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Thank you, that's very interesting! So to install the two sets of lights I could either run them both off one Quinetic Wireless Switch Dual Receiver or two of the single Wireless Switch Receivers. Am I right in thinking they may be too powerful for my LED lights though and I should get something better matched? I understand that LED lights are really prone to instability and for low loads (like 4w in total) I might be better with a a regulated 12v DC power supply rather than a transformer to avoid over voltage. Is that correct? There seems to be some advice about that here: https://www.lightingforgardens.com/garden-lighting-tips-led-power-supply If that's the case I could presumably still get a couple of regulated PSUs for the LED lights combined with two of the CV05 receivers or Quinetic equivalents. There seems to be a lot of issues to consider with LED lighting, like voltage drop on long cable runs and proximity of transformer to the lamps, etc.

Hello all, I’m pretty uninitiated in electrics and wonder if this garden installation is possible and what I might need to achieve it. I have a garden room which I am finishing and having wiring put in. I will have 240v external sockets and bare cable that can be wired directly to a transformer if needed. I wish to place two EZVIZ EzGuard security cameras on the Garden Room. They each come with a DVE Switching Adapter (input 240v 0.5A, output +12V 1A, Efficiency Level 'V'). I also wish to run some garden lights starting from the garden room running along all along the garden wall. The first 10 - 15m of the wall will be draped in some LED fairy lights, and the next 10 - 15m further along the wall will continue with 6 bollard/post lights (about 50cm high ones). From a cursory glance it looks like 2 x 10m LED light strings would be 2W each (4W), and 6 x LED bollard lights about 2W each (12W). I would like all three zones switched independently. My first question is, can these all be run off one transformer, and if so, which one is suitable? If not should I install 3 transformers? One for both cameras, one for the fairy lights and one for the bollard lights? 12 or 24V for the lights? I know there are generic transformers and also generic lights out there, and there are also bespoke ones from the likes of Techmar, in-lite and Konstsmide. Is it easy enough to work with the off-the-shelf stuff or much better to go with these all-in-one premium brands? Secondly, is it possible to switch the two sets of lights independently and does this mean they must be powered by separate transformers? Can they be controlled wirelessly with a Kinetic Self-powered Wireless Remote Control and receiver like the Curv CV05 on the output of the transformer? The details are: Wireless Receiver: CV05 Power Supply Input: 220V - 230V AC, 50/60HZ Output Type / Channel Numbers: “On” or “Off” output of power supply / 1 channel Max Load 5A Load Of Filament Lamp: 500W Load Of Fluorescent Lamp: 200W Load of LED: 200W Static Power Consumption: <1W

Thanks for all the great suggestions, several more options than I thought. pro clima Orcon F seems the most suitable product, but at £10-15 delivery most suppliers want for a single tube it's a shame there isn't a local source in London. Green Glue also looks like it could do the job. Everflex AC50 is more for kraft paper lined drywall, so probably needs porous substrate. I looked at polytunnel repair tape and Polythene Jointing Tape which looks perfect too, however is most likely designed to remain in place for only a couple of years, at best, before failing. Certainly not up to the lifespan required for construction, but who knows... I might have to swallow the pill and fork out for the pro clima Orcon F delivery change, but need it by tomorrow now, so it's a gamble.

This is a semi-wet mastic used for sealing polythene membranes and VCLs, but it's only available in Canada. I was looking for something similar in the UK, but nothing yet: https://www.lepage.ca/en/lepage-products/build-things/sealant/pl-construction-sealant/pl_acousti-seal_vapourbarriersoundreductionadhesive.html

Hmm.. my chemistry is not great, but the description says it contains alcohol and solvents. Isn't that supposed to degrade polythene? It does say it can bond PE/PA/PP and aluminium foils, but perhaps someone with more knowledge can reassure?

Good grief! That's a good find! I'm going to hunt this down pronto, thank you so much! I'd looked at at least 20 different sealants and all gave up on Polyethylene. Only 3M were working on something it seemed, but I gave up on the concept. If Orcon F is a genuine solution then that would be wonderful, and a good price too.

Thanks for your reply. After much research I concluded that there's no sealant that can adhere to Polythene properly. CT1 Sealant & Construction Adhesive might do OK, enough to block capillary ascent of groundwater, but would not really stick to it. It's possible that the mechanical weight or the screed would form enough of force to seal the DPM against the DPC under it, so it'll hopefully be OK as it is. I just wanted to trap and water that would be drawn up over the DPC and up the walls so considered some butyl tape. I think just joining the DPC to the VCL is the only real option now though.

