Gone West

@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.

I just use my scaffold tower. Wendy wheeled it along metre by metre with me sitting on top when I was working on the ceiling.

I'll let you have that accolade if you want.

Our sitting room has a 4.2m high vaulted ceiling with a glazed gable end. The window frame accentuates the height because it's grey compared to the white walls. In the main bedroom the vaulted ceiling is a similar height but the walls and ceiling are all white and the height is much less noticeable.

Welcome to the forum. Yeah, my plasterer did screeding and tiling.

I'm going to be doing that next year. @dogman did the same and kindly gave me some very useful information. It certainly seems a good idea.

Yes that's what I thought, two years will be plenty long enough. We ended up having it for seven years, mind you no one's as slow as me.

The last time I did a complete rewire of a house was in the early 90s. It was so simple, SEEBoard fitted the supply cable and meter and connected in my CU tails. I told the engineers I had done the rewire to the latest IEE regs and they said not to worry as they were still working to a much older standard. Of course all the privatisation has done no end of good. We all have so much choice and it must lower costs because that's what they tell us. I always prefer chasing round after three companies instead of one, to get a job done and it's so much better for me to trawl through endless numbers of tariffs to find the cheapest. I solved that one by going to Good Energy where I have the option of one tariff, even if it does cost me more so I'm not for ever changing suppliers. Sorry for the rant, I can tell it's going to be a bad day today.

@MikeSharp01 Our meter fitter is coming from SMS. I was told some fitters want to see the certificate, some don't. We'll probably move in when the heating oil runs out for the bungalow, if there aren't any problems with the house. Depends on the weather but we've got around two months worth left.