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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 06/11/2008 at 18:53
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SWMBO and I are going to vietnam in December, it seems we need visas.
The Vietnamese Consular section website lists a number of different ways of getting the visas.
I don't like the idea of putting my passport in the post. The "send by fax and collect in person", sounds about the best option. Does anyone know what the queues are like?
Our stay is for tourism and is more than 14 days, but less than 30 days.
Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
Edited by drbe on 30/10/2008 at 09:22
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Every morning I walk to the newsagent to collect my paper. This morning I passed about 20 cars, well iced up. My past has given me an interest in meteorology but I am unable to explain why some cars just have frost on them and on others the frost forms in the beautiful feathery patterns. Any ideas please? Number Cruncher perhaps?
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Jack Frost playing games with the Ice fairy?
Some cars parked while warm and after the ambient reached zero so some part of the car froze before others?
Or:
www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=mg19526142.700
www.newscientist.com/blog/lastword/2007/03/ice-vin...l
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Only 7 minutes for an answer and 2 great links! Thanks Cheddar. It was certainly clear here yesterday afternoon and cold at night with very very light winds so that fits.
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My GP has referred me for one of these, and I didn't really ask him what was involved (I was just relieved it wasn't going to involve a hosepipe with a video camera one the end...)
Has anybody here got any info/advice/experience ?
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You will have to swallow a couple of cups full of very thick pink sludge, looks like a McDonalds milkshake but thicker.
You will be positioned in an x-ray machine whilst you take the drink and they will take x-rays of you at the points they wish to investigate as the barium passes through your system. The sludge isn't that unpleasant to taste, so nothing to worry about there.
I've had several of these over the years, I'm sorry to say the worst thing about them is the after effects. You will probably be terribly constipated for several days, and when you do finally move you'd better have a very strong toilet brush to hand as it takes some effort to get it round the u-bend. Try not to be at someone elses's house if you don't want to be embarrassed - this happened to me and they had to call Dynorod. I'm not kidding.
I've had the camera/hosepipe treatment from both ends. I'd take that any day over the barium, I'm afraid. At least it's over once it's over.
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Senokot Hi-Fibre Orange is a nice gentle cure for constipation ~ no harsh chemicals, just Ispaghula husk which is roughage. Poor a sachet into a glass of water, stir, and drink it straight away ~ before it takes on the consistency of wallpaper paste!
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I'd have my doubts about dynamite shifting that stuff.
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L'escargot, if you have an Asian grocery anywhere in your locale, you can purchase a box of Ispaghula husks (otherwise known as Flea Seed husk) for about 80p which would be at least 50 doses. Take a level teaspoonful stirred into juice or mixed into porage or yogurt. Good also to settle an upset stomach or the runs if you take a greater quantity.
I am informed that a barium meal tastes as you would imagine wallpaper paste tastes.
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Constipation is the very, very, least of my problems..... ;-)
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My missus used to be a radiographer - she often used to talk about Barium Meals...:-)
Not a happy subject at meal times.
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I had one of these about 15 years ago, a rubber tube was inserted up one nostril and passed down the gullet, the other end was connected to a bag of white fluid the size of a carrier bag hanging above the head. The x ray machine moved on the x and y axies and the only discomfort was when a device that looked like an upside down Anglepoise lamp squashed into the stomach at the end, suprise more than pain.
Afterwards things were very wet and windy. The radiologist showed me the images taken, looked like furred up pipes to me, but the result was A1.
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Just wondering if there are any legal precedents known to the BR on this one please ?
Would a court be liable to take a lenient view of my causing a fatal injury to the next teenage mouth breathing "Trick or Treater" who knocks on my door tonight ?
:-(
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No - But the Daily Mail would run a jolly good campaign for you.
Mayby HJ would give you a mention in his Saturday column.
Psycho dog on guard here - no tricks or treats other than a piece of Bonio later.
Edited by Pugugly on 31/10/2008 at 20:58
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I put the dogs bed next to the front door at this time of year. No need to open the door.
