andyscotland

The British gypsum white book is also a good resource https://www.british-gypsum.com/specification/white-book-specification-selector/white-book-overview

It's worth confirming which part of the UK you are in as the rules are subtly different in each country. For example in Scotland as soon as there's any sort of toilet/shower etc the structure requires building warrant approval regardless of size. Not sure if that applies elsewhere.

Yeah as others have said dust and smoke alarms do not mix. If you are still doing works and want some temporary protection then you could consider heat alarms (which can be suitable for dusty environments) and then replace with smokes at the end of the project - however these take longer to detect a fire so may not be suitable if you are living/sleeping there. Otherwise you need to cap them (or remove them) any time the house is dusty and/or treat them as consumables if you're sleeping there during works and want peace of mind that you'll get early warning to evacuate overnight.

That does look relatively full to me. A 6 core cable will be even more rigid round bends I think. Also as @-rick- mentioned that does look like you're trying to pull them as one big lump, it will be much easier if you spread out the point where each one joins onto the one before so that you get as much of a taper as you can. The thinner cable will help to lead the following cable round the bends and so on. Possibly, it will have fewer snag points on bends and obviously will sit dead straight in the sections where your flexi is dropping - but you can potentially solve those without swapping it all out. Also the smooth conduit might actually have more friction along the length (the cable is in contact with the wall all the way, unlike flexi where 50% is on a ridge and 50% over a valley) so might not end up much different. For bending you don't need a heat gun (and can easily over melt it that way), just insert spring, rub up and down the outside with a rag a bit to gently warm it a little, then bend. Bend it slightly over the angle you want then you can ease it back to the exact angle as you fix it into place.

Plus the existing network cable? I agree with @-rick- that sounds quite a bit for 20mm with bends. It won't be helping if they're 4 core sheathed - you'll be losing space to the sheath and also that makes it more rigid around bends. If the whole run is in conduit between boxes you could use singles, starting each one staggered after the other as @-rick- said.

No, I think maybe you've missed mine 😁 Absolutely, kitchen should have a heat alarm. However, it is possible for cooking smoke to leave the kitchen (especially if an extractor hood is not in use) and depending on the layout and airflow in the house that can make it to a smoke alarm elsewhere (e.g. in a location where it is compliant/required such as a hallway or landing). With an interlinked system this can then cause a nuisance alarm on the whole system. I'd only got mentioned it because of @Redbeard commenting they'd had a lot of nuisance alarms on their newer interlinked system : one possible explanation is that the smoke alarms were in different locations to the old standalone ones, or that they were more sensitive/reliable than the old ones thus picking up kitchen smoke wafting around outside the kitchen.

Absolutely, but I've seen places where a smoke alarm has been mounted outside a kitchen but near enough to it (or further away but in the natural path of airflow from the kitchen through the house) that it triggers. I agree with a well designed system & correct selection/location of heads there shouldn't be an issue.

I believe they're being discontinued - possibly partly because AFAIK they don't meet the building regulations requirements as they're not certified to the relevant British Standard and interlink over WiFi so won't work if your router is on fire. Depending on the circumstances of your nuisance trips this would suggest perhaps: * The mains alarms were doing a better job of detecting actual smoke (burned toast etc) than the old battery ones. I'd say that's a benefit but might mean they weren't the right types or locations of alarms for your property. * They were mains powered but radio interlinked and perhaps not properly house coded (or from one of the cheaper brands) so picking up interference from elsewhere. * They were mains interlinked but with a fault in the interlink wiring causing unwanted triggers. I'd say interlinked alarms (from a decent manufacturer) have a lot of safety benefits over standalone ones in terms of detecting and more importantly waking the occupants in time to evacuate - especially if mains powered and wired interlinked. If you do occasionally get cooking smoke etc spilling out of the kitchen to the rest of the house then you can minimise impact of nuisance trips with a remote control to silence alarms next to the cooker (much easier than running around the house flapping a tea towel 🤣)

It can also help to do it as a two person operation - one applying fairly constant tension on the draw wire/cord (good job for a teenager if you have one 🤣) and one pushing the cable in at the other end. I've found that reduces the tendency for it to poke into a ridge on the bend rather than going round. Make sure both the push and pull are directly in line with the end of the conduit opening to at least eliminate the friction at those points.

Thanks @nod - and then Fine Surface Treatment over the filler & boards on the fermcaell sides? Will that hide the tape ok?

Hey, I am getting towards finishing (in one room at least 🤣). I have fermcaell on two external walls (part of a fire resistant buildup) and plasterboard on two internal walls and the ceiling. I'm planning to skim the plasterboard. Wondering what's the best way to fill & join the joints between the fermcaell and the PB. Should I use fermcaell joint filler and paper tape? Or normal joint filler (Easifill/Knauf/etc) and paper tape? Or...? I understand the fermcaell Fine Surface Treatment is very thin - if I use tape on the joints will it be able to cover/hide it? Or would I be better off skimming the fermcaell as well to get a neat finish? Questions questions! 🤣 Thanks!

Qcad is good for "classic" 2D CAD - open source so the main version is free forever. The "Pro" addin adds some useful features and is €41, that includes updates for a year but you can continue to use the version you have indefinitely.

My friends continue to ask "is your extension finished yet" but have now learned to accept a simple "nope 🤣" rather than an explanation of where I'm at/what hurdle or side project or life thing has delayed it this time!

All true, although also this was more of an issue before RCD protection on 240v supplies was available/common. Obviously still inherently safer if the voltage to earth can only ever be 55V, as you're already in a safe state rather than relying on a device to operate. The other side benefit of 110v is that they use ceeform connectors which are more robust than 13a plug/socket and can be waterproof etc for use outdoors. However you can just as easily run 240v on ceeform if you choose. I'd agree, in the past 110 was very common when your options were mains or hand power. But much more common to see battery tools now. Also any trades that do have 110v tools will also almost certainly have their own standalone 110 transformer in the van. So long as there is a mains supply they can access, they can pop their own transformer there, run their own 110v cable to where they're working, and crack on. So I'd suggest in the first instance: - check which if any of your trades are going to use mains (110v or 240v) tools and if so where, and if they actually need you to provide a 110v supply. - if people are likely to need to temporarily run power from a mains socket to somewhere else on site, perhaps invest in some brightly coloured 16A cables (this kind of thing, camping/caravanning or theatre/event suppliers will have loads of options) with adaptors to/from 13A to allow them to do so safely.

@Onoff is correct on the official manufacturer's instructions, normally it would be toothed side to the box (point 1 on the instructions) - the idea is that bites in so you tighten by rotating the gland body. On a metal box, that is part of getting a good earth connection (through the biting teeth) between the nut and box body. However, on a plastic box that obviously isn't an issue - it just needs to be screwed tight enough to get a solid mechanical connection. As you've already glanded the cable, you won't be able to rotate the gland and there's no benefit to undoing that - so put the smooth side to the wall and tighten the nut, as per point 3 on those instructions.