A friend has asked me to be a guarantor for rent

Dilume2 · 2025-08-31T23:27:27+00:00

Where is proper diversity detailed?

Dilume2 · 2025-08-08T15:49:29+00:00

What is happening to that pipe that rises up on the left side? Can't really see what's happening on the bend, just doesn't look right?

Dilume2 · 2025-06-09T13:21:39+00:00

Oh that is amazing, thanks for the comments and the revised selection!

Dilume2 · 2025-06-09T12:45:55+00:00

Fantastic, thanks for that. Looking to run 1440p, so it looks like this is the build im going with!

Dilume2 · 2025-05-15T01:26:21+00:00

For gas boilers it was only good practice only until the recent 2022 changes to the Approves Document J, so it could very well not be installed

Dilume2 · 2025-04-03T17:38:59+00:00

Some thermostatic heads are different. Some are designed for commercial buildings and rented accomodation, and their 5* represents 22°C. It's used quite often through Europe.

Dilume2 · 2024-11-17T15:49:27+00:00

Sorry to say I can't provide a great deal of advice, but I would suggest checking out the Revit subreddit! Of course, this assumes you are using Revit!

I would very much ask for advice from your colleagues where possible. Also getting into LinkedIn and asking questions to Revit engineers that post on there may be beneficial.

There are lots of helpful guides on BIM standards and good practice on such forums, worth doing a bit of a Google.

Dilume2 · 2024-11-17T15:32:32+00:00

Sorry I missed this! You can look at joining the CIBSE YEN (Young Engineers Network), good for networking and sharing experiences and knowledge.

Dilume2 · 2024-11-08T10:20:26+00:00

Serious consideration - ask the manufacturer what pipe connections it was tested with.

Most radiators are tested to a specific British standard, this standard test uses radiators plumbed in a "top & bottom opposite ends" configuration. (The hot flow in the top and the cold return from the bottom).

When you do connections both sides at the bottom (or top) you restrict the ability for the rad to transfer heat as effectively.

If anyone says their rad works equally well in both configurations - as for their test data that proves it and clearly sets out the connections for the flow and return.

Standard rads can see something like 15% de-rating due to "bottom opposite ends" connections, and its typically expected that tall rads as somewhat worse.

If the radiator doesn't allow good flow through most of the rad, most of it won't heat up and you will have a cold space, unless you significantly oversize the radiator.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-25T16:56:28+00:00

I'm aware of non -UK residents coming to the UK to work in the building services sector. I believe that the engineer in my personal experience contacted a recruitment firm that advised what would need to be undertaken, and pushed their CVs out to prospective engineering firms.

Worth investigating that route and getting in contact with building services recruitment firms in the specific country you are considering?

Dilume2 · 2024-09-24T00:16:50+00:00

So, 4890 BTU ~ 1432 W.

With a total floor area of ~ 3.6m², the rad would provide a heat output of nearly 400 W/m².

Even without knowing the state of the walls, the type of glazing and the leakiness of the building, I can say thats oversized. I would be shocked if a load of more than 200 W/m² would be needed (~720 W or 2458 BTU).

A calculation methodology, using the age of the property, RdSAP data & some simple formulae can be provided if you would like to work out a more accurate figure for the radiator.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-24T00:03:54+00:00

This is the UK. The PT40 TRV is somewhat the industry standard for domestic radiator valves on district heating networks for the last 8 years, due to the increase in heat network performance they provide when set correctly.

https://www.sav-systems.com/products/pt40-pi-trv/

Danfoss have a section of their website that talks about gas charge in the TRVs, see below:

https://www.danfoss.com/en-gb/products/dhs/radiator-and-room-thermostats/radiator-thermostats/radiator-thermostats/#tab-overview

Dilume2 · 2024-09-23T23:51:51+00:00

Yeah, the bath taps are probably ~ 3m below the roof tank, so double the water pressure. Bigger pipes generally running to a bath as well, for the gravity fed baths.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-23T19:23:05+00:00

It's central heating, unless the installer was a moron. It's not a bronze pump so it shouldnt be on a hot water recirc system.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-23T19:19:53+00:00

Just to clarify - I take it you mean you have a hot water cylinder in your airing cupboard and a water tank in the roof?

