daiking

This is what I’m expecting to happen but I’m trying to assess how that will work in practice. I know you favour starting at first principles to determine heating requirements but we’re way past that and as you’ve seen, looking for part of a heating system not a single solution in itself. I'm accepting of burning a bit more gas to use the UFH but not using a load more gas if the slab needs heating for so much longer. I’d like to have an idea of how long will it really take to heat up? 4 hours? 8 hours? Longer? Nominally the 2 radiators we have there (vertical tubular style) are rated at 6500btu/1.9kW each although most of the time the boiler is set for a heating water temp of 60 ish deg and those rads were added at the end of the circuits so they will not be that hot and are clearly not putting out their rated output. I don’t know what the rating are based on, 75deg water in the rad? Either way they make the extension bearable most of the time (i.e. when outside temps are above 0 deg. The inland, sheltered, sub-urban, low altitude location means conditions are quite gentle). In the winter when its near zero overnight the Honeywell boiler stat will be showing about 13 deg in the morning compared to 18-19 deg 7-8 hours before when the heating goes off at night. So whilst this is better than any other house I’ve lived in, its not very good. So… if we assume that I'm looking for a 40W/m2 from approx. 30m2 of UFH to gain an extra 1.2kW, what sort of water temperature should the UFH thermostat be set at? Or do I have to supply the max sort of temp you should, 35deg? and I get that fixed heat output whether I want it or not? I think I laid it out with a 200mm piping pitch, reverse serpentine or whatever its called. Is it possible to make a guess on cost from this? Temp of water and time on? Is that tweakable for best efficiency overall? The longer warm up time will mean having the heating on longer but I don’t want to waste gas by unnecessarily warming the rest of the house. This is where Nick might be able to help me, how do I want the 2 parts controlled if I have a very slow warming slab? The original idea was just to have the single UFH zone as a low temp radiator on the existing rad circuit but clearly this won’t work and I will need extra kit. Also been informed that I need some 22mm tails of the existing pipework, not the 15mm tails that were left. I hear that 60deg* is a low setting for a conventional house and GCH. Could I run the modern boiler at a lower temperature to improve the system efficiency? The radiators have all been fitted in the past 4 years, so they're all modern panelled and finned items and he seems to like fitting oversized items. *This is based on nothing more than some comments I read on here/ebuild but, to be honest, any higher and I think the towel rads in the bathrooms are dangerous. Even at 60 deg you get quite a zap if you brush past with something delicate. Apropos nothing to do with the UFH but just general GCH management and how it could be adjusted to be more efficient or maybe integrate with UFH, the radiators in the house fall into 3 basic operating regimes – 1. Bathrooms/WC have 3 x towel rads with no TRV, always scalding hot. 2. Bedrooms/Lounge – TRV set low, don’t usually need much heat. 3. Extension/Hall/’Salon’ – always set to max. Unfortunately, we’re running the heating for the Salon room more and more in the daytime which means that we’re heating a lot of the rest of the house for no reason. I need a better solution for this room including retrofitting insulation under the suspended floor.

Dragging yourself out of bed to wander round the streets in your Jim-jams like a demented victor meldrew is not much of a way to spend your bank holiday is it? There’s always someone making a racket.

bump for @Nickfromwales and @JSHarrisattention. UFH in too thick slab of poorly insulated house?

If it makes any difference to this, the bank holiday gardening “see you next tuesdays” started at 8:30 this morning. But what sort of prick would phone the council about it?

Would need to be an adjustable shower head with a jet function and it’s still not as effective. The bum shower/shitoff is more efficient at cleaning. The shower head is still great for washing away shaving hair down the basin though (we have a tiny bathroom).

Reading this thread reminds me I should take some unconscious bias training...

You know how you use Postcrete? Pour it in the hole then top up with water? Its a very smooth mix, could it be used for this type of thing? Also very quick to set so you could do a few per day with only one mould.

Did you get anywhere? we thought we would chance some galvanised steel planters as they are far cheaper but all 12 were packed up without any protective material between them for delivery so they are pretty much all scratched on top. Muppets. Looking at options but need to be £50 a metre not £100+ a metre. Looking for something sort of 70-100cm long by 30cm wide and tall.

But, but, but, 304 is cheaper ?‍♂️ I can’t believe we still use 304 outside

I preferred the Diana Ross version.

