Carrerahill

I would 2 no. fibre cables from the downstairs comms position to the upstairs comms position. I would then run in CAT6 cable from your switch/patch panel to each room where you require service.

You can still feed into the grid without the MCS certified installer, you will find it hard to get SEG payments, but, contrary to popular belief, not impossible. I disagree with the MCS accreditation monopoly, it is really nothing more than a subscription based cash generator. You would install the system as you propose, then send in a G98 to your DNO which simply tells them your have it and its there (keep it under 16A or you need to go to G99 form). I have done what you are proposing, but I have not done the G98 form and will only do so when my procrastinating gets so bad I decide to do it. I bought my mounting system, panels and inverter & cables etc. from 4 separate companies because no one seemed to have stock of all the bits I wanted. I was originally going to use Midsummer Wholesale but they didn't have much in stock, I got some Canadian Solar panels from Bimble in the end, inverter from TradeSparky, mounting rails from Sunshine Solar and DC cable from Voltacon Solar.

What is the post sitting on? If it was loadbearing the load is being transferred somewhere, what is that somewhere? If it is just sitting on the floorboards no where near a joist then that would go a long way to suggest it is non-loadbearing.

I am in the process of doing this actually, I am grid connected now, but am working towards all loads going off grid by end of 2024, in short, the answer is yes. However, there are lots of caveats but I have worked it all out - just need to find all the kit and start the process. I am going to start with 2 consumer units, 1 will be mains loads, 1 will be off-grid. The first circuits to move over will be lighting etc. with the last loads moving over being the high consumers like kitchen appliances. The plan is to have have inverters with a backup AC input which can be grid or generator, at first it will be grid until I have a proven track record over a winter, then look at telling the utility where to go.

A method statement is usually a document with all the contracting parties business details on it then project details and project location, responsible person etc. then a job description then usually a tabulated list of how they will do it all safely. They are odd documents to read and write because they usually spell out the bloomin obvious, mean really boring stuff - they have a place, but day to day they are a bit over the top for basic tasks. I have done a couple over the years but not for civils work. I usually take the P a bit when I write them and make them totally ridiculous because I think they are generally ridiculous for many tasks. If you are taking a nuclear reactor offline, fair enough, if you are transferring chlorine gas from a lorry to a ship, fair enough, but when you hear someone wants one written to inspect a light fitting you really are left wondering what to write. They are really about safety too, so not sure why your neighbour wants one. I once saw once which simply said, "Use common sense".

It seems you want to smooth the way before starting. In which case, why not trying getting your contractor, yourself and your neighbour into a little informal meeting and discuss? If you appease him maybe he will back off a bit - make sure your contractor seems knowledgeable and can string meaningful sentences together. However, you might struggle to get him out as he will see it as a waste of time and want to just do the job.

No. I don't understand why you are letting him have so much authority.

Get your multidisciplinary civils contractor to change the name on the one they use every time and submit that for your trench. Then they will go and do it any way they see fit.

In our original planning application for the extension & garage I had 2 tress that nearly stopped my garage being built, we just had to change from a strip found to a slab with minimal ground disturbance - they accepted that and I also proved the roots for that species wouldn't be anywhere near the garage. I actually put in a piece of strip found at the back of the garage to build a retaining wall a couple of years later, trees are still there and healthy as ever!

Personally, given you are going down the combined route, I would combine them on site. I am sure you can win that argument if it came to it.

You cannot get someone to plaster a block wall? As in a bog standard, interior block wall?

+1 on this. I also did this in my kitchen on walls that would be or could be in the future, used for kitchen cabinets etc. It was brilliant when I came to fit my kitchen cabinets, set the laser up, marked the line all the way around, and as I put up cabinets I just put the next bracket on the wall and screwed it in, caring not where I landed as I knew I'd hit a stud or OSB.

Get a length of plastic trunking, cut it into pieces 20-25mm long, stick them to the PIR, cables in, lid on - rudimentary bracket. Another option, which is a bit more commercial house builder spec is to use high impact UPVC conduit glanded in. This is what is on standard notes of most electrical drawings we issue for domestic projects (commercial is a whole different ballgame with proper containment etc.): THE INSTALLATION SHALL BE UNDERTAKEN UTILISING LSF CABLES COMPLYING WITH BS 6004. THE CABLE SHALL BE CLIPPED WITHIN THE CEILING VOID & ROOF SPACE, PROTECTED WITHIN RECESSED DROPS AND ABOVE BY HIGH IMPACT PVC CONDUIT, AND BE INSTALLED WITHIN THE 'SAFE ZONES' PRESCRIBED WITHIN BS:7671. CONTAINMENT SHALL BE FIXED TO THE BUILDING FABRIC IN A NEAT & TIDY MANNER ADHERING TO THE FIXING DISTANCES AND METHODS AS PRESCRIBED WITHIN BS: 7671 AND AS PER THE MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS. WITHIN CEILING VOIDS, PLANT ROOMS AND STORAGE SPACES THE INSTALLATIONS SHALL BE SURFACE MOUNTED. In other words, if this was a commercial house builder, we would want to see metal pattress boxes, with conduit glanded in and fixed within the wall to create a cable safe zone - it also helps for pulling cables in the future as it gives a good route up a wall. Usually sockets would be aligned nearer a stud so the conduit can be fastened to the side of a stud.

