Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Winter Supplies...

Options
2

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 14,946 ✭✭✭✭Grizzly 45


    Slick50 wrote: »
    Where can I get one of them subterranean siphon hoses ?

    A siphon hose is any hose that you use to syphon liquid from a higher vessel to a lower,just use gravity and your sucking power to get t over the hump and it free flows the liquid.
    As in this case the tank is going to be underground you need to lift it up to fill your containers.If there is power and you are lazy a electric DIY drill with a little pump available on the net or your local DIY shop will do the job nicely. Or if you want ,put the lid close enoudg to the surface and simply open it and dunk in a bucket and fill your containers.
    Check out instructables.com.Water harvesting section.A load of ideas there.

    "If you want to keep someone away from your house, Just fire the shotgun through the door."

    Vice President [and former lawyer] Joe Biden Field& Stream Magazine interview Feb 2013 "



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,635 ✭✭✭eth0


    Where would I get some cheap water tanks I could dig in? or even some barrels for above the ground.

    Paying 220 euros for a water butt isn't likely to pay off in the next 10 years..


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,946 ✭✭✭✭Grizzly 45


    Well to be fair to them there are a whole lot of idiots out there that need to be told and then retold this stuff so hopefully it sinks in. I remember Joe Duffy being alive to the sound of whining last winter from people who were complaining about having no water because like 70,000 other homes they left the taps running to prevent freezing thus depleting the reservoirs. What is worse though is that this water was just wasted and went straight down the drain :mad:.

    Devil and the deep blue sea situation.As our pipes were never properly lagged or buried properly by cowboy builders and developers out to make a huge buck in the Celtic Tiger.[At minimum ALL piping should be at least 3ft underground,and thats not enough in some cases.I put in central heating from an outside water stove and buried it 3ft down.In the snow,I had a nice free snow patch in an exact line of the buried and lagged hot water pipes.:mad:]
    A lot of people had the unenviable choice of not letting the taps run and no water and then have burst lines,or letting it run,maybe have no water,and hope of no burst lines,or worst cases both happening.:(

    Logically no one will leave a tap running if there is a better option ,so if somone does know it tell us..
    This isnt a consumer fault it is a major system fault of shoddy planning laws piss poor maintence nationwide of water distribution and forethought of future needs and good old simple gombeenism greed!!
    Our water system by EU standards is 3rd world.

    Berlin for example where water costs alot.[appx 600 euros plus PA per household]
    The drinking water is water recycled out of three major sewer works and fish farms!!!Yet wherever it comes out of your tap it is FOOD grade water.IOW there is no need ever to buy a bottle of water in a shop.It also keeps coming out of your tap,even if the temp goes down to minus 20!!!
    Not to mind you are graunteed a 1bar pressure at all times

    Guess what we will get here ??A big bill, and liquid sewage full of flouride,and intermittent pressure that will stop once the thermometer goes below minus one! Who will pay for that"service"??
    We cant even drink the stuff here without a health hazard.I put in a four stage filter for drinking water,and you should see the filters after 5/6months from free Irish water.:eek::eek:
    I'll gladly pay for it when it is drinkable,comes on with a proper pressure and when it doesnt freeze up.

    "If you want to keep someone away from your house, Just fire the shotgun through the door."

    Vice President [and former lawyer] Joe Biden Field& Stream Magazine interview Feb 2013 "



  • Registered Users Posts: 14,946 ✭✭✭✭Grizzly 45


    eth0 wrote: »
    Where would I get some cheap water tanks I could dig in? or even some barrels for above the ground.

    Paying 220 euros for a water butt isn't likely to pay off in the next 10 years..

    Go to donedeal.ie and type in barrells.
    Guy has an ad there for them @10 euros a pop!:)

    "If you want to keep someone away from your house, Just fire the shotgun through the door."

    Vice President [and former lawyer] Joe Biden Field& Stream Magazine interview Feb 2013 "



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,635 ✭✭✭eth0


    There is a huge difference in the quality of the water in this country. Back home I couldn't ask for better but here in Donegal it tastes like sh/te. I had to buy a brita filter to make it drinkable and after that it still not great.

