Kelvin

Oh and congrats @saveasteading on getting there. Given I did actually see it before the renovation work started I know how much work was needed.

Ah right. I may have mixed up the detector and separate head unit. Ours are integrated and at 144cm. I cut the holes for them so that might be just good luck but more likely under instruction from the electrician.

It doesn’t specify as far as I can remember other than it must be hard wired, easily visible, not covered up, not at the head of the bed, not in corners, good airflow. There are other guidelines about what it displays and how it’s displayed. It also shouldn’t have an alarm as folk will switch them off. We also fitted one in the smaller guest bedroom and the peak reading is much higher. https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2017/11/building-standards-domestic-ventilation-supporting-guidance/documents/building-standards-domestic-ventilation-supporting-guidance-version-2.1-november-2017/building-standards-domestic-ventilation-supporting-guidance-version-2.1-november-2017/govscot%3Adocument/Building%2Bstandards%2Bdomestic%2Bventilation%2Bguidance%2C%2BNovember%2B2017.pdf

The one we have is by Deta. Hardwired. It only lights up when you press the button and it’ll cycle through 8hr average, 24hr average, and 24hr peak. It will display Green, Amber, or Red depending on the level of CO2 detected. Currently showing 24hr peak.

Only if you use it over the winter. I don’t tend to use the outside tap much through the winter so shut it off and drain the water out of it.

This is annoying with some window suppliers who don’t have a list of accredited installers. It was the same with some of the roofing suppliers I contacted.

Are there any super airtight houses that don’t have MVHR and ventilate via other means?

There was an Eco Hub community centre in the village we used to live in that had rainwater harvesting. It worked well enough for them (in dry Cambridgeshire) but the grey toilets were a bit off putting. They did also have quite a lot of trouble with their plumbing too.

My wife was keen on rainwater harvesting. I wasn’t. It just seemed to add a degree of complexity and something else to worry about it and maintain. Had we built a house in a dry part of the UK then maybe but not in Perthshire. I reckoned it would just be better if we reduced our water usage.

My focus was air tightness and to get as low as I could (0.44) The consequence of that is you need MVHR. Therefore the payback was irrelevant. However the atmosphere in the house is very pleasant and fresh. The system is very quiet and low maintenance. In Scotland you have to fit CO2 monitors in the master bedroom. Background levels are around 450ppm although seen it much lower and it peaks at 750ppm over night with two people.

Yes but leave it for now and see if it does indeed freeze just keep a beady eye on it.

Neat job but I agree with Terry. That’s still going to freeze. You would have had to cut it slightly short of the trunking and insulate it to the end of the pipe or, as suggested, continue it into the ground and insulate to ground level. My water pipe comes out of my borehole in free air then down into the ground. I intended backfilling the area around it with earth which would have covered the pipe and stop it from freezing. However to do that required some landscaping so I never got around to it last year. Instead I insulated the pipe as best I could with a very slight bit of pipe left exposed. This worked until we had several days of -5°C and it eventually froze. This year I backfilled with earth as originally planned and it’s been fine so far. I’ve also fitted a heated cable down the ducting which I’ve not had to use yet.

We don’t get so many midges our side of the hills even by the Lochs

My wife is a keen cold water swimmer and only wears a bathing costume all year round. The Loch waters are very cold. My theory is it’s the reason the sea water temperature is rising, all the women of a certain age going for a dook.

The other day my wife asked what we’d do for showers if our system stopped working for some reason. I pointed to the newly plumbed in dog bath and electric shower. Has a handy shelf for sitting on and a door and step to get in. 😂