Nickfromwales

Indeed. I was just wondering how you’d set this up long term, as I don't really want a contactor energised for eternity in the likelihood it will never be released; other than annual proof-testing, hence my ‘single shot’ thoughts of just having the relay trip the breaker. Maybe a latching device which is thrown by the Aico relay, and then requires a manual reset, given the core issue which is a loss of power to the house or just the smoke system which meant the relay would close and MVHR would come back on again; I guess at that stage it wouldn’t matter!?! Number 1 concern is preservation of life, eg get peoples arses out of the door ASAP, so if there’s a fire then the first 30 mins is the focus. I’ll see if there’s a contactor that would latch open, after a single shot of juice was given from the Aico relay. Anyone?

Cheers. That’s the likeliest plan, yes. Was just a brain-fart, as zero potential exists there (to talk of).

I just bond a 2x2 to the floor and the bottom of the end panels, x2 minimum, using cheap silicone so it’s easy to remove if you want to. There’s too much play in the legs to fix just a couple of those.

For the last split-level slab I did we simply put 2 manifolds in, one on each level, and worked well. I have done one very big GF UFH job and put the GF manifold on the FF landing, in the cupboard under the stairs to the 2F, and this worked without issue. So, I guess as long as the manifold is always at the highest point, to collect and get rid of air/gas, then you should be fine to have the manifold on the higher level and feed down and back up from there. For laying of UFH, just forget the old ways and lay the pipes inverted and then you are 95% just turning 90 degrees instead of 180. Simples!!!!

Not sure who that’s for, but, you know me……. The main isolator in the CU is a switch, and after that each 1ph or 3ph circuit is protected individually. Caveat with 3ph is, you need a 3ph MCB to give you the over current protection, and then a higher amp rated 3ph RCD locally to give the earth protection; 3ph RCBO’s don’t seem to be leaping into my lap? Anyone? @Mattg4321? @ProDave? @Onoff?

I chatted this through with one previous client in Gravenhill, as they only allow a B&B floor there. We decided it best to buy a few (very) large tubs of black jack (liquid DPM) and use that to make the B&B airtight too; this was brushed up the upstands too. Here’s a pic of it, please ignore it being wrecked temporarily to install the WC pipe where it actually needed to be, lol. Back in the trenches again This was done vs a sheet DPM, and imho this is night & day better. Zero tape / dodgy internal and external corners to fold. 👍👍👌 Oh, and yes, I did have to suspend that WC frame in place, FFL calculated and datums a plenty, stud wall created virtually in mid air, before the polished concrete went down……. I had about 4mm of tolerance to play with. All was A1 of course as OCD wins every time lol.

Nope. And there isn’t a ‘wrong way’ here btw . Most UG pipe is sold ‘socket-less’ meaning it is just straight pipe (plain ended as you call it) which is directionless and completely normal. FYI a ‘socket’ is what the plain pipe goes into for each joint, so you get single or double ‘socket’ bends, one male and one female end, or both ends female. We’ll learn you good, boy!!

I just use a few ‘turns’ of squirty foam to give said wiggle room, but as above, more importantly, gives you the option to slide a fitting (with its knuckle) after removing some of the foam. I am in the process of fine tuning the 1st fix for the GF cloak WC that this particular pipe services. There’s a full 20mm of ‘wiggle’ there, allowing me to get the fully-back-to-wall close coupled WC in to perfection. Cost, £5.

Massive lump of a thing tbh. Gordon Lewis operates off a 13a plug out of the back of his van, small hopper and tired / busy old fella constantly tossing bales into it, and the man is like a dog with a bone; literally fills every last nook and cranny until the pump wont push the Warmcell down the pipe anymore. If anyone wants Warmcell blowing in, he’s a legend. And Welsh. That’s a win-win lol.

Imagine being the persons sent down there to install those props?!?!?! They’d have had the 2-finger salute from me. Feck that.

Nothing whatsoever wrong, if they fit in the space you have. We had to preserve space here for the mist system box-o-tricks, 19” rack for LAN, 3ph CU, (and more), in that one plant room, ergo I had to get inventive and make space. The original design had the 24 port Ubbink manifold boxes specified, but it meant encroaching into the adjacent coats / boots room which wasn’t going to fly. Happy to use them where you can though! And you can get bespoke box manifolds made up to fit in the posi joists too: I offer up the bare boxes, mark the metal webs onto the side of the box with a sharpie, then drill and fit the top hats to take the 92mm ducting. IMO there’s a lot of real estate up there so why not utilise it vs lose GIA / have to make boxing in etc?

