ashthekid

You think that will be cheapest setup?

Silly question but I have a spare new 360w PV panel and am considering putting it on top of the shed to power lights inside and maybe even charge up some electric tools. Is this a silly idea or even possible? What kind of cheap inverter would suffice?

I'm not sure of the air test result but the specialist plumbing/ASHP company did forecast £450 spend per month with all of the heat loss calculations. We do have a large 100sqm open space double height ceiling room with vaulted roof and one wall being totally double glazed glass and bifold. The whole property's 1st floor is vaulted ceilings with no loft space. Natural stone floor throughout. It gets insanely hot upstairs during sunny days. I also just recently last week has the broken smart meter fixed. Turns out it was never commissioned. i'm hoping that helps me identify exactly what and when is sucking the consumption.

I have air con pipework setup ready for installation of a new AC system into two bedrooms. My question is what is more efficient to run as I have two options: 2x outdoor units (5kw & 2.5kW units) or 1x multi outdoor unit 8kW (this is approx £1000 more than the 2 unit quote) And from a noise point of view is double the noise for two units or are they quieter if being smaller kW units? If i were to go for 2 outdoor units, what is the minimum gap I can get away with if they are positioned one behind the other? The space I designed for just one units means if i squeeze two in there is only 15cm gap - is this enough?

Hi, I have recently now moved into my home which is a newly converted old property which is now a very well insulated home (recently rated A on EPC) totalling 385sqm. We have 16kw air source heat pump providing underfloor heating upstairs and downstairs as well as hot water. We have no gas whatsoever in our village but I have 11 solar PV panels to support the setup with a myEddi diverter to use any unused PV generation straight into the hot water cylinder(size 400 litre). On 3 phase electric supply. We moved in Jan, admittedly during an unusual freezing cold snap but our first months bill was £850 using 2500 kWh(average 80 kWh per day). (Solar PV was not up and running during this month) Feb was £700 @ 2100 kWh (average 75 kWh per day) March was £540 @ 1650 kWh (average 55 kWh per day) April was £400 @ 1300 kWh (average 43 kWh per day) My question is, what can I do in addition to my heating during those winter months when costs are dramatically higher? Is it worth me getting a battery and storing any unused generation to be used during the winter? (side NOTE: I have no idea what I waste) Should I get a couple of little gas heaters for the larger rooms? Should I consider an additional small electric boiler that may run more efficiently during the winter to service my UFH and hot water needs compared to the ASHP?

I’m torn between Ring vs Blink. Both I know are Amazon brands now but when it comes to features, battery capacity, link up to Alexa related screens inside and ease of use Im swaying towards Blink. Thoughts? I was hoping to have just a wireless doorbell with no video and then have a powered camera up in the corner of the porch ceiling because I have a power cable free there and have that connect to the doorbell and then to an inside Amazon Echo screen but I don’t think this exists. I will definitely have a few outdoor cameras for added security to monitor driveway etc.

I'm looking for the best low TOG underlay for my carpet that is going down on an underfloor heated base. I've been told by the UFH company that i shouldn't go above 2.5 TOG rating for both the carpet and underlay together which I know is going to be quite difficult. I have found an underlay by Duralay called Heatflow which is 6.1mm and tog rated at 0.75. And then there is Tredaire King which is 8.3mm and tog rated at 0.8. Anyone recommend anything else or used one of these before?

I’ve gone for a 3.68kw SolarEdge 1 Phase inverter that I will target the phase that has the heat pump on to maximise efficiency. I’m also getting a myEnergi Eddi to divert any unused generation directly to the water cylinder. It was a nightmare sourcing the inverter as stocks are so low everywhere and lead times are crazy.

I am looking for a decent soundproof door for an internal doorway that won’t break the bank. I’ve seen companies like Enfield that specialise in them but we are talking thousands rather than hundreds. Any ideas or tips? I’m considering doing a double door for extra sound protection. Silly idead?

Plastering was all done, dried out and painted before the screed even went down so there’s definitely been no other factors affecting it’s drying. I’m just getting a bit concerned now as the stone floor is being laid from the 15th Aug which will be almost 7 weeks which I would have guess was more than enough time. I suppose the 2mm anti-cracking membrane going down on top of the screed will help in some to alleviate any moisture risks.

Well I’m a couple more weeks further into my drying period and so far we’ve had pretty impressive dry sunny weather so I’ve had all the windows and doors open to ventilate the place fully but I’ve also used a dehumifier constantly too. so far the digital hygrometer is still showing 95% RH which is crazy if you ask me. Something must be clearly wrong with it surely. I reckon I have approx 40-50mm of screed. Surely over 6 weeks of 99% dry weather as well as dehumidifier would have done the trick!