    I'd prefer if they didn't spend so much money on throwing ould chlorine and stuff into the water and just told everyone to install their own filter for drinking water, etc. Probably around .1% or less of all tap water is actually consumed by humans so why bother treating every drop? the whole system seems very inefficient


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    eth0 wrote: »
    Where would I get some cheap water tanks I could dig in? or even some barrels for above the ground.

    Paying 220 euros for a water butt isn't likely to pay off in the next 10 years..
    What about those 5 L bottles of water - that's what I've been hoarding :pac:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,635 ✭✭✭eth0


    slowburner wrote: »
    What about those 5 L bottles of water - that's what I've been hoarding :pac:

    Wouldn't bother with anything that small, this would be for watering the garden and hopefully other stuff too like the jacks if I could get that system sorted.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,617 ✭✭✭kildare.17hmr


    got the chimney cleaned this morning, fire lit, finally, and chainsaw sharpened. 2 days of cuttin down trees next weekend should have a good stock of logs for the winter! Mate of mines da bought land which was 60+ acres of forestry, about 10 left and we can cut down as much as we like!! Happy days


  • Registered Users Posts: 947 ✭✭✭fodda


    got the chimney cleaned this morning, fire lit, finally, and chainsaw sharpened. 2 days of cuttin down trees next weekend should have a good stock of logs for the winter! Mate of mines da bought land which was 60+ acres of forestry, about 10 left and we can cut down as much as we like!! Happy days

    This is survival and self-sufficiency.

    Have the trees been replanted or coppiced?

    How are you drying the timber?

    How are you burning the logs in an open fire or stove/boiler?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,617 ✭✭✭kildare.17hmr


    fodda wrote: »
    This is survival and self-sufficiency.

    Have the trees been replanted or coppiced?

    How are you drying the timber?

    How are you burning the logs in an open fire or stove/boiler?
    he is clearing the forestry for horses and cattle and to build a house so no they Wont be replanted. They will be stacked in my garage to dry and will be burned in an open fire


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 947 ✭✭✭fodda


    he is clearing the forestry for horses and cattle and to build a house so no they Wont be replanted. They will be stacked in my garage to dry and will be burned in an open fire

    OK ....An open fire is only ever a maximum of 15% efficient no matter what size it is because it can only mainly heat by radiant heat as the rest has to go up the chimney in the form of gases (smoke).

    This means that it is 85% inefficient or for example every 1000.00 euros worth of fuel you burn on it.....850.00 euros just goes up the chimney or in your case for every 10 days you worked cutting trees and logs you wasted 8.5 days of your life to heat the sky.

    Get a stove which should be at least 60% efficient and the rest you can work out yourself.:)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,635 ✭✭✭eth0


    Don't think its quite as bad as 15 but a decent stove should get you close to or above 80%. Now the ones i have at home are not the best type so probably struggle to get 50


  • Registered Users Posts: 947 ✭✭✭fodda


    eth0 wrote: »
    Don't think its quite as bad as 15 but a decent stove should get you close to or above 80%. Now the ones i have at home are not the best type so probably struggle to get 50

    Yes so i am told! And most modern stoves should do at least 50-60% and not because the heat is just coming from the body but because the wood fuel is burnt more efficiently,

    In fact if you want to do it properly which you should if you are trying to be self-sufficient..you should drop a stainless liner down the chimney and insulate it. Also your logs should be dried to 20% minimum.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,635 ✭✭✭eth0


    How long till they're dry to 20%?


  • Registered Users Posts: 947 ✭✭✭fodda


    Depending what trees they are but air dried will take 12 months to 2 years as long as they do not get rained on.

    If you have a kiln you can do it in weeks or a polytunnel maybe 6 months+.

    If you do not dry them below 20% you will line your chimney with sticky tar and the fire will never reach a high enough temperature to burn efficiently as you are producing a lot of steam which lowers the temp of the fire.

