Not photography related

[Allan Bell]

unless you are stuck in a cold office processing images on a computer.

 

Brrr! It's flippin' cold today. Anyone put their central heating on yet?

 

Alamy staff can join in on this one as well.

 

Allan

 

[Bryan]

I have a friend who reckons it's cheaper to leave the hot water on 24/7. He has, as we do, an old fashioned system with a hot water cylinder. This means that the water in his hot water cylinder will be maintained at somewhere near the thermostat set point, maybe 55 degC. He argues that, because the water never cools down, he doesn't have to burn gas in order to heat it back up again. 

 

When I was a lad I was taught that the rate of heat transfer was proportional to the temperature difference, i.e. the hotter the water the greater the heat loss. Sort of makes sense doesn't it? 

 

Mind you this otherwise intelligent person also leaves his central heating on at his desired room temperature even when away for a week or two. Little wonder we have an energy crisis.

[Bryan]

Shakespearean dyslexia.

 

I am alone in suffering from this condition? At school we had to read some of this bloke's plays. I just didn't get it, and I still don't. I've paid good money to watch a performance, and left at half time. I can't follow the dialogue, it's as if the characters are speaking in a foreign language. It's not that I wasn't into reading, I consumed all of the  Bond and Chandler books etc as a kid, and have since ploughed my way through some heavier tomes, but I don't do Shakespeare, my loss I guess.

[Harry Harrison]

12 hours ago, Bryan said:

I have a friend who reckons it's cheaper to leave the hot water on 24/7. He has, as we do, an old fashioned system with a hot water cylinder. This means that the water in his hot water cylinder will be maintained at somewhere near the thermostat set point, maybe 55 degC. He argues that, because the water never cools down, he doesn't have to burn gas in order to heat it back up again. 

I've always heard that though I haven't practiced it preferring to set the timer to two time periods instead. However I heard a radio presenter describe how he also left his water heating on all the time for the same reason but when he got a smart meter he could see that the advice clearly wasn't correct and he reduced his bills considerably by switching it to 'timed'. I imagine he was talking about electrically heated water but the same logic should apply. Not that I'm rushing to get a smart meter.

[Allan Bell]

5 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

I've always heard that though I haven't practiced it preferring to set the timer to two time periods instead. However I heard a radio presenter describe how he also left his water heating on all the time for the same reason but when he got a smart meter he could see that the advice clearly wasn't correct and he reduced his bills considerably by switching it to 'timed'. I imagine he was talking about electrically heated water but the same logic should apply. Not that I'm rushing to get a smart meter.

 

Me neither.

 

Allan

 

[Harry Harrison]

40 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

Me neither.

Wish I had a pound for every time I've been asked to get one though.

[Allan Bell]

3 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

Wish I had a pound for every time I've been asked to get one though.

 

If that was the case I would be earning the equivalent of 3 x $2 sales at Alamy.

 

Allan

 

[spacecadet]

16 hours ago, Bryan said:

Shakespearean dyslexia.

 

I am alone in suffering from this condition? At school we had to read some of this bloke's plays. I just didn't get it, and I still don't. I've paid good money to watch a performance, and left at half time. I can't follow the dialogue, it's as if the characters are speaking in a foreign language. It's not that I wasn't into reading, I consumed all of the  Bond and Chandler books etc as a kid, and have since ploughed my way through some heavier tomes, but I don't do Shakespeare, my loss I guess.

You are missing out. I was no fan at school either. That didn't stop me taking a small part in "The Merchant of Venice", but even so I'm probably an admirer despite school, not because of it.

He repays the effort, though we do only tend to see mostly the Illyria open-air comedies. The text merely requires concentration. It's not so far from the idiom we use today.

Performed well, as the Illyria companies do, you can get a great deal out of it without following the dialogue too closely. Anyway the largely-illiterate audiences of the 1590s weren't following every word- they were there for the entertaiment, the theatre.

Edited October 10, 2021 by spacecadet

[M.Chapman]

21 hours ago, Bryan said:

When I was a lad I was taught that the rate of heat transfer was proportional to the temperature difference, i.e. the hotter the water the greater the heat loss. Sort of makes sense doesn't it? 

 

Correct. The water is always loosing heat, the hotter the water in the cylinder is, the faster it looses it. It's a false economy to keep the water in there heated all the time. Best thing is to double insulate the cylinder and associated pipework and only heat the water just before you (or when) you need it. Basic physics.

 

Mark

[Ed Rooney]

"I can't follow the dialogue, it's as if the characters are speaking in a foreign language."

 

That's the way I feel about Liverpool and Scouse. . . . a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Shakespeare and the Norman Invasion are two of the major influences that shaped modern English. In the US, we eat eggplant. In the. UK, it's called aubergine. "How much better it is to weep at joy than weep at weeping." 

 

Edited October 11, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[NYCat]

Shakespeare used to make up words to suit his purpose. Fine fellow.

