Jeremy Harris
-
Posts
26430 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
360
Everything posted by Jeremy Harris
-
Clay sub soil drainage suggestions please
Jeremy Harris replied to readiescards's topic in Landscaping, Decking & Patios
That's just the clay working as an effective aquatard or water barrier. It's very good at sealing, which is why the canal network is lined with puddled clay to keep the water in the canals, rather than let it soak away into the surrounding soil. If your services trench is downhill from the plot then it would make an excellent soakaway, as long as you can get the surface water to run into it. We have several runs of perforated land drain, surrounded by, and covered by, permeable stone (type 3) that are very effective at draining pretty much all of our garden, and the area under the house. -
Clay sub soil drainage suggestions please
Jeremy Harris replied to readiescards's topic in Landscaping, Decking & Patios
No, it's just a bit of a giveaway that I've put a drain in that drains the lane to the stream alongside, albeit via a French drain. That's something the EA specifically prohibit, and put a condition on our PP to prevent rain water etc running to the stream................... -
Clay sub soil drainage suggestions please
Jeremy Harris replied to readiescards's topic in Landscaping, Decking & Patios
I did pretty much exactly this around the edge of our plot (also mainly clay). I had to dig a utilities trench around two sides of the plot, to relocate the power and phone cables in ducts, but had these filled with type 3, with a thin layer of topsoil to hide it, so turning them into big French drains at the lowest point of the plot. Works a treat and stops a big puddle that used to form on the lane right by the point where our drive now joins it. I'm sure it also helps our storm surge attenuation tank drain away, too, as there is only a relatively short distance between the permeable soil in one corner of that and the hidden French drain. The only slight snag is that several locals have commented on how much drier the lane now is after heavy rain..................... -
One of the best features of Firefox is being able to seamlessly sync all your toolbar bookmarks across all machines you have, which is one reason I switched back to using it. For example, I set up an old Mini-ITX box with Lubuntu a couple of days ago, to be dedicated to a single job, and when I opened Firefox and activated sync all my bookmarks appeared in the toolbar, with no need for me to faff around copying them over. The only thing it didn't do was also copy across the CSS tweak that gets Firefox to look as it should, rather than as Mozilla think it should (which is pretty dire, and a retrograde step in my opinion). I have a copy of my customised CSS tweak file though, so it only takes seconds to load that and get things back as they should be, tabs at the bottom, bookmarks toolbar above them, the normal toolbar above that and the proper menu bar at the top..................
-
Just Ublock Origin and Flash Block Plus. If anything, they should limit the amount of memory Firefox uses, I think, as I only enable flash when a site requests it and I have a particular desire to see something that's still using Flash. I don't generally see ads anywhere, but often get messages from some sites to turn the adblock off. If the site looks worth looking at I will for that session only, if it doesn't I just don't bother with the site at all.
-
Currently I have Firefox 58 open, with this tab plus an empty search engine tab, plus AutoCad. Memory use is showing as 2.74Gb (out of 4 Gb total) and the Firefox processes are using a total of 1.32Gb, which seems equally insane! What on earth does Firefox do with all this memory it's hogging?
-
"grinds to a halt" really just means it's a heck of a lot slower than the Linux machines I have. All my PCs and laptops boot from SSDs now, the Linux laptop and one of the Linux desktops only have SSDs, with no spinning drives. The machine in question originally had just a 500Gb HDD, but around a year or so ago I pulled all the data files off to another backup, shrunk the remaining Windows image down so it would fit on an SSD and restored it to a 250Gb Samsung Evo 850. It both boots and runs all the programmes from the SSD, as well as having the page file there, so it's going as fast as it can. The 500Gb drive was cleaned and then reloaded with only data, so the windows "pseudo folders" like "My Documents", "My Photos" etc all now point to folders on the 500 Gb drive, not the SSD (that's really just to keep the SSD cleaner and allow simpler backups). I can speed it up momentarily by clearing out all the cached stuff that Firefox seems to stuff into memory, but it doesn't take Firefox long to fill the memory up again. The real problem is Firefox, I know, as it's the one application that consistently uses loads of memory. It doesn't help that, when using it, I almost always have AutoCad running as well, and that uses a fair bit of memory (although rarely as much as 1Gb).
