A few friends have observed that our kitchen/diner looks like a small church hall, but it's not that kind of mass I'm writing about.
The last week or so has seen autumn finally arrive, with the pellet boiler being well used after a mild October. As a result the underfloor heating in the kitchen/diner has been in operation for it's first full week, and it shows. The floor comprises a concrete slab foundation, a layer of thermal insulation, the underfloor heating pipework, concrete screed and then limestone tiles as the finished floor. Hence the floor contains a lot of mass. The net result of this is that it has taken several days for the cold concrete and limestone to warm up once the heating system has started pumping warm water (At a temperature of 40 C) through it. However, once warm the mass of the floor retains this heat so that once the boiler stops firing it acts as a heat sink, slowly releasing heat into the house, much like a giant storage heater. So despite being a large open plan space, with plenty of glazing, the kitchen/diner is proving to be one of the warmest rooms.
The warm floor is also very comfortable to walk on. Human physiology is such that we are at our most comfortable with warm feet and a cooler head, yet in the UK and other cooler climates we've developed homes that are heated by hot panels mounted on the walls. Not only do these fail to warm our feet but they rely on high temperature hot water which is less efficient to produce. It's far more efficient to produce more warm water at a lower temperature and spread it over a larger area, such as the floor. This satisfies our need for warm feet, uses the concrete floors that so many homes have and keeps our walls free from the clutter of radiators.
Makes you wonder why we didn't think of this years ago...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocaust
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Harvesting
The rainwater tank has been inplace for months now, and we've been using the 1500 litres of mains water that was put into it when it was first installed to flush the toilets. However, with the recent priority being getting back into the house, and therefore sorting out bathrooms and the kitchen, completion of the rainwater system has dropped off the critical list.
So last weekend I did a temporary lash-up of drainage pipework to connect the downpipes from the house guttering to the rainwater tank inlet filter. This is the WISY filter that is supposed to keep leaves etc out of the harvested water tank. After a dry week I've not had the opportunity to see if it has worked, but several heavy rain showers today have obliged and a quick check of the water level in the tank this evening indicates that we are now collecting rainwater, hurrah!
I need to sort out the pipework properly next weekend, but in the meantime it's good to know that we are flushing 'free' water down the WCs (cost of the tank etc excluded obviously) and not water that's good enough to drink. It'll be interesting to see how we get on with water quality, as the harvested rainwater system in our new office produces brown silty water when it's collecting rain, and crysal clear water when it's off the mains. Time will tell if we have the same issue to contend with.
So last weekend I did a temporary lash-up of drainage pipework to connect the downpipes from the house guttering to the rainwater tank inlet filter. This is the WISY filter that is supposed to keep leaves etc out of the harvested water tank. After a dry week I've not had the opportunity to see if it has worked, but several heavy rain showers today have obliged and a quick check of the water level in the tank this evening indicates that we are now collecting rainwater, hurrah!
I need to sort out the pipework properly next weekend, but in the meantime it's good to know that we are flushing 'free' water down the WCs (cost of the tank etc excluded obviously) and not water that's good enough to drink. It'll be interesting to see how we get on with water quality, as the harvested rainwater system in our new office produces brown silty water when it's collecting rain, and crysal clear water when it's off the mains. Time will tell if we have the same issue to contend with.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Ash
The second hopper load of pellets has almost all been used by the boiler. It's just as well that I therefore had a sudden flash of inspiration to check out the ash drawer at the base of the boiler. Sure enough, after two hoppers of pellets the ash pan was brim fill. Any more and it would've been backing up into the burner chamber - not sure what that would do but I'm sure it wouldn't be a good thing!
So what do you do with a pile of warm ash? After googling the use of ash in the garden on a range of websites I decided the new compost heap was the place to put it. It was easy to get the ash out from the boiler - undoing two thumbturn screws releases the ash pan/drawer which can easily be lifted out by one person when it's full.
Mixed with the usual veg peelings etc from the house, the ash should help to improve the structure of the compost and will introduce potassium and other nutrients into the mix. I'll have to make sure that I don't use too much as potash will increase soil pH, making the soil more alkaline.
