Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/14/23 in all areas

  1. Hi all, I'm new here, but I thought I'd share my recent experience using ChatGPT (google it if you have no idea what I'm talking about) I spent most of my morning trawling through the current building regulations as I just wanted to know how close to combustible walls (oak frame) as wood burner could be. I did'nt get very far, so I thought I'd see what ChatGPT could do, see thread below. It referenced the appropriate documents and helped point me in the right direction in seconds.
    2 points
  2. I feel you definitely need a Planning Consultant, with Local Class Q experience, to help you with a strategy. The Refused Class Q, for Barn 1 only (and retaining the shed for use as a garage), I believe was only refused as you included the new entrance AND exceeded the permitted curtilage area on the application. Separating the permission for the entrance, and defining a curtilage not larger than the area of the barn being converted, should achieve an Approved Class Q. With regards to the new entrance, I had a quick look on Street View, and it doesn't appear that the lane is a "classified" road, ie. it's not been assigned a number such as B1234. In that case Planning is not required for a new cross-over, although Highways Agency approval is. From your OP, you are now hoping to achieve a larger conversion, than what was covered by the Refused Class Q, by incorporating the area of the lean-too and the shed. I'm not clear on whether the lean-to was part of the previous, Approved Class Q. You may be able to include the lean-to and Shed in a new Class Q, but I'm concerned by your statement: This may stop them being part of a Class Q, as they would need to be structurally capable of conversion with reasonable works. Subjective, but an avenue for refusal if the LPA wishes. However, if they were part of the original Approved Class Q, then the LPA have already accepted they are structurally capable of conversion. The other potential issue for including them in a Class Q, is whether the limit of two "large" conversions has already been met. Combing the 3 buildings into a single residential unit, pushes the conversion over the 100m² threshold, so the new residential unit would be a classed as a "large" home, of which only 2 large homes can be created within an Agricultural Unit and their cumulative area cannot exceed 450m². So, have 2 "large" homes been created under Class Q applications already, or is there room for another. If it's agreed that the lean-too and shed are structurally capable of conversion and there's room on the PD for an additional large home, then that's probably the route to go, which then provides the fall back for all the buildings to be converted to residential. If this was to get Approved I'd then start talking to the LPA about a knock-down and rebuild for the scheme you want, or failing that a Full Planning for the Change of Use that should give you more freedom for a better quality conversion, while retaining the majority of the original primary structure.
    2 points
  3. These guys will sell U=1 planitherm DG units online - just make sure you measure up what you have accurately - wrong sized glass is useless! 25 yr old DG units are almost certainly U=2.6 ish, with a cold edge, and sadly there is no fix for that, but you can replace it: https://www.sealedunitsonline.co.uk/ Well done for trying repairing, not just throwing away and buying new stuff though! I replaced the DG units in our pvc frames 10 years ago with planitherm 1 DG units. The frames are over 30 yr old now, all are still fine, plastic is good in the right place, terrible in the wrong place. Better than fine - I drilled them in lots of places and injected foam insulation whrever possible - just be very careful not to fill any required drip path or airways cavities.
    2 points
  4. They don't .. there is no such thing as a silly question.. the silly folk at the dafties; that are too up themselves to ask or at the other end folk that worry about looking "stupid" by asking a laymans question.