-
Thanks very much for digging these out, I think, from looking at the Kingston website than these should fit OK. Kingston say that the compatible memory is: I "think" these are OK - I'm just checking to be sure - be back soon.............
-
Thanks, that's be really great - let me pay the going rate plus postage though, just to be fair.
-
Current spec is that this machine boots from a 250Gb Samsung Evo 850 SSD, with the data relegated to the old 500Gb HDD, so it's mainly using the SSD, The memory sticks are DDR3-1600 UDIMMs, PC3-12800, I believe. I have a few 1Gb and 2Gb sticks around, but no spare 4Gb sticks. It seems I collect old memory every time I upgrade a machine. It annoys me that browser seem to hog so much memory, as that seems the root cause. What's curious is that this doesn't happen with Firefox on Linux.
-
I have a set of Peltor ear defenders with a built in FM radio. Best things I've ever bought, as I can listen to the Archers in complete peace, even at home...........
-
It's a 64 bit machine, running 64 bit Win 7, with a Core i5-2320 running at 3 GHz processor, so reasonable for a five year old machine (it benchmarks about the same as my brand new 7th gen Kaby lake processor). The boot drive was replaced with a Samsung SSD about a year ago, which made a significant difference. I think one problem is that I'm just used to the Linux machines I mainly use being a heck of a lot faster and never, ever, having any problems.
-
Timber frame passive standard build
Jeremy Harris replied to Scotrock's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
One forum I use had the "naughty word" filter set to change the name of any popular car, like BMW, Audi etc, to Landrover, simply because the then forum owner was a Landrover fanatic................ We could do the same here, as long as we don't make the mistake that Ebuild did that prevented anyone from using the word "stopcock".................... -
I have a fairly old, but still quite capable, Core i5 machine that runs Windows 7 and gets used mainly for Autocad work, but because it's often on I do tend to use it (like now) for surfing the web. The problem is that Firefox tends to use vast amounts of memory, so I frequently find that memory usage is up around the max for the machine (it has 4Gb) and then it starts performing like a slug, as it starts using the page file. I've tried other browsers, but frankly I quite like Firefox, it's just the nasty habit it has of grabbing loads of memory that's annoying. I only really notice the problem on this Windows machine, the Linux machines always run a lot faster, even one that has a pretty slow processor, and they mainly have 4Gb of RAM, except the new Kaby Lake fanless one that has 8Gb. I can swap out the 4Gb in there at the moment for 8Gb, but have to replace the existing RAM, as there are only two slots on the motherboard and each currently has a 2Gb stick in it. The cost will be around £50 to do this, so the question is, would doubling up to 8Gb make a significant difference? I can't see me getting rid of this machine for some time, as I need a Windows machine to run Autocad, so anything I invest in it will likely get a year or two of use at least (unless someone gets a move on and releases ReactOS properly).
-
Here's a link to all the stuff I submitted for BC approval that may help: http://www.mayfly.eu/2013/09/part-fifteen-the-site-is-finally-ready/
-
Cave and Crag used to have a good store not that far away, at Ingleton, but I see it's now closed, I wonder what's replaced it? Ingleton probably has other caving stores, I'd think, given it's proximity to Gaping Gill and the Leck Fell Master Cave system, plus all the small peripheral caves around that area.
