Steven P

I have a single skinned flu up the chimney, and where it passes though the bedroom that part of the chimney gets nice and warm to touch. A double skinned flu I guess will get equally warm, and i wold be tempted to leave it as it is. You can use a stove with a single skin, like mine up a chimney or a double skin like yours (or also up a chimney), this extra insulation stops the gasses cooling too much and the tar sticking to the flu, chimney needs to be swept less often (though still at least once or twice a year) and a hotter exhaust at the top improves the draw at the bottom,.

I'm not an expert in these things but I guess so long as you arn't holding the chainsaw you can't hear it or get splinters in the eyes... and everything else the PPE protects you from

I wasn't sure till you posted the latest photo, developer wanting to get rid of a tree that was in the way, rip out the exiting lawn and trees, put in new turf at the back, and tidy up the hedge along the front and adds to the kerb appeal for a quicker sale. Wouldn't have got as much slack if you'd posted the last pic as well maybe. Just as a question, how much will it cost to repair the house, I assume it is more than just cutting down the tree, plastering inside and repointing outside? I assume some sort of repairs to the foundations are needed? Wondering if given your valuable time for all the chasing about and paperwork (lets say £25 an hour?), the cost for a tree surgeon to fell the trees, and so on, and I would also assume it will cost more to repair the house if the trees are still there? So what is the difference in cost between repair + remove tree (including all those costs) and repairs leaving trees in place?

Just looking at my stove, where the chimney liner enters the chimney proper they installed a concrete-ish floor to the chimney,sealing it off apart from the liner, just to check if yours has similar or not, otherwise is this somethng you could put in which should stop any leaks through her brickwork nto your chimney getting into your room. Obvousy doesn't solve where the smoke is getting through

Difference is if a steel lintel warps a bit or expands and contracts it could stress the house, cracks or broken plaster, if a loose fitted plate in a stove warps then it will just be a bit more leaky around the edges, slightly less efficient but you probably wouldn't notice. My register plate eventually warped enough that it didn't catch on the supports but plenty of warning this was going to happen. Now as for a steel lintel in front of a stove... my stove has been ticking over all day, not mega hot, but the concrete lintel is nicely warm, 35 degrees C maybe, maybe 40. If it was a steel beam it could expand by 2mm over its length -if- it was at boiling point (100 deg C) (1/2mm at 50 deg C), I don't know these things but unsure if this would cause big problems when concrete would expand about the same

Ask for more details and what the price would be if you collected it since you are reasonably local? If you cay "Coincidence, I live there too" then it is likely that the van will have moved, 'a friend or family member borrowed it for the weekend or something, but for £7k will deliver it back there for you'

I should try this one day soon

I got some stove polish from one of the sell-everything home shops which would work to remove that easy enough, looks like something sprayed on and not wiped off again. Looking at the hinge and the stove serviced 2 weeks ago - did they clean the glass for you? good chance it is the glass cleaning spray

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... flew to Glasgow in a chartered jet, flew out of Glasgow on a chartered jet so he can have dinner with one of his pals in a mens only club. Actions speak louder than words. It isn't always the big stuff that makes a big difference of course, little stuff can help too - during an internet discussion I did some sums, if everyone in the world kept a phone 1 year longer, that is about the same carbon footprint as something like 3000 transatlantic jet flights. But I feel COP26, hosted by our competent government, isn't going to have a big effect for all their flights to the UK and 24 hour helicopters in the sky. Not seen any dramatic announcements yet

Planting fruit trees.... yup all well and good, I put in about 10 apples and pears to replace the pines we took down in the wood, all nice until I went back to check, leaves all eaten and the deer culprit still sitting under one munching away - not just humans appreciate them. Put in ones grown from seed since then, no idea what they will be like though, still a couple of years till they fruit. This winter I am planning to transplant a few self seeded trees guerrilla style, see how that goes. As for memorials, living next door to the cemetery loads of memorial trees in there, and in the parks so I guess the local council isn't against them, probably ticks a few boxes for them. Up the hill from here is a memorial wood, open to all (though there is a sign saying 'private wood, but you are welcome to walk here'), not suggesting you go that far but... and to add to the idea of the woodland trust, other organisations have land too - RSPB reserves and local ones too. I guess it all depends where those you want to remember would be fondest of. As for NT, might be worth chatting to a local volunteer, see when they are planting trees and see if you can volunteer for that, plant one they.. though like they say, might not get a plaque.

i'm 50-50 with Parkside tools, some work really really well, some are a bit of a waste of time. Often it all depends who the actual manifacturer is, I am led to believe that parkside just re-badge stuff rather than make their own (so I have a great battery drill, disk sander (similar thing I think, battery and a motor) is a bit meh) I'd say then it is worth a shot for a small amount of work, it might suprise you

My thoughts on this, it is usually more humid inside than outside, we sitin the hosue breathingout mist air, we cook on and steam from the pans gets into the kitchen similarly a bath or a shower all filling up the house with moist air, and we keep out inside air nice and warm so thst it hold more. Outside, cooler air and it condenses, high up as rai, low down as mist. So inside air is moist. My hall sits at about 60 to 70% RH.. but I know Ineed to seal a bit more under the floors where the electricians stomped their boots through the tar coating last time it was rewired (1948 house) What we find is that the upstairs is an open fire, if we get that going it draws a lot of air out the house, outside air comes in and it is drier.. and feels warmer too. Downstairs I actually have a vent directly underneath the stove to the under floor void, I estimate half the fire air comes from that, half from the living room, it burns OK and keeps the house warm. I think there are benefits both ways but think I would go with taking some or all the air from iside just to get the air changes going after all that is how the houses were designed