    2 points
  5. That is good advice. Plenty other folk on BH to PM too. Peter, one of the Mods is a serious expert for example on the English planning system.. there are many others to.. Peter love your stuff but you have equals on BH, not me though as I have more of an SE type bent. The funny thing is that balance.. what do you post on BH to get the best advice vs privacy. I'm sure there are a few planners lurking on BH, a lot will be just folk like the rest of us.. keen to build their own house and learning all about how you do it. I have had folk (not many) that are in the BC/ Planning world come to me and say.. would you do my calcs Gus.. and give me some info on local builders and what I need to do to make it work. They are just like a lot of us that are in the trade..ish. We know how parts of the building world work but not all. I think that the really anal planners are probaby not going to be on BH. You would have to be very unlucky if they just looked up your post. This thing about posting and worrying that the planners may be monitoring.. if you have a good case then they will read it and think... hey I'm on the wrong side of the argument here.. the applicant is on BH and getting advice from folk that will probably run rings round me.. maybe not a hill to die on in my day job as a planner? If you can make the case on BH then maybe your application will fly? If you can pass the test that the pro's on BH set you.. then the formal planning should be a scoooosh? Yes I know that folk worry about social media but BH is a serious forum.. If your argument flies here with all the experience that BH folk have then it evens the odds / maybe tips the odds in your favour when dealing with planning and BC? If you look at BH and the time it has been running.. it is a vast knowledge base.. the councils IT systems and referencing system just can't cope with it. A good few councils subscribe to the IHS data base.. but that costs plenty.. BH is wide ranging and has a huge base.. folk just starting out just say doing up a first flat to seasoned self builders and pro's that make a living in the construction industry. In terms of BH.. it is still a non commercial site.. they day it stops being that.. I'll leave. I dabbled a bit with the Farming Forum.. but it was not for me. The great thing is that I still believe that the experience you get on BH is as close to the real world as you can probably find these days. Oh @CalvinHobbes sorry.. have gone a bit of a rant.
    2 points
  6. You'll get there and in 3 years time all will be a distant memory. I wish I was at that stage instead of being pushed from pillar to post from the planners. Like everything in life you've just got to keep on going.
    1 point
  7. Policy - a good submission states “In line with Planning Policy A3.7, the property has been oriented to maximise solar gain to reduce the carbon footprint of the build etc etc” Planner can’t argue with that as their policy has to be applied and if they don’t then you can appeal and say they aren’t sticking to their own rules
    1 point
  8. Thanks all! The trims and quadrants being the "strips of shame" between the window and the wall? I removed a section in the autumn. Behind it was... the open cavity. With slivers of daylight visible around between the outer brickwork and window. Instead of plastered window reveals we have the original half inch timber which was cut back when they installed the windows. My plan is to rip it off this year, close the cavity, seal the window to the new closing, and get a plasterer in to make good. As you can see, 3 trims stacked on each other between the window sill and window! Would this go along the edge of the outer wedge gasket? Thanks, jit seems such a waste (as well as unnecessary expense) when the UPVC is okay. And thanks for the link to replacement glazing, exactly what I wanted to see what it'd cost. How would I find out which paths are required so as not to muck it up? I drilled and filled the joint between a UPVC door frame and the abutted window with foam last winter as the extension had settled since it was built and the mastic pulled aprt, so (again) cold air came in through a half-mm gap up the join. Foaming that made a massive difference. I was wondering how to get the beading out, so many thanks. Now to find a few YouTube videos and see this in action. These windows regularly get hit by 40mph+ gusts throughout the winter months and these rooms are "breezy" - if I close the door out of them and put my hand under it, there's a stream of air. I can't wait to have to worry about ventilation
    1 point
  9. +1 to the above, manufacturers instructions ovveride regs. If you have a particular need to get close, choose the stove carefully, for instance mine only needs to be 100mm from combustibles at the back and 150mm at the side. Building control verified this with reference to the install manual and a tape measure.
    1 point
  10. My take on not publicising what you are doing is that you are not trying to break any rules but asking for advice on the best way to achieve what you want. Plenty of “been there, done that” advise here 👍
    1 point
  11. We’ve got a Miele. No complaints. Fan is noisy on boost but does what it was designed to do effectively. On one occasion it identified two small pans as one large one and automatically turned both cooking zones on instead of just the one zone I wanted. I found out the painful way that the empty pan on the rear zone was getting very very hot. Very easy to clean, no protrusions. All the grease filter bits go in the dishwasher, charcoal filter gets recharged in the oven. Whatever you go for (if you want to keep it looking good) get a hob protector from Lakeland - ours still looks mint.
