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-rick-

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Everything posted by -rick-

  1. Concrete can work with the right design. Does need careful thought though and I certainly don't think it's worth a premium price.
  2. Thats the right thing to do. Worked as intended then! Good to know of the problem straight away. Though if it really made an impression on you maybe you had the pressure a bit too high
  3. In a low temp system I'd guess not. My planning around this is to aim to not worry about kitchen cabinets etc. Seems like extra effort to try and route around things and in the event the layout is changed in future might you end up with an area of floor that is a touch cooler than others (I can't see it affecting room temp but might be noticable with feet on the floor).
  4. I thought it was profitable including the satellite launches but could have misunderstood. They are raking in billions a year and thair launch costs are extremely low because of rocket reuse.
  5. Cost wise, Starlink is already profitable so any 5G add on service doesn't have to worry about paying for that. AFAIK the Starlink mobile service is mostly text only where it exists. Voice calls maybe coming but not sure it's going to have much in the way of data. It can be good as fill in in sparsely populated areas but the cells are too big to handle normal usage.
  6. Video showing a bit more of what’s in the ceiling IMG_8617.mov .
  7. Appreciate that, it's why I'm not rushing to do it and asking lots of questions, it's not leaking right now so I can afford to take my time. I think it's approachable in my situation because: 1. There is a ball valve isolator about 10m away from my front door that I know works because I used it yesterday when the fitting was leaking. I can use that for isolation and it's close enough that I can reach it in a hurry if something goes wrong. 2. I am at home most of the time and wouldn't be leaving any new change unattended. Feel free to tell me I'm crazy. I'm not sure it is. I can't see a plasson option for a 90 elbow MDPE->copper so I'd have to take the copper above the plasterboard, 90 there and then convert to MDPE with a straight coupling, while stiff the MDPE pipe still has a bit of flex in it. I'll attach a video showing the space available. IMG_8615.mov If I have to cut the MDPE pipe back anyway from the elbow and attach a straight coupler there then it's the same number of fittings either way. The prices on the pipestock website for the right tools are low enough that the right tools isn't a barrier. Given the access available I think I'd prefer to use a ratcheting plastic pipe cutter than a hacksaw (feel I'd make a right mess of the pipe with a hacksaw). That all sounds fine. I'm home most of the time anyway so this isn't a problem.
  8. I thought the full fibre products fed back the fibre direct to the local exchange (which should have at least some degree of backup power and be prioritised to restoration in event of an outage). Not sure if they have generators or not (I would guess they do in places with frequent outages). So maybe outages isn't such a worry?
  9. Right so Plasson it is. Plasson Compression or Push fit? For the elbow: https://www.pipestock.com/plasson/pushfit-fittings/plpf-elbow-90 (350107 - 32mm push-fit) https://www.pipestock.com/plasson/compression-fittings/plmf-elbow-90 (352354 - 32mm compression) For the copper connection: https://www.pipestock.com/plasson/pushfit-fittings/coupling-pe-x-copper (350068 - 32mm to 28mm push fit) https://www.pipestock.com/plasson/compression-fittings/adaptor-male-bsp (352288 - 32mm to 1 1/4"/28mm compression) Plus 32mm pipe liners x 3: https://www.pipestock.com/pipe-liners The order process recommended a Boa Strap Wrench as well for the compression fittings. This will be my first time doing something like this so a few more questions: 1. Will I need to/should I be prepared to trim the ends off these MDPE pipes to get a good end? 2. If so, I assume I need pipe cutters. Deburring tool? Probably try and find a short length of pipe as well as a straight connector as there isn't much slack anywhere. 3. If using compression to the copper side, do I need PTFE/thread sealant? New olive? 4. If using push-fit, should I plan to cut the pipe and make a new fresh end? So pipe cutters and wire wool? 5. No pipe liner required for the copper end if using push-fit, right? 5. Anything else I'm not thinking of?
  10. 😆 I am the leaseholder. Would dearly like not to be but stuck here until the cladding issue on this building is fixed (even then flats in London are not in high demand right now so I'm likely stuck here for a while). So what should I do? This is the second time this fitting has leaked after tank maintenance. Trust it, despite it being very loose (even after pushing back on as best I could with the access)? Replace with same fitting? Or something else?
