Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

[Canal Navvy]

Anyone heard of sunamps I bet fred has 2!?

Phase changing materials (PCM) , like those click disc pocket warmers that you recharge by boiling. Did the groundworks for someone who has a solar array that feeds surplus energy into a pair of them for instant hot water in summer when the wood burning boiler/buffer tank isn't going. I'll be interested to see how they perform this coming summer.
They are also planning units that recharge from your engine and can then be used to heat it to operating temp. before you start it !

 

[Jimoz]

I understood that the gas suppliers weren't fitting any new installations anyway .. new build or otherwise, as the grid can't cope with current demand ?

Got my newun connected yesterday so all good here.
As long as the building is built right you could use large rads for a heat pump. I've got 150mm cavity, 200mm underfloor and a shed load of loft wool

 

[Lancs Lad]

Got my newun connected yesterday so all good here.
As long as the building is built right you could use large rads for a heat pump. I've got 150mm cavity, 200mm underfloor and a shed load of loft wool

Fitted heat pump coming up two years ago...
Approx half house downstairs (dormer bungalow)we ripped floors up and put new screed and pipe system in which works perfect. Rest is the existing rads...works ok except for 2c and below when it struggles TBF. Next project is to look at swapping some rads for newer ones etc.
Heat pump was on RHI so we get whole install cost plus tad more back over 7 years paid quarterly. Seemed no brainer to me, if it's crap I'll stick with it and sling it when paid up, tbh there's nothing to stop me doing it now and shoving an oil boiler back in apart from threat of alleged random checks as I'm not monitored. I'd deffo look at it, if nowt else its saved my back...was using a tonne bag of wood in the stove a week some winters

 

[fred]

Fitted heat pump coming up two years ago...
Approx half house downstairs (dormer bungalow)we ripped floors up and put new screed and pipe system in which works perfect. Rest is the existing rads...works ok except for 2c and below when it struggles TBF. Next project is to look at swapping some rads for newer ones etc.
Heat pump was on RHI so we get whole install cost plus tad more back over 7 years paid quarterly. Seemed no brainer to me, if it's crap I'll stick with it and sling it when paid up, tbh there's nothing to stop me doing it now and shoving an oil boiler back in apart from threat of alleged random checks as I'm not monitored. I'd deffo look at it, if nowt else its saved my back...was using a tonne bag of wood in the stove a week some winters

You could use one of the new cylinders that get a lot hotter from a heat pump to drive your rads.

Home

Our hot water solutions help homes, buildings, and utilities transition to a cleaner, more resilient future.

www.mixergy.co.uk

Add a bit of solar to passive charge it to keep bills down.

 

[TiltyShaun]

You could use one of the new cylinders that get a lot hotter from a heat pump to drive your rads.

Home

Our hot water solutions help homes, buildings, and utilities transition to a cleaner, more resilient future.

www.mixergy.co.uk

Add a bit of solar to passive charge it to keep bills down.

Can’t beat some passive solar. Does our hot water from April to end of Sept and another system makes a major dent on the pool heating. All self installed using lots of panels that where acquired via eBay and other sources!!

 

[fred]

a mate of mine heats his pool with a ground source loop, he put 8kw of panels on one of the barns, even on crappy days he's getting enough kwh to spin the heat pump. Can't get better than free heat!

 

[GazCro]

Thing being with heat pump or solar systems is they only really generate 40 to 50 degrees water temp (you will get more from solar if we get a real good summer but not in any huge quantity) hence why they are best used with underfloor. They do say there first 30 degrees temp rise takes the most energy but you still need to boost hot water temp via another means and if you have a cylinder full of hot water sitting there it's probably stored at a higher temperature than the solar is producing most days.

 

[fred]

Thing being with heat pump or solar systems is they only really generate 40 to 50 degrees water temp (you will get more from solar if we get a real good summer but not in any huge quantity) hence why they are best used with underfloor. They do say there first 30 degrees temp rise takes the most energy but you still need to boost hot water temp via another means and if you have a cylinder full of hot water sitting there it's probably stored at a higher temperature than the solar is producing most days.

the heat exhanger in the new cylinders is designed to pull the low temp heat out and concentrate it. A shower at 55c will scald !!

I was very sceptical until I saw and tried a system. Apart from the initial outlay there really arent much of a downside compared to a combi if you size the system correctly.

