Blather, Waffle and Poppycock!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

We had ceiling fans fitted to the bedrooms yesterday.   I expect the temps to plummet now till next year.

Na - next 10 years. Tip for anyone having problems getting fans, fan heaters have a cold setting....

[Heedless Horseman]

S Northumberland. Thursday was overcast. Today ROASTING!
One plus about sunny weather... (Well, Another one  !)... is that those lucky people with 'Classic' cars.. get the urge. Saw a lovely TR2... not many of those around. 

[Techno II]

Tip for anyone having problems getting fans, fan heaters have a cold setting....

I've been using that fact, since the beginning of the week.

But that hasn't stopped the putty 'going off' at a silly speed......That helps on the actual figures .......But it's a sod having to mix putty about twice as often as usual, because it's unworkable within 10-15 (?) minutes.

Cheers - Phil. 

[Steve J]

When I used to work, car body filler would take ages to go off in Winter, even using hot air guns to speed it up, in contrast to Summer when it went off too quickly. Ditto paint drying, especially two pack paints.

[Techno II]

A totally useless fact...

I've had Milliput freeze solid almost instantly, when trying to stop a drip on one of the pipes in the barn, when the temp was well below zero.

Cheers - Phil.

[Orcs]

A totally useless fact...

I've had Milliput freeze solid almost instantly, when trying to stop a drip on one of the pipes in the barn, when the temp was well below zero.

Cheers - Phil.

You need Self amalgamating tape for that.

[Techno II]

Thanks, Mark......Useful tip.

Cheers - Phil.

[steve_holmes_11]

You need Self amalgamating tape for that.

It's been a while, but I think the tape also performs badly in the cold.

In either case, the fix is to warm the repair site to "working temperature" before starting work.
Easier for the tape than for n epoxy putty.

[Heedless Horseman]

Musing on 'Pipes' and 'progress'. When Gas Board (whatever?) replaced loft water tanks... (DID need doing...I saw what what was inside the old ones!)... they replaced the Copper overflow pipes with Plastic. Can remember 'un-freezing' old pipes with a BLOWTORCH! Happens again... hope some engineers will appreciate a rather chilly 'Call Out'... but wonder how they would get on? Maybe replace the whole pipe?

Garage Gas Boiler. Think builder may have forgotten about Gas supply until AFTER concrete floor laid, (?), as gas pipes led right around OUTSIDE, with very short internal connection. Fine by me...possible leaks OUTSIDE! (Ours was only house in street done like this... as one of first up, maybe 'small builder' was on a 'learning curve' lol!).
When 'Gas' insisted on re-lining with Alkathene pipe... impossible to feed round corners. So, we now have internal gas pipework, (Thankfully, METAL'!), going right round the INSIDE of garage! Such is 'Progress'! lol.

As for 'Greenies' wanting to replace Gas Heating with 'something else'... pretty much 'past caring', but wonder 'just WTF' will they do? lol...or maybe not.

[Ithoriel]

As for 'Greenies' wanting to replace Gas Heating with 'something else'... pretty much 'past caring', but wonder 'just WTF' will they do? lol...or maybe not.

I've been looking at electric combi-boilers. Basically a giant kettle. Easier to install but currently more expensive to run. I am wondering if a more efficient electric one would be no more expensive to run than my less efficient gas one. If gas boilers go, will electricity be more or less expensive? More expensive because less competition or less expensive due to economies of scale. Where's my crystal ball?

[Heedless Horseman]

I've been looking at electric combi-boilers. Basically a giant kettle. Easier to install but currently more expensive to run. I am wondering if a more efficient electric one would be no more expensive to run than my less efficient gas one. If gas boilers go, will electricity be more or less expensive? More expensive because less competition or less expensive due to economies of scale. Where's my crystal ball?

Not something that I have been doing much 'serious' thinking about... but cannot see how electric could be 'cheaper'!

As for general move to 'clean' electric from 'Green' sources? So, ALL cars, vans, etc. AND much heating, etc. to go electric... in not all THAT much longer... just HOW do they expect to provide RELIABLY consistent supply able to cope with ENORMOUS increased demand? Given trend to currently 'Freak' weather 'events', I am very dubious about Wind / water / solar power generation. Better 'get on' with some new Nuke power stations... but all has gone quiet on such for a while.

Maybe some very small experimental  developments in the 'Fusion' field. Cannot see it in MY lifetime... but... 'Tech' can change very rapidly...

[Orcs]

I am very dubious about Wind / water / solar power generation. .

A Few years ago I had a rare book rebound by a lovely old gent recommended to me by a second had book shop in Camden Market. When I went to collect the book we somehow got talking about Norfolk and i mentioned the wind farms off the coast.  Turns out he was a retired Professor who had done extensive research into wind power, and apparently we only have reliable wind in this country for 10 months of the year, so no matter how many wind turbines we have we are always going to have a 1/6th shortfall over a year.

[Ithoriel]

A Few years ago I had a rae book rebound by a lovely old gent recommended to m bu a second had book shop in Camden Market. When i went to collect the book we somehow got talking about Norfolk and i mentioned the wind farms off the coast.  Turns out he was a retired Professor who had done extensive research into wind power, and apparently we only have reliabel wind in this country for 10 months of the year, so no matter how many wind turbines we have we are always going to have a 1/6th shortfall over a year.

Which is why we are also investing in solar, wave power and other renewables. Not to mention battery technology, which isn't just for electric cars.

"Fusion Power - coming in the next ten years for about half a century" :-)

[DecemDave]

Which reminds me as I look out to the local (Rampion) offshore wind farm which is about to be quadrupled in size with bigger turbines and more of them. I went to the "consultation" meetings when they first proposed it and questions like "what happens with no wind" were met with patronising corporate speak although they also let slip that some days would also be TOO windy.  Meanwhile to my question "will we hear them"  was laughed off  with "you wont even see them - they are 12 miles offshore".

Well not only do we see them on every day which isn't foggy or misty but they then went and put flashing red lights on the top of each turbine to stop ships, planes and birds crashing into them.  They also already cover about half of any local sea view in an area which economically relied on tourism.  There has been some recent news on how some of  Britain's coastal communities are actually more deprived than the areas which get publicity around levelling up.  To date no hotel has yet renamed itself  Windfarm view.   

I can see why we need renewables but I object to the way in which such schemes get designed, "spun", approved and executed. And with nuclear sites closing, we sometimes run perilously close to power shortages right now, to which the solution seems to be import power e.g.  from France and not lets store it up on windy days.   And since we import many manufactured goods from countries which rely on coal power,  we are a long long way from doing what is needed however many wind turbines get put up.

[fsn]

10,000th post today, 60th Birthday tomorrow!


Momentous days for Nobby!