Leaderboard

Hi, I thought I'd share a significant insulation improvement I've made in my bungalow... It's a 1970's split level bungalow, with the living accomodation upstairs. Having thoroughly draughtpoofed, installed modern double glazing, new energy efficient doors, underfloor insulation, cavity wall insulation, removed all window reveal cold brdges and insulated them, 400mm of loft insulation and MVHR, I expected the place to be really warm. But I always detected a sort of cold downdraught from the ceiling. Very strange. I recently had the roof tiles and membrane replaced. Whilst the old roof was off, the likely culprit became visible. As its a pitched roof, the inner wall is of course taller than the outer, this taking the weight of the roof trusses. So the top 400mm of inner wall leaf comprises effectively a single skin, uninsulated block wall, in what must be the worst position possible, all around the top of every external wall, where the internal temperature will be highest, therefore leading to max heat loss. So, while the roof was off, I insulaed this vertical section with rockwool, leaving room for ventilation between the new membrane and insulation. The result? An incredible difference. The cool downdraught has completely gone, no more feeling of cold feet. All for the cost of two rolls of 200mm rockwool....

I have to agree; it seems to getting more and more acceptable to not know the difference between 'bought' and 'brought' or to use a comma where an apostrophe should be. Boils my pi$$. Bye the way, it's 'jamb', not 'jam'. ?

Look @zoothorn it's a simple process of elimination to try and get to the bottom of your issues. So start with trying just trying the rad key. Will take 30 secs to do. A quick quarter turn and then another and another maybe until either air or water comes out. Have a tea towel handy. Then report back which it is. Then we can rule things in or out. out. So no more moving onto the next job on the door frame or roof hatch. Keep your mind and focus on this issue otherwise you will continue to miss maybe vital information. As far as having no one to contact you have whatever gov scheme that paid for this job. Get in the phone and explain that you have had an ashp installed by X company and its not providing you with enough heat. Simple and direct. You want someone they recommend to come out and look at the install and see what they can spot. So rad key tonight and phone in the morning. Nothing else as everyone is growing a tad impatient with how this is unfolding so big boys pants on and get them two jobs done first.

I did this several months ago. It actually makes his threads a more enjoyable read.

PTFE - washer won't work as its not designed for them. A good 10-15 wraps too..!

Yes, and is probably the easiest and safest way to do it.

Your diction, grammar and weird shorthand makes your posts difficult to read and annoys the f*** out of me! ? You really should get with the proper technical terms once you know them or you'll come across as a Muppet forever. I'm not the Spelling Police but it brings the site down imo. I read "looong rad" and think "C***, not again!". Go and measure your rads and take a stab at the BTU. Or take a photo of each (showing single, double, fins etc) and post with the size and we'll do it.

Definitely is the transformer. When you pull the back plate forward to fit my spacers, it's a nice warm handful. Guess around 30 to 32 deg. When I get the next spacers, I'll measure one. Decided to go with slots to the wall in the end, it doesn't seem to make any difference and is more pleasing aesthetically.

Well we are on the way now and no going back. The groundworks guy started last week, he is putting in the road and hardstanding and will do the insulated foundation under my guidance and I will assist. It's a good relationship and he comes when its not raining and is well experienced in groundworks. He is actually building his own home just now too (we are similar ages). The night before he came on site...I was hurriedly arranging site insurance (horrific cost of over £2k - but it is for 24 months) that was sorted, then in the dark I went up and attached the cursory health and safety signs at the entrance. I also put a sign facing out into the surrounding fields (see pic below) as we have people who walk by and I haven't heras fenced the site hence if someone crosses the fence they should be aware there might be big holes in the ground. The digger came the next morning and we have nearly finished the access going in to the house, around 400 Tonne of 3" crusher run has got us up to the house location. Which is pretty damn close to what I calculated, we were put off my rain somewhat this week which suited us both as I was stowed with my normal job, I did have holidays booked but couldnt get off as I had too much on. However come Monday..I will be off for a week.... I 've been busy at night over thinking, over engineering and done far too much detailed planning around drainage and ducts. But I'm nearly ready. The Kore Insulated foundation system came in December....I can tell you how glad I was that i brought it in before Brexit. I'm hearing stories that it is completely problematic now. I was missing some EPS for a thermal break between man slab and integral garage but steven from Kore sorted it and should be here next week just in time. I'm spending my night tonight comparing prices of drainage which I'll bring on site on Tuesday. The groundworkers will be back Monday and we expect a big week full speed ahead, we will scrape the foundation out (the footprint top soil is removed) get it level, then fill with Type 1. Then surveyor here on Wednesday to set out profile boards with, I done all the ACAD drawings for him to place it all and do the ducts and drains and insulated foundation corners etc, He's also been really helpful and proactive. The final UFH design is done, I'll order the pipe on Wednesday too and they can get it next day, so that's fine. Next week is a big week and I'm excited...I've planned some bits to death, but in reality we will just see how it goes. Some pictures attached because that's what a blog is all about Jude was thoroughly enjoying the water and mud!....wish us luck! 20210115_154740.mp4

Air in the rads? ?

