What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?

[vexorg]

500 servicing today, relatively easy to do the 1.2, though I find myself re-seating the plug leads 3 or 4 times since they never give a very positive feeling that they are on right.

Though they did sell me the wrong sump plug, not tightening, and I stopped when it got flush. took it back out to see it has a parallel thread, obvious when sitting beside the tapered one.

Then the pollen filter, took longer alone than the rest of the servicing!

 

[portland_bill]

500 servicing today, relatively easy to do the 1.2, though I find myself re-seating the plug leads 3 or 4 times since they never give a very positive feeling that they are on right.

Yep, been there, done that, so many times.

Though they did sell me the wrong sump plug, not tightening, and I stopped when it got flush. took it back out to see it has a parallel thread, obvious when sitting beside the tapered one.

We've had this on here before, aftermarket ones seem to be parallel. Tapered would be more difficult to make, so they don't bother, or perhaps, have just not understood the concept of the original. Tapered plugs were common once, until the early sixties, and continued in lots of axles and gearboxes, but it seems only Fiat continued with sump plugs. Aftermarket manufacturers probably don't even know what a tapered plug is.

Then the pollen filter, took longer alone than the rest of the servicing!

Always a faff. I'm getting used to mine, after 13 years. I always disconnect the bottom of the steering column, and set it aside, makes the pollen filter significantly easier.

 

[vexorg]

It's also an aftermarket sump I fitted last year, and it did have a tapered plug in it when it was supplied. I'm wondering if the original fiat sump somehow works with a parallel thread.

In general, I'm struggling to see where the sealing comes from with a straight thread on a plug like that. Parallel threads generally needs a sealing face and gasket of some kind.

 

[varesecrazy]

My experience of FIAT is every petrol has been a 'tapered bung'.. Older pre common rail diesels the same
All steel pans...with a threaded boss

Modern kit, mj diesels and twinairs have a 'flangedbolt'.... With a copper sealing washer (in cast alloy sumps)

TBH. It all gets reused.. Tapered bungs don't really wear

Copper washers... CAN BE ANNEALED..
But I just check them over and maybe fettle them if obviously marked

Biggest issue Could be over tightening..
But having been 'hands. on' for 4 decades., not something I tend to struggle with.. (other then removing other people's attempts of course)

 

[The Panda Nut]

Always a faff. I'm getting used to mine, after 13 years. I always disconnect the bottom of the steering column, and set it aside, makes the pollen filter significantly easier.

I agree about the steering, simple to do and makes it a 5 minute job which you can drink tea after, rather than a 45 minute job that makes you want to hurl the team mug through the windscreen as hard as possible. Moving the steering is even more beneficial with the 319's which are better placed to be impossible than ever! I have left the cover retaining screw off too as on our 169 itseems to clip in. The screw seems overkill unless it was to fill with water.

 

[portland_bill]

The computer mouse leapt to the floor. Afterwards, the scroll wheel didn't work as before. It's a Logitech mouse, a few years old now, with no obvious direct replacement. Two buttons on the side, for page forward/back. Works well on web browsing, but also in other applications. An extra button on top, that minimises everything so you can see the desktop. Then the scroll wheel. Push it down, it clicks and swaps between freewheeling, to scroll very fast, or indents, to scroll 3 or 6 lines, or a page at a time, set in the software. Also, push it sideways to scroll the page left or right.
After the fall, it was just solid. Sad day.
Searched for replacements, nothing directly comparable. Searched for new-old stock, found none, but did find a video on how to dismantle it. Four tiny screws hidden under sticky labels, then three even tinier scres to remove the wheel mechanism. Happily, only dislodged, nothing broken. Incredibly fiddly to put back together, but now working as before. Happy again.

 

[StevenRB45]

Wife has a training course couple of days next week.

Now NHS being what it is it's in two different locations neither of which are where she works...in fact one of them is a fire station but nevermind.

I do wonder how many people who work for them would realise a standard insurance policy for sdp + commuting doesn't cover this and it would need to have business cover or the insurance would be invalid.

