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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/09/24 in all areas
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As its actually nice today, tried out running the heatpump in reverse to cool the house. To keep above dewpoint (home assistant takes care of this) set at 16C, had the slab down to 16 within 4 hours and the house is noticeably cooler when walking inside. Have 5 panasonic fancoil units in the bedrooms which will test once the painters are done.2 points
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You can get fan-assisted radiators that can be used for cooling. I'm sure one or two people have mentioned using them. To be honest, I think you'd be better of with aircon in most cases, given the cost per radiator of this type.2 points
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Sorry to say this but. “I’m staying at a friend’s, ”. It’s not yours🤷♂️, however like others I believe removing the cill will give better access, perhaps cut all silicone surrounding it to see if it will move,2 points
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Surely they will need to move their car at some point in which case put your car there or something immovable. In first instance speak politely to the neighbour. If he’s being a di£k, send the neighbour a letter. An extremely polite and non threatening letter eg don’t say if you don’t move it I’ll call the police. You’ll need to specify a date of the works you can’t ask them not to park there in perpetuity. If you get no response whatsoever or a negative response, send another letter by recorded delivery so they cannot claim they didn’t get it. Again being polite and reasonable. But refer to previous letter and a copy of the pp. On the day of works ask them to move it, if they refuse: Regulation 103 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states that “no person in charge of a motor vehicle or trailer may cause or permit the vehicle or trailer to stand on a road so as to cause any unnecessary obstruction of the road”. Your workers inevitably will need to access part of the road outside your house to carry out lawful works per PP. at this point in light of his belligerent refusal to move his car, you could argue that he is in contravention of this regulation. If an attending police officer agrees, they may not, he/she has powers to have the car moved. Be aware not every cop knows every bit of every legislation verbatim so have a printout of this regulation. The police call handler almost certainly won’t know this either. Your case is stronger if you have evidence that the parking was deliberately obstructive, hence the letters plus for example photos of his car being parked there AFTER the letters being sent and prior to the day of works. Evidence of unnecessary obstruction is the key element. You’re asking for trouble if you move his car without some form of court order. He alleges you’ve moved and damaged his car. Calls police. Etc etc. In ANY neighbourly dispute it’s really important that you don’t do anything that inflames the situation & puts you in the category of being a di£k. Let the other person be that and you’re more likely to get more help from the authorities. In a lot of neighbourly disputes it’s hard for the police to identify the true victim because the initial victim takes action that inflames and extends the dispute. I should know, I’m a retired cop.2 points
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the Graf is a shallower dig than the conical type of tanks. we needed that as we have a layer of sandstone 2.2m down and I didn't want them to have to dig through that to install the tank and we're washing, showering, weeing in it too. just using it as it was intended to be.2 points
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The man has spoken, and his words are wise ones. "Heed" y'all!! Airtightness is the money shot here for sure, but if possible also put some 10mm (or thicker) Marmox / similar insulation board between the flooring and the joists to kill the repeat thermal bridging, if you can lose that slight gain in floor height?2 points
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Having recently had to deal with a leak for my sons “hidden” cistern, it’s best to sort easy access now and not wait till water is flowing everywhere 🤷♂️1 point
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It would require a lot of things to go wrong simultaneously on a boiler system for there to be a tank full of superheated water. And more or less a physical impossibiity for one with a heat pump. The requirement for two separate thermostats on an immersion heater have more or less ruled that out as a cause as well. It wasn't always like that. Decades ago during the Edinburgh festival a bunch of theatre technicians wondered why there was steam rising from the WC pan in our rented flat. Turned out there was no thermostat at all on the HW tank.1 point
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to add my two pence worth my house has 6-700mm granite stone walls ,then 50mm air gap then 150mm t/f and insulation I can say now that mass matters to making a stable temp even now with still no bifolds fitted --but just blanked off with ill fitting osb -no heating as yet the temp inside is stable and in rooms that are finshed that get sun -and bear in mind these are not huge windows in old stone house the temp goes up noticably so much there have been days when joiners and plasters have complained of it being colder inside than out and upsatairs where it is all plasetered etc it is much warmer . but yes i agree with others that spending on insulation and stopping air leaks sghould be top priority on any house--1 point
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I didn't mean to make you frown. I meant to imply a positive, that taking the tiles off the sill might allow the board to be removed and voila, all within easy reach. The cistern will be immediately under the sill, and the button to flush connection right. there too. Also that removing tiles from the face might be pointless as all you will see is the face of the tank. there: it's good news. ...probably : but best wait a bit and allow others to cry Don't, if they disagree.1 point