 

[Jimoz]

a mate of mine heats his pool with a ground source loop, he put 8kw of panels on one of the barns, even on crappy days he's getting enough kwh to spin the heat pump. Can't get better than free heat!

Family member of mine heated his with a spare gas connection! Filled it in now apparently buyers don't like pools

 

[TiltyShaun]

Thing being with heat pump or solar systems is they only really generate 40 to 50 degrees water temp (you will get more from solar if we get a real good summer but not in any huge quantity) hence why they are best used with underfloor. They do say there first 30 degrees temp rise takes the most energy but you still need to boost hot water temp via another means and if you have a cylinder full of hot water sitting there it's probably stored at a higher temperature than the solar is producing most days.

That depends on how many panels you are expecting to heat what volume of water!! My solar thermal runs off a 12v pump so the electrical input is almost nil. Any heat input reduces the demand on the oil burner that tops it up when required! The pool has 30000 litres of water, so you need a lot of energy from whatever source you use. Any input from the solar is much appreciated, we don’t tend to swim unless the sun has been out!!

 

[V8Druid]

well the recuperation/honeymoon is over .. ..... ..

they say.. "trouble comes in threes" ...
well after the car last week and the boiler issues earlier this week ...
Vicki on the phone early Thursday ... with water dripping from Clara's bedroom ceiling !!!

Had me BIL coming to give me a hand sorting some errant slates, after all the winds we've had ... well he was gonna sort 'em and I was gonna get him up there in the basket ... Vicki got priority, so shortly after he arrived we shot down the village for a look see .... cold water header/expansion tank in the ridge of the loft leaking - properly ... concluded a split somewhere, so set to getting the bugger out ... which we eventually managed after some careful persuasion

having wrestled it past all the pipework and wriggled it out of its resting place, 'twas pretty evident 'twere fooked ... but only slightly

dashed into town, with the offending item, hoping to find a replacement that'd fit the space available or better still a like for like replacement .... reg,s changed recently apparently and .... no chance ... all very different now
managed to find a supplier who could offer very similar physical dims, but a very different tank ...but at the earliest, today or more likely Monday/Tuesday - bugger !!

the problem with the original was a couple of small cracks that'd developed around the base of some internal ribbing and the supplier, who I've dealt with for many years, suggested a temp fix with some CT1 adhesive/filler, that works and can even be applied, under water - - like sticking tiles to a swimming pool wall whilst said pool is full

so new tank ordered .... tube of CT1 in hand, me and the BIL set off home to effect a temporary repair on said tank, so' we could at least get the heating and hot water functional for a few more days, on the old unit, whilst the new one made its way to Druid central and we could be impressed at the performance of this CT1 stuff

internal ribs suitably plastered and some flexible cover patches bonded to the under sides .... welding curtain seemed a fair option

we returned to Vickis loft to re-instate the bloody thing ...... went in a damned sight easier than it came out ... we had the drop on it .. refilled and all was nice and dry
observed it for a good hour and were happy ..... way too late for the originally planned slating job, so a.n.other date was set for that and Gareth went home after a cuppa and some of Pam's sponge cake.

22:00 last night - me phone rings - Vicki ... "there's a bit of a drip" !! ****, **** and double **** ........" I'll be down first thing ... stick a bucket under it and turn the main off babe "

the pic above is one I took this morning after extricating said tank ... AGAIN !! after taking Clara to nursery and returning home with the damned thing ... water had some how managed to find a way to track through the sealant inside on the web/tank wall interface, through the crack and then worm it's way out through the sealant holding the patch on ..... well unhappy !! (the missing bit is where I'd rubbed it off)

cleaned everything off ... meticulously clean .... scoured it all with course glass paper (sand paper to them that don't know better - sand paper doesn't exist) and remade the seal / patch repair ....
back to Vicki's .... re-installed the repaired tank in situ, left it dry/drying, all in time to collect Clara at 12

as per , as the sun was out here, for a miraculous change .. she wanted an hour in the park on the swings/slide/etc. ........ half twelve I get a call to say the new tank had been delivered --- "I'll be in shortly - just installed the old one again for the second time - long story - see you in twenty min.s Peter "
He was amazed the CT1'd let us down !!
"C'est la vie "
Shot into town with Clara and picked it up ... very nice .. but very different

going to need a lot of plumbing re-juggling to persuade this into the original location and after examining it in the loft, as a comparator ... concluded 'twas a job for a.n.other day, suitably armed, with a bucketful of plumbing fittings, extra pipe and more time than I had available today .....
so filled the repaired tank, checked it over yet again, turned the main off in case, strategically placed a few buckets and burgered off for some lunch, as Clara was now H U N G R Y

