Nickfromwales

I still get amazed that a self build mortgage company would not ask for a full Bill Of Quantities for this level of lending, given how costs always seem to spiral with zero leverage in the clients corner. Ironically the BOQ serves to protect me more than the client, as when a client says "I was supposed to have oak skirting", I can just point at the detailed contract and say "not on this you didn't" and the argument is over before it begins. Such blissful simplicity, but you would have to shoulder the cost of the BOQ being produced, not the builder. Essentially the BOQ would go on to be the backbone of the contract.

Yes, if they left you with leaking plumbing!! You have no worries regarding pipes cracking / breaking down / rusting / corroding, tbh, as the materials used are for just this very thing eg to be wet The blue MDPE is bombproof, and copper pipe will outlive us both.

The level of ambiguity in such a 'contract' makes it as worthwhile as if it were Andrex..... just "NO". You need line by line, a name or type of product with at the worst a PC sum for it, and from there you need to be privy to options before the orders placed. For one example, the builder will have asked his plumber for ASHP (etc) costs, so ask to see the breakdown of that; explain you do not need to see their costs to the builder as we both know there will be a minimum of 10-20% applied by the builder as the coordinator / contractor, possibly as much as 30% if it is a small project, but that you just want to see the detailed breakdown of what equipment you will get, simples. This prevents you paying Vaillant / Mitsubishi prices and then getting some Chinese shit-box installed that won't last 5 years. You need to sit this chap down, make him a brew, and state your case. He will a) agree and buck up his ideas, or b) smile and nod, and you'll never hear from him again. Best to find this out the easy and cheap way, right now.

+1. Just massively complex and not the best idea tbh. Sorry! I very much doubt the coil in the buffer would be able to convey the huge amount of heat energy to the secondary body of water travelling to the heating system. With this design I expect the WBS would kettle as it wouldn't be able to rid itself of the heat, linear to it being produced. At the end of the day the WBS needs to be a reasonably 'roaring' fire to effectively (cleanly) burn, so I just don't think you can shift the heat from A > B > C like the above suggests. You can use a very big thermal store, but the bigger the store the more water you must keep hot to produce DHW via a coil or PHE....which would be hugely wasteful all summer, and the TS would be a massive roasting hot 'radiator' to have heat leaking from into an already warm house. I'd say you would have to have the stove > TS > space heating, with that all used in winter, and then with a UVC for use 365 days a year either fed from wood or gas. In the summer the entirety of the space heating kit would be redundant and you'd be gas > UVC for DHW only. Send the boiler back, get a refund, and just enjoy the heat from the WBS, as the moment you really start relying on it for bolstering space heating you'll see the insane amount of wood you'll then need to keep feeding into it. Worse then would be to ever have to buy wood to burn to let this carry on being of use. You'd soon get lazy and just flick the gas boiler on methinks, I know I would .

Either that or the PRedV is 'letting by'? If that's what you get daytime, network can peak at the early hours too, so I'd also consider a strip / clean / inspection of the PRedV on the control group. Defo start at the EV, as these things don't last forever and you've had a bloody good run out of it, just odd to not be getting water on the secondary side of the bladder. I assume you'll mothball this while away and turn the stopcock off until your return?

Happy days. No problem at all, I've done more of these than I can remember. The only thing you'll need (want) to do is chat through the clamping and screwing of the flue components, as I have seen a terrifying number of vertical flues where they've not mechanically fixed the entire flue system and you could literally just lift it off the boiler. Also discuss all of the flue components being suitable, as there are horizontal flue and vertical flue options, and some parts cannot be used if it's a vertical; again I've seen loads of installs where we've then declared them as 'immediately dangerous' and have advised on getting it done properly (never goes down very well, but I am not the kind of person who would knowingly look the other way). Ask questions, choose well, enjoy the benefits

Yup, there's a sea of assholes who survive on people just handing over the money. I think you need to eliminate the ridge, as it needs doing anyway, and then review once that has been completed.

If carpeted you can run just inside the grippers, router out at the doorways (worst case). I’d have that done in a day with very little fuss / mess tbh. Kind of job that sounds worse than it is, and one people spend too much time worrying about vs just doing it, and the reality is maybe 2 days disruption including chasing and filling the walls ready to repaint. Hopefully it was your missis who wanted the room swapped around lol. 🤞😜

You can jump the generated picture from a set top box, with AV senders, but you can’t ping the coax TV signal I’m afraid. Skirtings and architraves off, run the cable, pop ‘em back on. 😢

If there’s a combi in the attic, you have to do 3 things or a service agent won’t go up there: 1) there must be a fixed access ladder, not a steps. 2) there must be lighting up there. 3) there must be floorboards from the hatch to the boiler 5-8m isn’t too bad tbf, but best to know the pro’s & con’s

The only kick in the knackers with putting the combi in the attic is a much longer wait for hot water at the furthest outlet. I’ve fitted scores of them in attics, but only after explaining this and the client accepting the compromise, so they don’t (can’t) come back and whinge afterwards. Consider this as the combi (if not a heat store type) will need flow (open the hot tap) for a sequence to occur to light and get to temp and then you get premium temp hot water out. A cloakroom basin hot tap a long way away wouldn’t see hot water in time for you to wash your mits after a pee, for eg.

