saveasteading

The box simply bolts down on this.

I'm intending to use it as rainwater harvester on the barn project. Buried with pipes in and out and a pump for garden watering.. oily water for a few uses but bugs will deal with that. Otherwise it will cut up easily. Agreed , timing is important. But sod's law will kick in and cold weather require that the tank be refilled.... or just imagine the domestic pressure! I guess I can buy or hire a small pump, and find some barrels. I will diplomatically ask the plumber to reread the regulations.. atm he says the rules require it be bunded.

I think 80m isn't that far, so they might be OK. We found that the bco was relaxed and that prevailed over planning, oddly.

Multifoil does not perform as well as they suggest, esp mixed in some other construction. Note that the suppliers target homeowners not the industry. Is any used at all by house-building companies? It will add to insulation but not a lot. In your case it would be compressed which defeats the whole premise of it (gaps where the heat units bounce around and get stuck.). I'd consider it for my garden shed or an attic that needed some protection because it would be loose and it's easy. But I'd more likely use Bubble-wrap. Have fun asking the builder to explain how insulation works and how multifoil works and then to prove it.

If. Any second opinions on this? It's obv not mentioned by the tank industry. At some stage the house will be surveyed and I don't want that to be tut-tutted.

Unless you are a bricklayer who can also make a nice door, buy a fibre glass kiosk. You need proper hockeystick ducts too. The concrete base is easy diy apart from getting the ducts in the right places.... these cables are big and stiff. Thr kiosk will look the business and recognisable the electric company will be happy, and it's easy to recognise and access in perpetuity.

I would have to allow for pumping out the oil then returning it to the new tank. Was the plumbing part simple? I wouldn't need to involve the bco. Quote was well over £4k. diy more like 1.5. For a couple of days' work even slowly. I'm hoping there's nothing complex eg the boiler will suck the oil in past the tiger loop.

It feels so simple but I haven't come across any such being mentioned or advertised.

I have information. The steading phase 1 (3 bedrooms ) has been in use for a year or so. A self contained unit of 107m2 gross internal. Ufh to the ground floor and radiators 1st floor, all from an ashp. All electric, No solar or battery. The power used has been rigorously recorded from monthly bills. Nov to March inclusive we will consider to be winter. 0.19kWh /m2 /day average Cost £200 / month use winter Summer £20/month. The insulation is good but to conversion standards, not new. Also the surface area is very high compared to floor area. And it is Highlands. So for a chunky building in SE England it should be much less. So I think I may simply forecast the barn conversion use as kW/m2 x our floor area. 0.19 may be extreme as an average but a decent guide as worst case. Any thoughts or your own numbers?

Thanks @Iceverge. That's one of the pages I found. Vague. Should, might, if etc "Ask one of our approved techiicians" is their main thrust. So now I have to convince an approved technician that should / could etc do not mean the same as must. Or do it myself without the small amount of plumbing being by a proper plumber, which I'd rather it was. We are looking at the difference between a £700 tank or £1800. Plus margins. And whether on the existing stone base or a new concrete one.

Clever that! Any idea how that works? I've seen loads and always assumed it was just oversized to prevent that. Even the rainproof double skin plastic ones are said to hold 110%,

If close to the road then maybe a couple of hose lengths would suffice. otherwise you need access, turning space and lots of water. They will not agree to reversing a long way, and it becomes a risk for you if the tanker runs dry. Bin lorries won't come in. You either wheel yours all the way out, or keep them near the road. An enclosure keeps it tidy. Your surveyor appears to be guessing. Any new nearby property where you could check their planning conditions?

I can't figure out the point of that. The outer skin could be considered sacrificial I suppose. Any minor accident may only affect the outside? It ceases to be bunded at that time. So perhaps it depends on location if it is at risk or not. Anyway the reg's, read again, don't require it, but some supposed experts are reading, or assuming, otherwise. I don't want to satisfy the reg's but then have a plumber or surveyor saying it's wrong.

