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Everything posted by Nickfromwales
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Condensate Drain Pipe
Nickfromwales replied to Fiona Brick's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
I'm assuming 'reduced intelligence' lol. Was anyone around to guide these installers, such as yourself or a project manager? If not then you'll be holding yourself accountable methinks, as otherwise they could have just legitimately mistaken this for a waste connection. The lack of traps etc just demonstrates the reduced intelligence to a T. Mixture of oops, and a lack of technical GAF here, so just get a plumber to connect the trap to the correct pipe and move on with life -
Would need BBA approval for use here, or an acceptance from the BCO and warranty providers that the certification and intended use qualified. I quite like the Zip products for going in around window and door openings a-la the USA / Canada etc, but the UK is only now adopting (stealing and copying) these “modern construction methods” so we’ll be the last to benefit from them I guess.
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Imprinted concrete - Grandad has been ripped off
Nickfromwales replied to diyenthusiat's topic in Driveways
Well, let’s start off by saying I’ve seen MUCH worse, but it’s not the prettiest I’m afraid. If it’s solid / sound, and doesn’t show signs of cracking (after a year) then you could get it covered with a resin top layer maybe. To be honest, you’d be far better off asking the folk on https://www.pavingexpert.com Don’t get too down with this as it’s not life or death, and hopefully you can find these guys trading details and approach them via the small claims mechanism. -
Condensate Drain Pipe
Nickfromwales replied to Fiona Brick's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Connecting the groundworks outside is another subject, and would need feedback from whoever put them in to see if this is an intended soak away or the opposing pipe is connected to a drain system. -
Condensate Drain Pipe
Nickfromwales replied to Fiona Brick's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
So, basically, if you blew down the white pipe it would blow out the end of the pipe externally, which is not great at all. You need the traps as stated, or a sealed connection from the flexible hose to the rigid white pipe (and then use the excess hose inside the machine to form a U bend (trap) there). You can see these types of traps here, 1x for a heating system discharge and 2x for the softener. These look like a balloon end inside and let water out but not draughts etc in. -
Best pipe insulation and where do I need it?
Nickfromwales replied to MikeSharp01's topic in General Plumbing
...or practical necessity in anything bigger than a flat. On a project we just fired up such a system, and the kitchen sink is appx 5m from the UVC. As the taps are modern EU regulated offerings there is a 9 second delay to get premium hot water to that outlet (15mm). In normal occupation the HRC will keep a fair amount of the primary hot pipework warm / hot throughout the day, so I will assume this will reduce to maybe 4-5 secs, but if not this may end up getting added to the HRC. For the small running cost per annum (likely entirely offset if you have PV) it is a great thing to open a tap and the hot water is available instantly, particularly for low volume / high frequency outlets such as a hand wash after using the loo or rinsing something at the kitchen sink. I do like the option for the Quooker hot (as well as boiling) water doo-dah at the kitchen sink, if that meant you could otherwise do away with a HRC, but it's always down to the individual case / client and distances from UVC > outlet. We always discuss this very comprehensively before getting the tools out, so expectations are managed and nobody can whinge afterwards (if the water is slow to arrive at these modern, low-flow rate taps etc, for eg). -
Maintain pressure prior to screed
Nickfromwales replied to Post and beam's topic in Underfloor Heating
You'll sleep tonight! Good news, and now, on to the next problem -
Yes, and one to consider if sitting the sole plate across the top of the uninsulated concrete in the frost zone? Me personally, I'd rather some externally and then less internally (but defo both) so the GIA doesn't then suffer too big a loss internally to get to BRegs levels. Marmox breakers may be a big help here of course.
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Ok, great. FYI, on a 'huge' basement we recently quoted for I also recommended installing a layer of 75mm or 100mm EPS around the whole thing after the tanking was done; a), to provide some resistance to the static ground temps, but b), more importantly, to protect the external tanking solution from mechanical damage (a stone / other reducing effectiveness or causing a failure) as I really didn't want to ever have to revisit this for the sake of a couple of £k worth of (seconds) sheet material. 2 birds with one stone afaic, and a good place to invest in a second or third set of belts & braces.
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Best pipe insulation and where do I need it?
