Temp

PS. Never pay VAT on labour as you cannot claim it back from HMRC. If HMRC spot the mistake they will refer you back to the company and good luck getting it back from them. There are exceptions: Consultants like Architects - their services are standard rated. You have to pay VAT and can't reclaim it either. Likewise tool hire 8s standard rated and can't be reclaimed.

If you buy the materials you can claim the VAT back using the self build reclaim scheme. His labour must be zero rated to you as you cannot reclaim VAT on services. His quote should be "inc VAT at 0%". If not best get it changed before you accept it. If he buys the materials and fits them (aka supply and fit) then he must zero rate both to you. You then have nothing to reclaim. He can reclaim the VAT when he makes his VAT return. Likewise his quote should be "inc VAT at 0%". Some trades are reluctant to do this. If that happens refer them to VAT notice 709 and it may help if you give them a "certificate" (aka a letter) stating their work relates to a new house at <address>, <planning reference number> and atrach a copy of your planning grant. If he isn't VAT registered he can't reclaim the VAT paid on materials so best you buy them yourself so you can reclaim it back. Make sure to ask for VAT invoices.

Is it a detached house or a semi? If a semi have the neighbours already removed the chimney their side? https://www.labc.co.uk/news/how-to-get-it-right-removing-chimney-right-way-video-showing-wrong-way

If the motorised valve switches off (or something else stops circulation in the boiler flow) when the UFH is still calling for heat then I can see how this might cause the problem... With the blender turned down most of the water is recycled round and round the floor loops, little or none is drawn from the boiler flow. With the blender turned up less is recycled and more drawn from the boiler flow. If thats blocked so you get noise. It could also explain why it happens when the floor loop cools down (as described in your very first post). As long as the floor loop is hot the blender is recycling. When the floor cools the blender tries to draw more from the boiler. If it blocked you get the noise. So well worth checking that the motorised valve is open when you hear the noise.

+1 Looks like original installer messed up. I was just looking at this photo from their web site. Note where the boiler flow and return connect compared to yours. On their picture the flow connects to the left hand port where as on yours it connects to the right. As @JFDIY said turning the mixer so its facing the wall looks like the easiest solution but not great for access. I would ask JG Speedfit if there is another way. Perhaps they do a "left handed" mixer valve or perhaps the insides of the mixer can be turned around? The pump and manifold look ok so I don't see need to change anything there.

Could be a faulty blender. Can you tell if the noise is coming from the pump or the blender? Use a length of wood as a stethesoscope?

I noticed that the noise reduces when the mixer temperature is turned down. In that situation more water is being recycled around the floor loops and less new hot is added from the boiler. Does it ever make this noise when the burner is lit? I'm wondering if the boiler pump is stopping when the burner switches off? If that is preventing water flowing to the UFH mixer and pump it might be the cause?

Gosh its loud. Double check that the flow and return from boiler to blending valve is correct.

Google can find examples.. This one for a development of 4 houses.. https://www.ribblevalley.gov.uk/planx_downloads/17_0385_Const_Plan_&_Traffic_Plan.pdf 5 houses https://digital.flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/NewDocView/160917 Knock down two and build flats. http://planweb01.rother.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/viewDocument?file=dv_pl_files\RR_2016_2430_P\RR_2016_2430_P-TA.pdf&module=pl

Its not common to need a Traffic Management Plan. Do you know why they asked for one? If not I would contact them and find out if they have any specific concerns they think you need to address. It might be a neighbour objected to your planning app and raised concerns about trucks delivering materials at all hours. As a sop they asked you for a Traffic Management Plan. In which case it might be as simple as one page note saying deliveries will be restricted to normal working hours (6.30 to 4.30 ?).

Is it UFH? Can you just turm off that loop or Rad?

Its hard to know what your definition of "large is". I would make a list of the rooms you want. Go measure up some you consider to be the size you want for each and build a spreadsheet to add it all up. Our house is a wisker over 3000 sqf/300sqm. For that we have virtually a 6 bed (4 reasonably large bedrooms, 1 small bedroom, home office big enough to be a 6th bedroom), large living room, dining room, kitchen, family bathroom and two ensuite. Garage not included in the 3000sqf. Our house is on a slope so split level and has a T shape roof with rooms in the roof and several dormers. This meant quite a bit of steel in the roof and even the first floor. If building again I would go for a more traditional shape to reduce cost (eg rectangular shape, two storey on flat plot). But keep some of the non standard internal layout features we have. Staircase in the dining room, full height window etc. Money saved would use to add a decent conservatory!

+1 Means you probably need to stick with same type, size etc Take one of the existing tiles to builders merchants. My local Travis Perkins aren't cheap (unless you have an account and get discount) but were helpful. Recommended a tile that matched, got me samples, spotted a mistake in the quantity of half length tiles I had ordered etc.

6 months isn't very long for a pump. Did the previous pump also make this noise? Do you know what mode the UPS3 is set in? A single press of the button and it should tell you. Instructions here..

Can you post a photo of the manifold. No noise from the pump at this stage? So this is the boiler reaching its max flow temperature limit and shutting down the burner. The UFH loop pump should continue to run if the room stats are still calling for heat. Does it do that? On most UFH systems there is a mixer that blends boiler flow and UFH return to make the UFH Flow. You can get some strange effects if the flow and return from boiler are connected to the wrong ports. I would double check that first.

