MJNewton

I wouldn't be surpised if RH in a conservatory tracked external RH to an extent, hence 80% wouldn't be at all unreasonable. But 20% RH? That just seems *way* too low.

It's usually due to a bit of crud on the valve face or it not seating quite right having passed. A blast through from a fully open valve (eg turning the valve beyond it opening fully and allowing the spring to slam the valve back in place) should usually restore order.

Do you mean it varies that much within a short time period (say, minutes)? Or just with the seasons? That said, 20% sounds awfully low - error value territory perhaps? I thought I'd have to get really clever detecting humidity rises but as you can see from charts (and BristolBuild2020's) 'shower incidents' really seem to stand out. I started off with an arbitrary threshold of 5% rise in a five minute period and have found that picks every shower without fail and has never knowingly false-alarmed so I've just left it be. Incidentally, I did think about running the boost until the humidity value had reduced to some figure (say the pre-rise value) but took the easy way out and just boost for a fixed 30 minutes which seems to be sufficient.

Sounds great! I'd love to hear how you did this. My unit has Ebm-Papst EC motors which accept a 0-10v speed input (and conveniently provide a 10v output for this) and so I was going to use a digipot to create a potential divider driven by the Pi. Speaking of which, what device are you doing your controlling from?

Is it practical to descale them, in-situ if need be for extra complications? We've got a UVC and are in a very hard water area and always wondered if one day I might need to descale it. I figured I could drain it, remove the immersion, hoover out anything loose with a wet-and-dry then put some descaler in before rinsing and repeating? Would obviously be easier for the OP to do on a unit that's not yet installed, and I suspect scaling could be a common reason why these are removed and sold on, particularly if it's the inlet diffuser that's blocked causing issues with flow.

Thanks everyone. Once again BuildHub comes up trumps with no-nonsense advice. ?

I should've uploaded a picture really as thinking about this it has dawned on me that not all sink wastes are the same. Here's what I've got: With the above-sink parts consisting only of a pressed plate (i.e. there's no threaded column that protrudes through the sink hole) it's clear that the watertight seal is actually a function of the rubber washer underneath the sink. If I was going to be putting silicone/PM anywhere *that's* where I'd be needing to put it but given the ridges on the washer I don't think it'll be required.

Just been back to the wastes to examine in more detail what washers/seals are provided. There's a formed rubber one for underneath that mates well with the underneath bits, and a thin foam one for on top. The foam washer doesn't make the plug hole sit proud as there's a fair recess in the sink, and without it it doesn't self-centre quite as well. What I think I'll do is dry-fit to start off with, or perhaps add silicone to the foam washer for good measure, but I don't think I'll leave it out.

Thanks everyone - seems unanimous to use to use silicone for the top seal. I must admit it wasn't a specific doubt about the quality of the kit - it all felt good quality but wondered even so about the benefits of a silicone seal.

I've got a new stainless steel Franke sink and waste, which came supplied with sealing washers top and bottom. The instructions make no mention of using any silicone in addition to the washers but should I for belt and braces?

Might a stat with 'open window/door detection' help there? I think it just ignores sudden drops in temperature and doesn't attempt to do anything about them.

That sounds fair enough, but I would think a huge polythene sheet would suffice whilst still allowing full access/visibility to what's been uncovered. The cynic in me is thinking they might be 'tarting up' the appearance and perhaps even trying to hide some of the issues you've been observing. Pure speculation on my part though.

I've got a master-slave 3-way adaptor that does that and find it really useful when using power tools. Don't seem to see them around much for reason.

Reading your questions made me wonder if you were confusing MVHR with ASHPs, but given you've mentioned both I'm not so sure. Suffice to say though; don't mix up MVHR with heating/cooling. MVHR is an approach to providing ventilation and whilst it does so in a way that minimises losses through heat recovery it is no substitute for heating/cooling as the air flow volumes are so low it has very little effect. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great and would definitely recommend it (I retrofitted a system here and so in answer to Q8 I can confirm it is *definitely* DIYable and would be even easier in a new build).

I've always wondered what happens with butt joints when taping... With tapered edge you've obviously got a valley within which to sink the tape and filler but with butt joints do you always have some amount of 'bump' no matter how careful you are with featheredging to way beyond the join?

This is great news. I was wondering how you were getting on but didn't dare ask!

Access ceiling from above, reposition joist, move light back to original hole...

They'll have likely gone over the top of the upstand slightly thus obscuring it. I think you can see some of it exposed around the pipe in the other picture.

We've got an ex-showhome and having ripped a lot of it apart to extend it have actually found it to be really well built. I always assumed from this it's because obviously it will be on display and under scrutiny - perhaps used for BC inspection (do they inspect them all?) - and so warranted some attention to detail.

I think that's how they did our house, with just then a thin levelling compound at the end to neaten up the surface for covering.

Might a low-water 'traditional' screed such as Tarmac Truscreed be an option? We had it in our extension as it has a relatively short drying time (7 days per 25mm) and can also be laid a bit thinner than normal at around 50mm and less depending on situation.

How about cutting a hole in the OSB and fitting a piece of glass? ?

I did exactly this too - thought it was something with my roof construction but it's sounding not uncommon! Only been in a couple of years but it's only a 4m length so not a big deal if I do have to redo should it fail from UV exposure. I suspect it'd still keep working for sometime even when it does start to perish.

I wouldn't be so sure about that - speaking to the support guys and delivery drivers at DIY Kitchens they say they've never been so busy. Seems that cancelled holidays and other Covid-related savings means that loads of people are replacing kitchens at the moment.

Thanks everyone. It's more for my own peace of mind rather than BR compliance. I've actually managed to run things now just within spec having moved things around a bit.