SimonD

You've basically got 2 options here. Buy the optional WB diverter kit with a DHW cyllinder sensor and then get a friendly gas safe person to come and fit it. Then you need to add some controls so either weather comp sensor, and/or WB Easy Control. With this option you can only run a single heating zone because the weird way WB have decided to implement their technology means that if you have zones you forefeit modulation and then have to run relay on/off heating. The second option is to get a Nefit opentherm/ems converter from the Netherlands and wire this into the boiler along with an openterm controller. This can then be configured using EPH CH4 combipack control with the CP4 DHW control to provide priority hot water, so 2 flow temps. With this you can have up to 6 heating zones. Now, this is not an official thing, but the Nefit is made by Bosch Thermotechnic, and although it has worked for me, I've found one of two mentions online where it hasn't worked on a specific WB boiler - but I don't know whether this is because it hasn't been wired up properly as these mentions were diy stuff.

Nice one! Good to get some clarity here. For reference I spent last week completely reconfiguring a system with a massively oversized boiler. This was a 30kW WB system boiler which I got modulating using opentherm controls with a converter and now working on PDHW with the opentherm controls rather that the WB diverter. On DWH set to max boiler temp of 82C it would sometimes get to over 90C as the cylinder reached target temp and the diverter valve closed and the system then relied on the bypass only for flow. But never did the boiler block as such, just tripped the burner as would be expected.

Hmmm, I'm still not sure why the discussion is still going down the route of dumping heat to the central heating system and boiler short cycling as a result of this. The intermittent behaviour being shown at the boiler is similar to the symptoms of a blocked dhw plate heat exchanger. The boiler shouldn't be programmed to use the CH to dump excess heat when calling for DHW heating as that's the best place to dump the excess heat. Another similar process is when testing some makes and models of combis in service mode maximum output. Whilst the diverter valve switches to CH for this test, you also need to run the hot water taps to reduce instances of cycling during those tests as that provides additional cooling. The fact that WB are trying to blame a CH system design error on a system that is working to within the operating parameter of the MIs is just total nonsense. If that were really the case then said knowledgeable heating engineer should be able to reproduce and demonstrate the issue to the customer. The WB engineer has kind of already admitted the problem. Now, redesigning, the heating system to be able to handle some excess heat on the occasion it's required may be a way to remedy the boiler design problem, but I would not be confident this would really be the solution simply because the error appears to happen on switching over to DHW, so any excess heat within the hex is an internal boiler issue and wouldn't have a pathway to CH under these circumstances anyway. If the problem was indeed caused by the CH side, we wouldn't be seeing it occur on such an occassional basis given the system is running at max temps anyway. Remember the symptom is no hot water provision at all. So the solution I think is for the OP to go back to WB to fix the problem properly, or sort a replacement because it's simply not fit for purpose. If the boiler has been supplied and fitted by the heating company, there is a fair claim to them to get the problem sorted out rather than the OP. They will probably be better placed to talk to their rep and technical support to resolve the problem. Personally I'd be asking for a different make of boiler built by a manufacturer that approaches boiler control and modulation more sensibly.

Example conversation when BCO visited to sign off my pre plaster inspection (yes, I know yippee!): 'so you've got the egress windows for the guest annex, that's good...on boths sides, that's perfect. Oh, and you've installed a fire alarm in the area, that's good. Oh, and you've put in a fire door, that's a good idea, we didn't ask for that. You know you'll need intumescent strip and if the door is 30min, the wall will need to be 30 min also. Oh, plaster and skim, that's all fine then. Good job' I only accidently installed the door opening in the direction of escape...

Yes, I think the article is generally saying that they're wanting to modernise house production - but really they're just talking about pre-fab houses like the ones you can already get from a good few producers across Scandinavia and the rest of northern Europe. I love the terminology: 'learned to get humans and robots working together" as if the robots are social beings that need encouragement, or maybe they just needed protection from jealous humans? The other bit is: " After a home is trucked to its final destination, "Electrical wires and plumbing are installed in both floors and walls as they're built," according to the article." As if those doing it already haven't thought about that and actually constructed the panels with the services already in there. Mind you, by the way they're talking, they'll be getting billions in investment.

Sounds a bit like my story and I'm sure many others too - it is pain that needs offloading! But what irks me is when a desk jockey doesn't believe the BCO and it goes round in cicles.

I think you've got that spot on.

Ours hand drew everything - even did a had drawn colour rendering for planning committee. Not quite revit but definitely full of life 😁

Thanks, yes, that bit I know but they only provide vertical adjustment. I need to reduce the side gap between leaf and frame as it's currently more than 6mm with the bottom gap being less than 4mm. I have noticed a couple of grub screws on the inside of the hinges facing the door leaf but not sure what they do, if anything?

I have a set of French doors. As they are on the first floor, it's only now since installing the bridge deck that I've had proper access to them. Unfortunately the doors are slightly binding at the top. So I've gone through the process of making sure the whole frame is level, plumb and square. Finally, now that I have nothing else to look for, I noticed the gap on one of the doors between frame and leaf is larger at the top than at the bottom, but I have no idea how to adjust the hinges, if I even can. I've attached a photo of the hinges and gap. Can anyone help?

I think that's actually like a lot of things south of the border too - you just need to demonstrate competency. But you have to be careful here because the interpretation in law of a 'competent person' is developing towards a meaning that a competent person is only one who is registered with a competent person scheme - this is indeed the case in gas, for example, and I suspect will be the case for things like G3 and is moving towards this with electrics too.