Honeysuckle will cover that in 2 years and not be invasive. But it will mellow anyway. Good job btw. A thought. Your overflow pipes could go left and right to water the garden.

I'm used to taking risks on such things, but based on close inspection. First thought is that a crack there is predictable and repairable BUT I'd need to know the construction of that arch. Has it stopped moving? Do you have a photo of the arch crack from inside? The first impression isn't good. Block wall formed as an arch without support then covered in mortar and render? The rafters needs a tie too. The cracks look big. Can you advise how wide they are? Could you push a coin in there? 1p ? £1? It could well be that nobody would get a mortgage. Is it otherwise a seemingly bargain price? There is an alternative. An SE could look and give a verbal assessment on the spot. Nothing in writing and no commitment. £200? You must agree that it is a non binding first opinion. That opinion could be that it's awful so walk away. Or spend £30k on remedials. Or that it needs a formal assessment at greater cost. Bottom line? It's a big risk if you aren't a building expert.

No, im not considering a brick or concrete bund ( often seen in heavy industrial settings) Some plastic tanks are decribed as bunded, but I'm pretty sure it just means 2 skins. If the inner tank mysteriously bursts, then the outer one is still there.

Our 2000 iitre, plastic oil tank is getting old. It is fading, and perhaps getting brittle after 30 years. It is about 1.5m to the boundary, with nothing near. There is no drainage or watercourse near. My reading of the building regulations is that it can be single skin on a hard base (blinded stone would be easiest). I see lots of 'advice' online saying that it "should" or " must" be bunded, double bunded, double skin (i know these all mean the same) and on concrete. The regulations do not say any of this, so the advisers would be wrong; deliberately so or mistakenly. The cost difference will be about £2k. What do you say? What I'd really like is a magic paint.

We all should try for best practice. The flooding we get isn't always caused by new housing but often is. Every rain drop adds to the risk, and mixing it with sewage is a lot worse. The simplest solution is to use a water butt. Of course use it for the garden and car washing. Preferably overflowing to a soakway, but at least delaying the flow. In extremis the tap could be left slightly open and it will drain slowly before the next downpour. If every new house had to have a barrel, the effect would be huge, and the cost tiny.

Stainless steel screws so they don't rust while the water flows along them.

I'd agree just make a hole in the top. For the overflow it would be simple to add a water tank outlet near the top. First think "what if". If the tank completely fills, where does the water go? If that seems a problem then maybe add a second overflow at the same level or higher. The two can join as the vertical pipe will flow fast. The tank will be green soon. Esp if you paint it with an earth or compost mix.

Perforated pipe with gravel surround will catch this theoretical gas and vent it. A plastic chamber each end. Radon barrier above. Complexity will vary acc to your construction method. I'd have to check why the radon is expected to somehow get through the barrier so needs venting. A holistic solution shouldn't cost too much. OR. Believe the people trying to sell you stuff. I've built about 60??? Buildings in Kent some very near you, but none needed radon measures. I feel that the sales opportunity/ designer caution has increased over time. I'm unaware of any issues arising in buildings without it...eg most of your neighbours. Can you find out what anyone else locally is doing? That will give you precedent.

£1.50/ m2 and no normal dpm needed, or am I missing something?

Radon is simple. Maps show the risk level, by postcode even. If it needs protection it's a standard membrane and easy while constructing. If not, then not. But don't ignore it. Have you tried to put less insulation over your existing slab, and then balance it elsewhere? The rules can be adjusted too, esp as this would be a 'sustaimable' option ie not buying concrete. Are you looking at a few cm of problem or a lot?

A. I simply like to get drains out of the building by the shortest routes and keep things simple. Blockages are findable and outdoors. Also not in the way during construction. B. With a bit of tidying up it works. @Nickfromwalesis saying elsewhere that a flattish fall doesn't need an air admittance valve,and presumably vent, so it's worth checking the regs.