What did you do Today 2018

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

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.

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

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

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

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

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

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

Mick

[Richard S2Participant @richards2]

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

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

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

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Can someone tell me what these mindless morons were doing?

**LINK**

—————————

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

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 02/03/2018 11:40:55:

Can someone tell me what these mindless morons were doing?

**LINK**

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

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Posted by Journeyman on 02/03/2018 13:46:09:

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

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

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

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

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

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.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

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

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 02/03/2018 11:40:55:

Can someone tell me what these mindless morons were doing?

**LINK**

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

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Posted by Samsaranda on 02/03/2018 17:14:45:

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

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

[LimpetParticipant @limpet]

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

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Posted by Samsaranda on 02/03/2018 17:34:55:

… 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!!!

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.

[Trevor Crossman 1Participant @trevorcrossman1]

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

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

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

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Hi Journeyman, glad there is an easy solution to your condensate drain problem, just needs doing, not the weather at this time to mess around with your boiler, definitely a job for warmer times.

Dave W

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Posted by Mick Henshall on 02/03/2018 13:34:55:

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

Yawn.

Went out to the workshop today, 25C inside, 35C outside, clear blue skies. Same as the day before. And the day before that. And……

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

To TG–well yippee for you

Mick

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

35C (95F) and about 95 per cent humidity in the shed today. Productivity levels very low. Nice to sit (and sweat) and look at what I'm going to do, one of these fine days though.

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I've just come indoors after walking dog etc. It felt nice and mild, checked the thermometer and it's the dizzy level of + 0.1 cen. Just brings home what it has been like.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

British Gas installed loads of boilers around 2007-2010 with the stupid design of condensate drain that was placed directly through the wall to dump its contents into the waste water pipe from the Kitchen via a Tee Piece. I always thought this was stupid because it was obvious to me that the very low flow rate from the condensate line would allow the contents of the pipe to freeze building up layers of ice until the pipe became blocked. This is exactly what ours did in the severe winter frosts of 2010 (- 18Celsius recorded at Woodford Cheshire just a mile down the road from my place).

At the time I did't know what the problem was and called out an engineer who told me what the problem was and that hundreds of people in our area were suffering the same problem.

I contacted B.G. regarding this and, despite it being in my opinion, a system not fit for purpose they wanted £200 to re route the pipe inside the house to join the drain at one of the available spare entry points on the connector under the kitchen sink.

They no longer fit them with external drains as a result of so many calls during the winter of 2010, which as far as I am concerned is evidence of the system not being fit for purpose but I am Bu**ered if I am going to pay them to put it right. When I can be bothered I will re-route the pipe into the internal side of the drain system for the kitchen.

Edited By Bob Rodgerson on 03/03/2018 11:34:48

Edited By Bob Rodgerson on 03/03/2018 11:35:24

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Bob, have a look at the Worcester Bosch Condensate Sure device I mentioned in an earlier post. Can apparently be fitted to any boiler and may solve the problem without major re-plumbing.

John

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