Fallingditch

Vaillant 832 plus LPG combi boiler supplying 8 radiators on ground and first floor. All radiators have been bled. There may be a weeping leak in the ch system, but if there is I can't find it. The boiler has an LPG LCD screen. I come down first thing in the morning and the system is showing (maybe) 0.4 bar which means it won't fire until I pressurise the system. So I open the mains supply valves for maybe 0.25 seconds and let a little water into the system to pressurise the system to (say) 0.9bar, at which point the boiler fires and heating is supplied to the rads. As the system heats up, the indicated pressure climbs, and tends to settle around the maximum (say 3.6 bar). (However it can rise to 4 bar + which sometimes causes the system to shut down automatically). As part of my test, I then switch the time switch to OFF, and the system starts to cool down. After (say) 30 minutes, the pressure is often showing 0.4 bar, which means I have to re-charge the system to get more heating … and then the cycle repeats. (Because the system currently is on most of the time, the pressure is usually showing 3.4 bar. However during the overnight shutoff (or if I turn it off as a test) system temperature reverts to ambient, pressure drops to < 0.9 bar, and the system wont fire until re-pressurised. Can anyone suggest what's going on here?

that I don't know. It seemms that brickfab.com in S.Wales are the main player in this market, but as I said, I don't think we'll be pursuing this option

I've now had a quote back. They are all custom built, and the price varies a great deal, apparently. I asked for "full footprint" (665 x 890) and about 2.75m tall - their estimate was about £2,000 + VAT each. They are basically cementing brick slips to a fibreglass core, so they will require replacement after some time (although they do have a 10 year guarantee). So I guess I will continue my search for a brickie ...

In the 1960's, the two brick chimneys in our house were taken down to loft level, and the roof slated over. Bricks have gone. We want to install two wood burning stoves, so we need to install liners. Aesthetically, we really want the chimneys back, but the cost of rebuilding them in brick with all the other associated works would be substantial. Googling around, it turns out that there are several suppliers of prefabricated GRP based brick chimneys, designed to accept Live Class 1 flues. They welcome custom designs. Anybody any experience of this technology?

Been doing a lot of reading - and it seems like its entirely acceptable to go with the following sandwich: wooden substrate (see below) Ardex AF200 matting bonding adhesive Dural CI FH (decoupling membrane = Ditra Heat), with embedded UFH loose cables eg from warmstar) tile adhesive 9mm ceramic tiles 'wooden substrate' 1970s two storey bathroom extension on an old Victorian house. 7" x 2" joists at 16" (400mm) centres. The 20mm pine floorboards were were taken up. 20mm OSB sections were cut to go between the joists, being supported on battens, to give a solid, fairly level floor. During the ordering of the above components, my tiling material supplier said "we cannot recommend using our products on an OSB substrate, as you have described". I have been reading a lot of posts on this topic from long time posters such as @nod, @Nickfromwales, @PeterW and it was their experience and suggestions which convinced me that the sandwich ingredients listed above would give me a warm, solid, trouble free and tasty bathroom floor. So this Is where I am: do I need to insert another layer in my sandwich? and if so layer of what? 6mm tile backer board? ply? Or can I assume that the combination or Ardex and Durabase will be sufficient to cover any depressions in my wooden substrate (or whatever its called) ?

Victorian detached house with a footprint of about 11m x 8m. Roof constructed with three king post trusses. Around 125mm rockwool insulation laid maybe 30 years ago? Want to retain as a cold roof, but just lay some boarding to provide storage space. Boards will sit on top of the kink post lower chords, about 200mm higher than the ceiling, so that all works OK. BUT here's the thing: there is a huge quantity of mouse shit on top of the existing insulation and I mean huge. It is everywhere - truly gross. So it just doesn't seem right to ignore this issue, and lock the problem in So am sorely tempted to start again - remove all the shitty (sic) old insulation and relay new. But what would others do?

