SimonD

I'm like @ProDave. No way would I use an app, must be desktop. I tried a similar solution last year that had an 'office' extension for desktop. The quote system was terrible as although it had a good database of products it was incomplete and out of date - the prices were nothing like I could get through my merchants. When I contacted their support about it they couldn't tell me why other than the system may not have the latest prices update yet..... Also, I quote a total job price, never for individual products, and my merchants have an online quote system that guarantees the price for 30 days. The other issue is merchant terms and prices, which are not available on a generic search. My quotes are all put together in my accounting software too as it makes life much easier for accounting and invoicing purposes. So for me it's merchant online quotes based on my merchant account terms & prices, excel for additional calculations and accouting software for final quote. With that all being said, the products are never the issue when it comes to quoting. It's calculating time and risk for each job and also covering contingencies in terms of both labour and materials/products. It's covering your arse on all of these things too!

I've come across a similar install in an old house where I replaced the boiler. The direct cylinder was built in under the stairs during a previous renovation with no access to remove and replace the cylinder without taking out the stairs! The solution was to install a plate heat exchanger external to the direct cylinder with a hot water/potable water circulator pump and then plumb the gas boiler flow and return through the heat exchanger. Then just wired up the pump to run when cylinder called for heat. Not ideal but when needs must an alternative solution.

As @ProDave suggests, post a picture of the wiring centre with the cover off sowe can see the wiring. It's also worth checking the thermostats wired to the troublesome actuators to ensure they're not sending a live signal to the actuator when they shouldn't.

I think you should tell them that you don't consider the problem to have been resolved if it is the same as before. However, you say that the problem has gradually returned? But from your description there seem to be some other issues going on: 1. System pressure - have you previously lost pressure in the system and have you had to top it up before? 2. Is it a problem with hot water at all outlets? If so, turn one of the most problematic outlets on and then go look at the boiler and check the water temperature shown on the display. Does it rise quickly to about 80C followed by the boiler switching off and then on again when the temperature goes back down?

Stainless steel nails with oak is a must. You can get good quality 34 degree full head stainless steel nails from nailers.co.uk (Alpha Pneumatic Supplies). But also check your nail gun settings. Your other alternative is to use lost head stainless steel screws like these: https://www.tite-fix.co.uk/products/tongue-tite-plus/

You could try Cedar Direct https://www.cedardirect.co.uk/ I've used them and they were very good. Ask for British cedar and price will be a lot less than Canadian. The British is more knotty. They'll machine to the size you want too, but lengths can sometimes be random (although with my order they were all the same).

What brand of lockshield valves do you have? Some of them are total sh!te when it comes to adjustability. However, given the nature of hydronic systems, sometimes you find curious behaviour with valves at certain settings too.

.A properly sized combi will not provide unwanted bursts of cold water, nor will a properly sized unvented cylinder, but an unvented cylinder will run out of hot water and need re-heating whereas a combi won't. But a combi also has its drawbacks, especially if it has to provide simultaneous hot water to multiple outlets. First you need to sit down and figure out your hot water usage and patterns. For example, do you use lots of short bursts of hot water or do you tend to draw large amounts of hot water at a time, like for baths and showers? Also, what are your usage patterns in terms of timing for the main bathroom and the ensuite. Then you need to check your mains water flow rate and pressure (both static and dynamic). Together, this information will provide you with a more sound basis for your decision making because it will guide you in the direction of the best solution for you and the best solution might be worth the price of storage. But it's difficult to say without more information. Regarding specific products likened to storage combis, Alpha Innovation provide a boiler that has storage and pre-heat for DHW here: https://www.alpha-innovation.co.uk/products/FlowSmart/FlowSmart/1836534677 which is slightly different to a normal storage combi. Storage combis are great if you draw lots of small amounts of hot water as it reduces dhw cycling but some non-storage combis have a pre heat function that can be useful for this, so as i say figure out your usage needs first.

Go back to your supplier and buy some self-balancing trvs packs with lockshield valves. You then use an app to set the valve to the correct flow and off you go. Balancing using just the lockshields can be a painful endeavour, depending on the brand of lockshield. Lots of videos on YouTube as always which will help you. Oh, and for fitting both your trvs and lockshields I'd recommend you buy to Loctite 55 thread sealing cord - easier and quicker to get a good seal compared to using ptfe tape.

If you do replace all your trvs I'd recommend seriously considering self balancing replacements. They're a dream to get the system balanced and working properly.

