MJNewton

Thanks @garrymartin. Re the isolator (and/or anything else) I did wonder if it'd be worth me getting one just in case there wasn't one 'on the van' but, as you suggest, explicitly requesting it at the time of booking ought to mitigate that.

I am just in the process of moving supplier (to Octopus) and whilst I don't currently have a smart meter or require one for the new tariff I will opt for one when the opportunity arises. I was wondering: given the likelihood that I will one day require an EV charger is there anything I should be getting done when the smart meter gets fitted? It seems like the ideal opportunity (power off, all cabling disconnected etc) to do something (isolator? Henley block? etc) whether that formally or through bribes, sweet talking the installer etc. Here's the current 'electricity cupboard': At the very minimum I wouldn't want the new smart meter to be installed in such a way that might prove problematic for an eventual EV charger e.g it being fitted in such a way/location that doesn't leave space for whatever else will eventually be required so any advice as to what I should be requesting/suggesting would be welcome. In case it is relevant, the consumer unit sits just above the cupboard in the photo (you can just about make out the tails and earth cable going up to it), and the EV charger would sit on the other side of an outside wall a few metres to the right.

You can tape some foil to the wall (well sealed around the edge) and see which side the moisture appears. If it is the exposed room-facing side it is likely condensation, if it is on the wall-facing side it's coming from/through there.

Oh I see - the removal of the scale caused a leak?

Thanks for that! I did wonder if it was just overblown marketing blurb, or perhaps something that is technically correct but in practice might take decades or something.

That's interesting @marshian, and the kind of thing I was concerned. That said, the tank is stainless steel and the immersion appears to be sealed with an o-ring so finger's crossed that might mean it won't be seized in place. After 18 years though anything could've happened! The dilemma is do I wait until there's an issue (and risk not easily being able to run solution through all the component parts which might be helpful) or perform preventative maintenance (and risk causing a different problem in the process!).

I did think removing the immersion might be a good starting point, if only to give my visible access to gauge what state we're in. If I could get a vacuum hose in (no chance of removing the cylinder - it is too piped in) that might help too. Would need to be confident I could re-seal the immersion though so need to work out what type of seal it actually uses. Knowing my luck though the current immersion will be seized in place and I'll end up deforming the cylinder trying to unscrew it!

I'd seen them but glossed over them assuming they weren't intended for me - perhaps thrown by the common use of the word 'combi' in the names of these products. So, would I be looking to supply the whole house through one of these (including taps for drinking from) it just the hot water side of things? I must say, even though we've got very hard water we don't find the cleaning of taps and other wet surfaces a particular problem - the main concern is scaling of the cylinder given how expensive it (and its (re)installation) is.

We live in a 2007-built housing estate and over the past few years I've seen a number of unvented cylinders being replaced and, having grabbed one of the plumbers doing a job recently discovered that in that particular case (and perhaps therefore others too) the issue has been down to the cylinder scaling up and blocking the inlet at the bottom. These particular cylinders - Range Tribunes - appear to have an inlet whose design is meant to help minimise destratification but is seemingly vulnerable to to the consequences of limescale. I was wondering: is it practical to descale such a cylinder and, if so, how? I do wonder if it might actually risk causing more harm than good e.g. dislodging some scale that then blocks something, or causing a leak around the immersion if the chosen might involve its removal to hoover out scale etc. Recognising the G3 restrictions about working on these things consider it a hypothetical exam question scenario. Also, I am considering fitting a whole-house water softener (with bypass for the kitchen tap) and so presumably this would prevent further scaling occurring. Water softener manufacturers claim that it will gradually remove existing scale too - is this true? Might that be a safer approach (more gradual, no physical disruption to the cylinder and its fittings etc), and perhaps could be considered to represent value for money given that it'll hopefully negate the need for eventual cylinder replacement (at least for scaling-related issues)?

