The problem is almost all urban areas have been smokeless zones for over 40 years, which means no open fires.
Also most new houses have either gas central heating or storage heaters so there is no ‘need’ for chimmneys.
To solve the problem at a low cost manufacturers now make plastic dummy chimneys!
Photograph from Tuke and Bell
Reverse cycle split system air conditioners are a popular choice for cooling.
They are also one of the cheapest heating systems to run.
These are the most common units, that you will see in most big box electrical stores, consist of a matched outdoor unit and an indoor unit.
Fine if you want the cooling in one room, but it can look a bit messy with lot’s of outdoor units if you have got several rooms to cool
There is however an alternative
Multi Split systems consist of one outdoor unit running multiple indoor units.
In some cases up to 8 indoor units to be run off a single outdoor unit.
The indoor units don’t have to be all the same KW capacity so they can be matched to the room size
The outdoor unit can also be a little smaller than the sum of the indoor units
For instance if you had a 3 bedroom house you may have 2 x 3.0kw indoor units in family rooms and 3 x 2.0kw units in the bedrooms a 10.0kw outdoor unit may be adequate/
If all 5 indoor units are running at maximum, the out door unit will only deliver 11kw of output rather than 12kw.
However the indoor units are rarely all running at full capacity,
Also most people are unlikely to run all 5 units at the same time.
Although it seems that having less out door units should save on cost there are a few reasons why that isn’t the case.
Guest post by Hubert Dwight
There is nothing quite on the level of being locked out of your home.
Depending if you live alone or not, this could mean waiting outside your house for hours on end, waiting for another housemate or family member to come home, or worst of all – calling an expensive locksmith to come and remedy the problem.
So you’re not left out in the cold, we’ve put together 5 tips that you can adhere to to avoid being locked out of your house ever again.
This may seem obvious to most, but the more surefire way to making sure that you don’t get locked out of your house is to get a spare key cut.
Some people keep this key in a pot plant outside your house or under the welcome mat home, but perhaps this might not be good idea as this could be the first place someone would look.
Brian much prefers to use a combination key safe, and keeps the combination in his phone so he doesn’t forget it
However, if you do get locked out of your house and you need to call some locksmiths in Melbourne, having had a spare key already cut will limit the amount of effort and stress you will have to endure after the event.
Once you have got a spare key cut, if you don’t want to keep this key on the premises of your home, a good idea is to keep it at a trusted family or friend’s house.
That way, if you do get locked out of your house for any reason, you can promptly call up this trusted person and get them to deliver the key or you can go and get it from them.
This is a safer option than having a spare key on the grounds of your home.
One of the best ways to not get locked out of your house is to employ some effective prevention methods!
Make sure you have a designated ‘key spot’, for example on a hook right by the door, or in a dish that is on your bedside table.
Each and every time you come home, be sure to place your house key in this spot, and this will dramatically decrease your chance of losing the key or leaving home without it.
Becoming an organised person is another great preventative measure that you can engage in to mitigate the chance of you becoming locked outside your house.
Each time, before you leave the house, do a mental check: keys, wallet, phone, diary, and any other belongings you may need to have on you that day.
Once you start these sorts of organised behaviours, it will only seem natural to continue them.
Make sure that each time you leave the house you do a mental check of everything you need for the day ahead.
What’s more, ensure you get a spare key cut, and leave it in a smart and safe place – whether this be on the premises of our home or at trusted family or friend’s residence.
Lastly, it’s always a great idea to have a designated ‘key spot’, as this will mean your key has a home, mitigating the chance of ever losing it.
Depending on the model the maximum load for this type of ute is in the range 660kg – 830kg.
Well that looks like a cubic metre of sand and gravel (say 1800kg) and at least 8 x 20kg of cement (160kg) so its no wonder the rear axle gave up!
Next time you plan on doing some concreting either get it delivered or order some premix!
I found this on the Crap Concreting facebook page which you see plenty of reasons why it doesn’t pay to take the cheapest price.
