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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/29/20 in all areas

  1. <drum roll>.....we have our planning application approval! yay!! I was really expecting a long drawn out process but pretty much a month after we hired our planning consultant we got our approval. I'm pretty gobsmacked to be honest but we're over the moon. can't believe it all happened so quickly. I had discussions with the planning consultant about what we were willing to compromise on and what we weren't. we also determined what we could potentially build using PD on the existing building and the planning consultant also did some research and found other approvals for applications that were similar in size increase over the existing property as ours. Putting it all together we ended up offering to remove the annexe whilst keeping the rest of the building the same but with increasing the basement to the full size of the main building. A bit of escalation within the department as our planning officer was out of office for a while and we were told to submit the new drawings with the annexe removed and a decision would be made on those new drawings without the need for another consultation period. all of the above equated to us receiving our approval this morning. ? the bubbly is in the fridge chilling and waiting to be opened shortly.
    3 points
  2. 22 to the UVC. 22 from UVC to manifold. 15mm to shower / bath from manifold. 10mm elsewhere. 22 or 28 for the ASHP depending on MIs
    3 points
  3. With the lock down continuing it’s been hard to keep our enthusiasm levels up without the required supplies to continue any major projects. It’s been a case of “what can we do today” picking off tasks. The gas boiler needed to be plumbed in, nice easy job as screwfix and toolstation were operating click and collect. Good to get a job ticked off. Our electrics had got to pretty much second fix stage, so we ordered an 12 way RCBO consumer unit, sockets and isolator switches and set about wiring it all up. We had been in contact with a very helpful electrician Lee, who had agreed to do testing and certification of our wiring. Lee came round a couple of months ago and did a visual inspection of our first fix work before agreeing to take the job on. Happy with what we were doing he agreed he would come and do the testing and certification. The testing went well and it only took half a day to test all circuits and get the consumer unit connect. Boy it’s good to say goodbye to the temporary supply and extension leads. Our lights wiring consists of two 16amp supplies to a central area and from that all the lights wiring is radial. After a bit of indecision we had decided to not have any “wired” switches. There are lots of options out there for simple wireless solutions and for wi-fi. Using wi-fi did not appeal, having it all controlled from you phone was a step to far so we have used battery powered wireless switches located where we would have place wired switches. Simple to use and we can move them easily if we find out the positioning is not ideal. We had thought all the wiring after the wireless switches would be low voltage, but we installed mains 1.5mm cable to give the option of using 220v to the fitting. This was a fortunate choice as we already have four circuits that are using 220v. The lighting is working out well, we have about half the lights in and it’s bringing the house to life at night. With the painting done we decided to install one of the doors we had ordered from Germany, always a bit concerning distance ordering and dimensions are not a good combination. The doors we ordered are from Hormann and the architrave/frame and door come as a single unit. As well as specifying the width and height you have to specify the wall thickness. The frames are easily assembled and have to be foam fixed into the wall door opening, taking care to keep everything square. It’s very satisfying to be able to put up a house door with what are automotive tolerances, lovely solid feel to the doors. It was not all plain sailing though. Our doors are all the same size with the exception of the attic storage/plant room, this door need to be smaller to allow for the roof pitch. It turned out not to be the size ordered, after a few phone calls it looks as though it was a picking error on Hormann’s part as the paperwork on their system agrees with the ordered size. We’re waiting on a resolution, I expect Hormann will replace the door and we’ll have to pick up the shipping. Next job...We’ve been planning on framing the window reveals with ply having seen the rather nice results shown on the buildhub Buildhub has been a god sent for us, well mostly, the post should have come with a “don’t try this at home” caveat. Throwing caution to the wind we decided it looked a nice idea. After a bit of phoning around we found out a timber yard in Southampton was operational, so we measured all our window reveals, simple depth, width, height etc. At this point it dawns on you just how many windows you have and the fact that a they are all set at different depths, not to mention not being 100% on the plane of the wall. Once we had done our measurement and produced a cut list. We contacted the timber yard. It’s amazing how much material you can get through on a job like this, there is the main reveal board, then two 20mm edging/framing strips. The framing strips came out at 230m total. A whole 1524x3050 sheet! An awful lot of sawdust added to the 34 reveal boards. The quote was pretty much what I had anticipated, the 1200 x 2400 sheets were £56 each and the 1524x3050 sheets £101. Bill for sheets £530, bill for cutting £30 which was a surprise, even with some clever electronic saw gear I consider that very reasonable. We’ve done just two windows so far, it’s an exacting task, but the results look good. Plaster board lifter coming in for more abuse very helpful for getting the frame into place.
    1 point
  4. Well done, first milestone achieved. ?
    1 point
  5. Congratulations, great result!
    1 point
  6. Thanks @christianbeccy, my floor tiles have not stuck to the liquid screed (not sure if it’s the tile or floor) can’t bring myself to rip the whole floor up till next year but have earmarked that stuff for when I do ?
