Tom

Not sure they'd be man enough for porcelain tbh. I've used them on ceramic in the past though, and worked well

Thanks all. I like the look of the erbauer guide but think I'll try the ply offcut method - not that I've got massive balls though, more that I'm massively tight

Hi all - I need to drill a few 22mm holes in porcelain tiles that are already fixed down. Any recommendations for a bit to use for the job? Using them wet or dry make much difference? https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-diamond-tile-drill-bit-22mm-x-80mm/51759?tc=EA4&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwydSzBhBOEiwAj0XN4IE3Cru0MOS9d8uWcNMrIZCxF4tpkF6zKDXy4_2HiuQqDWm7vgQTYBoCBQcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Absolutely do not under any circumstances want to crack a tile!

I think 600mm was about right tbh. As long as you tie them down they shouldn't spread.

Yep, I second that. Just flip the cap off with a screwdriver and then pinch the tek-screw up. Quicker and easier to use an impact driver than a spanner, but make sure you don't overtighten and crush the washer.

- oh yes, and PIR insulation under the floor. Added this after the first winter!

Presume you're going for second hand, in which case they'll likely be 10+yrs old by then and if they've lasted that long they'll last another few years for your build. Ours was a 20yrs old "Atlas Moonstone" but has been well maintained and had new carpets and DG windows etc in when we got it. I did a few mods that has made it more comfortable though, log burner, thermostatic shower mixer etc

If that's an actual picture of one of your fixings, and not just a picture from the net, then it doesn't look like it's tight enough against the panel. The EPDM washer needs to be snug but not crushed.

if you're lucky

The walls and the slab - the slab is suspended They did

200mm thick slab, but the heat aint going anywhere but up, there's 400mm of insulation beneath it.

Zip-tyed to the lower layers, all 1km of it, what fun. Not sure tying to the underside of the upper layers would have been possible anyway TBH.

This is the first two layers in, UFH pipes on top of that, then you might just be able to make out the deck chairs we then used to sit the remaining layers on. There were big sheets, which were an absolute nightmare to handle, but we just about got in to the swing of it by the end!

Tell me about it @saveasteading, we had FOUR layers of A393 mesh in our slab Are you using mesh panels with flying ends? Makes lapping them simple so you don't get a build up.

I bought a similar but less expensive one off eBay IIRC, it has a bigger "sled" than the one above, and a long bendable blade to put in it. Perfect for chasing out the polystyrene for my downpipes. It was worth it's weight in gold in the end - and as Conor says it's small money in the grand scheme of things.

Not if I sell the old panels and they're reused elsewhere

Thanks @Dillsue, guess I'm just thinking aesthetics too. I've managed to dig out the MCS certificate and it looks like our Total Installed Capacity is 16kW and our Declared Net Capacity is 12kW. Does this potentially mean I could replace what's there and add panals up to a maximum 16kW and still get the FIT up to this amount?

Aaagh, there are 56 of the buggers! Just had a look at the panels, they are just about 1.66m x 0.99m and the max output is 240W - so 146W/m2 The cheap panels on the City Plumbing site are 1.94m2 and produce 410W max - so 211W/m2 I have 56 panels, so max conceivable output would be 13.4kW - which could be achieved with 33 of the new panels (area: 93.5sqm vs. 64sqm). As above, bit wary of how Octopus might interpret the rules, so will need to confirm with them before doing anything

Thanks @MikeGrahamT21, I'll speak to Octopus and try and get it from the horses mouth

