ProDave

So in Wickes this afternoon (visiting for something else) we saw this I liked that, and (some will say strangely) the fact the induction unit was controlled by knobs not non tactile buttons. So went to enquire. "Oh that is obsolete can't get that any more" "In that case can I buy that as ex display" "No we would have to get permission from head office to do that" "Well could you phone head office and ask them please" "no" Even finding a second assistant who gave much the same answer did not help. SWMBO almost had to drag me away as I was starting to get angry.......

SEPA like a partial soakaway, that is what we have. it means in the summer, when the ground is able to absorb some water, then less goes into the burn.

Whatever you do, I would remove ALL plasterboard on all external walls. I almost guarantee you will have a plasterboard tent. So back to bare block, add your IWI then VCL / Air tight layer, battened service void and plasterboard. Care with taping and sealing every single joint in the membrane and seal the life out of anything that has to penetrate the membrane. Make sure where the VCL meets the ceiling and floor, any penetrations up or down are well sealed. There will still be cold air in the ceiling void unless you are continuing your renovations to that and the upper floor? I have no idea why you propose to do nothing to wall D and seemingly leave the plasterboard tent in place?

Yet...... It was the requirements for rental propertied that got me. You can't do an EICR for a rental here unless you are registered with a competent persons scheme. So for the last 2 or 3 years I have been in the stupid position I can wire a new house, issue an EIC and building control will accept it, but if the owner then wants to let it, Highland council won't accept an EICR from me. I can't be doing with nonsense like that.

I would aim high, and quote say 80A per phase which is about 19 kW per phase or 57kW If they come back with a silly price, then talk about reducing the power needed.

We also don't know their other usage. Heating is less than a 1/4 of my energy use.

I am leaving (electrician). That is mainly because I am retiring, at least a year later than I wanted to, but I had to wait for other things to fall into place before I could finally quit (a property sale) Why anyone wants to work a day later than they have to for financial reasons beats me. BUT even if not retiring, I was getting disenchanted with the industry, the sheer number of people I meet who are frankly incompetent bodgers, and the extra regulation burdens that might be intended to raise the standards, but all I see is more hassle placed on people like me to keep proving you are competent, and it has virtually got to the point with me that I could not carry on much longer without going back to college to update my qualifications. Something I have no desire to do any more.

There is not enough detail. If they were on here, I would be asking: Is that high bill actual or estimated? What tariff are you on and what is the unit rate? Take daily meter readings at the same time of day and post them for us to analyse. Real meter readings not from an app or IHD. Post the EPC details of the property so we can see what the claimed performance is, if new build you might even have the full SAP details. Without any of that we can only speculate

Do you have ANY old spare router, e.g an old BT home hub? Not to expect to use it, but just to connect it to your computer and see if you can access it's web interface via LAN. when you say you get nothing at 192.168.1.1 what EXACTLY do you see on your screen? e.g an error or time out message?

Perhaps the first thing with the hosepipe test is spray the front for a prolonged time, and see if it leaks. If it does not, then spray a lot of water on that side of the balcony and see if it leaks there. At least to start with identify the general area of the leak.

Can you post a very close up picture of the detail from the outside of the top of the leaking window and the bottom of the window above it. I would put my money on the window sill of the window above it and water getting back into the frame when the wind blows. In a dry day get up a ladder with a hose and an observer inside. Spray water first onto the render just above the leaking window, if that does not show water ingress move up a little to be squirting water at the window sill of the window above. Be prepared to spend some time squirting water, it may take time to work it's way through and show.

SWMBO wants induction, but I want gas, partly for the reasons above, and partly it will work in a power cut. So the compromise is have both.

Possibly, but the source does not instil confidence wrt warranty. I have now found this pair that at least are the same size https://cookology.com/product/collections/black-products/cookology-ggh306bk-30cm-2-burner-gas-on-glass-hob-with-cast-iron-pan-supports/ https://cookology.com/product/collections/black-products/cookology-cit301-30cm-domino-induction-hob-black/ Because they are cheap and an unknown make, I would be tempted to buy two of the induction hobs, one as a "service spare" Still looking for more options preferably from a known make and reputable source.

I don't know about this particular one, but for electrolytics I will only buy Panasonic 105 degree low ESR

Looking at separates, I have found a 2 burner gas hob and 2 zone induction hob by the same manufacturer. https://www.arebos.co.uk/en_gb/gas-hob-glas-ceramic-2-zones.html https://www.arebos.co.uk/en_gb/home-living/kitchen/cooking-hob/induction-hob-2-cooking-zones-3400w.html Never heard of that make and they are cheap, so probably not good? BUT one is 52cm deep and the other 51cm. So would look stupid side by side. How stupid is that. This search may take a while.......

When we built our house, at a time of restrained budget, I fitted a 4 burner LPG hob which was an ex display sale at a give away price from Howdens (but then I had to re jet it for LPG) and was only meant to be temporary. 5 years Later, it is time to change it. We have always fancied a mix of gas and induction. One thought was 2 separate (but matching) 2 burner hobs side by side or a dual fuel hob. I throw it open to the forum for recommendations. All I have found is this one https://www.appliancecity.co.uk/cooking/hobs/mixed-fuel-hobs/smeg-pm3643d-65cm-frameless-mixed-induction-and-gas-hob-black/ But the price!!!!!!! and it does not even say it can be jetted for LPG.

So are you saying the 140mm mineral wool gives the 0.14U and the PIR, presumably also 140mm gives the 0.11U You would expect with the same thickness, mineral wool will give the lower U value, BUT will have a longer decrement delay and would be the one I would choose.

I must have replaces hundreds of failed capacitors. Some makes of equipment are well known for it, and there is a steady market in capacitor kits for some common bits of equipment.

So many of today's electronics failures boil down to poor quality capacitors that have failed. Well done for finding the problem and posting here.

I don't see the issue. the first strip of boards you lay might partly miss the joists, but it is not imperative that the joints land on a joist. You can see the board joints in the photo are not landing on a joist.

With new work like this, you are supposed to pressure test the pipework before boxing it in, to ensure all the joints have mated properly, none of the seals have been damaged and it is all air tight. Did the builders do that? Depending where you are, your building control might want to witness that drain pressure test (they do here). Without that test done, there are so many places it could be leaking.

You are probably at the point of diminishing returns. As I have said, 0.14 is quite respectable. I would still be wanting to know more about what type of insulation they were proposing for each option? What details have they given about the wall make up?

What work exactly have you done? Is this a completely new shower room, or have you just changed the WC in an existing shower room? At what point did the smell start? Pictures please.

Yes get a structural engineer. A compromise might be not remove the whole wall but make an opening double door size and have say two glass doors? But an SE should advise what is possible and what needs to be done to make it possible.

For router setup, you are far better connecting a RJ45 cable from one of the ethernet ports to a proper computer, and then logging in to the web page of the router. Everything should then become obvious and less frustrating.