Meabh

Hi I'm based in Scotland and currently submitting my completion paperwork to BC. They have asked for a sound test on intermediate floors....I was under the impression a sound test wasn't needed? Anyone have this request before and who/what is needed to do one? I have actually installed resilient bars, accoustic wool, accoustic PB as we have 3 children (and have photos). They have requested a couple of other things so don't want to push back and p them off just yet. Many thanks

I have had one "it's within tolerance" when I had a load of beads inside one of the panes.....outside tolerance appears to be if it was full to the top...

Googled - don't think it's roller wave. It's more like 2 sharp lines have been cut with a stanley knife (horizontally) and the area between them is fuzzy

Hi - I've got a 4mX2.3m 3G Internorm sldier that was installed about 9 months ago in our new ICF self build. One of my contractors just pointed out that I have horizontal lines across the top half of the window which give you a fuzzy optical illusion. I've cleaned up the window and he is right. It's impossible to get a photo but it's like horizontal bands of fuzzy glass. It seems to be the inner pane - up close I can now see - it looks like a perfect straight horizontal lines in the glass. Any idea what could be causing it? Or how to get a picture so I can show the installer? Thanks

Update - Internorm said the water between the outside pane and the seal is normal....

Hi all - we have powder coated external MVHR vents in rendered walls. Did anyone find a good way to tape up the vents without pulling all the paint off? We've already had a bit of paint come off (mastic man on a ladder!). Thanks

Our PV installer got our export MPAN through the DNO (in about 3 days!) and I gave it to EDF......but we are now on week 6 waiting for EDF to process the MPAN! I've called and emailed weekly. They have said that they will backdate payments to the first photo I sent them with my export reading on it.....we've also given them about 2000kw in the last few months! So maybe take a photo of your reading if you haven't already.

Hi We have a terrace on our flat roof. We need to find some sort of decking/tiles that will sit on feet (on top of a fleece to protect the roof). Problem is we don't have a lot of room for build up - Millboard want 100mm but I think we are 70mm max (for feet & decking/tile). Any suggestions for a thin and lightweight decking/tile that could work? Thanks

I've got some water in my Internorm HF410 windows. It's not such big droplets as yours - more like a line of condensation between the outside glass and seal. It's only on 2 big fixed units, not the opening ones. My builder says it doesn't sound normal so is contacting Internorm to see what they say.

We have 2 rooms upstairs (living and our bedroom) - our room has least opening windows, living has a slider.....had to put it somewhere so went for the bedroom.

Thanks - it's sitting beside the MVHR boost switch so not the best looking wall.....

Anyone discover any cheaper/better looking options that those mentioned in the thread already i.e. Carbon Dioxide and Temperature Monitor (scotlandhomesafe.co.uk) Carbon Dioxide and Temperature Monitor (scotlandhomesafe.co.uk) Thanks

I'll let you know next week....it apparently can pick up a pinprick hole! So have been recommended to do it, before the Green Roof goes down.

The green roof part of our build goes on next week. Build up is Joists, Ply, vapour layer, insulation, membrane. We used Bauder. Next week they do electronic testing to check for any leaks before the sedum goes down. The green roof buildup (not the normal flat roof build up) seems to be coming out about £150/m2 - we are doing 30m2). Delivery of the material to site and getting it up on the roof is a costly part - Bauder green roof comes in rolls.

Hi - Any recommendations for a percolation tester for surface water near East Lothian? Or is it really a DIY job? We have built a house on very sandy soil and as the scaffold is coming down we are ready to sort the surface water drainage. We knocked down a house built in the 70's and discovered the rainwater was discharged under the house (no issues) but had thought it was fed into a local burn. Original plan for new house was to discharge into the local burn but during groundworks last year we discovered the burn doesn't actually run through the end of our garden (it's a bit further over into a neighbours garden). After discussion we decided it would be a soakaway. BC and Scottish water happy with that and said we just needed percolation test. I'd love to get it done quickly so we can get the soakaway design sorted and get the drainage lines dug up in the garden while I have a mini digger in for services. Thanks

Thanks - we don't have WWHR but do have solar and 10kw of battery so we can store in that but I think the Ecodan immersion is inbuilt so we have the "free electric" but to turn it to hot water it has to run the ASHP and takes 79 mins to heat up the tank.... I've asked them to include 300L in the quote.

