Russdl

Following with interest. My son is looking for a workshop space to enable him to go it alone and start his own carpentry business. He’s struggling to find anywhere but a garage wasn’t on his shopping list so maybe that would be a good starting point.

It seems like what your saying is that he’s penetrated the membrane at several points and installed spacers to ensure debris and water is trapped at those points of penetration in order to guarantee that the roof fails sooner rather than later. Is that about right?

Agreed, but it seems that is the preference of some. I just wondered what effect it would have on the MVHR if you’re extracting more air than it’s supplying for a protracted period, sure no house is completely airtight so the leaks will balance any under pressure created which I suspect would be insignificant.

That’s a good point @Post and beam I wonder what the MVHR does when the extract air + cooking extraction is in excess of the supply air. It can’t know that you’re extracting more than it’s supplying can it?

Based on our experience that would be unnecessary. You could always retrofit later if you felt the need but I’d be surprised if you did.

Just the external blinds and I took their word for it, largely due to a healthy dose of naivety, but it all seems to have panned out ok. We went for the ‘premium solar - 80% UV block’. In the picture below the window on the left has the blind down, the sliding door on the right has the blind up.

Good point, the MVHR measures external temperature as well, so as you say the weather station is not required… …unless you’re a bit obsessed like me!

We have something else to add to the mix now. Our battery is in a small room in the warm roof alongside the MVHR and it warms that room up as it charges/discharges, quite significantly, what used to be the coldest room in the house is now the warmest and it seems to be working as a pre heater for the MVHR, currently it’s 20.3 degrees outside but the MVHR supply temperature is 21.8 degrees, the summer bypass is open. We haven’t had a long enough hot spell this year for the extra unwanted heat to cause any issue's and the previously described procedures keep everything hunky dory. I wonder what the effect will be in winter, a 1.5 degree increase in supply temperature just because the battery is doing its thing may be very welcome.

Recommend by most manufacturers I think.

As expected, other opinions did come along shortly. We are very happy with our recirculating downdraft hob in our airtight/well insulated house.

😱 Recirculate. Keep that warmth inside! (other opinions will be along shortly)

If we’re ‘boiling to reduce’ then a wooden spoon under the saucepan lid allows the steam to escape and helps to direct the steam towards the downdraught extractor. I suspect everyone on here who has a downdraft extractor has experienced an overhead extractor in the past, we certainly have and we would not go back to one.

They don’t do that. They do that. That doesn’t happen. They work well and you don’t headbutt them when you stir your broth.

I used Google as well, but didn’t quite define my search as well as you obviously did. Thanks also for the ‘how to search’ lesson - I shall endeavour to remember that👍🏻👍🏻

Indeed that is the one, why couldn’t I find it! Thanks 👍🏻

We don’t need an extra duct just yet but I suspect we will in the fullness of time as the empty duct we installed to ‘future proof’ the house is now full of various unexpected cables that needed to get outside just three years down the line. Many years ago JS Harris posted about adding an additional duct through his MBC wall after completing his build project but try as I might I can’t find it. I’ve searched high and low, does anyone know how to find that post (and let me know where it is!) Ta.

@Adsibob is your garden sloping? If so you may be able to take advantage of that. The 2.5m restriction is measured from the highest part of ground adjacent to the proposed building which naturally makes the building higher with relation to the lowest ground if there is any slope. I hope that makes sense? Reads like gobbledygook to me 🤣

Wakefield Express

Only open windows when it’s cooler outside than in, as soon as it’s warmer outside than you would like it inside, shut the windows, shady side or not. If you can find some way of temporarily attaching a sheet to the outside of the window when the sun shines (closing the windows on it to hold it in place, make a timber frame etc) That would go a long way to keeping the heat out whilst still letting a fair amount of light in - unless you have black sheets…

That’s probably spot on @David001, have you got any photos of the substructure? Get some money back money off the original installer (if you can) and then don’t invite the back, take your time to find someone who can do a professional job (what you’ve got should be ok for a few months) and get it redone properly. Sounds like a complete load of bollox but even if it was the case it would just be the front part of the trim that would need replacing which is pennies in the grand scheme of things.

Can you put external blinds up? You need to stop the sun getting into the room and then the window opening/closing regime you’re employing already. Don’t touch the insulation.

@David001 I’m no expert, I’ve laid EPDM once but I don’t think your solution will last, mainly down to the detail Ive highlighted in your picture below. I don’t think you’d get an effective or long lasting seal on those corners and the roof will fail in the not too distant future. If it were me I’d do exactly what you are doing, namely asking on here, and if that failed I’d be looking at a minimum of bonding a strip of EPDM to the underside of that which is already in place and then have the correct gutter detail installed correctly, with the correct amount of EPDM in that gutter trim. Your ‘upstand to gutter’ detail could still be problematic. Ideally rip it off and start again but I can understand the reluctance to do that. Someone with more knowledge and experience with EPDM will perhaps be along soon to give you an alternative viewpoint and/or solution. Alternatively, ask an EPDM supplier what they recommend as a solution, the video link I posted came from a company that were very helpful when I asked questions.

Good grief.

Good spot, that does look like a line of very skinny rips. If you take a relatively close up photo with flash ‘on’ of the wall tiles/grout and the same for the floor tiles/grout that should put that argument to bed.

@David001 there are several slightly different solutions out there. Here’s an installation video of what I installed, which sounds similar to what you are describing. If it is, then looking at the pictures you posted I don’t think you have enough EPDM to lap over the gutter trim.