Gone West

If it's for a washing machine, they come in different depths so shouldn't be a problem.

@Plee Welcome to the forum and good luck with the build.

@Moira Niedzwiecka I bought mine from Sundthus in Denmark who were very helpful when purchasing the Genvex but the clause in their Terms & Conditions which says that the item has to be returned to them for repair, means in effect that there isn't any warranty for a large item like the Combi 185. The saving I made compared to buying it from Total Home Environment hopefully will cover any repairs required in the first two years. Sundthus sell the anodes which have to be replaced every few years but they don't list the electric water heater. Total Home don't list any parts but they might well sell them if asked. I'll report back on any issues I have running it.

Hi @Joss welcome to the forum, which bit of Kent are you in?

As an update I have refitted the anode and I have tightened it significantly more than it was before. I have removed the 1kW 'immersion' and it is in fact a dry well or pipe heater so no need to drain the tank if replacing it. @Moira Niedzwiecka when I fill it and get it going, some time next week I expect, I will get back with how effective it is. As an aside Total Home Environment have an ex test Genvex Combi 185 S for sale at £5040.

As a change from hanging the wet room door, oak doors are heavy! I took the anode out of the Genvex and the seal on the anode thread is a sort of hard rubber band. Maybe it just wasn't done up tight enough, although how it could have been pressure tested to 12 bar I don't know. I shone a torch inside the tank and another thing that surprised me was the immersion must be inside a tube so it's a dry immersion. Never seen that before.

That's right but it tends not to get extremely cold here being around only two miles from the coast. It did once get down to -9C at night many years ago but this winter we've only had one night below freezing when it was -1C.

Thanks Clive. I'll have a look and if I don't have the right size I'll get back to you.

@Moira Niedzwiecka and @Luckylad unfortunately the saga with Sundthus has meant I haven't been able to get it going yet so we're still waiting to see how effective it is. Maybe @Nickfromwales can help me with carrying out the repair. The UVC is enamelled steel with a welded boss for the anode. Is it okay to clean up the thread and wrap PTFE tape round the anode and reinstall it? I wasn't sure if that was okay because the tank is rated to 12 bar and I don't know how much I can tighten it into a steel tank.

As an update to the purchase of the Genvex Combi from Denmark, we had a problem with the hot water tank leaking around the anode. I emailed the suppliers (Sundthus) who wanted evidence, so I uploaded a short video showing the leak. They helpfully told me the anode needed refitting. I asked them what they could do under the two year warranty and they told me I would have to send the unit back to their workshop in Denmark for repair. As it weighs 210kg and is bulky that's not realistically an option for a small leak. I then asked for more clarification and they haven't replied. I was hoping for a small refund but I guess the savings I made in buying it from Denmark is my guarantee. So if purchasing something large from Europe check on the warranty conditions in case something goes wrong. I was very surprised that a UVC made by Genvex leaked at two bar when it's rated at 12 bar.

Our lift slide doors leaked for the first year and we thought the rain was coming in down the side of the frame. It wasn't, eventually we discovered it was leaking through the base seal where the doors overlap. These are the pictures provided to the suppliers.

Yes I had a look on Rightmove as well and the prices are about half what they are around here.

The manifolds are metal and virtually everything is Speedfit. It's a bit cramped but I've managed to squeeze everything in. We don't like the look of copper pipes so we've only used them for the D1 and D2 pipes. It'll all be hidden away in a cupboard eventually.

Is that because the thermal cut outs don't work or that they are too slow?

That's unfortunate. We had just the opposite experience when we had support for our application from the Parish Council and nothing but negative responses from the Planning Officers. It didn't help us though as the District Council took no notice of the Parish Council. We went to the Planning Committee in the end to get it through.

Were you affected by the biting bugs in the summer?

I blocked up the air bricks under my bungalow 10 years ago when I moved in. I knew it was going to be demolished so I wasn't worried and thought it would be interesting to see the effect on the timbers. The main part of the bungalow is built of 4"x2" with a suspended timber floor. I should find out next year how the structure has been affected.

I had a plasticity test done before I had my PH slab laid. I dug down to the depth of the slab, took a sample, drove over to the labs dropped the sample off and had the results back in a few days. Painless and cheap.

As an update, a cheery Welsh chap turned up yesterday evening. We rigged up a light for him, gave him a cup of coffee and he fitted the meter. He didn't ask to see any paperwork and didn't ask any questions. It was all rather painless in the end, thank goodness.

No sorry I haven't seen the result.

I bought mine from Merlin Motorsport, it's used in racing car exhausts. If you want I'll send you what I've got, just PM me with your address.

I think that probably applies to a lot of self builders. It's a real rollercoaster, but you just have to keep going. Hope things work out okay for you @ProDave.

This is the company they used. There is a video on there that might help. http://www.arcticfox.co.uk/applications/buildings-historical-restoration/

I had never heard of it until earlier this year when they had the beams cleaned in a cottage down the road. Much less mess than sand blasting and doesn't raise the grain.

I've got a roll of stainless steel wire wool you're welcome to, but it's IIRC about 150mm wide. I just unrolled a length cut it and rolled it into a sausage shape to put behind my cladding. Trouble is I'm about as far from you as it is possible to be in England.