Just remember if you don’t do that manual push quite rapidly the mechanism won’t press the micro switch that tells the boiler to light. The lever is only there to manually open the valve for commissioning / draining down, and if you move it slowly to the latched on position the micro switch won’t get operated You’d need to push it quite quickly, and then the momentum created sends the arm past the latch position, then it temporarily presses the switch, and then drops back away from it. First test as above is the starting point, then diagnosing from there will be by more process of elimination here Does sound like the motorised valve isn’t doing its thing, as the boilers not lighting but the UFH controls seem to be working as the pump comes on at the manifold, so should be easy to get the issue identified. Ask any questions and we’ll go through it step by step.

You’ll need to install a hot water cylinder, plus it’s likely that you’ll need to change all the rads to much bigger, or have a high temp split ASHP, which would prob have much worse COP.

It won’t be going in the garage!!! It would sap the heat energy out of the air in there in about 10 minutes. If someone says it can go in there then send them away 👉. Vaillant HEx have never been an issue afaik, so I doubt that a real problem. Many heat store combis out there so do a bit of googling. In honesty I haven’t bought a gas boiler to fit in over 6 years, so, unlike the aluminium, I’m a little rusty lol.

He was referring to the quote breakdown for the roofing works. Quite likely then the ridge is the common factor to both elevations? And you know it’s in disrepair. Perhaps find a tame roofer who will go up on a ladder with a bucket of compo and re-bed it all in properly and go from there. @Russell griffiths advice is what I’d also do but likely it’ll all point back to the ridge. Water / leaks are a PITA to find.

Any pics to see how good / bad? Who’s responsible, or is it just a case of getting on with it?

Hi. Do you know the pitch of the roof? It’s a little difficult to tell from the pics, so could you perhaps take one of the side of the house and we can then see it better, please? Looks more than adequate pitch for concrete tiles to work, I have a tiled roof much shallower than that on my rear lean-to and it’s not an issue. £2k for what is really a days work sounds like it’s expensive! Can be done off ladders too if they wanted, just health & safety gone mad these days.

There’s a really nice looking garden shed in the background. They’ve spent a lot of money fitting a nice door to it though, sheer madness!

Indeed, every day still remains to be a school day. I’ve learned an insane amount on here, plus actually being on site and being hands on with these “new technologies” has been absolute gold dust. Reading back through this, there’s a decent argument both ways, (type 3 vs 1), other than I disagree that type 3 would ‘damage’ EPS (as every one I’ve been on has had a sharp sand blinding over it). MBC, for one, lay that down quite meticulously tbf, so the devil is in the detail as always. I guess ground conditions, slope of site, water table etc (and more) would play huge parts here, so I guess this subject, as with others, would need much more info and be kept case specific to give an outright opinion or solution. No harm, no foul. 👍

I’m off to bed folks. “Springers final thoughts” are…. Don’t suffer mediocrity, especially after paying for something far better (on a promise). 👋 🛌

I am displeased with both your enjoyment, and lack of empathy.

Apologies for the break in comms, just got back from B&Q. My trophy shelf was rammed, so had to go get a second one. Excellence comes at a price folks, "beware".

I was considering that, as we did that for a job in Ipswich for the kicker course, and it made detailing the DPC/M there just a breeze, plus Nudura were happy to include it in their design approvals as a recognised method of sorting these detailed sections out. Essentially redundant if the concrete rising in between isn't 'damp' yes? I am quickly reminded why I love EPS ICF so much.

Exactly the type of architects I frequently meet, and despise with a vengeance; some I have had the client dismiss because of just how 'up there' they think they are. Then I introduce them to the ones I use and they say "ooooh, that's absolutely fantastic" lol. It's so easy to get it right, and there are so many people I cut my teeth around that I used to look up to, that I now don't give a second glance, it's mad. And I'm a nobody in the industry, just a loudmouth on a forum who'd otherwise just be lost in the noise. I just wish I got paid their salaries, particularly when I have to feed and burp them, change their nappies, and teach them the chuffing basics.......

It's actually pickling my brain tbh. Methinks the EPS would need to come off the concrete core of the ICF and then a liquid DPC applied. Did Nudura give you any detailing for this at all?