tuftythesquirrel

Good morning all, Could anyone recommend a really durable external wood paint? I’m using the following system at the moment: Gori 11 Wood Preservative Gori 99 Extreme Opaque Wood Finish It’s water based, so dries really quickly. I’ve used it before and it seems to offer good long term protection, however I have the following issues: It seems to really emphasise the wood grain effect. Where we have plain doors (no wood grain), I was trying to tone down the wood grain in the bespoke door frames we have had made, to get a better match. However, it seems to have really sunk into to grain. Last week I painted the door to our bat roost. The door was made last year and has always been kept inside. This week the paint still seems tacky i.e. if you leave anything on it, when you remove it, there is a slight “stiction” before you can move the item. The paint still seems slightly soft. Could anyone recommend a good long term painting solution. Many thanks.

Wise words, if only I had known...

Great suggestion, I'll do the same when my KOMFORT EC SB550 breaks down 😁

Yes and the slab is never perfectly flat, so there is more opportunity to correct any undulations going over it twice.

What they said above. When I used to phone a merchant and order Celotex, they just hear, that white stuff over in the corner of the yard and delivered Recticel regardless. The thermal conductivity for all the products is very similar in any case. The most important factor is how it is installed – what can be detrimental to the performance is gaps. I did multiple layers of it (because no one stocks it 250mm thick). I filled all joining surfaces with an airtight sealing foam as you would use mortar on blocks and also sealed the top of the joints with foil tape. A bit over the top maybe, but there ain’t no gaps. The biggest saving by far I found was to buy seconds locally. A chap delivered us 2 trailer loads, he said he gets it from the Kingspan factory. It was probably less than half price.😁

Lime & Cement I had a builder friend renovate part of our 450 year old house. He said he would use a lime & cement mix for the internal render, since he had been doing it "all his life". It failed and cracked in the time honoured tradition, so that you could see every one of the stone mortar joints under the render. When I susequently went on a lime building course at Ty Mawr Lime, Brecon, I relayed my experience. They said the mix was totally inappropriate and bound to fail. They also advised that the modulus of elasticity of the lime mix is some 400 times more flexible than good old cement. We removed it and re-rendered it with lime and it was perfect. Unfortunately, it seemed to me he had been doing it "all his life" wrong!

I've used these and the Everbuild Aquaseal is a much better (different) product, much more durable. TDS says "no rising moisture?

I was only looking for a waterproof, easily applied, durable covering. I've got an in built aversion to anything two pack. That is, manufacturers instructions say 30 minutes gel time and you're 15 minutes in and it's started to gel and your brush is stuck to the roof, mould or anything else you are using it on. This product is is way more flexible than polyester resin, even with multiple layers of fibre in it and you've much, much longer to get it on the substrate, literally hours. I've coated a piece of internal floorboard and left it outside 18 months ago (in the sun and rain etc.) and it still looks like I just put it on.

I wouldn't want to do any fibre glassing on the roof. I wonder why someone hasn't come up with a resin that uses moisture to set, like PU glue. I can recommend the Everbuild Aquaseal. I used it because it was a single coat application. I looked others, but priming and top coating would extend the job time. I put on a double coat of fibre glass, the second at 90 degrees to the first, then two more coats. It UV resistant out of the can, whereas other products need a top coat. I used it on a pitch change on our Kingspan Quad-Core metal roof. The professional roofer had attempted a fiberglass joint which blew off in the wind, it was worse than useless. I would definitely use this on a flat roof if it had to. Everbuild technical support were very helpful. https://www.sealantsandtoolsdirect.co.uk/everbuild-aquaseal-liquid-roof-membrane-coating-21kg-grey-aqliqrfgy21?language=en-gb&currency=GBP&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw48-vBhBbEiwAzqrZVIIoeVRo2Uq_AorAxtICel9dYxZNqqNpzFaSn7J-g7lzr8sZM2PNrRoCrEcQAvD_BwE

Could you tell me how thick was the XPS as it will affect the budget if I go thicker. Thanks.

@joth Out of interest what were the "tricks" he wanted to use. I had our BCO tell me I could I could tape up the windows and doors - but I don't think I want to, since it sort of defeats the point of buying the triple glazed windows etc. and we won't be living like that. I wasn't clear where all the "rules" were written down 😏

Hi @Big Jimbo, I've had a response from the BCO, who seems to have changed his story, in that he now agrees with me that the BS 7671 EIC form can't be used. He is now saying that the building control (or council) maintenance team can be used to do this. There is a special Development Category (D71) for "electrical work - carried out by others" for which there is a fixed charge of £650 (inc. VAT). He said there are inspections at the first and second fix stages, which I'm going to try to change and ask them to review my electrical schematics before I start the install, rather than them pick things up after they have been installed. I've also asked him what type of documentation they produce, since the Part P approved document says that neither the BS 7671 EIC and EICR are suitable. I'll see what happens.

