Ferdinand

A pedant writes: Are these numbers sound? My gas to electricity simple price per unit ratio is 25.49p/kWh to 6.44p/kWh, which is 3.95 not 4.8. Is this some strange average calculation involving standing charge? And do these use A2AHPs or just ASHPs? My impression is that even though UK ASHP pumps are soaring from a low base, there are a lot of people buying A2AHPs as they cost a fraction of the amount.

Thanks. Can you quote the model name or number for me?

My neighbour is about to have a large reduced, and the branches are overhanging my roof. Can anyone suggest a camera I could use to keep an eye on the operation. I trust the N and his arboriculturalist, but it's my roof .. and I want belt and braces just in case. Thanks

Insufficient drainage so it's going into the adjacent bit of driveway and washing away sub base?

I'd say all of it is key, and the toilet pan is a relatively minor issue - that can be replaced in half a day for a couple of hundred. Getting the basics right is more important, and things like handrails, grabrails and accessible taps (single leaver, easy to reach, low effort - whether singles or a mixer) are of benefit to everyone so should be included anyway. More fundamental things need more thought - what if you don't have room to back a wheelchair next to the loo, or to turn it round? Or if you have water pipes running where in future you may need to put a Hitler Trombone on the wall? I was limited with putting a floor flat shower in one bathroom because I would have had to dig up the underfloor heating in the slab to fit the drain - so it is still up a small step. That means no wheel-in shower. It always all about taking advice, taking time to think and scenario-plan now and in the future, then allowing for or making the choices you may need.

I think it depends on your requirement. (Update: wildcard - may be appropriate if you or the boss are basketball players.) If you are going to want one *somewhere* for the sake of having one, then I'd put it in the bathroom which is accessible - when we moved in to ours the shower was upstairs, and bathroom downstairs, so just as she needed a shower not a bath mum was required to walk upstairs - which was loopy and we re-did both bathrooms. Silly decision by the previous owners. If you know that you will need one (eg disabled or elderly person who needs it), fine - it's a nobrainer. The temporarily adaptive alternative is usually a high-rise seat, or a seat in frame that stand over you loo - this sort of thing. It's really horses for courses - if you have a continuing requirement, then I'd consider your whole shower / washing etc setup from that angle. If you have the luxury of an extra loo or shower room, then perhaps put on in the one you make your "adapted" shower room. I wrote a series of about 6 articles about some of this over on my blog : "Accessible Ablutions". You can generally navigate it, but may need to search a little: And also a forum thread:

First of all, Welcome to Buildhub, Rob. We try to help you turn slightly less grey than would otherwise be the case. On the question, it is some time since my solar was put in (2016), but can you do anything to reduce the 'earth loop impedance' number to circumnavigate the issue? I am not sure whether this is defined here as looking from your installation to the network, or the other way round. Could you affect the number, for example, by improving the earthing of your domestic network? (This probably needs input form someone like @ProDave.)

Thank-you all for the replies. Up until recently, I read it by looking down that hole with a phone camera, which is immediately on the threshold of my drive entrance. I may even have a piccie from a couple of years ago. Nothing else has been fitted to my knowledge, so they are getting the readings from somewhere. Is it perhaps a remote sensing / reporting unit? I'm not aware of anything else being fitted, and I've lived here for 10+ years now. However, my water is now back at full pressure, so I have no idea what happened. Interruptions here are very, very rare. I think I may have had one unscheduled interruption in a decade. Out looking at manholes this morning I found one dating from our very first cable tv / internet installation, by Diamond Cable going back to the mid-1990s. Call me Jeremy - I have spared you the 5000x3000 images.

Should I not be able to read the water meter there? That used to be the case.

A couple of days ago my mains water volume fell by about 3/4. This is a piccie inside my meter hole. I think it means the supplier thinks there is a problem with the account. I'm not aware, but given recent illnesses I would not be surprised. Can someone confirm? Thanks F

The surface of the water will be perfectly level, so you can judge the gradient of the patio it by measuring the depth of water in mm at each end. If the measurements are too small to measure easily, add more water .... 😛😉. (TBH I'd suggest that the water escape routes are perhaps blocked with all that dust'n'gunge.)

