Is this channel is for you? If you love well shot high quality content covering solar energy, renewable energy, home battery storage, ASHP, battery electric vehicles, photography, videography, then yes!
Regular performance and efficiency updates on our 6.2kW/p PV solar and Tesla Powerwall 2 x2. Vaillant aroTHERM+ heat pump, Panasonic A2A, Tesla Model 3 Performance and Renault 22kW Zoe BEVs. Keen photographer and videographer, lover of classic 50/60's American muscle cars. I have a Crendon Cobra replica which I built back in 1999. Coffee fiend which all adds up to a bit of a mix, but that's what I like!
So useful and informative John. Many thanks. I have been horrified by the quotes I have been receiving from companies to clean my 22 panels so I think a water fed pole is the way to go. I have carefully studied the video and what you purchased (Gardiner SL-X22 pole) but the Gardiner website isn’t the most user-friendly site for a non-technical person like me. So would it be possible to ask you to list exactly what you purchased from Gardiners for your solar panel cleaning - pole I know is the SL-X22, but what brush, hose, spray kit, accessories etc. Then I can adjust if necessary to allow for my access and roof height etc.
Hi Peter, the website is not that user friendly for non-industry people. Here's the list, if you like drop me an email if it's easier for you. 1 x Large Overspray Kit OVERSPRAY-BR, 1 x Upgrade to a Quick-LoQ Angle Adapter Long 1 x Ultimate 26cm Brush - Flocked 1 x QuicK-LoQ Brush Socket 1 x 2x 2mm Standard Pencil Jet Capsules 1 x ULTRAFLEX Hose - 10m Length for 18-27ft 1 x Anti-Snag 'Hozelock Type' Male Plug 1 x Push-Fit 4 Way T-Connector for 4 Jet Brushes - no red clip 1 x Red Locking Clip for Push-Fit T-Connector Jet Hose (6mm OD) - per metre x1M I have purchased extra brush heads to do uPVC windows and soffits etc.
Hello, I am about to buy a 2019 Kona. I was at the Hyundai dealership yesterday and was told that this unit was not subject to battery replacement. Can I rely on this information 100%? The vehicle is unfortunately no longer under warranty, the previous owner did not complete the service interval. Should I go for it? I'm a bit afraid of the engine bearings.
Hi, tricky to say. Surest way to double-check is get the VIN number, there's a plate at the bottom of the windscreen with it on. Then key that into Gov.UK website or Hyundai's website for confirmation to whether it was effected, not all of the 2019's were.
Thank you very much for this video. Very helpful indeed. A couple of things I did different. First, you can jack the car at the rear and get it high enough to put the axle stand under the front jacking point. Once that is done, I didn't bother with a second jack stand. Then, while working the joint definitely helps, I removed the spring wire from the rubber boot and peeled back the boot. Then I cleaned out all the horrible gunked up grease and replaced it with new. Taking the spring wire wrap off is the best option, I'm sure. It's a bit of a fiddle, but easy enough to get off and on again. Once the grease is replaced and the cover is back on, it is really easy to work the ball joint and get the new grease spread around. Squeak is gone! Thanks again for a great video!
Sorry to bother you here but it seems you're no longer on patreon, where we had contact some years ago. Is your photography still ongoing? It's hard to tell from your website.
Hi Marco, Good to hear from you. Patreon got more and more picky on what they consider adult content and removed more and more of my work so I deleted my account a few years ago. Photography is still going but less so now as there’s limit opportunities to sell / display and exhibit. I do more video work now.
@@vincent-n6o you won’t need a new ball joint after only 14,000 miles that’s no mileage at all, unless you’ve done all those miles off-road. Just needs lube.
Your smoke test doesn't show the full situation of your heat pump, you should be measuring the ambient temp in your alleyway or at the heatpump outdoor sensor vs ambient temp on the garden side of your house. Then you will see if there is a microclimate.
Good suggestion and a valid point for a detailed analysis of the situation this would be a good approach. The smoke test was good enough for me to understand the air flow patterns around the unit on different conditions. Looking at the stats for the past 300 days since installation it's obvious we are not suffering from micro-climating. I compared like for like installations on heatpumpmonitor.org
I bought an automotive syringe and injected grease straight through the rubber 'boot' without even taking off the wheel/tire. Had to drive it around for a few miles but the noise is gone.