In our new house we hadn’t got solar so I thought I would review the financial advantages of installing a system.
I found a useful calculator on Solar Quotes a great site with lots of useful information.
Working through the Solar Quotes Solar Power Calculator I came up with the following for a 2kw system.
2kw system in Victoria
Expected use – 50% of output
Installation Cost $3900
Power generated 2628 kilowatt hours
Saving in first year $340
That’s around an 8.5% rate of return , better than I could get at the bank,
If we use more than 50% of the power the rate of return will be even better.
An extra 1kw system would cost around $550 extra and generate an extra 1314 kilowatt hours
If the whole of the extra panels output went just to feed in tariff at $0.06/kw hour the figures it would save me $78,84.
That’s a 14% rate of return.
We decided to go with a 3.3 kw system with 13 Panels.
Eight panels facing North, and five panels facing west to maximise late afternoon and evening performance when we get in from work.
Expected saving from our $4,450 system = $340 + $78.84 = say $418 (a 9.4% rate of return)
Currently both my wife and I are semi retired and only working part time.
We currently have a considerable amount of money in Superannuation and other savings
In January 2017 as a result of government changes to pensions the amount payable to us when we reach pension age will be reduced by $3/fortnight ($78 per year) for every $1,000 of assets we have over $375,000.
Money spent on the house is excluded from the asset test.
So for us
By investing our $4,450 in solar rather than leaving it in the bank we have lost $133.50 interest (best bank deposit rates currently are around 3%)
We stand to gain $347.1 in extra pension payments ($78 x 4.45)
Net income gain = $347.10 – $133,50 = say $213.
Add to a the power savings identified above gives
Overall Annual Return = $213 + $418
= $631 (14% rate of return) . . . . and unlike money in the bank these benefits will keep up with inflation!
I thus really enjoyed seeing this Circus Oz version when I visited the training headquarters in Collingwood.
For more Unusual House Photos, Wins, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?
You sometimes see Sink Waste Disposal Units (or Garbage disposal units )in top end kitchens but I won’t be getting one for a heap of reasons:
I sometimes see manufacturers claim they are an eco friendly solution. . . . but they are anything but!
It is not just my opinion they are banned in many places including Switzerland and many areas of the United States.
Why not just use the regular garbage bin for smaller amounts and a Skip Bin for larger amounts
A skip bin refers to a large open-topped waste container that is designed to load on a special type of lorry.
A skip is replaced or removed by an empty skip rather than emptied into a bin lorry.
It is then tipped at a transfer station or a landfill site.
A skip bin hire in Brookvale can help you clear your waste in your property, to ensure safe and convenient waste disposal.
When carrying out a home renovation such as a new kitchen, a skip bin provides a safe and clean way to store waste during the project.
Depending on the project and amount of work you’re undertaking, choosing the best skip bin for an unwanted waste removal job is a good idea.
Check out these other benefits of using skip bin:
On a subdivided block in West Torrens SA it seems the builder changed the garage orientation without considering the street light.
Check this Link for more details ABC
Good luck getting a car in that garage!
It’s not just street lights you need to think about. . . . check this post What’s on the Nature Strip?
They found the bath had been installed in a different direction to which she had expected.
As far as they were concerned the ‘back’ of the bath should point into the room rather than against a wall.
The question was whose fault was it?
When you get the drawings from the builder they do show details like the direction of the bath.
In this drawing the plug hole is at the ‘top’ of the drawing which is indicated by the black dot in the bath.
Make sure you check details like this and if you want something different make sure the plans are changed.
Unfortunately in this case the drawings showed the installed orientation.
As the cost of breaking out the in slab pipework was too expensive the owner had to accept the installation.
Something else which you may notice on the plan is that the toilet door opens inwards.
That makes me wonder how someone shuts the door when they go in the toilet as the door sweeps through where they would be standing.
See Doors for more on this subject
If you were wondering about the bunker like architecture of the lower floors it could be a reflection of the owners security industry job.
Check out www.designboom.com for more photographs.