 

Paulette

[Stokie]

On 09/10/2021 at 21:20, Bryan said:

I have a friend who reckons it's cheaper to leave the hot water on 24/7. He has, as we do, an old fashioned system with a hot water cylinder. This means that the water in his hot water cylinder will be maintained at somewhere near the thermostat set point, maybe 55 degC. He argues that, because the water never cools down, he doesn't have to burn gas in order to heat it back up again. 

 

When I was a lad I was taught that the rate of heat transfer was proportional to the temperature difference, i.e. the hotter the water the greater the heat loss. Sort of makes sense doesn't it? 

 

Mind you this otherwise intelligent person also leaves his central heating on at his desired room temperature even when away for a week or two. Little wonder we have an energy crisis.

We've got a combi boiler so no hot water tank and the boiler only kicks in when you need hot water, so no problem there.

 

But in my opinion it's definitely worth keeping the heating on all the time, as long as you have thermostats on every radiator.

 

John

[M.Chapman]

Continuing the heating theme. I had a 12 month dual fuel (gas + elec) contract with Octopus Energy and have been paying £1,100 pa. My contract expired today and I was given 3 options for renewal

1) Do nothing - revert to their Standard Variable tariff (annual price not stated as it can vary)

2) 12 month fixed tariff £3,200 pa (no exit penalty) 

3) 12 month fixed loyal customer tariff £2,400 pa (presumably has exit fees)

Some staggering increases!!

 

I guessed that option 1 would be subject to the UK Government's ofgem price cap, so I did nothing. Today I found out my new estimated bill is £1,500 pa (at the current capped rates). Obviously this is likely to go up when the price cap is next updated in 6 months time, but it's still likely to be better than those awful fixed term rates I was offered.

 

Glad I didn't go for option 2 or 3! If Gas prices don't fall soon, more suppliers are going to go bust.

 

Mark

Edited October 14, 2021 by M.Chapman

[Michael Ventura]

Here in the Mid-Atlantic of the east coast of the USA, we have been having the warmest autumn on record.  My AC is still on and have had no need for the heater at all, I think I put on a jacket once so far.  Next week it will be closer to seasonable weather.  The warmth has really delayed the turning of the autumn leaves, still quite green here.

[John Mitchell]

30 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

Here in the Mid-Atlantic of the east coast of the USA, we have been having the warmest autumn on record.  My AC is still on and have had no need for the heater at all, I think I put on a jacket once so far.  Next week it will be closer to seasonable weather.  The warmth has really delayed the turning of the autumn leaves, still quite green here.

 

Lucky you. This year, all it does is rain here in Vancouver. We basically went straight from summer to winter. I like to get out and do some "fall colours"  photography, but it doesn't look as if I'll be doing much of it this year. Here's an excerpt from the forecast for this weekend...☔

 

"A wet and windy beginning to the weekend is in the forecast.
Rainfall totals could reach 75 to 150 mm over two days."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NYCat]

2 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Here in the Mid-Atlantic of the east coast of the USA, we have been having the warmest autumn on record.  My AC is still on and have had no need for the heater at all, I think I put on a jacket once so far.  Next week it will be closer to seasonable weather.  The warmth has really delayed the turning of the autumn leaves, still quite green here.

 

Lucky me today. I spent some time relaxing in our courtyard garden. Probably one more day of this and then it will start to get chilly,

 

Paulette

[Betty LaRue]

Last weekend, we hit 96F here and set records all over the state and some places were even hotter. Then a cold front came in, stirred up a few tornadoes (not my town) and now it’s in the 70s. Tomorrow, 60s. I’m absolutely loving the beautiful fall weather. Our trees, though, are 95% green, yet.

I released my last Monarch butterfly this afternoon. Now I’ll deal with empty nest syndrome. Or should I call it Empty cage syndrome?

We call them hot water tanks here, not cylinders. And I have hot water 24/7. 

[Bryan]

Perishing cold here today, we did intend to go for a bike ride, but will probably walk instead. Hands get to be very chilly on a bike, even with gloves.

 

I had intended to light a fire at the allotment today, but overnight rain killed that idea. Last winter was very wet.

 

Moving on, one of our water butts developed a leak. Inspection revealed a crack in the base and that the material was High Density Poly Ethylene HDPE.

 

My first thought was a glass fibre resin patch, but Internet research revealed that you can weld the stuff at a relatively low temperature, indeed using a standard soldering iron or a paint remover heat gun. Further, lots of recyclable plastic items are made of HDPE, so you can use, for example, your milk carton tops as weld filler. I drilled out the ends of the crack and then melted some filler into the crevice and holes.  It worked, but only time will tell......

Edited October 15, 2021 by Bryan

[Bryan]

20 hours ago, Stokie said:

We've got a combi boiler so no hot water tank and the boiler only kicks in when you need hot water, so no problem there.