    1 point
  12. We've just installed an IKEA kitchen with one of their induction hobs - it's our first induction hob but can't fault it, on boost it boils water incredibly quickly. The only down side was that we had to pass on our Spring saucepans that we'd had for 40 years to our son as they wouldn't work - not enough steel in the base, they were a steel/copper sandwich construction. Finding new pans turned out to be a pain. I think IKEA do 2 widths of hobs, one standard sized and the other 200mm wider. When we bought ours, the only option was the wider one and I think we would have gone for this one if there had been the choice. Simon
    1 point
  13. My post overlapped with yours. Hopefully others from BH can catch my drift and use it to their advantage. Have not looked back on your other posts but things like steps and garden levels should not be a big issue.. unless you are in a conservation area. Just leave them (the steps) be and see if you get a come back.. gut feeling probably not. If you are really worried then post more stuff or PM a few folk on BH. My preferance is to just post on BH, not PM as then you get the best group advise.
    1 point
  14. I don't really understand the question. The planners expect you to do what you have shown in the application. BCO wants to see the new building built properly. If you think it is sensitive, don't put it on here as it is public, but PM to me, Gus or whoever.
    1 point
  15. Have not looked back at all your posts Calvin.. But here is a trump card that can flummox the planners.. That is HSE and safety. Clearing the site.. well to do that you need safe access to build. If you start to dig out tree stumps.. could compromise safe entry for plant and machinery.. or you may want to not demolish all of an existing house.. say bungalow gobbling as you may want to use part of the old founds structure to provide temporary bracing. Talk to your SE.. we have ways and means of showing how in the interests of HSE that the safest way is not to "totally" clear the site" as the existing "cottages" may be part of the whole design stategy and the most environmental approach. Some planners / BC think they have god like powers.. but hit them on the low carbon etc (often their weak spots) and make it clear to them that you expect a reasoned response.. they back off. Part of the reason is that you play their game against them and say here is our evidence.. back up your argument and we know it is not in the regs so lets have a proper technical discussion.. they often back off. In other words.. you can leave stuff above the ground if you can show that it is either part of; the temporary works, essential for HSE or part of the recycling waste treatment train .. the environmental stuff really causes them problems in pratical terms. You basically say.. if you want to be diffcult we too can rack up your office hours... that is the tactic the big developers use.. they know where to target the councils and know where they are weak on resourse.. no friends in the desert. To keep yourself covered just write to them and say.. we will comply with our planning consent.. but we also need to comply with the HSE regs so if we don't hear from you other wise we are carting on.
    1 point
  16. @PXR5 Pity that you have this issue.. but you have started a great thread. The responses you have had are really informative (for me also), BH folk chipping with invaluable experience and advice. For me to all who have chipped in .. a big thank you, learnt loads and given me food for thought too. I can't think of anything I can meaningfully contribute to the legal side / just general great advice and input and so on. Other than this. This made me think.. what sort of things could other BH members do if faced with a similar situation and what might be a first small step you could take without aggrevating the situation. One might be.. how do you get something that is a bit of initial formaility to let your neighbours know that you are actively considering your own and importantly their circumstances... if you can show that you have been reasonable and proactive then if later it goes legal this will give weight to your side of the argument. The objective (test of reasonable) is to say... hey I can forsee a possible problem and I want to protect avoid risk (= cost) to us both. Now with things like retaining walls that are bulging.. they tend to slowly destabalise until some, usually environmental event, tips the balance and causes what can be a sudden and dangerous collapse. That could be wind / heavy rainfall / loss of tree root / vegitation stability. A non environmental event would be where someone say piles bulk bags of gravel on the high side of the retained ground or drives a digger up close to the fence. We would often call that a surcharge load. For all if you are designing a basement / retiaining wall we often allow for 10kN/ sq m surcharge loading (1 tonne per sq metre on the finished level of the ground). @PXR5 You could start out with your own survey.. as time is on your side you could probably do this without say an SE / Geotechnical Engineer. First thing to do is take some good record photographs from ground level. These should be panoramic and detailed. Detailed would include parts of the wall where bricks are obviously displaced, where the mortar is clearly falling out of the joints or where roots are growing out the mortar. The key here is to be