UlsterRugby1999

Martin963 - thanks for your input. The thermostat is 1 click from max. On the earlier ballon which I have just changed we had it on max, scaulded people (kids in the house as well as MIL) and were paying a fortune in electricity to have 250 litres of hot water. Perhaps our use of the water wasnt the most economical but we were spending a massively greater sum than you indicate. I havent got accurate figures to show how much our hot water consumption was costing us but I'd say it wasnt/isnt far off 700 - 800€ per annum. Possibly more. If this proves to be the case, then solar generated hot water is a very attractive proposition to me. Chancer - I'm trying to dig out old Soregie bills to try and locate the data that you have mentioned. Be right back - hopefully.

[quote user="Chancer"]If you have an HP/HC abonnment, and without one you will not be saving anything by heating the ballon at night, then you should have two figures for KWH consumption, mine is an old meter and I have to add the two together if I want my total consumption, perhaps you have to interrogate your electronic meter to find the HP and HC, in any case it would be usefull to have the figures as it may shed some light on the subject.[/quote] Our metre is the type with a blue button (Selection I think it says) and I press it once to get the actual amount of units consumed. When we were added onto the HC system nothing was added to the metre or the cons unit. The guy who came out simply explained how it worked, the actual times that HC kicked in and off again and that was it. As far as I can see there is no reading for HP and HC on the metre but it is shown on our facture as seperate HP and HC units. So when I am taking my readings, its based on total consumption and not seperated into HP and HC. If that makes sense.

 [quote user="Chancer"]I got your E-mail thanks but could not understand the numbers, I think they had somehow turned into gibberish. [/quote] Some would say that is pretty normal of me. Basically, they were trying to show the previous 3 weeks electricity consumption. I simply take a reading every Saturday from the metre and compare it with the previous weeks reading. Week 2 read 44579 Kws - Week 3 read 45038 Kws and week 4 read 45316 Kws. The difference between week 2 and 3 was 459 units consumed while week 3 and 4 was 278 units consumed. Quite a difference which was the 181 units I mentioned earlier today.

Hi Chancer - I've tried to email and PM you but I believe that neither got through. Mmmmmmmm

[quote user="BIG MAC"] We have the most archaic and dangerous wiring this side of Dr Frankenstein's laboratory but even we have a timer next to the disconjuncteur. Swith says something like off on and auto or some such our water only heats on cheap rate unless we over-ride the switch. Dishes etc we do after everyone has had their evening showers/ baths and theres another tank of hot water ready for the morning........simples[/quote] Me thinks this is the right option especially as my aging head forgets so much stuff.At least I wont forget to switch it on and off.

[quote user="Sunday Driver"][quote user="UlsterRugby1999"] ......but more recently we have been flicking the disjoncteur on at 22:00 and turning it off when we get up at 6:00. [/quote] Sounds like you are now doing the same as everyone else....[;-)] CE's are designed to be operated during the cheap rate heures creuse.  They have a built in thermostat so they don't necessarily have to run all night. To save the bother of having to keep flicking the disjoncteur, either buy a timer or ask your electricity provider to install a signal wire to automatically switch the CE power on/off according to your heures creuses set up. From what you say, it's now working fine and you no longer have to switch it on during the day to warm it up for your MIL...[/quote] Hi Sunday Driver - we are turning the CE on during the day for 2-3 hours to ensure that MIL has water for a bath. If we dont its a dead certainty that there wont be enough for her. Not that it bothers me 1 iota you understand [Www][Www] Chancer - I'm going to try and email you with some of my weekly data.

Firstly, I'd like to once again thank everyone for their invaluable input into my recent thread on Chauffe'aus. The up to date position is that the new ballon is working fine, the MIL is off my back and we are using considerably less kilowatts since.  I take a reading every Saturday morning and we have used 181kw less than the previous week when we had the older unit. So this leads me to my question and, hopefully, for your thoughts, experiences and so on. I have often heard that it was cheaper to keep an immersion heater switched on all the time than to switch it on and off as you needed hot water. We have HC units from 21:45 continually through until 5:45. At first we used to keep the CE on constantly (based on the old immersion heater beliefs) but more recently we have been flicking the disjoncteur on at 22:00 and turning it off when we get up at 6:00. We would switch it back on for a few hours during the day (during HP times) to ensure that MIL doesnt go blue at bath time. What is the most cost effective method of heating the CE. Do we run it all day, do we do as we are currently doing (which means its running for 8 hours during the night) or do I get a timer for the CE and have it come on for 3-4 hours during the HC hours and 2-3 hours during the HP hours?

