PeterW

... and as if by magic @Christine Walker has moved it.... @newhome and @Mr Punter your comments were noted !

Its how it gets the water to 50c or higher as the flow rate through the PHE to get a delta increase per cycle drops away - you may only be getting 0.1-0.2c per cycle at higher temperatures. To combat this, a lot of ASHP either have an inbuilt immersion or trigger an external immersion to take the temperature up quicker. This is also what hits the CoP as its a direct 1:1 electricity to heat relationship. Some ASHP manufacturers actually state this in their product data as it can spike the current flow

Assuming this is a standard zone valve you are using..? If so, you can swap to a normally open valve and a normally closed valve. Wire the motor to the NO valve through the microswitch of the NC valve and you never have a closed circuit. Alternative is if you have a 3 way valve to swap the head to a diverter head as that is only powered when open and springs closed.

Quickest way with getting a price and agreement on margin (and what you want) is cost plus. Agree a margin with the builder that all materials will be open book invoice plus x% and you stand the x%. If you want a Wickes door at £50, the cost plus rate of 7.5% means you pay £53.50 for the door. That covers his cost to purchase and collect etc and you get what you want. If 7.5% sounds a lot, bear in mind how much you will pay in interest etc on unrecovered VAT and so on, and then decide if you want to do it yourself - the downside is if you stop him working as materials aren’t available then you still pay ... it also gets you access to his discounts but at least he knows what margin he is making on that element.

Thanks @nod How would you finish the render detail under all of those rafter tails ..??

They look crap unless you go for decent ones. You need the 4 on the front due to the dormers and the 2 on the back one at each corner of the roof. Roof of area calc says you only need one on each side tbh but you can’t do that with your layout. Go for a decent brand and a deep flow gutter where possible and use clips every metre starting from the inside corners.

Looks lovely... how do you fit the render stop under those eaves..?? from the Potton builders guide So either Potton or their appointed contractor has it incorrect..? And this states Rendalath first then timber detail boards before render It also mentions Potton Contract Manager - who’s that and where are they in all this ..?? Does he arrive on a unicorn at the stroke of midnight ..??

Leave it alone ....!!! If you sand it, it will show ..!!!!

Ok The “architect” at Potton hasn’t even read his own spec as it recommends to use pre-bagged render and not sand and cement. Those instructions also say you have to fix the Rendalath or similar before the roof is fixed ..?? When are you roofing as it says to do it before the eaves boards are fitted. @nod do you know where to get Rendalath or one of the render carriers from at a decent price ..??

Yep as long as it sits on a concrete base. Put a couple of 4” swept elbows in opposite corners to get ducts in and out and then you can always backfill the rest of the duct

Ask Steve to give Andy a prod and see what his price is... ? Out of interest are your labour quotes just for render or for the boarding too ..? Who gets to do the fancy woodwork ..?? And sorry - you’ve confirmed my view that Potton are still stuck in the 1980’s..!! Stucanet doesn’t need the aquapanel behind it as it’s a render carrier but is expensive for what is basically posh chicken wire and brown paper ....

Depends what the top coating is - OSB is fine as a backing but not as a final surface, and under lead it can show pattern. GRP and I would go OSB as it’s sealed in and the surface mechanically bonds to the sub structure too

OSB would be better

Is this temporary or permanent ..? most shuttering ply is already WBP anyway, marine ply is just certified to have no voids and the more expensive ones have thinner layers and more of them than cheap ply.

Sorry but they are a supplier and unless you’re a serial self builder who is going to use them again, you have no loyalty to repay ... they have made a profit from you and they need to give you what you have paid for and ensure it’s safe and meets regulations. You wouldn’t buy a new car and accept it with 4 bald tyres just because the salesman was nice and made you a coffee ....

Done..... @Christine Walker you should see a Create Blog button on the blogs page now

Ok so I would ask Potton what the score is here as you have paid for a structural component to be on display and at no point they mention fire protection ..?!! you can use this stuff but I wouldn’t be paying for it .....! I’d be taking it off their final bill ..!!

I run a Sanyo CO2 ASHP and the CoP at 50c is about 2.3. The big issue is getting anyone to touch it as the gas pressure is a magnitude larger than a normal ASHP and no-one has the specialist kit to service it. Sanyo dropped out of the market with these units as they were expensive and difficult to service so until they sort those two issues I expect we are stuck with standard refrigerants.

But this is Pottons issue not yours ..!! You cannot sell something as a feature in a product that basically can’t be used..!! I’d expect that these aren’t actually structural but I would be calling the supplier ....

What do Potton suggest..?? I wouldn’t want concrete in direct contact with that and the timber will need protecting anyway if it’s on show in the new house as it will get covered in screed/plaster/crud and will be a sod to clean up.

Bigger brush feathers out easier and doesn’t wander as much.

Right.... minimum depth from the TF is going to be 600mm from the front of the chimney as you need 250mm for the liner, 200mm for the bricks and 100mm for the vermiculite all round (50mm each side) and then your 50mm TF cavity. Good news is 550mm for the chimney works bricks so thats an easy one. If you really want 2 pots then one is a blank; chimney will need to be 1050 wide to cope with the liner and the pot at the top. That’s a big chimney ..!! cavity will need trays and some clever detailing to close the cavity to drafts Other issues include getting some insulation between the brick skins ...

You can run the roller parallel to the wall - 10mm gap if you’re good..! Paint all round first but make sure it’s wet on wet so no faffing when it comes to the roller ..! I use a 4” brush for cutting in.

Until you realise it’s a 2 man lift of a full board onto the lifter..!!

Paint the white and come down the wall angle by 10-20mm When SWMBO has chosen the colour (is she as indecisive as you..?) then just cut the colour into the ceiling. That way you don’t get rough lines.