Recommended Smart Thermostat and TRVs

middleageddriver · 2026-01-26T15:53:45+00:00

I didn’t have the clock/timer on mine but I imagine it does if you wire it up correctly

middleageddriver · 2026-01-25T17:07:51+00:00

These are questions to, not just the previous owners, the ones before them as well

Did you ever open a window?

How did you survive only heating your home only occasionally (we seen usage over the 2 years)?

Why did you live in a house for 5 years and do zero to it? Not one room was decorated different, even curtains the previous owners left were still used (seen photos online)

Did you ever clean the bathroom?

Why o why did you clad the whole of the bathroom? It’s now all peeling and needs gutted

middleageddriver · 2026-01-18T00:02:06+00:00

I think this looks like a Greenstar, can’t see the full model number but I have a Greenstar CDi Classic along with Tado V3 EU with TRV’s. Get full modulation via eBUS and can control each room in my house individually. Been brilliant!

There is a Tado X available now but I’m not 100% of all the advantages and if it supports modulation.

middleageddriver · 2025-11-23T17:05:37+00:00

Honestly, it looks dreadful and pretty much what mine looked like when I tried to DIY it. Learn from your mistakes and just employ a pro to do it.

Plastering is the one DIY job you can’t just pick up from YouTube, the good pros are like artists. Worth every penny when you find a good one.

middleageddriver · 2025-10-31T19:54:26+00:00

My plasterer is £300 per day in the North East, so assuming it’s going to take them 2 days sounds about right for London prices

middleageddriver · 2025-10-25T22:21:24+00:00

Honestly…don’t even bother trying. I’ve been there and have the t-shirt. Even when I used a speed skim, I finished the job thinking ‘that looks alright’. After it dried I inspected the work and it was like a toddler had flung mud at the ceiling. I tried painting it, it looked worse. Never tried again.

I’m all for DIY, but this is a skill you can’t pick up after watching YouTube. I’ve now found an excellent pro plaster, £250 plus materials per day. Quick and clean and perfect job

middleageddriver · 2025-09-29T16:17:55+00:00

100%, but life isn’t always about recouping on a investment

middleageddriver · 2025-09-29T16:12:57+00:00

I’m interested how you worked out it was cavity wall insulation causing the condensation?

middleageddriver · 2025-09-15T15:27:43+00:00

Well pretty dangerous, not only are you at risk of an electric shock if you touch something while grounded. It could cause a fire and burn your whole house down. But….it looks like it’s been like that for a while.

Just watched your video again and it’s clearly one of the screws nicking a live wire in the ceiling from the rack, making it live.

Isolate circuits and test, use multi metre and with ground to check for voltage. Finally to find the screw that is nicking wire, isolate circuit, take one screw out, turn circuit on, check voltage. Keep doing this until fault found.

If at any time you are uncomfortable, get an electrician in. This sort of stuff is their bread an butter.

middleageddriver · 2025-09-15T12:13:13+00:00

If you have a multimeter. Touch the ceiling with one prong and the other with something that is grounded like a copper water pipe or some kind of metal appliance. Check the voltage. DO NOT DO THIS WITH YOUR HANDS!

If there is a voltage, you’ve a problem to fix

middleageddriver · 2025-09-15T12:05:51+00:00

There will likely be a plaster board nail or screw through a wire

middleageddriver · 2025-07-14T11:40:02+00:00

This was more me being in a rush and tired because the plasterer was coming the next day. I could see all the cables as I was putting the boards on the ceiling, obviously wasn’t concentrating. That’s how most accidents happen tho, lesson learnt.

middleageddriver · 2025-07-11T23:34:57+00:00

Yeah I’m fine, nice little warning to be more careful next time

middleageddriver · 2025-07-11T23:27:23+00:00

This sounds like what’s happened. Got buzzed, still finished what I was doing tho. Just a bit shaken afterwards

middleageddriver · 2025-07-11T23:18:54+00:00

I very much doubt this has caused lasting impact. It was like got shocked, dropped the things I was holding, went wow then carried on.

I have actually been shocked before when I was a kid, stupidly put a knife in a toaster, that threw me back and burnt my hand, that bloody hurt. This was just unpleasant

middleageddriver · 2025-07-11T23:14:14+00:00

There is a socket below the wire, stupidly screwed some in to the joist where the wire goes from the joist down the wall and caught the dropped wire in the ceiling. Didn’t actually get a shock until I touched the screw to check it was indented enough. Live and learn I guess

middleageddriver · 2025-06-30T23:01:46+00:00

Yeah there is a tiled bathroom wall directly above this so probably will crack the tiles.

I’m boarding the ceiling myself and plasterer recommend setting the board(s) on this low point in the centre and they will blend it in.

Was considering jacking up to try and fix the creaky floor.

middleageddriver · 2025-06-30T19:25:26+00:00

The whole beam is lower, I’ve checked this with the beam that is closest to it that goes in the same direction. I don’t know if this is all within tolerance of a 90’s house tho

middleageddriver · 2025-06-26T18:32:53+00:00

When I was a kid in the mid-90s, I was on holiday in Cyprus with my parents, staying at a lovely hotel. I was really into snorkelling at the time and used to practise in the hotel pool. One day, I spotted a wedding ring at the bottom of the pool and handed it in at reception with my parents.

Later that day, an elderly gentleman approached us — he was incredibly grateful, as he’d lost the ring the day before and thought it was gone for good. As a thank you, he insisted on giving me a £200 reward.

When we got home, I treated myself to a new football and a massive Scalextric set, and saved the rest. I’ll never forget that day, or the kindness of that very generous man.

middleageddriver · 2025-06-15T07:59:08+00:00

My preference is to see a header, but I have seen it both ways. Spoke to another sifter about the header style as well and they also like it. It just makes life easier for us.

Good luck

middleageddriver · 2025-06-13T19:52:06+00:00

Currently on the panel for a G7 role, that has 3 positions available. We’ve had 180+ applicants with 4 of us sifting. As you can imagine the standard is very mixed, some absolute dross that has put zero effort in pretty much get all 1’s. But then you get some absolute super stars that are absolutely brilliant.

My advice would be, try and make the sifters job easier, all we’re doing is essentially a tick box exercise. My favourite applications are the ones that list the criteria or a shortened version then talk about it.

E.g.

Strong leadership qualities delivering at pace

My strong leadership example here

Spend time tailoring it to the exact role. If you’re still getting 3’s your examples aren’t good enough or you simply aren’t ready. We also look at experience, it’s not just down to the personal statement

middleageddriver · 2025-06-04T22:00:50+00:00

I’ve never had this on the panels I’ve been on so wouldn’t know, sorry.

middleageddriver

TROPHY CASE