Reading up a bit, Eco 4 Boiler Replacement grants seem to only be available to rental properties with an EOC of E F or G, whilst for Owner Occupied it D E F or G. Bizarre.

Yes there is if necessary - I need to think a bit about running pipework. It may require a little creativity. Fortunately it is the heating side of the boiler which is under question, so I do have a short time to think about it. A boiiler swap under ECO 4 is currently looking most straightforward at present.

I have a boiler that needs repair or replacement in a rented house, and I'd welcome thoughts. The situation is: - I bought property to rent to this tenant in 2016. It is unusual in having 3 double bedrooms, which was why they wanted it. - Good tenant, and I expect the family to stay for another decade (kids are 5-7 old years in local schools, family are all here incl. parents and siblings). They love the house. - It is a 2016 renovated 1910 done by someone else I bought it from - solid walls etc. Not to my standards, but adequate. I keep having to have bits done, which is fine but a small pain. - T is in receipt of housing elements of UC, and child benefit (whatever it is called now) -> may be eligible for Eco4 scheme, which is boiler replacement, or a Heat Pump grant for an ASHP. - Boiler (8 years old) is repairable, but not the best brand. Engineer recommends replacement (they would, but I'm inclined to agree) with a Baxi. I am mainly Ideal or Worcester Bosch. Repair cost £500-1000 suggested. Replacement cost £2-3k depending on model. - EPC is 60D on the sheet, but imo is better than that (I've done a few things, and there are some 'average' assumptions in there.) Had I renovated it that would be at around 75C. - Implication of that is that fitting at Heat Pump could get me over the EPC Grade C requirement which will be coming back at some stage, after Rishi Sunk's "how can I save my arse" 2 year panic attack burning all their achievements - including the landlord EPC ratchet - down. - T says house is comfortable running at a lowish boiler temp (need to check that). - My long term intention is that I prefer no gas (safety and hassle reasons). Options AI see it I have 3 options. 1 - Replace boiler, ideally under boiler upgrade scheme. 2 - Go ASHP with a grant, perhaps via Octopus. Octopus use I think Daikon units. 3 - Go with A2AHPs with a couple of multisplits, and units in relevant rooms. 2 and 3 would require a hot water tank to have space found. Should be doable. I'd welcome all comments, especially around if the Octopus ASHP packages are good, whether ASHPs are easy to manage for tenants, and what lifetime I can expect from ASHP or A2AHPs. Thanks Ferdinand

OK. Answering your question, and a couple of adjacent thoughts. I do not know what is in front of the photo, or to the sides (relevant later), nor what storey it is on, nor what "appearance" constraints you are under. For covering the join, as you ask, lead flashing could do it, as could a lead flashing alternative such as Ubiflex. Done properly, ie mortared 40-50mm in to a ground out joint above, either should give you 20+ years with little trouble. I do not think that something like flashband is suitable, which is a mistake some make. Ubliflex or similar is less flexible than lead, but can be shaped. I have used Ubiflex to flash in a lean-to conservatory roof, which has not been in place for nearly a decade - with no problems of which I am aware. One problem may be attaching it to the very not-flat stone cladding. One downside of something more or less following the face of the wall is that you may get staining depending on how the water drains / flows and whether it will still run down the front of the cladding. And we are assuming that the stone cladding cannot be penetrated by water running down it. An alternative is to build your stone-cladding protector a little away from the wall to throw the water off more thoroughly. That could be your Ubiflex which may be rigid enough to stick out mounted on a batten. Or you could take a different idea and build out a mini roof to put container plants under, or for parking bikes, or even build out a veranda with a table or bench underneath. That would keep the water off the cladding. Potentially if the design matches you could use corrugated steel of various colours or designs as your stick-out small roof. Or you could go the other way, and make it simpler. Personally I don't like stone cladding so I might be inclined to chip it all off and render the entire wall. Apologies if that is stone cladding you put on ! That's a few thoughts, including I hope addressing your actual question from a couple of angles. Ferdinand