Temp

We're on oil and have someone home in the daytime. Most of our stats are on 4 time periods. Something like.. 5am-8am 20C 8am-4pm 18c (some rooms 16C which is effectively off unless it's very cold weather) 4pm to 10pm 21C (Bedrooms 18-20C depending on occupant) 10pm -5am 16C (effectively off unless it's very cold weather). Bathrooms are on their own stat to warm the floors at certain times of the day depending on season. Some rooms have slightly different timings at weekends - for example kids bedroom.

You can have multiple loops on one zone. For example our master bed and ensuite have a loop each but are currently controls by the same stat so are in the same zone. We could separate them into two zones by adding another stat. We also needed two loops for our living room, again both controlled by one stat. So first work out how many loops you need. That determines how many ports you need on the manifold. Then decide how many stats/zones you want and which loop(s) each stat will control. We have two manifolds one up, one downstairs. We went for programmable stats and have set up different rooms to have different temperatures at different times. The UFH in the bathroom is mainly to warm the tiled floor so that comes on first thing. We used a Heatmiser stat that has a remote sensor. Stat is outside the bathroom.

It has two outputs on the control board but only a limit switch one side. I've not seen anyone mention this issue as a problem but perhaps I'll think about a solution when I upgrade to a metal frame. Might be as simple as adding a toothed belt to link the two drive rods across the top of the rig. Perhaps a bit more complicated as the rods don't even have bearings that end. I can see me printing some simple L section brackets to hold some ball races. Edit: Might be harder than I thought because the belt would need joining in a way that would allow it to go around the pulleys. Unless I can find a loop roughly the right length and take up an excess in a tensioner.

Spent another evening assembling my printer. Getting there slowly. Got all the mechanical bits assembled but I can see somethings will need tweaking. It has two threaded rods one either side to raise and lower the head vertically (z-axis). Instead of linking these two rods together with a toothed belt each one has its own stepper motor. This means if you accidentally turn one side manually the Y-axis rails are no longer parallel with the print bed. I can't help feel this is all going to need adjusting before every print to ensure everything tracks parallel.

One of the impressive things in 3D printing is "print in place" which involves printing moving parts ready assembled. One of the most impressive I've seen is this "iris box". Skip ahead to about 2:15 if you get bored watch it being printed.

There are several companies making clones of the A8. There was one on eBay for around £90 that has a wood frame... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CTC-A8-MK8-Extruder-Assembly-LCD-DIY-3D-Printer-Kit-Reprap-220-220-240mm-Print/273531933538?hash=item3fafc61362:g:aUEAAOSwyKhbZWD4&redirect=mobile I went for this Anet version which has an acrylic frame at £104.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anet-A8-Assembly-Acrylic-Frame-LCD-DIY-3D-Printer-Kit-Reprap-220-220-240mm-Print/113022998680?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&redirect=mobile but have added another £25 in upgrades. The MOSFET upgrade is virtually mandatory. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Upgrade-Bearing-instead-Printer-RJ4JP-01-08/dp/B079M88FF8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1548512185&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=drylin+bearings&psc=1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/TopDirect-Module-Expansion-Current-Printer/dp/B078HGFDT6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548512217&sr=8-2&keywords=A8+mosfet And a reel of filament at £18. So total to get up and going about £150ish. If it works ok I plan to upgrade the frame making it an AM8 (so called "All Metal 8"). There are metal kits for this from about £60-£70 on eBay but you also have to print a lot of plastic bits on your A8 as well. Someone called Pheneeny posted the design for this on Thingiverse awhile back and others have improved the design... https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=Am8&dwh=305c4c6d5c1bb08 So to I think by the time it's got a metal frame it will be nearer £225-250. You can (currently) buy a Creality Ender 3 kit which I think has a metal frame for £150 from gearbest so the route I'm taking isn't the cheapest.

Will try and post updates. The A8 is a real experimenters project. It has problems which I'm sure you wouldn't have difficulty recognising and solving but it wouldn't be something I would give to say a 14 year old as a present unless they understand electronics. The mains power supply for example just has a small plastic flap covering the 220v screw terminals and no mains switch. The FETs on the control board are also prone to overheating so many people fit add-on MOSFET boards. I'm doing that from the outset. Again I know you could do this but it gives you an idea of the overall quality. I'm also replacing the supplied linear bearings with Drylin bearings. Reviews say that if you put in the effort the A8 gives good results for the money. To be honest I think printers like the Creality Ender 3 are probably better if you want something that needs less fettling. The main difference between the two is that the Ender 3 already has a metal frame. The Extruder is also a remote/Bowden tube type where as the A8 has the Extruder mounted on the head (eg a direct type). Both have advantages and disadvantages. The Bowden tube type has less precise control over how the filament is extruded/retracted but the head is lighter so can be moved faster...or so they say. Think it will be at least a week before mine is ready for a test print.

