Radian

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Does the term " to be designed by others" strike a chord?

I wouldn't always trust an architects recommendations for a builder. Better to ask around people you know who've had work done. The fact you say you want a wrap-around extension in stone makes it seem you already know how it should look. You might end up paying 3K-6K for someone to sketch it out on a CAD and clear some paperwork with the local authority. I'm a little unclear on what you intend to do about hiring a contractor - if you were to find a builder who would turn up, I would say produce some dimensioned drawings with the help of BH for the techie bits and discuss it with them. In my experience what archiects produce is of the broadest of brushstrokes that leave the complicated design work in the hands of others.

The problem with just looking at the published insulation rating for the cable is that in real-world conditions, distributed moisture absorption over the length of cable creates a leakage current that may trip the ground impedance detector in a transformerless inverter. The higher the voltage and the longer the cable, the greater the accumulation of leakage current.

I've seen plenty of cautions about creating hybrid warm roofs A thorough condensation risk analysis should be carried out rather than just winging it.

Just curious - 430VDC on 50m x 6mm2 outdoors is testing the cable insulation, do you have it in trunking?

I was about to say that Islanding (shutting down the inverter in case of grid outage) will be a feature of any DNO approved grid-tied inverter installed in the UK. Now I'm wondering if there are any examples of off-grid solar PV inverters that automatically switch over that are approved? This little 48V solar inverter charger with grid input (2.4kW) might be enough to keep some lights on and run a radio

Mice will thank you for that.

Our 6m slider frame came with the sliding sections pre-hung but with the 2G glazing units separate. Just three other guys and me walked the frame into position, and I only really got in the way 😄 I wouldn't have thought the metal frame would take the necessary handling loads if it was all pre-fitted with doors and glazing?

Your fault... You prodded the 'reality generator'. Sometimes chinese firmware copies over numbers like these. Variously AL114 has meant: Power+ alarm:Power+ offline (Carel) memory backup battery fault (Carel) Probe B2 alarm (Carel) room thermostat fault (Aermec) Power+ alarm: Drive connection alarm (EMAUX) Not much help I guess.

From that beeb article: How would that reduction be evaluated? I'm struggling to think of a way. A smart meter can provide half-hourly consumption figures but reduction has to be relative to something like the previous day or some longer term average? Seems loopy to me. Now a temporary change in tariff over the period could have the same effect but only by shifting the price up.

I was wondering about your lead times. I booked for solar PV back in March and they're finally due here on Monday. Just wondering who else has been waiting 6 Months plus?

Cold is more of a problem though. Again, the exact chemistry is important as Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries cannot be charged at temperatures below freezing. Heaters have to be used in the packs to charge in sub-zero temperatures. They're OK with being charged/discharged up to 55oC so a loft shouldn't be a problem. And if the battery is indoors some of the charging inefficiency is reclaimed in winter heating. Same with inverters. This is why I find it interesting - the heart says outside, the head says inside until a proven hazard.

Interesting topic. While I have seen reports of Rooftop solar PV causing fires on roofs, I've not seen reports of problems with inverters or battery systems. I'll agree, I'd rather not have Lithium batteries of any variety indoors, due to the difficulty of extinguishing the flame they produce although I can't find out for certain if LiFePO4 batteries have the same characteristic. They have been shown to be safer if punctured or overheated so are preferred for those reasons.

Self install or contractor?

As the most serious form of fungal decay in timber, I wouldn't take any chances if you know it was present.

Perovskite has hydroscopic and temperature issues that naturally limit its life to months but we keep hearing about various treatments that are supposed to extend it to 20 years and beyond. Bit like how fusion is just around the corner.

Sounds like knowledge gained through experience. I'm quite impressed.

All those restrictors are self-defeating anyway. Tiny volume of water doesn't flush the loo properly so gets flushed two or more times. Pathetic shower doesn't rinse off suds so longer is spent with the water running. 🙄

Should have used PTFE tape.

Got any AC units? The condensate from those is free of minerals.

Why are Tyvek calling those "Warm roofs"? I thought the insulation had to be on top of the rafters to count as a warm roof.

Yes, I find this works a treat. A 22" saw just about gets through a full roll. The rolls I got are 1.2m long with a handy cut marker halfway at 600mm

The matrix it creates is very fragile when exposed but gains stability in a contained volume. I may be wrong but I think it's more to do with slump prevention than stopping spillage.

I've just been around my property that was recently pumped with graphite coated EPS beads and in the handful of places I could examine with my borescope, it was thoroughly filled. TBH, I can't see how anyone could really do a bad job. The stuff goes in at around 100PSI and as a result goes in very thoroughly. Our tiny 1990's 50mm cavity is about as challenging as it could get but In a big cavity I just can't see how it could fail so long as they're systematic with the injection point location and spacing. They just keep pumping until the backpressure forces the lance back out. The injection system also mixes in a PVA binder that makes the EPS into a solid block once dry. That looks to be very effective, the odd escape here and there was well stuck together. I'd just keep an eye on the PVA delivery tank.