LA3222

My experience so far is that anyone "qualified" to install an ASHP setup does so for the racketeering that is an MCS installation. The minute you tell them exactly what you want and you are not interested in the RHI as it is pennies in payments the shutters come down or they try you have your trousers down at £350 day rate?‍♂️ I have done a fair bit of reading in the evening of the last few nights and I can see no reason why I can't do this myself, therefore I will be doing it myself. I'm actually looking forward to cracking on with it now, I'm just not at that stage yet.

I'm dipping in and out of plumbing at the minute Nick and I had this thread at the back of my mind as your argument made me rethink the HRC situation and its probably something I will incorporate. Part of what put me off is not understanding how it is configured to a manifold setup - are you able to sketch out briefly the setup you describe above? I'm struggling to envisage how I connect up two pipes (flow and return) to the outlet/tap. Do you run two pipes to it and tee them at the tap with a short piece going from the tee to the tap? Effectively giving you a loop with a bit sticking out of it. So you have the hot feed going to a manifold so you can feed each individually. Whats the best way to deal with joining up the return pipes before feeding back to the tank? Another manifold? TIA

You tried asking BPC?

Ha ha, that's exactly what I thought. Definitely trying to have my trousers down - I've got visions of the film Human Traffic and a corporate shafting !!

Signal Inputs: In1= Room Thermostat 1 Input (Refer to SW2-1 in DIP Switch Functions) Dip Switch Functions: SW2-1 = Room thermostat1 input (IN1) logic change --> OFF is when "Zone1 operation stop at thermostat short", ON is when "Zone1 operation stop at thermostat open" I may be wrong but this says to me that you need to use In1 and not In4. Then when the thermostat is shorted the heating demand will be off, when the thermostat goes open circuit the heating demand will be on? I'm reading on the fly with this so there is a lot of info I've skipped and i may have missed something important.

An update ref plumbers not being interested in doing a non mcs/rhi install. Had one get back to me and said he wants £45/hr including traveling time one way. Reckons will take 6 to 12 days to plumb in the ASHP, UVC and buffer etc. so approx £2k to £4k to do the above! @PeterW am I wrong to think this bloke is trying to have my trousers down? Another 'push' towards just getting on with it and do it myself?‍♂️

Before reading any of the comments I drew same conclusion as @ProDave. It mentions dip switch settings?

If you go inroof the SIP roof panels will sit in the web and you can insulate the flange underneath? If you batten out the whole underside of the roof that will give you a 38mm service cavity, in this 38mm space where the steel flange is you can cover it with insulation. Use 40mm of aerogel insulation and you will have it well covered then? I have a steel.goalpost arrangement exposed to my cavity, I covered it in the aerogel stuff, not cheap but its a solution that makes the best of the issue?‍♂️

I took the view that even if I cant get the VAT back it still worked out cheaper than buying in the UK?‍♂️

OK, I prefer that as it means I can take my time working out from the manual how to get it all set up myself rather than paying the spark to learn it.

You've given me some food for thought here @PeterW It prompted me to contact a couple of companies that install ASHP and I quickly realised it will be hard to find a company willing to do it non MCS/RHI install. They all want their pound of flesh with the extra overage on cost that an MCS install brings. This brings me back full circle to doing it myself as far as practicable. I'm not after complicated control systems using RPi etc, just a simple setup where if the UVC or UFH buffer call for heat, the ASHP turns on and supplies said heat. I'm trying to find a plumber to do the all of the plumbing between the ASHP and UFH manifolds and the G3 cert. In theory this would leave me having to connect the ASHP into the start of the circuit and the manifolds to the buffer vessel and then it would be complete from a mechanical sense. Electrically, wiring the FTC would have to be done by the electrican for Part P purposes?

Cheers Dan, I was looking for something else to read to fill all that spare time I have???

I was hoping go, given the frequent mentions of people successfully self installing i figured it would be relatively straight forward. Now I'm thinking otherwise. I dont doubt I can do it myself, I just hadn't anticipated the amount of pre reading necessary to get myself up to speed on it all. I've been doing some reading on W plans etc and that all makes sense to me now. I'm reading up on the other aspects of the setup now such as what goes on the cylinder, D1 requirements etc.

