How will El Niño effect us this year?

[marlowswindows]

I thought last year was worst in ages, never had it where it gets to 11ish & pole still freezing despite heaters in van.. wonderful whether to get cheap hot water like squeaky dave done?

I've got same set up as him works a treat but you do need to pump it around the system to get the heat to circulate cheapest way for hot water and the beauty of it is you only heat it up when you know the temps will be low. 3 years not since I've fitted it nothing negative yet

 

[Dave B]

I was trad back then and worked all through it even the snow blizzards lol
Plus I earned extra money as was driving round west London at night in a grit lorry for a friend doing Royal Mail and Sainsburys car parks earning a couple hundred a night

I dumped half a tonne on the south mimms slip road off the a1m when it was -13 at 2am and police couldn’t get cars up the slip road due to sheet ice
Went up and down a junction to give a 2nd go but they were getting up it by then

 

[Iron Giant]

I dumped half a tonne on the south mimms slip road off the a1m when it was -13 at 2am and police couldn’t get cars up the slip road due to sheet ice
Went up and down a junction to give a 2nd go but they were getting up it by then

Replying to your own replies welcome to world of me and @spruce #goingsenile

 

[Dave B]

Replying to your own replies welcome to world of me and @spruce #goingsenile

I’ve been losing the plot for years mate

 

[Iron Giant]

I’ve been losing the plot for years mate

Nothing to do with those very reserved weekends in your younger days ?

 

[Dave B]

Nothing to do with those very reserved weekends in your younger days ?

Definitely lol
Some weekends I even remember ?

 

[Peter J]

El Niño is a weather cycle that happens every so many years, it is the reason we had a poor summer and was wondering how it could affect this winter. For those who can remember 2010 that was an El Niño winter and found this quote, “We had an El Niño event in 2010, and although the phenomenon was relatively small, the impact in the UK was pretty severe. If you remember, Britain was brought to a complete standstill with weeks of ice and snow and an average December temperature of -10c, the lowest since records began!”
I Don’t want to sound like the Dail Mail but it may be worth considering in your planning for this winter.

Has anyone got any good recommendations for preventing your outside tap from freezing up?

 

[Part Timer]

Has anyone got any good recommendations for preventing your outside tap from freezing up?

Insulation

 

[marlowswindows]

Move it inside?

Is this an option I have my tap in the garage then drilled small hole for the ro hose to drip into ibc tank outside in 5 years never had any problems

 

[scottish cleaning service]

You can fit a ballvalve on the pipe in the inside. Turn it off and leave tap open and it will be fine. Just use the ballvalve when you want to use the outside tap till after the winter.

 

[marlowswindows]

Does anybody have any tips for fully winter proofing shurflo pumps all hoses are now insulated and wrapped with gaffer tape. But would like to cover the pump with something would this work with putting insulation in and cutting to holes in either side for the hoses to run through.

 

[ched999uk]

Does anybody have any tips for fully winter proofing shurflo pumps all hoses are now insulated and wrapped with gaffer tape. But would like to cover the pump with something would this work with putting insulation in and cutting to holes in either side for the hoses to run through.

Be careful as the pumps get warm and need air circulating to keep them cool. Probably fine to insulate in a box during winter but might shorten life of pump in summer.

 

[marlowswindows]

Be careful as the pumps get warm and need air circulating to keep them cool. Probably fine to insulate in a box during winter but might shorten life of pump in summer.

That was my main concern the heat

 

[Iron Giant]

Does anybody have any tips for fully winter proofing shurflo pumps all hoses are now insulated and wrapped with gaffer tape. But would like to cover the pump with something would this work with putting insulation in and cutting to holes in either side for the hoses to run through.

I'd just take it in the house overnight

 

[marlowswindows]

I'd just take it in the house overnight

Fair point. Could hook it on to timber instead of screw and put quick release connections on.

 

[Iron Giant]

Fair point. Could hook it on to timber instead of screw and put quick release connections on.

I meant just take the entire pump box in the house then the the whole lot is protected if you have the option to put an oil-filled rad in the van then just do that

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Keep it simple and just heat the van when you know there is a good chance it could freeze. I just leave my oil filled rad in van between hose reels most of the winter. Plug it in at 10pm and unplug it in the morning. Don't even think about the cost.

 

[marlowswindows]

Keep it simple and just heat the van when you know there is a good chance it could freeze. I just leave my oil filled rad in van between hose reels most of the winter. Plug it in at 10pm and unplug it in the morning. Don't even think about the cost.

I run immersion in winter but I found on a weekend when the van stood still it froze. I'm not into all this climate change **** but I am a tight fisted northerner and I refuse to heat water for 48 hours ?

 

[ched999uk]

I run immersion in winter but I found on a weekend when the van stood still it froze. I'm not into all this climate change **** but I am a tight fisted northerner and I refuse to heat water for 48 hours ?

So you just need a thermostat set to say 10 deg C at the weekend.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I run immersion in winter but I found on a weekend when the van stood still it froze. I'm not into all this climate change **** but I am a tight fisted northerner and I refuse to heat water for 48 hours ?

Anything mechanical should be run every day. Even if you just take the van for a mile run and back. My mate left his van for months as he was semi retired. When he did take it for a run the engine blew up, something to do with the oil. Anyway he was saying he is fully retired now. ?

 

[ched999uk]

Anything mechanical should be run every day. Even if you just take the van for a mile run and back. My mate left his van for months as he was semi retired. When he did take it for a run the engine blew up, something to do with the oil. Anyway he was saying he is fully retired now. ?

You do realise that 75% of engine wear occurs during warm up!
While it's good to run a vehicle every so often adding start cycles will cause excessive wear on the engine as the oil has drained back to sump and is cold and thick so not pumped round to protect components as well as nice warm thin oil.