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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. Pretty sure he means "Manufacturer's Instructions".
    1 point
  10. nope, normall isolators have an arrow on as the seal is only perfect in one direction.
    1 point
  11. 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
  12. or pipeslice the one directly beneath the isolator and stick a straight coupler on.
    1 point
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. What about an old hearth? I got two lovely pieces of marble for £5
    1 point
  17. Can you tell me why you put a link up that is in German. Good god man I struggle with English.
    1 point
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. English is a Germanic language. So zis shud hev been ezee to verstehen, Heil Hitler
    0 points
  29. That reminded me of this classic
    0 points
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