I don't have a power sweeper, just a normal brush but am intrigued how well they work... would you get the chimney cleaner or do they just save time and effort. Just to add to the taping up the flue, I have a piece of plywood that I strap to the front of the stove with a small hole for the rods, once the brush is in the liner that works well, and of course, the soot falls into the stove, not much escapes. This winter I'm going to try to put an elasticated curtain over the hole. Likewise, I also have the hoover running for any escaping dust (I clean the filters first to get maximum suction)

Always the correct tool for the job... if I had both on front of me, the big hammer. However..... appreciating also the needs must principle, a long walk through the woods carrying kit + a big hammer... guess what's being left behind

Creme brulee is a thing all ready? D'Oh, there goes my big idea.

The y do! Living root bridge - Wikipedia EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

If your stll worried you could try this: https://www.boron.org.uk/Boron_shop.htm, I got everythng I neede to treat my floors, 9Borax, sprahyer and so on) spray it into the timber in the garage, as the beetles chew through they get poisoned, it is also a bit fire resistant

Just a comment, try runners or cyclist T shirt / long sleeved top, moisture wicking to take the sweat from your body and lets it evaporate better than a cotton one Always thought, check the colour of your pee, the darker it is the more dehydrated you are. Nothing wrong with a bag of crisps for lunch either and a banana, don't necessarily need isotonic drinks

Just to check - are they charging you for more units of electricity or are you using the same but what you are being charged has gone up? or a bit of both.

So I am not a fan of having one, purely that that adverts for these (I think by thr Tesco advert lady) are full of -almost- lies. If they are trying to sell me stuff by lies then you have to ask why.... My take on them is that the meter reading companies can sack the meter readers, get rid of the cars and their depots and save money... which they might pass on to me, they might pass the saving to the shareholders (shareholders might be who I invest my pension into, they might not) They say that they can bill me an accurate bill, so when you ask the electricity supplier to check and callibrate your existing meter.. because the smart meter adverts suggest your existing meter cannot give you an accurate bill... they kind of back track on that. No more estimated bills.. so you pay for your energy as you use it. In winter you pay a lot, in the summer not a lot. As oppsed to estimated bills where generally the bill is averaged out and you pay the same each month. Imagine a pensioner on limited income seeing a big winter bill happening, the thermostat is being turned down isn't it? This is the biggest drawback to them. I can save money with a smart meter.. err... no I can't. What I can do however is use any meter and work out with that, and with the help of the internet to work out what eats up electicity and to cut down on that (anything that makes heat, or cold costs a lot). My electricity has gone down from £110 to £45 a month, which is purely hot water, lights and stuff like internets and TV. Heating is by stove, and I reckon I can knock another £5 off this if The Boys could wear trousers 2 days in a row and if Mrs would use the dryer or clothes line... They suggest that knowing what each supplies individual use profile is they can upgrade the system efficiently, and again, this is a lie. In each Substation they have or can install metering for each cable leaving it, half hourly metered (or more frequent). The generators know exaclty how much they generate and when and so on. The information is there for them to know exactly what is used and when. Final thought on the adverts is that we can choose to upgrade the meters they say. As a part of their general maintenance they have to callibrate a meter every so many years if the adverts just said "we're upgrading our metering to smart meters, but you can get one early by calling us" and I would give them more credibility. Many people get a smart meter, fiddle with it for a month and then put the display in a drawer, never to be seen again. In the future I can see the economy 7 being changed to economy 24, with an app on the phone to tell you that days hourly prices, perhaps the same app to set everything to run at the most efficient times (big overnight wind = cheap electricity for example, dead calm night and daytime electricity might become cheaper). Maybe all linked up to a smart home hub thing where you can text your smart cooker to boil the veggies. And we are all gong to have one As for prices.. yes some genertors cost more per unit to run, so these are generally turned on last, and the cheapest are used first. Electricity company would love is to know the true price by hitting us in the pocket so we can change our use and time we use it,maybe to get rid of expensive generation. In the next few years we are going to need a big infrastructure change where coal and gas power stations are decomissioned, nuclear power is still being built and even with new battery storage green energy like wind or solar can't quite keep us going 24 hours a day. The country has cables to Europe to meet any shortfall. Domestically we loose new gas boilers soon, and get electric cars and our electricity use is gong to go up.. the government need to push smart metering and to change our habits to meet their green stuff, electricity companies need us to change our habits to reduce their infrastructure costs (more profits), but the one thing they are not selling and I cannot see is any benefit to us, the consumer.

Take the bar off, run the saw and see where the oil comes out?

So a battery saw is out then - not enough charge to last a day or a morning of just cutting without a lot of battery power I guess you would need 14" to 20" bar then? which at that budget is about what you'd get.... however narrows down what people might suggest

Just going to say that, we often put the fire on for a couple of hours mid-summer just to draw out the damper house air and let the dryer outside air in

Similar to GDH, some longer split logs lengthways propped up on bricks at each end, and then shorter cut and split logs on top at right angles to that. Once dry they go in the garage on pallets. Are your log piles on hard standing or over grass - might make a difference to the height they'll need to be to keep the lower ones dry