Alan Ambrose

OK lovely, thanks for all the feedback - looks like that scheme will work fine then. Like @JohnMo, I'm thinking of shoulder months / winter performance and also as @Nickfromwales mentioned UPS-style backup. In the Sigenergy line-up this seems to require the 'Gateway HomeMax' and apparently will take a connection to a max of 3 inverters. It looks like I need to do some wading through manuals. FYI I discovered these DC contactors & arc protectors recently: Fire Safety Devices ArcBox - Solar Connector Enclosure

I'm particularly looking at the Sigenergy SigenStor Energy Controller 6.0 SP 6.0kW 1-Phase... But a general question - if you're planning more panels than the inverter will handle for max DC voltage reasons - can you simply parallel them? I imagine the software has to be smart enough to do that. For instance, with strings of 11 panels each giving, say, 380 VDC max / 5.4 kWp and an inverter which will accept 550 VDC max, would I be able to run several strings with several inverters 'in parallel'?

>>> Do you mean a whole house ducted system with a main unit in the loft Yeah, that one. I'm leaning towards 180mm foam ducts atm, which sounds like it would work.

@ProDave So, I just need to put a dummy 'point, accessory or switchgear' to establish a zone / cable tray anywhere I like? 😄 I'm sure I need some temperature/humidity sensors up at 2.4m 😉

While we've still got the roof open, I would like to put in some ducts for potential ducted AC into the bedrooms. Anyone seen a good duct size calculator? Or just some simple rules of thumb?

Maybe there’s scope for the physical panel install - that’s probably 2/3rds of the work.

p.s. I was thinking re safety standards / British standards / building control etc rather than interference problems. I see a typical summary e.g. here: https://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cmdocs/ElectricalDistance.pdf But it has so many cases, it’s really hard to follow.

>>> the electric cable tray must be within 100mm of the ceiling Ah, I was assuming some common sense on this - we’re vaulted pretty much everywhere with a slopey ceiling from about 3.5m at the eaves. I was planning on putting the trays above the doors at about 2.4m.

Just noticed these: https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/25mm-x-50mm-nu-lightweight-plastic-batten-price-per-linear-metre.html

@joth thanks, then I'm seeing them available here: https://octopart.com/search?currency=USD&specs=0&start=0&q=PGSPDY3&s=1

OK another tech question... We have a 50mm services void. I was planning to run horizontal cable trays, mostly high-up (2.5m above the floor) and split into mains & ELV / data (either using one split tray or two separate trays). Then a few vertical drops to light switches etc, also in trays if I can. And then fill any remaining void with, say, mineral wool. Question is - how do I avoid the mains crossing the data or is that OK? Something like this: Mains ------------------------!------------------------------- Data ------------------------!---------------!---------------- ! ! ! ! Mains Socket Network Port

We ordered custom metal road signs and custom Heras covers for the gates. Not expensive. The custom Heras panels were from crowdcontrolsolutions.co.uk. The custom metal signs from road-signs.uk.com.

Bit stumped today. I have some temp/humidity sensors with ~1m cable I want to add RJ45s to and also some CAT6 cable ditto. I thought this would take 10 mins as I have some pass throughs around. Not so. Turns out the ones I have (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088R5F3D2) accept a core diameter of 0.93 mm-1.04 mm. My sensors have wire diameter of 1.15mm (around a 26awg core), the CAT6 has 1.3mm (around a 23AWG core). Neither fit, grrr. I'm looking at https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09BVMQPKH which say "core wire diameter 1.35-1.45mm (23AWG)". Probably fine for my CAT6, maybe not for the sensors. Who knew we would be trading 0.1mm / 100 microns? Anyone have quality pass throughs they recommend?

Will do once we’ve got the membrane on.

Of course, you or your electrician can almost certainly swap the cables in any off-the-shelf lights for longer/funkier ones.

It’s struck me that you could use as IR beam thingy across the outside (or inside for inward opening). Suggest that open/closed sensors (as they’re so simple) should be an option from all suppliers. Will check with the two I’m talking ro.

OK, for anyone else with the same problem, we: + drilled holes in the cowl so we could easily access the screws holding it on - and then removed the cowl. + cut the pipe to the right finished length. That’ll mean padding the cowl fixings a few mm as the pipe flares a bit at the top. We could have instead cut the lip off that sits above the highest flashing. + junked the two flashings and the remaining bit of pipe. To install from above we’ll: + insert into the foam pipe below with an extra bit of mastic for good luck. (Actually into the thin 180-200mm adaptor that we’ve installed into the end of the foam pipe.) + mastic the exit through the ply skin for first level of airtightness. Then tape then use the bottom gasket that Gus suggested. + strap with the strap supplied for support. We may add an extra strap and also thin EPDM strip to prevent squeaking with thermal expansion. + add our metal roof and then the 2nd gasket that Gus suggested. + screw on the cowl.

Forgot to add the postscript: In the end, I got our surveyor to lay out the points and measure their heights at the same time with a total station. Not cheap, of course. Mounted the brackets accurately. Saved the oak framers a day of their time as they usually take a day to shim. Result - frame very straight & square.

Anyone found a nice solution to this, preferably hard-wired? By 'nice', I mean not too ugly and a thought out install into the window/door frame... I should say that I'm planning on external blinds and would like them to be smart enough to not come down when outward opening windows/doors are open.

>>> 400mm roof void .... then made everything off inside the attic plant room below. Im not sure what your exact issue is @Nickfromwales Yes, you can install by putting in the terminal from above and then completing the install from below. But .... you can't do the reverse. Imagine you have the foam pipe already installed in your warm roof. You want to install the vent pipe, then slip over the two flashing pieces at a later date. You can't (as designed) as the cowl (and the little welded on lip) is fixed on the pipe and the flashing won't slip over it. This is unlike, say, the Ubbink UB41 terminal where you can install the flashings from above. You can't tell from the images or the install instruction's (for either the UB41 or 48) that that's the case until you have the product in your hands. The design solution would have been to make the cowl and the welded on lip halfway down the pipe detachable to allow this. And ... there are no dimensional drawings on the Ubbink site, which marks them out as amateurs imo.

Gus, you are a mine of information as usual. Maybe we can have you cloned by AI at some point . I didn't think to ignore the flashing that came with the vent and use a different flashing. Genius. Will report back.

My favourite is Bedec barn paint. Suggest checking out ice blasting to get the soft stuff off then a coat or two of their barn paint. Roller or spray. Should last 5-10 years and be easy to recoat. What’s the wood? Pine?

Of course a simple option is to take one or more sockets out and see if you can see what’s going on behind them.

>>> you may have chosen the wrong product. Possibly, I think that’s the only Ubbink choice for the flow I need. But … I’ve found elsewhere that the Ubbink range doesn’t appear to have had a lot of thought behind it. Will see if I can cobble together a hack.

A practical option might be a smoke source e.g. incense stick or smoke pen to figure out where the worst leaks are. If they’re small leaks, there’s a system called Aerobarrier that might help. Agree though that a ‘professional’ leak test measurement would be something to go back to the developer with - particularly if the result is outside the building control limits.