able to reference the panoramic photos to the detailed ones. The way to do this is imagine you posted the lot on BH.. ask yourself.. would we be able just from the photos to see where the displaced bricks are in relation to the panoramic photos. You tell a story using the photos and present a cogent argument. Ideally you may know someone who has a drone. It does not have to be high tech. Fly it up to the boundary line and take plan photos. It's a good time of year (winter when I write this) as you can see what trees are deciduous and what are say Leylandi.. the evergreen trees and shrubs. This is really helpful. The canopy size of the evergreens is easier to determine when the deciduous trees are not in leaf. Next try and get you hands on a surveyors staff. They have cleary marked graduations that can turn out well in photos unlike a measuring tape, it also looks the part.. a proper staff. Fly the drone down a bit and photograph horizontally.. square on at mid height of the staff. Fly up and take photos level (or as close as you can) with the top of the staff. With a bit of maths if pushed this can give you an approximation of the tree height working from ground level. Objective is to establish roughly the height of the vegitation / trees. You can do this from ground level but you could you have perspective to take into account. If you can't get a drone then you can do this from ground level but it is a bit more complex. On the drone.. do not put any photos in any communication that are taken beyond your boundary.. or you may be subject to a "peeping tom allegation" but you may not want to delete any that have been taken accidentally.. the key here is to mindful of the data protection act. Next as time is on you side to some extent wait until spring then repeat. This all sounds a bit complicated.. but what you are doing is to establish the vegitation profile. In the spring once the leaves develop you can start to identify what kind of trees / vegitation is planted on the neighbours side and you have a record of it. In summary we are trying to record; vegitation height / canopy spread and species. From that we can predict the future growth and how the root growth may impact on the wall. That is what we need to know as SE's say. The above is a long winded way of what the NHBC provide in their design guidance or maybe I have expained how the NHBC guidance can be applied in real life? Next we ask.. how much and how fast are the neighbours trees / vegitation likely to grow? Now that is important as if you want to build a house say we need that information to design the house founds. We also need to know if your neighbours decide to cut down a big tree next to the boundary especially if you house found is only a metre from the boundary. When designing your house found I want to know if trees have been cut down near the boundary on your neighbours side. Turning back to the retaining wall. What we are trying to do is to get a handle on what impact your neighbours planting may have on the retaining wall looking forward. It could be that the trees / shrubs are old and about to die.. thus the movement you see may reduce / stop.. or they could be in their strong junevenile stage and have strong root growth... like teenage kids.. growing every where and trying to take over. Once we have identified canopy size / vegitation type and age then we have some info. We also need to know a bit about the type of soil / water table and so on.. but if I start on that I'll be writing all night. In the round though this is important as the problem may not in fact get significantly worse! which could be good news. Identifying what could happen should drive your strategy to some extent and how you couch your findings / approach your neighbours. Next we need to look at the existing retaining wall construction. Ok the photos should pick up the root growth / weathering of the mortar and so on but we need to look at how much it is off the plumb / possibly unstable. Get a string line and run it say 200 mm tight off the bottom line of the wall from end to end of the boundary wall corners. Do the same at the top. Don't do it on a windy day. At each end plumb the top and bottom line so they are vertically in alignment. DON'T use a spirit level.. use a plumb bob and photograph how you set it up. Take the time to get this spot on. You could use a lazer.. but again this can be easily challenged in terms of accuracy. If you use a spirit level then the first thing folk will say.. is your spirit level accurate.. saying.. I bought it new from B & Q won't cut the mustard in court! Go old schoool use the plumb bob all photographed. Make sure the photos show exactly how you have set up the top and bottom lines. Now you have a top and bottom datum to work to. Next get a straight edge and measure back to the face of the wall and the fence posts etc. Do this say at 3.0 m centres.. allows you to average things.. then take local measurements (odd centres) where the wall is clearly bulging but ALSO where the wall looks ok.. you must be impartial here. Now you draw / calculate a profile of the wall and can identify the real problem areas and compare with part of the wall that may be ok. You may well find that the problem areas coincide with cetrain trees? Now the above will take a bit of time and effort. But if I was acting for you I would want to gather the same info as any another Surveyor / technical bod would say.. The