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True! My bad

Looks like a warm loft to me. I think you would be alright sitting the unit on top of some rubber as you suggest. That is what I did. Noise is more of an issue from the ducts than the machine but maybe that depends on different machines.

Anyone got any tips for cheap building insurance for an old building (originally built 1820)?! just finished a small barn conversion (2 bed) and getting quotes for buildings only insurance of £1100! it’s a stone/brick construction , tiled roof. apparently there is a threshold of 1850 before which they enter a different category.

In my experience they never work as well as you would hope!

Interesting - I spoke to an epc producer and they said that technically MVHR counted the epc down (I think about 5 points) which surprised me. this is offset in part by the advantage in having a better air tightness test. But he said the reason was the energy gained by heat exchange was generally less than the energy to run the MVHR. Maybe model of MVHR can affect this as well.

Thanks Simon. Pretty sure it is all sorted and the relevant paperwork in place. Should know later today after BC come round.

Actually just found the completed version in an email from the company that I did the overall install with. Sorted.

Thanks Dave - will have a look and see if I can find/download it

I asked my plumber for the G3 compliance certificate for an ASHP install with unvented cylinder and he has sent me certificate showing he is proficient with unvented water systems for Bpec. is that what building control will want to see? I was presuming it would be a certificate that was specific to my install.

So the epc and sap are separate things? I had an ashp install that had all the energy demands calculated - would the company that did that effectively have a sap report for the property? Wondering if it is worth chasing them up to see if I can get a copy!

Do you have a contact for him? do you know what is a typical charge for an epc for a new build (actually a 70m2 barn conversion)? or is that a slightly different thing that needs SAP calculations?

Surely you can temporarily take the ducts off so that you can rule them out as a problem

They are still there if you look closely. Render finishes a bit higher

And what about the cost of the plumber? How much would most people be charged?

Yes

Indeed, the fact it runs on 230v doesn’t say how much power it uses

Sorry, not sure what you are asking/suggesting? I think I am just saying that it seems very relevant whether the shower is upstairs (they often are) or down. If upstairs then I wouldn’t worry about internal walls.

Why the airtight membrane after the boards? Normally the render behind the boards would be the airtight layer and so no need for a membrane. also less worry about penetrations for electrics. What membrane were you thinking of? I’ve done a couple of house renovations with the buildup you have suggested and have been happy with the results. They were both full renovations with floor dug out and insulated/new slab with Ufh. Harder to get the detailing right if done bit by bit but you seem on the right track (like making sure the IWI goes continuously up the wall at ceiling/floor level).

I stand corrected. How about if the shower is upstairs - did you think to ask that?

What area of external wall are we talking about? Internal walls don’t need to be breathable so you can use whatever suits (moisture board, hardibacker ). If it is only a small area I’m not sure I would worry too much about it (especially if upstairs room). Could even skip the wood fibre and just use insulated plasterboard or something similar.

I would ignore building reg minimum rates and just see how it goes by reducing the basic rate. You’ll probably find you can keep it comfortable at a much lower rate.

Thanks for the reply. At least I can use it with a tray underneath at the moment!

Also be aware that if you get below a certain level (3 ach/hour I think) you should have mechanical ventilation. That isn’t an easy retrofit and probably not something to worry about depending on the test score and work you undertake.

My LG washing machine is leaking from directly underneath the machine during the end of the wash (spinning I guess). It has an access point at the drain that is clear of debris and it is draining ok. No obvious filter to check. Anyone know what might be causing it?

I wouldn’t use a membrane in clay. Can clog up the membrane. Could put membrane on top if soil on to of that.