Hagg Leys Farm

Page 18 of 67

WiFi throughout the building

February 13, 2014 /

tp-link

There are wired Ethernet sockets in all of the rooms throughout the property.  The home network is provided by two Netgear Gigabit switches (one in the old part of the property and one in the plant room in the new extension connected via a CAT6 cable).  These are then connected to the Internet via a BT Home Hub 4.  Longer term, we will probably replace this with something more sophisticated. Since we are in a rural area our broadband is not the fast – 13Mbps download and around 1Mbps upload.  It works fine for us – just as well since there isn’t much we can do about it.

Additionally, the BT Home Hub 4 provides WiFi access (both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) in the older part of the property.  However, this quickly drops off once you get to the new extension.

The answer is to install a second WiFi access point in the new part of the building and to use a wired connection to connect the access point to the internal network.  If you set up a second access point with the same SSID and password (and security settings), client devices (e.g. iPads, laptops, etc) will connect to the home network using whichever access point is providing the strongest signal.  Furthermore, if you connect via one access point and then move to a part of the building where the signal from another access point is better, the client device should change access points (and without dropping the connection).  To test this out, I stream BBC2 to my iPad in the old part of the property (using the BT Home Hub WiFi) and then walked to the furthest part of the new extension.  The iPad swapped from one access point to the other and didn’t drop a single frame.  There is a good article here that summarises how this works.

So what did we use for the second WiFi access point? I have been looking for attractive looking access points, but haven’t had a lot of success.  So in the interim, I decided to buy a TP-Link TL-WA801ND.  The reviews looked good and at under £30 it doesn’t matter if we replace it with something more attractive later.

The TP-Link access point is a reasonable piece of kit, particularly for the price.  However, the process for setting it up is a bit convoluted.  It defaults to an IP address of 192.168.0.254.  This isn’t really too much of an issue, except that the BT Home Hub defaults to setting up a 192.168.1.* network.  So none of my devices that were connected to the BT Home Hub could connect to the TP-Link device at the same time.

To get it to work:

  • I turned off the BT Home Hub.  You could alternatively turn off the WiFi on the Home Hub;
  • I then connected to the TP-link access point using the 192.168.0.254 IP address;
  • I logged in and set up the device as an access point.  This involves entering the SSID, password, and security settings so that they were the same as the Home Hub (you might want to write these down before starting this process);
  • Do not reboot the device until you have changed it’s IP address to something in the 192.168.1.* range.  This means that it can be seen at the same time as the Home Hub.  In my case, I changed it to 192.168.1.252.  My Home Hub is set up for 192.168.1.254 (the default).
  • I left all the other settings on the network tab the same.  DHCP needs to be turned off on the Access Point, but this is the default anyway.
  • Save and reboot the access point.  You are done.  You should be able to access the TP-Link device using 192.168.1.252 (or whatever IP address you entered).  This will then provide you with the login page. You can access your Home Hub via 192.168.1.254.

If you leave the TP-Link device on the default IP address and set up the access point with the same SSID/password, you will get a DNS error when a device logs into the access point – it will connect to the WiFi network, but will not connect to the Internet.

Update on the ground source heat pump

February 12, 2014 /

nibe logo

It looks as if the problem with the ground source heat pump has finally been fixed (although it would appear that there was no problem to be fixed).  It is going to take a few days for the house to get up to temperature, but at least it is a start.

The heat pump has been throwing LP (Low Pressure) alerts for the past couple of weeks.  The ground loops were flushed.  But there was no air in the system.  All of the strainers on the ground loops were checked.  Again, no problem.  The circulation pump for the ground loops was replaced.  But the same problem persisted.  The software on the heat pump was updated.  No difference.

The Nibe engineer spent 5 hours on site and finally struck on the idea that the temperature of internal underfloor heating was too low.  Apparently, there needs to be a significant temperature difference between the ground loops and the underfloor heating otherwise the low temperature in the underfloor heating will reduce the temperature (and thus the pressure) on the ground loops.

The answer appears to be to use the internal immersion heater to raise the temperature of the underfloor heating.  Then the ground source heat pump could be engaged and, voila, it all works as it should.

We restarted the heat pump about 6 hours ago (around 4pm this afternoon) after engaging the immersion heater for a while.  The good news is that it is still running (and generating heat).  Fingers crossed.