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Just turn off all the lights until about 9-30pm.
Edited by Stuartli on 31/10/2008 at 23:33
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Just turn off all the lights until about 9-30pm.
:0D
I employ this tactic for Christmas as well! 'Carol singers'??? Since when was Rudolph TRNR (sung in monotone and at about triple the speed it should be) a christmas carol?
I refuse to answer the door during these periods and am thinking of installing a CCTV so that i can see who's knocking from the comfort of the settee! Family members know to shout through the letterbox if they visit after dark from December 1st! :)
Bah Humbug indeed!
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We also use the same tactic before Christmas, mainly because we live at the back of the house and it proves a bind, especially for my disabled wife if she is on her own, to keep going to the front door (we only hear the doorbell, not the singing).
However, the local Round Table members get a handsome donation each year when Father Christmas and his decorated sleigh make their way around our area.
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Just do what I do.
The conversation goes something like this.
Them "Trick or treat"
Me "Do you mean if I do a trick, you'll give me a treat?"
Them "No"
Me "I can do a card trick like Paul Daniels."
Them "No, you give us a treat."
Me "What sort of treat are you going to give me? I can do you a magic trick"
Them "No, you give us a treat."
Me "I can get my pack of cards and show you a card trick."
It dosn't take long before they give up and go away!
Edited by L'escargot on 01/11/2008 at 06:56
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Not one of your better suggestions, L?escargot.
Clk Sec
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Had a couple knock on the door of the caravan.
Dunno what you're supposed to do, so I just gave 'em a quid each.
It was a foul night in leafy North Yorkshire, so I think they earned it.
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Not one of your better suggestions L?escargot. Clk Sec
It works for me!
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A few years ago the door bell rang while I was alone in the house and doing something. I trekked down three floors to the door and found a woman and a nipper in fancy dress. Not best pleased, I curtly asked if they were American and explained they had dragged me to the door for nothing.
They went away abashed. It was too late to call them back and apologise for my curmudgeonly behaviour. I still feel ashamed when I remember the occasion. Nasty bullying old carphound.
Always, always, keep a straight face and count to ten. Something I never, never remember to do.
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In previous years we have been plagued with these kids on 31 Oct. So last year I bought a few bags of sweets to dish out - few called! This year I bought a bag of mini chocolate like bars - none called. But at one point there were at least 2 or 3 separate large groups going around near the house!
Next time I will get the bag of change near the door and give them some money - not a lot! Save buying chocs/sweets.
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We live in a large village with a high percentage of elderly. When my older children were 'trick or treat' age, the village kids were told that they would get a good reception at houses which indicated they were willing participants - they should only call on houses with some form of halloween decoration, pumpkin or whatever. No inkling whose idea this was (although we did still have a village bobby at the time who regularly spent some time in the village school) ,but it worked very well for many years - I presume this still works as we don't get callers ;-)
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My FWD is just the right length . Park as close as I can to my gatepost and touch the bay window with my front bumper...they can't get anywhere near the front door. Have to move it later or the milkman can't get in !
Also works when I see 'religious conversionists' up the road, although the last time, one big fat woman almost climbed on the bonnet to bang on the window where I was sat smugly reading the paper !
Ted
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Cover some brussel sprouts in melted chocolate and give those to the kids on hallowen night who come knocking
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"I trekked down three floors".
It's always the same. Halloween, you're up on the top floor with Bach's Toccata blasting out on the stereo and a good thunderstorm overhead. The Monster is on the slab wired up and ready to go and just as you're about to crank open the roof and raise the lightning conductors, the door bell goes.
I always send Igor. they don't come back. :-)
JH
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I used to have an Igor, unfortunately he left on medical grounds, ringing in the ears or something he said. Personally, I think he just took the hump.....
Off out now.....