You would only be able to self-certify the work if you become a member of a competent person's scheme. If you are trained and get a certificate of competence you can do the installation but it must be certified by building control or someone else.

Just call them and ask to go on the course, then you'll know for sure

Yes, you get a lovely little competence achievement card from the awarding body with an expiry date on the back. I never carry both cards, just my Gas Safe card, even when it hadn't been updated. But if you're concerned, you just need to call gas safe to check on the installer. They will confirm if they're registered for G3.

The Gas Safe website is an abomination. I don't understand how they get away with it. Try using it for managing Gas Safe registrations etc. The search is most likely not working as it regularly doesn't. If someone is Gas Safe registered and G3 they will have it on their Gas Safe ID card listed on the back.

You should be grateful you're not with Protek. Their in house assessors are a nightmare and don't even trust the BCO. I just had a defect notice telling me my exterior wall eaves at the back door are a cold bridge because I don't have a separate liner. They've missed the fact that the wall they're referring to isn't an exterior wall anymore and the exterior doors are installed in very thick EWI to prevent the cold bridging. I'm trying to draft a polite email following the other 4 where I've told them each time I've already sent them the information, drawings and documents requested, along with an email from the BCO saying everything complies building regs and Protek are saying the email is unclear!

That's what I did when we were in the middle of Covid lockdown and needed a cylinder - it works very well and will be used to dump excess pv when the time comes. There are two different things here: The G3 training certificate to gain and show competence Being registered with a competent person scheme to self certify You can be G3 trained without being a member of a competence scheme, something that some plumbers are bacause they don't do gas, for example. If you're not registered with a scheme you then pay building control or another plumber to certify. Without training and competency scheme membership, there's a problem, but there seems to be very little come back any way if people do. You can ask the same question about gas and oil boilers.

Me too. It's already very noticeable in the test areaand would make a really nicely muffled acoustics in every room. Maybe I'll be able to convince her when I test spray it in one of the rooms so she can see what it looks like.

Not fitted yet, only the test area. But my wife isn't massively into the look of it as a finish, unfortunately. I was looking forward to just spray painting it.

Yes, panels interlock. They are 1525 x 1525 15mm birch ply sheets - the original intended floor finish design for the upstairs of the house. These are routed with a tongue & groove and glued together. The cork underlay has a supposed 18dB Delta Lw - it makes a difference compared to the uncovered osb subfloor, but not by a huge amount. It is fully floating. I was gifted it as it was excess from another project - lets say it's enough for my whole downstairs ceilings. Given its acoustic properties I thought there's no harm in using it as all it cost me was a journey in the van to collect. Good points. I'd been recommded 150mm by one manufacturer's tech department but was a bit dubious given how thicker doesn't necessarily mean better in walls either. I wondered whether there was a bit of overselling plus an assumption that thicker was better by the tech rep. That's the key here that I'm missing is to add mass. That's going to be another one of those painful jobs just like airtightness where everyone wonders where I've disappeared to for so long and they can't see anything done!

Easy enough to trench with a trim router - it does look and finish nicer, that's how I did all mine as nobody sold liners for my size doors and wall thicknesses.

Just though I'd revive this thread with a link to the current Gyproc white book for floors: https://www.british-gypsum.com/specification/white-book-specification-selector/floors?system[0]=6771&f[0]=system_panel_search_content_block_system_list_view%3A6771 I'm currently looking to sort the impact side. I've currently got a floating ply floor(which will have floor coverings in parts and bare in others) with cork underlay, osb, 175mm solid joists, 50mm counter battens for services, then 25mm wood wool boards. Still deciding on which insulation to use between the joists but on testing 100mm & 75mm Sheepswool, airbourne with either of those seems fine but the impact needs some attention. I will be adding resilient bars and was then thinking I could overboard the wood woolboards with a layer of standard PB and skim. Any thoughts, critiques of this thinking?

Thanks, but I should have said, no Osmo hardwax oil suggestions please 🙂 I have tins of it at home along with Rubio Monocoat. For other applications yes, just not for this.

I don't know about accommodation for many different manufacturers, but I do think that there is some standardisation out there regarding the tracks and fittings. I bought a load of tracks and lights from https://www.lighting-direct.co.uk merely as a test to decide on what kind of lighting we wanted. Personally I've junked them and gone for dimmable led strips as I can hide these more easily. The tracks take up a lot of space and are very visible. What I also found was that the GU10 fittings seemed to burn out the leds very quickly due to what seemed like heat buildup even with quality branded GU10s. So, in conclusion, I found it difficult to get the lighting right with the tracks and found an old ikea 4 spot track light with smart bulbs I had lying around more convenient and effective!

Right, I seem to be going round in circles. I'm looking for a good quality hard wearing lacquer/varnish for both upstairs and downstairs wood flooring. The choices which all the manufacturers tell me are super brilliant tend to differ between urethane/alkyd or polyurethane 2 or 1 pack. I'm trying to understand the difference and if it's even relevant? Prior experience is that polyurethane shows scratches quite easily. A couple of manufacturers say that the urethane/alkyd type remains flexible and therefore more resilient? We had a floor varnish in our last place that lasted perfectly for more than 12 years even with kids but I can't find the same varnish anymore but looking at the updated manufacturer products theirs now contains Acrylic and Ethylene oxide urethane so wonder if this is largely the same as urethane/alkyd? I'm tending towards urethane/alkyd. Can anyone shed some light and personal experience on this yet another mind blowing topic please?