Del-inquent

Just had a chat with them, very helpful people. Can't sell to me direct but gave me the name of a contact they sell to regularly that can help. Cheers for that!

S.E was definitely not happy about that idea. I'm just not sure on what his alternative proposal involves. DPM, chuck a tonne of PIR board in to fill up the void then minimum screed on top of that by the sound of it? From the reading I've done this morning that would need 65-75mm screed, I think. Would 75mm screed atop 175mm insulation atop a concrete raft be good? If I wanted to throw in UFH while we're making a mess, would I need to increase the screed?

Structural engineer came round today to assess if a few things were possible. While here we touched on the subject of our ground floor, which is generally sh!te with a touch of "it'll just about do" thrown in here and there. From work carried out last couple of weeks, it seems we have a raft foundation. The raft has dwarf walls on it, joists on those, total is about 270mm between top of what I assume is the concrete raft and the top of the current floorboards. I asked about ripping all the wood out and just filling with concrete, he's not happy about the weight loading if it is just a raft. He suggested we could consider putting a tonne of insulation in the void and just the minimum screed on top of that. Didn't get to talk any further on it as time was up but I'm now wondering about this approach. Not something I have any experience whatsoever of so looking for any info, suggestions, methods, cost...

The vermin problem appears very minor and historic, but is going to be addressed during the works - there is only one place they could be getting in / out without running around inside the house. I think the electrician is more worried about the floors, which won't come up easily in future in any way shape or form. Run to CU is definitely easy as that's being replaced and first socket is 4ft from it! My main issue with the size of conduit though is from CU down, there are already chases around CU and I think it'll start to get a bit "thin" in those parts. Maybe I should just cap from CU to first socket and conduit from there onwards?

So you basically ended up with a ring made of 4mm2? Only reasons I've not thought on radials are a: I've never planned a radial, so was trying to avoid learning something new at a time where I'm already working 15 hour days 7 days a week 😅 b: the house is a small chalet basic box, the layout of sockets looks like a big circle, so it made sense to join the ends up. Maybe I should rethink!

I asked the same question, we'd have to do it in one hit to do that which isn't possible, we simply can't do it for a number of reasons. (life has a habit of being an a**e at times). The existing ones have been under the floor for 80 odd years and not done too badly, the flexi allows us to get it ready a little at a time. I just have no idea how it is usually put in lol

This is probably going to sound like a REALLY dumb question, apologies I have never used flexi conduit before so literally clueless on it. We're having to do our refurb in little bits, but need to prepare for the GF ring to be replaced eventually. We have been advised as it's being run under the floorboards (which are being replaced a room at a time) it would be easiest to run flexible plastic conduit in with pull chords fitted as we go which will a: give a bit of added safety as there has been some historic rodent activity and b: leave it ready for them to then pull wires through later once ready. All new socket chases will be done as well (because they're currently at skirting height) so we thought we might as well meet current regs and put them at 450mm, which will help me as I've got a knackered back. How do you physically route the conduit with a ring? The ring has obviously got to go up to each socket then then back down to continue the ring, so one flexi chased into the wall with both cables in seems the obvious way to do that, but what happens under the floor as (again obviously) the ring splits goes off in two directions from each socket. Can you get Y adapters for it? Or do you have to chase two flexi's in the wall for every socket and have a single cable in a way oversize conduit for the task? Or can you get smaller than 20mm flexible plastic conduit?

They're all running within 150mm of corner of room so thankfully not a problem, but a good shout on sticking a socket as a way around it, hadn't thought of that!

Fortunately new position is almost directly opposite old CU position just on the other side of the wall, so nearly all the cables will just be poked through and remain as-is. Only really the GF ring main which will need a new chase and is being replaced anyway, so that'll go in a safe zone too

About 80 yrs old 😂 I’ve been debating the blocks used as they have all the look and feel of breeze blocks but for some reason they cut really nicely! Had to chase a few bits and bobs in and there and unlike any breeze block I’ve cut before, these you can get an almost polished finish on! must admit I don’t fully understand the difference between cutting into a structural cavity wall and cutting into a structural internal wall. They’re both structural afterall

It’s 1/3rd vertical and 1/6th horizontal - though I’ve yet to look into over what length that applies to as obviously you’d not be able to recess any box on that basis if it was absolute! I assume it means over a longer cable length, rather than as a small section (otherwise you’d not even be able to sink a 35mm double socket into a 100mm block wall!)