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Tee hee JH. Trouble is, he's all smiles since I had to hand him his P45 when the blood banks imploded.... wouldn't scare a bunny rabbit. Having to stand in for him though is a bit much for a mad sci... er, I mean sensitive intellectual.
And the Monster did a runner over the roofs while I was answering the door. Now I hear strange howling noises in the night. It may be him, but then again it may be plod, the fire brigade, passing adolescents sharing a bit of badinage or the people next door having a minor difference of opinion and chucking flat-irons at the wall...
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>>So last year I bought a few bags of sweets to dish out - few called!
>>This year I bought a bag of mini chocolate like bars - none called.
Works for me too. On Friday afternoon bought sweets and apples. Not a soul came to the door.
Never fails. ;-)
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Taken to the ultimate, I supposed one could have a bag of brussels sprouts by the front door.
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Most powerful burner has ceased to work on the Neff hob. There's a spark but the burner doesn't light so no gas, I suppose. Other three are ok.
Will this repair or am I looking at getting the whole thing replaced?
Thanks.
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Yes it will fix. If the knob turns and feels ok, check the burner ring for being displaced, or food in the jet underneath. Sometime water is enough stop them ingniting properly. Does it hiss when turned on?
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My hob has thermo-couplers ( like a boiler or gas fire) Do you get a flame but can't keep it going ? ....might be a thermo-coupler gone. Not a big repair.
B & Q do a gas hob at about £50.
Ted
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Thanks both.
No thermo coupler as far as I can see. Just a spark. No flame at all on duff burner. No sound of gas at all on that burner. As far as I can see, nothing blocking the jet and the knob feels much as ever.
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If you take the cover off the burner you should see the jet, it looks like a brass bolt head with a tiny hole in the centre. You can either take it out to see if it's blocked or push a thin wire down the hole to see if it's clear. Make sure the wire is smaller diameter than the jet. A single copper strand taken from a 13A mains lead should be enough to tell you if it's blocked.
If the jet is clear then you're going to need a gas fitter to check out the valve. DIY with gas appliances is not recommended and you're unlikely to obtain spares without a Corgi registration number.
Kevin...
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Can't shift the jet. Poking into it with wire dislodges something which is forced back up into it when the gas is turned on. I guess it's a fragment of spare metal but at least the problem looks fixable.
Thanks.
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Please can anyone make sense of PROBITAS VERUS HOROS?
I have searched various translation sites and, so far, have come up with the following:
PROBITAS.....Uprightness / honesty
VERUS..........True
HOROS.........Only one site has a suggestion.....Dance.....which does not seem to fit.
One possibility is....a competitor in Strictly Come Dancing but somehow I suspect that there is a better explanation than that.
TIA
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It's been some time since I did it, but I think horos would be to do with time, in Latin.
What's the context? Something around the Hansard family?
Edited by smokie on 03/11/2008 at 22:49
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Thanks Smokie. You are spot-on re Hansard. 'Time' would make some sense because Luke Hansard made a name for himself not only because of the honest and true account of daily events in Parliament but also because of the speed with which he put the printed record into circulation.
In the absence of any other Latin scholars in the Backroom, it falls to the two of us to try and put PROBITAS VERUS HOROS into a pithy English motto. How about 'Be honest and accurate without procrastination'?
Sounds good to me....what do you think?
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Horos is Greek for dance. Not Latin, which is confusing you.
I am no Latin scholar, and translating mottos makes translating Latin text look easy... Verus being an adjective attached to probitas means the last word must be verbal in form. It may thus be some part of the verb horreo horere horrui - to tremble/shudder - as seen in the English word horripilation.
I accept no responsibility for being wrong; it may well be better translated as all real men drive fast cars...
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Honesty is the true honour maybe?
Any possibility that the horos was originally honos? This would fit at 's' and 'r' can be interchangeable in ancient latin.
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Think you've allowed yourself to be misled Mapmaker. The horo prefix often refers to time and is Latin. E.g. horology - in fact, see this page - www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/1001
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>>The horo prefix often refers to time and is Latin.
