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Cut hardwood shims and smack them in until they won't smack any more Make the shims for each gap, in a large mitre saw, and have the open gap as the start size of the shim, and then the shim doubling in thickness over the depth of the purchase point. Apply some resin based wood glue to the two mating timber faces, immediately prior to fitting them, and job's a good 'un

It is a bit late at night to go out into the shed, but if I remember in the morning, and can find a bit of OSB, I shall pop it in the vice and see what happens.

Nearly right Nick 😃 Since the 18th edition came into force, the requirement has gone from ensuring all wiring on escape routes is protected against premature collapse, to just ‘all wiring’. It now applies everywhere, including data/telephone/tv cabling.

If there is a mechanically fixed plasterboard and plaster layer, you need absolutely zero additional mechanical / fire clips / support. Those are the facts. On my full wiring jobs I encourage my sparks to run through the posi-joists where the two lower webs meet, but even that is just me being OCD. For the OP, there is no need whatsoever to use metal clips anywhere on this job. They would only be required above a pvc ceiling, or above a suspended ceiling where there is no other means of arrest. Same way that metal clips need to be installed within pvc trunking. Furthermore, this only needs observing in areas which form a means of egress / preserved fire zones ( halls / stairs / landings in a 3 storey or non single-compartment dwelling ). I've had this out with the regulatory 'bods' as I need to preserve my own indemnities also vs just take the word of my ( excellent ) 1st sparky, even though he was annoyingly right about most things We really do not need to add conjecture to the OP's plate, as it's full enough!! Metal clips / banding NOT NECESSARY here.

And the same supplier sells via eBay without the £8 (IIRC) postage charge on a single can of foam. Makes the pennies go further!

So pleased, I think we have a guy who will do groundwork and help us manage the build with a good reputation. He appreciates our need to save money and said we could save a lot by making sure it's airtight ourselves. Presumably that means with the parge coat I read here? So when and how do we do that? Will they build both walls at once? If do you just do outsides?

Literally never ever used one. I assume their party trick is to form a double set around obstacles vs be a tap connector. In theory, should be fine for wherever you can fit one in, but I have a bending machine and use it like an instrument. Feared one for years, and now am quite a show-off with it.

Congrats. What are you building with? Masonry ( brick and block / block and block ) ? After the dazzle of getting a guy on board, remember to STILL have every nut and bolt in writing and a full scope of works in each of your possession(s). Keep this professional and formal at all times.

You won’t crush OSB with wardrobes .. or just about anything. Density is also pretty similar to oak.

Miele cat n dog is good vacuum. That thing is the bees bits. Think it's about 8 years old now and hasn't degraded at all. Cheaper than other popular makes when we bought and solid guatentee. Couldn't bring myself to use it for DIY clean up although I don't doubt it would cope for a bit.

Probably your easiest and safety option. Well not at your house.

Almost. It does depend on what the losses of the building/room is as well. A floor slab is no different to a wall, except the angle it is at. There is a hot side and a cold side. The hot side is the mean flow temperature (give or take a little bit because it will have some concrete above it). The cold side is the ground, which varies with external temperature, but with a quite long delay/response time. The easy way to get an idea of what the ground temperature is, is to run the kitchen cold tap for a minute or two, then measure the temperature. Underfloor heating is generally considered to use more energy that radiators (which are really convection heaters), the amount extra used is generally considered 20%, but that is dependant on so many other things it is only a rule of thumb, just as easy to work it out more reliably with a thermometer and ten minutes with a spreadsheet.

Sorry I may have jumped in without reading all the previous parts of the thread. When working out the heat losses from the floor with ufh you are using the mean flow temperature instead of the room temperature. Just to complicate things. The worse the U value the higher the flow temp has to be, to compensate for the downward losses, etc..