Thats the issue, my pipes are in too deep and it will take too long to get the heat to the surface. Should have added typical central heating behaviour for the household is to have the central heating on in the morning half 6 to half 8 then again in the afternoon from half 4 to half 10. To be honest, half of the rads in the house are TRV’d down low except the bathroom/en-suite/toilet towel rads not on TRVs and these extension rads always cranked open to Max Power. Although my wife has been using the heating more in the day time for when she has guests round. Ideally there needs to be a longer window of operation to usefully heat the slab but not wastefully heat the rest of the house. Which will need something a little bit more complicated than the kit I currently have for it.

So... The verdict is in. Someone who seems to know what he’s doing is reluctant to bother doing it. His problem is the seemly too thick slab. The UFH piping went in the 100mm concrete reinforced slab but we then ended up with another concrete screedy thing that is probably another 50-60mm on top. Then there’s the generic ditra mat and tiles on top. He thinks it’s just too deep and will take too much heat input to offer anything. I have absolutely no handle on how much extra energy this will take for any gain in comfort. Looking for thoughts? Info should be in OP ( maybe I should read it to remind myself ?) but it’s a minimum standard extension to an old build. Only real upgrade is the 100mm EPS + 100mm PIR under the slab. The space (approx 40m2) has a couple of vertical rads which have heated it for the 3 winters it’s been built and it’s ok. Never toasty, cosy but a long way from having to put an extra jumper on. I set the boiler to about 60deg otherwise the bathroom rads can burn so turn the boiler up temporarily if it’s really cold and we’re staying in the extension all night. Obvs cooking and stuff adds enough extra heat normally anyway. So... utilisation of the UFH is only to supplement the existing rads not to replace. Don’t suppose I need a high ufh temp in the ufh like you normally would in a poorly insulated property and the lower delta will help lessen losses (he hopes) but who knows.

Looks like I’ll be bumping the UFH of Doom thread.

The $64 question is paint them grey or not

I’m worried about the heat from the bbq compromising the plastic roof. I am not Onoff so I do not want to make a sliding roof mechanism like the Millenium Stadium.

Cheers, what’s the overall size of the building?

Ps, I am well aware of the difference between a pergola and a pagoda. So pedants, stand by your beds.

I’d like to cover part of my patio with some sort of roof to provide a sheltered BBQ area. I’d like the roof to be clear (corrugated plastic or similar) but am unsure about the suitability of this over a 3 burner sized gas bbq. There are currently 4 off 4” inch square posts in situ approx 2.4m x 2.4m apart. These are positioned in a less than ideal place but it’s what I’m working with. Looking to make a simple roof frame with rafters, hopefully 4x2s will be ok, cover with clear roofing and a small rear gutter. will clear corrugated plastic be ok for this bbq use? (yes the rear posts against the neighbours garage are too tall but I am planning to chop them down a little and they are also closer together)

Can't help on the insulation front but watching with interest. What's the size and spacing of members? They look like 2x4s?

You can't deny they make light work of washing cars, that's why I didn't wash my car by hand, choosing to take it to the petrol station every 3 or 4 months to use their jet washer - which is more in keeping with my beliefs. That's still a lot more water than nothing. The K2 comes with a "fisher price" patio cleaner head. I used detergent spray as well so it took more than a couple of hours to clear 70+ sq m.

Much to my dismay, I've had to buy a pressure washer due to unyielding domestic pressure. Only a Karcher K2, it's a bit feeble but more than enough for how infrequently I intend to use it. Not withstanding the money it's also a colossal waste of (metered) water. What did we do before we became rich enough to do these things? The pressure washer will also get lonely and need a complimentary leaf blower to keep it company in the shed. Do we own our possessions or do they possess us?

No, f**k him. (And try to enjoy the passive aggressive non-confrontation)

Not trusting anyone to even set mine up. Holding out for a hero (or a bonny tiler, I’m not fussed).

Speaking to a kitchen fitter yesterday and he told us to go to B&Q as Howdens prices have gone up so much in last 3 years. ?‍♂️ (Looking for a cheap utility room setup, not a kitchen per se)

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/dangerously-balanced-ladder-landed-roofer-16032222 Not my house, I hasten to add. I can only dream of turn of the 20th century terrace housing character...