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-rick-

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Everything posted by -rick-

  1. You can probably get a read out from a smart socket or a variety of other 'smart' devices. The smart sockets that can tell you power usage need to measure voltage.
  2. @James of the North I appears there is a disconnect between what you are asking and the answers you are getting. I want to try an explain why and hope that in doing so will help you get the best value from this forum. Based on your questions you clearly have some knowledge of ufh systems and have done most of the design work already. I think you came here wanting some very specific questions answered and are not really getting those questions answered in the way you want. The reason for this is that your questions imply you have a situation that is far outside what is normally required and the first thought of many of us here is that there must be something wrong in the assumptions that lead to your questions. This forum has a long history of people coming with questions like this that after some back and forth prove to be based on either mistakes or misunderstandings at the design phase and after further work the result is a system that is fairly different from the starting point. It may be that your calcs are all correct and you indeed do have a very unusual situation but if you want to get full engagement and value from this forum help us understand that. Show us your design, floor plans, heat loss calculations, answer questions even if they don't seem valid to you. It will take some back and forth but either someone will point out a mistake/misunderstanding that leads to a different design or you will get people fully engaged in helping you get the best result.
  3. Depends where you are. I've not had a monitor for ages but did have (part of UPS) for a good long time in the past and I think 247V was nominal around here with it varying around that point.
  4. How about Steel? Still looks industrial, easier to install, probably a bit more expensive to buy but depending on your design asthetic might look better. Can either get them with one string in the centre and open sides or strings either side. (Is strings the right word?)
  5. I've been looking at this a bit though no practical experience. The conclusions I've reached so far is that if I went with this type of floor I'd want some sort of dry shake on top and to get a decent power floated finish you might want to look at commercial concrete installers rather than your normal crew as these guys are used to dry shakes and power floated finishes. But these guys might not want to touch a small floor or charge a hefty premium for it. Check out https://concria.com/ they seem to have a more developed/modern solution than others that might have benefits and do have certified installers in the UK. I especially like their solution to polishing (if you wanted to do that) as it just uses the powerfloat to do it. If I get the chance to do this and the costs added up I would always be doing it on the basis of it being a trial run with the option of microcementing (or similar) over the top if it didn't work out well. (Need to plan floor levels around doors, etc, very carefully for that to be an option). Unless you DIY the microcement it looks like it's a pretty expensive option for flooring. Tiling might be cheaper.
  6. It all depends on the depth of the kerb which is easier. I suspect using a wall chaser would cause a decent amount of chip out and wouldn't necessarily look great as a finished product. Agree that stacking layers has it's own challenges. Either way need the kerb to stand up to being driven over by something heavy. I also think that to get the look as shown in the photos you prob need to rebate more than 10mm. (If you want a glow but not to see the source) Hmm, stepping back, the I think we are both thinking of traditional LED (or COB) strips, but maybe one alternative idea to avoid what I expect would be a maintenance nightmare (water will find a way to ruin your day) is to build it in such a way as you can easily shove a rope light in a slot and easily replace it when required. All you need to do is make the slot then. Might not look quite as good than properly done COB strips in channel but a lot less fiddling. https://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/product/15090
  7. I'd guess, though put the cob in a led channel and put a cover on it - thoroughly water proof all the connections). Easier would be to build up the kerb from mutliple layers to avoid the angle grinding. Either way has difficulties (especially for something that needs to last/be maintainable/look neat and professional). In theory it sounds fairly doable but in practice I suspect tricky. Upward facing channels are more common and I'd guess you'd be able to find easier solutions.
  8. If you are in the situation where the butt is overflowing then you may not want more water on the plants, they may well be sodden already.
  9. I like this if you don't plan to cover/obscure the tank in some way and want to keep it looking sleek, but if you do plan to soften the tank with plants/wood/etc then it seems overly complex. If the hole down low leaks you lose water you are trying to hold on to. Thing is the tank does not look great so not sure hiding the pipes really buys you much if you don't plan to cover it.
  10. I think the guy I saw doing the heatpump dryer paid about £100. Benefit vs a fridge setup is twofold: 1. r290 is a much better match for A/C temp ranges. R600a found in fridges is going to get too cold. If you want to break into the circuit and do the maths you could likely regas with r290/propane, but that is a huge amount more work than just taking a working system and bending the pipes around a bit to fit a new use. 2. The heatpump dryers are designed to run continuously while the dryer is running (2+ hours?). A fridge compressor usually has a low duty cycle so and much lower energy (200W vs 3-4kW).
  11. Seen someone take the dehumidifier/AC components out of a 'broken' heatpump dryer to do that with. They are commonly r290 (so no f-gas) and fairly beefy 3-4kw heat output and come in a nice package. Apparently lots of people are throwing these things away when still fairly new because the heat exchangers get clogged with lint and therefore stop working properly but the mechanical side is all good.
  12. Yeh, it's a good colour match (well done), but extending the wood cladding to hide the tank possibly with a small planter/ornament on top would be even better.