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@Jilly, if it's like I suspect it MIGHT be - there's in all probability a push-rod behind the button. The 'stroke' of that button may be adjustable. If I'm right thus far, then all you might need to do is rotate that push-rod clockwise or anti-clockwise such that the rod extends outwards (towards the user) a bit. If it's an old design, the linkage will be brass, and might be clogged up a bit. If its plastic, then you're in luck. If you are able to screw in (or out) that may well mean that the mechanism engages that bit more with the innards. It could be that the button itself is firmly attached to that push-rod - in which case, does the button itself rotate? I had a loo in Berlin that was just like this - it had a sloppy linkage (as in there was lots of play in the various bits) design. (Yes, there was an inspection panel in a cupboard next to the pan 😐)1 point
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Thanks @garrymartin Perfect timing as the DNO called me half an hour ago and you are bang on! They think the transformer upgrade will be their expense so we just need to pay for the new connection and dig the underground trench from the final pole to the new house which is through a flat field which is a great result. Annoying that I have to pay £800 for them to confirm what I already knew but frankly I'm so relieved I don't have to pay for HV/transformer works that I'll take it!1 point
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Another job for a cheap inspection camera with a fiber probe ? Here's one I found earlier 🫡1 point
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seriously dont bother. Anything over 40C flow and it will cost you an absolute fortune to run.1 point
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You might be able to get it out by pulling it tight against the back of the panel, rotating it a bit anticlockwise then pushing it back in for another go etc. Then as @Nickfromwales says you will get access to the whole pushbutton assembly and the flexible pipe. Make sure you tie string round the nut. Then you can maybe see what is wrong with the pb. If fixed you could then glue it back with something like CT-1. My worry would be that the fault is the other end, at the cistern. Which if true will mean you have the problem of getting at that as the numpties have left no access to it. We have a similar arrangement but the entire panel is on plastic hooks and slides upward for removal. Maybe you are looking at too small an area? Just a hope...1 point
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You must allow for the worst case, which is that the hose has become fractured and you need to get it off the bellows as well as off the button, so it can be replaced.1 point
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The floor material (say 22mm P5) gets laid over the Marmox, and you screw through the 2 and into the joists. Use x thickness of Marmox to get your levels correct, and you're off to the races.1 point
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just do this. they wont file anything clowns are all talk.1 point
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Your going to have to gently tap around the edge for an hour Then start hitting it with slump hammer No other way1 point
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295271739831?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQjw6PGxBhCVARIsAIumnWYmOs5gNGsntsiGnKPptmKirOS8e9mA39iRKxEvrSV1lsiZmGUMcPQaAjrFEALw_wcB1 point
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Ah, lots of fun. Brings back memories. Normally you'd whack all the way round with a lump or sledge hammer, but in that case you crack the concrete. Have you tried to clear out the gap between the frame and lid? Will take a bit of time and persuasion. If all else fails, one of these will lift it. https://lifting365.com/products/hydraulic-manhole-cover-lifter-with-spreader-bars-mustang?variant=40497179132070¤cy=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google%2Bshopping&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6PGxBhCVARIsAIumnWYZk67PI3RO3Qf3DVGw91nh1oSYqWchEBWoXzQeJlIt2eI_IIxdE3saAq-nEALw_wcB1 point
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Depending on how many windows and if internally beaded , you could just have new units made up with privacy glass is an option1 point
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Good point. Yes, I've talked it all through with the installer. Unlike others they were happy to fit my windows airtight. They were happy to use either system. The TP654 should save them time compared to using Compriband/foam/airtightness tape!1 point
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My wife agrees I was explaining last night how I was trying to prove it'd meet building regs for BC and got that look. "You're not planning to put in an application to insulate the floor, are you?", followed by "stop being a stickler for the rules and get it done". Well that's me told.1 point
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Ok, well the tile in the sill is the one I would start with. Least amount of disruption. Then a call to the fitter to say "You, my friend, are a bell-end of the highest disorder. Are you of similar brain-power to a plant? Just asking, for a friend".1 point
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Same happened to a friend of ours. Button push and all tiled in with no access. Ridiculous. They had no option but to carefully cut around the tile grout and then plasterboard. Fortunately they’d kept a pack of the tiles.1 point
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Often 'fitters' will set the window sill up so it can be removed so you can get access from the top down. Any pics of this?1 point
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I’m going to have to stop agreeing with you John 😁 My first thought was office1 point
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How idiotic. Sadly I've seen this done before in a refurbished public toilet of all places, and I'm not in any way associated with the building trade. If it's plasterboard behind the tiling, could you use a multi-tool to cut simultaneously through the grout of the tile the button is in and the plasterboard behind? I think that would my go-to approach. If it's something more solid than plasterboard behind perhaps consider taking the tile out anyway and replacing it with a symmetrically positioned access panel (be 'honest' with it rather than trying to disguise it).1 point
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In the mean time, if the do move the car, immediately park YOUR car there.1 point
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well.....errrr.....we've started pooping in it and nothing has come back out yet so I guess it's working ok! 🤣 I got my groundworkers to install it while they were doing the drainage. seemed simple enough though I just didn't have the time.1 point
