FrankHouse

I am putting in log burning stoves in the 2 front rooms - they are externally vented so should be room sealed but my understanding is I will need them in there

A quick follow up for anyone who is interested or comes across this in the future: Normal house alarms with battery backups in the units are classified as grade D2, a centralised unit with a central battery is a grade C and there is a grade A which is higher spec still. You can go from a D2 to a C or A but not the other way around. There is no B. There is a domestic grade C system made by CTEC which can be retrofitted onto the normal three core and earth wiring you would use for interlinked alarms which has a single battery in the controller. This is quite a simple system and would probably be cheaper overall than AICOs (unless you get a good deal from ebay) and it has a central test and hush function. After all that I am going to use the AICOs recommended on here for the main reason that you can get a combined heat and CO alarm which I cant seem to find for the conventional grade C alarm system. The ceiling clutter is more important to me than the price, especially when you can get the AICO test button which gives most of the same functionality as the central system. So I went round in a big circle and ended up back where everyone else already was... but I enjoyed the journey!

I've just had the lintels on 2 of my windows replaced yesterday. I don't have a cavity and have 73mm brick. The builder removed a course of the outer and inner and used a concrete lintel inside where it won't be seen and a metal angle for the outer leaf. 2 lintels were because the inner and outer courses are a bit different in height as they use different brick and it gives a neater finish. Took him a while but I don't think you can tell it wasn't always like that. <I need to look at the posting dates before replying...>

I assume testing twice a year wouldn't be any more arduous than testing the individual units with a button? I'm not proposing getting into a service contract. is there some requirement for a service contract when you wire them via a panel that I am unaware of? I have had a look but can't see anything. I'm not sure why they would be any different to interlinked alarms. the function is still the same isn't it? I'm not trying to be difficult but am just trying to understand why everyone does it they way they do... if it's just because it's always done that way then fine, if it's a law then ok. HMOs and small commercial properties use panels.

I know this is probably sorted but my bc rejected the brick and slate packers that had been put in as he said the can crumble and we needed to use metal or timber shims. May just be his opinion but what they say goes!

Usually the answer to this is yes... I find a complicated solution then after a few days go back to something simpler. It goes above the interlinked requirements. but it's a good point about the single point of failure. I suppose the only undetected dangerous failure would be a fire in the fire panel taking out the battery. I'd hope that's not credible... as for sounders in every room. I don't think that's necessary but isn't a problem. it's detection nor sirens I want in every room. I just assumed a central commercial panel wired in a star would be better than loads of daisy chained individual units. Being more resilient to obsolescence, easier to fault find and cheaper for big systems. But maybe its overcomplicated

I just like the idea of a sensor in every room. I know building regs specify the minimum but I have gone well beyond building regs in most aspects of the building. With the amount of electronics now, never mind when my kids grow up, with questionable quality li-ion batteries, I think there is a risk in bedrooms particularly. So I am aiming for LD1. I've seen the silence button and like the functionality. I'll keep my eyes open on ebay and reassess the costs

I want to put detectors in every bedroom and living room as well as the hallways. I also need a heat detector in the kitchen. In total I need 9 smoke detectors, 1 heat detector and 2 smoke (or heat) and CO alarms. I'm a big fan of wired rather than wireless and read that AICO seem to be a favourite on this site. Costing these up, they seem to be about £46 for a HD or SD and 77 for the CO and HD combined. This is a total of about £614 excluding cabling. Now it seems to me that for this price I could put in a centralised control panel in the plant room and wire back to it and probably have some change. The individual detectors are much cheaper and I would only need sounder bases in the corridors and say the kitchen downstairs which is central. The central system has the benefit of a single battery which is charged and the sensors are smaller and look a bit nicer as well as being cheaper to replace when they go out of date... So has anyone else made the decision to go for a central fire panel and had problems with it or have I missed something vital? Its an extension so I don't think I have any BC requirements to check it and I'll be wiring it myself so that may be a big factor in cost.

is breathable more forgiving? Doesn't this mean that you will definitely get moisture throughout the structure so won't the walls be wetter? I'm not sure if that's a problem or not... I understand that moisture can evaporate from both sides but there will be a moisture gradient through the wall is my assumption. the difference is that it won't be all at one point so it would look different and would all be in one place (as you have seen) but surely the same moisture is there?

I have read around the subject and all of the posts on this forum I could find so am aware of the two camps. I'm in the camp that hopes doing it myself and taking care will result in a workable outcome. But I also acknowledge that its a risk, but at least its my risk. I put a post in the heat insulation section to discuss what other mitigation I can put in but haven't seen any replies yet. As you say its very anecdotal at the moment and the academic work is lacking. I'd have thought there would be loads of people on here with iwi pir that works as they installed it years ago?

Thanks, I think I am convinced about a star wiring layout now and putting in cat 6 as a loop upstairs and downstairs. I'm wiring it all to a terminal box so it can be jumpers back to standard if required. I think I have convinced myself that the shelly wired switch modules are what I am going to use and the wireless dimmers on a local wireless network just for them. The seem like the knx route to have some distributed intelligence which I like but without the knx module and software cost. Also they have a Web interface so I can use that to start before switching over to my own centralised controller as I have time The only reason I don't like the other solutions is the lack of control as I like to be independent and not tied to any specific supplier. I hear what you ar saying about dealers being available i just dont have the bandwidth to deal with at the mlment. that being said if a replacement came along I would just swap out the switching box for a different solution.

I had to Google what that was am still none the wiser to be honest.

Thanks, i swing back and forwards between admiring the different bits and then disliking the asymetry... but overall I like it. it was a t shaped building with two large front rooms and a small kitchen dinning room, scullery at the back. we are squaring it off and adding a modern looking section to the rear with the usual big open kitchen diner. Inside the old bit, it's back to brick to try and make it affordable in the era of high energy prices, so pir insulation, ufh, ashp, mvhr... all the acronyms you can think of. I'll put up pictures as I move through the build.

I'll go with that for want of another option then. its less than a reel and hopefully means I am as prepped as I can be for whatever comes... feels nice to have made a decision!

This has all been really helpful. I'm keen on installing infrastructure now even though I know some of it will be unused but I never want to take a wall down again. all of my plumbing is point to point so no reason wiring shouldn't be as well. I'm going to run all of my lighting back to the plant room. every switch point will be wired back as well with three core and earth so it can be rewired in any way I want later or be a thermostat location. for sockets I may install smart plugs but off normal radials or rings as needed. I'll run multiple ethernet cables to each location as that was already my plan and I have the cable. I am now wondering if I should run a control cable around the switch points... if I do there are competing standards, knx, dmx, ethernet to each point. I think I might just leave this out as no matter what I do it will probably by wrong!