markharro

Thanks for that - I see there still is...Screwfix have it and highly reviewed, this looks like the solution. Thanks again for all help

Great sound advice and enforcing my own tuition that the time spent in trying to learn enough to avoid killing myself is probably far too high when compared to the cost of using a pro to do this stuff. I am now focused on two solutions - trying to stop the leak which seems to be from a water inlet? (photos to follow) and continue using the current system or alternatively getting an electrician to hook up with the needed new MCB etc. On the first option, I have tried tightening with a spanner but the nut is corroded in and more force will probably do more damage than good. If there any type of sealant or glue I could use around the thread that would withstand the water pressure? On option two...I will upload photos of the consumer unit..It looks to me that there is room for the required new MCB at the left hand end but would be pleased for an opinion on that. Thanks again.

Thanks everyone for their comments - in the end resetting the TV software let me then download the latest software update for it. That basically fixed the issue with the connection speed and iplayer now broadcasts in full 4k glory so all is well that ends well

Thanks - yes I have tried changing ports on the switch. The TV does get an internet connection so I have figured the cable from switch to TV is ok. I have actually managed to download a speed test app on the TV and it shows 2Mb/s as the download speed v 60 on the PC. Both connect into the same switch. No wonder why I cant stream 4K! Its quite a mystery. I am on Plusnet and use their router which must be at least 4 years old or so. I am actually expecting a new router from Plusnet any day - their updated model - so I maybe need to be patient and see if that makes a difference. In the meantime I decided to reset the TV to factory settings. It had not been allowing me to update the software previoulsy getting to about 5% max and then stalling but now having reset and run update again it looks like it might finally update - its around 40% now and moving so if this does update it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference Thanks for comments so far.

Our broadband has a download speed of around 60 having just upgraded it. From the router in the bedroom I have an ethernet feed to the lounge into a switch there and then various feeds into the TV, and a camera etc. Another feed from the router goes to an external wired camera. Another to a VOIP box. The final two go out into the garden and provision a shed and our garden office. There is at least 20 metres of CAT 6 cable I think from the router to the office. WHen it comes into the office it goes into another switch and from that we have wired feeds to a PC, a camera, a TV, a streaming hifi unit. The PC in this office room shows a download speed of around 60Mb/s. The 4k TV wired to the same switch is the issue. It simply refuses to stream iplayer at 4k. It is a new LG OLED that is a year old. I just dont understand why there is a problem when I get the speed I do at the PC which feeds from the same switch. Is there any obvious issue anyone can identify or anything I can try to diagnose the issue? thanks

On that I dont have the technical knowledge to comment. We are building a passive house which may or may not have an ASHP. At the moment the issue is space more than anything else. Its not really an option to put in a new tank and there would then be a need to take it out and store during the build. Pretty happy I can connect up the cold water feed and from what others have said it cant be rocket science to turn off the cold feed to the water tank. The electrics are the issue. I need to be happy I can isolate the consumer unit without killing myself (having watched a few Youtubes now I think I can. But I am still unclear whether I can simply unwire the feed to the immersion and then use the empty terminals to wire in a new cable of sufficient rating (what would that be?) that goes to the pull cord isolator and then on to the shower? Or is the compromise to do all of it apart from the connection to the consumer unit and then pay an electrician to that bit?

Thanks for the reply. I wondered about the cable and can easily replace it with a heavier duty. A basic question but where does the cold water supply normally enter the tank - at the top?

We have an all electric house with an old copper water tank with immersion. It has recently sprung some sort of leak although hard to see where through all the old foam insulation. Anyway this got me thinking about whether to simply disconnect it and instal an instant shower. I should explain that we have been used to boiling water on the cooker to do the dishes etc rather than using the immersion as a matter of course and we hopefully only have another 6 months or so in this house before its demolished and we rebuild so fine to put up with minor hardships. So the question is could I instal something like this myself. I could easily connect the cold water feed but what I dont understand is how to shut down the tank and isolate it so that we solve the leaking issue. This and whether that will create any issues I am unaware of. There is also the issue of the electric. The immersion appears to run from an RCD on the consumer unit so I figured that is we decommission the tank I could redirect the cable that currently goes to the immersion - via the 2 pole isolator switch - to the shower. It would probably be a 8.5kw shower and from youtubing I saw a reference to needing a minimum 80A fuse in the consumer unit I think. From what I can make out our one appears to have a 60A. Would that be a deal breaker?

I am experimenting with Apple Homekit which no-one has mentioned yet. I have bought a Homepod mini, a smartplug, a bulb and a door opening sensor and got them all set up and working very well over Thread in the one room they are installed in. Bouyed by the impressive performance - ie instant and consistent activation I bought another bulb and a couple of further door sensors for our two outbuildings. The bulb - in an adjacent room - seems to be linked into the Thread mesh now and working. The two door sensors however appear to be too far away to join the mesh. So I will probably need to buy at least one ore smartplug to extend the mesh and I am hoping that will be enough to bring these sensors into the overall network. I am mainly interested atm in building a security system over Thread - it is looking promising so far - but down the line hope to instal Thread enabled smoke and heat dectectors and automated blinds.