Hi John. I’m about to get my heat pump. I’m interested to know what size storage battery you have . You are clearly on Intelligent Octopus Go, as am I. I have 6kw of solar and a 9.5 kw of battery and wondering if this will run the majority of my heat pump usage. I’m finding it difficult to get my head around it all. I read recently about the new Cosy tariff with its three cheaper rate windows. Although a higher off peak rate there is the opportunity to charge the battery three times in a day as opposed to the once with Go. The proposed heat pump is 8 kw Daikin by the way.
Hi David, it can be tricky to forecast how much you need. During the last heating season 2023/24 we found that on cold winter days, circa 1 - 2ºC the battery lasted till around mid morning. We have a 13.5kW Tesla Powerwall. We've now added a second Powerwall brining us up to 27kW of battery storage, even that won't last all day. You should find your 9.5kW will suffice on average winter days of 10ºC or so. It's when it drops below 5ºC that heat pumps start using more electricity. Our 7kW Vaillant used 35kWh over 24 hours on days when it was 2ºC outside.
@@davidgordon773 go have a look on heatpumpmonitor.org if you've not done so already. You can find comparable setups. There's Daikin installs on there and hopefully ones with a similar house size. It will give you some real world data of usage.
I just had a galvanized steel netting installed around my solar panels, but there are about 10 pigeons are still living in my roof. Will they eventually go away?
@@dr.bundforah5267 yes they will eventually leave. It takes a while for them to realise they can’t get back under the panels. They are homing birds and return to the same nesting point.
It came from here. Loads of configuration options, really well built and good quality. This is the super heavy duty one. www.ukworkbenches.com/collections/super-heavy-duty/products/super-heavy-duty-workbench
As this was a heat geek assured install and they are supposed to be quality i can't believe they powerflushed your system into your bath,my wife would have thrown them out of the house.
Mark the engineer asked beforehand to see if it was okay. Otherwise it would have been a hose trailing through the house to the front door. With all the foot traffic in and out from the team on site it was a safer option. Plus I wanted to film the colour of the water.
"Thank you for sharing such valuable insights! Your videos always inspire and educate me. I appreciate your dedication to creating content that makes a difference. Looking forward to your next upload!"
Now 20th June 2024 and I'm still waiting for a battery replacement so you did the right thing. Hyundai now ignoring my emails. Shame as I love the car and thankfully, I have not been hit with the BMS update causing slow charging.
Jeez, sorry to hear this Nik that's been going on a while then! Agree with you about the car, it's just their ethos and poor customer service from Hyundai that turned me off for ever buying another car from them.
I tried to follow this, but I could not get the T50 hex bolt out after removing the nut. I hit the uncovered nut end with a hammer a few times, and it still did not come out. Is the hole holding the bolt threaded? I don't want to damage the bolt because I'd need the car to drive to a store to purchase a replacement.
No it's not threaded from memory. I suspect corrosion has set in between the bolt and the knuckle. Pump some oil, WD-40 or similar in to see if that helps to loosen the bolt. If you hit the end of the bolt with a hammer make sure the nut is still on the end of the bolt to protect the threads of the bolt. You don't want to knacker up the threads by hitting it with a hammer.
@@johntisbury Thanks for the suggestion. I sprayed the bolt where I could, put the nut back on, replaced the tire, and lowered the car soon after I wrote my original comment. I scheduled to have my usual garage look at it to see what they say. If I don't like they're assessment, I try this again.
Hi John, I've found this a really interesting, useful and informative video. I'm hoping to have a Heat Pump soon (Octopus have surveyed but need to come back to check a couple of things). Your video is perfect for showing my wife and I what to expect. Thanks from both of us!
Thanks for watching Andy. I always think it's tricky to compare usage against someone else's as there's just too many variables around lifestyle, family size, comfort levels in term of thermostat settings, typical daily routines and how much electricity / gas is used.
Your electric bill is more than my gas and electric bill and I certainly use the heating! Something is going wrong if you are not saving money with that vast expense for solar and batteries, or your useage is like a factory unit.
If you want to compare usage then you need to compare like for like. Get yourself 2 EVs, 4 glass kilns, ASHP then we can talk. Even then it won't be like for like. There are so many variables brought into the mix, lifestyle, number of people in the family, routines, working from home or out all day the list goes on.
My Model 3 is a 2021 refresh - one of the first batches from Shanghai - and it has started creaking after 40,000 miles. Is it possible that it does not have the new front upper control arms?