Here's the graph for the internal temperature from our weather station. You can see where the heat pump was turned on around 4pm. Hopefully, the graph overnight will look just as good. Fingers crossed.

Here’s the graph for the internal temperature from our weather station. You can see where the heat pump was turned on around 4pm. Hopefully, the graph overnight will look just as good. Fingers crossed.

Kitchen ceiling painted

February 10, 2014 /

The decorators started last Friday and today they managed to get a couple of coats of paint on the kitchen ceiling.  They also managed to paint the ceilings in the hall and the snug as well as getting some of the woodwork prepped.  This is really starting to make a difference.

The kitchen ceiling has been painted today - two coats of white emulsion. I am amazed how quick one of the decorators has done this - it would have taken me ages and not nearly been half as good. The wire at the top of the picture is for the fire alarm - it seems to get into every shot!

The kitchen ceiling has been painted today – two coats of white emulsion. I am amazed how quick one of the decorators has done this – it would have taken me ages and not nearly been half as good. The wire at the top of the picture is for the fire alarm – it seems to get into every shot!

With the ceiling painted, the next job is to give the oak beams a second coat of Osmo PolyX. Then we can move onto painting the walls.

With the ceiling painted, the next job is to give the oak beams a second coat of Osmo PolyX. Then we can move onto painting the walls.

 

New fireplace plastered

February 10, 2014 /

The new fireplace (based on a Spartherm Arte 3RL 100H fire insert) was plastered last week.  The plaster has dried out over the weekend and we expect to get the lounge decorated this week (with a bit of luck).

We have had the fire on today as the ground source heat pump still isn’t working!  Nibe (the manufacturer of the heat pump) are due out on Wednesday, but in the meantime we have no heating or hot water.

New fireplace plastered Fireplace plastered

The front wall finished

February 10, 2014 /

The front wall and the flagstones were finished on Saturday morning.  All of the materials used (except the sand and cement) had been salvaged from elsewhere on site.  Most of the flagstones were from the kitchen in number 10.  It is good to see them being reused and not one bit out of place.

We have already laid the conduit and a set of cables for the lights that will light up the front of the house at night.  We should get around to this later this week, depending on the weather.

There are two steps up to a set of flagstones. All of the flagstones were had salvaged when renovating the property.

There are two steps up to a set of flagstones. All of the flagstones were had salvaged when renovating the property.

We had to remove the shoe off the bottom of the drain pipe to accommodate the new flagstones. We will cut the drainpipe and refit the shoe now that the flagstones are in place.

We had to remove the shoe off the bottom of the drain pipe to accommodate the new flagstones. We will cut the drainpipe and refit the shoe now that the flagstones are in place.

This old stone drain (and cast iron grate) was still in use when we bought the property. It was however elsewhere and we have relocated into the new flagstones in the front of the property.

This old stone drain (and cast iron grate) was still in use when we bought the property. It was however elsewhere and we have relocated into the new flagstones in the front of the property.

The decorators have arrived!

February 9, 2014 /

The first job is to clean up the new roof timbers.  These had been previously been coated with Osmo UV Protection oil.  This was necessary as the oak was exposed to the elements while the roof was being built.  If we had left it untreated, the mud and rain would have soaked into the wood and been very difficult to remove.

Cleaning up the oak involves softening up the previously applied Osmo with white spirit.  Then rubbed it down with wire wool, before finally wiping it down with a clean cloth and white spirit.  The more persistent marks will be sanded out.  Fortunately, there aren’t too many of these.  The final stage will be a second cost of Osmo (this time the internal PolyX version) to reseal the wood.

By the time we get to the end of the first day, the beams in the kitchen have been cleaned ready for a coat of Osmo next week.

These timbers had been previously coated with Osmo exterior wood finish. To get the dirt and finger marks off them, they are wiped down with a cloth dipped in white spirit, then rubbed with wire wool dipped in white spirit and then finally wiped down with a clean cloth (again dipped in white spirit).

These timbers had been previously coated with Osmo exterior wood finish. To get the dirt and finger marks off them, they are wiped down with a cloth dipped in white spirit, then rubbed with wire wool dipped in white spirit and then finally wiped down with a clean cloth (again dipped in white spirit).

