What Preps are you doing this week? Part 12

[GeeGee]

Sisters had issues tonight my nieces radiator wasn't getting warm.. grandad to the rescue... with his little assistant Screenshot_20251119_211444_WhatsApp.jpg
[/quote]

Our future preppers ...
Start them young ...
Hope grandad and helper got the radiator working

[Frnc]

Minus 4 here this morning, 8 colder than normal. Forecast is 4 later and -2 or -3 tonight. Should warm up a bit in a couple of days.

[Arzosah]

Sisters had issues tonight my nieces radiator wasn't getting warm.. grandad to the rescue... with his little assistant

Screenshot_20251119_211444_WhatsApp.jpg

I love this how adorable is it?

2,000 litres of water so far removed from the gas mains
The local pub threw its doors open
Theres many a merry warm person still "getting warm " in there today enjoying the atmosphere and real fire and a tipple or two ...
In fact Northern gas board has asked that people perhaps go home as their engineers are waiting to go into homes to make sure reconnection has hapoened safely

I love this too that's quite something. Community doesn't need much help before it comes roaring back!

[Frnc]

Increased my direct debit for gas and electricity. I was hoping to cut bills a lot now I effectively have no lodgers, but it was unrealistic. Not comfortable, and risking mould. Prep room unfortunately is a cold room due to two external walls and no insulation above ceiling (not part of main roof - I did ask the roofers, but they had none with them). I've put a Dimplex in there with the Tapo switching it on from 4am to 6am, low setting on Dimplex, to keep the Relative Humidity down during the coldest hours. Also changed the main thermostat to trigger below 16.5 at night. Living room got to 16.8 last night, so it won't come on much.

Lodger is moving out at the end of the year, roughly, which he told me was likely a while back. I might move the preps into his room, and maybe get the ceiling insulated in the current prep room from below.

[Frnc]

Anyone who has any sort of electric heater... these Tapos are great. I bought them to see how much energy I was using. But you can use them as timers. I think you can have as many on-offs as you want, and they are independent, so you can have one on and three offs*. I have my bedroom one coming on for a short while just before I get up, and while the central heating is getting going. And I've just scheduled the one in the Prep room. It probably only works if the heater has a physical switch, and you leave that in the on position. So it might not work for my dehumidifiers, I've not tried it. My dehumidifiers have their own timers, which I use. You can then turn heaters on an off using your phone manually, and you can set a countdown, eg on for an hour.
* I also have mine go off at 21.30, just in case I leave it on by mistake.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Sheet ice out there tonight road and paths are like glass

[Frnc]

Not planning on going out, but I have crampons on standby!

My heating actually came on about 4 am until P1. Didn't use much gas - about 5kWh. And that will have meant using slightly less in P1.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Had issues with my diesel heater in the shed (my own fault moisture got into the diesel tank from a faulty lid that I ignored ) and the diesel has gelled and clogged the pump managed to free it off then it stopped last night again..

So new fuel tank pipework and pump on order


Fortunately I have 2

[GillyBee]

I just bought another 20Kg porridge oats.

One thing the gluten free bulk buying is doing is showing me how much we use of each key store which is really helpful.
But I was a bit shocked to realise we have managed to eat 20Kg of porridge oats in just 4 months. It is a staple and I have begun using it to make Nairn's style oatcakes in the dehydrator and there are 4 of us but still!
The sons have helpfully pointed out that they each need about 400g of dried oats/buckwheat/dried beans/raw rice every day to maintain a baseline 1400 calories for their new lower fat & meat diet so I think the stores will be getting rotated rather faster now.

[diamond lil]

GillyB oatcakes are very addcitve and it's surprising how they vanish...