Good question, unlikely but possible. The front upper control arms have gone through a number of iterations in design. No idea what the current part number is.
Good question David. It's certainly a solution if micro-climating is a problem. As it turns out we don't suffer from micro-climating. Therefore wall mounting provides no benefits, adds installation difficulties lifting the heat pump due to its weight. There's the potential of vibration coming through the walls once wall mounted.
to reset the device following the following instructions Step1: Release the battery and press the power switch Step 2: Press the power switch and push the battery back. Step 3: Hold the power switch for 10 seconds the red light will go on
Just an observation at 3:35 your ladder is standing the wrong way around. The top of the treddle should be parallel to the ground roughly speaking. As yours is the opposite way you are stepping only on the rear corner of it, as a result your effective grip on it is reduced and with wet soles on your shoes this may increase the chance of a slip / fall. Please be careful
Our panels were installed in 2018,2019 and 2021 never cleaned them until this year . Until this year they've self cleaned after rain but this year there's been an odd green dust layer that hasn't shifted so I've tried the same pole you have and will be buying one myself . Our roof needs 45ft reach to clean the very top edge so it so lucky with access. We're in a very hard water area but my intention will be to clean after or during rain for a free rinse Very interested in the 4 jet option you have with 2 in brush and 2 above that seems perfect
Thanks for watching Nigel. A rain clean is a very good idea, a few people have mentioned that in the comments as their approach too - makes sense. I seem to recall you also capture rain water for car / garden use which is also another option. The 4 jet option seems to work well, 2 standard pencil jets and the 2 fan jets that come with the over spray bar. Gives the best of both worlds. It was the first time I'd seen the brush head at work on the panels with the camera attached to the gooseneck. The brush head needed to be swivelled a bit more as only the rear part of the brush was cleaning the panels. The front bristles didn't touch the panel! One to remember for next time. I also noted that a good cleaning technique was important. All too easy to miss bits if you are not methodical with your approach. I think camera work overtook the need to clean the panels properly!
@@johntisbury all looks so easy watching the video doesn't it . What did you need to order for the bar and extra 2 jets I find their site a bit confusing tbh not giving confidence whether things will fit
@@EVPuzzle the website does have a certain level of assumed knowledge, but I guess it caters for the industry rather than individuals like us. You want the Large Overspray kit £12.95 (from the drop down menu. Then if you want 4 nozzles the 4 way push-fit T-connector with jet hose £5.75.
@@johntisbury many thanks John , now tu decide whether I need the stiffer thicker version . Rowleys 8 section slx reached , just with a step but had lots of flex catching on bottom panel 🤔🤔 Think I've answered it for myself . Go for it
I'm not keen on using chemicals as we have pets and wildlife visiting our garden. Wet and Forget: storesgo.com/blog/dangers-of-wet-and-forget-is-it-safe-for-plants
We clean those only when we know that rain is coming soon afterwards cause then tab water will not hurt or we do it before a shower comes down. Helps a lot cause we had compared the results of a cleaned string with an uncleaned and it was an 8% difference that disappeared after having cleaned the 2 nd string the next day. We have 13 strings and about 25 kWp now and 30 kWp soon with the 13 strings fully connected.
That's a great approach. I had a friend who would always wash his car in the rain for the same reason. Good to know about the 8% difference in performance between washed and unwashed.
My panels were installed in December 2015 and have never been cleaned, yes they get dirty, but only during dry spells. There is a very small amount of growth at the bottom edges of the panels, otherwise they are OK. Given the seagulls around here I'd need to wash them weekly to keep them clean in dry spells. We are in a hard water area, so it's interesting about the filters, only this morning my daughter was complaining about the white blotches after she washed her car and I had to explain what it was. PS 50 kWh generated today from 8.74 kWp.
Thanks for watching. I can recommend the resin filters for reducing total dissolved solids. Keep and eye on that growth, you don't want it spreading, it's like creeping death doe solar panels.
Good video John. Our window cleaner charges a reasonable £25 for all the ground & first floor house windows including our rear conservatory windows. However, he wanted a separate £100 for cleaning the glass conservatory roof & didn't even give me a price for the solar panels because his pole isn't long enough! Expensive I thought so I got a water fed pole to do it myself which, as you said, has paid for itself withing 18 months. My pole is a 30ft fibre glass type so a bit heavier than the more expensive lightweight carbon fibre ones when all sections are in it. I remove a few pole sections when I'm doing the conservatory roof & add them for the solar panels which I can just about get to from ground level with the conservatory in the way at the back of the house. I too have a resin filter which is great for pure water window, solar panel & washing our cars which I leave to drip dry without any spots. Not sure how long I'm going to be capable of hanging on to a 30ft pole waving about in the air but at least I don't have to run the risk of climbing any ladders.