    It's here,,,,,,,, http://www.grow-your-own.ie/woodburning.html


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    got the chimney cleaned this morning, fire lit, finally, and chainsaw sharpened. 2 days of cuttin down trees next weekend should have a good stock of logs for the winter! Mate of mines da bought land which was 60+ acres of forestry, about 10 left and we can cut down as much as we like!! Happy days
    Happy days indeed to have 10 acres of forestry to log.
    But, you might be better off cutting and storing them under cover this year and burning them next year. If you start burning logs from standing trees that you cut next weekend they will have a huge moisture content and this will result in a build up of creosote in your chimney flue - possibly leading to a chimney fire. Apart from that, they'll give out next to no heat.

    What kind of trees are they? If they are Ash then you might get away with it.
    If they are your average tree in forestry in Ireland (Sitka Spruce) - be patient and look forward to being extra toasty next year. :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,038 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    H.O.T.A.S. wrote: »
    For a more beefed up alternative check out YakTrax Pro Hikers
    yaktrax_pro.jpg
    They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

    They're okay.
    These are better (same manufacturer, next model up from the hiker):

    178920.jpg

    You can actually run on ice with them (yes, I tried). They do have a habit of destroying floors though, so you have to take them off it you're going indoors, so maybe not the best for a shopping trip, but for stomping about in six inches of snow and ice, excellent. And of course, don't forget your gaiters as well.

    Mind you, the current long-term forecasts all say this winter will be much milder than last winter, if not milder than normal, so we probably won't see enough snow to put them on :(


    But, just in case, did everyone remember to buy a snowshovel? :D


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    Sparks wrote: »
    ......Mind you, the current long-term forecasts all say this winter will be much milder than last winter, if not milder than normal, so we probably won't see enough snow to put them on :(
    But, just in case, did everyone remember to buy a snowshovel? :D
    Looks like it's going to be warmer than the past two alright but it doesn't look as if we'll be without snow. And there's no mention of the extreme low temperatures of the past two winters.
    As is now becoming clearer on reliable time frame global forecast models, late October could be a lot colder than the past three weeks have been. That colder trend may fade out for part of early NOVEMBER with another mild spell, but colder weather with some snow may then return in the second half of November. In general this is not expected to be as dramatic as last year, and the severe cold is not expected to continue through most of DECEMBER; instead, there may be roughly equal spells of mild and cold weather with possibly a rather stormy theme and a wide variety of daily weather types that will include some strong winds, some heavy rainfalls and some snow or ice. The output for the Christmas to New Year period suggests a milder interval after some rather cold days about a week before Christmas.

    JANUARY may be "the" month of the winter as our model forecast suggests some much colder than average weather through most of the month. The details may include a few brief milder turns which could involve snow to rain type breakdowns, but there are indications of cold spells with northeast or east winds that are often associated with snow in eastern counties, and in particular around Meath and Dublin. as well as Wicklow. The lunar components suggest that the week starting around 8th January could become stormy and cold enough for snow to be dominant by then, although the south could remain in more mixed precipitation. The greatest depth of cold, suggesting higher pressure building up from the east, should come a little after mid-January. More snow seems likely in the period that has delivered in some recent winters, around end of January and first few days of February.

    The output then suggests a steady warming trend to produce a rather mild FEBRUARY once that early cold and snow comes and goes, and that scenario suggests some risk of flooding with the thaw and melt. Otherwise February may become a rather settled and almost early spring-like month with some of the model temperature output well above normal.

    MARCH looks rather chilly especially towards the end, and could involve a minor return to winter or near winter conditions, so in terms of a seasonal "overview" the dominant theme might be variable but a colder winter than many in the "modern" period, perhaps a winter more typical of the colder climate periods of the past, but either not as extreme as last year, or if everything comes together just right (or wrong, depending on your point of view), a January that may remind us of the December of last winter, with some previews of that in mid-December. Wishing to remain a bit conservative, the monthly temperature forecasts relative to normal are set as:

    NOV -1 deg (variable but trending cold)
    DEC 0 deg (on balance normal but variable, stormy)
    JAN -2 deg (cold, and potentially colder to -4 deg, depending on snow cover)
    FEB +2 deg (after a cold start, mild to very mild)
    MAR -1 deg (mild to start but becoming rather cool later)
    Extract from M.T.Cranium's winter 2011/12 forecast
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056419308