It sounds like single phase inverter is the way forward & I perhaps put the ASHP and main house on one phase to put the inverter into that one solely. myEddi diverter will hopefully benefit any unused generation directly into my hot water cylinder which will hopefully ease the pressure on the ASHP and this give me slightly better efficiency overall.

Is that where a decent storage battery is advisable to store up for winter usage? Or does it not work like that?

I have 3 phase electric coming into my property and recently converted it from commercial use to residential. I have 11x panels of 360w each so 3.960 in total. I don't intend to put anything back into the national grid so my question is does that make a difference to the type of inverter I can have? I have an air source heat pump installed and no gas so everything will run off electric. What are people's thoughts on the best setup? I'd love o find an affordable battery storage option but is that worth the expense at the moment? and i intend to use a myEddi or similar diverter to push any unused generated electric into my hot water cylinder.

Yes I have quite a few doorways it runs through. There is one long run of about 40meters. But that crack wasn’t caused by not dry enough screed was it?

I have quite a depth to the area I need to lay a new lawn on. Approx 30cm mainly due to new pathway etc. I am tempted to lay a membrane down before building up the top soil before lawning/seeding it. Is this advisable to keep weeds at bay or a waste of time? I’m concerned it may cause drainage issues or should I not be concerned about that? What is the best thing to do? and is it a good idea to perhaps lay some sort of sprinkler system? I’m assuming you can get some affordable options nowadays. It’s only a small square lawn of approx 50-60sqm. I thought while I have the opportunity I may as well get it right first time.

Ended up using Weber which looks smooth and very nice so far. In a lovely Limestone colour too which Mapei had discontinued for some reason.

Yeah it’s a difficult decision to make. I have a digital hygrometer attached and sealed to the screed and it’s currently showing 95% RH levels which is confusing me a bit as I would have assumed after some amazing hot weather with all the doors and windows open that the screed would have majority dried by now.

It’s a Gyvlon screed and the laitance has been removed mechanically 7 days after the pouring on 1st July. The tiling company laying the limestone floor has said they could lay it now if I wanted because of the anti-cracking membrane going down bit I am very undecided and cautious about this. I have a digital hygrometer attached to a too. Which is likely to take the longest to dry and it’s currently reading 95% RH and room temp of 20 degrees. I plan to get a dehumidifier or two today to help. Assuming I should really only switch these on overnight when all the doors and windows are closed?

Hi, I've been told that even though it's been over 3 weeks since my liquid screed was poured it will be ok to lay the limestone floor because they are using an anti-cracking matting down 1st. Is this true? Also, if this matting is being laid do I still need to prime the screed layer or is that a waste of time? My logic is that it's not having adhesive directly onto the screed anymore so why need it?

Yes I've seen the Aquaseal tanking kit that includes the primer, tape and membrane waterproofing stuff. Everybody always says never enough length tape in the kits. Topps Tiles have suggested a product called Laticrete Hydro Ban which is an all-in-one product meaning no primer or joint taping is necessary. Anyone used this product before? Sounds almost too good to be true. I'm tempted to use this on my plasterboard with some taping for added assurance.

Even before tiling? I would have assumed that if I wasn’t tiling.

New moisture plasterboard in my shower areas: sensible to tape over the joints for added moisture protection before tiling? If so, fleece or butyl tape or something else better?

I’m just about the tile all of my bathrooms and in particular the shower areas and wet rooms. they are all currently set up with green moisture plasterboard (which I know isn’t everyone’s 1st choice of board). I’m planning on taping the plasterboard joints and also tanking the bottom corners just to be extra careful of making sure they are tanked fully. I figure if aI do it right first time then it will last longer. Will any kind of wetroom jointing tape be fine on the plasterboard as I notice a lot of tapes I’ve found don’t mention it can be used on plasterboard so wondering if it’s a waste of time? I’ve seen fleece lined tape or butyl tape. And tanking upto about 1.5m of the wall seems to be a sensible option. Does anyone agree with that? Any tips to make sure I get the job done right?

So I've been convinced to use a solid grout rather than permeable brush in variety. Now it's down to which brand is better? Mapei's Ultracolor or UltraTileFix ProGrout Flexible grout? I'm after limestone colour which is seems is quite difficult to get in Mapei as I think they are discontinuing it but can still get hold of some on a few websites. But what brand is going to stand the test of time or is there really not much in it?