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Iceverge last won the day on April 11
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Off topic but I know you have an ijoist suspended floor. What's the total build up just for my own interest?
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The only way to get good quality work done is to get good quality people, give them a good brief, adequate supervision and treat and pay them properly. Bringing a complaint against his previous work, and then letting him loose on a bathroom to be expected to work for free was asking for trouble, I won't go so far as to suggest sabotage but I could understand his motivations if that was the case. Beware if you get a reputation for being an unfair customer it may be harder to get other people in time to come.
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dMVHR air quality question
Iceverge replied to chromaticmind's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
PIV with some good filters would work. You can make your own pretty cheaply. You'll need a few bits of ducting too. Suck in front the garden and allow the air to be expelled via the bedroom vents. No heat recovery but at least you'll have filtered fresh air. -
Steico Flex / Pavaflex for sound insulation?
Iceverge replied to Sparrowhawk's topic in Sound Insulation
It would be fine for a comparison I'm sure -
Steico Flex / Pavaflex for sound insulation?
Iceverge replied to Sparrowhawk's topic in Sound Insulation
Nice one. Can you do any kind of test before and afterwards to see the difference? -
I assume you want to isolate the noise from the floor below and have no access to the ceiling underneath you? How bad is the problem as is? Firstly seal all air paths with acoustic sealant. If it's a solid concrete floor you will have plenty of mass so mass loaded vinyl is a waste of cash. You then need to work on decoupling, specifically for impact noise. Doing this from above means some kind of squashy backing to the engineered flooring if you want to minimise height. However floating floors are pants. We have LVT floating and it feels loose. Carpet on your floor in higher traffic areas and a "no shoes" policy might be as effective as anything.
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MVHR and windows open
Iceverge replied to Trw144's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
We leave the window in our bedroom for much of the summer. I support we could turn the MVHR off but it's so cheap to run and as it guarantees fresh air regardless we don't bother. Despite my statz-esque approach to kids leaving the entrance door open I try to remember a house is there entirely for our benefit and and enjoyment and not as a science project. -
This post says a tremendous amount. Passive standard gives fairly random number. The complete purist who wants only to heat their house to exactly 20⁰ with a MVHR post heater doesn't exist in reality. Most of us are happier a little colder or warmer in reality. Passivhaus ignores this. Copying someone else who has done all the hard work and arrived at the best solution is a trait that should be applauded. It's a great use of brain power. Cheap ASHPs make perfect sense. A low cost insurance of UFH pipes for the "just in case" is well worth it. Also despite best planning and hopes life changes sometimes. It's only a house in the end, don't worry too much about it.
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Like lots of low energy builders I got completely bogged down by deciding on a heating system for our passive house. In the end I said "stuff this" to all the salesmen and opted for no heating. We use an electric resistive rad. I put some pull string patio heater style heaters in two bathrooms and a fan heater in the other for a bit of post shower comfort. I have no regrets about not opting for a full central heating system. However electric UFH just under the tiles would be nice in the bathrooms for little cost. I should really have made more provision for "just in case" but I had lost patience with the confusion and cowboy prices. That means: UFH pipes, Pipes for radiators, UFH resistive wires, a duct for an ASHP, a wall duct for A2A, A fused spur for a storage heater. Do one or two of these and then pour every other penny into the fabric and airtighess. When the house settles in 2 years you'll be able to make an economical and effective decision. We're putting in an A2A to cut the electric bills a bit.
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Steico Flex / Pavaflex for sound insulation?
Iceverge replied to Sparrowhawk's topic in Sound Insulation
Don't get hung up on the density of insulation for sound proofing. The main job of fluffy insulation is to dampen the reverberations or "drum effect" in a cavity. Concentrate on sealing each and every air path. Perimeter, board to board, wiring holes. Downlights are a disaster. The add some fluffy insulation for reverberation. Then add mass. Denser insulation of course helps but it's an expensive way to add those extra kgs. Standard plasterboard, soundbloc and OSB are all about the same price per kg and mug cheaper than insulation. If you're feeling really cheap sand in bags or plasterboard off cuts will all help if shoved between joists above the ceiling. Finally decouple the floors although this is more important for impact noises. Strips of carpet or rubber above the joists and resilient bars underneath. -
Do you have the original proposed drawings showing the metal hangers? Thermal bridging is really important once you get to high levels of insulation. I would encourage you to download THERM and have a play. It's not too user friendly and won't give you accurate results like @ADLIan says but it does give you a good feel for the situation. I suspect it'll put your mind at ease once you see how little point connections like wall ties matter and how much difference even 25mm of insulation makes to break a thermal bridge
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I think I've seen this somewhere. Before the finale of Grand Designs the producers arrive with lots of cushions and potted plants to disguise any exposed wires or abandoned breeze blocks.