MJNewton

And to be fair I seem to recall someone recently posting a picture of a *combined* inlet+exhaust terminal. Sure, it was fairly directional in its construction but even so - if that is in any way acceptable then one might argue that 900mm lateral separation is too. Putting my Internet pitchfork away for a moment, it is perhaps the sort of thing that in theory having a 1500mm separation obviously matters but in practice it being less than this doesn't, particularly given we are where we are with this. It's a bit like the fall on my extension's flat roof - I won't open old wounds by dwelling on it too much but my builder didn't meet the minimum 1:80 guideline and whilst the roof seemingly works perfectly fine despite this it still haunts me to this day... but it probably shouldn't.

Rate-of-rise humidity detection addresses that, but I didn't spot any off-the-shelf solution to had to roll my own so I accept it might be undesirable for many. It does work perfectly though and, to my knowledge, has never suffered a false positive or negative.... It also doesn't rely on my family pressing boost buttons which they could but wouldn't in practice!

*Now* who's presenting false dichotomies? ? Only one of your variables is a requirement - the other is merely a capability. If the MIs said that you *should* drive at 120mph then you might have a point... Similarly if the MVHR MIs said the vents *can* (not *should*) be positioned upto 1500mm apart then the regs guidance of 300mm would be perfectly acceptable to comply with. Regardless of how we get there though, it sounds like we are in agreement in what the ultimate requirement that must be satisfied is.

Ah, yes, that muddies the water a little! That said, I would expect manufacturer's installation instructions trump any other guidance/regulations, just like they do with gas appliances, electrical items etc and so there's still hope yet!

I couldn't resist reading the compliance guide, and am not really seeing much relevance in it to be honest so it'll be interesting to see what bits they going to be relying on. Indeed, the only relevant bit I did spot was a piece of rope which might end up being used to hang them: Regarding location of exhaust vents, Table 7.0 Section 5c says 'The location of the external discharge terminal should ensure that the potential for recirculation of extract air through the supply air inlet is minimised.' and that is surely exactly why Vent Axia suggest a minimum separation of 1500mm (if not, what is the reason for it?).

My heart was a racing a little reading that response... and it's not even my issue! Been in similar situations before though (although not with MVHR) and I suspect it is triggering a Pavlovian response of feeling anxious when going into battles like this! Just remind yourself that they are human too, and whether you've got a case or not I am sure all companies get their fair share of unreasonable customers and complaints so you mustn't be too surprised or offended if they initially think you might be one of them. You didn't sound like one to me in your complaint though, so if you keep that calm and level-headed stance I think it'll work in your favour. You are disappointed that's all, and feel that the installation hasn't lived up to expectations of what you consider acceptable based on your understanding and interpretation of the manufacturer's instructions, which doesn't sound unreasonable to me. Their holding response sounds okay to me - at least you got one! Sure, it'd be nice if they just rolled over and said 'gosh yeah, that's not quite up to scratch is it - let's work out a plan how best to proceed from here' but if they really have got VA involved then that's a reasonable second-place position. If VA back down on their own installation instructions, well, I think you'd have to accept that. VA are basically the expert witness in this case and if they say some of the pertinent bits (i.e. the intake/exhaust separation and straight pipe distance) are actually okay and not of real concern then that'd be good enough for me. I'm not expecting them to though, after all why put stuff like that in their instructions if it doesn't actually matter either way? There's nothing stopping you from speaking with VA directly once you know the individual's name in order to challenge an about-turn, but I wouldn't do that yet - let things run their course and respect the effort the installers are putting in and that it is they that have approached this 3rd party. Or so they say, it might be the ventilation-world equivalent of 'having spoken to my solicitor...' which is actually a euphemism for 'having Googled a bit looking for ways to wriggle out of this...'. Regarding the compliance guide it's difficult to comment about that, mainly because I haven't read it all. If it is to become a relevant document to your case then the installers will need to be more specific with their references, just like you were against the installation instructions. It's a shame they put that line in really - feels a bit passive aggressive - but it sounds like it's going to be referred so get reading! Hang in there, and don't lose perspective. It's a situation that needs resolving, yes, but if you and yours have still got your health then everything is merely a bonus.

Yeah, they've both got their pros and cons, and quite often simple good customer service is sufficient such that it never gets as far a having to dig legislation and/or warranty Ts&Cs* out. My point really was these two legal backstops are not the same and we should be careful not to mix them up (retailers will often do that intentionally, pushing you towards the manufacturer rather than dealing with the issue themselves). Regarding the issue of consumer protection still being in place, that boils down to the statute of limitation being six years (five years in Scotland) and so that's the time window of protection you've got - but that's not to say everything should necessarily be expected to last that long. *Which as you say can be really restrictive. For example, we've got a Hotpoint fridge/freezer which has a 10 year guarantee! Yay! However, it's actually only 1 year for parts and labour, the remaining 9 years are parts only and there's a fixed-rate labour charge of £110 per callout....

You are mixing up manufacturer's warranties with consumer rights against the retailer. The former is nearly always easier/safer to depend on as the remedy it provides is so clear cut (if it breaks in time window X they fix/replace it) whereas the latter might rely on you ultimately having to make a case in court about what in order to get your rights upheld in the context of what is 'reasonable'.

With Marks Electrical storing my items I must admit to being worried about them being thrown around the warehouse, and whilst of course there'd be no issue about liability of those damaged goods there is the issue that they might not have the stock to replace it if it arrived damaged and so could only refund your money in such a situation.