Unfortunately, the outcome has turned out to be almost entirely negative. 19 Aug, 2019 "FSCS will compensate Alpha Insurance latent defect premium insurance policyholders. This follows the collapse of the deal arranged by BCR Legal Group Ltd to provide replacement cover for Alpha’s 10-year latent defect/structural damage insurance policies due to a number of last-minute issues. As a result, policyholders cannot be expected to wait any longer and FSCS is to pay premium refund compensation to around 14,000 policyholders directly and cheques will be posted in the coming weeks. FSCS is also writing to the remaining 6,500 policyholders with instructions on what steps the policyholders must take to submit their claim. There is no need for any Alpha customers to contact FSCS, as all relevant policyholders can be assured that FSCS will seek to contact them within the next two weeks. You can find more information about this on the Q&A tab. We recognise that a refund of premium may not be the outcome Alpha customers would have chosen and we deeply regret that it wasn’t possible to find replacement cover. Please be assured that FSCS and other parties exhausted every possible avenue to try to replace the cover, which is why this process has taken so long. Once the premium insurance refund has been paid, FSCS recommends that policyholders seek professional advice on obtaining replacement cover as soon as possible by contacting a suitable insurance broker who specialises in latent defect/structural damage policies. Policyholders may be in breach of their mortgage terms and conditions if they do not have a valid latent defect policy for their property. Should policyholders not know of a suitable insurance broker to help with replacement cover, they can get help via the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s ‘Find-A-Broker’ service by telephoning 0370 950 1790, email fab@biba.org.uk. If you have a post-completion certificate of insurance and have not received a cheque from FSCS by 15 September you will need to submit your claim for return of premium via the Alpha portal: https://alphagroup.dk/submit-a-claim/. https://www.fscs.org.uk/failed-firms/alpha/

There have been twelve updates since 30/1/2019. Generally positive news. The latest was 1st August: "The deal to secure replacement cover for Alpha Insurance’s latent defect policyholders remains agreed in principle and subject to contract. We’ve been working closely with BCR (the main Broker) and the Alpha Liquidator to try to resolve some very complex issues so we can secure replacement cover for Alpha’s 10-year latent defect/structural damage insurance policies. BCR Legal Group Ltd had previously indicated that its replacement insurer was in a position to proceed. However, they have now advised us that the replacement insurer has raised several last-minute issues that are preventing the agreement from being finalised. We’re not sure at this stage if the replacement agreement will be able to proceed, but we are continuing to do everything in our power to make it happen as we know how important this is to everyone affected and we believe that this is the best outcome for customers. If your property has sustained damage caused by a latent defect you should raise a claim by notifying BCR and the developer, as set out in your policy documentation."

Recently, a neighbouring farmer submitted a planning application for a 12m high, 450 sq m agricultural building. Under the 'Site Visit' section of the Planning Application form, there is a question "Can the site be seen from a public road, public footpath, bridleway or other public land?" The person completing the form has checked the box for 'no'. In fact, there is a public footpath 15m to the North and in addition, the to-be-designated English Coastal path will be 100m to the south, as well as the building being clearly visible from public highways. So the response to the question on the form is clearly false. Can anyone advise as to the significance of this particular question? What action could or should be taken when a false response has been submitted?

Another update on the The Financial Services Compensation Scheme page, last updated 30/2/2019. "30 January, 2019 Following our update on 21 November, CRL Management have recently identified a potential replacement insurer. FSCS is continuing to work with CRL Management, the Alpha Liquidator and the Danish Guarantee Fund to secure replacement cover for Alpha latent defect/structural damage insurance policies that terminated on 11 August 2018". comment: matters are proceeding very slowly, but there does appear to be progress so I'm not going to take any action at this time.

OK so two years on and I am 100% happy with boiler performance. 1. Even though its on LPG, it has enough energy to heat two simultaneous showers. In fact, it is probably the water pressure which is the limiting factor; I am running two Hansgrohe showers which run at around 8l per minute (=16l per minute); I have 5 bar pressure but my flow rate is only just adequate for two showers. (That's because I am pumping from a borehole to a pressurised tank, and my pump/borehole capacity is the limiting factor, I believe). The built in storage is not really a factor - that's about 20l only I think, and its really there so when someone turns on a hot tap, hot water is readily available without boiler having to fire up etc. 2. Yes - but measure or estimate your flow rate to the bathrooms. If you believe you can get 16l per minute, the boiler will cope. If you can't get that, or your pressure is too low, you will need to put in a pressurised cylinder and associated plumbing (plenty of threads on this elsewhere). This is the critical factor! 3.Unexpected benefits: we have underfloor heating. The wunda mixing valve which I installed in not effective at controlling low temperatures. But I found out to my surprise that it is entirely acceptable to run the boiler at 43, or 40, or 35 (or even 30). So that's what I use to control the UFH temperature depending on time of year. Really rough and ready, but not a big deal in the scheme of things. (What I need to do and I don't know whether it is possible is to remotely control boiler temperature, and set that according to weather forecasts ...). NB this boiler temperature is independent of the DHW temperature, which is set to 65. 4. Running Costs We've now run this setup for two years with average three people in a very well insulated 200 sq m house. - heating goes off (say) 1st April. comes on (say) 1st November. We use heating during that time for hot water and all gas cooking. We buy two bottles of 47kg at a time (typical price £55 per bottle in NE Essex) and they last 6 months with no heating. So I estimate we spend maybe £220.00 pa on hot water and cooking. (or four bottles - fag packet, I know). - the house is well insulated, and has high solar gain. Our biggest problem is overheating (so we open the doors and windows to control temperatures - even when the underfloor is on). Our total gas consumption during the last year was 12 bottles. Take off those four bottles for washing & cooking and that leaves 8 bottles for heating or £440.00 Could I work this out more accurately? probably. But tbh, at these levels of consumption, I am not very concerned. (I have other issues!)