Yes, as above it'll almost certainly be due to the ghost/stray voltage that is picked up when using high-impedence test meters (the MTM01 has an input impedence of 10MΩ). Some further reading here: How Stray Voltage Affects Multimeter Measurements

<Stands up> We live in an estate - a Persimmon one in fact - and love it here. <Sits down to a reassuring ripple of clapping from the amassed circle of new friends, and nods of acceptance now that I've finally been able to say such a thing out loud> Joking aside, having spent many years renovating various Victorian properties and developed skills, knowledge and experience of pretty much every aspect (including, unexpectedly, building construction photography which found its way into the Haynes Victorian House Manual!) we never expected to end up in a new build (or rather 3 years old at the time). However, an estate agent suggested we had a look round even just to rule such a property out so we did and something just felt 'right' to both of us when we did. We bought it and 14 years on have absolutely no regrets. Indeed, I can easily see us staying another 14 as it suits us (small family now) perfectly. Perhaps we've been lucky with having the show home but the house is very well built. Having extended it and retrofitted MVHR I've seen almost every last inch of the building fabric - inside and out - and the build quality is absolutely fine. I'm a fussy bugger too - non-aligned screw heads are all that's required to keep me awake at night. Compared to every single one of the older properties we've renovated it is world's apart. People say 'They don't make them like they used to' and all I can say is 'Thank God for that!'. It performs well and is an absolute dream to work on. It turns out things can be built square after all. We're not overlooked, although others are so of course not all plots are the same, and we've always had great neighbours so again maybe we've been lucky in that respect too (currently a vet one side and dentist the other so I want you to imagine a family photo hanging up in the hall showing our gleaming white smiles, even on the cat! 😂). For those that can't understand our choice I wonder what the alternative is that is being compared with? Presumably the same general location and cost, otherwise does any such comparison make any sense?

It should be the same matting on all joins - both surface and upstands etc. For the upstands and wall abutment our roofer put down some pre-formed bends (of rigid fibreglass?) too but I think that was as an alternative to wooden angle fillets that you might normally see. I don't know if there's a benefit to this (e.g. more gradual angle transition) or whether it was just quicker/easier for him (probably the latter knowing him).

Yeah, all good as far as I know! It's been down five years now (where does the time go?!).

For what it's worth, my BCO didn't ask for anything.

I was just going to say that even if it was counter intuitive you'd soon get used to it, but yes - it is exactly the sort of thing that keeps me awake at night in the planning stages!!

Perhaps a little on the short side? More seriously, might there be benefit in hanging it on the other side so as to match the machine opening itself? Probably doesn't matter much either way, but I'm just thinking of it might have you a little more space when loading/unloading.

Put the heating on max and watch what happens. The pressure increase without expansion capacity will happen without having to wait too long.

Does the PRV outlet show any signs of passing?

As the water heats and expands in the sealed system it'll increase in pressure and cause the PRV to open. This loss of water will result in pressure loss once cooled.

So, you've found the issue. From what you've written it sounds like you're still looking though?

Yes - completely agree. Furthermore, if it stops further ingress of water that can only be a good thing whilst the decision is made what to do next.

Yes, entirely normal. After about 1/2-3/4 turns most LSVs are for all intents and propose fully open. Because of this only small adjustments should/can be made.

Flow should be the hottest, and Return coolest. How that correlates to the TRV and LSV depends on which way round they have been fitted. TRVs used to be directional - and hence would be located at the Flow end - but these days non chattering valve inserts are generally used thus making them bidirectional. Whether new or old you will have to work out which way round each of yours are by measuring the temperatures as you have been doing. Not that it matters too much for balancing - it will always be the LSV that you will be adjusting regardless which end of the radiator it has been put.

Whilst MVHR might help with heat-related 'stuffiness', it won't do much for the heat itself. The combination of the low heat capacity of air and the relatively low flow rates means it is not a good solution.

Yeah, bought one about a year ago. Still haven't used it!!