MJNewton

I've been looking at bean-to-cup machines and keep seeing the same recommendations and positive reviews of the Delonghi Magnifica, and the Magnifica S Smart in particular due to its extra features (don't worry - it's not 'smart' as in Internet/app-enabled or anything daft like that!). Edit: Noting there are a few users here, have any of you moved from a capsule machine to something like this? We first started looking at capsule machines but someone somewhere suggested suggested spending more on a bean-to-cup machine as not only does it make better coffee by the extra cost will eventually be offset by the cheaper running costs compared to capsules (particularly those still protected by patents). Would you agree? Are they still 'convenient' to use once the novelty wears off?

How much dismantling of the unit did you do? Are you sure you didn't end up putting the sytrofoam in wrong (backwards?) such that the wrong ducts are connected to the wrong chambers? I doubt that the fans are running backwards (squirrel cage fans, assuming that's what they are, can't even blow air the opposite way - they'd still blow air in the same direction spinning either way but just poorly if reversed) - I think it is a air channelling issue.

Old fashioned wasn't the best choice of words, or at least I didn't mean the negative connotations of the term. I meant less common but if you're having them then they'll be a lot stronger without that sharp edge. I think I'd still be mindful of potential damage from a fast moving mug taking just the right trajectory...

Even on an edge? I wouldn't be so sure. Bevels can help but with rounded edges looking rather dated these days a straight-angled bevel still has quite a vulnerable corner to it.

A Google search suggests that first error might be a loose/disconnected flow temperature sensor. Perhaps that itself might then also cause the second error?

Like @Marvin there's zero tolerance for noise in this house! Our unit is mounted on isolating mounts in the loft and whilst this is right above our bedroom you can't hear it. In normal use the air flow isn't audible either (we throttle at the MVHR unit end - not at the room terminals - which might well help) and whilst you can hear the air flow when boosting it's not offensive in any way and is not something that causes any issues even at night etc.

Quite simply: yes, and easy! Ours was a retrofit so a lot more work, so putting it in a new build would be so much easier and so much easier to achieve the benefits. A no brainer I'd say.

Perhaps that's the nub of the issue here and something we should (both) be trying to separate - the factual aspects related to the roof doing its job and the emotional aspects relating to our disappointment, failed expectations, achieving value for money, desire for perfection, knowing the issue could've been so easily avoided etc. Even if you've got more pooling water than I have, is it still a cause for concern? The weight won't be an issue nor will it freezing (or increased algae/detritus) causing a slip hazard be an issue, and I think they are the two mains concerns expressed in the standards and best practice guides relating to pooling water. Will the longevity of the membrane be reduced by longer exposure to water? I honestly don't know, but certainly the specifications, ratings and approvals etc for the liquid membrane I used don't seem concerned with this - indeed as I mentioned it is often used in swimming pools and water parks where constant/regular water content is the norm. I really do think the biggest problem to solve is in our minds here, which on reflection ought to be a good thing as it should within our gift to address and mitigate - and potentially at nil cost too!

Yes, although my Dad did say something along the lines of 'Of course, if he got the vapour control layer detailing right then any water that did get through the roof surface would be channeled down into the cavity and you wouldn't necessarily see it'. Thanks Dad... ?

I always remind myself that green roofs must surely remain pretty soaked for days after any decent amount of rain?

I had to do something recently - enable the connection between a wired thermostat and the heating wiring centre, but without a wire as the renovation work that will provide that opportunity to run one hasn't started yet. What I opted for was a pair of Shelly 1 smart relays with the thermostat output connected to the switch input on first relay which is configured to remotely activate/deactivate the relay on the second relay which in turn is wired into the wiring centre. It is only intended to be temporary hence didn't want to spend too much (it was only £20) but it hasn't skipped a beat, or at least not since fitting an RC snubber a few months back on the output of the second relay and it seems that when turning off the zone valve (or CH pump?) was inducing some sort of spike that kept resetting the relay - seems to be a known issue with inductive loads and I later found out they sell their own snubber for this sort of application.

The only issue in this case was that he made a mistake cutting the firrings and didn't cut them steep enough. If he had (to the recommended 1:40) or had just bought them pre-cut then it would easily have accommodated any issues that might be expected to potential arise elsewhere. I suspect it was just a moment of absent-mindedness as every other aspect of the build - foundations, brickwork, beams, slab etc was absolutely superb - mm accuracy on everything else that could be measured. Absolutely faultless. Indeed the BCO and several tradesmen I had in doing other work (e.g. sliding door fitter, screeder, plasterer) all commented what a superb job he'd done on the shell. They were quite taken aback when I mentioned the issue about the too-flat roof! I think it's this aspect that made the whole thing that bit harder to come to terms with as it wasn't that he was rubbish, he just made what turned out to be a fundamental mistake. Of course, we all make them (I *certainly* do!) but I was paying someone here in part to avoid such rookie errors. That's partly why I mostly do everything myself then if (when!) it goes wrong I've only got myself to beat up about it.

