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Everything posted by Nickfromwales
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Some advice on how to proceed self build
Nickfromwales replied to Paul Alan's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
Not at all. Just remember that replacing a soil and vent pipe ( SVP ) with an air admittance valve ( AAV ( btw, Durgo is a manufacturer of an AAV like Hoover is a vacuum cleaner )) you no longer vent your system to atmosphere. If you have neighbours either side with SVP’s then you’ll be fine, but if you are end of run I would recommend you preserve that point of venting the sewer gasses. On the soil / plumbing side, you sound in over your head. Part with some money and get a plumber to support you. Nothing stopping you T’ing into the stack to keep a WC pan connected and working, whilst using that run to carry on to the new location, then swap over in a day, blanking off the temporary loo. Just rotate the branch ( T ) when no longer required, to get it bellow floor level, and fit a cleaning eye / rodding cap in the branch to block it off. -
How do you make flat rooves that are not noisy?
Nickfromwales replied to smart51's topic in Flat Roofs
Put posi-joists in and create a 400mm void. Pump it full of cellulose and it will be graveyard quiet and very well insulated. Still run with resilient bars and 15mm SB plasterboard for cherry on ‘t cake. On another MBC PH TF atm and the silence inside is remarkable. -
Hi. ASHP’s ‘work’ all year round just fine. Slinky’s can be on sloping ground, no issues there. Unit can be at top ideally, as air rises, or you’ll need to make provision for venting any absolute high point(s). Would need to be a very adverse run to need additional venting, if the unit is at the highest point. You can have a smash and crash car derby afterwards, the pipe will be over 1m-1.5m down typically so do what you like once installed. Consider where the internal unit would go, as these are not quiet units, and can be quite a cumbersome installation once all necessary gubbings / ancillaries are installed. Monoblock ASHP’s have everything outside, so ask yourself “why” you need a GSHP first
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Current clients had to buy a crappy bungalow and knock it down to build over ( Headington ). Seems there's not much about there plot-wise that I've seen when driving to merchants / digs etc, but a lot of poor efforts that could benefit from knocking down Looks like you went that route. Have you had to retain / reuse the foundations? A PITA to get a good detail for insulation etc when you're stuck with 'what's there'?
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Bonjour. The search engine on here is pretty good, so get to writing down questions, and search those subjects! Don't be afraid to resurrect old threads, and ask as many questions as you need to
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Lol. We’re both getting an education here, I assure you
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Not really. It will be very specific the the inverter being ( or not being ) able to be AC / grid connected. It’s to do with synchronising the 50hz together, so a grid capable inverter will use the grid 50hz like a metronome to harmonise both bits of ‘equipment’. It’s why the parallel capable inverters need a cat5 umbilical, unit to unit, so they can all align to the grid frequency. That and other info.
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I believe the ones that run down to the sub zero temps have an integral electric blanket to keep the cells from getting that cold. Needs more reading tbh, as some descriptions are void of comprehensive details. The batteries own BMS probably takes the first chunk of charge to warm the cells, before allow the cells to recharge. Just picked up most of these scraps of info by scouring the net and some off-griddy forums. Plenty of gold out there, and here, just got to stop digging at some stage and plug this lot in.
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Low spots on gutter run..?
Nickfromwales replied to Crowbar hero's topic in Rainwater, Guttering & SuDS
Yup. Very few don't have some flat spots / standing water. -
Can you show exactly where the sliding doors are going? If the'y're going in the room currently called 'lean-to', then as a thoroughfare to outdoors it's becoming a less convoluted route to get from playroom to outdoors? TBH, it would be the same if they were going into the rear wall ( top of the drawing )? You're not adding a maze of corridors! As it stands, you need to get through 4 doors to get to outside / rear from the current playroom? Can you get a second opinion? Offer to install linked ( mains ) heat / smoke detectors in those rooms for early warning?
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_ssn=debattery-66&store_name=kepbattery&_dmd=2&_oac=1&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562#item2416985d05 Cheaper than Eco-worthy? Free shipping, so seems a better option. £365 ( total in Ebay checkout all in ) vs £482 ( including 'estimated taxes' at EW checkout ) at a quick glance. Both have internal BMS. Those 24v / 100Ah batteries come in @£748 per, so circa £1500 for 4.8kWh / £3k for 9.6kWh, so, if they are looked after and last 8 or more years I'm sure I will stay in the black. I'd be happy to break even tbh, if it means not buying from the grid. If your inverter is already your BMS ( hybrid ) then I like those prices! Buyer says "best offer" too, so may try a cheeky lower bid and see what they will drop by. Considering qty 2 of the 24v offerings for the get-go ( installed in series to get me to 48v for the Iconica ) and then possibly add more when I increase the size of the array, but tbh I will probably up my direct ( self ) consumption instead of adding more batteries as that's got longer legs / better economics. I very likely won't do anything more after the initial install eg until I have 4 seasons of statistical data tbh to reflect on. The plan is to oversize the PV regardless, to then have enough residual for the winter to chew into space heating costs, as I am going to fit A2A to get AC in the summer ( defo happening ). That can be used to heat the home too, or at least do a lot of the constant background heating vs heavy lifting ( where the existing gas CH will kick in to give things a nudge when it gets baltic ) plus a view to using gas at night ( if so required ) for quiet operation when sleeping. Over-all's will improve slightly with some downstream fabric upgrades, and the gas system will go ( be evicted ) eventually I expect, but I'm working on a decade long proposal atm as I will probably build something new / efficient after that and just migrate the panels with me ( 25 year warrantied - 30+ year expected lifespan on those ). Buyers perspectives will be much different by then I expect, so we will see if I leave the kit behind or not.