[quote user="Gardian"] So you've won well & the Jocks have beaten the cursed Parisiens - was it enough? (I hope so, because he'll be unbearable if not [6]) [/quote] Ah man dear how cruel is that? We give Bath a good seeing to but can only score 3 tries missing out on the bonus point while our celtic cousins hold off Stade Francais who manage to gain a losers bonus point and take pole position in the pool. So another year missed but at least we had a win on English soil which we have never had in the Heiny. [:(][:'(][:(] Mind you, I'm still sporting a sore head from a wee celebration though [;-)][;-)]

Todays the day that rugby could be at its ultimate. Ulster play Bath away and need a win while Edinburgh play Stade Francais in Scotland and we need a win from Edinburgh. If both of these events occur Ulster (depending on points at the end of the day) might just make it into the knock-out stages for the first time since we won the thing in 1999.[B][B] Stand up for the Ulstermen, stand up for the Ulstermen, Stand up - for the Ulstermen Stand up for the Ulstermen.

[quote user="Quillan"] [quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]Wow, governments are finally listening to the people. Most have known IE's rubbish for years.[/quote] The French are quite security conscious, they were the first to ban government staff from using Blackberry phones because of their notorious security flaws as well. Mind you I can't see anyone targeting private users its corporate use that has the problems, nicking data etc. Everything is hackable if you really want to try, just type in hacking followed by your browser name in to any search engine.[/quote] I didnt know that about Blackberry Quillan - I'm due an upgrade later this year and had thought about changing to one of the newer models. Mmmmmm - maybe I'll sit tight. I presently use an iPaq 614C Business Navigator which is a very useful tool but I have no idea if it is any more secure than a Blackberry. It uses IE for it browser of course. On the browser issue, of course IE is targeted its the biggest and makes the hacker so much greater for having compromised it. The other browsers cannot be that much safer surely. Surely its their limited number use which keeps them safer - for now............ you have been warned [;-)]

[quote user="Gardian"] [quote user="UlsterRugby1999"]I have to put the utility room back together again now. [:(][:(][/quote] You don't mean to say that you left a few scraps of wire wool / jointing tape / old washers, general gunge, etc, lying around? I think that these items add a certain charm to a room - women just don't get it. Glad it all went OK. [/quote] Aye - Gardian I wish. If it had only been that. As I was working in there, in came her ladyship with this and that to be hung, new worktop, extra sockets etc. It hit me like a Tsunami for dear sake. I finished at 9:20 last night and then she wonders why I'm yawning this morning. Weekend off - you gotta be kidding........... [:(][;-)][:D]

[quote user="AnOther"]FWIW last night I was downloading something which, according to my (accurate) activity monitor, was maxing out my 1mb connection whilst at the time OH was on the VoIP phone to her friend in Spain with no problems. This is a common situation for here.[/quote] I understand AnOther but I watched the sliders and they appeared to indicate that while there we a few computers running we were not even close to using up or maxing out our available bandwidth. Its just a wee bit weird.

[quote user="Lehaut"] If I understand your previous statement "For a 2Mb package we are getting 2.4Mb of download and 323Kb of upload" and when you looked last night the upload showed 270kb being used (if I understand it correctly), something is using 83% of your available upload and would provoke a degredation. DId you try the phone call with all the computer off or disconnected from the SFR box?[/quote] Mmmmmmm - now you're confusing me (I know - not that hard to do). I assumed that the amount showing at the top of the slider was the amount available. So from a possible 323kb available for upload I had 270kb available - if you follow me. I say this as the green band which climbs and falls depending on usage hardly appeared last night, and in fact is not even showing right now. Or have I misunderstood - again [8-)][:$][8-)]

[quote user="Chancer"] Surely you cant leave it at that? Arent you dying to cut it open or remove the element to see? If the new one felt a lot lighter then that is a good indication of loads of calc. Ask MIL to take another bath this evening [;-)][/quote] Life just aint worth that Chancer - as for the opening of the old one, thats'll have to wait until next weekend. I have to put the utility room back together again now. [:(][:(]

