What did you do Today 2018

T'other thing that makes heavy weather driving in the UK difficult is the sheer number of other cars on the road. Driving on dry snow isn't that difficult provided you can keep going and have plenty of room. But you can't and don't; other cars get stuck, or park by the roadside, drivers lose their nerve, drivers misjudge, roads are closed, engines overheat etc. Even the best driver in a 4x4 fitted with chains is liable to find himself stuck helpless in a queue. In addition British Snow (otherwise best in the world), is mostly nasty wet slippery stuff, wet ice on wet ice being the acme of low friction. We are justly famous for the highly deceptive qualities of our black-ice: one small patch on an otherwise clear road can take you for a quick spin ...

Dave

Can someone tell me what these mindless morons were doing?

**LINK**

Another weather related question for our Brits (and other northern Europeans)

How are the services doing? electricity, heating gas, frozen water pipes?

I did have to endure an "ice storm" here once, where my house in the city was without electricity for a good number of days, not fun with a couple of pre-teen kids. We eventually left, and went to live with family for a few days elsewhere.

John.

Went out to workshop yesterday and within 5 minutes couldn't feel my hands,managed an hour and had to retire,tried again today with the same result and just started light snowing again, but looks like rain on the way.left a tap dribbling in bathroom the result is outflow pipe froze up topped sink up lucky I went to ablute this morning, got the birds fed and have plenty of them in garden

Mick Dorset

Went out to workshop yesterday and within 5 minutes couldn't feel my hands,managed an hour and had to retire,tried again today with the same result and just started light snowing again, but looks like rain on the way.left a tap dribbling in bathroom the result is outflow pipe froze up topped sink up lucky I went to ablute this morning, got the birds fed and have plenty of them in garden

Mick Dorset

Sorry for double post hands shaking --- no it's not DT's

Mick

Parted company with one of my restorations today. It's only a 1958 Mower, but has been acquired by Southdowns Heritage Centre. Freed up much space in my (also Cold) workshop with more to get rid of to make way for more projects and play with the machines.

Spelling edit

Edited By Richard S2 on 02/03/2018 13:58:30

Thawed out the condensate drain from the boiler AGAIN! Bad design or bad installation but it's a pain in the posterior, hope it warms up soon.

John

Can someone tell me what these mindless morons were doing?

**LINK**

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It's obvious Sam - they're all driving on the wrong side of the road...

Odd there's no sign of brake lights.

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 02/03/2018 14:26:51

I was shown that earlier./ As Dave points out they are on the right - it even says 'Iowa' in the top corner.

Not that there aren't plenty of equally cretinous idiots in the UK.

Neil

snap! had to do exactly that today, luckily drains out through kitchen wall & down to drain... odd watching ice expand out of the open end of the down pipe.

George

Journeyman, re your frozen condensate drain this was realised as a problem soon after condensing boilers were being fitted, I think a number of manufacturers came up with a solution by fitting a modified drain which incorporated electrical trace heating element which prevented the cold from icing up the drain. Maybe one available for your installation as a modification from your boiler manufacturer, worth a check. Mine is ok because it drains inside the confines of the house and is connected into the waste pipe from a washbasin that then discharges into a 4 inch soil pipe still within the building, would have to be pretty severe weather to affect my installation, not trying to be smug, just factual.

Dave W

You guys have made me check my condensate drain, and thank goodness it's not iced up because the boiler is upstairs and the drain is around 10 feet off the ground. Regarding the appalling driving we have all seen in recent days, I wonder how many drivers these days have the faintest clue as to how their cars handle in slippery conditions.

John in Canada, I live in East Sussex and so far with all the bad weather our services, gas, water and electric are all working normally, however reported in the press today our National Grid is reportedly running low on gas, they are asking industry to curtail their usage so that they can still supply domestic customers, worrying as a large proportion of our electricity is generated with gas from the national grid. I am aware how conditions can vary between UK and Canada back in the seventies when I was in the Air Force I remember a night refuelling stop at Gander when we had to refuel and de-ice the aircraft in a 50 knot wind in an ice storm, boy that was cold!!!

