Do you need to do some welding or blacksmith work? 🙂

On 5 January 2024 at 19:57 Fulmen Said:

Today it was -5C, had to move the coolant tank as it was starting to freeze. Outside it’s a cool -17C, tomorrow they’re predicting -25. Good thing I haven’t filled the bridgeport with coolant.

I’d gladly swap you our almost incessant wind and rain for your crisp -25.

On 6 January 2024 at 09:43 John Hinkley Said:

I went into my garage/workshop the other day to find the temperature at 22°C, according to the 3D printer. It certainly was toasty warm, despite the outside air temperature being around 5°.  The fact that I’d accidentally left the fan heater on for 24 hours or so probably goes some way to explaining it!  I try to remember to check twice that everything is switched off now, before vacating the building.

And yes, the electricity bill WAS a little elevated that month!

John

 

That’s where the derided (on this forum) smart monitor comes in useful.

Rod

I have an old Dimplex convector heater, on it’s lowest possible setting, switched on 24/7/365. Obviously, it is not consuming power continuously as it will only kick in when the ambient temperature drops below a certain level, although I don’t really know what that is. What I do know is that the workshop temperature never drops below 8 or 9C which is comfortable to work in on the coldest evenings and keeps the rust fairy at bay.

During the ‘energy crisis’ I switched the heater off, fearing a large electricity bill, which seemed sensible at the time and the workshop cooled down but one day there was a sudden rise in the outside temperature. Maybe it was my mistake in opening the door but the amount of condensation on the machines was quite considerable and I spent at least three days wiping down the machines, not daring to switch anything on lest there was water in the electrics, static converters etc. until I was confident everything had dried out. Needless to say the heater was immediately switched back on, accepting that any rise in the electricity bill would be money well spent. I am in the fortunate position of being able to cover the cost but economy of energy use in other areas of the house has kept the bills almost the same as before.

On 6 January 2024 at 02:41 Ady1 Said:

Dressed like a winter hillwalker I can only go to about zero degrees

Below zero and the metal sucks too much heat out of your hands

Goodness knows how the Russkies cope, but they do, must be tuff

I try to do heavy electrical work when its cold, welding, milling, turning cutting

Electrical gear likes the cold, hates the heat. Even the Royal Navys shiny new electric drive system went t**s up in the gulf and had to be redesigned

My late friend worked for a UK manufacture of fire engines and on a couple of occasions he took a engine to Russia he said the demonstrations were hard work due to the water turning to slush as it left the fire hose nozzle and would eventually freeze and block the nozzle completely !

H