-
Timber frame passive standard build
Jeremy Harris replied to Scotrock's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
Perhaps we should add it to the "banned words list"? -
I hate the standard building site hard hats, as they always seem to be too high and a bit uncomfortable. As a bump helmet I use my old caving helmet, which is a low-profile composite mining helmet, with a fabric webbing inner that is spaced a lot closer to the hard outer than the plastic thing on a building site helmet. As a consequence, it is a LOT more comfortable, yet still does a very good job of preventing your head banging on stuff like scaffold. The downside is that, because it only has around 20mm between the top of you head and the outer surface, it doesn't provide as much protection against a heavy falling object as a standard helmet. However, I took the view that I was far more likely to wear something more often if it was comfortable, and so accepted that it wouldn't work as well if someone dropped a block on my head. TBH, I have doubts as to whether a standard site helmet would do much to stop something really heavy doing serious damage - I think an errant bolt or maybe a scaffold clamp sailing earthwards is about as much as any of them might handle. I'm not sure if the helmet I have is still available. It's marked inside as being the property of the National Coal Board, and is clearly made of something with a lot of what looks like woven glass, or perhaps fabric, reinforcement in it, and has a shape more like a cap than the newer, very bulbous looking, helmets. I like the low profile, personally.
-
I'm pretty sure it originated as an American term, certainly Americans seem to use the term dwang whenever we would mean a noggin. Maybe, when timber frame became popular in Scotland, a few decades before arriving South of the border, the term dwang was borrowed from US usage, as a fair bit of timber frame knowledge probably came from US common practice.
-
Some of ours in the retaining wall was fixed with pre-cut iron wire with loops on the ends, and twisted up with a pull tool with a hook on the end. I had to go in and buy a pack of these wires for the guys when they ran short, and IIRC it was around £20 for 1000 pre-formed wires from the local BM. Seemed a neat system to me, no need to cut wire and the tool was like one of those spiral screwdrivers, but in reverse. They just wrapped the pre-cut wire around the rebar, hooked the loop of the tool through both wire eyes and pulled, and the act of pulling the handle of the tool neatly twisted the wires up tight. I've no idea how much the tool was, but it was so simple that I doubt it was expensive.
-
Just as a heads up, I've been chasing up suppliers for the MK Echo switches and receivers, as I'd like to replace the Byron ones we have that are prone to 433MHz interference ( the MK Echo series run on 868MHz, so are almost certainly less prone to the interference that plagues the 433MHz band). The big shock is the price. A double gang MK Logic Plus Echo wall switch is around £90 (each) and the 10A receiver is around the same price. We have MK Logic Plus stuff all through the house, so these switches would match well. To change out our two double gang Byron switches and two in-ceiling receivers would cost the best part of £400, so I don't think it's something I'll be doing until the price comes down a lot.
-
Air-tightness and wall plates (rim joists)
Jeremy Harris replied to ToughButterCup's topic in Roofing, Tiling & Slating
Yes, definitely a "Tony Tray", but there is another method available in the US that looks like it could be useful if it ever comes over here: http://aerobarrier.net/ They have an interesting video showing how it works: -
I have a pair of locking wire pliers bought many years ago and they are useful for loads of things, including twisting rebar wire. The ones I have are an age-old design, and were even in the very first aircraft tool kit I was issued with back in the late 70's. Looking around you can get them for less than £15: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blackline-7-Lockwire-Safety-Locking-Pliers-With-Cutter-Tool-Twist-Wire-Twisting/331543672387?hash=item4d318af643:g:xnQAAOSweW5VQ32F The ones I have are American made, and came from an aviation supplier, so were a lot more expensive, but probably not a lot different in terms of use or life, I suspect, but they are finished in a nice hard chrome plate..............
-
Selfbuild, a new career pathway?
Jeremy Harris replied to epsilonGreedy's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
+1 to the above. We are in no way representative of your average house buyer at all, I think. Anyone looking to build their own home to meet their specific needs will almost certainly want to be so involved in the process that they would either have total control of it by doing a lot of work themselves, or would be a PITA as a customer................... -
Personally, I don't like the idea of a LLH working at a low differential temperature. I chose to use an adjustable pressure bypass to overcome the possible problem of the ASHP flow being momentarily shut off, and am convinced it's a lower loss solution. LLHs work very well with a relatively high differential temperature between flow and return, but they do cause mixing as the differential temperature decreases; it's inevitable given that they rely on temperature driven stratification within the small chamber in order to work. I've found that a carefully adjusted pressure bypass works very well with our ASHP. It took a bit of fiddling to get the pressure adjustment right, but since then it's been faultless.
