iansr

It’s a mixture of retrofit and new. I’ve read mixed reports of the effectiveness of spreader plates so I don’t know what to think of them.

We are going to install UFH. For the most part this will be in areas where there are wood floor joists. We will of course be putting insulation between the joists. We will be laying glue down LVT. This has to be laid on special 5.5mm plywood sheets which have to be laid within certain level tolerances. What are the options as regards installation methods for the UFH pipe work ?

We are extending a dormer bungalow outwards and upwards; its an extensive alteration. I asked our BCO if our MVHR would be subject to Part F and he said No, he would just need to see that the installation was signed off.

With no humidistat and no boost switch does that mean yours just runs at the normal rate when the hob is being used or someone is having a shower?

Based on your experience what features would the panel recommend a buyer look for when choosing a MVHR unit? Eg: Pre-heater? G4 filter? F7 filter? Humidistat? Summer bypass? Low db levels? Manual boost control ? Anything else? Comments invited.

@PeteTheSwede Can I ask how you implemented this in the end?

I’ve read that your airtightness strategy should start by deciding where the boundaries of your airtight envelope will be. So the easy part of that is to decide on the floor of the ground floor and the internal faces of the external walls (which will be wet plastered). The bit I haven’t got my head around is where to have the boundary at the top of the house? Is there an optimal answer? Should it be the inner face of the top floor ceiling or should it be in the roof space and if so precisely where and how? Any wisdom on the subject will be gratefully received!

+1. What a great resource this forum is.

OK I think I’m sold on a heat pump one.

One thing is certain from the info I’ve picked up here is that our current vented drier will not be going into the new house !

@markocosic thanks for the detailed reply, I’ll certainly look into that option.

Thanks. TBH I didn't know there was such a thing as a condensing drier ?. So the new plan is, see how the creel drying works and if we subsequently decide we need a drier then I'll buy a condensing one at that point. Looks like a small one could even be wall mounted. Thanks guys.

That's a good idea! I'd welcome more comments from people who have experience of drying clothes just with MVHR. I'd like to ditch the tumble dryer if I can . . .

No I have no intention of venting the dryer to the outside - hence my question about taking the pipe up the internal wall to aim it towards the the MVHR extract vent. 12 hours drying time on a creel would be totally acceptable for us.

Conor, it would just be our existing tumble dryer I would use, which currently (pre MVHR) vents through an outside wall via ducting from the dryer. Maybe post MVHR installation it will be superfluous to requirements?

I plan on putting a creel in our utility room for drying washing. I’ve read that MVHR is great for drying clothes but I’m wondering whether I should have a tumble dryer in there as a back up. If I do, am I right in thinking I should take its vent pipe up the internal wall so that the exhaust steam etc are heading upwards towards the extract vent? Also any thoughts on whether a tumble dryer is a good idea in such circs?

I’ve just spoken to a contractor who told me that at the thicknesses we would talking about there would be no insulation effect and it would be a lot more expensive than wet plaster. So back to plan A I think !

Here I am down a rabbit hole called air tightness ?. I understand that as an alternative to wet plaster you can get your walls sprayed with closed cell foam. That would seem to be an attractive option as it would also add an additional layer of insulation. No idea how it compares on cost with wet plaster though. Anybody done this or have any pertinent info on this idea?

Thanks for that ?

Did you create the spreadsheet with your calcs yourself or is there a template someplace?

I’ve already decided on DIY installation. I need to decide whether to design it myself or outsource that aspect.

Some good info on that PaulHeatRecovery site. It’s a good example of implicit selling and its pretty effective in that regard. I suspect they are at the top end of the price range though . . . .

Thank you guys. Interesting comments about ducting as I had read a comment somewhere that flexible ducting is way easier to install. However there are clearly other factors based on the above comments.

So this is me taking my first steps on the DIY MVHR journey. I was prompted to think this was feasible after talking to David Hilton at the recent Home Building/Renovation show in Harrogate. So one of the first questions I need to address is whether I should go with a pro design or try designing it myself? I’ve already had one pro design quote from a company called ADM who happen to be based in West Yorkshire where we live. David Hilton has a company himself that provides such a service and I’ll get a quote from him too. However, I would like to do a deep dive into this myself and so I was wondering whether anyone could point me to a comprehensive “how to” guide ? Any other comments / thoughts will be gratefully received. FYI we are radically altering a dormer bungalow including extending outwards and upwards. It will be 250 m2 when finished.

Thanks for the pointers guys. The house is not going to be passive house level air tight but I think my builder can get it way better than a traditional construction. For example both front and back door apertures / doors will be new so there is an opportunity there to improve matters. Re no UFH upstairs, do you mean have radiators instead, or nothing at all? The existing external walls have cavity wall insulation and clearly the new walls will have good levels of insulation. We will also be laying insulation in all the floors.