Member postings for Samsaranda

Can’t imagine why anyone would need to paint the old style pylons as they are galvanised, ever tried to get paint to adhere to galvanise, it won’t. Dave W

Definitely a bullet that someone has taken a hacksaw to. Dave W

Not what I did today but yesterday, took delivery of another lithium ion battery for my solar panel storage batteries. Started out two years ago with two 2.4 kWh batteries and realised that electricity wasn’t going to get any cheaper so any solar power that I could store in batteries was going to be a massive bonus. Yesterdays delivery was the fifth battery to add to the rack of batteries, making my storage capacity up to 12 kWh which should help to keep the cost of electricity, that we have to draw from the grid, to a more acceptable cost bearing in mind the forthcoming draconian increases that are forecast. Was very pleased how the upgrade went, unpacked the battery at 2.15 and by 2.30 it was fitted and the batteries were reconnected and working, not the first time I have done it and as they say “practice makes perfect.” I don’t think higher management will sanction any more expenditure on batteries for a little while though. Dave W

Shotgun barrels that are blued will rust if not kept lightly oiled so don’t expect it to prevent corrosion if it it gets damp or wet. Dave W

Many years ago I was a BG customer, not anymore and I wouldn’t trust them, my personal opinion is they are akin to a cowboy outfit and their technical abilities in respect of repairs leaves a lot to be desired, this is based on a number of years experience as a customer of theirs. I am currently with Shell Energy, been with them since they took over First Utility about three years ago, so far no problems but waiting with bated breath when my three year fixed price contract expires at the end of June, expecting a huge increase in charges. Dave W

Surely the cement in the concrete would neutralise the Bakers Fluid, I would be more worried about any residual fluid trapped in the scratches on the bench surface, it’s amazing how only a small volume of the fluid can cause problems, don’t ask how I know. Dave W

Try Westfield Fasteners. Dave W

Tried using an insert parting tool and had the same problem, now use HSS. Dave W

It’s so annoying when the key is left in the lock inside, I came home one stormy night from a meeting and found that my wife had left the key in the lock, it was raining cats and dogs and I was desperate to get out of the rain. My wife is profoundly deaf and if she takes the processor to her cochlear implant off then she can hear nothing, I rang the bell, no response, I hammered on the door and the windows again no response, she had removed her processor so could hear nothing. Finally she came to the door and let me in, she became aware that something was up when our deaf cat kept pestering her and running to the front door, the cat is my constant companion and like the wife is totally without hearing but when I go out he sits near the front door waiting for me to come home, he must have sensed that I was outside trying to get in. He is a devoted to me, follows me everywhere, has a special place on the bench in my workshop where he will sit or sleep while I am working, as I type this he is fast asleep on my lap, lucky he was looking after my interests that night. Dave W

Nigel, it is a combi boiler and I have checked that there are no error codes being displayed on the boiler so it looks like the room thermostat is not working, it is a wireless unit and has been in place for ten years with no problems, and no alterations in the house to cause it any problems. Have changed the batteries and retuned the sender unit to the receiver, no joy the boiler tries to initiate but just shows that the fan is purging as if the attempt to fire up has been aborted. We still have hot water from the boiler so nothing drastically wrong with it. The system is covered by a full maintenance contract and the engineer is scheduled to visit tomorrow, hopefully full heat will be restored, until then the centre of operations is the lounge where we have an inset woodburner which can give up to 7 kw of heat. Many thanks for your help, Dave W

Clive, I can sympathise with your cold days, this afternoon our central heating stopped working, we still have hot water but the heating circuit will not function. We have boiler insurance with Domestic and General, went online to book a repair and Wednesday is the earliest, so 2 days without heating, boiler was only serviced last week so perhaps if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it springs to mind. All is not doom and gloom though we have a woodburner in our lounge so will have to fight our four cats for space in front of it, we shall survive. Dave W

Running gas central heating boilers from generators is not as simple as it looks, I had a generator which would run everything else but the central heating circuits. It turns out that the output from basic generators is not smooth enough to power the circuit boards used in gas boilers, you need an inverter generator which are much more expensive than standard generators. Dave W

Duncan, sounds like the slippery slope towards all of us being charged higher rates for peak usage, the real purpose that companies are so eager to get 100% installation of smart meters, it won’t be long coming I fear. Dave W

As a standby for heating, mobile domestic gas heaters that use the large butane cylinders contained within them are good, particularly those that are catalytic in operation because they have no open flame, thinking of your dog there getting too close to an open flame and getting singed. When we lived in Cornwall in the 70’s we had to rely on these for our heating as the electric heaters provided were too expensive to use, the only problem is that the major combustion product is water vapour but for occasional use of a few days is something you can live with. The major manufacturer of these type of heaters used to be Calor but nowadays there are plenty of continental makes being sold. Remember when we came back from a month away in Australia, it was January and temperature was -5 C, it took two days with the central heating on full blast to warm the house to an acceptable level this despite having programmed the heating to come on for an hour a day while we were away. I hate being cold, I spent my childhood in the Far East so used to warm temperatures. Dave W

Hi Dutch Dan, hope your greenhouse survives ok, back in the hurricane of 87 a section of guttering came off the corner of our house and landed in the greenhouse which promptly exploded with the wind pressure and spread itself across three neighbours gardens, hopefully it will not be as severe as then. Dave W

Ad just appeared on my Facebook, I put a comment hopefully warning that it might be a scam. Dave W

The stronger you mix it the quicker it works. Dave W

I seem to remember that Trichloroethane, which we used copious amounts of for degreasing in the Air Force, was found to be absorbed through the skin and could cause nerve damage. Remember working with it in a very confined space and ending up a bit high from it. Dave W

Is it worth trying the Coleman fuel that is used in camping stoves and lights, available from Millets not sure of the price as it’s a long time since I bought any. Dave W

Fred Dibnah, was a unique man, he may have been labelled a bodger but he was successful at it, love watching his documentaries when they appear on tv. Dave W