difference between you and I when acting in a professional capacity is folk can argue that my word (SE type hat on) carries more weight that yours cf you with long standing service / good personal reputation in the local the community. To easily resolve this you'll need a "helper" to help you take all these measurements. So long as you work together you can both put your hand on your hearts (the witness) and say.. we did not fudge the results as we relied on first principles.. like a string line and a plumb bob and took photos = someone like me.. Gus. Just don't pick a helper that has a conviction for fraud.. I'm sure you don't associate with the like.. just having a laugh. In summary you may ask.. but I'm not an SE /other professional bod.. so what.. if you think about it.. you can do a lot on your own.. looking / thinking, measuring in a recognised way and recording what you find. Next do a small report.. could be a couple of pages with an appendix with loads of photos. You may know someone that can make it look " more official in terms of presentation" Report.. Keep it factual and really simple. Avoid elaboration in any way as you can dig a hole for yourself if you get carried away. Stick to your comfort zone, the skills you have and avoid stepping into say SE / Geotech areas.. photograph and report what you observe ..don't try and interpret your findings. Report starts with an objective. Objective is to understand how much the wall is bulging and how straight it is.. you don't have to go all SE and say.. too much leaning over /unsafe blah blah.. you are just establishing the profile of the wall. Do not turn the report into what is acalled an interpretive report.. this is where you start to draw conclusions from what you have found / measured. That the report has been prepared based on the fact that you are intending to construct a dwelling within say one metre of the boundary. You are concerned that in doing so you may have to cut the "structural roots" of their trees.. ( pretty sure you are within your rights here just like if I had put the found of my extension on your land.. over to the experts on English law here). Also that as this is intended to be a dwelling house their wall must not pose a safety risk to the dwelling and use of. Next you say.. we have established the tree / shrub height, canopy and species based on observations from our side of the boundary. Lastly you write a bit of conclusion which from what you are saying is: 1/ The wall appears to have deteriorated and this could be as a result of not least a lack of maintenance by you (based on your stated claim of ownership) coupled with the apparent detrimetal impact of ongoing growth of the vegitation and trees on your side of the boundary. You are not interpreting here.. you are saying .. it looks like these are things that could be an issue. 2/ My initial findings based on limited information I have gathered is that the vegitation / trees ect on your side of the boundary will likely result in the wall for which you are responsible deteriorating further... It may be that you find that the trees etc are old and dying.. so that could become a mute point. Think carefully and identify if their trees etc are really a big problem. 3/ Lets say you find that the trees are vigorous.. growing like fury. First point is that you now have a record so you say.. here is the record.. it's your wall / trees etc not mine. But in the interest of public safety this is a potential issue for the "owner of the wall". Leave it at that as they will quickly twig that there could be some liability racking up on their account. 4/ Say that these are your provisional findings. Arrange as you see fit and put that in a "report". Next do a covering letter which says something like.. as well as being really nice to them..as you really want them to come to the table and be good neighbours and you want that kind of relationship also. Here is what I have found / measured. I want to get on and want to identify and resolve any potential issues. Here is my report. Unless I hear from you in 4 ( about 21 working days) weeks then the measurements and photographs must stand for record purposes. Here what you are doing is affording them the opportunity to engage with you. If they challenge your findings it will probaby cost them a bit as they will probably need to involve a professional.. unless they too are on BH say!. If they don't respond then you can say.. well I take it you have accepted my measurements. It may be that if you put together a good looking evidence based report coupled with a pleasant covering letter they will see the light. I don't think you can lose as the report you produce is evidence based and asks questions. Part of the intent is to sow doubt in their mind and makes them think.. hey this could be a bit costly for us if we keep being "difficult neighbours" .. it gets them thinking.. our structural tree roots should not really be on other folks land.. if our trees fall on someone else.. the Police / HSE could be at our door? The factual report is one part.. the way you finesse the covering letter is probably the key. The above is one appoach to getting difficult neighbours to "see the light" .. what you are doing is measuring/ photographing and giving them the opportunity to respond in a like for like manner.. which probably means they have to stick their hand in their pocket also. You basically say put up or shut up.