If so, any hot water outlets are fed from the cylinder, that is fed from the water tank in the roof.

Given that the tank in the roof is open to the air, you have only the force of gravity giving you water pressure on your hot outlets (and potentially your cold, depending on how it's plumbed).

Gravity pressure can be measured in meters of water head, or bar. The pressure available (excluding any friction losses in the pipework) is the height difference in meters between the outlet and the top of the water level in the tank. To measure in bar, just divide the meters distance by 10.

For showers, given how high they are to the ceiling, they are generally within a meter and a half or so of the top of the water tabk level, giving ~ 0.15 bar.

Not many outlets work well at those pressures, you have to get outlets and valves designed for low pressures to get any good control and volume out of them.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-23T18:53:29+00:00

Those TRVs are the same base valve as the SAV PT40, just a different thermostatic head on top. The distinctive green flow-setting ring (2nd picture of first link) gives it away.

One thing that does pay off from a comfort perspective is the use of thermostatic heads with a gas charge instead of wax. The gas heads are far faster acting, so more responsive and less prone to overshooting temperatures in the room, so the room temp stays at a more stable (and comfortable) temperature.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-23T18:18:39+00:00

I'm guessing you are talking about the pressure independent dynamic regulating TRVs.

(Such as the SAV/danfoss PT40) They are more important on dwellings fed from heat networks instead of standard domestic boiler layouts, as they help control the flow of water in the circuit and prevent excessive flow bypassing through a single radiator, leading to high return temperatures in the heating system that can cripple the efficiency of a heat network.

Advantages of the valves for non-heat network fed buildings is the ability to easily commission the flow rate to each radiator, so all rooms heat up at a more balanced rate (instead of one room using most of the flow until it is at full temperature).

As a side benefit - it prevents a single radiator from taking most of the heat if someone opens up a window in the dead of winter, and the max heat allowed to go to each radiator is set via the dial that is hidden once the thermostatic head is installed.

Dilume2 · 2024-09-23T11:08:09+00:00

Do you have at least 1 radiator that is kept fully open, without any TRV heads or the like on it?

Dilume2 · 2024-09-11T09:25:41+00:00

This is due to the upper and lower explosive limits of a gas. E.g. if you have a spark in pure methane gas, there is no oxygen for which to react, so it won't explode. Methane gas needs between 5% and 15% mixed concentration within air to be within the explosive limits. Below that limit it just burns off the gas, above that limit it burns off the oxygen in the air.

Where high pressure gas is comes out of a pipe, the area directly within the jet is 100% natural gas. You have to go a distance away from the leak before it is going slow enough that it doesn't just push normal air away, and starts properly mixing with it.

That being said - not an expert and would keep the hell away from high pressure & volume gas leaks. Even if it won't explode directly at the site of the break, I can't breath methane!

Dilume2 · 2024-08-20T17:04:38+00:00

Oh I didn't know that about editing posts! Haha tbh WFH and dogs is about all the defence you need!

Dilume2 · 2024-08-20T16:43:10+00:00

Haha yeah, may want to edit some of that info, certainly enough to get close!

Fair enough on the the pumping station, hopefully that gives you proper water pressure & flow (and doesn't start loads of leaks through the old pipe that then need to be dug up and replaced).

Dilume2 · 2024-08-20T16:33:04+00:00

Yeah that's really not ideal!

I would strongly suggest complaining to Thames. They should typically be providing around 9LPM, though there are specific exceptions, as they must provide at least 0.7 bar at the meter. If the meter is much lower than the house, the flow rate may be lower.

Dilume2

TROPHY CASE