How do you configure this Dave? Say you wanted 12kWp in total and had 4 set up in a standard DNO max configuration what do you do with the other 8? A second string I can understand but what type of battery and how do you prevent the battery becoming overcharged if this string cant export?

Thanks - thats just what I had been looking for - now just need to work out which is the current satellite!

Thanks but I dont mean a terrestrial transmitter

My interest is in the best quality footage whether that is HD or 4K but without paying to view the latter. There is a tiny bit of 4K on iplayer for example. I don't think that there is currently any 4K content broadcast on either Freeview or Freesat but would love to be corrected. Does anyone know if/when 4K will start to come on stream on Freeview/sat? Same goes for Dolby Atmos content. Finally is there any easy to use website to plug in your postcode that will then show the direction and angle the Freesat satellite is at as we are quite shaded to our southeast where I suspect it lies?

Yes that would work as well I think.

I've just bought a Homepod mini and and Nanoleaf bulb and Eve Energy smartplug as an experiment to see how good the new Thread wireless standard is. In short I have found it excellent - extremely quick to respond and very consistent. It has made my mind up that this will be the first choice for smarthome stuff in new project. What is needed though is a smart plug socket that is Thread enabled so it removes the need to plug in the smartplug and then another plug into that. Anyone know if there are UK Thread enabled smart sockets available right now?

Just starting out with this App having bought a Homepod mini and smart light, Want to try to automate the light to switch on/off at random times to give appearance of someone at home - is this possible in the App?

Having now invested in an Apple Homepod mini and the nanoleaf bulb and got the whole lot working together with homekit I have to say that my initial impression is extremely favourable. It just works, instantly and consistently. This Thread technology looks extremely promising and seems to me to offer real potential for a low-cost DIY home automation system that can rival a more "professional" system

https://www.bimblesolar.com/330w-perlight-solar-panels-all-black as a random example and I think the GSE tray is about £30-40

That sounds like a very expensive panel - I thought the GSE trays were around £30 so £270 for a 350? watt panel? I would have thought half that,

I think the point Dreadnaught is making is that this is the big boys' collaboration to fix the very issue you are mentioning ie to produce a unified system to bring order to the current mess. As it seems Apple Google and Amazon are on board with this I suspect it is worth paying attention to.

Thanks - I think you had mentioned this in another post that I read - I had hoped that "Thread" was this standard but from what you say it will be a subset of "Matter"? Do you know enough about this to advise whether (assuming I purchased a Homepod and Nanoleaf light to work via thread it would integrate into any future Matter infrastructure?

That might have been right up until now but all I am reading about Thread indicates it is superior to both z wave and zigbee - here for example - https://techtechandmoretech.com/news/thread-smart-home/

Just been reading about the Apple Home App - people saying its terrible even after 5 yrs of evolution. Seems really puzzling - how can't Apple make what must surely be one of their flagship Apps work properly?

Just been reading about this. Not really interested in the music capabilities as I am still a hifi separates man and, to be frank, not interested in gimmicky functionality, but what would be good would be automated blinds (even better if triggered by a temperature rise within the room); and lights that can be programmed to come on and off randomly to simulate someone at home. A couple of years ago I bought one LIFX bulb to experiment with but ended up just using it to amuse my daughter with the changing colours and then the dropped connections got annoying. I have just read that the relatively new Apple Homepod mini has a new or newish wireless technology called Thread which (appears) to offer instant action/solid connections when eg you use an App to switch something on or off that has the same wireless technology. The other plus point apparently is that all the devices mesh together so you end up being able to extend wireless connectivity easily without relying on wifi or extenders or hubs etc. Again I may be wrong here but it appears this https://nanoleaf.me/en-GB/products/nanoleaf-essentials/ is the only bulb atm that comes with this Thread wireless. Indeed a quick look on the Thread website shows a certified product list but there are not many devices listed (no blinds for example). https://www.threadgroup.org/What-is-Thread/Thread-Benefits#certifiedproducts Is this because this is so new or maybe because there are alternatives out there that are better? Be interesting to hear from anyone who knows this area who can comment - particularly anyone with experience of the Nanoleaf bulb? thanks

Just been reading up on Apple Homekit - in particular the thread wireless technology - this is sold as giving mesh capabilities and instant interaction etc. Looks like the only thread enabled bulbs available right now are these https://nanoleaf.me/en-GB/products/nanoleaf-essentials/ Has anyone used these bulbs with Homekit? thanks