Miek

I've always wondered why too much fall is a problem. Then I found this... Above ground and below ground horizontal drainage pipes should be laid to an adequate gradient. Gradients from 1 in 40 to 1 in 110 will normally give adequate flow velocities. A gradient of 1 in 80 is suitable for commencing calculations for pipe schemes. If a gradient is too steep i.e. steeper than 1 in 40, the liquid may run faster than the solids in the sloping foul water pipe thus leaving the solids stranded, which could then block the pipe. If the gradient is not steep enough, i.e. less than 1 in 110, then the pipe could still block if the solids slow down and become stranded.

One thing to think about is the quality and flatness of the finished floor. Screed is easier to work flat whereas a concrete pour will need an experienced hand to get it as flat and level as a screed finish. What is the final floor going to be, and what are the tolerances for level?

How much water is actually going to pool on top of the batten if it wasn't angled? I would just use normal square batten and have done in the past for exactly the same build up. Angled could be argued as being better but I think it's very marginal with overlapped boards. More importantly is to lay the top boards so that they 'cup' inwards and clamp on to the base board for a snug fit, with sawn wet boards at least.

Clip on ear defenders are great as they are always there to put on, or you can get neckband ones which work with a standard helmet. Comfort is important, I use a petzl helmet but they're 50 quid...

I used the loop ended ties with the ratchet twisting tool for some steel work, but I found the cheap ties are very thin wire and not strong enough for walking on the steelwork without being careful. They are good for basic work but if your steelwork is heavy/multi layered, then look for something heavier. Possibly you can get heavy gauge ties but I haven't looked. Proper tying wire is much thicker and really strong but requires more skill to use...

Ouch.!

I suspect the slump is not relevant for small house slab type jobs, mainly because of the extra cost / hassle of measuring it. For large commercial concrete pours where things have liabilities then that's another matter. Most folk know that a stiff mix is strong and adding too much water can weaken the mix..

+1 If its been stagnating it would be silly not to change the fluid.

If you look at the pic of the panels on the roof there is a solar rated (silver) bottle air vent there to help bleed the system. IMO these are a failure point (even the solar rated ones) as during stagnation the temps can exceed what they are rated to anyway. It's usual to bleed the air during commissioning using a pump to push the fluid into and around the circuit and back out again into a vessel like a bucket to get the air out. Some dissolved air can appear but over time but its not usually enough to bother about.

I think Column 117.3 is the panel temp. Could easily be so if it's sunny and not circulating fluid. I would just turn it off. It needs fixing with tools now

Did he supply the panels, pipework, pump station, antifreeze as part of the price? Photos of the panels will help.

The solar controller is below your boiler on the RHS. It looks like it has a resol bs or similar fitted. It should have 3 buttons, a round one in the middle and two triangle ones on either side. You can use the RH button to toggle through the settings and there should be an info graphic showing you which sensors you are looking at (left button to go back) . It will tell you the panel temp, store temp, and pump condition ( on or off). If its sunny, put your hands on the pipes running up through the ceiling to the RHS of the boiler (black lagged) and see if one is warm and the other is cooler. If the system is airlocked as we previously speculated, then the pump will be running but not moving water so you might as well switch the controller off, it will just damage the pump otherwise.

That's the pressure reducing valve for the incoming cold I believe, 6.5 bar is a bit high, might need turning down

Well, maybe. It would seem unlikely that it's knackered. As in, beyond repair... I very much doubt it. I've not heard of "jelly" forming in solar thermal systems, but maybe this is a loose term for degraded antifreeze?

The solar thermal system looks like it is a sealed system which means that there is ALWAYS fluid in the panels on the roof. If the controller for the solar (deltasol thing) has been switched off for any length of time then the fluid in the panels on the roof will have stagnated and probably boiled (the sun is powerful like that). This pushed up the system pressure and triggers the over pressure valve to open and you loose fluid. No big deal TBH. the system will need draining, cleaning and recharging with new antifreeze. Hopefully there are no leaks form the overheating, but it's an easy fix really. Scottish Borders is too far for me I'm afraid ?

I use a pressure set pump to power my garden hose from an IBC storage tank, works great. You just turn on the tap and the pump kicks in once the pressure drops, no manual switching required. I went with a 1kw motor and its good and powerful, I wouldn't go below 750w if it was me as the flow isn't good enough (IMO), but I have a biggish polytunnel to water. Obviously make sure it's well frost protected. The only downside is if someone leaves the tap on and the system runs dry, then there is nothing to stop the pump running until you switch it off electrically.

Amazing spec insulation, amazing price insulation. Logical at least

If by average you mean on a phone or cheapish hand held GPS, then crap is the only way to describe the accuracy, especially the altitude. It can be 10's of meters out. You can of course get GPS accuracy to mm, but not cheaply.

It should be fine to just undo the white nut and attach a new fitting straight on, obviously you need the same make of fitting to match threads. Try not to accidentally push the olive up the blue pipe as it grips the pipe and is hard to reset unless you can move the white nut clear of it, you are limited with space by the look of it, so potentially you could end up with the nut up against the meter with the olive pushed up too far, which will be a royal PITA. Been there....

If its from the water meter then it's your responsibility I believe, so you can do your own pipework. Is it lead from the meter? Or is there a bit of mdpe? Either way I would remove any lead altogether

Some of my friends felt it west of Swansea and some in Cardiff. I'm away in Ireland so I missed it

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Depends what you mean by cheap. Excavators hold their value well, I paid 3k for an old banger (1992) 3.5t 360 a few years back but had to spend about a grand on it. Old school levers but digs fine.

+1 to this.

What's special about the screws? Would stainless screws be suitable?