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Civil action, very costly and hard to enforce. We used to get cars dumped in our carpark. Tried all the legal routes, took months. Finally, as if by magic, some evenings the cars got moved and placed across a side road junction. No idea how it happened, but on the same nights our fork truck was moved as well.1 point
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As many people have said you need to go outside when it is raining, the heavier the better, and see what the water is doing. I can see two things - 1. It looks like the pointing is missing in the top horizontal joint and in the vertical joint round the corner. This will make it easier for water to penetrate the wall. It may be that dripping water has washed it away. You should be able to fill it in yourself, but first you need to know what the problem is. You can buy a tube of pointing mortar like a tube of caulk. 2. The corner of the render is slightly green so that area is getting wet. It could be that the joints we can see in the downpipe there are leaking. I feel though that the wet area seems to all be to the right of this. So the alternative is that the joints above are leaking or the guttering above is overflowing. It could be a simple as leaves have blocked the spout at the top so water is overflowing the guttering at the corner. It should be reasonably obvious if you go outside in the rain. There is no point getting a builder etc until you have done this as it is a lot easier for you to wait until it rains and go outside. If you can’t tell what is happening film it with your phone and we will try to help.1 point
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The mortar is cracked and there is some missing right at the corner. Plus it looks like mortar is missing around the corner too? Do you have a pic of that angle?1 point
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I've met very few builders who can find and resolve leaks or damp. I don't know why, but perhaps it is a joined up way of thinking that few have. Hence an older general builder may be the answer as @Alan Ambrosesuggets. failing that, Joiners see the trades before and after them so perhaps can join the dots. BUT please do as I suggest and look at it in the rain.1 point
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Maybe a bright general builder. Failing that a bright guttering guy to check that downpipe coupling. Or a bright handyman. Maybe the latter. The reason I say 'bright' is that it involves a little bit of problem solving and water penetration is notoriously tricky. The probable answer is that one of the pipes has moved a bit / the elbow coupling is not sealing properly / the pipe is blocked with leaves and the rain water is penetrating from outside. An easy way to check is too see what happens the next time you get a proper rainstorm. Take a picture. Maybe the water isn't running off the top of the angled 'plinth' bricks as it should.1 point
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Looks like the volume of water that is coming down, the down pipe is bouncing off the 90°bend and finding its way past one of the joining fittings and running behind the Staffordshire blue engineering bricks. OR There is a blockage on the pipes outlet just below the slate covering and it's backing up the pipe.1 point
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I would check that down pipe for blockage and the joints leaking when it rains.1 point
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MVHR only heats a small volume of air. There is practical temperature limits. If for no other reason than the risk of melting elements of the ducting etc. Passivhaus set this at 50⁰ as mentioned above . This limits the energy that can be transferred to about 10W/m². As your house won't meet this figure you will need some other heating system like rads or UFH. These are all capable of delivering well above the required power for your house on their own so adding MVHR air warming when it's not required would be money spent for nothing.1 point
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For export limitation, G100 requires the limitation to be password protected by a factory or installer password that the user shouldn't have! If you go for an inverter over your DNOs 5kw limit you'll need one with a G100 cert and professionally installed to comply. No idea if your DNO is bothered with such things?? Our DNO said if we went for export limitation they'd want to witness it and charge several hundred £ for the privilege If you go with a 5kw inverter with a G99 cert that should limit to 5kw but check the cert. I don't know about other manufacturers but Solaredge allow up to 200% DC input of the inverters rated AC output so an SE5000H can have 10kw of panels connected1 point
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Another self builder further down our road had the road crossing for services made by an unregistered builder, i.e did not have any form of street works permit. He made a far far better job than Scottish Water who did mine and did have the right permits. Just proves having a bit of paper proves nothing about actual competence.1 point
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Yes, or No, depends on the 'something else'. Energy cannot be created, it can only change its form. So, stored energy has to be created first, and this is where the confusion comes in. If, for instance, you need to raise the temperature of the building by 2° C, and you have 10 tonnes to heat, assuming brick/concrete, with a specific heat capacity of 0.8 kJ/kg.K, then you need 16,000 kJ (4.44 kWh), while at the same time as heating say 100 kg of air, that has a SHC of 1 kJ/kg.K, so an extra 200 kJ (0.056 kWh). But if you have a timber/insulation combination, you may be reducing the 10 tonnes to 2 tonnes, but the SHC may be higher, say 1.3 kJ/kg.K, then that initial heating load is reduced to 5,200 kJ (1.44 kWh), while the air heating load is the same. Now people argue that you get that difference (3 kWh) back when you turn the heating off, except some of it has leaked out to the atmosphere/ground. So by having a larger store of energy, you have a larger amount to loose, and as heat loss is non proportional, the larger the temperature differences, the larger the losses, and the faster those losses happen. Controlling losses, and gains, is the key to temperature stability, this is why people put blinds on oversized windows and have MVHR fitted. In the UK it is a rare day that the weather conditions are idea of stable passive heating, or cooling for that matter. Spend your time and money on insulation and airtightness, not on large windows, tonnes of concrete and aftermarket fixes.1 point