If you cant beet them...

Re flow temps. Mine is set to 39 degrees in heating mode. Lo and behold, after a short warm up period once it has got all the water in the heating circuit up to temperature is delivers water at 39 degrees. It modulates the speed of the compressor to vary the power it is delivering to maintain that temperature. Once the rooms get up to temperature each room shuts down, and when there is little left actually heating,the ASHP will shut down it's compressor completely, only occasionally starting up to keep the flow temperature at it's set point. DHW is a bit more complicated. I have my water tank setpoint set to 48 degrees. I also have set the maximum flow temperature to 55 degrees. If the tank is cool when the SHW comes on, the flow temperature typically runs7 or 8 degrees higher than the tank temperature with the return perhaps 5 degrees lower and they slowly ramp up as the tank heats up. Like I keep saying, your low temperatures might be because the unit is set up wrong or faulty, or it might be because it is overloaded (too many radiators) and can't keep up. That much mentioned 1 radiator test will give us a clue. Once we know the answer to that we can advise what to say to the installers to get them to put it right.

Because the house is up to temp (21.5’) and DHW tank full of hot water (48’). Oh, and because the wood stove is lit taking the lounge up to 24.7k (phew). Even tho it’s freezing outside (I know because I just put the chickens in. Bbbrrrrrr.) smug emoji

Or it’s because it take 10 pages to agree that the roof trusses will take your weight. 17 pages to cut the plasterboard hatch! 12 pages to explain skirtings The list goes on, and then you complain you miss posts.... what’s the temps?? get the installers back, it didn’t cost you anything for the install, so you are quids in

No, just something I heard from some electricians a decade ago. It would be in the latest electrical regs, whatever edition we are in now.

VENT THE RADS ! it eliminates that as an issue ! YOU haven’t contributed anything to this thread that’s the problem !

Can you do after 61 (expletive deleted)ing pages do as asked measure rooms measure rads in rooms vent rads Why can’t you do that ? . I can come and do that ; you’re not far from me . The body wouldn’t be found for many months - ffs !

I would leave the cavity open The EWI is an excellent insulator I recently rendered a house for a friend who had a similar dilemma

I just wanted to give this thread some value . Later ( once she’s had too much wine ) Nigella will be showing her skewer

Cats on the skewer - bit chewy but you know ....

How it started ^ How it finished

I take it that the cat does not like peppers.

Anyway For dinner I made homemade Bombay potatoes, lamb skewers with vegetables and a (expletive deleted)ing ‘please drink me ‘ bottle of wine !

Mount it on a larger hardwood offcut. That's what I did at my last place and it looked good

You beat me to it, ? Cut the back off so the face is good.

Depending on how many you need you can get them cut and glued from any stock brick. Had to do this on non standard bay windows before, search for brick bonding in your area. Think we paid about £2.20 each but supplied the bricks. Be aware to get the proper bond you need two bricks per corner. You can do it yourself but you need a brick table to cut them not a stihl saw, and then bond them with this stuff. https://www.epoxy-info.co.uk/resins_shop.htm#ThixoRapid Cut to the correct angle then let them dry and glue. Leave them for 48 hours if possible to set.

Mate you are acting like a ?? i can’t bear the pain of you trying to hang a door, cut a hatch in the plasterboard, fit skirting and would gladly skip it but am interested in the ASHP, so bleed the radiators, put the heating onto on, constant or ramp the temperature up on the thermostat so it’s calling for heat and put the thermometers on the pipework.

I think the calculations are *definitely* still worth it as it'll give you an idea what minimum flow temperature we need to be aiming for. Furthermore, it'll prevent anyone claiming to you that 35C is sufficient.

Showing solar and battery usage also

Crack on son.