Advice needed pls. I am in an old stone cottage on a hill, i have qualified for a grant for 2.8kwh solar a 12kw samsung ashp (no choice on make model its a gov /energy company grant) and my upstairs to be insulated but not downstairs.. currently on lpg tanked bulk with epc F hence why i qualified and low income.. im nervous about the running costs as this is a very old house and i have heard horror stories about the cost to run. Can anyone advise me on if to go ahead or not ? I also have a 5kw log burner but it's in an enormous inglenook so barely heats the living room .. thx
Thanks for watching. Tricky to answer your question without some additional information. What is the heat loss for the cottage? This would have been completed when they specced the 12kW heat pump. What is the design flow temperature for the heating system, e.g. ours is 40ºC flow temp when it's -2.5ºC outside temp. Those two bits of information will impact your running costs and how hard the ASHP will need to work to keep the house warm. The lower the flow temperature the cheaper it will be to run the system. Are you having new radiators fitted? The solar array sounds very small, I guess you don't have much available roof space? A 2.8kW array will not offset your electricity usage costs by too much. It will certainly help and is better than not having anything - so that's a good thing. The second variable is which electricity tariff you are on. Heat pumps are efficient, much more so than gas boilers or LPG. Being on the right electricity tariff is very important as heat pumps are most efficient running low and slow, e.g. you keep them on all the time. We have ours set with Weather Compensation and it's technically 'on' 24/7, 365 days a year. It only actually turns on when the outside temperature drops below 16ºC with our setting. I don't know the cost of LPG to buy, however I suspect it's not cheap. Trying to heat a house with an EPC of F will be very expensive no matter what the fuel source as it will be like trying to heat a house made from Swish cheese with all its holes. With the installation improvements and the solar contributions you should find it more economical than LPG. However, that costs to run will be very much dependant on the design temperature of the system and your electricity tariff. The horror stories you have heard will be the edge cases. The majority of current installations are well done and heat pumps are certainly cheaper to run than gas, LPG or even wood burning stoves if you are having to purchase the fuel source. I guess the worry would be the reputation and professionalism of the companies who are carry out the work. Often they can cut corners, not do a good install as they are getting paid via the scheme rather than direct from a consumer. Worth trying to obtain references and see who else has had work done by them before pressing ahead. I have done a more details video on the installation of our heat pump, the design stage and the whole installation process. That might be worth watching to give you an idea. The design stage is the critical bit to get right.
@@johntisburythx for that. I don't know what the heat loss is I can find out. My current electric tariff is variable with eon and is high but i could change. They seem like a pretty reputable company and yes they are increasing the radiators forgot to mention that but I am not sure exactly of which yet I have asked for specifics. They are also fitting direct ventilation system which again i have no choice it's part of the package. That's all I know thus far.. i will ask for references. Solar is 6 panels no battery. I have asked them to let me have an approx usage cost they said they will work out. I have pushed for downstairs insulation but the funders said no . The upstairs insulation is classed as room in roof as it has slopey ceilings everywhere. 🤔
@@Divinefemininemiracles feels like you are asking the right questions. The Heat Loss figure and the ASHP design temperature will be 2 important pieces of information.
Another great video John You are correct when you mention the nay sayers on various forums. I have mine cleaned in May every year and I can see an immediate improvement. We are on the edge of a forest and there is a lot of pine and oak pollen coming down these last couple of weeks. I am only achieving a peak of 5.1kW when I should be seeing 6.2kW so an effective 20% loss due to dust and pollen.
Excellent as always John I do clean mine at least twice per year or when needed. I see you have had the second powerwall fitted is the an install video coming ? I do follow your heat pump stats and think your electric consumption is very good for heating and hot water . All the best Glyn
Thanks Glyn. Great to hear you clean your panels too as needed. Yes the second Powerwall was fitted at the beginning of May. I will be doing a video on the update to the system. I'm very pleased with our ASHP and its efficiency based on the constraints around our installation; microbore throughout, long primary runs. The second battery was to combat the winter period usage and offset more of the peak rate usage with more cheap overnight storage.
