What Preps are you doing this week? Part 13

[Frnc]

35 degrees used to be recorded about once every 10 years in the UK. Now it is almost every year, including this year. And it's still May. The average maximum of the last 10 years is about 36.3, as compared to around 30.5 to 33.5 for all 10 year periods in the last 120 years.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Unexpected side effect of the heat. Yesterday morning I was unable to open the front door. It's upvc and faces East. Obviously it expands when heated but it was so hot yesterday it had expanded to the point that the multi latches had jammed solid.

Afternoon, with sun over the roof, opened fine.

Also, we have blackout blinds as the bedroom is East facing so is bright in the morning. In this heat they just make things worse. As mentioned above, the sun still passes through the glass. This heats the blinds so you end up with a large thermal mass acting as a radiator. Was 32C last night so we've moved into the kids old room on other side of the house.

I've lived in some hot countries. Only way to really manage it is to have shutters on the outside of the house - prevent the sun getting in at all. And maximise air flow.

[Frnc]

Unexpected side effect of the heat. Yesterday morning I was unable to open the front door. It's upvc and faces East. Obviously it expands when heated but it was so hot yesterday it had expanded to the point that the multi latches had jammed solid.

Afternoon, with sun over the roof, opened fine.

Also, we have blackout blinds as the bedroom is East facing so is bright in the morning. In this heat they just make things worse. As mentioned above, the sun still passes through the glass. This heats the blinds so you end up with a large thermal mass acting as a radiator. Was 32C last night so we've moved into the kids old room on other side of the house.

I've lived in some hot countries. Only way to really manage it is to have shutters on the outside of the house - prevent the sun getting in at all. And maximise air flow.

What colour are the blackout blinds on the side facing the sun?

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Unexpected side effect of the heat. Yesterday morning I was unable to open the front door. It's upvc and faces East. Obviously it expands when heated but it was so hot yesterday it had expanded to the point that the multi latches had jammed solid.

Afternoon, with sun over the roof, opened fine.

Also, we have blackout blinds as the bedroom is East facing so is bright in the morning. In this heat they just make things worse. As mentioned above, the sun still passes through the glass. This heats the blinds so you end up with a large thermal mass acting as a radiator. Was 32C last night so we've moved into the kids old room on other side of the house.

I've lived in some hot countries. Only way to really manage it is to have shutters on the outside of the house - prevent the sun getting in at all. And maximise air flow.

What colour are the blackout blinds on the side facing the sun?

The outer sides (sun side) are a silvery white material. They are supposed to reflect light. The inner side is a material that is supposed to have thermal properties. According to the blurb, they are supposed to keep the room cool in summer and warm in winter. Took the thermal camera to them.

HM20260527090824.jpeg (97.35 KiB) Viewed 401 times

[GeraldTheBonzai]

And this is the front door,

HM20260527090925.jpeg (96.04 KiB) Viewed 400 times

[Frnc]

Unexpected side effect of the heat. Yesterday morning I was unable to open the front door. It's upvc and faces East. Obviously it expands when heated but it was so hot yesterday it had expanded to the point that the multi latches had jammed solid.

Afternoon, with sun over the roof, opened fine.

Also, we have blackout blinds as the bedroom is East facing so is bright in the morning. In this heat they just make things worse. As mentioned above, the sun still passes through the glass. This heats the blinds so you end up with a large thermal mass acting as a radiator. Was 32C last night so we've moved into the kids old room on other side of the house.

I've lived in some hot countries. Only way to really manage it is to have shutters on the outside of the house - prevent the sun getting in at all. And maximise air flow.

What colour are the blackout blinds on the side facing the sun?

The outer sides (sun side) are a silvery white material. They are supposed to reflect light. The inner side is a material that is supposed to have thermal properties. According to the blurb, they are supposed to keep the room cool in summer and warm in winter. Took the thermal camera to them.
HM20260527090824.jpeg

Crikey. Oh well, it's ordered now anyway, so will have to see. Can't be worse than the current dark blue curtains.

[Frnc]

Got it up so will test today. Doesn't reach edge of glass. But better than nowt hopefully. At the moment, the window is open, but the blind is down, ready for when the sun comes round. I'll shut the window and door then. This is the back bedroom aka 'prep room'.

Didn't need the AC yesterday. But I've set it up now ready for today, and will turn it on soon. Will probably only run it to about 8 pm, and then take it down and let the cooler air in. The only snag is you get a temperature rise before bed, but last time I did this it peaked around 24 about an hour after I'd crashed out, and then cooled.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Been and help my dad sort his car issues today funny my
mum telling my dad to stop interfering could have started a domestic

2 new calipers (rear brake / cw parking brake) £56 delivered bottle of brake fluid £5 2 tubes of specific lubricants £12 and a steady 3 hours on the drive wasn't rushing few cups of tea and all is good in the 4 wheel world once again

Putting my new trade to good use funnily enough did the same job on a customers car under the supervision of one of the more senior techs and I showed him a trick or 2 as had worked on that brake type before... Got a new trick to show him next time as he had a bit of a fight getting the handbrake cable nipple into its home found an easy way today, he's helping train me if I can make his life easy he's happy to listen

[jennyjj01]

A few hours on the allotment today. I'd had my eye on a strawberry which was ripening up. Just the one. LOL. I was determined to get to it before the critters. Anyways, I harvested that ONE strawberry and it will be tomorrows breakfast.

Today I was also weeding. That blasted bindweed looks to be firing up new shoots at a stupid rate and is growing up and out by about 6 inches a day from the roots I failed to extract. I'm thinking that next week, I'll spot glyphosphate the new growth in an attempt to destroy some roots. Risky as It'll encourage growth.

Marestail is being suppressed with just a handful appearing over the week/ I'm plucking out what I see before it reaches 3 inches and using my knife to bring out at least 6 inches of root.

Harvested my first little crop of spuds. Enough for tomorrows dinner.

[Frnc]

Used portable AC yesterday. Turned off at 8pm, took hose/kit out, and opened window. Air outside was 19°, and fell to 15 by 10pm. Room rose from 21.5 to 23 during this period, then fell 0.7 overnight.

So at 10pm room was 23, despite 15° air coming in. But I think it was still worth using the AC that day. Peak outside temp was only 23, but house has built up heat over the last week.

Over the last week, the AC has used £6 of electricity.

I noticed yesterday it's quite noisy from outside. Good job I don't run it at night, or it could bother a neighbour. The sound is more the air rushing out outside, plus the muffled sound of it blowing cool air out in my room.