So what do you do with a pile of warm ash? After googling the use of ash in the garden on a range of websites I decided the new compost heap was the place to put it. It was easy to get the ash out from the boiler - undoing two thumbturn screws releases the ash pan/drawer which can easily be lifted out by one person when it's full.
Mixed with the usual veg peelings etc from the house, the ash should help to improve the structure of the compost and will introduce potassium and other nutrients into the mix. I'll have to make sure that I don't use too much as potash will increase soil pH, making the soil more alkaline.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Home
Following on from the electrician completing his work last thursday, the plumber finished off his work on friday when he plumbed in the kitchen sink, dishwasher and washing machine. He also had a few leaks to sort on the heating system, which were completed on monday. With all these finished it marks the end of the builder and the other trades working on the house - what's left is all down to us now!
What it also means is that we have all the services up and running, so we moved back to Hillside on monday, reclaiming it as our home. There's still a load to do, and we're making do with limited flooring as we've only just ordered the oak that will go in many of the rooms, so it's a challenge to keep parts of the house clean.
Now that we are back in the house we can start to put it and the various technologies we've installed to the test. So far everything is working well, and I've only had to refill the boiler hopper once in two weeks, which bodes well. But as it's been a mild start to autumn I guess I shouldn't be suprised. Plus the heating has only been ticking over on a very low setting. I'm now starting to adjust the various control settings, using the underfloor heating in most areas to build up the heat stored in the house's thermal mass. This is already working in the kitchen which seems to easily be maintained at a steady temperature thanks to the low grade heat stored within the concrete and limestone floor.
As the winter sets in and we get used to how the building performs I'll try to ensure I record what open plan living is like, and hope we don't have to retreat to the snug living room and the woodburner too much!
What it also means is that we have all the services up and running, so we moved back to Hillside on monday, reclaiming it as our home. There's still a load to do, and we're making do with limited flooring as we've only just ordered the oak that will go in many of the rooms, so it's a challenge to keep parts of the house clean.
Now that we are back in the house we can start to put it and the various technologies we've installed to the test. So far everything is working well, and I've only had to refill the boiler hopper once in two weeks, which bodes well. But as it's been a mild start to autumn I guess I shouldn't be suprised. Plus the heating has only been ticking over on a very low setting. I'm now starting to adjust the various control settings, using the underfloor heating in most areas to build up the heat stored in the house's thermal mass. This is already working in the kitchen which seems to easily be maintained at a steady temperature thanks to the low grade heat stored within the concrete and limestone floor.
As the winter sets in and we get used to how the building performs I'll try to ensure I record what open plan living is like, and hope we don't have to retreat to the snug living room and the woodburner too much!
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Induction
As part of the new kitchen we've bought an electric ceramic hob. With our green electricity from Ecotricity this is far more environmentally friendly than using gas (And it would have to be bottled gas as there's no mains gas in the village). But it's not an ordinary ceramic hob, we've decided to splash out on an induction hob, albeit courtesy of a John Lewis special offer.
Induction hobs are supposed to be extremely efficient, as the electromagnetic current they create in ferrous pans heats the contents up directly, rather than the pan, resulting in a very efficient and controllable heat source.
We finally had chance to give our De Dietrich hob it's first use yesterday it proved to be a resounding success, once we'd tracked down the right pans to use - not only is it very efficient, boiling water faster than a kettle, but the heat is amazingly controllable without any of the delay in dissipating heat I've experienced on conventional ceramic hobs. Okay, so it looks like we can't use our old frying pan as it is made from some non-ferrous alloys, but that's a small price to pay for an amazingly responsive and energy efficient means of cooking.
Induction hobs are supposed to be extremely efficient, as the electromagnetic current they create in ferrous pans heats the contents up directly, rather than the pan, resulting in a very efficient and controllable heat source.
We finally had chance to give our De Dietrich hob it's first use yesterday it proved to be a resounding success, once we'd tracked down the right pans to use - not only is it very efficient, boiling water faster than a kettle, but the heat is amazingly controllable without any of the delay in dissipating heat I've experienced on conventional ceramic hobs. Okay, so it looks like we can't use our old frying pan as it is made from some non-ferrous alloys, but that's a small price to pay for an amazingly responsive and energy efficient means of cooking.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Extract
You wouldn't think putting in an kitchen island extractor would be so dificult would you?
