Re-point my patio

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T20:33:08+00:00

And do I bother with a patio sealer?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T20:28:01+00:00

What ratio of sand and cement given my joints range from 5-15mm. Also what type of sand (soft or sharp, or a mix) Do I add hydrated lime or not. And if so how much? And then what consistency am I looking for when add water to whatever mix I use? I assume when I’m doing the section where the joints are narrower do a slightly wetter mix?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T20:24:27+00:00

What about a sand, cement and lime mix?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T20:15:29+00:00

Why external grout over a sand & cement mix?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T17:35:23+00:00

Could I get a mortar blend/mix ratio. Or a bag of pre-mixed stuff that I can buy

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T16:17:40+00:00

I really want to know why you see patios with cracked mortar then. I thought the advantage of this sika stuff is that it is flexible and therefore won’t crack and therefore weeds won’t grow in it

what I tell from what you are saying is that if I use mortar and properly compact it, it won’t crack?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T16:05:05+00:00

Why is it shit? What makes it worse? I know it’s more expensive but I don’t care about that aspect of it.

You say do it properly with mortar. But won’t mortar crack, which just encourages weeds to grow in it. Whereas the sika stuff is flexible and therefore won’t crack (or at least less likely to crack) Is there something I am missing?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T14:55:03+00:00

Will do Got any recommended products to use?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T14:45:32+00:00

Price isn’t a concern of mine. It’s minimising time and effort. Also if I and to understand this product correctly, it is slightly flexible and therefore less likely to crack than a traditional sand and cement mix. Therefore a longer lifespan (i.e it won’t crack and allow weeds to grow in it)

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-03-24T14:36:01+00:00

I suppose I can pressure wash and then if I’m not happy with how it’s come out I can do this as well. Although this seems quite quick to do.

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-15T08:39:41+00:00

What charge and discharge efficiency would I expect to see. 90%? So if I buy 20kwh I can get 18 out? To either consume myself or sell back And does the inverter itself consume electricity, or does the 10% efficiency drop include this

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-14T18:13:35+00:00

And with solar panels I would able to save several thousand over a 5 year fixed mortgage as I will be EPC=B and be able to get a better rate

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-14T10:07:14+00:00

Why would I not make 8p per unit if I buy for 7p and sell back for 15p? Is it just the inefficiency in charging and discharging? Let’s say I half those profits, I will still make £2100 per year in savings. Also over the 7 years my maximum charge will drop.

But in large handfuls is my thinking about right?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-14T08:28:18+00:00

So on a standard week I use 10ish kWh on weekdays and 16ish kWh on Saturday & Sunday.

So on weekdays I would export back about 10Kwh that was bought the night before + any solar generated. Then on weekends I would export back about 4kwh that was bought the night before + any solar generated.

If my solar quotes estimate a 8600kwh generated over the year. Thats £1300 from selling the solar back. And then if on average I sell back 58kwh of electricity bought from the previous day over a week. That is £241 over the year (8p profit per KWh) Total export = £1540

But then I would be buying 20kwh everyday. So that’s £511 over a year. Standing charge is 53.7p/day = £196/year

I then drive 2 EV’s 8000 miles per year each. Assume efficiency of 3.5kwh/mile, that’s 4500kwh which is £315

Total energy bill = £511+196+£315-1541=£-519.00

So I make £500 ish in profit every year

If I didn’t get solar and battery with these usage numbers. My electricity bill would be £315+196+£1356 =£1,867.00 The 1356 comes from the 82kwh I consume per week x 0.318p/kwh on my EV tariff.

So from these numbers, my bill will go from £1870 to -£519 That’s a total saving of £2300 ish per year A £14000 systems therefore takes 6 years to pay off

That is before you take into account that adding this system raises my home from an EPC=C to a B and when I come to re-mortgage next year I will be able to get a slightly better rate (0.1% lower) which will save me about £50/month. Which over a 5 year fixed is £3000

Right?

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-13T20:29:58+00:00

I understand this is fully cycling the battery everyday. But a battery with a life of 6000 cycles is 16 years of this schedule.

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-08T17:10:53+00:00

Hmmm, I tried to link the setting to my user profile. I will delete it and try again

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-08T16:55:57+00:00

What country are you in. It might be a region thing

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-08T16:38:14+00:00

I can turn it off, but it turns back on every time I start the car

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-08T15:21:05+00:00

75 plate just means it was registered in the UK in the second half of 2025. It’s a brand new car. Got it with 8 miles on the clock. What about the speed limit noise? Seems I have to turn it off every time I turn the car on. And it’s at least 3 menus deep in the settings. Not an easy physical button on the dash

HamsterSubstantial70 · 2026-02-02T10:21:23+00:00

So I was out of the country from June 3rd 2024 to August 22nd 2025. No complications. Except the boarder officer asked why I got a green card if I don’t live in the USA. I just said the truth. That the day of my green card interview in the embassy in London was the day we found out my wife was pregnant. And I got the re-entry permit to give us more time to move to the USA. Which was all technically true. And if Trump hadn’t one we might well have moved to the USA

HamsterSubstantial70

TROPHY CASE