  13. Bedroom 3 seemed like the more awkward space as is so would benefit more from a change. Having said that making the hallway wider is a good idea. You are somewhat limited by the window in bedroom 2. Depending on your appetite to make changes you could potentially do as I propose and also do the hall way. First, rearranging the entrance and built in units for bedroom 2 would create a much better space IMO and should be relatively trivial/easy. Depending on the construction (load bearing walls/foundations) it may be possible to move the wall in at the same time creating that wider hallway while stlil having a more spacious feeling bedroom: I should note I've not considered any regulations when proposing any of this. Others here are more familiar, there may be something that that trips this up.
  14. Urgh, that water butt is butt ugly. Gonna find some green 'hair' to grow around it?
  15. Send it back for false advertising and get one which is actually 'smart'?
  16. My thought: split Bedroom 3 horizontally, u-shaped/half turn stairs in lower part. Upper part turned into dresser/walk in wardrobe for bedroom 1 and/or extra space in lounge. Replace bedroom 3 upstairs.
  17. That's probably the best explanation of the difference between the two that I've seen. Good on Wrekin. Given your motivation for looking at this is keeping the Quooker in good shape, maybe the best thing to do is ask them what they recommend? I've always thought of the electric ones as a bit snake-oily. Someone here posted an option for something claimed to work in the conditioner way as above using a catalysing reaction. Can't remember where but that might be another option. Ultimately, you need to pick something to try so my thought is go with whatever Quooker think is better or follow the recommendations from @Russdl here as he has the direct experience of a successful solution. One thing I should mention: while looking at this the other day out of curiosity one of my google results mentioned how its not recommended to drink salt-softened water if on a low sodium diet but equally not recommended to use phosphate conditioned ones if you have liver or kidney issues (one or other can't rememeber which). Worth bearing in mind.
  18. Mind sharing a photo? A shame, pretty sure unistrut is significantly stronger and cheaper than most of the approved fitting systems.
  19. I agree, just thought it was interesting to share (also amusing timing as I wasn't looking for it yesterday, just clicked on it to fill time and then you post this thread this morning). Coming up with your own solution to something can be fun but it's only ever really worth it if it does something you can't find in a commercial product or it seems significantly cheaper (and even then most times by the time you are done it won't be - even if you don't count time spent).
  20. I had a look at Sunfixings website and didn't see this mentioned there. I somewhat expect that the MCS certification mentioned in the PDF is just for the normal fixings used and the rest is considered outside the scope for MCS. In effect they are just replacing the roof tiles with a different roof and then doing on-roof solar. I've previously mentioned what I'd like to do which is similar but with trim aligned with the solar panels around the edge to give an integrated roof look. While the PDF proposal might result in lower profile panels than on-roof on tile, it does look like the solar panels will still be quite proud of the tiles and you won't have the integrated look you get with GSE or similar. Maybe ask to see an installed example to see if it's what you want.
  21. Ok let me rephrase, it can be handled safely but there are more risks and steps (training) than just handling MC4 connectors. A DC circuit of 600V could easily be made via the ground contact or via contact with metal structures. Say you need to replace an isolator and it's case with a new one, first you have to disconnect the + and - cables and feed them through the grommet hole before you can fit the new case/isolator and then feed back in. Yes you can tape up the exposed cables one at a time but removing the cable from a gromet/conduit may be tricky and a taped up cable can snag. I'm sure you are perfectly capable of doing so but the chances of a mistake are higher than dealing with MC4 connectors. The context of my comment is that the additional isolator on top of the one in the inverter doesn't do much in terms of reducing risk during maintenance but does add risk in terms of bad connections/overheating/fire. Glad you are ok!
  22. Indeed, and if we are talking safety with an external isolator vs not, the external isolator means there are unterminated/exposed wires that need to be screwed into the isolator. If you ever need to do maintainance involving those cables you are going to have to handle bare wire. If you just plug MC4 direct into the inverter then during maintainence you should always be handling the MC4 connectors which are appropriately insulated such that you have to be trying quite hard to expose yourself to a live conductor. Handling exposed wire like this safely would require covering the panels or working at night.
  23. Randomly came across this yesterday if you have a 3d printer (vibrant colours optional)
  24. An option for what? The recommended install in the UK now would rely on the inverter built-in isolator (external if it doesn't have it). If you want to add your own on top you can and it would likely be fine assuming you buy a reputable brand. Not sure why you'd want to make it more complex and expensive with a contactor?
  25. This is interesting terminology. There is no direct transfer between the AC side and DC side. For transfer to happen the Inverter has to be actively switching so the Inverter itself can be seen as the load, especially as some will power up if they have solar power and absolutely nothing else connected (suspect they do this using direct DC - as in they will successfully power up without starting the inverter switching). Obviously you should always shutdown the inverter before using the isolator switch but I believe they should be rated to handle live disconnect because of the above mentioned operation and also to handle fault conditions. For example, the user interface software on the inverter crashes preventing you using the controls but the inverter is still switching. In this example disconnecting the AC side will not remove all load from the system and if you have batteries the inverter might still be under full load charging the batteries. See here for a teardown of a DC isolator that can break an active circuit as generally required:
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