Indeed. OP's assertion was that Horos meant dance, which as I pointed out:
>>Horos is Greek for dance. Not Latin [for dance], which is confusing you.
From your very helpful link, the Latin for hour is confirmed as being: Latin hora, "hour, time, season" As no declined part of the word ends in os (see table), I am as yet very unconvinced that horos is a part of the noun hora.
www.math.ohio-state.edu/~econrad/lang/ln1.html
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"Horas" would be feminine accusative plural; which fits with "verus" also being a misrendering of "versus" - which gives us Probitas Versus Horas = Honesty up against Time.
Which I suppose makes some sort of sense. Maybe a motto for a car salesman?
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Honest, Truthful, All-the-time ?
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Thank-you all for those very interesting replies.
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Where is Avant when you need him? He's supposed to be the backroom Latin expert!
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=31...1
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If you view the back cover of this book tinyurl.com/6b5low you will see that the motto is PROBITAS VERUS HONOS . If you google for this you will find it means "probity (i.e. complete honesty or integrity) is true honour".
The motto is used by families other than the Hansards. tinyurl.com/5m4fwl
Edited by L'escargot on 06/11/2008 at 07:10
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I seem to recall that it is a good idea to use foil to reflect heat from radiators back into the room rather than heat up the brickwork.
Has any reader tried this? Is it worthwhile? Is there any on-line information which backs-up the use of foil in this way?
TIA
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I have used this approach with my radiators. I have no info on the effectiveness.
I bought polystyrene panels with a foil face.
Not expensive in B & Q
tinyurl.com/6o5let
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It's been a recommendation for as long as I can remember.
There are dozens of similar suggestions, including:
www.biggreenswitch.co.uk/around_the_home/radiator-...l
www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/dr-energy/heats.../
Edited by Stuartli on 03/11/2008 at 23:40
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But does anyone know if they work? The B&Q stuff is reasonably priced but the others seem expensive.
You might like to try...
www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Radiator_Booster.h...l
:-)
JH
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Thank-you for all those helpful replies. I'm glad I asked the question otherwise I probably would never have heard about the Radiator Booster!
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seems like the household version of "Snake-oil" to me! - by forcibly drawing the hot air from the radiator from the top, you will be drawing colder air up behind the radiator from below, therefore cooling the radiator and causing the boiler to run longer, works much the same as a Car radiator thinks me!
Billy
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So the radiator transfers its heat to the air more quickly. Which is exactly what you want a radiator to do.
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>>So the radiator transfers its heat to the air more quickly
I'm not sure that's what it dos at all. What it appears to do, is to circulate the warm air into the room, rather than letting it heat up the walls - as it would under convection.
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I usually make a half decent job of applying sealant via the accompanying nozzle and a wet index finger. However, I have never managed to master the area directly behind bath and sink taps, and this usually ends up looking a bit of a mess.
I can?t do much about my index finger, but is it possible to get hold of a longer nozzle ?
Thanks.
Clk Sec
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Try putting masking tape on the two surfaces. Smooth the sealant with a finger to get a nice radius and then remove the tape before the sealant sets.
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I remove the tap heads, it usually only takes a minute, and gives a little more space.
ps. Bathtub Tom's a (sort of) anagram. I'm no plumbing expert!
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"ps. Bathtub Tom's a (sort of) anagram"
Ah tomb butt? Matt hot bub? Do tell... :-)
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Nope! (or even open?). ;>)
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Can you not get the sealant gun behind the taps? thats a narrow gap. you could make up a longer nozzle by joining an old one onto it?
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take the taps off, the turning bits not the whole thing, this usually gives an extra half inch and with a little care a neat seal can be aquired, also instead of a wet finger use a strong washing up liquid and water mix, 50/50 is ok, this makes smoothing and tidying the little 'mistakes' easier.
But its still a job that some can and some cant ever master, taken me an age.