    On a slightly different matter. Last year before the snow came and the winter before that, we experienced a really nasty form of weather which affected everyone who lives on a steep hill (most folk around here). What happened was that we got drizzle during the day and then severe frost at night. This went on for about two weeks. During the days, the combination of drizzle and a slight thaw and then the night time freezing produced an absolutely impassable surface consisting of thick ice with a thin layer of water on top. If I never see that again I'll be happy.
    Anyway, in the absence of crampon like things a heavy woolen sock worn over your shoes provides fantastic grip on really slippy frozen surfaces.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,946 ✭✭✭✭Grizzly 45


    If it hasnt happened by the 2nd week in Jan,it's pretty much over IMHO.
    The last two years being an abberation,as the last time we had such severe winters was in the 1962 /64 time period. [So cold the Shannon froze at Athlunkard Bridge and pepole could skate on it]

    Wood drying.
    If it is Ash and even Sycamore,it can be burned either seasoned or green[as its fit for a Queen as the old saying goes].You can stack wood outside and get it down to 20% +/- by stacking it properly on an east/west wall with prefably an over hang,but if not somthing just to keep the rain off the top layer is fine.No need and of no benefit to completly enclose the entire pile either.You will get mildew and rot.Air has to circulate freely around the timber.Also you need to keep it off the ground.So some small bricks and a few saffolding planks to stack it on helps. Stack your wood bark down.It grips better,and have the pile somwhat out at the base from the wall,with your biggest unchoppable bits as the base and your light stuff towards the top.The distance you discover by trial and error,if your pile stays up,you did it right.If it doesnt,you didnt.;)The last line of the stack on top lay them bark UP.It works as a rain sheild,which you lay like shingles on a roof.
    If you need dry timber in a hurry keep an eye out for dead elm trees in our countryside.They will burn extremly well,as they are air dried and you will be doing any surviving elms a favour as the dead elms are harbours for dutch elm disease,which is a bug/spore that is windborne.Ask any local farmer who has a few of these on his property,and they will be only too happy to let you cut them down.
    Thats IF you do know how to kill a large tree properly!!:eek: If not stick to small stuff and learn how to read a tree in where it might potentialy fall and how to make a wide V cut in the right direction.

    "If you want to keep someone away from your house, Just fire the shotgun through the door."

    Vice President [and former lawyer] Joe Biden Field& Stream Magazine interview Feb 2013 "



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,617 ✭✭✭kildare.17hmr


    fodda wrote: »
    OK ....An open fire is only ever a maximum of 15% efficient no matter what size it is because it can only mainly heat by radiant heat as the rest has to go up the chimney in the form of gases (smoke).

    This means that it is 85% inefficient or for example every 1000.00 euros worth of fuel you burn on it.....850.00 euros just goes up the chimney or in your case for every 10 days you worked cutting trees and logs you wasted 8.5 days of your life to heat the sky.

    Get a stove which should be at least 60% efficient and the rest you can work out yourself.:)
    I didnt know that

    Id love to get a stove, we had one in sweeden which was the heating for the house, warmest house iv lived in even through their winters:eek: Im in a rented house atm so not really an option, there actually used to be one in the house before i moved in:( but its gone along with the boiler that went with it.

    As for the work of cutting down the trees, id do it anyway even if it was not comin to my house, ill have the rifle and shotgun with me and you can be sure there will be a few shots let off during the day so its a day im lookin forward to:)


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,617 ✭✭✭kildare.17hmr


    slowburner wrote: »
    Happy days indeed to have 10 acres of forestry to log.
    But, you might be better off cutting and storing them under cover this year and burning them next year. If you start burning logs from standing trees that you cut next weekend they will have a huge moisture content and this will result in a build up of creosote in your chimney flue - possibly leading to a chimney fire. Apart from that, they'll give out next to no heat.