Yes.

in my opinion it is way too high to install! find other companies and get other quotes and don't waste any more time with this company. mine is a long story but, to cut it short, a local company installed my ASHP, UVC, buffer tank. they also wired up the electrics (I'd already run an SWA cable for them), connected my mains water connection to the cylinder, lagged all the pipes, connected it all up to my UFH manifold and got my heating going and will be back to connect the UVC up to my domestic water manifolds. all for under £4k.

There is nothing that will come out of the boiler that will block this pipe. The "gunk" is coming from the water / food debris etc from the sink, and it is that which is causing the issue. It is a rather shitty place to T the condensate pipe in tbh. Also, the type of connector used ( LINK ) means typically the installer will make a smaller hole than the bore of the condensate pipe so as to avoid an ill-fitting joint / seal via the rubber insert, so that is now a choke point too. Then add to that, that lazy bastard plumbers don't bother to ream out the inside of the freshly cut hole, in black pipe, to remove all the swarf from cutting into it, and there's all the things that come together to create your issue(s). If you use solvent weld fittings, all at the full bore, reducing from the black pipe size ( assuming its an 1 1/2" waste pipe aka 40mm, then that goes into the dog-leg, still at 40mm, and then when elevated it converts to 21.5mm to take the condensate pipe directly inwards. So basically, you're re-doing the dog-leg, but in the larger pipe size, ergo the food waste cant block the small hole that the plumber drilled out.

I am revising my 18th atm, so yes, may just be a little rusty. My point still stands, and that it is not required in the OP's instance, eg for areas with mechanically fixed plasterboard ( as the means of arrest ).

Yay, I’ve done it! Thank you! Yep, with lots of towels and circuit off. There wasn’t a lot of gunk really, so I could do that again, but I’ll be more careful with cleaning the drain and maybe it’ll be less likely to recur. The WB repair man blew down the pipe but wouldn’t show me how. I had a look after he’d gone and noticed he left the rubber pipe off the condensate bottle thingy. The boiler installer was the non LPG chap who caused a bit of worry at the beginning, so I’m not sure about him 😔

Still think the equivalent bit,is vague enough to not require MCS installer. That's my interpretation and I will be sticking with it, as many on here have previously done. So will self install, follow guidance within MCS where required and equipment manual where that give specific instructions. Complete a commissioning certificate etc.

I had a similar issue and connected a hose to the pipe inside the boiler and ran it through. Go steady at first, then increase the flow.

Panasonic Aquarea 9kW for a sniff over £3,100. Telford 400L UVC = change of £1600.

Steady, chaps! 🙄

Just cover that power point properly first.

well spotted, its internal but the calc had it wrong way.

There should be a non return valve (check valve) on a secondary loop. Even if someone opens a hot tap during the period that the mains if off the secondary loop will drain of water and the pump will run dry. You could put a pressure sensor into the pipework like combi boilers have that would break the circuit if the pressure falls below 0.4 bar. Or alternatively if you know the water is going to be off, turn the power off to the secondary loop pump.

ps. I might run a fibre cable and a couple of cat6a cables to that cupboard off the garage anyway for future potential use. got nothing to lose really apart from some £s in cable.