Cheers
CBG
Edited by corblimeyguvnar on 04/11/2008 at 18:36
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Many thanks for the useful tips.
Clk Sec
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Hi
I have a Telford TSC (see: www.telford-group.com/tristor.php ) electric water heater/thermal store and one of the components has developed a slight leak. On the link given there's an overhead view of this item on the right-hand side. It's the silver chamber that leaks slightly when the overnight main water heating takes place.
Does anybody know what this chamber is for and if it would be an easy fix? Thanks...
{Edited link so that it now works - there was no space between 'php' and the end bracket}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 04/11/2008 at 21:00
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Any chance of giving the offending item a slight turn with a spanner to tighten it? Sounds stupid but if its possible to tighten a tad can make all the difference, may require holding one bit still and tightening a nut, if that makes sense?
CBG
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Unfortunately the leak seems to be from the middle joint of the silver chamber. I was hoping somebody had knowledge of this particular problem. Thanks anyway!
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Think it's the expansion/anti-knock chamber, - but silicone sealant smoothed into the join should work, failing that, run a bead of solder around it.
Billy
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Yes, that's the expansion chamber. I very much doubt you will seal it with anything, it will need replacing. There's a possibility that it's lost its charge, and you will therefore have lost the expansion function, which might be why it's leaking when it heats up. I'd get it looked at ASAP before it breaks something else in the system!
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What do you mean 'There's a possibility that it's lost its charge'? Thanks.
I found a manual for it that states "The coil in the Tristor has an integrated expansion vessel to absorb the change in volume of the water as it heats and cools. The vessel is precharged to 3 bar. Check annually with a suitable gauge. If pressure is below 3 bar recharge with a tyre pump"
There's a small cover to the left of the vessel that looks like it could be the cover for the pressure check.
If it has 'lost it's charge' (?) does this sound like it could be a remedy?
Thanks in advance!
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I meant to ask this more clearly but:
- what's normally in an expansion tank? water?
- what does 'charge' mean in this context?
- why would pumping air into this help?
- would I need to drain the system before pumping air in?
Thanks in advance
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I should have added:
The water leaking from this chamber isn't actually hot though - just lukewarm at best.
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As I understand it, the expansion tank has a flexible membrane behind which is air. You 'charge' it by pumping the air side up to the 3 bar it specifies. On the other side of teh membrane is the water in the system. I would guess that 3 bar is the recommended pressure in the system. The expansion tank acts as a buffer to fluctuations in pressure in the heating circuit.
You could try checking the pressure and charging, but I would guess that if it is leaking then it has failed. From the pic it looks like quite a small one so should be fairly cheap. If there isnt a valve before it though you will need to drain down the heating circuit to swap it.
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The expansion vessel contains a bladder (made of some flexible material) that is precharged with air (to 3 bar as per your note). When the water heats up it needs to expand otherwise the pressure rises - a lot. It does this by compressing the air in the expansion vessel. If the air has leaked out (perhaps because the diaphragm is split) then as the water heats up the pressure in the system will rise. If the system is fitted with a pressure reducing valve with a pressure gauge on it - you might be able to see this in morning with a higher pressure. I've never actually filled one, but AFAIK the valve on the exp vessel is just a standard tyre valve, and you should be able to check it with a nomal tyre pressure gauge, and refill it with a standard pump.
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Hi i posted a post sometime ago regarding having problems obtaining money from a previous employer. They have since written to me saying they would like to sort it out but under their own grievance policy, even though i dont work for the company now.
They have asked me to email or write to them with my case, but they have only given me 3 days to come back to them? Can anyone advise if sending an email is as good as sending a letter if it went to small claims court?
Im hoping to sort this out without involving the courts.
thanks
Edited by audiA6tdi on 04/11/2008 at 22:59
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Some years ago I was successful with a small claims court judgment - some 70 per cent of the correspondence between the firm involved and myself comprised e-mails and the judge accepted this evidence (I printed out all the e-mails) without question.
