Recent content by DIYknot

Ok Thanks to all. You seem to have confirmed that there is no magic way this is being done that I don't know about. I agree it makes no sense doing it the way it seems to be done. I think I'll advise them to change the tank (which is quite old anyway) for an indirect one and do it properly.

Sorry, I meant direct:giggle:. Indirect I know how it gets heated! I've edited my reply.

Yes, that's a possibility. I can't see any other explanation. It looks like there is no 'secret' way of heating a direct cylinder with a system boiler

Sort of what I was thinking but I've looked all round the cylinder and there are only 3 connections. I get that their hot water could be generated from an immersion heater (there is one in the tank) but then I'm puzzled as to where the pipe from the 'hot water' motorised valve goes. Its...

Please can someone explain what sort of pipe runs a plumber would have made in this situation in a friend's house as it doesn't appear that it should work. A new system boiler was installed downstairs with internal pump, replacing an old heat only boiler that had a header tank in the loft. The...

OK, thanks all. That's sort of what I have decided to do. my drill bit is plenty long enough.

I need to fix a couple of 3.6m long 150 x 47 mm timber horizontally along an outside wall of a house using resin anchors. I've used these anchors before to hang a porch and other things. Every time I drilled a 12mm hole through the wood to touch the wall in order to mark the spot for the 12mm...

OK, thanks for the advice about 3 x 2. That will reduce the cost and weight.

Thanks for the reply. The front is at the top of my sketch next to a large garden that slopes steeply down ending in a vertical drop to another house (odd arrangement). The nearest road is some distance away towards the back of the house behind the retaining wall - downwards in my sketch - so...

There is a narrow gap between my house and some old, low outbuildings (about 2200mm to the eaves with a flat roof sloping away from the house. At the back of the house there is a 3m tall retaining wall. (see diagram) I’d like to build a covered way down the sideway so that I can walk to the...

@RandomGrinch OK that seems like all I need then. I'll replace it. Thank you for the information @ericmark I agree. I get a little fed up with the fixation of modern IT to 'help' us by detecting what we want and acting on our behalf. One reason why I didn't go for a smart thermostat with a...

Ah... (Sheepish grin), I didn't know it had one! I'm picking a kit up from Screwfix tomorrow so I suppose I would have spotted that then. Err... yes, you could be right. That would do it:giggle: How long is the boost for?

Yes, I'm aware that the hive 'replaces' the functions of my existing HW and CH programmer in that the mobile app can have schedules plus on demand etc. I can have the heating off all the time I am on holiday and use the app to turn it on when I am 2 hrs away from getting back. Very handy...

@SUNRAY I'm not sure what your point is. You say you've seen steel conduit pull screws out on long runs, which is understandable if the runs were very long and the screws on the fixing brackets were too tight against the conduit, so preventing it from moving. However, this is a situation that...

True, but the coefficient of expansion for PVC is much more than for steel so it expands more for a given temperature rise. For steel the coefficient is 12E-6 so for a 10m length changing in temperature from say 0 deg C to 40 deg C that 10m would expand by just over 4 mm if allowed to. For PVC...