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Charging 'in' the cold Eg minimum working criteria / tolerances dictating where they reside.
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Yup. EPDM seems to wrinkle up a lot, and doesn't look good when it does imho. Long linear wrinkles holding water when at its worst. GRP is stable, concrete solid, and has great longevity. Colours can be manipulated by simply choosing different top-coats. Needs to be done properly, and not by someone who is skimping on the product eg leaving you with a wafer thin end product. Ask questions, and get answers in writing.
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Batteries will be in the man-shed / office with A2A space heating set to minimum of 15oC so no issue for me with temps, so looking like a better option than AGM atm.
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A bit more M2 of roof space for the same wattage of other 'on-grid' panels, but 6 and two 3's if you have the space to fit them? It says completely off-grid, so you'd need to research the inverter to see if it will accept a generator ( or grid AC ) feed as well as the panels and batteries. If not, it wouldn't be suitable for retrospective integration into an existing on-grid setup like yours afaik. The Iconica 11,000W hybrid I'm trying to source atm is one such device, eg which is capable of fitting into either camp ( on / off grid ), but, as I am not familiar with that offering linked above, I cannot say yay or nay for you. Would not be cost effective if you cannot simply plug the lot straight into your CU. The Iconica gives UPS out of the box also, with near zero switchover time, so in a power cut you'll stay lit and burning with just a 'blink'. You get a complete system, high capacity / spec, for the price most are just buying the batteries at ( size for size ). I have my 24 panels, all Tigo'd ), just the inverter to source and then it's "f**k you grid!". I do like the price / stats of the LiFePO4 batteries, and am looking on Alibaba etc to see what's about atm. Batteries are the one thing I'm currently deciding, with choices - panels ( procured ), optimisers ( procured ), and inverter ( waiting on new stock to arrive ) - now cemented.
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In terms of sign off, the GSR chap will look for 18.5mbar or above ( check the MIs of the appliance you select ) and that’s with the hot water tap fully open and the boiler going at 100% burner rate. The supply from the street is fine for a bigger meter, that’s all you’d need tbh. Combi kW ratings have zilch to do with heating, as that usually takes <12kW even in a poor dwelling, and specifically relates to the devices capability to produce DHW.
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Drill joists or box-in ceiling corner?
Nickfromwales replied to Crowbar hero's topic in General Plumbing
Yup. With today’s water bylaws, most taps / other outlets are flow governed by manufacture, so a 22mm feed is pointless. Also, unless this is a monster heat store combi, the cold inlet will be 15mm, so another reason to not employ 22mm hot pipework -
Drill joists or box-in ceiling corner?
Nickfromwales replied to Crowbar hero's topic in General Plumbing
You do not want to upsize the hot water pipe. You’ll massively increase the delay in getting hot water out of basin / sink taps. 👎 -
Drill joists or box-in ceiling corner?
Nickfromwales replied to Crowbar hero's topic in General Plumbing
FWIW, I’m on a TF house atm, with 300mm glulams and I got permission for pre determined / agreed location etc 96mm holes. Can be up to a 1/3 of the depth dependant on thickness of wood. -
Drill joists or box-in ceiling corner?
Nickfromwales replied to Crowbar hero's topic in General Plumbing
Structural engineers can help you decide where to drill that number of holes. You should be fine, don’t go to the expense and ugliness of boxing in etc 👎. You can stop the insulation ( if it’s actually required ) either side of the joist to make the holes smaller. What is the 22mm feeding? Not hot water? -
Membrane thickness for biscuit/PUG mix
Nickfromwales replied to Crowbar hero's topic in Underfloor Heating
+1 -
I doubt they’re massive tbh, so I’d stop worrying about that and look at practicality. Go with the garage, as when converted to AC all you “need” to do is upsize the cable to combat any losses vs distance. Say upgrade from a 4mm2 cable to a 6mm2 cable for eg. Done jobs where we’ve run the AC for 135m ( ground mounted PV with external inverter ) and was still performing extremely well as we upsized the SWA back to the CU. I think you’re over thinking a little. It’s all within the footprint of a single domestic dwelling so afaic you can relax a little and just apply a little sensible mitigation to get the best result from a practical installation
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Protection of ICF blocks in foundations
Nickfromwales replied to Joey's topic in Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF)
OK, firstly.... 350mm of XPS? Secondly.... Which ICF system is this? Woodcrete / EPS ? -
Space a plenty, speak on Obi Wan........
