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Post by atlex on Feb 22, 2021 12:00:38 GMT
How quickly civilization comes apart. One of those reasons why 100% electric (or 100% any energy source) is a dumb dumb idea.
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Post by martiny on Feb 22, 2021 17:52:15 GMT
Part of the problem in Texas is that the electricity blackouts also affected the natural gas supply system, so even if you didn't rely on electricity for heating you had no gas heating either, and with next to no insulation burst pipes were pretty much guaranteed. There's a lot that they could have done to winterise systems and keep the utilities running but it all costs and they didn't invest the extra. There's going to be a lot of fallout over what ought to be done differently and whether regulators ought to be able to require suppliers to build in resilience but I expect most of the effort will be wasted in political blamestorming.
Makes me think about our own house: we're less resilient than we used to be as although we still have gas central heating and a gas fire, both rely on electricity to operate. And although we obviously have insulation to stop pipes and water tank freezing, there's a point at which it wouldn't be good enough if it got far enough below freezing and stayed that way for days.
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Post by dadbif on Feb 22, 2021 22:29:45 GMT
The very reason I have a small two stroke generator in the garage, I can hook it up to the central heating in minutes. Have bottled gas and cooker for if the gas fails. I brought it back from Spain, we had regular power cuts out there, Iberdrola were useless.
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Post by atlex on Feb 22, 2021 22:41:47 GMT
The very reason I have a small two stroke generator in the garage, I can hook it up to the central heating in minutes. Have bottled gas and cooker for if the gas fails. I brought it back from Spain, we had regular power cuts out there, Iberdrola were useless. 100% stored refillable hydrocarbon backups. Got both a 'camping stove' thing a campingaz bottle for the gas bbq. When we moved in we had absolutely no induction pots or pans so we ended up on the camping stove for a week lol. That said UK electricity supply in my experience (London or nearby) was excellent. But it's a matter of chance, right, big complex systems fail in strange ways, usually at the WORST TIMES, and the price of being prepared is small. At most a square foot of two in your house and you'll be able to cook for a week or two in an outage emergency. Gas doesn't go off.
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Post by dadbif on Feb 23, 2021 8:32:51 GMT
I have 3 gas cooking standbys. Old camping gaz unit , takes a small cylinder. Paella gas ring, runs off propane cylinder New camping stove from Aldi, never used, bought on a whim, but could save my bacon (literally)
and water purification tablets....
As Baden Powell said “Be prepared”
Just look at Texas...
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Post by dickie on Feb 23, 2021 21:08:07 GMT
I have a Ripping Gillies paraffin cooker it appears to have never been used, I also have Optimus paraffin cooker, a Meths Trangia and a single burner camping gas stove. We always have candles & T lights in the house as well as a wind up torch various Led torches and camping lights. Two working open fires and a river full of driftwood close by I also have a couple of propane bottles and a Tar Boiler ring somewhere. I suspect we might have an old well in the garden waiting to be uncovered. Its a good job Cornwall is so backward. I am sure if things went bad the local Deer population would be eaten. I will have to email my work mate from our parent company, He lives in Texas, He is almost full Redneck though !!!
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Post by atlex on Feb 23, 2021 21:22:08 GMT
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Post by atlex on Feb 24, 2021 13:43:00 GMT
The history of the BREN gun. the best LMG of ww2 :-)
I didn't know it was BRno ENfield :-)
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Post by thruxton on Feb 24, 2021 14:58:47 GMT
Freevalve. The mans a genius!
What a great guy. Someones got to pick this up and run with it.
Rich.
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Post by wannabe on Feb 25, 2021 21:29:57 GMT
So if my noob reading is correct, freevalve removes the cams and replaces them with actuators for the valves, reducing friction losses / temperature / lubrication requirements, and increasing the ability to run crazy valve-open times? (If it's an actuator, is it not just 'open' or 'closed', with no in-between stage (like you get with cams lobes)? Does that matter? I guess the valves either need to be closed for compression or open for intake/evacuation, so I think this thought is pointless... lol) I like the way the video / webpage references the Koenigseggegegegegeggg (because cool) but doesn't reference the Fiat TwinAir (because less cool) lol en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_TwinAir_engine (Assuming the Fiat tech is the same??)
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Post by dadbif on Feb 25, 2021 22:25:54 GMT
They can be opened whenever the tuner decides and for however long he wants and by how much. Not fixed as it is with a camshaft. A bit beyond us, sadly...
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Post by Zed. on Feb 25, 2021 23:50:53 GMT
They can be opened whenever the tuner decides and for however long he wants and by how much. Not fixed as it is with a camshaft. A bit beyond us, sadly...not realy, how many people programme their own ecu? it's just another pair of tables to set timing, lift & duration on 2 'camshafts' worth of solenoids guessing the programming / software wouldn't be that hard either, just a f uckload of 'If statements' and 'while loops' but then maybe I take things for granted as my Mrs's pHd was computer-thing Rich.
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Post by wannabe on Feb 26, 2021 0:12:00 GMT
Zed - ADHD Zed's good lady - PhD-holding dadbif - ex-Rolls dickie - another with years of tinkering experience atlex - very well travelled I reckon a good meal and several beverages in a country pub with you lot would be excellent and most interesting (Apologies for all of you I've missed off, I am hoping we can do the M5s weekender in some sort of normal manner soon!!)
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Post by dadbif on Feb 26, 2021 8:02:24 GMT
They can be opened whenever the tuner decides and for however long he wants and by how much. Not fixed as it is with a camshaft. A bit beyond us, sadly...not realy, how many people programme their own ecu? it's just another pair of tables to set timing, lift & duration on 2 'camshafts' worth of solenoids guessing the programming / software wouldn't be that hard either, just a f uckload of 'If statements' and 'while loops' but then maybe I take things for granted as my Mrs's pHd was computer-thing Rich. I didn’t mean it in that context, I meant in the availability of the parts needed, I’ve had a quick look on eBay without success, unless of course you already have some tucked away in your “shed”? 😉
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Post by Zed. on Feb 26, 2021 9:56:30 GMT
Zed - ADHD Zed's good lady - PhD-holding dadbif - ex-Rolls dickie - another with years of tinkering experience atlex - very well travelled I reckon a good meal and several beverages in a country pub with you lot would be excellent and most interesting (Apologies for all of you I've missed off, I am hoping we can do the M5s weekender in some sort of normal manner soon!!) Hummmmm... firstly, I wouldn't call her good & secondly, if she hears someone calling her a 'Lady' theres usually blood be good to meetup & pool ideas, f ucknose where it could end up? probably nowhere Rich.
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