OT: I hate ECO

[Uncle Peter]

They should ALL use hot water. Most people have electricity and gas. Hot water is heated cheaply by gas, whereas having the machine heat it uses expensive electricity. Even more effective now that people have combi boilers so you don't need to have heated the tank before washing the clothes.

That was a really stupid design, how hard can it be to use only the hot until it senses it's too hot for the selected wash?

Mine is set at 30C, lower than that and it doesn't clean well at all. 40C would probably be even better. Enzymes are living things and like 37C presumably, just like you do.

[Tim Streater]

You're nodding off (as usual). You've been told repeatedly that in most instances, the machine has filled before the cold water in the hot pipe has been drained off.

And while it costs more to heat water using volts rather than oil (more so these days), The difference for a few litres in the washing machine (run overnight on Econ-7) is not gonna be a lot.

Enzymes are *not* living things, you've been told that too.

[Nightjar]

Specifically, by Beko freezers. They are the only ones that fire risk warnings have been issued for in recent years.

Beko freezers should work down to at least -15C.

[Uncle Peter]

If it was that bad, then hot water to the bathroom sink simply wouldn't work for washing your hands.

Most people don't have Economy 7, or bother setting the machine to run overnight.

And the point is they're trying to make appliances more efficient, then go and do a stupid thing like remove the hot water feed.

They're biological, they work best at body temperature.

[harryagain]

I have mine in a semi-underground utility room that ajoins the kitchen. They keep the house warm at no added expense.

[harryagain]

It depends how near the hot water source is to the point of use shit fer brains. I have designed my house so that no tap is further than 300mm from the hot water source.

But many house have several meters of pipework.

[harryagain]

My Astra CDTI has only 30 quid a year tax due to its ECO features. The main ECO features seem to be stop/start and reduced throttle performance (!). There is an ECO button which comes on by default when the ignition is started. I switch if off after starting the car. However, the ECO features which I switch off get me cheap car tax (previous car was 250 quid or so), and a more rugged starter motor and battery. All good !

I have an electric car and don't pay any road tax. I also have 8 Kwp of solar PV panels & hence have virtally zero fuel costs.

[Tim Streater]

1 ft? 12 inches ??

[Nightjar]

We used to have that in the 1960s with gas fired point of use water heaters at every place needing hot water. The one over the bath used to start up with a tremendous whooshing noise.

[sm_jamieson]

If I was building my own house I would certainly make it super-insulated like yours. A Georgian style super-insulated house would be my goal. Probably with Georgian-style solar panels ;-) Simon.

[Tim Watts]

If I were, and without regard to funds, I would have a double cavity with 2 layers of brick and celcon blocks in the central leaf.

The outer cavity would have 3" of celotex in.

The inner cavity would be a wiring drop with regular access holes in the floor layer.

Not going to happen, but since we're playing the fantasy game :)

Brick inner leaf is a must as fixing to celcon is a mare and I value high thermal mass inside for temperature stability (and cooling in the summer)

The inner cavity is just a cute idea...

[dennis]

Didn't you quote your fits figures previously at the maximum rate you can get for a sub 4kwp set of panels!? Which is true?

[newshound]

That's presumably why it seems to be set up to "creep" in drive (or reverse) a bit more than I would personally like. But coming from manual boxes means that our normal reflexes to set either brake as appropriate means we don't find that a problem. (I've driven a lot of TC auto hire cars, but never owned one).

[newshound]

Spot on, on all counts!

[newshound]

And when you found yourself dozing off in the bath, you knew it was time to open the window and get out of the room!

[jgh]

My single-source washing machine is plumbed into the hot tap, which is five feet from the hot water cylinder that has been heated by nice cheap gas, not expensive electricity, and I use a proper non-biological detergent on a proper hot wash. Ever since I switched to doing this my laundry come out of the washing machine actually clean, and the skin irritation that started when I got the new washing machine has disappeared.

jgh

[Tim Streater]

Gas, eh? Luxury!

[Chris French]

Not sure using hot water for the rinsing is going to end up saving any money.....

And not all clothes like hot washing

[sm_jamieson]

A wide wall cavity is vital for all those "they're in the wall" American horror movies. Mind you most of those old timber houses were probably not insulated well. Simon.

[harryagain]

Yes.