saveasteading

As an experiment. the government could allow the cost of energy to double, but have no other energy policies. The public then say the traditional 'something needs to be done about it.' The conservative press then campaign in support of their paying readership who suddenly 'always knew' and were never deniers. Ammonia: why are we hearing about hydrogen? You have spurred my interest, again. Ammonia has a higher energy density, at 12.7 MJ/L, than even liquid hydrogen, at 8.5 MJ/L. Liquid hydrogen has to be stored at cryogenic conditions of –253 °C, whereas ammonia can be stored at a much less energy-intensive –33 °C. And ammonia, though hazardous to handle, is much less flammable than hydrogen.

Family question came, a few years ago, asking what sort of salary differential was needed to justify a job in London. We reckoned £6k, probably £9k now, plus allow for the time and discomfort of commuting, and the smaller houses, and the pollution, and that nobody is friendly. But hey, you can go to the museums.

I think it is fear of fear. Climate change is very scary, and some people would rather not be scared. I had a friend bring up in the pub that recycling was a con, because he had seen the bins of sorted bottles being tipped into the same lorry. Smug me told him that there were 3 divisions in the lorry. He wasn't happy. Same pub....'If anyone wants to look out now at the snow and tell me that global warming isn't a hoax, then go on' (The Sun Says, was his source of info). Then on chattery social media people are saying much the same. Mostly not trolls, just very ignorant and happily so. I think all this links in with the extreme right wing view called libertarianism.

The Sahara is enormous, and very sunny. Ditto central Australia. Sun into Hydrogen. Shipped by tanker running on hydrogen. Sorted.

Bought it, put it in the fridge, cooked and ate it. The end. Anyway, in Angus it will be the Forfar Bridie that would be the more relevant lecture on culinary delights. And Dundee so close, with all its attractions and history. People like living in London for about a year in my experience, then stop going to the shows and museums. Erm...wood stoves??

I was advised to fit a surge socket by shower maintenance man, who is a plumber. If it could be more technical than this, then let me know.

Always add a dpm. I have kept old floors many times, but have always de-stressed them. If they are not cracked, then crack them. That probably isn't necessary when pir is going on top but I would have to think on this. Why break out and dispose of concrete then buy more in? Existing door lintel heights could be important.

Looks like tech problems that can be resolved. If the grid won't take the power, then one turbine could rotate the others. A bit of wiring, and I can't imagine that even the electric companies want to buy diesel. Politicians and journalists posing I suspect. Lots of people want to hear that sustainability measures don't work.

No. Mine must be 15 years old now, but the AXT Rapid looks very similar. it works by a rotating worm screw grabbing the wood and squeezing it past a blade. It is great at grabbing a stick then pulling in all the minor twigs and leaves. Ok for sticks up to about 20mm dia I have also borrowed one that has a rotating cutting blade. It's good for long sticks but they have to be pushed. No good for small stuff. I am not using it.

Just read up about varistors. Total expert now! 'Shed to ground' sounds like a short circuit though. I assume they have thought of that and dealt with it cleverly so that the main fuse doesn't trip.

High-capacity Metal Oxide Varistors (MOV) - It offers 300-900 J of surge protection for different devices. QUICK TIP: More joules mean an MOV absorbs less energy while diverting even more into ground. Well-designed surge protectors should NOT rely on MOVs to absorb surge energy, instead to survive the process, it harmlessly redirects it to ground. That is all it says that appears to be relevant.....but doesn't mean much to me.

Our BM had 3 varieties of Spanish. Seeing them together made the qualities apparent. Somewhere in Spain, the value of a mountain has just gone up 10%.

Does that mean that it is protecting from high and low voltage (or power?) because either could damage the system? I can see that high is prevented by resistance kicking in, but low?. I have read the Belkin info on the Argos page again and see that it also says 'ideal for laptops, basic household devices, and small kitchen appliances'. It would be good to have some numbers or examples instead of 'basic/ small'. But this is probably ok. (??) For general interest, the one at SF seems to be ubiquitous, although with a variety of names, and is also at Wickes, Argos (cheapest and in stock), Dyas and Amazon.

That is the shrub pruning tidied up. 5 barrowloads of mulch from my Bosch grinder. Firewood for a couple of weeks. 2 more trugs of leaves that had fallen off, onto the mulch heap. One brown bin of ends and prickly bits will go to municipal composting.. (the original pile must have been 20 x that volume.) Next time...I will do the same , but try to do the pruning such that the machine will pick up a nice 20mm branch end , and drag the vast majority of the sticky, leafy ends through.