As it is I put business on the cars years ago due to using the Mazda for occasional site visits as I wasn't a fan of the Corsas we'd get instead and then continued it onto the with class 2 policy C3 so it's no bother and both of us can use it for business. But I do wonder how many other attendees will be technically uninsured...

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Wife has a training course couple of days next week.

Now NHS being what it is it's in two different locations neither of which are where she works...in fact one of them is a fire station but nevermind.

I do wonder how many people who work for them would realise a standard insurance policy for sdp + commuting doesn't cover this and it would need to have business cover or the insurance would be invalid.

As it is I put business on the cars years ago due to using the Mazda for occasional site visits as I wasn't a fan of the Corsas we'd get instead and then continued it onto the with class 2 policy C3 so it's no bother and both of us can use it for business. But I do wonder how many other attendees will be technically uninsured...

This is a valid point. I have had Business cover on my car for years because of traveling all over the place with work, but Wife (also NHS) also does a lot of away from her usual base courses. I will check she has business cover.

 

[StevenRB45]

You'd probably be incredibly unlucky for anyone to notice in most instances.

It's just one of those things where going to the odd training course in your own car on your own doesn't really register as "business" for most people.

That and they randomly ask her to work from different sites every once in a while as well which even though it's just commuting comes under business because it's no longer her permanent place of work.

 

[portland_bill]

I have business cover of course for the school car, coveers me for any training purpose, at any location, because the car is usually the training venue. With all my current work being training business users, I'm only travelling to/from their location, be it their office or home.
However, when cars were first invented, training to drive them was undertaken usually by the garage (local blacksmith) whoo supplied the automobile. This changed when BSM created the first driving school, and since that time, driving instruction has been a separate business. But insurance companies still classify it as 'motor trade'. This means getting 'driving other vehicles' on the policies for the Panda and Doblo very difficult, and both specifically exclude any form of commuting. So if the Fabia fails to function, despite having two other vehicles, I can't use either to get me to work.
All this despite driving instructors being seen as low risk.

 

[StevenRB45]

Seem to recall on the system I used to work with back in the day, Driving instructor lead to "Driving School" being given as the default line of business but you could change it to something like armed forces or police or whatever if required to fine tune. Something like Tyre fitter, mechanic or Car salesman would drive a "motor trade" designation and remove DOV.

Obviously this would only apply to that company but I don't think it's necessarily a hangover from way back when..there will be reason but god knows what it is. Some mad man probably gave a driving lesson while on driving other vehicles extension...

 

[portland_bill]

One of my partner's carers has a 2008 Mazda 2. Churns a few times before it starts. While turning over, sounds like a petrol, once started, sounds like a diesel. One day soon, she'll turn up in something else.

 

[StevenRB45]

New report finds heat pumps to be twice as efficient in cold weather as gas central heating.

Heat pumps twice as efficient as fossil fuel systems in cold weather, study finds

Doubts about whether heat pumps work well in subzero conditions shown to be unfounded, say researchers

amp.theguardian.com

Erm that's great...and it's being trumpeted as a big thing.

Seem to recall they are 400% efficient in summer and 150-200% in winter this wasn't really in dispute.

However due to electricity traditionally running at 3.5 times the price of gas and that ratio still being maintained after the Ukrainian war. In summer they cost as much to run as a gas boiler...except of course your boiler would probably be off and in winter they cost twice as much to run.

Maybe I'm missing something here....

 

[Eklipze3k]

New report finds heat pumps to be twice as efficient in cold weather as gas central heating.

Heat pumps twice as efficient as fossil fuel systems in cold weather, study finds

Doubts about whether heat pumps work well in subzero conditions shown to be unfounded, say researchers

amp.theguardian.com

Erm that's great...and it's being trumpeted as a big thing.

Seem to recall they are 400% efficient in summer and 150-200% in winter this wasn't really in dispute.

However due to electricity traditionally running at 3.5 times the price of gas and that ratio still being maintained after the Ukrainian war. In summer they cost as much to run as a gas boiler...except of course your boiler would probably be off and in winter they cost twice as much to run.

Maybe I'm missing something here....

The implication being that the war is over?
Regardless, I'd love to have an actually cool house over these last weeks, heat pumps are as good at cooling as they are at heating.
A lengthy - but informative - watch

 

[StevenRB45]

Not really, but when they cost twice as much to install and more rather than less to run it's a bit of a hard sell.