Problems with the heat pump

February 9, 2014 /

The ground source heat pump worked well for about 2 weeks and then started shutting down with a low pressure alarm.  This is normally due to an issue with circulation of fluid in the ground loops.  Last Friday, we had to give up and turn the unit off altogether.  We have now been without heating and hot water for the last week.

Initially, it was thought that it was dirt in the system, but there was no dirt in any of the strainers and the system was flushed to prove the point.  Then it was thought that it was the pump that pumps the antifreeze around the ground loops.  This was replaced, but the fault still persisted.

Neither the installer or NuHeat have been able to resolve the problem despite their best efforts.  This issue now resides with Nibe who are the manufacturer of the ground source heat pump unit itself.  Unfortunately, this means further delays as we have to wait for an appointment for the engineer to come out.

When the heat pump is back up and working, it will take 2-3 days at least for the property to get back up to full temperature.  We are just gratefully that it hasn’t been too cold yet this winter!

The first of the internal doors is fitted

February 6, 2014 /

There are 16 internal doors in the property.  The first of them was installed today.

This is a major milestone for us and now we might stand half a chance of keeping (at least part of) the house clean and dust-free.

The doors are made of oak and have been supplied by Oakwood Doors in Huddersfield.  We purchased a one of door as a prototype a few months ago.  The door handles are from Zoo Architectural hardware and supplied via the door handle company (who also supplied all of the latches and hinges).

The first of the internal doors was installed this afternoon. This is a major milestone for us. And now we might stand a chance of keeping dust out of some of the rooms. The rest of the doors will be fitted upstairs tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

The first of the internal doors was installed this afternoon. This is a major milestone for us. And now we might stand a chance of keeping dust out of some of the rooms. The rest of the doors will be fitted upstairs tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Front wall

February 6, 2014 /

The front wall outside the property is now complete and we are focussing on getting the flagstones down behind it.  All of the flagstones used here were recovered when we renovated the old part of the property.  Some were on the kitchen floor, some were in the barn.

We have laid cables underneath the flagstones so that we can install some external uplighters into the flagstones.  We have marked where they need to be installed and will cut holes in the flagstones once the mortar has set.

About half of the flagstones have been laid at the front of the property. The white conduit carries the cables for the external lights. The black corrugated plastic pipe is poking up through the original stone drain that we found when we demolished the barn. We are reusing it together with the cast iron grate that fits it.

About half of the flagstones have been laid at the front of the property. The white conduit carries the cables for the external lights. The black corrugated plastic pipe is poking up through the original stone drain that we found when we demolished the barn. We are reusing it together with the cast iron grate that fits it.

The flagstones have only just be laid and no one should be standing on them. However, this doesn't apply to Lurchers (apparently!). The tarpaulins are to protect the wet mortar from the impeding rain. It arrived about 30 mins after this photo was taken.

The flagstones have only just be laid and no one should be standing on them. However, this doesn’t apply to Lurchers (apparently!). The tarpaulins are to protect the wet mortar from the impeding rain. It arrived about 30 mins after this photo was taken.

LED bulbs

February 6, 2014 /

From the outset we decided to use LED bulbs throughout the property.  Their longevity combined with lower power consumption made them a no brainer.  We have used the same bulbs inside and out.

We also decided to standardise on the same fitting (GU10) and the same colour (warm white) as well as the same wattage (5W).  This will hopefully mean that we don’t end up with a drawer full of light bulbs, but never the one that you want.

We have already installed around 20 LED bulbs and yesterday we purchased another 30.  At around £10 each, this mounts up.  I never thought that we were spend £500 on bulbs!

On a positive note, the 5W bulbs are very bright and in some of the rooms, particularly the bathrooms, they are probably a bit too bright.  We picked a brand that had a decent guaranteed lifetime and standardised on them.  These are also available locally.

These were purchased locally for around £10 each. To be honest, even at 5W some of them are a bit bright, particularly when in smaller rooms. Unfortunately, they don't make a 1W version. Shame.

These were purchased locally for around £10 each. To be honest, even at 5W some of them are a bit bright, particularly when in smaller rooms. Unfortunately, they don’t make a 1W version. Shame.

 

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2025 Hagg Leys Farm

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