Hi all - we're at a stage where we can get our PV panels back on the roof now. We have quite an old FIT so the rate is quite good, and the nominal installed capacity is 12kW I believe. The panels themselves are quite old and ratty looking - aluminium framed etc. I'm thinking it might be better to swap for some more up to date and efficient ones but am concerned re losing the FIT. I've asked Octopus who now manage our FIT for us, and they replied with: *I’ve made a change to my installation. Do I need to notify anyone?* You must notify your FIT licensee of any modifications to an accredited installation that increase or decrease its total installed capacity (TIC) from the same type of eligible technology (eg solar PV or wind). This may happen by: adding or removing generating equipment replacing generating equipment with a larger or smaller TIC You also need to notify your FIT licensee when: a generation or export meter has been replaced, removed or begins measuring electricity that is not generated by the accredited installation battery storage is connected to the accredited installation there are any other modifications to the accredited installation If you are the FIT generator of a ROO-FIT installation, you must also notify Ofgem of the changes by updating the installation’s registration on the Renewables & CHP Register. Ofgem will then review any changes before they are applied. *For more information, see our Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance for renewable installations.* *Will my accreditation be affected by repairing or replacing my generating equipment, and can I use pre-used generating equipment?* You may repair or replace some or all of the equipment without affecting the accreditation of your installation, provided that the installation continues to meet the scheme rules. These include that: the maximum capacity of 5 Megawatts (or 2 Kilowatts for micro-CHP) is not exceeded the accredited installation continues to generate electricity from the same eligible technology the accredited installation is not decommissioned or relocated You may replace generating equipment with equipment that has formed part of an installation previously accredited under the FIT or Renewables Obligation schemes. If, at any time, all of the plant forming the site up to the point of grid connection is removed, we will consider the accredited installation to be decommissioned and the accreditation to end. If your installation was accredited under ROO-FIT, you must notify Ofgem of the modifications to the accredited installation and, if the TIC of the accredited installation also changes, your FIT licensee as well. Generators of MCS-FIT installations only need to notify their FIT licensee. *For more information on modifications to accredited installations, see our Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance for renewable installations.* *Can I extend the capacity of my installation?* You can modify your accredited installation to either increase or decrease its capacity as long as the total installed capacity (TIC) of the installation and any extensions does not exceed 5 Megawatts (or 2 Kilowatts for micro-CHP). However, you cannot receive FIT payments in respect of electricity generated from any additional capacity unless the extension was commissioned before 15 January 2016. You must notify your FIT licensee of the modification, as well as Ofgem if the installation was accredited under ROO-FIT. If generation and export meters record electricity generated by both accredited capacity and non-accredited capacity, then payments must be prorated accordingly. *You can read more about extensions and proration in our Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance for renewable installations.* *I have recently replaced my generation or export meter. Do I need to tell Ofgem about it?* If you are the generator of an MCS-FIT installation, you only need to notify your FIT licensee. If you have a ROO-FIT installation, you must also notify Ofgem of the changes by updating the installations registration on the Renewables & CHP Register. Ofgem will then review any changes before they are applied. *I’m planning on getting a smart meter installed. How will this affect my payments?* Your generation payments will not be affected. If you currently receive ‘deemed export payments’, then these will stop and you will instead receive export payments for the amount of electricity recorded by the meter exported to the grid. ‘Deemed export payments’ are paid when installations have a capacity under 30kW with no export meter, or where the electricity exported cannot be properly measured. These payments are based on an estimate of the amount of electricity the installation exports to the grid. The amount of electricity that is deemed to be exported is fixed at a percentage of the generation of the installation. That percentage is set each year by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. *I want to add battery storage or an electric vehicle charging station to my property. Will this affect my payments?* As long as your electricity generation (and export, if on metered export) can still be accurately measured, your payments will not be affected. However, if it can’t be, you can’t receive payments for that electricity. You must be able to measure the electricity generated (and exported, if applicable) by the installation separately from all other sources to receive generation payments (and export payments, if metered). So, it looks like I can swap the panels but will need to inform the FIT licensee (who's that?) - highlighted red. It seems like I can also increase my generating capacity - highlighted blue, but wouldn't receive any FIT payments for this. The thing is, if my installed capacity is 12kW, it has rarely, if ever, generated at this level - perhaps even more so now that the panels are 10yrs old+. Would I be OK to replace the panels and ADD some extra to bring it up to this figure? Any guidance here gratefully received! Cheers Tom

Just get a steel gutter fabricated? It's what I did for the hidden gutter for our Nudura build. https://www.panelsandprofiles.co.uk/industrial/galvanised-steel-guttering/

Apologies if this is answered in their youtube video somewhere, but if they have "full planning" then why are they dicking around with repairing steels etc? Just knock down the whole lot and start again. Go back to the drawing board and design something from first principles, rather than have to spend £££ on compromises.

Nudura fairly close to you too: https://www.thefellpartnership.co.uk/ always found Tim there very helpful

@TerryE double check re your tundish that it actually meets regs. Looks like this is the one I linked to here https://www.screwfix.com/p/mcalpine-tundish-19-23mm-x-19-23mm/5684v but looks like it doesn't meet regs as a tundish for a UVC

And it's OK that it's all cooling down now?