Spoke with Vicki at tea time and discussed tactics/procedure, for leaving it un-attended over the week end, if she went out anywhere - i.e. turn the bloody main off, in case, but ......... was all still dry and dandy when we spoke, so hopefully if there're no issues in 24 hrs, there won't be any and I get some breathing space, to get yon new one installed not heard anything bad , this evening, so fingers crossed

So that's three 'problems' ... in double quick time ...... they/I/we have had our quota for a while ... hopefully

 

[Jimoz]

Do you think the ct1 would have been better with the patches inside and the water pressure helping hold them down not working against? I'm dubious of that stuff anyway, it's about 7 quid a tube and what have we been wasting our time with all these years if silicone isn't waterproof?!

 

[Lancs Lad]

SCHTUK

Try the Extreme, from memory it was cheaper and just as good. Stuck a load slate slips up outside to breeze block, still there years later! Brilliant stuff.

 

[JD450A]

Should of just brought a new tank in the first place you cheapskate

 

[V8Druid]

Should of just brought a new tank in the first place you cheapskate

The issue was actually laying hands on a tank instantly Rory ... have a lot of merchants in Aber ... none of whom seem to carry ANY stock of anything much these days .... combined with the fact that these things have just changed spec.s /reg.s ...
Wolsely/plumbcentre had tanks in stock .. 'til two weeks ago,when all their stock was recalled to head office, as out of date/non compliant and now have to order in ... no one else had stock either ...
the place i ordered from were at least able to match me dim.s and hope to get one quickly ....
privateers who I have never really done much with ... they used to come to me for all sorts, but I never realised just what great stock levels they kept, of general plumbing, etc. stuff ..... I will be making them first port of call in future ... hell of a range of fittings/products/etc. and as they've always been, nice people to deal with.
Cost didn't really factor ... speed was my concern .. that new tank was over a hundred quid

 

[V8Druid]

Do you think the ct1 would have been better with the patches inside and the water pressure helping hold them down not working against? I'm dubious of that stuff anyway, it's about 7 quid a tube and what have we been wasting our time with all these years if silicone isn't waterproof?!

was 11 quid a tube Jim and trying to effect a patch inside around the ribbing'd have been seriously uphill ... just plastered CT1 around everything inside, like 'body filler' ........ this was after all a 'temporary fix' to get systems functional, 'til a 'proper' job could be achieved
agreed on the pressure ... 'swhat almost certainly blew the patch

 

[V8Druid]

SCHTUK

Try the Extreme, from memory it was cheaper and just as good. Stuck a load slate slips up outside to breeze block, still there years later! Brilliant stuff.

thanks for the link ... it'd just be a case of finding a supplier ... the CT1 -- which i'd never heard of -- was on the shelf and being recommended .. drowning man'll clutch at anything ... I needed an answer - fast

 

[pettsy]

I carry a tube of CT1 in the van as a last resort. I have to say I’m not aware of any “new” regulations that have recently come into force with plastic tanks? The last I know of is bylaw 30/60!

We have a couple of very good independent merchants locally that have most things you could ever need aswell as a Wolseley branch. As a backup I have a trade-only supplier that will deliver same day or next day 364 days a year!

 

[V8Druid]

I carry a tube of CT1 in the van as a last resort. I have to say I’m not aware of any “new” regulations that have recently come into force with plastic tanks? The last I know of is bylaw 30/60!

We have a couple of very good independent merchants locally that have most things you could ever need aswell as a Wolseley branch. As a backup I have a trade-only supplier that will deliver same day or next day 364 days a year!

's what the guy in Wolseley told me Pettsy ... used to have all sorts in stock and all been returned to HO.
have maybe 6 or 7 places in Aber to go for such things ... no one had stock of any sort ..... all JIT... but wasn't .... 2-3/4 days wait. moral of this is don't have an emergency

 

[Keif]

Y'all do stuff differently. Stupid question,(my specialty) but what purpose does this tub of water serve?