I have recently received my water analysis results. (Should have done this some time ago!!). Results posted elsewhere on the site. pH equals 7.1 Hardness equals 395 mg per litre (very hard) Iron is less than 0.1 mg per litre Manganese is 0.61 mg per litre My 4/5 bed new build is on low lying land. All water is drawn from a borehole. Because the aquifer is only about 2 m below ground level, we use a simple self priming centrifugal pump ESPA Delta 1755m with a raising capacity of 9 m. Water is stored in a 500L pressure vessel next to the pump in the garden shed. It then flows through a 5 micron water filter, and then a blackthorn ultraviolet sterilising unit before travelling underground through 28mm pipe a short distance to the house (I plan to install a water softener downstream of the sterilising unit in the house). Part 42 of the House at Mill Orchard describes how Jeremy injects ozone into his supply using his home-brewed generator, feeds the water into an accumulator, and then passes it through an Aquamandix and sand filter to wash out the accumulated oxides, before passing it through filter and softener An update to Part 42 suggests that Jeremy could have done it in a simpler manner by using a smaller filter with aeration, and Turbidex filtration media (rather than Aquamandix). However in responding to Albert on this page, Jeremy suggests using the same Aquamandix unit as is installed at Mill House, but locating it upstream of the accumulator, and with no ozone generator. I think I need to remove the manganese from my supply because of its undesirable staining effect on sanitary equipment and because of the effect it has on water taste. So I need to install a Turbidex or Aquamandix, and I need to size its filter housing. I wonder if @JSHarriscould suggest which solution I should go for?

My LA was not very helpful in regard to organising a borehole test. I found a private testing company known as Lancrop or Yara based in Pocklington, Yorkshire. Their principal market is a range of tests for the the farming community. However they do offer a standard SA4 Borehole Test for £55.00 + VAT (SA4). All done by post and very efficient. For interest, my results were: Analysis Result pH 7.1 E.C. (mmhos/cm) 1.13 Total Alkalinity (mg/l) 288.1 Hardness (mg/l) 395 Total Hardness (mg/l) VERY HARD Turbidity (Units) < 4 Nitrate N (mg/l) 4.52 Nitrite N (mg/l) 0.014 Chloride (mg/l) 147 Fluoride (mg/l) 0.3 Calcium (mg/l) 113 Magnesium (mg/l) 27 Sulphur (mg/l) 53 Aluminium (mg/l) 0.001 Copper (mg/l) < 0.05 Iron (mg/l) < 0.1 Lead (mg/l) < 0.01 Manganese (mg/l) 0.61 Zinc (mg/l) < 0.01 Coliform Count (no/100ml) 0 E Coli (Beta G Pos) (mpn/100ml) 0 TVC 22C (in 1ml) 0 TVC 37C (in 1ml) 0

I am new to this information, but I also am affected by the bankruptcy of Alpha A/S. On the Alpha group website, there are three links. The one at the bottom of the page is to the The Financial Services Compensation Scheme page, last updated 4/9/2018. The section on latent defect currently reads: How are UK customers of Alpha Insurance protected for premium refunds on their latent defect / structural damage policies? FSCS is working closely with both CRL Management Ltd and the Alpha Liquidator to ensure that eligible policyholders either receive a premium refund or benefit from a replacement policy arranged by their broker. Please keep checking this page for updates on this. From reading through the entire thread, I didn't spot anything which suggested that the FSCS was trying to arrange a refund. So its sit tight fingers crossed I guess. (PS I paid CRL with a BACS transfer).