Hi @Johnny Jekyll I'll post my experience so far and see if you can take anything from it. My supply rooms are: 4 x Bedrooms, 1 x living room, 1 x dining room. Extracts are: 2 x bathrooms, 1 x ensuite - Toilet sink no shower, 1 x boiler room which houses the boiler & cylinder & will double up as a drying room with UFH passing through it, 1 x kitchen, 1 x utility room. So for my build I contacted 4 companies, BPC was one of them, the other two i met at the home show and both were very similar in their quotes for spec and price but I found one of them willing to discuss every option in detail much easier. BPC only offered design and supply, not commission being in Ireland. Their prices were good and they also mentioned something up that i need to look into in more detail which was how they recommend sizing the unit for my build. Something i will need to add a post for. The other two companies have told me that a Zehnder 350 is fine and BPC said that I'd need a 450Q or a Vent axia plus B. I need to know if the volume is calculated by ground floor and first floor total volume based on 2.4m ceilings, or by including the 250mm joist void into the calculation like my SAP did saying ground floor was 2.7m (250mm between intermediate floor). My floor space is 200m2. BPC didn't think a 350Q could run under 70% of full power on boost hence the need for a different or larger unit. Taking these comments back to the other designer, they provided an explanation are maintain that the 350Q is fine leaving me slightly confused. When i first made contact, I supplied my preferred locations for MVHR unit, the room plenum locations and my proposed duct runs. the companies seemed to be happy with my design & said it's pretty much where they'd put things too, but I may require an extra vent or two in some of my rooms and this would be calculated in a detailed design. It was due to me having more extracts than supplies. They discussed options of 125 or 160 vents, having 75mm or 90mm pipes. Because i want a very quiet running system I immediately opted for 90mm semi rigid ducting. BPC then said they'd always go with twin 75mm which was different again. A detailed design is going to cost around £700, i had 6 extracts and 5 supplies, I've now been told I will require 7 extracts and 7 supplies, for my large 24m2 living room they will look at the option of either 2 supplies or 2 ducts to one plenum. I'd like to use 90mm ducting. The kitchen diner requires a supply where as I'd only included the extract at the kitchen end, & my larger main bathroom might require further extraction. I think it's possible with good self research to get a 90% efficient design, but as everything's fully enclosed once complete, I only get one chance, So i'm going to pay for the design to ensure everything's been considered by professionals, I'll do the full install to which they've listened to my suggestions and also highlights any bad ideas, then I'll pay for the £450 commissioning service to balance everything & complete the final set up.

I'm guessing at the joist spacing here and sizes. If you run 50mm battens at 90deg under the main joists (can't show it here) and then some 50mm insulation in-between it'll eliminate most of the repeating bridging. Make sure the membrane is well taped as this will be a windy corner and you don't want wind blowing into your floor. 22mm airgap and then cement boards. It'll be a good spec. If you use denser batts like Rockwool it'll make a difference with noise for the room above too.

Noted! Thank you.

Tape isn't suitable for anything other than uniform surfaces with complete access, plus there's a much higher chance of them not adhering 100%. Foam, foam, and thrice, foam.

I buy 12 or 24 at a time with the amount we go through on full installs. Every project is an airtight house so this stuff is brilliant at sealing penetrations etc. Foam. KISS. Get a spray bottle and apply a fine mist of water immediately before foaming, working with the process - spray 1m, foam 1m, and keep repeating. The whiff of water makes the foam cure so much better / faster. By the time you finish going around, you'll be able to use a padsaw or similar to cut the first section of foam back flush with the wall.

The best option is to cut into the black pipe and fit a solvent T with a reducer to 21.5mm ( condensate pipe ) glued into it. Those retro-fit connectors are shite tbh. This would be fit and forget then. 30 min job at most. Can't you get the boiler installer / plumber back to do this?

Undo the white nut, below the solvent weld elbow. Have an old towel stuffed in there to catch any water trapped in the pipe. The nut should be a little over hand tight, so you should be able to remove this with relative ease. Get a pipe cleaner or similar and then insert it down and around the elbow fitting ( white bit connected to the black pipe ) as I know British Gas for one fit a stupid and unnecessary ( plus problematic ) non-return valve at these junctions. You should feel an 'obstruction' in the elbow, and if so you will need to get the non return guts removed and then just re-fit the nut and pipe back on. That will be the end of the problem I think. I've been out and removed loads of these tbh with identical symptoms. BG even install these outdoors, uninsulated, and as they harbour a little residual water at the lowest part of the pipe, they then instantly freeze!!

In a nutshell, yes. Nothing will 'build up' in the void filled by the foam, as it will be filled up by the foam! If it's not porous or adversely hygroscopic then it's suitable for preventing damp bridging. It is imperative that you have prepped this meticulously, and have cleaned and primed the surfaces well.