Have taken the plunge and ordered an Anet A8 kit. Arrived yesterday. It's a heck of a meccano job and I've already managed to break a £2 part. The linear bearings felt like they were full of sand. Clean out with WD40 and re oiling improved them a bit but will replace with Drylin bearings from Amazon. Can see this is going to be a bit of a project.

According to my news feed he was due to be paid on Friday but the bank transfer was delayed to Monday. His workmates said if he'd checked his account on Monday he would have seen he had been paid!

I think the most frequently reason access is needed is when you change the layout of the bathroom and need to change or add a connection to the stack.

Perhaps someone should argue that it "allows the construction of the building to take place" as per 3.3.4 which covers demolition. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction

As far as I can see both stacks are used as vertical drains not just vent pipes. For example the bath in the family bathroom connects to the left hand stack. The two WC and other bath connect to the right hand stack. You might be able to move the left hand stack indoors by running it vertically in the wardrobe of bedroom 4 (bottom right corner) upstairs and boxing in the utility room downstairs. However I think this one would need to be open vented, so up through the roof. Might be possible to put the right hand stack in the top right corner of the utility room between door and wall between utility room and kitchen? Think this one can have an AAV. Edit: Actually this might be in a bit of an odd place in the family bathroom?

Google found this place in Sussex.. https://www.jbarch.co.uk/3d-printing

My news feed says a new place just opened in Preston.. https://www.lancashirebusinessview.co.uk/lancashire3d-opens-preston-plant-109816/ Open to the public.

Just for info the cheapest printer I've seehn is a clone of the Anet A8 made by CTC on eBay for £90. However it needs assembling and some FETs boards adding (£12 from Amazon) to prevent a known fire risk. You also need an SD card and reader for your PC. A reel of ASA filament is about £25-30 on Amazon. So if you have time you might DIY for say £150? However that printer is pretty basic. Most people who buy one end up printing upgrades to improve it or even replacing the wooden frame with aluminium extrusions. Edit: Not sure if that printer will print ASA.

Perhaps get a pressure gauge from screwfix/tool station and measure it? Pressure at our house isn't huge but we needed to fit pressure reducing valves on wash basins to stop splashing. If you do the same make sure they are accessible as you may have to adjust them up a bit after a year or so.

Googling 3d printing services finds loads but to get a quote most want to upload your design. However I found this place that will estimate cost based on dimensions before you have the design files... https://www.3dprint-uk.co.uk/pricing/ I tried entering 20mm x 10mm x 5mm, 2 bodies (whatever that is), qty 10, white nylon and it said £40.

ASA looks like the right material to use. Rigid.ink says it has good UV resistance. As I understand it the design software (the slicer?) will tell you how long the print will take and how much material it needs. I expect they charge by the hour. I doubt the material will cost much. Whole 1kg reel is about £25.

I've been looking at buying a cheap 3D printer if my son is allowed to do a project at school. I won't be offering a printing service but I've been doing some research recently. How strong do they need to be? Strength can vary depending on the material (PLA, ABS, Nylon etc) and the direction of the layers. Sometimes the adhesion between layers isn't great and they fail along the "grain". Might be ok if the hooks are printed laying on their side and load isn't huge. Looking at getting Fusion 360 to do our design(s). It has a free license for experimenters.

Perhaps worth looking at the policy documents cited to see if they mention heat pumps. If the COP of the ASHP is say 3 then it consumes 1kW for every 3KW delivered. So compared to electric rads/immersion heater you could argue your ASHP delivers 66% of the heating/dhw from a renewable source. Aside: Here it says that an EPC doesn't have an option for both "PV and ASHP" or has that changed?.. http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=12156

I must get around to measuring the power consumption of our PIR night light. I wondered if the PIR part consumed more than the LED?

Well done Tesco... https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/exclusive_tesco_plotting_uk_superstore_solar_rollout_programme

If you plan to have a combi boiler make sure they check the pressure and flow rate carefully. Not sure if it helps but the water companies are obliged to deliver 0.7 bar (some sources say 1 bar) where the supply crosses your boundary. However it's not clear to me how they measure that. eg is it the static pressure (no water flowing) or while you are running all the taps in your house? If it's just a static pressure it's useless as far as protecting customers.

I'd start with making it mandatory to put PV on new distribution warehouses. We've had many of these spring up along the A14 and they have vast roofs typically around 1 million square foot.

Yes should be fine if it's not a wet room. If tiling the shower area and any of it is studwork wall I recommend using a 12mm waterproof cement board like Hardibacker board. Not only does it stand up to any water much better than plasterboard but it takes fastenings quite well. So if you want a soap dish, or hook for a shower head you don't have to worry about screwing into a stud, it can just about fix anything anywhere (although perhaps not something like a heavy cabinet).