Dreadnaught

That video was memorising! It is fascinating to see the intricacy and precision of the mechanical design of such a seemingly mundane object, and the skill and knowledge of the fellow in the video. Impressive.

Run the cable down to the ground and then through a conduit buried in the ground? I assume you're thinking of PoE cameras so only a single cable involved for both data and power.

Oh, sorry Russell, I know nothing about the such legal matters. Perhaps there are others here who might. Notwithstanding, I would certainly contact them and see if you could be connected with FTTP to your new lake house. The price will probably be prohibative but you never know.

Oh wow, that is interesting. How has that worked out for them?

Personally I am intending to install a fibre-optic cable connection all the way to my new house (FTTP) and not just to the local cabinet (which then have copper wire (or worse aluminium wire) to connect from the cabinet to the house). I have the advantage of being in a central town location and in a town that has lots of FTTP already. Russell, in your splendid bucolic rural idle it is highly unlikely that any local company can provide FTTP to your location but worth the briefest of checks just in case. If you did have it you would be well future-proofed.

Brilliant! Good scientist that you are, I assume you worked methodically through your pantry cupboard until you hit upon peppermint. I can imagine the process… coffee powder, lemon, chilli powder, marmite… before the Eureka moment!

How on earth do spiders get in to your airtight house I wonder?

Sodium content aside, does the water tase different from hard water? It is palatable for someone used to drinking hard water?

https://www.themeshcompany.com Mentioned here: https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/6653-insect-mesh-help-please-stainless-steel-or-plastic-or/?do=findComment&comment=111488

That sounds ideal Russell. Is it the Mira Mode model? (By the way, I assume this is for when you are not simply taking a dip in your own lake (!))

Has anybody heard of, or, even better, have, an automatic bath which, on command, fills with water of the desired temperature and stops filling once full? Auto adding bubble bath is optional Home automation is often a gimmick but a bath that does this is one I would like!

Welcome @Home Farm!

Have a good break! I subscribed to your blog.

Thanks. I am not sure if I am local to you. I will be building in Cambridgeshire. But my build is a little way off and I presently have no storage space. Thanks for the offer anyhow.

Yes, looks very nice. I like the features that give sight lines and add interest. I especially like the paving. Looks like the sort of paving stones that I will be after. What is it, may I ask?

Russian.

Welcome @Lisa and Gavin Simpson!

Welcome @Akadingbat.

Elon Musk has said that Tesla batteries will soon be rated at 1 million miles. Even with Mr Musk's tenancy towards heroic exaggeration, it does suggest that EV batteries may have long serviceable lives. And, indeed, he has also said that the various other parts of Tesla cars are similarly rated. Take from that what you will. Edit: to add news source: https://electrek.co/2019/04/23/tesla-battery-million-miles-elon-musk/

Ah, the German electricity mix seems to be key and "Germany’s growing reliance on coal for electricity generation".

Alain de Botton describes himself as a cheerful pessimist. Similar, and comparably refreshing.

I think that's a good challenge. I therefore suspect that the beneficial feeling from IR radiation on the skin derives from having uniform and stable internal temperature alone, and the source of the space heating (UFH in this case) is only minimally relevant. Once the temperature is maintained for a long period, all surfaces and objects within the space become noticeable IR emitters. The stable internal temperature, of course, comes from the usual passive-house-style principles: high levels of continuous thermal insulation for the envelope, long decrement delay, air tightness, heat recovery, etc. In other words, a fabric-first approach.

I suspect (without evidence) that UFH provides a more even level of infra-red radiation within the room, which may account for this. The IR radiation would give a pleasing sense of warmth to the skin. Sensory perception.

At the risk of going off topic, I have wondered whether it would be feasible for SunAmp to design an electrically charged mini SunAmp with sufficient phase-change material only to heat the water contained in the pipes of a long pipe run and so give pleasingly instantaneous hot water at showers and sinks that are distant from the combi boiler or cylinder.

Good question. I will shortly be at this very stage. In my case following planning permission, I am using a timber-frame company but my architect (a certified passive-house designer and timber-frame designer in her own right) will be preparing the building-regulation drawings and will draft some of the details that will not be covered by the timber-frame company.