8.8 magnitude quake strikes Japan

kreed wrote

Not by anything like as much.

And its trivial to save a lot of the electricity used for winter heating anyway and end up with no increase in the cost of electricity used.

"kreed" wrote

hmm...same here...are you sure you are not Croatian?!?! :)))))

"Don McKenzie" wrote

hahaha....well, as a Royall pilot he didnt need a travel ticket...just to sit in any plane and wooooosh :)

gov. sponsored trip = WW2 ...hahahahaha what a black humor :))))))))

color and colour both is better then BW

Prices on local Aussie electronics has been very good in recent years.

dollar value compared to USD has doubled in 10 years:

Then there is what I call the global leveling field, where prices become more competitive, as there are less middle men, and less profits from the manufacturer through to the consumer.

In fact right now may be the best time to buy a new PC, etc., before the Japanese shortage occurs on silicon and other similar commodities.

Cheers Don...

=================

o,

The compulsory government sponsored trips for Australians to Vietnam

That happens in certain areas. the area has a poor reputation , but there are good streets with good houses going cheap. It will eventually correct.

If you have offpeak HWS, lag your copper pipes. Dropped that part by 20%.

gh up

Pretty much agree with that. Its getting unaffordable for people to service, and there has to be some sort of correction.

Just measured how much I could lag, 1 metre before it dissappears into the brickwork. Is it worthwhile??

If your copper pipes are 1/2' dia and only short probably not. In some cases you are only talking a very small volume of water from heater to tap.

terryc wrote

anyway and end up with no increase in the

Mine were lagged when the house was built.

I saved a lot more than that by not using fan heaters.

SG1 wrote

anyway and end up with no increase in the

brickwork. Is it worthwhile??

Nope.

I thought so...

The bit closest to the cylinder also wastes heat by conducting it from the cylinder, maybe 50W(a guess) , if you don't make a special trip to get materials it'll save you money in the long run.

That's where you lose most of the heat. It's worth lagging, even if you don't do the rest of the system. Wait until no water has been drawn for 10 minutes or so, then run your hand along the pipe. You'll find it's very hot at the cylinder and cools rapidly as you move along the pipe.

You start to observe the law of diminishing returns as you lag more of the system - the energy you save is balanced by the lagging costs. It just about makes sense in a new build, but not if you have to rip off wall coverings.

Jasen Betts wrote

Its nothing like 50W

long run.

Sure, but nothing like 20%

IMO, yes. We have that awful mixer crap on the outside, so have a little bit more copper. Eventually I intend to get under (pillars) and lag the lot. Only problem has been fining UV resistant cable ties.

Your fan heaters run on off peak? I shudder to think what the bill would be with fan heater. always had slow ombustion here, but LPG/gas heating is far better for most.

Way OT, but my 2c is that there is far too much money being pumped into superannuation and with shares maxed, that means funds are going to flow into real estate and boost the prices.