I have found that 'no nonsense' and other budget names can be good value but can be inferior. Also a product can change, presumably by commissioning a different supplier. For anything important i now use a known brand, with a spec sheet.

You want to ditch that cheap foam ( open cell ) and use Illbruck 330 ( closed cell ) foam. Goes off much harder, and won't bridge anything, is air and moisture resistant etc. https://www.dortechdirect.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/5664.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiArsefBhCbARIsAP98hXQJH_IageT-_cHrAyRaxDPZS_RQ6DaqHGqAD-Koxv5kvgILSWaz7hgaAk8SEALw_wcB I don't use anything else these days. Excellent stuff, and ideally suited to your current requirements

I'm not sure anyone has yet answered directly the question you asked. So far as I can see, if you need an MCS certificate, the answer is yes, real world data is irrelevant. The new standards MIS3005-d (design) and MIS3005-i (installation) appear to require a theoretical design according to a specified methodology, require that an installer issuing an MCS certificate has subcontracted design to or has designed according to MIS3005-d (or vice versa), forbid the customer from separately contracting design and installation, and nowhere mention real world measurements. Oh and just for good measure if manufacturer instructions depart from the standard then the latter is to be applied. Incidentally if you were thinking of reusing a hot water cylinder and the insulation of cylinder and pipes aren't up to latest standards, forget that also. So sorry, if you want an MCS certificate (at least according to my reading of the standards) and wish to take into account real world data or how you use your house, forget it. Resistance is useless! I'm hoping someone on this forum is MCS qualified and tell me I'm wrong.

They are still there if you look closely. Render finishes a bit higher

You yourself look like you prefer it a bit rare? (I'll see myself out)

Just the quote/equipment list, then thought thanks for the unit suggestion, bet I can do it better and cheaper. So I did.

It depends on your objectives and in what way are you think it may be overkill. FWIW I'm planning to install a Zehnder ComfoAir200 in a 40m² apartment, which you could call overkill. However it's suitable for several reasons: I can minimise noise by keeping the fans pretty slow under all normal conditions, it's one of the best performing units that I can fit in the limited space available, and I need a good intelligent summer bypass. Plus, by shopping around, I can get it for an acceptable price. I'll be feeding it with 125mm ducts - you don't have to use 160mm with Zehnder if you don't need the extra airflow. You can find independently evaluated performance figures for the Zehnder unit in the Passihaus List. You can't do a you can't do a direct comparison with the Vent-Axia unit; they haven't had units evaluated so as you're reliant on their own figures.

That's if you want your rooms at a constant temperature 24/7 and you are prepared to spend as much time as it takes adjusting flow rates to achieve this.

Not meant as a criticism - we all know why builders would do that. Point is there's absolutely zero incentive for trades to cut material costs so don't leave it to them, organise yourself and you'll save a lot for not a lot of effort.

Always makes me laugh that customers think builders should spend hours of thier own time for free, making a project cheaper for them.

I wish I had stayed in the West Indies. Heating system, not needed. A/C could probably be designed out. Energy cheaper than water. Coral reefs to swim over. Sailing in warm weather. Best Rijsttafel ever.

I regret not spending the extra cash and going for an MBC twin-wall cellulose filled passive house. would've save me about 1 year in time and a s**t load of hassle fitting the insulation and AVCL myself.

What size is the building? £50k may be excessive or may be cheap! Mini piles and ground beams is not an unusual foundation system so you should get three quotes to get a true feel for the cost. There are many factors when pricing work and one data point is not enough. If the issue is the roots of the trees then you will probably require some sort of pile. If the issue is heave then a raft (the concrete slab) may also require significant groundwork. Unfortunately spend on foundations is the most unsatisfying part of a build. But it is one of the most important to get right.

If that's a Neff combi-oven you're describing, you may be able to change the settings so that microwave becomes the primary function; one press to wake it up, one press to set it running on ours!