Kilt

Not sure I follow your thinking here.. got a link or a photo? Exact windows and company still a TBC. But they’re going to be upvc sliding sash, but depending on company depends on the sill

Yep. but I recently fixed window all up and replaced burnt mastic under the window, with silicone; I don’t want to count-my-chickens yet, but very tentatively, leaks seemed to have stopped. I've a surveyour coming out in next few weeks, to help identify other issues, including this leak. but speaking to a few trades, harling is being recommended, rather than a cavity tray. but quotes of +£10k, it’s money I simply don’t have. So looking at other options for belt ‘n braces. (Cavity tray still an option).

Its 820mm jam/quoin to jam/quoin. It’s not far out, still within vial marks, but it’s def a few degrees out, which means onside of mortar is still damp whilst rest of sill and mortar is dry. Outter skin is stone and lime mortar. I think we’re getting water penetration under window or through the sill, so would like to beef it up, improve run-off and ensure more water drips clear of wall and lintel below.

Replacing rotten timber windows shortly and I’m looking to improve a (precast concrete) sill’s weather proofing and run-off. The sill in question faces the worst weather we get and we live on a exposed hill in Scotland. (Alot of time, the water can’t escape as force of wind is so strong). The sill is not quite level (Jam to jam) so one side stays wetter far longer. Cant fix that without taking out the whole sill. What would your suggestions be for improving sills weather proofing? Attaching an over-sill, aluminium sill? I don’t want to use lead, as there is another window and decking under this sill, so don’t want any staining. also can anyone point me towards some decent window sill make-up drawings? I’m going to ask window fitters to give me some time with opening, once old window is out, to do as much prep as possible, installing anything needed, like some DPC of original missing or damaged. any advice appreciated.

sadly not.. and a screed floor on ground floor and UFH/biscuit mix on 1st floor. No way under either floor!

Good shout, I’ve still some cat5e kicking about and hadn’t thought of control wires. Wooden, so keeping holes to bare minimum. Was thinking might do flexi-con between joists for protection.. and maybe heat-loss as I might stick some rock wool in between joists for sound proofing. Currently a Grant Vortex Oil. It’s on a 3a RCD fuse, but fed on dedicated supply (2.5mm + 6mm CPc) from CU.

Cable Run shape. Got to go up one floor, 90° bend into LR ceiling, through 12 joists, 90° bend into hall and back down to cu.

We currently have at room’s ceiling down for structural work, it’s right next to consumer unit and cable run for our external boiler. We don’t know what future heating system we’ll have, but the way the industry is going it’ll prob end up (5-10years) being some green system. With that in mind, I plan to Chuck in a 10mm twin+e and a 10mm CPc, incase we went with a heat pump. Bit overkill, but cable run is about 20m.. so for sake of a few extra pounds 10mm seemed a good plan. Am I daft? Anything else you’d Chuck in? nothing getting connected up, just few meters slack stored in ceiling void by CU and few meters in cupboard by hole to outside boiler.

The TS is vented, but you’re right, the manual states is a Primary Store so no chance of legionaries. Missed that bit, so thanks for confirming. We’ve a private fresh water storage break-tank, but it is council chlorinated at source, so just a concern sometimes that water isn’t maybe as fresh as that found on a street/estate etc.

Sounds like we have pretty similar systems, though mine is vented. Been experimenting with speed and think I’ve stopped the cycling and achieved long burn with a faster pump speed, as you mention. Need to do a few more measurements to confirm, but TS is def getting satisfied now, so UFH manifolds can just chug away happily.

Thanks @SteamyTea amazing informative post.

Is yours an unvented system? ours is vented so legionaries is always a concern. do you find full power best for your oil consumption? always that dilemma, put your foot down and get there quicker.. or slow and long.

Ok... bear with me, I'm trying to learn more here. The alpha has 3 mode settings, Proportional pressure, Constant Pressure and Constant speed. The original plumber had pump set to constant speed (mid speed), which was achieving the low flow temp. Slowing constant speed has improved flow temp. However.... Grundfos recommends Proportional Pressure for Rads, Constant Pressure for UFH and Constant speed for Hot-water (showers). Grant recommend a modulation circulating pump. Looking at the duty point, I can't quite figure out which setting is best/makes sense. Proportional Pressure - Duty point moves up or down, and pressure reduces with demand. Constant Pressure - Duty points moves in or out, but head pressure remains same. Constant pressure seems to make more sense in my head....

roofs alright. This leak is on a gable end, and the gable is foot higher than roof line. We have skew stones, sat on DPC. This was all re-pointed and had lythomex mortar on-top of the skews as there were severely weather damaged (nearly 400 years old). There's also a small window on 1st floor, above where the leak is, so if it was coming from roof, water would have to navigate around the 1st floor window first, where there are no issues.

