Recent content by JKBDIY

In fairness, they wouldn't. I imagine all such maintenance plan providers look to minimise expense where possible (and inform their technicians to do the same). At no point was there a suggestion of isolating the boiler. They all tested it to temp, even after my explaining that the boiler...

Update: tonight I have allowed the boiler to cool for several hours, topped up to working pressure, and isolated the boiler from the rest of the system by closing both inlet and outlet valves. A couple of hours later I have checked back to find that pressure is below minimum and I see a steady...

Hello; For several months now, our Alpha CD20s has been dropping pressure on a daily basis. When the boiler is running (either CH or DHW), pressure is fine, staying in the green range according to the gauge. Pressure only tends to drop when the thermostat is turned down - most often at night...

Hi Will, I ended up building studwall as I described above. All cables were in the cavity, then poked through small holes in the 50mm PIR. Dryline 35mm backboxes could then be used (using cutout into the 25mm PIR, the rest of the depth taken up by plasterboard and skimcoat).

Hello, I'm set to tile a 3-sided enclosure, approx 1300x800. I've found the centre of the 1300 wall and top and bottom, left and right leave me with a good chunk of tile in the cuts (no slivers). The tray is fairly level but I can't guarantee it's perfect for tiling from so I'm tempted to try...

Hello, Seeking a bit of input on my shower room renovation. I need to set a waste for a new shower and a bathroom sink. I'm attaching pics of existing wastes which used to serve a sink (the vertical, capped line from the photo) and a washing machine (the horizontal, cut line from the photo)...

Curious to know why a single shower pump can’t be installed at the hw cylinder (in a conventional/vented system? I have a header tank in loft, cylinder on mezzanine floor and I’m installing a new mixer shower on ground floor but am I not as well boosting the whole house?

Hello, I am completely renovating my kitchen and have already reframed walls to allow insulation of my granite home. The floor is still a major source of cold though and before I fit new kitchen units I’d like to address this. I don’t have the height available to me for thick PIR + t&g/ply +...

Hello, I'm adding a non load bearing stud wall to the perimeter of my kitchen in effort to internally insulate my granite home. The stud wall will allow a 50mm or so cavity between stud and granite and will be built of 4"/2" stud with 50mm celotex between studs, and 25mm sheets over top of...

The flagstones had been covered in an epoxy resin by the previous owners. When I first chipped/peeled off the resin, the floor was wet underneath. Now that the flagstones are uncovered, they are bone dry as they are breathing again. I’m aware that I’ll be blocking their ability to breathe...

Hello, What fixings are best for fixing new stud wall to stone foundation? I've used Tapcon for this in the past and think they're excellent but that was in the USA. Is there a UK equivalent or shall I just drill with masonary bit, plug, and screw? If so, what size for 4"x2" sole plate on...

Hello, I'm framing an old granite room set on a flagstone foundation. There is no DPM installed as this is 19th century construction. I'm planning to put down a full black plastic DPM before installing the eventual laminate floor but that won't be for some weeks after I frame the walls...

Hello, I have a granite gable wall where the wall is maybe half subterranean as it is build into a hill. The wall appears to have been tanked (or perhaps just whitewashed or painted) around about 32 years ago, before the previous owners built a partition wall in front of it when installing a...

Hello, As I’ve mentioned in a couple of other posts, I’m going about insulating the kitchen in my granite home. I plan to strip the inside of the three external walls back to bare granite, then frame, insulate, and plasterboard. The 4th wall though, I’m not so sure of. This room is an...

Hello, I am in the process of insulating a kitchen in a granite home; at the moment all lathe and plaster has been removed from the walls and a nasty epoxy covering removed from the stone floors so I have an empty stone box. I plan to stud out the walls and insulate, that's another topic for...