We bought the island extractor hood a couple of months ago but this is the first chance we've had of installing it. With a bit of forward thinking we made sure the builders put in a power supply and some flexible ducting to outside in approximately the right place. Now that we have the island unit and the hood sorted it turns out it wasn't quite the right place. So I've spent today cutting out plasterboard and roof insulation so that I can install the extractor mounting bracket. It seems to be designed for installation on a flat ceiling, but as the kitchen diner is at a 15 degree pitch this doesn't work, so I've had to cut out some of the roof lining so the bracket can be recessed. This gives the illusion of the ducting disappearing into the ceiling.
Fortunately I managed to find a batten to fix half the bracket to, and for the other half was able to find space to install a new batten. The true test will come when I connect the extractor canopy, which due to a commitment tomorrow night, wont be until Tuesday evening. Time will tell!
We bought the island extractor hood a couple of months ago but this is the first chance we've had of installing it. With a bit of forward thinking we made sure the builders put in a power supply and some flexible ducting to outside in approximately the right place. Now that we have the island unit and the hood sorted it turns out it wasn't quite the right place. So I've spent today cutting out plasterboard and roof insulation so that I can install the extractor mounting bracket. It seems to be designed for installation on a flat ceiling, but as the kitchen diner is at a 15 degree pitch this doesn't work, so I've had to cut out some of the roof lining so the bracket can be recessed. This gives the illusion of the ducting disappearing into the ceiling.
Fortunately I managed to find a batten to fix half the bracket to, and for the other half was able to find space to install a new batten. The true test will come when I connect the extractor canopy, which due to a commitment tomorrow night, wont be until Tuesday evening. Time will tell!
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Oiled
The oak worktops arrived last friday. Thankfully the guys at Burbage Joinery delivered them as the one for the kitchen island is rather heavy. With wide staves, 100mm or so, and no joints along the length, they make a great looking worktop.
Last weekend I cut out the hole for the sink. with a little trepidation as I didn't want to make a mess of it. No way we we're getting replacement worktops if I did! Thankfully with a little help from a borrowed Makita circular saw that could through cut the 40mm oak it wasn't difficult, but did take a fair bit of time and care. Each cut took several attempts to cut all the way through with the blade running very hot, so much so it was charring some of the sawdust as it came out!
Did a similar job with the island worktop yesterday, with the cutout for the induction hob. So we can now oil the island worktop - we oiled the sink section earlier this week using Osmo oil, a translucent, natural and solvent free oil that should both protect the wood from water and also helps to emphasise the natural grain.
We've also applied the oil to the original floorboards in the front bedrooms. With one, where the boards had been sanded back to the original honeyed pine, we applied clear oil. On the other, where the floorboards are darker through a combination of various stains and paints, we've used some of the Nutshell pigments to make a darker oil which has given the floor the look of old oak. Looks a bit rustic, but it fits in well with our approach of keeping the style of the two original bedrooms more in keeping with the 100 year old cottage, to contrast with the modern extensions.
Last weekend I cut out the hole for the sink. with a little trepidation as I didn't want to make a mess of it. No way we we're getting replacement worktops if I did! Thankfully with a little help from a borrowed Makita circular saw that could through cut the 40mm oak it wasn't difficult, but did take a fair bit of time and care. Each cut took several attempts to cut all the way through with the blade running very hot, so much so it was charring some of the sawdust as it came out!
Did a similar job with the island worktop yesterday, with the cutout for the induction hob. So we can now oil the island worktop - we oiled the sink section earlier this week using Osmo oil, a translucent, natural and solvent free oil that should both protect the wood from water and also helps to emphasise the natural grain.
We've also applied the oil to the original floorboards in the front bedrooms. With one, where the boards had been sanded back to the original honeyed pine, we applied clear oil. On the other, where the floorboards are darker through a combination of various stains and paints, we've used some of the Nutshell pigments to make a darker oil which has given the floor the look of old oak. Looks a bit rustic, but it fits in well with our approach of keeping the style of the two original bedrooms more in keeping with the 100 year old cottage, to contrast with the modern extensions.
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