Plot | Marsh Flatts Farm Self Build Diary

Week 4, Day 2:

More progress removing soil from around the foundations, down to the level required for the concrete ‘oversite’.
Connecting the GSHP collector pipes together at the manifold chamber.
Digging a trench for the GSHP pipe tails to cross under the house and running them from the manifold to a location under the utility room.

Week 4, Day 2

GSHP collector pipes connecting at manhole

32mm GSHP collector pipes connecting to the manifold enclosure which contains filling connectors and balancing valves. The upper collector pipes are the ones which run straight along the inside edge of each trench and carry the flow to the house; the lower ones are the slinky loops. All pipe joints outside the manifold chamber are made using electrofusion connectors.

Close-up of electrofusion connectors on GSHP collector pipes

Inside the manifold chamber, before installation (from the other side)

Week 4, Day 1:

Starting to remove the remaining soil inside the foundations, down to the level required for the over-site concrete below the void under the ground floor beams.
- Actually a bit lower in some places, where the remaining soil columns would not be stable – especially in wet weather.
Installing the “slinky” pipes for the GSHP in the prepared trenches and starting to prepare the 50mm diameter pipework tails back to the house.
Another 20 tonne delivery of sand, ready for covering over the GSHP collector pipes later in the week,
In addition, I spent some time on Sunday clearing the remainder of the rubble from the concrete slab of the old cow shed.

Week 4, Day 1

Now that British Summer Time has ended this snapshot at 17:00 GMT, about 10 minutes after sunset, is close to the limit of what the camera is able to capture. It will soon be necessary to use the 16:00 shots as the “end of day” records.