    1 point
  7. Don't know much about all the different panel manufactuers. We've decided to go for panels with i) 20-25yr warranty ii) low degredation that will give around 90% after 25yrs, because we plan to live in the house for a long time and don't want to have to be replacing in the near future. (the good warranties cover all scaffolding/labor to resolve any issues). This led us to REC and LG. But I've heard good things about JA/Q-Cells also which have lower price point with (I think) less warranty and more degredation. I'm going to look into this again though, make sure there isn't a good budget panel that is almost as good as REC.
    1 point
  8. Realistically it is not that often that a PV system delivers at full power. It is easy to get carried away with the weather we have been having the last couple of months, but think back to last October, November, December and January.
    1 point
  9. Had more confidence in speaking out when I saw poor workmanship. The extent of local tradespeople's networks. The goss on .... Which local tradesfolk are shite and why. The levels of distress and poor personal performance caused by frequent sleeplessness The levels of blarney talked by tradespeople The need to forgive and move on - eye on the main prize. The range of meanings of unreturned phone calls The balls to kick people off site instantly when evidence and fingertip feel matched
    1 point
  10. In the vein of helping someone else out in the future, we solved this using a fantastic product that I would highly recommend to anyone with the same dilemma. We found a product called Eco Prim Grip by Mapei. We bought it from Toolstation. It is designed for this purpose and is a paint on product with an added grainy aggregate that dries hard leaving it ready to accept a standard tile adhesive of your choosing. No preparation to the original tiles is needed. To validate its performance, I had to remove a couple of wrongly placed tiles after they had dried and I can confirm that the separation occurred between the tile and the adhesive, leaving the Prim Grip fully attached to the glossy surface of the old tiles. This stuff definitely solved our problem.
    1 point
  11. I have done sleeper retaining walls with C and I section (PFC and UC) structural steel and sleepers slotted between. No trench needed. Sink the steel at least 750mm in the ground and concrete in. Use some terram or similar membrane on the back of the sleepers.
    1 point
  12. On any circuit with an RCD, shorting neutral to earth will cause some of the neutral current to go to earth instead and the RCD will detect the imbalance and trip. That is normal and something you just learn to accept if you cannot or do not want to isolate all circuits. The Bang and the MCB tripping could be anything. It won't be a USB device. It could be a faulty extension cable or could equally be a fault on the circuit such as a live wire pinched by a screw and on the verge of the insulation breaking down. That's why you should do a high voltage insulation test on the wiring that will find that sort of fault.
    1 point
  13. Pretty sure he means "Manufacturer's Instructions".
    1 point
  14. nope, normall isolators have an arrow on as the seal is only perfect in one direction.
    1 point
  15. Not sure if you need a hole for a waste, but you can't drill glass once it has been toughened, it just shatters.
    1 point
  16. or pipeslice the one directly beneath the isolator and stick a straight coupler on.
    1 point
  17. Some info here.. https://www.thwlegal.co.uk/about-us/news/public-highways-and-access Looks like PP isn't required but you probably need Highway Authority approval.
    1 point
  18. Ok so see the big nut just above the knackered zone valve ..?? Undo that, and remove that you will allow the rest of the pipework to move - the isolator should release then.
    1 point
  19. I had great price and service from Plug-in Solar, I think they're a reseller for Midsummer, and didn't have any issue with delivering to NI.
    1 point
  20. What about an old hearth? I got two lovely pieces of marble for £5
    1 point
  21. Can you tell me why you put a link up that is in German. Good god man I struggle with English.
    1 point
  22. More generally, and not being any form of expert, I found that having a (paid) M&E adviser in the planning stage of my build has proven to be invaluable. A few hours of hourly-rate advice from an expert has impacted on so many areas, not only the choice of a heating system, but everything from penetrations through my concrete raft, to lots of other issues that had knock-on consequences elsewhere. I had picked up a great deal of knowledge by avidly reading this site (thanks everyone!) but that adviser was able to assist in unpicking all of my half-thought-through ideas and string together a coherent concept. I considered it money well spent and my architect complimented me on the approach.
    1 point
  23. Depends on whether it’s all being squeezed down one 15mm pipe which is T’eed off repeatedly, or through well thought out and dedicated radial supplies. The difference that can make to the same cold mains is significant. Most combis have 15mm inlet & outlet whereas an UVC / TS have 22mm so can convey much more water / have lower paths of resistance. Designing a new system from scratch makes this possible, but solving a retro fit is a bloody nightmare as you’re constrained by the existing pipe work etc.
    1 point
  24. Another option could be a floor standing high flow combi , ( Worcester Bosch do a tidy one iirc, used in a lot of B&B’s / small guest houses ), and a 2-300L cold mains accumulator to fortify cold mains delivery, but you’d still need a small / medium buffer to compliment the gas vs UFH situation to get your condensing range reliable. The issue is the length of hot water draw off duration stated in the OP. No accumulator will defeat that problem, unless you’ve a room full of them.