Good. Thanks, that tallies with my logic. And I have in fact sent yet another email to Vaillant renewables dept about this. At the moment I have 4 reasons/ coinciding 'issues'/ all the same from install august/ I'm emailing Vaillant about. So As well as trying to answer the help on here Im also having to tackle Vaillant again, again, again, relentlessly about faults, for 7 months Ive been doing this. Just -this- is exhausting. 1. Night noise continues overnight/ heating comes on when room temp 12.5*, 2. Leak continues (I saw today- installer fault I know this, but impossible to get onto them let alone -another- visit. So I give up with this). 3. Delay until rads suddenly get hot 8am, nothing/ no rad heat at all from 6.30 to 8am. 4. Poor rad performance/ flow temp seems 20* off. Until I can get no.4 "fixed" I don't see it logical to continue with BTU figs, rad tests. And I don't see this happening for months, if ever, as Vaillant will say its normal to expect this 20* drop (probably) or give excuse after excuse I can't decipher.

see, you've answered your own question, just because there's houses with a gable feature and some other ones with arches, they're very different styles of house, just jamming features in makes your elevation look clumsy. You could happily lose the arch and make your design more compatible with the local area - you really need someone with a design eye to look at the elevation, using the kit manufacturer to design is resulting in an efficient timber kit at the compromise of lots or areas imo

Tend to use compression or push fit elbows on the other end for this very reason..!

Wot @PeterW said, plus, I like to fit the tap to the pipe before the pipe is fitted, this means the tap can be vertical which is difficult to achieve after the pipe is fitted .

We have a 250mm blown bead cavity in SW Ireland. No issues with cracking due to the beads but as the cavity is wider and less stable than standard you may get more settlement cracks. As mentioned above most installs are only compliant with plastered external leafs so you may need to change your brick. Here is a list of approved operators. As usual the key is avoiding the cowboys. https://www.nsai.ie/search/insulation/eyJyZXN1bHRfcGFnZSI6InNlYXJjaFwvaW5zdWxhdGlvblwvIiwia2V5d29yZHMiOiJCZWFkIn0/

It was a joke zoot, you keep referring to my short little finger that struggles to reach the “o”. On my keyboard!.

Yes of course. But look I'm stuck right now. Peter's told me 1st up get flow temp at 'the box thing' under/ pipes. Makes alot of sense to do this 1st. I get readings 20* from what I was expecting/ from what is dialed in. I'm confused. I repeat the readings, get 3x different readings. I'm even more confused. Until I can get replies about this 35* flow temp (afaict it is) & establish A) f this needs to be got to @ 55*C in order to then continue on & test the rads.... I'm kinda stuck not knowing my ass from elbow, certainly unable to see point just yet to continue on with individual rad temps. But everyone just assumes, bc I'm not giving the rad temps that I can't be arsed, or I refuse to do it. I'm waiting & in the meantime, I'm trying this tricky door fit (for me tricky, 10x the time it takes you etc).

I totally agree - I started this journey with that in mind so actually want to avoid paying £10,000 + VAT to a company who will just order from China on my behalf! So just figuring out if actually that's the status quo, and if so I might as well cut out the middle man.

Thanks both.

Get a couple of live traps up there. Load them with a chocolate button, and see what you catch.

My only experience of this is they will eat straight through it

I have to remind myself that Germans talking about measurements always quote centimetres first and then millimetres, separated by a comma. They actually say the 'comma' . As in 15 , 3 means 153mm. But no Brits ever say that. Bluddy furiners.

If I were still a Mod, I'd have co-opted @zoothorn as a Trainee Mod. We need more members who appreciate just how much time Moderation takes, and how much work the whole administration team puts in. For free.

The semi-rigid ducts are smooth-bore.

The proportions of your elevation is a bit all over the place, look at the examples in the photos and you can see that they are better set out and look different to your proposals...

@Moggaman, Looks like you need render. See 3.2.2.1.2 of linked Irish Agrement Board cert https://h7y7d6g6.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/KORE-Fill-NSAI-Certificate-202012.pdf

Because they got permission due to Class Q. The existing building must, in structural terms, already be “capable of functioning as a dwelling”. This means is that the building as it stands must be capable of conversion. If it requires such substantial building operations then what is proposed amounts to the construction of a new building. If that is the case then the conversion would fall outside the scope of Class Q

Yep it just works. I must admit it took me a while to get into their instructions for the WC frame/flush plate and then wall drain but once you do it all makes sense. Don't like that they mix mm and cm on the same drawing though.

Toilet done ! I like the geberit thought that goes into the design ( apart from wobbly bolts )

Here’s mine. We wanted sliding doors to get outside so had to go with a cross beam for wind shear without having double frames where the door is. I also wanted frameless windows from inside and very thin frames so went with the cross beam in the end. It’s also pretty wide at 6m