We have an oil boiler that heats a thermal store (300L tank of water to) around 55C. A pump circulates water from the TS to the UFH manifolds. Pumps on the manifolds circulate the water around the floor loops. The thermal store also has a heat exchanger/coils in it. Cold water from the mains goes through the coil to mak the DHW which goes to showers and hot taps etc. The result is mains pressure hot and cold water everywhere. Well not exactly, on most taps we have pressure reducers/regulators to avoid water spraying all over the place. In addition to providing lashings of hot water the TS allows the burner in the boiler to run flat out without cycling on and off. Without a TS you can get a situation where only one or two rooms need heat. However the burner in an oil boiler cannot modulate down like a gas boiler so instead it has to switch on and off (cycle) to reduce its output to match demand. This is less efficient like stop start driving in a car. With a TS Basically the stat on the TS controls the boiler. When the TS calls for heat the burner runs flat out until the TS is satisfied. The TS then feeds whatever the UFH needs at the time. Its like driving at 56 mph all the time with fewer stops. As for running costs.. These depend on the heat loss from your house (which in turn depend on how well insulated and ventilated it is) and the DHW consumption. There are very few sources of data that compare the running costs of different fuels. The only one I know of is this one and its possible to argue with some of the assumptions they make. https://nottenergy.com/resources/energy-cost-comparison/ See the column headed "Pence per kWh (after boiler efficiency)" This takes into account the cost of electricity (at 19p/kWH), oil (29.4 p/L) and the COP of the ASHP (270). Kerosene 3.33 p/kWH Mains Gas Standard Rate 3.85 p/kWH ASHP 7.19 p/kWH On their figures oil is currently a lot cheaper to run and compares with mains gas. What do others pay for electricity at the moment?

It seemed very real when we were paying over 16% interest on our mortgage in the late 70s. For something like 20 years it was over 10%.

Appliances Widths.. Washing machine, tumble dryer, boiler - 60cm each Freezer - 60 or 70cm but they get wider with the door open so care needed if there is a wall on hinge side. Add another 10cm for this? Depth (Wall to front edge of top, doors may stick out bit further) Washing machine, tumble dryer, Freezer & Boiler all need about 70cm. That is typically 60cm for the appliance and 10cm for pipes and wires behind them. For servicing allow a clear area in front of the boiler. eg pretend it has a door on the front like a fridge at least. Flue means it will also need to be on an outside wall and correct distances away from opening windows and MVHR vents. UFH manifolds Width.. We have an 11 loop manifold that came ready assembled on a metal plate that's bolted to the wall. The plate is 100cm wide but needs another 10cm on one side for pipes so call it 110cm wide. Depth.. The pipes go into the floor with a gentle bend. The whole assembly allowing for the pipe bend projects out about 20cm from the wall. Typically the top of the manifold plate is low enough that it can fit under a work top but perhaps unwise to put a sink in front of the manifold. . If anything is going in a kitchen unit (or under a worktop needing support) then remember to allow say 20mm for the walls between appliances. Consumer Unit We put ours in a cupboard in our home office room, also in there the BT master socket, Modem, router, DECT cordless phone base station, TV distribution amp. This also means any PowerLink devices (Ethernet over mains wiring) work well.

https://www.kbbreview.com/34044/topstory/post-brexit-chaos-rising-shipping-costs-and-import-delays/

If the second one is marked Approved that suggests it was formally processed as an amendment. See if the planning officer can produce any other paperwork relating to the amendment. I think the wording of that paperwork could be key.

Normally they stamped the official approved plans with "Approved" and the date. Any other file drawings are of dubious value. You will need to get a good look at the planning file and the exact wording of the planning condition. It might be the condition refers to a specific version of a drawing, the one that does show the green area. Later changes to the layout of the houses may or may not affect the location of green area. In other words if half the plot was shaded green then that half could be subject to the planning condition regardless of the layout or number of houses that were eventually approved and built within that half. The exception would be if the builder submitted a totally new planning application or applied to specifically amend the green area boundary.

I know the self heating effect isn't ideal but the internal temperature of the stat should still track external changes in temperature provided they aren't subject to changing draughts from the MHVR or your desk fan. I would try and recalibrate them then monitor to see how well they track your thermometer over a few days. Cheaper than replacing them all. You don't actually want the stats to respond to short term fluctuations in room temperature because that causes cycling of the heating system. I have wax cartridge actuators that take several mins to open/close so fluctuations shorter than that are effectively ignored anyway. So the fact that changes in room temperature take awhile to reach the sensor buried in the stat shouldn't matter too much. Obviously you don't want it to take hours to catch up but 10-20 mins shouldn't hurt.

Are any of the MVHR vents directly above the stat? If so I would adjust any vanes to point the air flow away from the stat and then recalibrate the stats. See how they work then.

Here is a photo of the remote sensor I built. Just a small project box from Maplin with three holes drilled top and bottom and an NTC inside. Cant remember if its a 10k or 20k Ohm but it was in the manual for the stat somewhere. and this is the old Heatmiser stat we have showing the vent holes. Same both sides and similar on the bottom. None on the top - probably to keep dust out?

You would expect them to track room temperature but only if the power they dissipate is constant (probably true) and the thermal resistance between inside of stat and the room is constant. Sounds like the latter it isn't true due to changing air flow from the MHVR. In other words they can only be calibrated with MVHR either on or off not both.