Gone West

+1

We now live in an old solid stone walled bungalow which we are going to improve, after having lived in a Passivhaus which we designed and built ourselves. Having had MVHR in the PH we don't want trickle vents here, but we are going to need some form of ventilation. My thoughts, for our less than airtight house, is to fit a PIV unit in the cold ventilated loft with the output connected to a manifold which would supply air to the living quarters. We would have outlet vents in the kitchen and bathrooms to evacuate stale air. We would fit a heater to the manifold to ensure that the supply air was the same temperature as inside the house. This would obviously use more energy than a MVHR system but would be offset, to a degree, by the temperature increase in the loft during Spring and Autumn. The MVHR system we had in the PH had a small ASHP built into it which warmed the supply air so there was no, colder than room temperature air, going into the house as there is with a conventional MVHR system. We are also deciding on whether to use A2A ASHP heating or an oil fired wet heating system. This will also impact on how we design the ventilation system.

Does it have to be though? Why not fit the PIV output into a manifold and duct to required rooms.

Why is that? Can't you use an in ceiling unit?

We've just had the first service carried out on our hybrid and chatting to the salesman we were told they now need a company directors approval to take an EV in part exchange.

This is dredging up memories from the distant past. When I replaced all the windows in that house I painted all the new frames and beads separately with three coats of Sovereign SX70 before glazing them. We drove past that house last year and the same windows were still fitted. I don't know whether any of the DG units had blown but they were 4/6/4 air filled so not that good insulation.

I glazed all the DG timber windows in my house in the nineties with hard spacers, Butyl 66 compound and timber beads. None of them failed in the fourteen years we were there.

I've not seen DG units fitted with putty and I thought the oils in the putty reacted with the seal around the edge of the DG unit.

Back in the nineties I fitted 4/6/4 DG to wooden windows.

I think there must be, how were the glazing units fitted?

At my last place I fitted a UVC heated with a, IIRC, 650W EASHP. I stored the water at 45C and didn't bother with heating it higher to kill off any bugs.

I've been looking at the Aquinox TS PHE and the file shows flow rates for different kW, inlet and primary circuit temperatures. Aquinox HWM.pdf

If it came from that lot of nests then it was a rook not a crow, still a corvid though. Corvids are listed as vermin and can be shot.

Welcome to the forum. I wouldn't worry too much about feeling like a fish out of water, most self builders do to start with. It's a steep learning curve but we managed to design and build our own Passivhaus without any previous experience. If it's what you want to do, stick with it.

Any pictures? Is it evergreen? The chirping is probably made by house sparrows. Trimming garden hedges is usually allowed all year. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/hedges/pruning-guide

No I don't unfortunately. After the garage had blown down I just cut the SWA cable, took the CU apart and left all the bits. I don't even know if the power to the garage ever worked as the MCB in the house CU was off and having recently moved house had other things to sort out.

I don't have an issue as such, it's more a theoretical question. The garage that blew down a year ago had a small consumer unit in it and it looked like the neutral to the RCD connected at the bottom but the live connected at the top with the busbar at the bottom as normal. So I wondered if the neutral could go either way round as I've not seen it like that before.

Is the direction of flow through the neutral of an RCD important?

On the Dam Buster bottle I have, it says sulphuric acid (above 75%). It also recommends using a full face visor and rubber gloves. Very effective when I've used it.

Welcome to the forum. Well done, it's a nice looking house. Any more pics?

We found some Dam Buster cleaner left behind when we moved into the house. Very strong but worked a treat. https://directplumbingsupplies.com/product/dam-buster?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyOvQ-M-F_gIVjaztCh0mGQS1EAQYAiABEgKl3fD_BwE

Thirteen years ago and long forgotten.

I didn't think you could get modulating oil boilers but I've just been told by the heating chap about a fifteen stage modulating oil boiler. Every day is a school day. https://sapphireboilers.co.uk/

Work well with a thermal store if gas not available.

No because IIRC Grant recommend a minimum return temperature of 50C which I think is to prevent corrosion.