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Bobbyboo

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  1. I am looking to extend my wooden patio deck by about 2m into my rear garden. The existing decking is sitting on wooden posts bolted onto concrete trenches. There is a large TPO’d oak to the far side of the decking which has a 7m RPA. Extending the decking would cut into the RPA, but take up way less than 20%. The extension will require 3 or 4 new posts, 2 of which would be within the RPA about 5-6m from the tree. To minimise any impact, I plan on using ground screws. The decking is suspended 15-20cm above the ground and no removal of soil would be required (only a top layer of grass removed). There would be ample air circulation and otherwise no impact on the soil. My understanding is that this would fall well within permitted development, and provided I don’t damage any roots when installing the ground screws, I am safe. Am I ok to proceed with this work, or do I need to notify the Tree Officer or submit an application (really do not want to!).
  2. Thanks - and I guess this is England (and not just Scotland which looks like it has even more stringent regs). What’s the deal with the thermal insulation and what are the consequences of putting in a ladder above 0.35, apart from a bit of heat loss. Risk of surveyor raising it on sale I guess, but anything else? I can’t imagine everyone putting £1000+, fire rated, <0.35 passiv house certified loft ladders to meet both thermal and fire regs!
  3. I am looking to replace the 55x55 hatch to my loft with a 55x110 folding loft ladder. The house is a recent 3 story new build. Loft access is from a bedroom on the third floor. Have I understood the building regs correctly that any access to the loft will require to be 30 mins fire rated as it’s on the third floor (above 4.5m) and from a bedroom? If so, easy enough as there are plenty fire rated ladder options. Being a new built I assume the existing hatch will have a U value below 0.35. Am I right in that this is a recommendation and I don’t need to find a ladder which meets this value? Of course I’d like to keep insulation to a maximum, but there no affordable fire rated loft ladders with a U value under 0.35. I could get something like the Dolle REI 45 which is fire rated and has a value of 0.96, still better than some. https://www.dolle-uk.co.uk/shop/fire-resistant-loft-ladder-rei-45 If it wasn’t for the stupid fire regs, I could get something like the Clickfix 76G, which is easier to install, cheaper and has a much better U value of 0.48. https://www.dolle-uk.co.uk/shop/loft-ladders-clickfix-76g
  4. After several hour of testing and checking everything I am coming to the conclusion that either the V-Pro Smart dimmer switch must be broken, or there is an issue with the switches or wiring of the hallway lights. I disconnected the slave and only left the master connected via live and neutral terminals (no slave needed). Switching the hallway lights, which are on the same circuit as the bedroom, via any of the hallway switches (end or intermediate) still causes the bedroom lights to switch on from time to time. I also seperated the wires as far as possible and ensured no contact, and as there is no slave link in this setup, capacitive coupling is unlikely. Since all the hallway lights and switches are working correctly and this happens using any of the hallway switches, it's probable that it is a faulty V-Pro Smart dimmer switch. The V-Pro Smart dimmer switch are always on. I guess, switching any of the other lights on the same circuit will always cause a small spike in voltage which the V-Pro Smart dimmer switch reads as a signal (even though it shouldn't). I will email Varilight support and see if they have any suggestions or explanations
  5. Thanks! You may be spot on - I have a supplementary controller linked via the S link. The live wire splits to the hallway and is in very close proximity to the S link, maybe I need to add some extra insulation and push them apart a bit further. Will give this a try tomorrow. Thanks! Will check but I don’t think so - if it was a switched live then surely they should turn on/off every single time rather than at random? As I understand it, these pro smart dimmers are always on and don’t have a mechanical on/off (the normal v-pro do, but not the smart).
  6. That’s my suspicion as well, as these smart dimmers are always on; ie they have a small current between the master and the slave. It doesn’t happen every time, only about 50% and both on and off. So that might suggest a spike being read as a switch. That said I’m really not sure why or how… the hallway lights which trigger the bedroom dimmers are the same LEDs as in the bedroom. 6x 5W for a total of 30W GU14 controlled via a a traditional three switch layout with 3 rocker switches (2x SPDT and 1x intermediate). Nothing smart, no transformers. The bedroom lights which don’t trigger are only 5W so maybe the spike there isn’t big enough.
  7. I just installed these Varilight V-Pro LED Smart Dimmers (https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/VLMJM100.html) in the bedrooms (one master and one slave each) and they work fine, except they also switch on and off when someone switches the hallway lights which are on the same lighting circuit with normal rocker switches (2 SPST + 1 intermediate). Weirdly this doesn’t happen when I switch the bathroom lights which are also on the same circuit (1 SPST). I’m fairly certain I’ve wired it correctly as per the diagram below and the instructions (https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Varilight_Instructions/V-PRO_Smart_Dimmer_Instructions.pdf). I’m under the load limit, 45W in the bedroom for a 120W dimmer. Could it be something to do with the wiring of the hallway switches? That said seem to work fine by themselves.
  8. Thanks! In my case, using relays will be fairly easy and hassle free. The cables are all already in place as they previously were connected to DGST switches, so it's a 10 minute job and all I need to do is add 2 relays, 20cm of cable and a junction box for under £20. My mistake. They should be in parallel!
  9. My ventilation unit requires a no-voltage switch to trigger the boost function which should be triggered when two light switches are switched on. Unfortunately using a double pole (DTST) switch is not an option (would require changing a large number of switches), so I am trying to find another way of achieving the same thing. My idea would be using a relay: - 2x 230V light circuits each with a relay - relay switches the no-voltage circuit which is connected to the control unit of the fan Ie, when either light is switched on, a connection in the no-voltage circuit should be established, but no current should be transferred onto the no-voltage circuit. I plan on using 2 of these relays: https://docs.rs-online.com/5c2a/0900766b816d4f15.pdf (26.01 version) - would this work?
  10. Just reinstalled my Harvey HV3 non-electric twin softener in my house and seem to have an issue where the water in the brine tank keeps rising. The unit is barely 4 years old. The fault developed after it sat empty in a box for 4 months while my house was being built. The water first rises quickly to the height of the salt, and then slowly keeps rising further as I run the water. After about 2 days of normal usage, it actually rises all the way to the overflow. This is before the automatic regen kicks in, but a manually triggered regen causes the water to drop again, about to the level of where the salt sits. I have taken out the brine valve, and all seems ok (riser sits fine within the well, and nothing is jammed). Any suggestions where else to look?
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