    What kind of trees are they? If they are Ash then you might get away with it.
    If they are your average tree in forestry in Ireland (Sitka Spruce) - be patient and look forward to being extra toasty next year. :pac:
    cheers lad ill keep that in mind


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 317 ✭✭MOSSAD


    Check out Clearview Stoves-understated but superb.
    http://www.clearviewstoves.com/


  • Registered Users Posts: 319 ✭✭slystallone


    I was just thinking of this today, prepping for cold weather. If the water freezes, can oil fired central heating then not be used?



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,261 ✭✭✭Gant21


    We won’t have any oil shortly. I’m stocking up on solid fuel.



  • Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Good Irish turf here. cut by my neighbours down the lane..



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,730 ✭✭✭Cluedo Monopoly


    How come this forum has gone so dead given the upcoming winter of discontent.

    I was hoping someone would help be find a good lamp for power outages. I have good torches but it would be great to get a rechargeable lamp that would light up a room well. A camping lamp I guess. Any recommendations?

    What are they doing in the Hyacinth House?



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,341 ✭✭✭The Continental Op


    Are you into DIY and a particular tool brand? I have a lot of DeWalt XR stuff and I've found all the torches and lanterns they do in that range really affective. We use the torch for locking up the chickens every night and I have the handheld area light which will light up a good part of a room. Anyway point is most of the battery tool brands do some decent lamps to fit their rechargeable batteries.

    Wake me up when it's all over.



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,730 ✭✭✭Cluedo Monopoly


    Apologies for tardy reply. I am not into DIY but I have heard of DeWalt alright.

    Would you buy online or in Woodies?

    What are they doing in the Hyacinth House?



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,341 ✭✭✭The Continental Op


    The suggestion wasn't for a specific brand just that if you already had batteries say for a drill then that would be a good bases for buying a torch.

    If you are not already bought into a battery system like many DIYer's would be then there are plenty of other alternatives.

    First you need to decide what your needs are. An example would be waking up during a power cut in storm and being stuck with no light. I keep a small decent quality AAA cell LED light in my pocket all the time so its easy to get to it. In fact I've found some of the very small LED torches to be more use than some of the bigger ones. Main reason is I've always got one with me. No reason anyone with a bedside table can't keep a torch there ready for an emergency.

    Then there are other tasks you might want to perform in the dark, that sounds weird :-(, examples are cooking, reading, getting to the bathroom etc.

    First thing to do is get a couple of packs of night light candles, they burn for a few hours and are great to give enough light for basic tasks, they don't need charging and won't go off if kept for years in storage. A good tip is to store a box of matches and cheap lighter with them so you don't have to look for both in the dark. A few old jam jars make handy candle holders. Don't be mean they are dead cheap so buy a couple of packs of 50. Keep the candles, matches and lighter in sealed ziplock bags then they are always going to be dry when you need them (we have a very damp house - even floods so I'm keen to make sure stuff is kept dry and modern boxes of matches are useless even if they absorb a little moisture)?

    Its also often easier to use a head torch rather than try and illuminate a large area. You can do most things including reading a book with a head torch.

    Its trickier to recommend decent area lights as there is so much cheap chinese crap on the market, its not all bad but often the batteries are on the small side to make them really useful. The reason I like the drill batteries for lights is you know what size of battery you are getting and you'd be hard press to get a 5 Amp 18V battery in a cheap lantern. The cost of batteries for the big brand names means its an expensive way to buy a torch or lantern. Battery will be around €100, then charger €20 before you buy the torch/lantern itself which could be another €40 to €120, but that does give you a light that will work for a solid 8 or more hours. Check screwfix for batteries and Amazon for the actual lights.

    Keep an eye out in Lidl as they occasionally get some really good quality Ledlenser torches. I've a few I've bought including a decent head torch and my tiny pocket torch. They are an expensive brand but the stuff is good.

    Wake me up when it's all over.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 8,730 ✭✭✭Cluedo Monopoly


    Thanks, I have 2 good head torches (Petzl, rechargeable) because I do night treks from time to time.

    I also have a good Ledlenser torch. I'll definitely getting the candles.

    What are they doing in the Hyacinth House?



Advertisement