u/CrappyTan69

We have a old family "friend" who arrange original mortgage which we pinned at 1.16 and now need to remortgage at 4.64 pinned for 2 years ,best offer or, 4.66 pinned for 5 years.

The part I don't fully get is that their best offer is the exact same as HSBC Premier.

Either of these will add around £1000 to my repayment.

I was thinking, do I:

1. Take a 2-year fixed at 4.61 from either HSBC or via advisor (what is the benefit of either?)
2. Take a 5 year fixed at 4.66 from either HSBC or via advisor (what is the benefit of either?)
   1. This is, I think, unwise I think
3. Take an interest-only for 2 years and pay the same as I would have thus paying off the principle at the same time.
4. Something else?

For those of us in the UK, we're having a crazy hot summer. Yesterday 38.1C / 100.5F registered in London.

My system is a ground mount, 20 x 400W panels, 4-strings into 1 victron mppt and 12 x 300W panels, 2 strings into 2nd mppt.

All this feeds Victron and Pylontech kit.

When it is bright and hot, in summer, the first mppt maxes out at 5KW which is expected.
The second MPPT hits around 3.5KW (panels are less than ideally placed)

This summer, mostly hot weather, I get quite a bit less. Yesterday as a good example, I maxed out 3.2KW and 2.1KW. The main array is running at 40% of what it should be! (3.2/8). I know heat is a problem for panels but a 60% loss is pretty awful.

I'll be going round today and checking connections, voltage drops, heat etc so a bit of debugging to do.

Wondering what others are seeing on the systems?

Facts:

• 32KWh batteries are empty in the morning so there is plenty to absorb generation
• Batteries and system as a whole is in a room in the garden and ventilated with forced extraction.
• Peak temps yesterday were for batteries, reporting 32C. Rated temps are up to 55C.
• Inverter and MPPTs all have fans which are working well.

Edit:

Just checked panels with infrared camera. 81C in some places. Dems working hard

My tiger 900 has around 6000 on the clock, with about 3000 of those mine and London commuting. Lots of filtering and overtaking, slipping into small spaces, heavy on front brakes.

I checked the front pads today and there's not much life left in them.. Will change next weekend.

How long do pads normally last?

I live rural so no piped gas, I use two medium sized bottles with a transfer valve between them.

After changing the bottle, I always spray it with gas leak detector.

I've notices recently the bottle finished quicker than expected and there is a very faint gas smell. Wife cannot smell it but I can.

I've drowned everything in detector spray and it's not foamed up like it does when there is a leak.

Whilst I wait for the plumber, I'm simply curious - how can I smell gas but the leak detector spray does not? Does it "go off"? Can is around 2 years old.

Bottles are outside, well ventilated so smaller chance of a problem.

I've recently had two of these units installed and they're great however, the remote controls look like the one I had on my Betamax in the 80s and 90s.

Does anyone know if I can set a room 'stat for it or get a more stylish.... remote?

I have core switch in garden office. Unifi pro 48port, 4 sfp+.

I have unifi flex 2.5Gb.

Connecting the is 50m of brand new cat6a (full shielding, pairs shielded too) running through conduit buried 600mm in the ground.

Both ends terminated with cat6 rj45. Only one side of shielding earthed.

The switches negotiate at 2.5Gb and connect at that for a while and then fall back to 100Mb. Not even Gb...

This could be hours or days.

Where do I start fault finding on this?

It's controversial but I see all manner of bikes being quite spirited.

A1 - I ride often, no drama there. Normal A road. I do have others pass me and I'm doing 80+ on the GPS.

North circ - average sections to and from Hanger Lane. Many spots, people seem to be averaging over 40 or 50. Maybe 60?

20mph zones in London. Specifically, along the rear of Kew Gardens. 20, everyone on a bike is 30-35 I would guess.

I'm no stranger to speed and spirited driving or riding, I just choose my times but I'm intrigued by the number of bikes I see in what I would consider high risk (ending up in front of a Magistrate)

I've seen instances of unmarked police, do they just not bother with bikes unless you're being an absolute twat?

On my bike safe course, the chap did say "be progressive so you have a clear view in front of you but don't be dangerous" which I translated as "get on with it". 😁

All my other devices, I can ssh into and set inform, these, putty instantly kills the connection.

am I being daft?

https://preview.redd.it/xk0xafjkw0eh1.png?width=448&format=png&auto=webp&s=c353c116b74ef470d9d96bfa019c00c143cb3fd1

eta

I can ssh in all other devices - the controller settings are set to on and have a user/pass specified.
This is weirdly, only these two new switches.....

So I got switched over today. I recall the fiasco from last time.

Reading the explainer is, to me, quite clear and actually beneficial to the end-user (shock, horror).

https://octopus.energy/blog/intelligent-octopus-go-smarter-charging-for-a-greener-grid/

My read-

1. We continue to give cheap rate from 23:30 to 05:30 (6 hours)
2. Me may also start charging outside of that (implies at a cheap rate as it states how your household will benefit).

