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passthepotato @aussie.zone
Posts 1
Comments 59
help choosing a car
  • Do you know the tare weight of your tandem trailer?

    Realistically, your needs are fairly incompatible (1.7m height, $25k budget, 2,000kg towing (ideally 2,500, as most good braked tandems weigh more than 400kg with ramps and a spare), and wagon-type).

    Since the height and towing capacity are non-negotiable, you may need to be flexible on other needs: 1: blow the budget, Audi A6 Allroad Quattro, or Volkswagen Passat Alltrack (must be recent models (post 2016?) for the 2t+ towing capacity) 2: SUV type but lower than 1.7m, Volkswagen Tiguan

    Expect to spend more to have your towing capacity upgraded, and a good electronic brake control system installed.

    Other contenders: Mercedes GLC (any diesel), although I can't recommend owning one unless you hate money.

  • What temperature range do you like your thermostat/heater set to in winter?
  • The flat roof doesn't suffer water ingress during heavy/violent rain, only because it is a single sheet from end-to-end. This means if water flows backwards, it doesn't go under another sheet, or under any flashings.

    The asbestos, fortunately, is in good condition. The advantages: will not burn, does not rot or absorb moisture. It makes modifications a little more time consuming (adding power points, etc), because I have to do a lot of preparation and wear the right PPE, but otherwise it's not a hassle to live with.

    To give you an idea of cost, we paid AUD$1100 to have four panels (two inside, two outside) removed + disposed, and replaced with modern cement sheet. (Reason for removal, was so that a split-system aircon unit could be installed on that wall. Removing the asbestos first, meant that the electrician and aircon trades wouldn't have to cut asbestos.)

  • What temperature range do you like your thermostat/heater set to in winter?
  • How interesting - the bricks and blocks would act as quite a good heat mass to sort of, smooth out the temperature? (And chimney is the word we use also 😆)

    Our cottage is built up on hardwood stumps, with a hard oak frame, and asbestos sheet cladding, both inside and out. The roof is almost flat, just a 2 degree incline, with corrugated iron sheets from end to end. Cheap and hollow 😀 hahaha

  • What temperature range do you like your thermostat/heater set to in winter?
  • I don't believe the government has any running initiatives to improve energy ratings on old houses, but there are certainly standards for new builds like you would have today. Generally speaking, because the summer sun disproportionately heats up our metal roof (and our ceiling cavity is not insulated), it will get to around 2-3 degrees hotter inside than it is outside, if no climate control is used.

    The advantage on a sunny winter day, is that it can be 10 degrees outside, and 17 inside if we're lucky :) (but of course that heat vanishes the moment the sun goes behind the trees.)

  • How are you coping with inflation and cost-of-living increases?
  • Posting to add a more quantitative figure for readers, now that I have my notebook in front of me. Each side of our electric blanket, on power setting 1, consumed 0.0229kWh during a 41min testing period. That equates to 0.0559kWh per hour

  • What temperature range do you like your thermostat/heater set to in winter?
  • Ouch, you can keep that! Hit me up if you're ever near Melbourne; we'll take you for a walk through Sherbrooke Forest; if you're here at this time of year, you enjoy cold mornings, and you're very lucky - you may even get to hear a lyrebird song - imitating every other native bird in the forest! 😀

  • How are you coping with inflation and cost-of-living increases?
  • I feel you! We cut most discretionary during Feb 2020 and haven't ramped it back since. We grew accustomed to the emergency lifestyle. Compared to your system, we forego the bottle in favour of 1hr electric blanket to preheat the bed, and set the heater at 14deg. Electric blankets are actually incredible value - we have a power meter (plugs inline with an appliance), and measured each side of the blanket to consume $0.007c (round up to 1 cent) per hour at its lowest setting (at 17c per kwh, our previous contracted rate).

    That reminds me, I really need to make consumption labels for our appliances - I've taken all the measurements, but they're still just scrawled on a notebook.

    edit: numbers

  • Subreddit refugees be like...
  • Nice! Contribute literally anything, it all helps. 10 year reddit lurker here, also making an effort to bring something to the table. Until it gets busy. Then I'll fade into the background again :)

  • What temperature range do you like your thermostat/heater set to in winter?

    So at work today, the discussion of household heating and gas/electricity bills came up (entering winter Down Under), and I commented that we have our central heating set to 14 Celsius (approx 57 Freedoms) overnight, and off during the day/evening. We find that 14 is quite comfortable under a fluffy doona/duvet. I was warmly mocked (well natured), and informed that something closer to 24C (75F) is appropriate, day and night.

    Surely not... right?

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