Articles by Argile

In renovation work, every kilogram counts and every thermal bridge shows up on the bill. Lightweight, insulating masonry blocks help you save installation time, limit rework and keep walls breathable. Well chosen, they also give your clients year-round comfort, summer and winter, without adding weight to the job site.

5 min read

On site, every minute counts. Between fast installation and long-term reliability, pipe-joining systems have evolved a lot, without requiring more tooling or rework. By mastering the right moves and the right checks, you gain speed, cleanliness and reliability, quite simply.

5 min read

On an external wall insulation job, the render is your signature. Machine-sprayed or hand-applied, the right choice affects pace, finish consistency and touch-ups, without tripping you up on the details. If you need to keep to schedule while delivering a clean, durable facade, it's best to set your criteria upfront. Let's walk through the concrete points that make the difference, depending on your team, your substrates and your job-site habits.

4 min read

Monomur carries the load and insulates in one block, but its R-value tops out at 3.81 m²·K/W at 42.5 cm, a wall U-value of 0.25 W/m².K against the 0.18 Approved Document L expects on a new dwelling. What you price on a monomur wall is masonry and junctions, not an insulation performance.

5 min read

An unbalanced manifold means one collector working flat out while another idles, and an installation that will never reach the yield it was sold on. Branch symmetry, balancing with flow meters and hunting down high points are all decided at installation. On the paperwork, the collectors have to carry a Solar Keymark certificate and the installation an MCS certificate, or the funding route closes.

5 min read

On a job site, the difference sometimes comes down to a few decimal places. Concrete, brick and concrete block don't have the same thermal conductivity, and that changes everything about insulation thickness, thermal bridge treatment and budget. As a tradesperson, you save time when you know what to expect from a wall before you even talk about wool, panels or render. Here we lay out the orders of magnitude simply, so you can decide quickly and accurately.

5 min read

A solid traditional wall dries inwards. Once the outside face is rendered, that is the only drying path it has left, and internal wall insulation is what closes it. The water vapour resistance factor puts a number on it: 1 for mineral wool, 60 for expanded polystyrene, 150 for extruded. At 120 mm that is 12 cm, 7.2 m and 18 m of equivalent air placed against the masonry.

8 min read

A condensate pump is not an accessory, it is a safety device. Its total head has to be calculated, its high-level contact has to shut the boiler down, and the applicable standard is BS EN 12050-2, lifting plants for faecal-free effluent.

6 min read

A twin energy solar cylinder is not just a vessel: it is a product whose energy efficiency class decides whether the job qualifies for support. At 500 litres or less, schemes typically require class C at minimum, which caps standing losses at around 62 W for 200 litres and 72 W for 500 litres. Here is how to read that criterion, and how the pipework can destroy it.

5 min read

Before starting a renovation, your clients want concrete answers, not bad surprises mid-project. A poorly vented wastewater system, a saturated septic tank or a badly placed outlet, and the schedule derails, with costly rework. By checking a few simple points during the initial site visit, you secure the project and keep control of quality.

5 min read

When renovating a workshop or a small industrial site, the right emitter is the difference between a job that goes smoothly and a commissioning process that drags on. You need robust heating that's simple to install, heats up quickly, and stays consistent with an existing boiler or a future heat pump. Here are the concrete reference points to keep in mind to choose correctly, without wasting time on unnecessary options.

5 min read

A hatch is judged on a single figure, its U-value, and that follows directly from the thermal resistance of the panel. Against a cold loft ceiling that has to reach R ≥ 7 m².K/W to earn a grant, a panel at R 1 lets seven times more heat through per square metre. Here is the conversion, the area ratio that puts the defect in perspective, and the treatment of the junction.

5 min read