Recent content by SimonH2

I don't have electronics on the rad - just a thermohydraulic actuator (mains at the moment) - they are a wax capsule with a heater element. The electronics shouldn't get that warm unless it's a really bad design. There's actually a relatively poor thermal connection between the valve attachment...

No, large south and west facing windows - plus Velux windows. The Velux in north facing roof isn't a problem, but the south facing one adds a lot to the insolation - we've added blinds which help a lot with that. So in winter, room tends to be cold as all the heat buggers off into the high...

Hence the popularity of combi-boilers, also popular with developers who can shave the space for a cylinder off the size of each property. Doesn't need a lot of pipework - you can do it with actuators on each radiator, replacing the TRV heads on an existing system. I have long term plans for...

Leaving aside energy savings, I can say with 100%, certainty that our house and lifestyle means zoning is essential (in our case, I'm working towards per-room as other works permit.) Thing are so variable that any setup you might do with a last century approach of thermally balancing the system...

I had a similar problem at the day job - keeping track of the mandatory training (you wouldn'tbelive the amount of crap we have to do), site access, clearances, yada, yada, ... I set up a spreadsheet where I tell it how often (some is yearly, some two years, etc.) and when I did it - and it...

That's where your premise fails - they are not cheap to run. At a typical CoP of 3, and typical energy costs, they should be similar in cost to a gas boiler - some have found them disappointingly expensive, some have found them cheaper. To start with, if our bedroom is 18°C at night, SWMBO...

Indeed, but not here (UK) or I believe Ireland. As I mentioned above, customs vary significant between countries - and even between different areas within a country. Reasons will be numerous - the availability of "high power" mains supplies will be one of those. In the UK, it's only relatively...

Unless it is per-point instant heating, or you live alone, then instant heating is not preferable in theory or practice. Otherwise you have the "excitement" of the shower running cold when someone uses a hot tap, or hot when they use a cold tap. I'm glad you said "half decent" there. Note that...

When you have an industry with people with an attitude like "I would never suggest anything other than a combi" (yes, I've seen a plumber express that) then it's hard to get alternatives into the minds of the punters. The majority will simply accept whatever the plumber suggests will be best for...

Why ? Surely you just detach the flex from the FCU and put a plug on it, and replace the FCU with a single socket ? I'm struggling to understand a situation where that isn't possible. If there's something specific to your property, telling us about that might allow for practical suggestions.

And that was a time when there wasn't competition from carriers with no USO (universal service obligation) - meaning they could cherry pick the bits they could make a profit on and leave the PO & RM to handle the non-profitable stuff. And it was a time before email crashed the number of letters...

Until some gas fitter comes along and insists it has to be an FCU as the MIs require it. Yes, I've had that "discussion" when I insisted the fitter put the socket back that he'd just replaced with an FCU.

I've come across the issue twice - when my late mother downsized, and now when we are selling her bungalow. In both cases, the two sides have chosen the same solicitor. The solution has been to assign staff at different offices to the two parties - and to direct that all the files be clearly...

Indeed, I'm also in the dark on that. I can only assume a regular here who takes multiple breaks in one of His Majesty's hotels.

https://xkcd.com/927/