MJNewton

We've got a Range Tribune 150L indirect unvented cylinder, installed when the house was built in 2007. I have seen at least one other (possibly two?) houses on the estate with their cylinder being pulled out by a plumber and whilst I didn't think to ask why I have assumed it could well be down to problems with scale given the very hard water we have here (22.7 on the Clark scale). Whilst we don't currently have any issues (as far as I am aware) I was wondering if there is any means by which I could descale the cylinder as a preventative measure? I am thinking something along the lines of disconnecting the hot water outlet on the top, pouring descaler in and then flushing out once it's done its stuff? A few issues immediately spring to mind: 1) health risks from mixing chemicals with what should be potable water (even if we don't drink it), 2) creating a problem when none previously existed (e.g. causing a leak by messing with the pipework, damaging the cylinder if thread connections are tough to undo), and of course 3) I have no G3 ticket and so shouldn't really be messing around with it! Any thoughts?

If I could have my way I'd quite happily leave cabling and pipework etc exposed - I hate covering it all up when I've spent so long installing it neatly! Better still, I'd use transparent pipes (soil pipes excepted!).

All electrical work falls under Part P (which essentially requires compliance with regs) but only installation of new circuits, replacement of consumer units and/or work in a special location (near baths/shows, in swimming pools and saunas) are notifiable. Extending an existing circuit is therefore not notifiable (being outdoors used to make it notifiable but that changed in April 2013).

It sounds like it must be a subscription-level thing as I've got access to BSOL (through work) and can download the standards as PDFs. They are, however, watermarked with my name and company before any one asks for a favour!

Yes, I believe the standards specify any bend to be <10mm over 2.5m and I reckon mine might have had more than that. For my application it didn't matter so, for once(!), I didn't kick up a fuss.

Happy to. One day (when/if I finish it!) I'll do a proper write-up as I think some aspects of my system could be of interest to other retro-fitters that don't the have the luxury of open ceilings, webbed joists etc of a new build (okay, we don't the stresses either! ) As brief background, my system was born out of the desire not to spend loads of money and effort on insulting our new open-plan extension only to have (at extra cost) trickle vents added to the already-expensive lift-and-slide doors. As with many of my ideas and musings next thing I'm doing is looking to ventilate the whole house with MVHR... I could see strengths and weaknesses with different components from different manufacturers/suppliers and so, taking advantage of the cross-compatibility of the 75/63mm radial duct systems hand-picked different parts for different reasons: - MVHR Unit - Titon HRV 1.25 Q Plus Eco - Had all the features I desired (e.g. right size, summer bypass, generic filter baskets etc) but most importantly was available cheap (£350 I think?) from a seller on eBay who was involved in ripping out hundreds(?) of them from a development to replace them with the next size up as per the contracted spec. They'd only been commissioned and the properties yet to be handed over to residents. I visited the guy at his house to collect it and am convinced by this back story. Came fully boxed with all the extras (from the new units), and seem good quality with ebm-papst EC fans and Recair heat exchangers. Happy to pass on the contact details to him if others are interested as I think he's still got some left. - Control System - My brother keeps reminding me that he never touches his MVHR unit (other than filter changes) however the engineer in me still wants to monitor/control it. Rather than spend hundreds on the proprietary Titon control units I will eventually be building a Pi-based controller to monitor/graph performance and operating states, as well as to provide more configurable automatic controls (holiday mode, humidity-based switching, summer bypass/purging, PWM motor control etc). In the meantime I will leave the unit to do its stuff but I am fitting momentary boost switches in place of the existing extractor fan isolators just to give some manual control should it be required (and also in case we ever move on - I don't think the new owners will appreciate being left a hand-written user guide and downlink link to my bespoke Android app!). - Ducting - Airflow Airflex Pro - Whilst all 75/63mm ducting is seemingly interchangeable that is not to say they are all made the same. I've handled some that has been far less flexible than the Airflex Pro stuff and so went for this as I knew it was really good quality. - Distribution Manifolds - Blauberg 8-Port - I was going to make my own out of ply but at only £35 each I couldn't resist. They were easy to line with acoustic foam and I will be combining them with their own ducting adapters and (expensive - might DIY) restrictors to adjust the flow at this end rather then the ceiling terminals (reduces room noise and avoids unauthorised fiddling!). - Silencer - Blauberg 600mm - Again, another cheap offering from Blauberg at less than £30. Opted just to fit one on the supply side, but have designed the extract pipework to allow an easy swap-in if need be. - Ceiling Terminals - HB+ Conus Airvalve - Chosen after I saw @JSHarris's setup and liked them both for their aesthetics (slightly less 'office toilet' than some as my wife put it!) but also that they are designed to work with manifold-mounted restrictors (i.e. they can't be screwed in/out). I bought them from a supplier in the Netherlands as even with shipping there was still quite a saving over UK suppliers. - Terminal Adapters - Domus - I went for these for those locations that I could easily access (kitchen, lounge, dining room due to ceilings being down; top bedroom, en suite and dressing room due to loft access) as they were a bit cheaper than some others, are nice and compact etc. Not much to choose between really, although some seem very expensive for what they are. For other locations where I only had through-the-ceiling access I've gone for a bit of a Heath Robinson lash up that I could install through a 125mm hole from below consisting of a 125mm 90 degree elbow combined with a 125mm to 75mm reducer. I think that's pretty much it, aside from all the ancillaries, fixed piping etc. In total I think I've spent £1200 in total which I don't think is too bad for a 100m 11-port (12 duct) system. Yes, more than the trickle vents in the doors that kicked this adventure off but hopefully of more functional value. Edit: Apologies to @j_s; I wansn't intending to deviate the thread with all this!