Last night I tested the house (VoiP) phone by calling it from my mobile. It was terrible. So I repeated the test while watching the slider bars. There was little or no activity showing on either upload or download. Upload showed a 270kb while download was 2034kb available while the green bars were virtually invisible. So I guess it wasnt traffic causing it. [8-)][8-)]

Okay - new 200 litre ballon installed with new teflonne groupe too. MIL has had her bath this morning and there are smiles all around. The old tank certainly has some calc inside it as we could here it rolling about as we removed it. How much I'm not ceratin. Anyway, once again, thanks for everyones input, advice and comments.

I have tried opening both valves along with hot taps and tried closing the feed valve and about every option possible. I think the groupe may well be so calced up that this is creating the problem. I'm not sure. Anyway, its emptying albeit slowly. Is there any rugby on BBC this afternoon [B]

There are usually 3-4 PCs running at anyone time although they may not actually be uploading or downloading. I'll check it tonight when its about the usual time for the problem to happen and then I'll ring our number from a mobile and test it that way. Thanks for your input Lehaut.

[quote user="DaveandOlive"]if you remove the cold feed it will  mt through the inlet[/quote] I have removed the flexible from the Groupe de Securite mount and pushed a screw driver into the inlet valve area to push back the non return valve piece. This is the only way I can get water out. Its a dribble though. OR do you mean remove the entire Groupe de Securite valve in total. I'd thought of this but I was concerned that it might just gush out and I'd end up with many litres of water all over the place. That wouldnt get me any brownie points at all. [Www]

Nope - it just got better again. Ulster beat Edinburgh last night 21 - 13 which dumps the wee Scots out of the Heiny but we'll need them to do a turn next week against Stade Francais and for Bath to beat Stade this weekend. Then I'd hit the bottle bejaysus. [:D][:D][B][B][:D][:D]

[quote user="Lehaut"] Did you find the display that shows on the SFR package the amount of your upload and download that was being used? If so, what did it indicate in the evening when you have the problems? The other thing to try is to make a call in the evening when there is the problem, then disconnect the internet connection from the SFR box to all the other computers and see if the line quality improves. I had exactly the same problem with NEUF when they first connected me.  http://www.justneuf.com/topic/109261-conversation-hachee/    is the same problem discussed on the Just Neuf Forum[/quote] Eeerrrrmmm Lehaut - I'm not sure. Is that the window with the two slider bars showing activity on uploads and downloads. If so I forgot to check that last night. I'll do it tonight and try your other test too. Cheers for your thoughts by the way.

Would you believe that the damn vidange valve while it turns and opens isnt releasing water from the ballon. I've had to push a small screwdriver up the inlet part of the GdS valve (the non return portion of it) to let the water out that way and its going to take forever. Maybe I need to start singing that Welsh tune and get Dave over here for that lift [;-)][;-)]

Interestingly, I went into the SFR software on the main desktop and ran the various diagnostics that were available. The main thing I found was that while it is set to search for updates every month there was, in fact, an update which had been available for a few months. Anyway, I updated it and then ran the tests all of which indicated that the adsl signal was decent and everything was connected and working well. For a 2Mb package we are getting 2.4Mb of download and 323Kb of upload. Which is more or less what it was when we changed over to SFR. Mmmmmm [8-)][8-)]

[quote user="DaveandOlive"] hi ok            sing this at the next 5  nations  and i will give you a free lift        Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri; Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad, Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed. Cytgan Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad, Tra môr yn fur I'r bur hoffbau, O bydded i'r heniaith barhau. Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd, Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd; Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi. Cytgan   Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad dan ei droed, Mae hen iaith y Gymry mor fyw ag erioed, Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad, Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad. Cytgan Dave  every thing has a price [/quote] Now Dave - would that be before or after we destroy the tired old one trick red dragon in Dublin in March [;-)][Www][:D][;-)][Www][:D]

Hi Anna - I bought this stuff a few years ago for an old fire of ours and it worked fine. YOu can either rub it on with a cloth or brush it on. The only problem - I cannot recall where I bought it from. I THINK it was Castorama or Leroy Merlin and that would be in Poitiers but I'm sure its widely enough stocked. Its the creme polish. http://www.pyrofeu.com/index.php?page=14