By the time its squashed or has fallen half apart, during cutting and installation, I'd beg to see anything that offered much of the assumed uplift there tbh. Any small thermal separation will offer huge dividends here, but hey-ho!

Made them all myself on site. 4x 160’s over the office to outdoors (vs out next to the front door, yuk!) to 2x 200 (1 per unit), probably lost 2 pints of blood with all the sharp edges…..all part of the ‘fun’. Doubled up on the black rubber o ring seals and then 2 full turns of AT tape for good measure. And in the plant room posi joist voids I made 2 more 200> (x)qty 100mm ‘manifolds’ which were facing upwards, for supply and extract on the 1st floor. Where it was near impossible to apply the foil insulation to the fresh intake I just used cans, lots of cans, of expanding foam aka Kingspan in a can. Mummified it as you can see, to deal with 0°C incoming air temps / condensation control. Air-tightened with FM330 and green smartply, so MBC could tape to my bits without losing any integrity (scored 0.35ACH on the test last week ). Zero need to get into these ever again, as the distribution systems are all zero maintenance.

There’s no way in hell I’d have got 200mm > 160mm > 100mm spiral metal ductwork in here, plus all the soil and waste pipes, just zero chance. I prefer the radial as I can fit the stuff in pretty much with zero impact on the layouts, and zero cross talk etc. Seems to run a lot quieter too; this one is a whopper of a system but is absolutely completely inaudible in the rooms on 25% fan power (not commissioned yet, but I expect we can run closer to 20% on trickle). Pulling these flexible (enough) ducts in, one by one, needs thought but is relatively easy for 2 people. Don’t dream of doing this on your own as that’s just too much hard work. It looks ‘lots’ because it is! 40 ducts in total.

Current plant room design: Designs via CVC Systems, Oxon, supported and then installed by some good looking welsh fella: Ground floor First floor 7” wide service riser for 18x 92mm ducts for FF into posijoists. Then plaster-in ceiling outlets through, bar a few cheaper ones for where they don’t need the extra time/money. Basics of layout at the design stage gives me the number of ducts / outlets and then I just crack on basically, adapting to suit reality. Steels were designed in by me, many months before concrete went down, which makes life easier with penetrations where they’re needed; all considered to delete any boxing in or loss of GIA whatsoever. Tres bien 👌

Was it sloping, so needed to be below ground <1m at the boundary? Odd that no detail exists from their fees proposal at least?

You’re never alone, just everyone looking at this is like folk watching a rollercoaster; but the thing needs to slow down or stop so we can get on, 🤣. I’m bat-shit crazy with work coming in from every angle, so have just been a spectator between glasses of Sauvignon. Hic.

You'll need to add one, or stay away from the dew point.

https://www.tilingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/product/stainless-steel-straight-edge-tile-trim?srsltid=AfmBOopPRxNzq6vb_GHk4NJFBnHkrYBtpv9LM-G2PuOM3Liipp5qbj08 Ask them what others they can do in ‘extra long’.

Just use XPS tile backer boards, ranging from 6,10,12.5,15,18,20,25mm and so on. You need zero air convection behind this, so horizontal lines of adhesive as well as vertical.

Is it only a heater or a heater/cooler? The latter will come with a condensate drain connection, the heater won’t.

Name some names, if you’d be so kind, as anyone in that area would be glad for the information I’m sure.

Brickwork on the chimney is excellent. Keep the updates coming 🙏👌

Not exactly “easily portable” I’m afraid….. Any joy?

I’m working on a current project with a lot of ‘smart home’ vs HA, and have ‘suggested’ that we use the Aico relay base to shut off the MVHR in the event of a smoke detection / fire. This is likely to be in the form of contactors et-al, but I did think that a £5 relay that simply shorted N & E together, bridging those terminals in the double socket feeding the 2x MVHR units (on a 2.5mm radial from a dedicated RCBO), would suffice. Connecting N & E together trips an earth device, reliably, so I can’t see why that wouldn’t be an absolute / definitive solution here. Single strike, RCBO off, can’t come back on until manually reset. Shelly would become a secondary layer over the same terminals, if a wifi signal was required to perform the same function. Criticism / objections (or applause) welcomed.