Me, or the OP (j_s)?

Okay, thanks. We too are not heavy fryers and so similarly probably don't have much of a problem to solve either. Am I right in thinking that you didn't put an extractor hood in either (just the wiring and potential for mounting)? Incidentally, having seen your HB+ terminals and liked their appearance I went for them also. I am assuming they'll be pretty easy to keep clean (I know what you mean about bathroom fluff!), and of course there's no issue of disrupting the balance when removing them given the restrictions being set back at the manifolds so I am confident I'll be pleased with that choice.

Did/do you have a grease filter in that extract? I've bought quite a few of my MVHR components (it's a varied mix of suppliers!) from BPC and I threw in a couple of their coarse filters to my last order in case they may be of some benefit to my kitchen extract to help catch some airborne grease without causing undue flow restriction. I am still mid-installation and so don't how it will work out though. We are toying with not having an (recirculating) extractor hood as this will be an open-plan kitchen/diner/lounge where functional considerations are having to compete against 'minimalist' design pressures from the wife!

Sink cutouts on suitable worktop materials is a common one. I must admit I'd be nervous doing it though - not from concerns of safety but rather getting it wrong! Trimming skirting is done with them when retrofitting wooden floor coverings without removing skirting (and wanting to avoid the need for beading).

That's pretty much it, but you can also plunge the saw (safely!) for cutouts and the blade is positioned very near the edge (<20mm) and so you can use it to trim in-situ skirting, doors etc.

..and it also benefits switches that require a neutral.

I thought the well-understood answer to that is 'to minimise the risk of legionella'? I see a few on this thread alone are storing at below the recommended 60 degrees to kill of legionella bacteria so clearly not everyone abides by this?

I've had thick (100mm) boards arrive bent. Spoke to Celotex about it and they said it is down the differential shrinkage when drying/cooling and the thicker the sheet the more likely it is to happen. It didn't matter in my application but I could imagine it would in others.

Ah, I thought you were talking about no wall cupboards as per the OP.

I was wondering if it might even be necessary/beneficial to have the ceiling lights half a worktop width from the wall (~300mm) to eliminate shadows, but you've obviously found it okay at roughly worktop edge? I suppose some light reflects off the wall too?

We are in a very similar situation - designing an open-plan kitchen/diner/lounge with no wall cupboards and trying to work out what lighting to have and where! It is the task worktop task lighting that is concerning us most as we really don't know how well ceiling spots will turn out. @CC45 What made you go for the integrated fittings (Enlite E5) rather than separate downlighter fitting and bulbs? I am assuming they must have some key advantages as a drawback I am conscious of is not being able to just swap in a new bulb if/when it fails (cheap and will always be available)?

Have you considered a track/plunge saw to replace the circular saw? Far superior for many jobs that you'd do with a circular saw, not least the ease of dust extraction given the fully-shrouded blade.

These discussions always remind me of a carpet fitter who was telling me how fussy some customers/people can be when it comes to detail. He gave the example of people making sure the orientation of all faceplate screws were the same... He took the expression on my face to be one of confusion so proceeded to indicate on a nearby lightswitch what he meant only to realise that *I* was one of them! ? So, yes, another vote from me that upright writing is the 'right' (indeed *only*!) way to have those hinges.

The flat roof on our extension was covered with a PU liquid membrane - Desmopol. Whilst we initially had issues with the roof construction (fall and quality of finish) all those clouds have blown away (nearly; I struggle to let go of such anxieties) leaving me quite a fan of this type of coating. Of course, it is too early to comment on longevity but there are various 'features' to it that appeal: - Single covering with no joins - Very flexible and seemingly very tough - Easy to re-cover should the need arise (damage or planned renewal/maintenance) just by putting another coat over the top (when it comes to doing this I'll definitely be DIYing it - my roofer clearly showed there wasn't much skill in it!) - Minimal risk of failings around upstands etc unlike other coverings that depend on careful detailing - Can be used with zero degree falls (good for my roof that doesn't fall quite as much as it should due to an error in furring calculations!) The technical director of a roofing supplier (who supplies all types so I don't suspect bias) told me that, like seemingly many building technologies, here in the UK we seem to hold tightly on to 'traditional' methods and so new/novel techniques can struggle to catch on despite offering improvements and being used widely elsewhere (particularly on the continent).

Do you have a floorplan you can share, and are you aware of the 'semi-rigid' ducting (often 75mm OD) that can often facilitate otherwise near-impossible ducting runs?

Yes, I could try that. Thanks everyone for the comments - all food for thought and will help decide what to do.

It sounds like we've been on the same training course!

? To be honest I'm not exactly sure what my hesitation actually is!

Hmm, yes, that would work and sounds less radical / more reversible. Even less-sticky-than-Gorilla-tape tape should work as the covers will both protect and keep it in place.