Quick Question Thread

[Empty It]

1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

Thankfully my house is a long way from Dundee, that's the only clue you're getting.

That's all the info we need.

@Hedgecutter do your thing.

[Soapy FFC]

On 17/11/2023 at 11:43, alta-pete said:

seeing as we have your attention, @Zen Archer (Raconteur), I've asked this question many places elsewhere and have yet to get an answer I understand:

To run the gas central heating in the most efficent (cheapest) manner, should I have the boiler turned up high and the thermostatic valves on the radiators turned down low, or should I have the thermostatic valves wide open and the boiler running at as low a temp as possible? If it of relevance, I'm in a fairly modern new build house.

  Reveal hidden contents

And for the pish patter thread, I've already tried it with the windows wide open and that doesn't seem to work.

 

Lots of info on this page.

https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/thermostats-and-heating-controls/

I don't think there is a simple straight answer

 

[Flybhoy]

On 20/11/2023 at 17:03, welshbairn said:

I've just left my house unoccupied for a month and was in a bit of a rush, so instead of following @Zen Archer (Raconteur)'s advice and turning all the TRVs down I just turned the wall thermostat in the hallway down to about 12c. Will I come back to a flood from frozen pipes or an exploded boiler?

If you have an actual room thermostat, either a manual one that turns round or a digital display one, have your heating on constant at the boiler but have the roomstat at something like 10 or 12°  , that will keep the house at a temperature that will keep the chill out the place and prevent frozen pipes etc whilst not giving you a motherfucker of a gas bill  

Another wee tip for you and anyone else this time of year, most frozen/burst pipes occur in the attic   

If it gets close to 0° on the weather forecast remove or, half open the loft hatch if you have a tank and/or water pipes up there to get a bit of heat circulation to prevent a disaster  

[Flybhoy]

2 hours ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Wonder if @Flybhoy is jealous about people going somewhere else for plumbing advice.

Like someone else piping your wife in front of you. 

 

The kind of thing I'm certain Douglas Ross gets his rocks off to.

[coprolite]

I have an occasional commute that involves a decent walk to and from train stations. I have started taking my work shoes in a bag and wearing trainers for the walk. Does this mean i am a woman? 

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

2 hours ago, coprolite said:

I have an occasional commute that involves a decent walk to and from train stations. I have started taking my work shoes in a bag and wearing trainers for the walk. Does this mean i am a woman? 

The feedback from the WhatsApp group are not encouraging.

[tamthebam]

4 hours ago, coprolite said:

I have an occasional commute that involves a decent walk to and from train stations. I have started taking my work shoes in a bag and wearing trainers for the walk. Does this mean i am a woman? 

Wid

[Empty It]

I have a work dilemma, asked for a decent payrise a couple of years ago because I realised I was earning way less than I should in my profession, still on the low end of what I should be earning but the job isn't difficult.

Come now we're being pushed more and more, shite annual wage rise the last 2 years and I'm back in the same position. Interviewed for another job yesterday offering me way more 6/7K more but its a more stressful job.

I don't really want to leave my company but I don't really want to come across as a cheeky c**t asking for more money again, should I just tell them my position and let them decide if they want to pay me the extra?

Not even expecting 6/7K more half that and I'd be happy.

[alta-pete]

4 minutes ago, Empty It said:

I have a work dilemma, asked for a decent payrise a couple of years ago because I realised I was earning way less than I should in my profession, still on the low end of what I should be earning but the job isn't difficult.

Come now we're being pushed more and more, shite annual wage rise the last 2 years and I'm back in the same position. Interviewed for another job yesterday offering me way more 6/7K more but its a more stressful job.

I don't really want to leave my company but I don't really want to come across as a cheeky c**t asking for more money again, should I just tell them my position and let them decide if they want to pay me the extra?

Not even expecting 6/7K more half that and I'd be happy.

Without trying to being facetious £6/7k isnt really 'way more'. Yes, it'll certainly help but if you are a 20% taxpayer it'll net out at about an extra £90/week or if you are going to slip into the 40% bracket, an extra £60/week. (the numbers are approximate before any numerate pedants arrive). That you are in a 'profession' suggests to me you'll either be in the 40% or at least flirting with it.

If you want the extra stress for that sort of money, take it. To counter that negative position, I'd also opine that the new job salary is likely to be a baseline from which you can further advance your pay if you perform to or above expectation. Go after your current employer for the £6/7k and I'd expect they will then view you as fixed at your pay ceiling and also start lumping more responsibility onto you.