OK, just to reply to my own post, I'm thinking perhaps a bead of some sort of silicon sealant all the way around the floor between the DPC and the DPM that's on top. Then trim away whatever surplus of DPM there is, but when I come to do the VCL around the walls use double-sided butyl tape to join it to the DPM. If this causes the bottom edge to flare out a few mm's with all the tape and sealant there it shouldn't matter because the plasterboard would probably be terminated just above this point. Does that sound about right? I've order a couple of rolls of Visqueen double sided DPM jointing tape. But my question is, what would be a suitable sealant to use between the DPC/DPM? And on a related note, Is there a preferred expanding foam I should use to close up the gaps beween the studs and the Kingspan PIR? Thanks all.

I know this has probably been done to death, but the advice and recommendations also seem to change over the years with introduction of new products, etc. Anyway, my DPC/DPM seems to have been done wrong, but I just wanted to ask what I should do next to make it work. It's a small garden room with a 2 course brink plinth, DPC, and then timber sole plate. The floor is concrete slab, 100mm Kingspan PIR, DPM and then 70mm screed. I thought common practice was to tuck the DPM under the DPC, but mine is the other way around: I'm about to start taping the insulation around the studwork and then I'm going fully envelope the room with a VCL stapled in place. The question is, how do I treat the transition between the DPC, DPM and VCL at the floor? The DPC edge plunges under the screed, so the DPM comes up over it. Should I bother using a double sided butyl tape to seal these membranes together where exposed? Or should I drop the VCL down the walls and sandwich it between those layers at the floor? Or should the VCL instead be taped over the top of the DPM, so that it is the top layer?

Yes, thanks. Fitting an extra JB is probably the best idea anyway. I asked Curv, who sell their stuff on eBay, if they had any dimmable products available. Their answer is "Unfortunately we do not sell these, we will be launching a line of color changing bulbs soon in which can be controlled via a mobile app, this will allow for dimming and color changing."

In one of the questions posted for that Amazon product someone asks "Can this be used in the UK" and the answer: "Yes. And you can mix brands that look the same " Which is ambiguous, but promising. I guess if nothing else, they can be swapped out later, or added to, as newer/better products are released.

Thanks! That will be really handy to know.

Great advice, I think this is really the solution to pursue. I wish I hadn't ordered the switch and receivers today now, I'll pay the extra and get the quinetic stuff if it's IP rated and dimmable. As an aside, I don't suppose you'd know if different manufacturers switches/receivers can work together, if if you have to stick with one system?

Thanks. The BG one will be wired anyway. It would be nice to have them dimmable because I've got dimmable LEDs to go in the side overhang. However I thought I'd probably need an IP65 switch because that area is open to the elements to some extent. The Cürv receivers I bought aren't dimmable as far as I know, and the 3-gang switch I bought is for interior use not outside (it's 3-gang because I'll also use it for my garage lights and outdoor lights. I could risk having one outside though because it will be fairly well covered. But I'm also unsure how well the dimmable receivers play with the LED bulbs. There could be potential incompatibilities, and I've not seen any particular reviews of the Quinetic stuff used in this way. Have you had good experience?

Yes, that's similar to what I'm after. I have a BG Electrical Weatherproof 2Gang Light Switch to go on the side of the garden room under that covered area: One switch will control all the outside lights of the garden. The other switch will control just 4 downlights in that covered area. But I also want to control the garden lights from inside the house. For that purpose I was hoping to put a Kinetic switch in the kitchen and a receiver wired to the BG Electrical Switch, similar to the video. I'm hoping that would work, although I don't know if the receiver needs its own junction box, or can fit within the housing of the BG Electrical Switch. The ones I ordered are not Quinetic, but these ones on eBay, which seem similar: Cürv They also sell the same items branded as 'Cürv' for 10x the price, and they look identical, but have a 5 year warranty. I've also realised that there's no such thing as 2-way or 1-way with these switches. Since any number of switches can control a light circuit or one switch can control multiple receivers there's no limitation. You just buy as many as you need and place them where you want I presume?

Thank you both! I will investigate your links tonight. In the meantime, this vid at about 3min 30" suggests this can be done with a normal switch in the garden and kinetic one in the house:

I've got no electrical knowledge but need to design a lighting scheme for my outdoor space and garden room. This structure is about 10-12m across the patio from my kitchen. I would like to control the outside lights from a switch in my kitchen, but also like to have a switch on the right wall of that garden room, in the open storage area, to control them from there too: I already have a outdoor 2-way 2-gang light switch to go on that side wall, but I've been looking at Quinetic Wireless Switches and wonder if they could be a solution? They are not outdoor switches, but it could potentially go in the kitchen to control that side. Do they do 2-way switches, and if so, does the other side also have to be Quinetic Switch, or can it be a standard one with a receiver in circuit?

yeah, fair point. I see that Capital Valley Plastics make that VCL in 500GU for a little bit more, so I might try that. Maybe it'll be easier to handle and keep flat: https://www.trade-mart.co.uk/2-5m-wide-green-vapour-barrier-polythene-sheeting-500-gauge-125-micron.html

I've just found some other sheet I want to use (because it's clear), but it's not UV stabilised. Do you know if the one from Screwfix is UV stabilised, or if it matters? I know it won't see any light, but does it potentially go brittle anyway?