 

But in my opinion it's definitely worth keeping the heating on all the time, as long as you have thermostats on every radiator.

 

John

Well it will certainly keep your house warm, but at a cost, both to your pocket and the environment !

 

If we are away for a couple of days I turn down the house stat a few degrees lower and leave the timer to provide a morning and evening blast of heat. If we are away for a longer period in the winter the stat gets to be set at maybe 5 deg to avoid frost damage. It does mean  that the house is cold when you return, but only for a few hours. The best arrangement is probably a frost stat and a remote controlled switch that enables you to switch on the heating using your phone before returning home. 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Bryan

[Betty LaRue]

10 hours ago, Bryan said:

Well it will certainly keep your house warm, but at a cost, both to your pocket and the environment !

 

If we are away for a couple of days I turn down the house stat a few degrees lower and leave the timer to provide a morning and evening blast of heat. If we are away for a longer period in the winter the stat gets to be set at maybe 5 deg to avoid frost damage. It does mean  that the house is cold when you return, but only for a few hours. The best arrangement is probably a frost stat and a remote controlled switch that enables you to switch on the heating using your phone before returning home. 

I have my parrot to think about when I’m out of the house. I don’t want to freeze her little beak off! 😄

[Bryan]

9 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I have my parrot to think about when I’m out of the house. I don’t want to freeze her little beak off! 😄

Ah the parrot problem, a difficult case to solve. We are petless since our dog died many years ago so not something I need to consider, while I guess  your winters may be  a good deal colder than ours. Is the creature confined to a cage or room, so that local heating arrangements can be made? A parrot warmer might be the answer ?

[sb photos]

11 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I have my parrot to think about when I’m out of the house. I don’t want to freeze her little beak off! 😄

 

Our cat Bran doesn't appear to be deterred by the cold outside. When either myself or my wife return home in our cars he knows the sound of our engines and usually comes to greet us. It can be cold and he doesn't always follow us in unless he's hungry. Although he is fine with the house at lower temperatures, he knows the time when the electric blanket is turned on and curls up on the bed until we put him out of the bedroom later. With rising gas costs everyone is likely to be more cautious with the heating thermostat.

[Betty LaRue]

13 hours ago, Bryan said:

Ah the parrot problem, a difficult case to solve. We are petless since our dog died many years ago so not something I need to consider, while I guess  your winters may be  a good deal colder than ours. Is the creature confined to a cage or room, so that local heating arrangements can be made? A parrot warmer might be the answer ?

She is in her own room, with a Mitsubishi unit to provide heat and cold. But it is only supplemental, and doesn’t do the job alone when it’s very cold. It’s a sunroom, so it has windows all around. I do have insulated blinds, but short of having new double-paned windows installed at the cost of a few thousand, (there are 11 windows) cold still seeps around the shades.

I could knit her a sweater, but she’d chew it off! She preens and grooms her feathers a lot! 
Our winters can get well below freezing, as the past February cold snap proved. We had 11 days of sub-freezing highs, and the lows…I’m trying to forget.

I’ve seen a lot of bald women and men who had their hair frozen off when they stepped out to gather the mail. 😉😉

[Allan Bell]

14 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I’ve seen a lot of bald women and men who had their hair frozen off when they stepped out to gather the mail. 😉😉

 

YIKES!

Allan

 

[Bryan]

On 16/10/2021 at 18:47, Betty LaRue said:

She is in her own room, with a Mitsubishi unit to provide heat and cold. But it is only supplemental, and doesn’t do the job alone when it’s very cold. It’s a sunroom, so it has windows all around. I do have insulated blinds, but short of having new double-paned windows installed at the cost of a few thousand, (there are 11 windows) cold still seeps around the shades.I

Reminds me of our previous house, built in the 1970s with a through lounge diner and floor to ceiling single glazed windows at each end. Combined with ducted air heating, the net effect was to provide stuffy heat at head level but very cold around the feet. Having secondary double glazing installed transformed the situation, giving us a comfortable living space and saving on the gas bill.

[Betty LaRue]

6 hours ago, Bryan said:

Reminds me of our previous house, built in the 1970s with a through lounge diner and floor to ceiling single glazed windows at each end. Combined with ducted air heating, the net effect was to provide stuffy heat at head level but very cold around the feet. Having secondary double glazing installed transformed the situation, giving us a comfortable living space and saving on the gas bill.

That is one thing this house needs. New Windows all around. They are all wooden crank windows and some are showing rot, except for aluminum ones in Echo’s room. Just to replace Echo’s would cost more than I can handle. 
The house we had in Oklahoma City was large, but it only had 8 windows, although they were large. Here, the three bedrooms on the ground floor have two windows in each. Two triples and a single in the family room. A double in breakfast area, single over the sink. That’s 16. Add 11 in Echo’s room…27. Eeeek. 2 more in the lower finished basement level. We’re talking thousands of dollars I don’t have.