Selfsufficientish.com

What you have is a hot water tank with its own built in cold water header tank. They are not very common, and are usually used in situations where there is no cold tank and space is limited. The mains cold water fills the top part of the tank and is controlled by the ball valve; it has a pipe leadin...

That sounds very interesting, Bukormen, but speaking from the comfort of my armchair, I'm having a bit of trouble with the term 'semi-veganism'. Does it really describe what you are aiming at? I reckon some of the topics you suggest would be interesting to many people, regardless of their diet or et...

First of all, I imagine you are aware that clay drainage pipe is pretty fragile, particularly if it is getting on a bit. The ground around it is all that is supporting it and protecting it, so when you disturb it, do so with care. Ideally, the whole pipe run would be set into a bed of concrete, with...

What is the nature of the pipe - is it plastic or ceramic? What does it come from and go to? Can you trace it to manhole covers, and work out what it is for? Could it be, for example, rainwater going to a soak-away, or is it foul waste leading to a septic tank or main sewer? Is it actually in use, o...

A little while ago I read a statistic which suggested that for an average house in the UK, the windows would provide for no more that 7% (IIRC) of the thermal capacity of the walls inside the house. There were no references to that figure, so I don't know how accurate it was, or what research it was...

Probably a grass snake, which are excellent swimmers, and will feed on frogs and the like. But adders can swim pretty well, too, if they have to - I've seen an adder swimming in a Sussex stream.

You don't have to be a woman to build a beautiful strawbale house, but as it happens, I just got this in my mailbox: "The theme of The Last Straw journal's March 2008 issue is The Women of Strawbale and Natural Building. In addition to updating the articles about women involved in strawbale and...

contadino wrote:Yeah, what's a pot-in-pot fridge..?

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/fridge.htm#pot

I do mash[1] with the skins on - makes it rather more interesting, I think. I can't remember the last time I peeled a spud. [1] According to some 'celebrity chef' I had the misfortune to hear the other day, we have to talk about 'crushed' potatoes, now, not mashed. Similarly, pepper corns are 'crack...

In temperate regions like the UK, the biggest proportion of domestic energy goes into space and water heating. So the most efficient use of your money (as well as being the most environmentally conscious choice) is to insulate and draught-proof everything as much as you can, and remedy any damp prob...

From BatteryUniversity.com : " The idea of recharging alkaline batteries is not new. Although not endorsed by manufacturers, ordinary alkaline batteries have been recharged in households for many years. Recharging these batteries is only effective, however, if the cells have been discharged to ...

"Why can't you be normal? Why can't you just go to the supermarket like everyone else in the family? *sigh*" If it weren't hilarious, I'd be quite insulted. We ARE "normal" As Utah Phillips has it: "Why can't you be normal?" "He is normal - what you meant to say i...

mrsflibble wrote:on the ehtanol as a fuel thing, on paper it chucks just as much co2 out as petrol...

Does that figure take into account the carbon that is absorbed by the biomass while it is growing? If so, where does the extra carbon come from?

Richard Mabey (Food For Free) say this: "Chop the scrubbed roots into thin rings. Saute these in vegetable oil, using about one tablespoon of oil to one cup of chopped roots. Then add a small amount of water, a little salt, and cover the pan. Stew until the roots are soft and most of the moistu...

we have considered LPG and a complete engine change to a diesel. Do you mean change the engine in the car you have? If so, this is a major task - you will have to upgrade the suspension (diesel engines are heavier), and may need to change the brakes, gearbox, electrics, and other stuff too. Really,...