Fair point - we are currently in a rental with 1 bathroom and a tank that runs out quickly and the solution is to shout at the kids to get out or their siblings can't wash....but the new house is bigger with more than one bathroom

They say they don't include the MVHR in the MCS calcs.....but I had a go at the one on here and if I'm using it correctly it's the ventilation heat loss section that pushes us up to 9.6kw. I've not managed to get a quote from any ASHP supplier to give us a unit less than 10kw. How do you convince them to change? They are already concerned that we aren't having heating upstairs (it's currently sitting at 16 degrees because a dehumidifier is running and we are in SE Scotland so it's not warm outside - that proves to me that we won't be cold!)

I've had them run the calcs x2 after getting the SAP redone (it's a 99 but we do have PV on the roof). I also had even bigger heat pumps suggested when I shopped around... We do have high monopitched ceilings in 2 areas...and are around 330sqm.....with 230 of that a very spread out ground floor. So it is an inefficient shape?

Thanks - all bathrooms have showers - boys already have to be told to get out of the shower..... We are 330 sq m but 230 of that is a very spread out ground floor. Pre plaster/render/silicon on windows ACH was 1.3. They said they took account of the ACH but don't take account for MVHR... Looks like I need a bigger tank!

Hi all What size of hot water cylinder would you do? Installer has quote 250L preplumbed but ICF shell builder suggested might want bigger cylinder as heat up time is 79mins. Family - 2 adults 3kids (boys currently aged 6,10,12 if that matters...). 4 bed house, 4 bathrooms (Office is same size as bedroom so could class as 5 bed). ICF - super insulated, ACH 1, MVHR, UFH downstairs only etc We are having ASHP - Mitsubishi Ecodan 11.2KW Coastal. Heat loss is 9.6kW as we are like a bungalow with a bit on top but Mitsubishi only do the 8 or 11KW size ASHP. Local installer, well recommended for install and servicing in the area but only uses Ecodan. Go bigger or is 250L enough? Many thanks

The airtesting was done as part of the Aerobarrier install - you watch the numbers change on a computer outside the building while the spray is on inside. We are currently getting rendered and plastered (and a temp front door) so haven't done our final test yet. They guarantee to get you below 1.5 and if you can guarantee no holes bigger than a certain size (I couldn't) they can get you below 1. We were £3.4k for a 300 ish sqm house and we have some high ceilings....they can calculate a cost based on stage of build (shell, plastered, finished - they have to protect surfaces that are finished) and the volume of your building (from plans/elevations). Easy to get a quote and then compare to the cost of all the tapes and membranes. For us it worked out very similar in price with more accuracy - we are totally new to building a house!

ICF superstructure built by our supplier, Internorm windows also fitted by them. I've been in charge of local trades since structural shell completion (apart from the windows). Lots of windows, high ceilings. Didn't trust others to do airtight tape and with 3 kids we'd never have managed it in time. I used Aerobarrier in Jan (just before plasterboard) who do an airtight spray (and foam up any big holes). They got us from 4.29 ACH to 1.33 with a temp front door and big sliders missing silicon (taped only). This was also pre plaster and pre render. The spray plugged gaps in areas I wasn't expecting e.g between the glass and frame of some of our Internorm fixed windows!! They can do you a quote with plans/elevations and then compare that cost to the airtight tape. For the shell stage it was pretty similar!

Hi - building a new house and have wet UFH on the ground floor only. We have electric towel rails in the bathroom and I also want electric UFH in the bathroom as we will have a microcement floor. Our current floor is Caberdeck on posi joists which will be insulated underneath. I'm using a special microcement shower tray which is 30mm deep and rock solid. We need to build the floor up to this (fine with the 30mm as we have carpet and underlay etc in the bedroom.) The screed guy who did my sand/cement screed on the ground floor suggested 18mm ply, UFH, 12mm ish self levelling screed to get to 30mm. So questions I'd love some help with please - what about some insulation? Do I need it? I want the heat from the GF to trave upwards. - what do you think of the ply/screed buildup? - how do you stop the screed leaking out of the room? - best brand of electric UFH for this? - the microcemnt company said an alternative was to do 18ply, UFH then 12mm cement board (glued and screwed!) - would that be easier/cheaper? Many thanks

Thanks Craig - that makes sense for the opening units. And it stops gunk collecting. Just don't get why the factory sealed fixed units don't have the same - they are sealed but the seal is lower than the wood and so gunk collects.