Makes sense. This might be a really dumb question (I'm very good at those...) but is there any reason that I couldn't partially recess a Wylex CU? I was looking at what options there are on recessed CU's and happened across a thread in another group where they were discussing sinking in a Wylex, who also provide flush-fit face panels for the same boxes. If the box is okay to be fully recessed, or mounted fully surface mount, I couldn't think of any reason it couldn't be partially recessed! Only reason I am thinking of it is because the surface mount ones all have the top and bottom knockouts, and look a bit cack as a result.

yes so there’s two places the CU can go in the same corner - either on the internal leaf of the external wall, just to one side of the external meter box, or on an internal dividing wall that as you say is perpendicular to the external wall that the meter box is in. The edge of the meter box is basically at the end of the perpendicular wall, and the CU would be mounted in the corner whichever wall it is decided on, so drilling through will be in exactly the same place either way! probably help if I drew a diagram out tomorrow of the two options. main query is if it’s okay to sink a recessed CU into a single skin internal block wall as then it would be accessible but unobtrusive in the room.

Wall behind it is having most of the plaster / render taken off, and there will be a full height kitchen cupboard going in later so will be very well hidden! it’s where all the current cables go anyway so half are already there

Can anyone confirm if 25mm swa is preferred to loop up and in cavity of if just some double insulated tails are okay?

That’s precisely what I’ve asked? From a regs perspective can you fit a recessed into a single skin internal wall, or do they have to go into an external wall?

That one actually doesn’t look too bad, what make / model is it? All the ones I’ve looked at have been a bit cack looking

The meter box is fitted and they’re putting the internals in, in a couple of weeks. It’s the CU that’s the issue at the moment

Single skin block wall. I don't mind the challenge if it means not having a big box stuck on the wall. I guess it's more a question of if it meets regs if it is recessed into a single skin internal brick wall. The new circuits is a whole other conversation lol. I know it's going to be painful, but to be honest EVERYTHING about this "light renovation" has turned into a steaming great turd of pain and suffering. The only plus side is that the alternative new position is *almost* directly opposite the existing CU which is currently the other side of the internal wall. We need three new circuits run in, but all the ones that would be a right pita can in theory just be poked through the wall into the new box. The person that did a partial rewire in the past even helpfully left enough slack on 3 of the 4 cables to mean they'll require no effort at all!

Before I go into the questions, I should point out I'm not doing the work, a qualified sparky is, they just want decisions from me. They're unavailable at the moment and I refuse to be one of those customers that calls while they're trying to take a holiday. 😅 We're having our supply and meter moved. DNO and supplier consulted, without massive expense there was only one location for it to go, so a recessed box has been put in the outside wall. We need a new CU and a new position for it. Original plan was fused isolator in box, 10m of 25mm SWA run from meter box, under floor to inside utility cupboard. That now cannot happen as the only space it would fit is needed for something else. Only other place I can think to put it is in the corner of our office which is very close to the meter box (2 ft away in fact). So questions are: Can we fit a recessed CU on an internal wall, or is it only cavity walls you can put them in? If recessed isn't an option, are there any good quality ones that look half decent surface mounted? Both this new position or the old one require the cable to be in the cavity for a short stretch, because... well recessed meter box doesn't give much choice does it. Would you just stick with 25mm SWA even in the new close location as it's in the cavity a short distance? Any downside to keeping the SWA? Any other general advice or thoughts accepted as I've killed way too many braincells on this job.

No, they have to inspect the box fitting before the main goes in next week, but it's the hole from the meter through to the boiler feed I need to make before I fit the box, has to go down the outside wall a couple of inches then through the cavity, rather than through the back of the box / spigot.

hopefully a simple one, I've got to drill a hole through the cavity wall for the replacement gas main to go from the meter box outside to inside. Can't get hold of the gas safe engineer that's doing it to confirm if there is a specific size needed for a specific duct, any pointers appreciated!

We called them and BT confirmed that there is a definite fault on the line, so when the engineer comes out we will also query the way it's been wired as well, hopefully that will at least be a step in the right direction!

I've got trace software on there. It's beyond pathetic. I'm going to be moving them to a new ISP regardless as they're paying full fibre prices for dial up connectivity and the ISP has no interest whatsoever in resolving it.

Odd one this, my parents have developed significant issues with their internet and asked me to have a look. They live in the middle of nowhere so it’s always been iffy but now it’s absolute crap. My first assumption was a mouse has lunched on the cable in their roof somewhere, so I was going to run a new cable from the point the Openreach cable becomes their cable to the router to test it. Every installation I’ve ever seen has black and green as one line, orange and white as another on the Openreach cables. I’ve looked up as many references as possible and they all concur. at my parents place, black and green are crimped together and fed to one wire in their internal, orange and white are crimped together and fed to another wire in their internal?! anyone ever seen this before? Only ever been touched by BT/Openreach previously! I’m leaving it well alone until we can get hold of BT but of course that is a nightmare in itself.