Got me some heavy reading to do!! It was the images of the pre plumbed mitsubishi cylinders which had me confused as they show the box attached to the cylinder. So, I still have all that, it just sits on the wall connected to the third party cylinder rather than on it.

After another look i think my head has cleared a bit!!! FTC2s are for big buildings like flats etc, FTCs 5/6 are single units for an individual house. So if I buy an Ecodan ASHP I also need either an FTC5 or FTC6 controller to go with it? I then need to get a third party cylinder to suit and bobs your uncle??

I have been looking some more at these ASHP and its slightly confusing. I'm sure with a bit more reading I will suss it out but as members on here may have/may understand this already it may save me some time!! The Flow Temperature Controllers for the ASHP - what is what? What is required? I see the FTC2 is a medium sized box but then confusing there are digital controllers labelled FTC5 or FTC6??? I believe that they are not the same thing even though the name is the same. Images I see has the FTC2 sat on the tank, does this have some role to play with the mitsubishi pre plumbed UVC? If so, do I require this if I go for a Telford cylinder? The FTC5 i assume I will need as this is the interface with the ASHP, allows setting inputs etc. I intend to go with the Ecodan ASHP but a UVC from elsewhere. If someone can clarify what else I need with it in terms of controllwrs etc that would be great ? TIA

For future members who may be looking to purchase Intello Pro Clima membrane, Tescon Vana airtight tape etc, cheapest place I managed to find is a company in Germany. A search for Latzel Dammstoffe should find them. My order was with me within a couple of days, very keen pricing when compared to UK companies.

I had 360 sheets of 75mm to do, found the quickest way was to use the insulation blade on the multitool to score through the foil, another run to cut through and then finish with the bahco saw to cut the foil backing. Horrible messy job, covered in PIR dust head to toe every day I did it. Tried using a face mask, zero help. I spent a couple of weeks eating/breathing PIR, horrible stuff.

You have a flair with words?

I'm putting wall hung toilets in. With the down stairs toilet I'm going to build the stud out to hide the frame and SVP, ill run a horizontal pipe across from the toilet to drop into the SVP much like you propose her. With this being a ground floor shower, bot sure how you'd tie that in, a low profile trap but then getting the fall. If you go for a deeper slab could you put a bit of formwork in to keep it clear of concrete?

I'd agree more concrete is better, it will change the profile of the EPS insulation pieces though as the perimeter upstand will need to be 50mm higher?, which may affect pricing. If its feasible then I'd say do away with the pads, it will make things easier for you. Not sure what model it was, the neighbour is a builder and it was his. A variant of the Leica Rugby family, I expect most of the more expensive types do this, it just wasn't something i had considered until the neighbour set it up. A doddle to set up and a boon to use.

Yeah, I had to tap into the main sewer just outside the drive at 3m depth. It was a 60m run to the house but falls were easy to sort out. Whilst mentioning falls, @SuperJohnG the better Lazer levels have a function on them which allows you to input the required fall into it. Once the staff is set you can then just walk down the drain run and measure away without having to change/recalibrate anything else. Makes life so bloody easy when getting the falls its unreal!

What will that do to your kore quote? Simplifying sounds good, if I'd thought about it I'd have been happy to up spec the slab vs mess around with pads.

7, i have 14 port manifolds so a quite a few of my runs are doubled up.

@JamesP the MVHR system is something I'm trying to wrap my head around at the minute as I should be ready to install in December (I have the kit now, from BPC too). Your min boost extract rate is very similar to my own value of 81.3l/s. I am trying to understand how BPC assign each rate to the rooms, I assume it must be a function of the whole rate proportional to the room volume but i haven't got to the stage of playing with figures yet. I have a lot more supply/extracts than you - design done by BPC. I only have one extra en-suite to you but they specified an extract in the hallway too. Ours builds seem similar in terms of size and no. of rooms yet they specified the Vent Axia High Flow and i have 8 extract / 10 supply. Have they underspecified for you in terms of MVHR unit? and is that the source of the issues you are having? I'm no expert, just pondering why our specs are so different.