I have similar issues to those mentioned by others. Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can actually measure my deflections? (We actually used easijoists, with the design specified using the easijoist software. I have asked a rep from the joist suppliers to come out and let me have their opinion. First thing to ascertain is whether the construction has been carried to spec ? )

Thanks all.

I noticed that Screwfix are selling twin power sockets which also provide ethernet and wifi: https://www.screwfix.com/p/wifi-connekt-single-band-n300-13a-2-gang-switched-socket-with-ethernet-2-0a-usb-starter-kit/1571T?kpid=1571T&ds_kid=92700030947269124&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1248181&ds_rl=1249481&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Z3VBRC-ARIsAEQifZSltcGt2EjWr_wpOk0v7W9npZTK4DFS9yrv0E9L3PxrlkR5RgwClmoaAiioEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKOz8K_36NkCFdPiGwod66kApw Keene electronics also. Has anyone any experience of using these? I think at one stage Schneider were selling them but can't see that they are now. Maybe this concept is very difficult to make reliable?

Hi there and welcome! Which part of Essex are you in? (We're in Tendring) :-)

We built a three storey house - there's two staircases, three halls and a corridor on the intermediate first floor. We've fitted four presence detectors - one in each hall and one in the corridor. The two on the intermediate floor are wired together so if either detects presence, lights will come on. They are all driving LED panels inset into the ceiling. The attached picture shows the intermediate ceiling with LED panels, 1 x smoke alarm, 1 x WiFi access point and one of the presence detectors. We went for Steinel is d360 presence detectors. (I wanted to use a good quality make because I wanted to have confidence they could be adjusted for run on time, and background illumination detection). Think they were about £30 each - sourced from eBay over a period of weeks. They are also under master time switch control to force them off in the middle of the night (but that might be overkill). I am 100% happy with the way that they work - I would absolutely recommend such a setup.

I actually made a long trip up north to visit their Showroom. They are not your normal kitchen supplier - they do what it says on the tin - DIY. They are doing very well - lots of sales, expanding. Staff are very helpful and it's an excellent showroom. (A friend also bought from them and they are very satisfied). However, in the end whilst we did go the DIY route, we didn't go with this company. The main reason was the choice of material for the drawer and door fronts. We decided to go white high gloss. We then went to some other kitchen suppliers and picked up the white high gloss samples. The sample we preferred was Vivo because it was more dense and solid than the others. We then looked for a kitchen supplier who could supply Vivo (and Blum drawer runners and hinges) and we came up with TK components in Manchester. TK are trade only. My builders opened an account with them and that's how the basis of our kitchen and utility was built. We bought the granite separately from a local firm. We bought the handles from PWS. We gradually bought the sinks and appliances from eBay. Taps from Germany. Specialised pullouts and drawer organisers direct from Germany. Have to say I'm extremely happy with the result - both quality and cost Going back to your original question I believe most people are happy with DIY kitchens so you shouldn't worry about buying from them. Then again I'm 100% happy that we went the route we took, and I'd recommend TK to anyone.

"Can anyone recommend a Thermostatic shower" Yes: Grohe or Hansgrohe. I bought my showers from a couple of different sources. BargainBundlesUK on eBay who could probably supply you with components you need for flush showers eg one like this alternatively, buy direct from Germany. (See other posts). Here's an example of a complete Hansgrohe Croma 100 from Skybad (search SkyBad for other posts re grman suppliers) for about £120. I bought from both these organisations - no problems at all (and the Germans do returns).

Flour sacks go up the front LOL

Aesthetics, I suppose you'd say. It was installed when we had a cherry picker. I didn't expect it to blow that quickly. I agree with you about two section ladders. You won't catch me up a three section. I will have to find a window cleaner/electrician.

My new build is three storey. I fitted an 80w warm white LED floodlight, 14m up at the apex (unable to say how many lumens). Controlled by a separate PIR controller. Sourced it from ebay. It lasted two months. I am very happy with the level of illumination it gave. and the warm white light colour. But refitting it will be (ahem) a pain. So I want to buy a replacement which is likely to last. Anyone have any experience of a reliable, higher power, warm white LED floodlight?

In my (self assembled, by others) kitchen and utility room I have about 20 different drawers. All runners were specced as self-closing Blum. They are great. From what I have seen, they last well. (They also appear to have a 'lifetime warranty') If you are planning to live with these drawers for some time, I would definitely invest in Blum (or possibly Grass or Hettich). One supplier is Isaaclord.co.uk. Another is drawerboxes.co.uk. (I bought from elsewhere).