Nickfromwales replied to MikeSharp01's topic in General Plumbing
Same we do with the MVHR ducts where we heat / cool (temper) the airflow to rooms. TBH I don't insulate everything any more, so putting insulation on where needed afterwards seems the most cost-effective. I work out the lengths of the hot & HRC run, walk it out, insulate in and tape it up well, and them pull it in in one go; we use band or 50mm waste pipe clips around the insulation to fix it into place vs clipping the pipes and then having to stop/start the insulation. -
What tanking measures and insulation will be put in place?
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Best pipe insulation and where do I need it?
Nickfromwales replied to MikeSharp01's topic in General Plumbing
UV resistant neoprene for outdoors stuff, to an ASHP for eg, but also the neoprene doesn’t get munched on by rodents for some reason whereas EPS outside is a buffet! -
Best pipe insulation and where do I need it?
Nickfromwales replied to MikeSharp01's topic in General Plumbing
The black neoprene and cheap grey EPS stuff are near identical in thermal performance, which I was surprised by, so I now install EPS internally with wall thicknesses to suit the application. I seldom insulate the cold pipes tbh, as plastic pushfit (Hep) pipe seems to be a world away from copper in terms of condensation risk. Plant rooms need everything insulating imo as the temp differences there are the most adverse, so defo the cold mains supply to manifolds but only in a 9mm or 13mm wall product. Insulating the hot pipes where there is no hot return (in such a dwelling) seems pointless too tbh, so I just put hot & HRC together in the same insulation to wrap them up nice and toasty (25mm wall) and then call it a day after that. Very different advice would be stated if this was a typical uk home with pipes under voids / in cold attics etc obvs. -
Drilling the joint and pumping in a ‘grout’ under very high pressure, iirc. I’d left by that time as we were pretty much done. The plasterboards and OSB / cables etc were stripped off the wall for investigations a few weeks prior to our departure, to see where it was coming from and allow various professionals to discuss. IMO the architect was clearly to blame for not spotting (or having any such experience to know) that this was going to be an issue, but when you saw how insanely over “budget” they were at that stage I guess the cards were already on the table with regards to how he’d not ever actually built any of his drawings. I did a huge amount of problem solving for the client, architect and SE, for little to zero thanks, but with the basement I left for them to point fingers with, not my battle, but could have been so easily avoided just by relocating the transitions. 🤷♂️🤦♂️. It was already tanked, btw, and the water breached that too.
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Check out @Bitpipe's content
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I came across this on a 4-storey dwelling with a walk-out basement job that I was associated with a while ago. ICF, and a few steep learning curves for all professionals around it (including the 'architect'.....). This had the "change" between poured and laid products, and the results were the sum of zero joined-up thinking. There are so many ways to avoid issues whilst the job is still on paper, just choose well the folk who you trust to advise you and what their ACTUAL experiences are. Needles to say the basement leaked, at the change in disciplines, simply because those closest to the client didn't appreciate how water moves (hydraulic something or other, it's late) but it finds a way trust me! Mixing shuttered concrete and ICF needs a wise head on experienced shoulders. I tried to advise, but was shot down by the 'almighty' as I'm just a plumber.. Good job my pipes didn't leak like the basement did, lol. Was painful watching 2' of water getting pumped out whilst they figured it out.
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Running hep2O in insulation below screed?
Nickfromwales replied to daunker's topic in General Plumbing
Nope. Just some basic 'next-level' plumbing from Obi-wank Kenobi for some chap called Darth somethingorother...... -
Running hep2O in insulation below screed?
Nickfromwales replied to daunker's topic in General Plumbing
If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Nothing personal of course -
Maintain pressure prior to screed
Nickfromwales replied to Post and beam's topic in Underfloor Heating
There may be a dust cap on that, but there’s your ‘drain’ point. Only apologise when you’ve done something wrong 😜. -
Some folk will use a slurry and brush that on, then paint. @nod ?
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Have you checked the non return valve is clear? These things are a nightmare long forgotten. Phone used to ring with these, and I used to say “no thanks”. Always comebacks and more problems and the last person to touch it MUST be the one that broke it. Feck that.
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Looks like you’re in the shit. 💩
