Nestor

Private sewerage here. Tank is below the house, have about 330 sqm of roof so can fill very quickly. The rainwater tank is completely separate to the treatment plant. Soil pipe general term for 110mm.

Just some advice regarding the overflow due to excess rainfall and saturated ground. We had water coming out the top of the chamber lid a few times even with plenty of soakaway crates. In the end I dug down and cut a large hole in the soil pipe for excess to fill the crates and then added a 110 triple socket to extend the run to exit above ground for the excess.

No experience with auto watering systems but have the Hydroforce pump on our rainwater system. Had a problem with the pump working intermittently and speaking to the technical team they suggested I might have a leaky cistern and recommended fitting a pressure vessel to alleviate any issues. Comments below from tech support. "The pumps have a programme installed in them that is designed to stop the pump from burning out and also a leak detection device. The pumps like a good constant flow rate of water to operate at there best, if the flow of water is restricted then the pump will believe that there is enough pressure in the pipework and stop pumping, only there might still be a small amount of water being discharged and thus the pump fires up again. So if the flow of water at the eventual outlet is restricted the pump will continually stop/start and eventually cut out". In the end I replaced the Pressure switch, Hall switch and the Non return valve and working fine now. But would fit a pressure vessel for low flow.

If no access for Machinary, I would fix a strong block of wood low down on a complete post and lever out with some timber or a high lift jack. Once a couple are out, the others should be easier to remove with a decent rabbiting spade / 5ft crowbar. Then a heavy duty post rammer for new posts and chainsaw level once complete. https://bulldoghandtools.co.uk/bulldog-premier-rabbiting-spade-72-tubular-steel-long-handle-5391006580?h_campaign_id=414850337&bng_id=1317216323187476&h_ad_id=82326239667285&msclkid=ed1794e0b23d17655843fd20e27216d0

@Oz07 All my Reolink cameras have a Timelapse feature in settings. You can set as unlimited or customise the duration (days) and intervals in minutes and seconds. Estimate file size for 1 minute intervals is 14.67GB for one year For 30 second intervals the file size is 8.24GB for 100 days. Quality set to balanced, if using clear files will be x 10ish. The files are saved in the time lapse gallery which you can download to your photo app. Cameras using wifi and some ethernet. Can access on phone using 4G. This is for a RLC-510A.

Similar here in location. Surprisingly our poor low speed connection (15 up, 2 down) does cope with multiple streaming, Teams / Zoom etc. Occasional buffering on a Sunday night.

@Iceverge I did not realise they did cheaper residential packages. Tempting now. Maximum available here is 15.88 Mb/s Download, 1.94 Mb/s Upload.

As @Roundtuit Minimum would be to move wardrobes to access both sides and remove all the plasterboard, check and clean the timber.

Used the Baumit Multifine RK70 with mesh on internal wood fibre insulation. Excellent product. https://baumit.co.uk/products/renovation-systems/visual-renovation/baumit-multifine-rk-70-n Do a test.

@Conor is correct. We have MVHR in an airtight* new build. It's great, works a treat in the background. Just the extract and supply in a 60sqm kitchen / dining room, again not an issue. Personally, If I did it again I would fit kitchen extract to vent outside but inaccessible ducting could be an issue. Recirculating hob should be enough and wood burner needs its own sealed air supply. * Draughty catflap.

@Nickfromwales Just reread RTFM and it does run continuously. It has a course, fine and settled sludge running for 50 minutes, then a solenoid switches to a floating sludge for 10 minutes every hour. Will give the filter a clean in the pump now! Happy International Woman's Day!

Do most treatment plants run at intervals? A bit quirky these Vortex, they have a settled sludge return which operates for 5 minutes every hour hence the timer. Will have a read of the original manual.

We have a WTE Vortex treatment pant using the same Secoh pump, in use last 6 years. Pump runs 24/7. Emptied every 2/3 years as we have an existing septic tank in use from another building. Simple timer operation with no PCB. I would simplify the operation.

@Onoff It is such a great recipe, no need to purchase Evaporust.

Bit extreme but If you ever need to make up a large volume of rust remover this recipe works. I needed to clean some steel handrails which were covered in surface rust, in the end any rusty implement went in the bath.

Most self builders on the forum had no issues with their BCO and MVHR. My BCO rejected my first self certifying report as the Anemometer had no proof of being calibrated, (used the Buildhub anemometer) I hired this :https://www.inlec.com/testo-417-vane-anemometer-with-flow-hoods Wrote a commissioning report with photos and had to be a little creative with the figures as our MVHR is slightly undersize for the volume of the house. Works perfectly though.

Same size plant room here. No UFH fitted. It's 25.5C now but nothing is on. We use it as a drying room with a kitchen maid attached to the ceiling. I did consider putting a vent in the door to utilise the excess heat. Ecodan 300 litre HW cylinder. Consumer unit. UFH Manifold and wiring centre. Not in use as we have not needed to heat the lg floor. PV diverter. Has MVHR extract. You have a lot of kit in one room so 26C-27C to be expected. Congratulations on moving in.

I used https://www.howdens.com/joinery/skirting-boards. Consistent quality product, primed and a fair price. Easy to fill and sand, I fit with SticksLike or similar and use ovals pinned through. Tried Gripfill but not worked here. I scribed the internal corners, took a bit of MDF to master but worth a try. Robin Clevett here :

I made some concrete worktops and used https://www.atsdiamondtools.co.uk for polishing pads. Have fun.

+1 for Sigma. I purchased this https://www.protilertools.co.uk/product/montolit-63p5xl-masterpiuma-p5-power-5-manual-tile-cutter-63cm

Similar issues here on local lanes, Permissions and cost will be challenging going under the road. A bit crude but a trench excavated next to and under the hedge, large diameter pipe then fitted. That is 150mm diameter pipe in the photo. Only needs to be below the lowest point of the lane. Does get clogged up a few time a year which creates 50 metres of standing water, then cleared within a day.

No mains gas and used oil in the past. New self build, air tight, MVHR, 3G etc. 275sqm. RHI was available so paid for kit and install. Our personal use for 2025 was 2700kWh for hot water and heating. However, I would not recommend ASHP in average insulated home with mains gas available if cost is a major factor.

Congratulations Russell, looks amazing and do post a few more photos when ready. Similar here, started in 2017 and moved in after 3 years. 6 years later some minor tasks to complete....

I have both the Makita and Milwaukee 18V oil driven impact drivers, the Makita is twice the price though quieter. 12V is probably enough for most tasks.

I had the MAKITA DTS141ZJ, silly money but was a pleasure to use whilst building a house, very quiet. It did develop a fault after 6 years heavy use. Now using a Milwaukee M18 FQID, more torque, cheaper but not as quiet as the Makita.