I've watched John's video a few times now and as a bit I'm a bit of a geek(background mainframe systems programmer many years ago) I'm kicking myself. I tried to change my spots with this, but apparently leopards cant get stripes. I decided to be hands off non-geek. I didnt get an OpenEnergyMonitor and wish I did. Vaillant Arotherm+ 10kW installed to replace combi. Vaillant tank added and radiators cascaded getting four new big rads and throwing away three for a total of 17 installed. Anyway all of that was OK. Install was week of 11/3/24 and went pretty well. What I'm missing is the fine detail of data to be able to tune the system. The target was 4.49SCOP with design flow temp of 41C. So far we're sitting 3.8 for the month (myVAILLANT app). I've gradually moved the heat curve from 1.1 down to 0.90. Last night I dropped it to 0.80 and today we have a COP of 3.9. Advice: get OEM if you can, because you can't un-geek. Question (if you're looking at this John) were you planning on running dhw cycle at different times depending on season? I guess with your decision to go to second Powerwall that becomes less of a question. I'd trying to think through avoiding export to grid if I can benefit.
Hi Robin, agree with you about Open Energy Monitoring. My recommendation is get Open Energy Monitoring if you want to understand your heating system and be able monitor its performance. For DHW I’m running it at the warmest part of the day 1pm - 2pm. That may change as things progress with the 2nd Powerwall.
Thanks John. I guessed the second Powerwall would change thinking on things such as DHW time. With 'only' one I'm a bit tight on capacity. BTW, somebody told me that you get a small discount on a second, have you heard that? I think I'm stuck on fitting an OEM in retrospectively. The guys did a great job with the install but there is a very short length of pipe between it coming through the wall and it being split to CH and DHW, definitely not long enough for adding the Bad decision on my part I think, I guess it will take me longer to tune the system without the data from OEM.
@@robinedwards218 Agree with you that having 1 Powerwall it is a bit tight to use for DHW, ASHP and general household use. This was the main trigger for getting a second one. There's no discount for getting a second, although all home storage batteries now attract 0% rated VAT so it's kind of a discount. Local installers may offer incentives but it's not a Tesla driven marketing campaign. Be careful on the placement of the heat meter if/when you go down the OEM route. They are very sensitive to turbulent flow near bends, valves and pipework constraints. They require lengths of straight pipework to function correctly. Installation manuals give minimum distances to bends etc, along with vertical/horizontal dos and don'ts.
I am now 72, and aware that I am loosing my ability to problem solve I.e. I’m moving from Geek to normal. The average person would not pick up the problems/finesse of the system, would not therefore achieve COP > 3 (Break Even Point for gas combi), and just say ASHP don’t work. How can the country (or me in a few years time) sort this issue?
As the heating industry improves and installers become more aware of the remote monitoring systems available to them, the onus will shift from consumer to installer. We are still in early adopter phase.
@@johntisbury I'd forgotten we are 'early adopters'. The 'Heat Geek' insurance scheme (for which you pay a premium) seems a good safety net for my senile years! The expense of it will put most normal people off; with the consequential result SCOP will not be what that could achieve, and the tabloids get more stories ☹
I firmly believe as installer experience grows so prices will come down. Installs will be become quicker, more efficient and manufacturers will embrace innovative products and tools to aid this. In 3-5 years the industry will look very different I feel.
@@johntisbury I wish I could be as optimistic as you. I have closely watched five year of new builds and conversions round here in West Yorkshire. Always gas boilers, never solar panels and just one ASHP. The working plumbers I talk to (challenge!) all have enough traditional work swapping out boilers for new combi ones, “cannot afford to go on courses” etc. If ten years ago, our pathetic Government had set a road map that forced all new builds to have ASHP (+ solar) from 2018, we might now have a small workforce with those skills. Liasse faire has been an excuse for atrocious leadership. Sorry John - rant over. P.S. love your work
@geoffmansfield2668 you are not wrong. Lack of direction and consistent policy has slowed the UK transition down, helped by the fossil fuel industry and their pie in the sky hydrogen model for domestic home heating. The heating industry is pivoting to ASHPs, many of the heating engineers I follow have not fitted a gas combi in the last 12 months. Gas boiler installs will slowly reduce in volume and die, plumbers will either retrain, retire or move industry.
@@johntisbury other option, to increase pipe insulation, is small cost, hight efficiency. Small is beautifull unless if we discuss insulation of the hottest spot.