I read those as pretty good or am I massively missing something?

Edit to add.

Here's my interpretation and my mate Claude's interpretation and image he made.

https://preview.redd.it/h8ubkj35lvdh1.png?width=2040&format=png&auto=webp&s=753cef0cdc7e37b171f6b5eb9e7ca1d6cad07efe

It actually looks like a win?

Cannot find a sub specific to dno and subject covers both so here I am.

Given the energy companies are changing how low tariff is used and scheduled, I'm contemplating switching to 3 phase. The local transformer is only around 100m from my front door.

My question is - any experience in costs from the dno two pull 3 phase in? Cables were run in 2000, 3 single houses in a rural "hamlet".

Might that have put us each on a phase or would they have run 4 core to all houses?

I am on a 100A service.

Second question - from a sparks point of view,

Rough costs to upgrade CU to take 3 phases? Current one is fully populated so no space for isolator. New CU then?

I will manually dig and run new 4 core cable to outbuildings so that too will need to be updated.

It's expensive, yes.

edit to be a bit clearer (my fault...)

The transformer, on my neighbour's open land, a "large" one and not a smaller pole-mounted ones, is fed from a nearby overhead with all 3 phases. They recently mole'd a new line to it and removed the overhead as he had a pool under it and was concerned about the big ali pool broom 😆

There is no public land or byways between the transformer and my house. All private land and on good terms with all neighbours. The transformer also feeds the local village.

Agreed the the DNO cost would be very variable so what would a spark charge to update the CU to at least bring the 3 phases in so we can use them.

Appreciate, it's a bit vague again. Is it 0-2000, 2000-5000, 5000-10000k+ is the sort of banding.

I thought it would do ok as it would flex rather than crack.

Clearly, it's not indestructible but I figure, next to a brick house the same height and size, I would think we're better off.

So, question to the more learned folk - am I somewhat right or do wooden houses also fail in the same manner?

edit to add -

my daughter was musing, just curious, not concerned.

We live in the UK so not near any fault lines. She was just wondering given the scenes unfolding on the TV at the moment and wondered, would wood be better than concrete (she's 11... so it's a really interesting thought process)

Boarding rear, it sounds like the apu is in the middle rather than the tail.

Or is there something else?

I have been using Plex for a gazillion years and now going to move off it due to their current antics.

I have Samsung TVs, some new, some old and software unsupported but still good panels.

I am switching to Jellyfin and know you can side-load them on the new TV but wondering, what is a good option for a stand-alone player? Pi? Something else?

On a car, it's quite different dynamics. 4 wheels, very heavy. Lose one wheel, 3 still clinging on. You feel a wiggle. Can still end in tears.

What's it like on a bike?

A few weeks ago I hit a puddle I was certain I was going to experience it. Yes, I got caught out, too fast on wet A road after a shower.

As soon as I saw it I braked hard to bleed off speed but kept braking into water. I figured weight on the front wheel was good.

By the time I was well and truly in it, speed was low.

Got me thinking though, experience with aquaplaning, recovery options (or just too quick?)

In short, I pay around £50 a month for Backblaze.

I have:
* Company documents I need to keep safe for 6 years
* 30 years of family photos (first digital camera in 1998!)
* Various other bits 'n' pieces.
It's all about 3-4TB

All of this is is currently held on TrueNAS, HP Microsserver with 4 x 6TB disks

What I want to protect against:
* Accidental losss through corruption or deletion.
* Fire
* Theft.

I was thinking of using a spare HP Microserver with TrueNAS on it, putting it in the garage (separated from house) and letting it just hum away in the corner.

This helps all three but not bullet proof.

The above plus an additional USB drive in a fire-proof safe with USB-Passthrough)

This helps more.

Just wondering - what do others do?

I cannot afford to lose any of the above for many, obvious reasons :)

Current have a Shark D-SKWAL 2 I think it is with a cardo pack talk edge on the side.

I wear earplugs, tried so many (not molded yet). Each ride has me with ringing after the ride which lasts for a few hours. I'm convinced the pack talk makes it worse with turbulence over the sharp edges.

Sadly, I got my ears checked and I've lost around 10% in my left ear. Right is perfeck.

So, looking to over index and get the c5 with built in cardo but at around 800 all-on, it's one hell of an investment. I don't mind at all if there is a marked improvement but I'd be disappointed if it was slightly better....

Interested in other's opinions and experiences.

I cannot find any details on what the little "+1" symbol is when the TC light lights up.

My driveway is dirt and it's fun to open the throttle in road / race mode when I get home. Engine burps, rear wheel lets go a bit and the TC light lights up. All expected.

Just under the TC light there is a small white bubble with 1+ in black.
It never gets to 2+....

I cannot find any detail on it in the manuals. Anyone have a clue?