That looks like a neat job, thanks. The double sided tape is about 4000 gauge, so I also wondered if the thickness would become an issue. But I think it's mainly for use joining sheets, not actually fixing them to all the framing like I was planning to do. I hadn't considered using something like No Nonsense spray adhesive though. Is that an instant grabber, or presumably it has to set? I think I may have to pop down Lidl and see if they have any staple guns in their middle isle.

This is my small 2m x 3m garden room. Originally I wasn't going to install a separate VCL and instead rely on fully taping up all my foil faced insulation. However the PIR boards I bought were second hand and many of them are pretty beaten up and punctured. I know it can still be done, but to do it really effectively as a VCL might require skill and patience I don't have. I will still have a go but now intend to follow up with some polythene VCL sheeting. Can anyone point me to some written or video guide for doing this, as I really don't know the technique. I also have some basic questions: - I believe 1000 Gauge is usually advised, but in my case is 500Gu acceptable seeing as it's just a belt and braces thing over the Kingspan PIR? Something like this 125Mu roll from Wickes: Polythene Vapour Barrier. Is the thicker stuff easier to use and put up? - Would you normally use a staple gun to fix it to the timber studs every 200mm? Or is it possible/better to use just a Double Sided Butyl Tape onto the studs and them stick the polythene down? - How do you deal with seams? Do you have to extrude both edges and fold them back down onto themselves and tape or staple? - Finally, should I tuck the bottom of the VCL under that DPM under the screed and tape it down, or drop the VCL down over the DPM, or in fact fold both edges together and tape, as above? I can't seem to find a tutorial about any of this, so if there is one, please point me in the right direction. Thanks!

Thanks, excellent suggestions. I wish I'd thought of some of this in the design phase. Now I'm just nearing completion and have sort of missed the boat. Still, plenty there to chew on. I like the addition of solar panels and A/C. I might be able to retrofit that next year after watching its use through the next four seasons.

Good theory there, glad to hear it's working out OK too. My thoughts are turning back to whether or not I really need to ventilate the inside space now.So... is it sufficient to rely on only trickle vents for the sole ventilation, or is that potentially dangerous? The room is 2.1m x 3.1m and 2.1m high, so about 15.5m3 in volume. It is well insulated all the way round with 100mm PIR and fully vapour sealed on the inside. None of the windows can open, only the doors, consequently the only ventilation possible, apart from opening the doors, is the two trickle vents. So the room is very small, pretty sealed, and will be used in mild weather with no boiling kettles, showers, moisture generating activities taking place, just a desk and chair. However I'm concerned about having oxygen to breath should anyone fall asleep or something for a few hours and only the trickle vents are open.I did look at "Approved Document F Ventilation" on The Planning Portal yesterday and it seemed to only be concerned about kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, etc. Places where a lot of humidity might lurk. The only figures I could find was for the smallest space (<50m3) recommending a vent size of 35000mm2, so there doesn't seem to be that much requirement for ventilation. My trickle vents are 2 x 30cm long so that alone may cover things. The trickle vents amount to about 6000mm2 of vent space, which doesn't amount to much, but may be just enough for a room volume of 15.5m3. I could really do with some tables to confirm though.Installing an additional little louvre (sliding, hit and miss vent), about 127x75mm is a possibility, but I don't want to have to cut into the wall unless it's dangerous just to rely on the 2 trickle vents. Anyone any ideas?

This academic study (Ventilation of the Cavities in Timber Framed Walls) from Glasgow University is very interesting, and seems to play down the need for ventilation it seems: https://www2.gov.scot/resource/doc/217736/0090835.pdf “If no VCL is present, ventilating the cavity will not affect the risk of severe interstitial condensation. If an incomplete VCL is present ventilating the cavity behind timber cladding will make little difference. If there is a complete VCL, there will be no condensation whether the cavity is ventilated or not.” So is this suggesting that the main source of moisture in the cavity is that which leaks from the room? What about atmospheric humidity and rain from outside? "ventilation does not increase the drying rate of wet sheathing behind timber cladding." " If there are no rain impacts on external walls, the moisture content of external cladding is determined by the ambient relative humidity and is little affected by ventilating the cavity. Cladding that has been wetted by rain impacts, will dry slightly faster if the cavity is ventilated, however the difference is not dramatic." The recommendation is the following: "Ventilation at the base alone will be sufficient in areas which are not exposed to high levels of driving rain. Ventilators top and bottom should be installed in highly exposed areas." I must say I don't quite understand the findings of the report. How can ventilation at the base perform any function if the air doesn't circulate and leave somewhere?

Do you have a picture of this by any chance Ferdinand? Sounds interesting!