Good question. Silly me. It is pump only, with hot water from central system. I can see from the instruction manual that it is a 3A fuse. I saw the Belkin one at Argos and thought, known name, small and smart, that will do. But it is specifically for low power electronics, so I thought it won't be right for a pump. Surge protection for small electronic keep your small electronic devices protected And yet it is stated at 13A. I would prefer to use this model but am wary. We had one, by Hansgrohe I think, in a very nice hotel and it became 'a necessity' as we were doing a refit anyway. Push the first button outside the shower and just walk in when the light says 'your shower is ready sir'. (light stops flashing.) But now I see they are in SF and TS, they aren't so posh any more. Perhaps that is the problem as stated by the fitter. The repair guy said he is sick of working on them. Not because the units are difficult, in fact he did it all in 10 minutes by swapping modules, as he had lots of space in the attic. No, it is the crazy locations and awful plumbing that is his usual problem. Units jammed into cupboards and recesses, almost impossible to work on, and can't even find them sometimes.

I've just had our Aqualisa shower repaired under warranty (3rd of 5 years). After changing the valve module, he found it was actually a software problem. Do you get many powercuts? Yes we are in the countryside. So he changed a circuit module and it works. He advised fitting a surge adapter, as the surge at reinstating power can be a problem. I'm wary of using amazon as the spec's are vague. But where it is clear, I see that most are only for electronics and should not be used for higher power: in this case a pump. The only one i have found that seems ok is from screwfix. The reviews include one saying they have a kettle on it, and another has garage doors. Why they need surge protdction i dont know...maybe they like the switches. I don't need 3 outlets or any switches and could tape over to keep out spiders. The pump is in the attic, with a dedicated, switched socket. Any comments or advice?

No tickets for a tower, because they slot together, but just be sensible. FYI where a ticket is required (for certain companies) it is the easiest of courses, about a half day including intro and practical test. Buy or hire robust towers, made of tube. They usually attract 50% discount to the stated hire cost. But for over about 8 weeks you might as well buy, use and resell. They need adjustable feet (or wheels) too, to avoid relying on bits of packer underneath, and for easy adjustment. They will also need stabilisers, which will come with the set when required. It is very common, and silly, for builders to have these not quite touching the ground. When towers reach any height that might be (or feel) a bit unstable, then it is prudent and usually quite easy to tie them to the structure. I prefer to use eye bolts where the fixing can stay fixed, but the ring removed for aesthetics.

There aren't an awful lot of trees though. Up Helli Aa uses a lot of wood that could have been in yours.

Quite a furnace, at 15kW. I don't know, having only dealt with up to 8kW, but it must be a big box, so will there be a minimum fire level to keep it going, that will keep you rather busy?

Heat is produced efficiently, as is the point with a heater. More ash would just mean more trees (or recycled wood). I use all the hardwood fruit prunings too, creating a zero carbon cycle. Harvesting the summer sun for winter space heating energy, with the bonus of fruit as summer motive energy. An ancient battery system. What happens to the micro particles ? do they float round the world forever or come to earth?

No, when the flames lick up the back, air jets are sucked through holes in the air bricks and form torches, and are visibly burning unspent fuel from the fumes , then when it meets the front it gets more air again. and licks down the glass. I know it burns well as there is a tiny ash pan, and I would say it takes 25 big logs before the pan is full. About 40:1 by volume. How much residue goes up the chimney I have not measured.

Yes they are really good, and what we looked at, so some must be specially made for the uk market with the air intake...or things have moved on in a year. What model? Have now looked at the brochure...some with direct air, some without. I like how they have chosen sexy foreign names for stoves like: Bury, Dover, Derby.

Perhaps. but will be slow. If done by a builder they will charge a lot more. The gaps are great for allowing venting, but don't stiffen the structure as such as sheets. Your design may need the large sheets, so ask. You could use them for the curved bit though. I think the price of OSB is better than plywood again. OSB generally provides enough structural stiffness, so ask your SE if you can use OSB, if you want to. Always put a vapour barrier on it, whether ply or OSB. Ply is made from hardwood from exotic forests. Whether we can trust certification that no orangutans or macaws died is a matter of opinion. Find out the costs, tell your professional, and ask them if you can use your chosen material. They don't always know the costs or practicalities, and it isn't their money. They might even thank you for the current best value information.

It will do us for 20 evenings, if I chop up the Christmas trees too,. A bonfire of all of it would have been 2 hours. Plus has already taken 3 days of my time, but gets me away from this screen. It is only 1/3 pruned, and as we all know, there is as much underground. But that doesn't really provide a better alternative. I didn't harvest it, it had to be done for public spiritedness, and I am making best use.

snappier, than 'taken to Germany and burnt'.