You are not allowed to vent exhausts from fans or flues within a certain distance of a boundary. I know the mechanical engineers in here always ensure vents/fans near boundaries are always located away from them if they are within x? metres. This is totally normal, not my discipline so cannot comment with hard facts, but know that it's generally not permitted.

They are doing a big attenuation system round the corner from my office under the roads, they put in the crate boxes into a membrane lined pit, then they used washed 40-50mm drainage stone (granite usually) also known as clean gravel. Type 1 has too much whin dust and other fines in it. The stuff was dumped on the road and left almost no dust marks it was clearly the right stuff. Even washed pea is not that clean and being round rather than angular creates less voids between the stone, big angular stone creates larger and more voids between the stone. To be fair, at a push, Type 1 would be fine, but it is not actually the right stuff. Clean 3" crusher run of recyclables would be good and cheaper.

You want to read a copy of BS7671 (or any reg to that matter) - you'll not really be sure what you are meant to do in some cases! Interestingly some are written very well, some very poorly. I know several authors sitting on sever of the boards for standards & regs from lightening protection to emergency lighting, and you can see why some are clear and some are not. Basically it boils down to the author(s). One chap who has penned a lot of the lighting standards is very concise and can speak and write English very concisely with no dubiety surrounding his regulatory writing, the other is very good in his field but cannot communicate. We wrongly assume these regs and standards and guides are written by some un-earthly force of experts but in actual fact most are just written by industry experts and who checks their work? More industry experts, who all understand what has been written in the first place.

You get what you pay for. The argument is that Victron, may, last at least 4 x longer than the competitors cheaper product, but will it... that is the question.

I don't see any issue, yes voltage can be high, yes it could kill you, but as long as your not being blinking daft you will be fine. Wire up all the fixed stuff from the mains connection to the DC isolator, that can all be done safely with full isolation. Then wire up your DC cables into your isolator(s) BEFORE they are connected at the other end to the panels, then with the DC isolator(s) OFF, you connect the solar string(s) - at this stage no load will be on the panels so no current shall be flowing, so no arcing or sparking and the circuit will be open so there won't even be a spark, carefully, without sticking your tongue and pinky finger into the ends of the MC4 connectors, push them together until they click. You can now fire up your system, usually AC on first, then DC side - but follow manufacturers instructions for first power up. I know my inverters are different, 1 will do nothing until it sees DC, so commissioning during the night or without PV connected is actually impossible (unless you have a string emulator), the other will fire up and just go into sleep mode. Look at it this way, how many PV installers work at night?

It is not essential or really a rule as such. Just, helpful. Depends on many factors, work out what spare you will have first, load analysis would help. Also, do you consider a small battery. Plenty of 6kW (dual 3kW) tanks exist, very common commercially. I have a friend who has a 9kW tank.

I like all the Victron stuff. Very good kit.

This stuff of various sizes and colours as needed, domestically 50mm throughout would be fine, just keep reasonable radiuses on it, if they cannot be done, go up to 100mm for power. https://skyplastics.co.uk/ducting/twinwall-duct-coils.html

Spray it matt black.

Get the contractor in and set them to work, how are the neighbours going to stop it? I would just crack on and tell the contractor if they are given any grief just tell them to be friendly, discuss the concerns but keep going. If the access is shared and you have a right to dig through it, then go for it. Out of a matter of interest what would they do is a utility came and dug it up to service their line/cable? They cannot really stop anyone. Is the surveyor due to go on holiday?

Just get your contractor to get on with it. Your neighbours sound like they are getting too involved... retired? Just make sure the reinstatement works are second to none and no one will moan, oh and you don't hit the gas main. But stay out of it. By the way, if there was a gas leak, the utility would be out and dig it up without plans or anything, they just fix it and reinstate, don't give your neighbours a say unless they are making some very reasonable requests or your going to screw up a nice path or something. If you hit a phone cable, assuming copper, a handful of silicone filled 3M crimp joints and a waterproof enclosure and its fixed. I once cut a BT line during a build, crimped in a temp line for the build and then rerouted it through the new build and re-terminated it. No one ever knew and no one ever would now.

If the material it is removing is wood, then it kicks out a lot of shavings and not much dust to be honest, if the blades are nice and sharp and he takes a reasonable pass each time it should create stuff more like pet bedding shavings rather than a dust. With extract on the fine stuff should be caught. If MDF, whole different ballgame as that stuff comes away like a dust storm. Even MDF doors usually have a wooden edge though.