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I have a nokia car kit in my car for nokia 6300 (with cradle). Just upgraded to sony 902. Is it possible to buy a new cradle to fit the Sony?
thanks
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 05/11/2008 at 13:41
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The only way I can think of to maybe get that working would be to get a bluetooth adaptor for the Nokia car kit ( is it a CARK-91?) and then connect to the SE phone via bluetooth.
edit : this sort of thing:-
www.solware.co.uk/mobile-phone-car-kits/bluetooth-...l
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 05/11/2008 at 14:06
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"I have a nokia car kit"
Unless you can go down the Bluetooth route the answer is pretty obvious ;-) Does Nokia do a cradle for a Sony phone - I doubt it. I assume it's a proper Nokia car kit.
This is why a car kit from someone like THB Bury can be better - they make swappable cradles for other makes of phone. I'm on fourth different cradle after swapping phones again.
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I quite often stand in the supermarket wondering what will taste halfway pleasant for about £5 or £6 and excluding the well known brands.
If anyone has bought and enjoyed some wine recently perhaps they would share it? The name not the wine.
Your health, all.
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I think it's all a matter of individual taste - hic!
I've just come back from a week in Portugal where we saw a bottle of vino-de-collapso for ninety nine cents. We just had to try it. It was surprisingly palatable - hic! We didn't bother with Cliff Richard's Vida Nova at three Euros a bottle.
I have tried very expensive wines, and I amit I can taste the difference, but I certainly don't think it's worth spending my hard-earned on. I much prefer trying stuff I've never tasted before, although I do have a soft spot for Italian Valpollicella - hic!
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If I am buying supermarket wine, I go for the wines that are allegedly 50% off - Sainsbury's and Tescos both have such offers regularly.
They're not really 50% off... it's all a marketing ploy. However, if Britain's biggest wine retailers are prepared to sell wine at £8 or £10 for the statutory 30 days prior to selling it at £4 or £5, then it's the sort of wine that offers a lot of interest for the money. You'd feel pretty miffed to pay a tenner for a boring bottle of wine - these big supermarkets have a reputation to keep up so you can be pretty sure that when priced at a fiver it will offer good value for money.
South of France and South Africa would be locations of choice, but I appreciate it might not be the same for everybody.
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You get what you pay for with wine although, admittedly, the supermarkets have brought often very pleasing wines within the reach of many more people at reasonable cost.
I have a close friend who only buys the very good to excellent wines and spirits for home consumption - the difference is very marked and very, very enjoyable.
But even he enjoys the occasional glass of modestly priced Australian coonarwarra and associated areas Shiraz, Chilean Red or Rioja when we are out socially.
edited as swearfilter kicked in by accident
Edited by Webmaster on 07/11/2008 at 00:31
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I get nearly all my wine and port through the Wine Society, a non-profitmaking society that's been running since 1874. It costs £40 to join, no annual fees. Their own label wine is superb. Their Cotes du Rhone is the best I've tasted.
I've no connection other than as a very satisfied customer/member.
Edited by nick on 06/11/2008 at 12:19
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Mostly these days you choose your tipple by
1/ Grape Variety (or blend of grapes)
2/ Then region
3/ Price
4/ Vintage
That way you get to know what type of wine you like and what region does it the way you like it.
The french of course dont play by those rules, and you need to know what wine growing regions and chatuex grow what type of grape or blend.
The german confuse things by adding words that indicate the quality of the wine (auslese for example)
The spanish as well go by region.
The new world mostly play by the grape type rules.
Generally speaking cheap european wine is barely ok, but an good expensive french wine can be a "blow your socks off orgasm" experience unmatched by the crude bold flavours of the new world.
Had a good time visiting the wineries of south australia, with a highlight private tour of the Penfold Grange Winery in Adelaide.
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I'm not too enamoured of New World red wines. Too much in-your-face fruit for my liking. Ribena with alcohol and perhaps oak flavouring.