  11. FWIW these fittings are approx 20 years old. Google suggests a known failure of them is o-rings failing due to age (15-20 years).
  12. Looks like the existing are Talbot: https://www.plumbingforless.co.uk/plumbing/atplas-talbot-mdpe-fittings/talbot-elbows/talbot-pushfit-90-degree-elbow-32mm-e2784
  13. Certainly once the pressure was off and I felt the pipe it was possible to push the fittings on by another inch with zero resistance. Pipe was completely free to move. When the pressure was turned back it pushed the fitting back out with some force as I was trying to hold it tight. Shouldn't the joint seem stiff/tight even with no pressure? Just had a look on the Plasson site, nothing that matches these fittings on there (at first glance). I meant compression MDPE like this, in case that wasn't clear: https://www.pipestock.com/mdpe/mdpe-pipe-fittings/mdpe-elbow-90
  14. My flat is fed from a 32mm OD (25mm ID???) MDPE pipe. Today the water maintenance company were here to disinfect the tank on the roof and as part of that isolated the supply. When the supply came back on the right angle MDPE fitting in my ceiling started letting a lot of water out of it. Seems like the fitting loses its seal when the pressure is off and then is at risk of blowing off the pipe when the pressure comes back. Managed to isolate at the meter and with extra hands reintroduced pressure while holding the fitting in place and now pressure is back on with no leaks. However, my confidence in these fittings is now shot and I want to replace them. I assume I need to get compression type fittings. Should I favour any specific brand? Any gotchas I should look out for?
  15. Looks interesting. Wonder how their multizone stuff works with building regs.
  16. Does have temperature but says don't rely on it. If you haven't seen the intro video it's worth a watch. Really like the Home Assistant integration UI + zone configurator.
  17. Gus and I have debated this before. My position is you should design the loops to output the heat you need at very low temps. Within reason more shorter loops vs fewer longer ones makes sense. Less than 100m but close to it is about the ideal loop length IIRC. But I wouldn't deliberately add extra loops if it throws off your heat output calcs, etc. In the event of a loop failure, firstly you want to find it and fix it before the concrete gets really hard and in the event that isn't possible then because you have designed the system for very low temperatures, you should be able to compensate for the loss by running temps a bit higher and adjusting flow rates.
  18. A pre-requiste before pouring any concrete is testing loop flow and pressurising the loops. If flow is not right it needs fixing before the pour. Ideally monitor the pressure during the pour. If something goes wrong (unlikely), then reaslising it as the pour happens likely makes it easier to isolate where the problem is. You obviously wouldn't stop a concrete pour but if you get on to the repair straight away before the concrete has full cured the job will be a lot easier. Having said that, I believe that modern Pex-Al-Pex pipe is significantly more robust than pipes used in previous decades so as long as everything is tested in good condition before the pour then the pour shouldn't be an issue.
  19. Suspected it might be something like that, just seemed like a lot of work to do that vs putting it somewhere to the right of the cyclinder below the PRV (though can't see what else it feeds before that). Gotcha, no permanent bypass/isolation option for that? Other installations I've seen have that hard plumbed. Edit: and while I'm at it, why two TRVs? Two setpoints or capacity?
  20. Nice pipework. Sorry this is off-topic, but what's going on here?
  21. While I'm not building I definitely have times when sleep is a problem due to a brain that doesn't want to switch off. Definitely agree that finding something distracting to do in hour or two before bed helps (book, tv, game). While something relaxing can be good, I think being a distraction is the main thing, something that grabs your attention. Also, I find not eating within a few hours of bed and no caffine after about 2:30pm is important too.
  22. How much of that is the wood? Walnut is pricey, but so is the cost of getting someone to mill down your own tree. Curious how that stacks up?
  23. It's a regs requirement isn't it?
  24. Nice! Thats the first time I've seen the transparent blocking approach to having an open stair that complies with regs. Be interested how that works out (cleaning, etc). Handrail to be installed on the right?
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