    1 point
  25. Yes. As long as it’s a dedicated ‘high flow’ unit it’ll do the job. Most you can expect in reality is two “ok” showers simultaneously, or one excellent shower, but two is possible. This is remembering that an instant hot water heater, of whatever fuel origin, is ‘cold mains dependant’, so if during the two ok showers someone flushed the loo, you’re going to know all about it. Same if any white appliances are set to run whilst you’re showering that would be a disaster. Discipline is number one in this scenario, so with unsympathetic teenagers in the mix I’d forget anything instantaneous here @MrsDeS. Boiler + thermal store is what I’d fit here, or a bigger than necessary UVC ( unvented ( mains pressurised )) cylinder, but you’ll then suffer the longer term ownership issues when said water thieves fly the nest and it’s just you guys there. As you have UFH ( and why have you oversized the rads if you’re on gas not a heat pump ?!? ) I’d say fit the TS ( thermal store ) as it’ll give you a buffer for running the UFH and give you your condensing range, ( which you won’t get at very low temps btw ). Downside is you need to keep the TS hot all summer for DHW ( same as you would with an UVC, but typically hotter than ) so losses need to be considered and managed. Best way is to put it in the airing cupboard to warm your trollies all year round. Cold mains needs to be surveyed before deciding, as you can’t get a pint out of a half pint pot, and you’ll probably need to have all the cold mains in 22mm and pipe accordingly for your needs.
    1 point
  26. Why the oversize rads if you’ve gone for a gas boiler ..? Standard size will be fine, blending for UFH temps (35c or so) should be done by the manifold. Don’t be tempted to run the rads off the UFH manifold ..! Oversizing is normally done when you want to use ASHP. In terms of your hot water, I would not bother with a combi as even a 35Kw will struggle with a pair of showers running - consider a 500 litre UVC, gives you the option to run it hard before the first showers but the tank will stay hot enough to keep you going through the day (with potentially a mid morning boost) Other option is a thermal store as it will allow you to run everything off one tank with just a heat only boiler but that will put more heat into the building 24x7x365. Upside is that if you have Solar PV you can dump to it year round and not care about it being 85-90c as it is just more heat held.
    1 point
  27. Thanks @PeterW, very helpful. @SuperJohnG, we are on a surface water supply from a burn. The big cylinder is the iron treatment filter, as we have a high iron level. Not sure we ended up with the best bit of kit here as it doubles as a water softener which we don't need. I think I can get away with out using this part of it. I went through a local company in Inverness. They double checked what I thought I needed. Happy to pass on costs for comparison if it helps? Agree on all you say about the plumbing. I too work in hydraulics (more on the design side), so happy with bigger stuff generally! As this is so important to us, I don't really want to outsource the fitting. If it ever breaks or needs work, I need to be able to repair relatively quickly so being able to put it together and take it apart is more important to me than aesthetics (so long as I can get it functional).
    1 point
  28. If you can persuade the zone valve to actually turn, with a spanner on the flat of the actuator and once turning give it plenty of exercise until free, then just change the actuator head if it really is burned out. What makes you think it is burned out? You can't always test the Honeywell heads off the valve base as they have a habit of the gears disengaging and them going twang, which may make you think it is faulty when it is not. So get that valve body turning and try the actuator head on. If the only issue with the "bypass" valve is it is leaking, put a bucket under it.
    1 point
  29. That is an 82p isolator valve - just undo the nuts and replace with a lever valve of the same size. The nuts and olives can stay in place, good squidge of LS-X for ultimate bodginess and you will be fine. I would leave the zone valve in place and wedge it partially open - no point in changing it unless you need to, otherwise it would be a 22mm lever valve for me and a 28/22mm compression reducer and a short length of 22mm copper pipe.
    1 point
  30. Why do you want to do anything other than fix it? Why change things? The "bypass valve" is an ordinary service isolator. Easy to just get a new one and replace it. BUT is should be an automatic bypass valve. That only opens when you get a certain water pressure, typically when the pump starts but in the time before the motorised valves actually open. Likewise that's a Honeywell 2 port valve. An air lock would not physically stick the valve, it is broken. So replace it with another. If you want to do cheap, the cheaper Tower ones are pretty much a copy of the Honeywell. And since you will just be changing two things like for like, there is really no plumbing to alter. However you will be re using the olives on the pipes, so give each a few wraps of ptfe tape to increase the chance of them re sealing. Just replacing the broken bits will make the system operate as it should and save you having to bodge the wiring to frig it. Do take care to do a drawing or photograph the wiring of the old zone valve before you remove it and make sure the new one connects exactly the same. Possibly the hardest part of this will be finding enough slack in the pipe work to pull the pipes apart a little to get the old valves out and the new ones in.
    1 point
  31. This site seems to explain the regulations well and doesn't mention a minimum diameter for hand rails. It also says that the first 2 stairs do not need a handrail https://www.wonkeedonkeerichardburbidge.co.uk/building-regulations-explained/
    1 point
  32. English is a Germanic language. So zis shud hev been ezee to verstehen, Heil Hitler
    0 points
  33. That reminded me of this classic
    0 points
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