Comments on: How to cut your power consumption by 40% http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40 How to communicate Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:33:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: David Bradley http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-407900 David Bradley Tue, 13 May 2008 09:23:58 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-407900 By the way, to reduce our collective carbon footprint it might make sense to auction off your Efergy now that you've had the main benefit from it... db By the way, to reduce our collective carbon footprint it might make sense to auction off your Efergy now that you’ve had the main benefit from it…

db

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-407899 David Bradley Tue, 13 May 2008 09:21:05 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-407899 I think yes, you'd get tidelines, but they wouldn't really be visible as the amount of limescale from one fill or even repeated fills is very small and takes days, weeks, months to build up limescale significantly. Of course, in some regions that have naturally soft water you won't get much at all, even after years, but you may see a dark smeary deposit of other salts. Meanwhile, the possible reason that filtering works (it doesn't remove hard water ions) is that it cuts out the dust particles that would otherwise act as nucleation points that will cause seed crystals of limescale to form in the kettle. Another way to prevent a kettle from furring up is to use a chunk of stainless steel gauze which provides a much more accessible surface area than the smooth interior of a kettle for the nucleation of limescale. Moreover, the very fact that the little device jostles around during boiling knocks any growing crystals off the inside wall. db I think yes, you’d get tidelines, but they wouldn’t really be visible as the amount of limescale from one fill or even repeated fills is very small and takes days, weeks, months to build up limescale significantly. Of course, in some regions that have naturally soft water you won’t get much at all, even after years, but you may see a dark smeary deposit of other salts.

Meanwhile, the possible reason that filtering works (it doesn’t remove hard water ions) is that it cuts out the dust particles that would otherwise act as nucleation points that will cause seed crystals of limescale to form in the kettle.

Another way to prevent a kettle from furring up is to use a chunk of stainless steel gauze which provides a much more accessible surface area than the smooth interior of a kettle for the nucleation of limescale. Moreover, the very fact that the little device jostles around during boiling knocks any growing crystals off the inside wall.

db

]]> By: Matthew Stibbe http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-405587 Matthew Stibbe Wed, 07 May 2008 16:21:51 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-405587 David - really? I suppose it makes sense that the same water only has a finite amount of calcium and magnesium to form limescale. So reboiling it wouldn't create more. But intuitively (bad science coming up) would the fact that some water boils off mean that boiling away the same water would leave little 'tide lines' of deposits around the edge as it boiled off. I'm no chemist so this is probably just flying spaghetti monster stuff. Perhaps another explanation of the limescale problem is water that has settled in a kettle has a chance to pick up flakes of limescale and put them in my tea. Actually, come to think of it, that's mad too. The only thing that really does seem to work is the use of filtered water. The limescale has disappeared from my kettle and my tea cup. This sort of reminds of the scientist who got a grant to study whether it was better to put the milk in first or after the tea. Money well spent in my book but I forget what the conclusion was. David - really? I suppose it makes sense that the same water only has a finite amount of calcium and magnesium to form limescale. So reboiling it wouldn’t create more. But intuitively (bad science coming up) would the fact that some water boils off mean that boiling away the same water would leave little ‘tide lines’ of deposits around the edge as it boiled off. I’m no chemist so this is probably just flying spaghetti monster stuff.

Perhaps another explanation of the limescale problem is water that has settled in a kettle has a chance to pick up flakes of limescale and put them in my tea. Actually, come to think of it, that’s mad too.

The only thing that really does seem to work is the use of filtered water. The limescale has disappeared from my kettle and my tea cup.

This sort of reminds of the scientist who got a grant to study whether it was better to put the milk in first or after the tea. Money well spent in my book but I forget what the conclusion was.

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-405586 David Bradley Wed, 07 May 2008 16:16:00 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-405586 Good show, I'm definitely going to get one of these monitors. However, from a scientific point of view, I just have to pick up on a couple of points. The monitor itself will use a little bit of energy tapping into the power cable (negligible really), but, as a chemist, I just have to point out that using fresh water in your kettle every time, while making a nicer cup of tea, will cause limescale to build up more rapidly as you are adding new calcium and magnesium ions to the kettle with each refill. Again, it's negligible and it's better for your heart to intake more of those ions than preventing a few additional micrograms of limescale from forming. db Good show, I’m definitely going to get one of these monitors. However, from a scientific point of view, I just have to pick up on a couple of points. The monitor itself will use a little bit of energy tapping into the power cable (negligible really), but, as a chemist, I just have to point out that using fresh water in your kettle every time, while making a nicer cup of tea, will cause limescale to build up more rapidly as you are adding new calcium and magnesium ions to the kettle with each refill. Again, it’s negligible and it’s better for your heart to intake more of those ions than preventing a few additional micrograms of limescale from forming.

db

]]> By: cult.ass.attentament http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-404963 cult.ass.attentament Tue, 06 May 2008 09:00:10 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-404963 first in Europe the whole story written by the argentinian Hernàn Casciari! just on www.attentamente.com -------------------------------- in esclusiva per la prima volta in Italia il nuovo racconto dello scrittore argentino Hernàn Casciari! solo su www.attentamente.com first in Europe the whole story written by the argentinian Hernàn Casciari!
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in esclusiva per la prima volta in Italia il nuovo racconto dello scrittore argentino Hernàn Casciari!
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]]> By: Toddie Downs http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-404420 Toddie Downs Mon, 05 May 2008 15:47:50 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-404420 This is a terrific post. I think for anyone who has a home office, there's a nagging sense of guilt about things like keeping the thermostat at a livable temperature, the energy of the computer on etc. Granted, it's offset some by the lack of a car commute, but still. I will be checking to see what sorts of things you recommended have corresponding American counterparts and then implementing them. This is a terrific post. I think for anyone who has a home office, there’s a nagging sense of guilt about things like keeping the thermostat at a livable temperature, the energy of the computer on etc. Granted, it’s offset some by the lack of a car commute, but still. I will be checking to see what sorts of things you recommended have corresponding American counterparts and then implementing them.

]]> By: jackie http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-404418 jackie Mon, 05 May 2008 15:26:33 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-cut-your-power-consumption-by-40#comment-404418 I just wanted to say thank you for the advice in your post I saved tons of money on my <a href="http://blog.nationalpayday.com/money/10-tips-home-energy-cheaper/" rel="nofollow">utility bill</a> . I wanted to show you this other article I found that your reader might appreciate. I just wanted to say thank you for the advice in your post I saved tons of money on my utility bill . I wanted to show you this other article I found that your reader might appreciate.

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