Thanks @Big Jimbo I think that helps me - well keeps my moral up at least. I think I will propose that to my BCO and use your reasoning. I hadn't realised there might be instances where you couldn't get an EIC due to the circumstances you mention. The building regulations sort of steer you away from what is now called an EICR (below), but I think it is the only sensible alternative and I have no hidden cables at the moment. 1.29 A third party could only sign a BS 7671:2001 Periodic Inspection Report or similar. The Report would indicate that electrical safety tests had been carried out on the installation which met BS 7671:2001 criteria, but it could not verify that the installation complied fully with BS 7671:2001 requirements – for example with regard to routing of hidden cables

Sorry but as I said in the thread, I am not a craftsman/tradesman. I was responsible for the design of systems in terms of the hardware and software (of the automation) but the installation and testing was another individuals responsibility. So I don't have any form of "card".

Hello, I am in Wales and am attempting to find out from my Building Control officer what paperwork I need to satisfy him regarding the electrical work. He has said I need a BS 7671 EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate). I’ve been an electrical engineer for decades so I want to carry out the electrical work myself. However, even though I have a degree in electrical engineering and worked in the automation industry for that period, I do not have an 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS7671:2022) qualification. My electrician says he can’t provide an EIC, since he won’t be carrying out the work himself. BS 7671 says “the person signing the EIC is responsible for the "Design, Construction. Inspection and Testing". That’s seems quite reasonable. The current approved document P, as I understand it, seems to cater for installers who are not qualified e.g. contractors or DIYers (See 1.24 below). It then specifically says not to use the BS 7671 EIC for the certification (See 1.27 and 1.28 below). It doesn’t say what you need to provide and hands it over to BC, who in my case ask for a document (EIC) that shouldn’t be used! c. Where installers are not qualified to complete BS 7671 completion certificates 1.24 Where such installers (who may be contractors or DIYers) carry out notifiable electrical work, the building control body must be notified before the work starts. Where the work is necessary because of an emergency the building control body should be notified as soon as possible. The building control body then becomes responsible for making sure that the work is safe and complies with all relevant requirements in the Building Regulations. Certification of notifiable work.... c. Where installers are not qualified to complete BS 7671 completion certificates.... 1.27 A building control body will not issue a BS 7671 installation certificate (as these can be issued only by those carrying out the work), but only a Building Regulations completion certificate (the local authority) or a final certificate (an approved inspector). Third party certification 1.28 Unregistered installers should not themselves arrange for a third party to carry out final inspection and testing. The third party – not having supervised the work from the outset – would not be in a position to verify that the installation work complied fully with BS 7671:2001 requirements. An electrical installation certificate can be issued only by the installer responsible for the installation work. So my question is does anyone else have experience of what I need to do (in Wales would be nice), since what my BCO is asking for doesn’t seem correct. Thanks.

Good afternoon, Hope the sun is shining with you all. I would appreciate some advice regarding my connections to my UFH manifolds. The pump and mixer valve are an Emmeti TM3 R Pump Set. There are 2 x 1” BSP connections for 22mm the supply and return pipes. The pump has isolation valves to the right on the manifold. My question is, should I put inline isolation valves in the 22mm supply lines, so if I ever need to change the pump set? That would save me having to drain down the supply lines that go all the way to the plant room, some 20m away. Any advice would be appreciated.

Yum, my favourite 😊

Could anyone help me with our MVHR installation. It's a Komfort EC SB Heat Recovery Unit - 550, using their BlauFast Radial Duct Manifold Box and 75mm semi-rigid ducting. We have a large vaulted area in the middle of the building, which is our kitchen/diner. This is 10m x 6m, with a 5.5m pitch roof/ceiling. The services that run through this area are all run on suspended galvanised traywork (see pic.). I want to run the MVHR in this area in 80mm round spiral galvanised duct (possibly Lindab), since the bright green 75mm plastic duct will look a bit out of place. At some point I will need an adapter to convert the duct from 75mm plastic to 80mm metal. Also, I need an adjustable metal supply/extract valve on the end on the 80mm duct. Again because the plastic plenum box they supply to fit in ceilings in not suitable or pleasing to the eye. I'm having trouble getting either of these items off the shelf. Could any suggest a supplier. Thanks.

I'm only speaking as a humble electrical engineer, but I would say NOPE

Another impressive example. Some pics would be nice. Again pushing the average up. Might need to update the table @Alan Ambrose😄

That should get the average up🤪

Sad I didn't make the table - about 53m2 (9.5mx5.6m). Is it because it's in Wales?. @Nickfromwales what do you think?

Good work - easy to rectify at the design stage - good job you didn't build it 😁

Certainly not, it's great practical feedback on how the building technology is working. At least you are aware of the concept, which is a good start. People (other builders) thought I was nuts when I chopped off the protrusions from our steel roof trusses that were punching a big hole in the insulation, prior to fitting the EWI. Glad I did. It would be nice to see some pics. (Got thermal imaging camera envy).