I can't believe this was three years ago now! Only feels like yesterday (I suppose the pandemic probably has something to do with that). With the multi-faceted issues it all got rather complicated and so with my ever-sensible father (whose OCD, obsession with details, bad luck when it comes to trademen etc all come from!) I went on to explore what the best solution would be best. The technical director of the firm that supplied the Desmopol (they supply all sorts of roofing products, they're not the manufacturer) and he was the one person that I found supremely knowledgeable on all things roofing and, most importantly, completely trustworthy. A decent bloke and so one I decided to put my trust in. He suggested that ripping the whole roof and starting again might not be as perfect a solution as one might hope given the inevitable disruption to the rest of the construction, particularly if done by a fuming builder! Furthermore, he said he's spent his life up on roofs and so can spot a roof that will leak vs one that won't and he was absolutely confident that mine was of the latter. He assured me that the usual issues that plague too-flat flat roofs wouldn't apply here given how small it was and that the Desmopol product was approved for zero-falls application anyway (the BBE certificate I had said it wasn't but it turns out that was out of the date - there was a more uptodate one than confirmed its suitability). So, I started to accept the flatness issue as more a case of less-than-perfect work that you get from many a tradesman and regarding the Desmopol application itself he and I end up recoating it together. His company paid for the products and we both spent the morning on the roof recoating it. He does actually run the training courses for this and other products and so was going to invite me along to one of them but that'd leave me doing it all myself which whilst I wasn't too concerned about I think he wanted to help a bit more than that whilst also ensuring that the issue was definitely concluded. In a way I'm glad I got the chance to reapply with his help as in 10/15 years time when I should be recoated I'll be confident knowing how easy it is. So that's what we did and, three years on and - touch wood - we haven't had any leaks or anything and I think something would've happened by now. After a rain shower the roof drains in the same way every time with a little bit of pooling in one area, but that's stretching the term I think as it usually evaporates fairly quickly. It still haunts me a little whenever I see it and that happens often as my daughter's bedroom overlooks it! If it wasn't overlooked I'd probably have forgotten all about it by now I'm sure.

Mice catching discussions always remind me of a friend who had a mouse issue but couldn't possibly entertain the idea of anything that'd cause them harm so naturally he went for some humane traps... The thing is he forgot about them and when he went back to inspect them found to his horror that they'd been successful, but the poor blighters had since expired having likely suffered a long drawn-out death trapped inside these tiny boxes! I think it still haunts him to this day...

I'm not sure sure numerical noise values are all that useful when it comes to determining what this means in terms of annoyance, tolerability etc as they speak nothing of the 'type' of noise. For example (just off the top of my head so probably not the best), a 22dB 'ticking' noise might be orders of magnitude more intrusive than a 29dB constant 'hum' which might in comparison be barely perceptible. For what it's worth, we have FCU's at work (he says, casting his mind back to working in an office pre-pandemic!) - about 50 in an open plan floorplate and if working late with noone else around, then you only realised how noisy they were when at 6pm they'd all be remotely turned off... The silence was then deafening! Of course, an office space is different to the home environment, but I always found it interesting. And this might be an example of where the noise wasn't really noticeable until it went, but again I'm not suggesting it'd be the same in an otherwise quiet lounge. I always wondered what it'd be like first thing in the morning when all turned on.

Yeah, a few wraps of duct tape as @MikeGrahamT21 suggested would work well I expect, and if black I don't think anyone would be any the wiser!

I thought a waterless trap was generally recommended, so as to avoid the issue of a dry trap during the summer months which could cause drainage smells to enter the system? You say quick fix but actually I quite like that idea as a permanent fix in this instance. The negative pressure will be minimal, certainly nothing like what the trap would have to deal with in a many plumbing systems.

That's the condensate pipe which exists to enable the condensation that forms as a result of lowering the temperature of the extracted air to be expelled. The pipe should be connected to a trap and not via a tundish as in your case. That air break means that the slight vacuum that forms inside the MVHR unit will be sucking in air from the room and, if there's just the right amount of condensate built up in the base of the unit, cause it to gurgle as the air passes through. I'd suggest removing the tundish and making a connection directly between the grey pipe and what appears to be a waterless trap below. If you can help identify the latter I can suggest a more exact method (as it's all down to pipe/fitting sizes). When connected directly to the trap it won't allow any air to be admitted and the gurgling will stop. Edit: From that quick glimpse it looks like it's a Hepworth HEPvO waterless trap with a BV1/21 tundish adapter on it. If so, that adaptor looks to have a 15mm 'pipe like' interface to it so, if you removed the black tundish, you could connect the two 15mm ends together using a short length of suitable-sized hoses and jubilee clamps. Others might be able to suggest other methods, which might include 15mm pushfits at either end but you'd have to see how well one would attach to the tundish adapter (I suppose if it has a 15mm OD like a plastic pipe does then it'd be fine).

Yes, there will be a vacuum due to the fans being positioned such that they suck air through the unit rather than blow it. It won't be an issue once the drain is connected to a trap.

Adding to what Stones has said about the misleading perception from using your hand to detect extracted air flows, if you've got access to the exhaust vent (even temporarily removing the ducting to it if need be) you'll get a much better feeling of flow by checking there. Of course it'll represent the total whole-house extraction but it'll still give an indication of things operating as expected (or not!).

One thing I do find useful, which might be related in some ways to easy access like a slide-and-hide door, is telescopic runners. I assumed they were just going to be an smoother-running alternative to a normal pull-out wire shelf but actually they are streets apart. Really easy to slide regardless of weight, and much more stable with no tilt like you often get with just the wire shelf. I'd certainly factor having those, more so than a slide-and-hide door.

Apologies - I misunderstood what you were saying. I read it that you must discharge externally.

Are you sure? Our PRV discharges to an internal soil stack via a length of copper pipe to a tundish, HepVO valve and 32mm 'plastic' (not sure of actual material/markings) waste pipe to an internal soil stack. I believe it is quite a common setup these days.

Definitely get the MVHR going as the heat recovery will lower the RH of the incoming air and help with evaporation.

What?! *Now* you're telling us you're using a plug-in network adapter?! Talk about a wild goose chase. Yeah, if it's cheap Chinese nonsense then you can almost guarantee non-unique MAC addresses. Buy something better quality and your problem will be solved.