mending things

My existing programmable thermostat , a Honeywell CM67 started failing. Rather odd actually, it would happily run the default programme but would not let me reprogramme. Every time I put the unit into programme mode, it would let me make a few changes then freeze completely. I tried changing the battery, but no help. Oh well its lasted me 10 years and done good service. I was trying to decide what to replace it with. I looked at the heatmiser range, which have some interesting models including some that can be controlled over wifi i.e from your computer or externally from a phone. Turning up the stat while travelling home on the bus seems a nice idea. However the heatmiser range have to be counter-sunk into the wall , whereas my honeywell unit sits on the wall. I also have been in contact with the UK operation of Nest, the American Smart stat. It has many interesting features, and possibly I'll get on a trial, but that is some way off. I had a pressing need for a new stat, espe...

I have seperately blogged my experiences with LED replacements for halogen bulbs, where their size, low heat and beam characteristics work well, but what about normal light bulbs i.e the kind you have in ceiling lights, reading lights and elsewhere ? While on holiday in the USA I picked up a couple of small golf ball LED bulbs with ES fittings. These were to replace the two conventional light bulbs in my fridge freezer. They work well in this setting, and while a bit dimmer the light quality works well. While only on for a few minutes while the door was open, using conventional bulbs in a fridge bugged me, as it seemed they would introduce some heat into the fridge. Recenetly i purchased a 60 watt equivalent LED bulb from my usual supplier, simplyLED, to see how far these have come. This one was advertised as a true 60 watt bulb replacement in terms of brightness and colour temperature. As you can see the bulb has a semi opaque cover and some yellow sections are visible in...

Left had example is 1968 ( one of a pair). Right hand example is 1970 model ( one of pair) I recently managed to acquire two pairs of vintage Kef Cresta speakers. These are the original speakers to bare this name, one pair date from 1968, the other from 1970 according to the makers hand signed labels. With original failed T27 tweeters   I purchased both pairs from a nearby charity shop where they looked a bit forgotten. Their styling is rather dated, or possibly retro 70s depending on your viewpoint. What makes them particularly interesting is that they were one of the first speakers to use the combination of the Kef T27 tweeter and B110 mid-range/woofer. This same combination was subsequently used in the Legendary LS3/5a speaker, which i also own a pair of. I was interested to see how they compared.   Of the two pairs, the earlier 1968 pair were slightly better made. The cabinets of both are chipboard, not the ply of the ls3/5a. The 1968 unit had black grilles and a better ...

I grew up with vinyl LP's in the 60s and 70s but by the mid 80s I embraced the new CD revolution and sold my LP's. However recently my teenage son started buying vinyl LP's even before we had a turntable. I got him a NAD 5120 for Christmas, which needed a little work but now plays very well with a modest Audio Technica AT95 cartridge. Our vinyl collection has grown and grown, some new but mostly old copies from charity shops, record stores and eBay. Often with purchases from charity shops ( thrift stores in the US) the records might be in poor condition. Always worth inspecting the disc out of its sleeve to see if it has any serious scratches. If it does its probably worth giving it a miss, but if its just dirt or grease these clean up very well. Its fun browsing boxes of old LP’s again, and if the charity makes some money then even better. However even apparently clean records sometimes "skip". This can be due to scratches but if the skip is a single one off i....

Preamble About 10 years ago we bought  a  fridge-freezer as part of a new kitchen.We got a  De Dietrich brand refrigerator, which was on offer from the people who installed the kitchen (a long story). I'd never heard of De Dietrich,  they are in fact French, despite a reassuringly German sounding name.  Our model is a  UW1597E1 but this is a re-badged  GE (General Electric) Model, so this is an American made American-style fridge, rather than European or Korean made. I'm not sure precisely which model from GE it is, probably one of the following which share common parts : TFH22PRXBWW, TFH22PRXDAA,TFH22PRXDWW, TFH22PRXFAA, TFH22PRXFWW, TFH22PRYAAA, TFH22PRYAWW, TFH24JRXAAA, TFH24JRXAWW, TFH24JWXAAA We had a number of other De Dietrich appliances including an electric oven and a steam oven. These have slowly all failed and been replaced and now only the Fridge remains. Its a monster-size refrigerator and  unlike any other...

A new problem , the Dyson DC14 has a removable side section for clearing blockages. From its size I would guess it also can accommodate a filter on some models. Its held in by a plastic catch, attached to the main body of the motor housing. This side section dropped out recently while I was clearing the beater bar of entangled hairs. I popped it back but noticed the catch was gone - it had snapped off. While the suction of the motor should hold this section in place when on, it does need something to pull it in line. I improvised with a couple of cable ties until I can see if there is a replacement part. Update . I ordered and replaced the catch, its called a: Dyson DC14 Motor Inlet Cover Catch 909235 It took a couple of goes as it appears that the shape of this catch has changed within the DC14 production run. There is a 909235-1 and a 909235-2 . Mine had a longer earlier style catch  with a ribbed section, and was initially shipped the later part variant which was ...

  SimplyLED notified me that they now stock a new range of next generation LED GU10 and MR16 bulbs. I have purchased from them in the past, and they offer a money back refund, so I thought I'd try one. In my kitchen I still retain 6 50 watts  halogen GU10 bulbs as downlighters over hob, sink and work surfaces. The light quality was more critical here than in bathrooms where the bulk of LED bulbs have been used?   I replaced one of them with one of the new type bulbs. While described as next generation they are actually closer to the surface mount type, but with each WMD element with a small domed diffuser on it. In other respects they look the same. However the light quality is very good indeed.  The light is slightly whiter than halogen which has a warm faint orange tint to my eyes, but the brightness is superior to halogen. They use multi light sources but project it in a tighter beam. Anyway here is a picture :  In the picture the light closest to the camera...