Edited by nick on 06/11/2008 at 12:26
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I'll just slide in something which I've been questioning on Life on Mars, series 1 set in 1973 (currently catching up with it on Virgin On Demand).
Sam is often seen having a glass of red wine, even sometimes in the pub. Though I was a beer-committed youngster at the time, I don't recall that wine was really something which people drank much, whether at home or in the pub, except as a treat with a meal. And if they did, it tended to be Blue Nun, or Mateus Rose IIRC.
Did I move in the wrong classes?
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I called Bl-- N-- one or two things in my time, but never wi-e...:-)
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This is totally not motoring related, but by way of public service announcement... no doubt it will be moved to IHAQ in due course. Probably the safest and most accurate prediction that's been made for ages. smokie.
The BoE droped intereest rates this morning from 4.5% to 3%. If you've got cash sitting around on variable rate, you may consider if it is time to look for a fixed-rate bond before they drop their rates later today...
Motoring link - car loans will be cheaper; don't take one out today!
Edited by smokie on 06/11/2008 at 13:36
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I'm in the market for a new phone/contract.
I've been with T-MOBILE for a long time and found service to be almost 100% reliable.
However, price of upgrade & new contracts not the best.
I've found a great deal on 3 , but I remember their coverage was poor a while back.
Their salesman assures me those problems were sorted out ages ago, and they now use ORANGE 2G network as a backup when no 3G coverage is available.
The 3G web browsing on phone looked amazing and i would use that regularly but it wouldn't be critical use. However Voice & Voicemail need to be 99.9 % reliable.
Doing a web search reveals lots of disgruntled 3 users. However, a similar search for T-MOBILE finds similar malcontents.
So, are thereany back room '3' users ?
How do you find the service.
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I'm surprised you can't get a fabulous deal on upgrades with T-Mobile. Get yourself put through to the retentions team and you can really do well.
Having done that myself, I've got Flext 35 (roughly 800 mins and 400 texts) + web and walk max (mobile internet including as a modem for your PC and a 10 Gb download limit) for £35 inc. VAT. I looked around recently and that was unbeatable to put it mildly!!
Having said that, it depends on how 'big' a package you need. All the suppliers are not as good as you move down to fewer minutes.
AFAIK, 3's 3G coverage is the best in the UK now, at least for urban areas.
No connection to anyone in the mobile industry, just my personal experience.
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I'm not a heavy user, but reliability is paramount concern.
I have a great deal with T_MOBILE at the moment.
£16 gets me 200mins , WebnWalk & Free Voicemail, but I fancy a new Nokia E71.
This is an ancient contract that went half price after minimum term.
I don't fancy a £30 / month contract and then have to pay for Voicemail.
I must admit I use Voicemail a lot.
I hardly ever send a text.
I can get Nokia E71 on 3 for £25 with free Voicemail, free unlimited Data use, and 300 minutes.
If I could trust 3, i'd go to them.
Another alternative is to buy a E71 off e-bay for aboout £200.
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3 Piggy backed by Orange so no real problems anywhere.
In early days of 3 they could not give coverage in George Sq Glasgow (The City Centre). A former Glasgow work colleague had a 3 contract in the early days and cancelled as there was no reliable coverage - 3 threatened cancellation charges and he countered by saying sue me / I will counter claim and I will give evidence that George Sq is a "black hole".
3 backed down immediately.
Asda / Tesco piggy back O2 and Vodafone so their service might be worth looking at!
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I'm on 3 - had a contract for nearly 2 years now. Can't remember off hand what the tariff I'm on is called but for £15 a month it gives me 500 minutes and free voicemail. Texts are 12p each but I send 2 or 3 at most a month so that's not a problem, and web access costs £2 /MB - I'm finding I'm using that increasingly.
I've found coverage to be as good as other providers, and reliability is very good - not had any problems since I took out the contract. When my first 18 month contract ran out 3 called me and we negotiated a good deal on a new handset with the same monthly price as previously.
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