Dave W

The sad thing is that knowing human nature, it doesn't surprise me.

Dave, yes they changed the installation guidelines (needless to say just after mine was put in) If external it should be 32mm (mine 22mm) but preferably inside the house. Worcester Bosch do a gizmo for retrofit that stores the water up to about .5l at a time and then releases it in one go, it clips around the HW flow pipe so that the discharged condensate is warm. They will charge you about £40 for a plastic box with a built in syphon! Will see about fitting one when it warms up a bit. Nothing like bolting the stable door when the horse is already halfway down the street

John

Edit: Add link

Edited By Journeyman on 02/03/2018 17:47:50

I had to thaw my condensate drain and thats a 32mm one but I'll look at fitting one of those gizmos that stores when it warms up. Looks like we were once again cut off in the South West as the fencing and sea wall copping stones were washed over the rail track by the rough seas at Dawlish and both the A38 and A380 were shut at Holden/Telegraph hills. Lucky for me the workshop is heated by the central heating lovely and toasty

Lionel

And, don't tell me - the locals were out in short sleeves, complaining about the heat!

99% of winter drives me nuts; however the odd day when it's bloody cold, but crystal-clear blue skies and no wind, and the snow squeaks under your boots, is *absolutely* beautiful. Doesn't happen that often; more often we get freezing rain over a layer of snow, which then lasts forever and is very dangerous.

I once held an EU Research project meeting in Ottawa one winter - everyone wanted to go to Canada in February, to experience the cold. I tried to convince them otherwise - like San Diego or somewhere - but no! They wanted Canada! Land of ice and snow and igloos and polar bears! , so I accepted and prayed that it would actually be cold. Fortunately, although it was +15 and no snow just before Christmas, the weather got colder, and we got a week of that beautiful clear highs of -20 or colder weather for the attendees. They thought it was ABSOLUTELY brilliant! Eyeglasses did not fog up when walking inside, they froze, with a layer of ice crystals - the French representative had a look of wonder on his face when he saw that. By the way, polar bears are over 8 hours flying time (Ottawa to Churchill Manitoba) - never seen any polar bears - London UK is only 6 hours 45 minutes flying time, and has the Model Engineer Exhibition and steam trains close by.

This coming summer, as you are sitting out in your gardens sipping Pims, reflect on the fact that, a few months previously, the garden was white - and you survived!

Good luck all stuck in this weather - John.

This morning's diversion from happy domestic bliss started with the sound of an indoor waterfall when the washing machine pumped its water via the combi boiler's innards into the utiliy room before the incompatability of water and its electric guts tripped the power out! Hmmm, doesn't usually do that, but it did when the condensate was ''tee-d'' in to the waste above the washer outlet and the drips had frozen into a plug at the bottom of the pipe where it passed through the wall, a sort of internal icicle!. It was more than just a bit cool and windy last night in this part of rural Norfolk, could be worse, at least we've a wood burner.

Trevor

Hi John, I remember it was November when I was in Canada and five days before our night refuel at Gander we stayed overnight at the Canadian Armed Forces base at Trenton, temperature in the morning was -5 degrees Celsius but the air was so dry and the sun was shining so we were in shirtsleeves servicing the aircraft before we got airborne. On that particular trip we left Trenton and flew to New Orleans via Chicago, a bit different doing our refuel that night in New Orleans where it was beautifully warm. I must admit I can hack the cold in Canada when it is dry and comes with sunshine. Here in the UK our winters always very moist and the cold seems to seep into every bone if you are working outside all day. The good news is that our cold spell is coming to an end, it is forecast that by Sunday morning it will be about 8 degrees but with the prospect of rain so I will probably get very wet when I go Clay pigeon shooting. Yesterday was the first official day of Spring so it can only get better weather wise from here on in.

Dave W