I think we were lucky as I was shopping for appliances in Sep '20 and decided to settle on a hob, oven, dishwasher and fridge/freezer primarily due to some good offers being on but I did note at the time that remaining stock numbers were getting rather low. Subsequent delays with the rest of the kitchen (mainly the worktop) meant that we only got them delivered a couple of months back and they'd been sitting in Marks Electrical's warehouse for all that time, and when I spoke to them about delivery they did say I'd been lucky and they'd been having all sorts of trouble getting stuff in. They also said some manufacturers had completely stopped manufacturing some of their product line and were instead just focusing on a subset of models. Incidentally, we did go for an AEG induction hob and have been thoroughly pleased with it - particularly the intuitive and responsive controls - and would definitely recommend them. Got an AEG oven too and whilst that too is good, it's got a few 'quirks' that I wish it didn't such as the timer counting in tens of seconds rather than minutes so setting a quick 15 minute countdown isn't quite as quick as we'd like and were previously used to! First world problems of course...

I'd more approach this from what they might be e.g. at some point in the future when you come to ever replace them with something that might be more demanding (or even if you change your mind with regards to your initial purchase). A case in point is our AEG single oven rated at 5300W/23A and there's nothing particularly special about it. Installing large(r) circuits now won't materially add to the cost, but could save a small fortune in the future. Personally, I'd be wanting a 6mm / 32A supply for each.

That's all fairly standard/generic so they may well switch between different suppliers.

They don't manufacture in the UK and so for domestic installations wouldn't expect them to get much of a look in?

It is normally something they'd shout about as each glass manufacturer (there are only three in the UK - Pilkington, Saint Gobain and Guardian) have big marketing departments with trademarks and fancy diagrams representing their particular implementation of coatings, iron content etc. It would normally also be specified on the glass units themselves as a sticker has to be applied post-manufacturer to indicate which way round they go. I was going to suggest getting in touch with whoever made them as I've found them (well, admittedly I've only spoken to Saint Gobain) to be very helpful in discussing 'technical' matters.

Who is the manufacturer of the glass?

Yeah I was worried about the packaging/delivery side of things as even I would be at risk of causing some damage getting home nevermind so one that doesn't care quite so much. I might give a local BM a go first and see what their prices are like. I used them for plasterboard and the apparent discount each time was all over the place - it felt like they were using a random number generator as part of the equation.

Ah, okay. I'm not keen on builder's merchants given the opaque pricing models they adopt but maybe I'll pop in and give them another chance.

Can anyone recommend suppliers of MDF skirting, whether that be online or national chains? I'm after a ~121mm 'small torus' profile and am being drawn towards skirtingsrus based on a combination of price and profile availability.

I'd always give a Magic Eraser I try - never ceases to amaze me how effective it is on a whole variety of surfaces. Handy things to have around so nothing lost if it doesn't work. I just pull a small chunk off and it ends up lasting me years despite having a young daughter who draws on walls and furniture from time to time.

It might just be a bloke with a couple of meters looking to make a bit of cash. Not in an underhand way, I hasten to add, but just filling an apparent gap. I suppose if they provide some online trainining, and of course lend you a tester, then it's not all bad but you can then all that from here (the forum).

I wonder what the 'professional-quality' bit means? Is it a euphemism for 'impressive looking'? If the building regs don't mandate/recognise a particular qualification/certification required for sign-off then you really can't be held to needing to meet any particular level.

The installation issues look like fairly typical 'poor attention to detail' that go with many a tradesman that don't take pride in their work. It's the sort of thing that'd disappoint me but also the sort of thing that doesn't surprise me anymore (and what pushes me towards DIY). Something to note is that if you fitted MVHR to help in the summer then I fear you'll be disappointed. That's not what it's for, and the low capacity of air coupled with relatively flow rates mean that it won't have much of a cooling effect. It can help with stuffiness though, and can help psychologically if you imagine it pumping in fresh air on hot still nights!

That's quite a narrow beam angle for a GU10 so you might struggle. The best GU10s I've found, bar none, are the Civilight CLs from Well Lit due to their 'dim to warm' functionality which we like, high CRI (>95) and low dimming ability. Expensive though at £14 a go but it finally put an end to our seemingly endless search for an incandescent replacement that by that point I stopped caring about the cost. They offer a year's no-quibble returns policy so I felt it risk free to try them out. Nine months on we'll definitely be keeping them. Might be worth seeing what others they offer in case any fit your requirements? P.S. Ikea Ledare are a great value cheap alternative, but their dimming performance isn't great due to non-linear colour change and risk of buzzing (at least with Varilight V-Pro dimmers which are generally regarded as being amongst the best).

Might you have been reading about paint order for walls and skirting *for pre-existing skirting*? If so, then it is indeed quite common to paint the walls last as it is much easier to wipe excess/spilt emulsion off gloss than the other way round.

Makes sense, and its a powerful combination. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to make personal recommendations as I always use Honeywell (and they all (at least those I've had) have the TPI control that doesn't suit your needs). However, if I didn't want TPI I'd perhaps take a look at the Heatmiser neoAir v2-M Wireless Smart Thermostat with Two Channel Wireless Receiver - Heatmiser RF Switch as it implements a basic switching algorithm based around an adjustable differential e.g. if set to 1C then it'll switch on when at least 1C below target and off at target. It also has an 'output delay' setting to delay a call for heat for x minutes following being turned off. They do have 'smart' versions available to if you want app control and whatever features might also come with that (e.g. geofencing).