    1 point
  17. @Adsibob I guess I’m obliged to now 🤣 Standby…
    1 point
  18. I keep coming back to this idea, it appeals because it would solve the airtightness issue alright. However it's a one way shot with no comeback if there's any problems. I understand your hesitancy. With expanding foam there's no going back. With mineral wool - forget it for an exposed location. With EPS beads, on the other hand, it's the lightest intervention imaginable (no pun intended). Your concern about large holes in the inner skin are no big problem. The installation crews have seen it all before. I had an escape from the end of an internal cavity wall where it (didn't) meet the underside of the roof but it just made a neat pile in the soffit. I might get around to hoovering it up some day but it's bonded so not blowing around.
    1 point
  19. Have you considered using a UPVC gap filler like this? Worth a shot for the time being.
    1 point
  20. Whilst late to the party ( busy cleaning up bodily fluids ) . A screen should never face the doorway ! - In coming humans should not see your “ hobbies “ .
    1 point
  21. Our architect asked if we would talk to a journalist in the local paper for a bit of publicity. I said yes as they have been very good and I was happy to do them a favour. It turned into a full feature with photos and much more quotes from me than I anticipated. I cringe a bit reading it but if you are interested it's here https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/property/3974146/inside-black-fox-barn-a-stunning-new-build-woodland-home-in-angus/ There is a paywall wall but just hit the blue x on the bottom banner and you can access it.
    1 point
  22. the eaves of your roof should allow daylight in all round. that will provide enough ventilation and keep your roof dry, even in extremely cold weather. we have a similar setup on a 1950s house, roof is bone dry all year round, despite being properly insulated and boarded. just clean the soffits every now and then and make sure there's a 5" gap between whatever insulation you have in place and the roof. the wet joists will be fine, it doesn't look like permanent damage, they'll dry in no time with extra ventilation.
    1 point
  23. Try Mayflower Mortgages, they get good reports about being very flexible on finance.
    1 point
  24. Ok I give in I have finally flipped my lid after 12 weeks of dealing with this house on my own. My friend just came in and I marched her upstairs to hear the noise only to discover that my battery operated toothbrush had somehow got switched on and was vibrating!! This is what happens when your just waiting on the next disaster 🤣
    1 point
  25. Seems the easiest thing to do if you're on good terms with your neighbour so, just knock a hole in the fence onto the lane.
    1 point
  26. Just bumping this again for newer members to bookmark / reference.
    1 point
  27. My pump operator placed all the concrete to within 50mm of level, just me with a rake, no need for lots of people , the pump does all the work. If you have a laser its dead easy to get it accurate. Up to you whether you step the footings or just spend more on concrete.
    1 point
  28. For anyone not well versed in this, and for pretty much guaranteed results, this is a good option. Fast, good airtightness, and walls can be made arrow straight. Fortify this with tapes / membranes and you'll achieve great results.
    1 point
  29. PVA is exactly the same. Been using both for decades. The big difference is SBR is far more robust, plus it doesn’t reconstitute with water / damp / moisture etc like PVA does. Reading the data sheet is deffo good advice, per differing discipline, but if using to size or prime for tapes, you CANNOT apply AT to ‘tacky’ SBR under ANY circumstances. It categorically must be allowed to dry 100%, before applying, or your very expensive tapes will peel straight back off. The purpose is to create a surface that is not friable with the dilute applications being applied liberally and allowed to soak in and dry fully.
