Some find it more efficient to search that way than to use the forum search tool. If you have a strong stomach, follow @pocster, if you want stories about well-illustrated , detailed fiddly stuff done to a high standard, @Onoff's yer man. @ProDave is a tame spark, there's more a than a few plumbers; and there is any number of bar-room lawyers. @nod has forgotten more about plastering, framing and allied trades than anyone else. The blogs are worth more than a passing look . Anyway, welcome. Ian1 point
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Myself and Husband are currently renovating our house that we bought and moved into in 2019. After moving in we had plans drawn up and instructed a Structural Engineer. The house is of stone construction but the internal walls are made from poured concrete. In order to remodel the house we needed to demolish seven walls. The good news is that only one of the seven walls was load bearing. The bad news is that five of the walls were concrete. Imagine our delight to discover two walls were of brick construction. Happy days. Six walls down now, only one left to go. I enjoy reading the posts on this forum and I have learned so much but if anybody needs any advice about demolishing concrete walls please do ask.1 point
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why can't you just move her stuff yourself to put the cable in and GET THE BLOODY JOB FINISHED?????1 point
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What ever you do smart, will be old hat in 10 years time and not supported. Keep it simple, and replaceable, but install cat 5/6 data cables to TV points.1 point
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Think the bath is an accident waiting to happen, you would stepping in to the sloped part of the bath. Think he may spend his time reading in a bed recovering from a slip/fall, instead of the bath. Just my thoughts1 point
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It's 8.5 / 9kW... Why haven't I connected that? Well, she's filled (and I mean filled) the loft space where I need to run the conduit to the cu. If I bring it up it's "Can't you work around it?" "No, FO!" It's a big deal to move it out of the way apparently. Moans like f*** about my tools being in the house but won't commit to me building a decent workshop. I think it's a control thing. If there were no tools she'd have nothing to moan about. Imagine everytime I want to sand something I have to shift a pillar drill, band saw, drill boxes and welder just to open a site box. Her poor old man longed for a decent shed but the MiL always vetoed it. Like Howard from Last Of The Summer Wine but with no Marina on the horizon!1 point
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3/4 full, slightly press in, cover. Wait a week and the root emerges first and lifts the bean.1 point
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Speedfit must be locked down and the collet locks fitted for 100% guarantee. Fit Hep2O and this isn’t an issue ….1 point
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I rewired my house a couple of years ago, and I ran individual t&e to every switch and light fitting to two central junction boxes, one mounted on a board in the loft for the upstairs lights and the other in the cupboard at the top of the stairs for the downstairs lights. Again easily assessable and mounted on a wooden board in the cupboard. Inside each JB the terminals are all DIN rail mounted and ident sleeves put onto each core to identify it. Did it that way so that I had the option to easily make it SMART or easily modifiable in the future. Just found a pic of the JB at the top of the stairs when it was about 3/4 done.1 point
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Welcome. One of the things I've learnt is you never know what's behind the paint! M.1 point
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Can't really help with the original question, but CAT5E (and CAT6) is good for up to 1Gbps. The average broadband speed in the UK is 79.1 Mbps (or 0.0791 Gbps) so there's still plenty of mileage in it too. Unless you plan on operating a data centre from your house, you'll see no benefit from CAT6E or higher.1 point
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I can't see any stated difference in specifications between 'radon' sheeting and other 1200guage polythene, other than certification. Perhaps some dpm has inconsistent thickness or density, or perhaps the budget suppliers simply don't apply for the expensive test. Also I have seen specifications stating ....'lay 1200 gauge polythene dpm as radon protection'....not that the designer stating this necessarily knows. We are fortunate in being just outside a radon area, and the certificate (£5 well spent) confirms this, but I did read up just in case. The big problem would have been linking this barrier to the outdoors, when there is 600mm of existing masonry without any dpc. Could be done by venting but very glad we don't have to. I have done methane protection on big buildings (one on top of a tip) which is much the same. Not complicated to vent it, and at 1/3 of the cost of a specialist....(who use pipes and polythene with 'methane' written on them). I am not making light of the radon danger. Methane on the other hand seems to be a worry about something that has never yet happened, but could, an could be dramatic.1 point
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To save the planet, I sent the wife back to her husband. Other wives are available.1 point
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Decorative Cat 6 LAN cables...1st world problems eh! 😂 Decorative heatshrink?0 points
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My electrician thought I was crazy pulling cat 6a to every bathroom. All our electric toothbrushes charged from PoE. Who's laughing now!0 points
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Part M. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-and-use-of-buildings-approved-document-m0 points
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Excuse me @ToughButterCup ; you made many typo’s If you want futile , never completed projects ; follow @Onoff If you want a cutting edge, non standard , exemplary, hyper efficient , exceptional build ; follow @pocster0 points
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It sells much better with a different name. desert sand, cautious camel, ..can't think of any more.0 points
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We did some serious shopping around for plastic pipes this week. The quotes were open for only 2 weeks, then one merchant announced that plain pipes were about to double in price. Makes sense as they are made from oil, and made with electricity. Our quotes varied from £500 to £800 for the same order, before any increases. Toolstation cheapest but many parts not available, so not really best. Tried a small supplier and got the best price by a distance IF we ordered next day. We just beat the rise by getting an order in, and increased the order to be for the whole job in advance of need. It will look like a groundworkers yard for a while. If you are in this position, then an investment in stock next week may be worth thinking about.0 points
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You don't understand! Clear the room, any room, back to bare bones and it should be easy and quick. Like the bathroom...0 points
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Does it have to be the wall of the house, or could it be the wall of an outbuilding? Perhaps a small outbuilding, that's not yet been fully built.0 points