That's before you get to things like needing planning permission to put one in terraced house if you can't place it more than a metre from next door (for me I'd need to fit it directly in front of the back door to avoid this and down pipes and electrical things) requirement for larger radiators etc. Etc.

There's valid reasons to put them in, but unless they start fitting them at heavily subsidised rates and not charging exactly the same rate for renewables as electricity generated with gas it's a bit wobbly to say the least.

 

[porta]

The issues are generally with poor installation, cheap (oxymoron) systems being touted and fitting inappropriate systems for the types of dwellings…also, our hose building is shocking, a modern home in Scandinavian countries is far better insulated than the block and timber rubbish they are allowed to build here

 

[Eklipze3k]

I'm not saying it's perfect for every situation, but combine it with a decent solar/battery system and sure the initial outlay is high, but you could essentially cool your house for free in the summer. With all the fans we've had running, I dread to think what my electric usage is going to look like next month...

 

[StevenRB45]

Out of interest how do they circulate cold air? For some reason I feel as though the answer is Fans. It's more efficient than a traditional air conditioner perhaps but less efficient than opening a window and having your system entirely off.

Obviously this will depend on mean temperatures and whether summer remains largely bearable without AC.

It would be nice to run a heat pump off your own solar in the summer though but currently represents about what 20k of investment (including a battery).

 

[The Panda Nut]

I'm not saying it's perfect for every situation, but combine it with a decent solar/battery system and sure the initial outlay is high, but you could essentially cool your house for free in the summer. With all the fans we've had running, I dread to think what my electric usage is going to look like next month...

Do keep us posted. Location probably also has a bearing. My bother has a heat pump system. It works well enough but uses a huge amount of electricity. He now has nearly 30 panels but is paying 10 times what I do on electricity. Maybe he needs more battery storage. I had solar installed last Nov. I find it complex enough trying to extract best value from the solar generators now, without bringing heating into the equation. We have a wood burner which we burn wood from the garden prunings, saw sust bricks from a furniture maker and any windfall we find around. This probably cuts our oil cost by 75%. Our oil use has been consistent at around 500 litres a year. Wood cost was £200 last year, but at least we are burning waste product
Limits on cash and a lack of knowledge do mean im reluctant to go heat pump wards. Our old house may also mean its not ideal or even possible but Im interested in finding out more parrticularly about running costs.

Our solar came in at £10,250 including the cost of connecting it to the house some 20m away. I guess a lot of costs have increased a lit since then. To date overall its saving £90 a month. In a sunnier year it shoul do another 10%.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

New report finds heat pumps to be twice as efficient in cold weather as gas central heating.

Heat pumps twice as efficient as fossil fuel systems in cold weather, study finds

Doubts about whether heat pumps work well in subzero conditions shown to be unfounded, say researchers

amp.theguardian.com

Erm that's great...and it's being trumpeted as a big thing.

Seem to recall they are 400% efficient in summer and 150-200% in winter this wasn't really in dispute.

However due to electricity traditionally running at 3.5 times the price of gas and that ratio still being maintained after the Ukrainian war. In summer they cost as much to run as a gas boiler...except of course your boiler would probably be off and in winter they cost twice as much to run.

Maybe I'm missing something here....

The Research was funded by something called the Crux alliance which seems to be an outwardly pro-environmental organization with goal of cutting carbon emisions. Which I would say gives them a pretty high likelihood of having a vested interest in being pro - heat pump.

There is also an addendum to the original paper basically stating that there is a wide range of performance characteristics and you need to choose wisely to get a system that matches the climate in which it is to be uses.

Finally there is the issue of running cost because while the actual outcome is 2 times on average more efficient than the equivalent gas or resistive heating system. especially where gas or oil is concerned the costs of the electricity are significantly more per unit of energy.

That said I am with @Eklipze3k on this one. It would be fantastic to have your own solar array and battery to power your heating system or electric car basically for free. But yeah that's going to be a pretty expensive set up. Currently you can get a gas boiler for about £2K-3K where as a heat pump system is more like £10k - 15k