    1 point
  30. You use tapes and membranes strategically, alongside the parge coats etc. How good a job you do on the parge will reduce the amount of membrane / tape you consume, so use that to do the major gap filling alongside a quality closed cell air control foam ( Link ) for a complete solution which will last a very long time. We've had great results with Passive Purple, a spray on or brush applied ( 2 different types ) liquid airtight membrane, which we've recently applied over both parged and non-parged woodcrete ICF structures. Very happy to recommend Adam White ( supplier of the PP product link ) whom I have spoken with at length for solutions to attain airtightness in my 2 most recent ( clients ) projects. He was very helpful indeed, and gave us great support for the correct selection, application and integration of the product, vs differing substrate types. He was also very well versed with the world of "passive house". With a recent very challenging Velox build he came out to site to go through everything wit me in person, without any promise of business(!!), and the agreed solutions and subsequent AT test results spoke for themselves . We used the PP in key areas only, after a cementitious parge was first applied to all internal ( outer wall ) surfaces. It was primarily used in the window and door reveals to allow the AT tapes around the frames to have something airtight and uniform to adhere to, but was great for getting into acute angles / difficult junctions aka 'nooks an crannies'. Proper tapes and membranes stick to each other like shit to a blanket, and I pity anyone who applies them to areas where they then have to be removed from. The most important thing is to have the surfaces freshly cleaned / primed / dust and contamination-free to allow the tapes to work well and last a very very long time. Mastics, membranes ( liquid or sheet ) and tapes, in conjunction with parge coating can ( and does ) work very well indeed. The devil as always is in the detail.
    1 point
  31. There's a lot of confusion in the world about kilowatts and kilowatt hours. Here's an attempt at an explanation. The SI unit of energy is the joule (symbol J). It's quite small. Power is the rate at which energy is generated, moved around or used up. The unit is the watt (symbol W). One watt is one joule per second (1 W = 1 J/s). Because the joule is quite small the watt is also not large. It's typically used for relatively low-power devices like lights. The watt is a rate in much the same way that the knot is a rate (1 knot = 1 nautical mile/hour). Talking about watts/hour is about as likely to be wrong as talking about knots/hour (i.e., they're not normally used but could be meaningful in a few odd cases: watts/hour for the output of a PV factory, knots/hour for the acceleration of a supertanker, perhaps). For things like heating the kilowatt (kW) is typically used. 1 kW = 1000 W = 1000 J/s. IMHO, there'd be less confusion if we measured quantities of energy in joules and its multiples. E.g., it'd be better if electricity bills were in MJ (megajoules). But we don't. Instead it's common to use the watt-hour (Wh) and its multiples. One watt-hour is the amount of energy transformed by a power of one watt for one hour. 1 W is 1 J/s and one hour is 3600 seconds so 1 Wh = 1 J/s × 3600 s = 3600 J as the seconds cancel. One kilowatt hour (1 kWh) is one kilowatt for one hour, or 1 watt for 1000 hours or whatever combination multiples to the same amount. 1 kWh = 1000 J/s × 3600 s = 3'600'000 J = 3.6 MJ.
    1 point
  32. Fundamental is that only the green bit near the front of each document constitutes 'the regulations'. The rest is guidance. Therefore any references in the manufacturer's literature is better than any vague guidance/ best practice. The BCO is generally a decent type, who wants your building to be safe. If there is a nice certificate to close their file then that gives them cover in the case of a problem. I have met a few who think they know better than the book, but eventually sorted them out.
    0 points
  33. im guessing you also don’t have two kids and a lady friend under 40. I’m quite happy with a book an piece an quite but the others in the house would throw a fit at the idea of no Tv!
    0 points
  34. Cue @pocster to come in and say something inappropriate in 3... 2... 1...
    0 points
  35. Wish I’d found this thread at the beginning, funnily enough it wasn’t any of the building terms I had trouble with , it was the : swmbo and imho ? took me ages of re reading to work out what the hell you were all talking about!
    0 points
This leaderboard is set to London/GMT+01:00
×
×
  • Create New...