Ok, so slowing pump to slowest speed achieves this diagram: (Diagram with just with Hw on, no UFH pumps on, no hot taps on etc) With old speed setting, I was getting max flow (hot) of 65-69°c. new (slowest) speed I’m getting these peaks and troughs of 65-85°c (on flow/hot). Boiler ok with these peaks and troughs? Would have thought it would be continuous output? Return (cold) is still well above 60°c, closer to 70°c now.

So what would be best practise to lower this? slow the pump? I’ve an Alpha 2L 15-60 which was a direct replacement for the old Alpha.

Haven’t want to muck about with to many options at once. just recently bought a Testo clamp thermometer to try and trouble shoot UFH temps and flow rates. it was clearly just chucked in, with little thought to flow rates, of manifold. now I’m getting ontop of that, I’ve not started looking at the system. Around here I haven’t found a plumber who does Grant servicing, or a service engineer that does plumbing. Seems utter madness..

TS is 210L by McDonald. manifolds are set to 40-45°c for downstairs scree and 47-50°c for the upstairs biscuit/timber. These were all messed up when we got bought house. (UFH manifolds are 20 years old and have a terrible thermostatic valve. Very accurate control, but no way of monitoring actual temp). We used to run out of Hot water with old tank, as TS stat was set to be 60°c. Great idea if you like legionnaires disease. Cylinder stat was set to 80°c by factory, but i set it to 70°c, in hope of satisfying the call for heat. ive re-done all the central heating wiring as it was an utter disgrace. (Electrician had signed it off). yes, flow (hot) into top, return (cold) out bottom with pump. no pump on hot.

Pumps right way round. Grant is almost fully up, about 75%. It’s currently on its middle kW setting (18.5kW), we’ve scope to pump it up to max kW (21kW) on next service, just trying to balance out oil consumption. Low kW for long period or high kW for shorter! After boilers had a good run +4h and all the UFH manifolds are satisfied, flow is about 69°c on outside of pipe, and return is about 60°. Grant schematics suggest pump should be close to boiler on flow, whereas the thermal store (old and new) state pump should be on return.

We replaced our thermal store last year due to a coil breaking, the return system pump was also changed. We’ve a Grant vortex oil boiler and 2 UFH manifolds. since the new thermal store went in, it struggles to get up to desired temperature. The thermal store company recommends a tank temp of 80°c but the max we can achieve from Grant is about 65°-68°. I’m asking on here, as due to the time of year original store went, we were extremely limited on available plumbers.. and who we had out, let’s say “didn’t inspire confidence”. The calculations show our Grant is a little underpowered for our house, however the system (return) pump is blistering, to hot to touch. Could system pump be sending water back to fast, so store doesn’t get chance to warm up or not fast enough? Should there be a thermostatic valve limiting the water temp back? Seems daft sending +60°c water back to Grant. What’s best way to work out pump speed? Is there a desired temp drop between flow and return? Diagram below is roughly our system. We don’t have crossed out sections.

Agreed, but as this is all retrospectively, property was converted in 2002. I've been tempted to maybe convert roof to maybe a "tepid" roof and install PIR between the rafters, just to help level off some of the temp fluctuations, but there's no vents of any kind in our roof, sarkin boards (we're north of the Wall) are pretty breezy, so unsure if I made roof a bit warmer, we'd maybe need vents installed between every rafter.

After chats with Systemair and Lindab, they don’t recommend a mvhr system in a cold space, I.e. attic. Yet most systems I see, my own included, are in the cold space. My unit has suffered from condensation in winter, and I’ve been told the whole system would be better if all parts were within the warms space. We do suffer a bit with excessive cold air coming into rooms during winter and very warm air in summer. In winter the attic tracks outside temp by +5 to + 10°c, but in summer temperature rockets. Has anyone come across any units that are specifically designed for cold spaces? im tempted to just build a PIR cage around our unit with a couple of vents for machine ventilation.

Apologies for the typos. Late night message. last bit should have read: “... no amount of probiotics are going to help with smells from rotten food in a bin or a bad night on the curry and booze!”

I don’t think this’ll get through our ducts, we’ve 90° bends and mini ducts etc etc. Proper rabbit Warren. I also worry about puncturing the ducting with something like this. cloth and string seems a good shout.

It’s basic air pressure and it amazes me these companies don’t think of it. if you’ve 30-70 mph winds against a wee Weep hole, the water is never going to drain: the positive pressure will just act as a plug. We have same issue with a timber back-door and a modern slider. If you can protect the weep holes (decking/patio/trim) could solve problem. In our old place we had a composite door, where a trim went over the weep holes and the water ran down back of trim and then away. Never leaked. Was a great design.