24.5kWh for half an hour with a 30kW combi boiler does seem rather wrong. Best way to check is by taking readings directly from your gas meter. Then calculate actual readings. BTW what heating controls have been installed? For a 2 bed semi, the heating output of this boiler is minmum about 6kW which is probable double your actual heat requirement on a mildish autumn day.

Sarking is the best and the preferred option as specified by the Federation of Traditional Metal Roofing Contractors. For several reasons including better pull out resistance for the fixings. Plywood is acceptable and tends to be 'preferred' by the installers as it's cheaper and quicker to install and is certainly an acceptable solution. With some it's even okay to use osb.... so in order of best to worst: 1. sarking 2.plywood 3. osb (but don't use osb if you need high pull out resistance for screws or alternatively you need to reduce fixing spacing around both the perimeter and rest of roof area - this needs to be calculated).

There's a few on Abe Books but all seemingly to be shipped from the US here's one: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31377729374&searchurl=kn%3Djohn%2Bkrigger%26sortby%3D17&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title2

I scanned the articles rather than listened. It seems we repeat this same circle every so often with someone from the architectural world making the same complaint. Once upon a time it was Prince Charles complaining about the Southbank and city planning me thinks. I totally agree that a lot of what is being built is horrible, especially the monoculture estates being thrown up merely to maximise the profits of large developers while screwing the customers. I'm sure that being an architect designing these things must be soul destroying. Shame it's often missed that simple and efficient can also be highly aesthetic, but can also be more difficult to design as it's about more subtle relationship and proportion rather than a grand statement.

+1 - fit your lovely staircase as late as possible. In the US they often build a construction staircase that then gets covered with proper treads and risers etc. but don't seem to see that too often here. I built my construction staircases using plywood for stringers, osb offcuts for the risers and reclaimed timber for the treads. Cheap as chips. It has also been useful as we've been able to real world test the stair angle and riser/tread relationship to decide on a different angle slope for the proper staircase I'll be making shortly.

I use either: https://www.tcfixings.co.uk/home or https://www.metrofixings.co.uk/ I've always been able to source the metalwork/brackets and other fixings as specificied by structural engineers from both these companies and Metro are efficient if they don't have stock and need ordering. HTH.

Of course, my memory is flawed and behind the times. It was from DRC that the fuel for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs was sourced. Knew it was of some historical significance...

Very sensible as a transitional technology option. The reality on the ground is that here in the UK we have an intractable problem with heating and hot water which is not easily resolved by fabric alone, nor is it a binary choice of fossil fuel/heatpump. 80% of boilers (about 1.2 million per yer) installed are combis and across the country we have about 23 million homes with gas boilers installed, 80% of which are combis. So not only would we need to be installing nearly a million heat pumps per year to get rid of just our gas boilers by 2050, we'd also have to be resolving satisfactory hot water provision in many households where a hot water cylinder and/or necessary buffer isn't an option, including many newbuilds as they haven't been designed with sufficient spare room, unless they lose a spare room. To do this we would also have to change the whole economic model of energy across the UK as it is currently skewed in favour of gas v electric and we have to invest significantly in infrastructure, especially if impractical evangelists suggest direct electric heating for hot water - I was just having a conversation with an electrician yesterday about the installation realities of electric boilers and combis which is an entirely different story....which unfortunately doesn't involve a plug and 13amp socket. Now working in the industry, I've been astonished by the lask of joined up thinking across the whole spectrum from policy makers, to the instrustry, to the evangelists......

Doesn't most of it come from the DRC?

Wow, now that's going to be a reliable source these days.....

I provided a link above on the delay. What actually happened with the government was that the policy was going to come into effect 2025, then they watered it down to merely a consultation, and now the consultation has been kicked down the road 🙄

It seems customers are waking up to it. Hopefully pressure will mount on the developers https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/oct/16/housebuilders-just-want-the-cheapest-thing-possible-how-futureproof-are-new-build-homes But with this lot in government, the can will probably be kicked down the road indefinitely if they can: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/05/delayed-consultation-on-net-zero-construction-a-blow-to-uk-homeowners

Yup, been there too with the Mira shower tray - totally rubbish finish around the waster area. I resolved it by getting out my orbital sander and smoothed it off properly. Will not buy another as having used some Mcalpine traps, I'm not convinced the Mira ones are that good either.

Yeah, you need an adapter. My Marcrist actually came with the adapter even though it's sold as needing one to be bought to use the machine.

The acoustic performance of the wall doesn't depend on the sound insulation - most on the market are pretty identical to each other in terms of both the frequency and absorption because the materials are so similar - what you need to do is go to the insulation manufacturer to get the performance of a specific build up design.