Your new employer could of course also turn out to be shit. You won't be the first person to be wooed in a swanky interview room to then turn up at their first day of work and find themselves thrown into in a Dickensian back office, 'just temporary until we find you a proper desk, ok?'.

Horses for courses, your call mi amigo.

 

 

[Brother Blades]

45 minutes ago, Empty It said:

I have a work dilemma, asked for a decent payrise a couple of years ago because I realised I was earning way less than I should in my profession, still on the low end of what I should be earning but the job isn't difficult.

Come now we're being pushed more and more, shite annual wage rise the last 2 years and I'm back in the same position. Interviewed for another job yesterday offering me way more 6/7K more but its a more stressful job.

I don't really want to leave my company but I don't really want to come across as a cheeky c**t asking for more money again, should I just tell them my position and let them decide if they want to pay me the extra?

Not even expecting 6/7K more half that and I'd be happy.

Give it all up & turn to a life of crime. 

[Empty It]

7 minutes ago, Brother Blades said:

Give it all up & turn to a life of crime. 

That is my profession, getting nowhere near a fair cut for the crack I'm slinging.

[Brother Blades]

1 minute ago, Empty It said:

That is my profession, getting nowhere near a fair cut for the crack I'm slinging.

Ah ok, as you were. 

[TxRover]

On 22/11/2023 at 09:36, Flybhoy said:

If you have an actual room thermostat, either a manual one that turns round or a digital display one, have your heating on constant at the boiler but have the roomstat at something like 10 or 12°  , that will keep the house at a temperature that will keep the chill out the place and prevent frozen pipes etc whilst not giving you a motherfucker of a gas bill  

Another wee tip for you and anyone else this time of year, most frozen/burst pipes occur in the attic   

If it gets close to 0° on the weather forecast remove or, half open the loft hatch if you have a tank and/or water pipes up there to get a bit of heat circulation to prevent a disaster  

Wouldn’t it be cheaper to use a resistance heating pipe wrap or element? While resistance heating is moderately inefficient, they have plenty of thermostatically controlled solutions that would still use less net energy than watching your warm air boil up into the attic.

[Bairnardo]

Been thinking a lot about my own future and work recently, and whether I could take a punt at starting my own business one day. I think working for myself is the only way I could ever be haply with having a job. 

That said, I know that lots if not most businesses fail not because people aren't good at what they do, but because they aren't business savvy. If I was to, not jump into anything now but start to look tolearn a bit in the next few years, where would I start?

[BFTD]

37 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

Been thinking a lot about my own future and work recently, and whether I could take a punt at starting my own business one day. I think working for myself is the only way I could ever be haply with having a job. 

That said, I know that lots if not most businesses fail not because people aren't good at what they do, but because they aren't business savvy. If I was to, not jump into anything now but start to look tolearn a bit in the next few years, where would I start?

HMRC used to run a variety of one-day courses on different aspects of self-employment. It's hardly in-depth stuff, but useful when you're getting started and should help give you an idea about whether it's something you want to do.

I've no doubt there'll be forums out there for the self-employed to chat shite - maybe ask your missus to see if @Shandon Par could give you some pointers?

Edit: the HMRC stuff used to be free too. I think the idea was to get on good terms with people to reduce the number of folk they have to chase for illegal tax deductions and the like. I thought it was worthwhile.

Edited November 24, 2023 by BFTD

[Shandon Par]

2 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

Been thinking a lot about my own future and work recently, and whether I could take a punt at starting my own business one day. I think working for myself is the only way I could ever be haply with having a job. 

That said, I know that lots if not most businesses fail not because people aren't good at what they do, but because they aren't business savvy. If I was to, not jump into anything now but start to look tolearn a bit in the next few years, where would I start?

Things with a perceived high value but that aren’t really that complicated or involving much outlay on materials/plant. Eg, vinyl wrapping worktops. These guys can be booked up for months and charge more than it would cost for a joiner to replace the worktop for essentially putting some sellotape on a flat surface. 
 

[Boghead ranter]

3 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

Been thinking a lot about my own future and work recently, and whether I could take a punt at starting my own business one day. I think working for myself is the only way I could ever be haply with having a job. 

That said, I know that lots if not most businesses fail not because people aren't good at what they do, but because they aren't business savvy. If I was to, not jump into anything now but start to look tolearn a bit in the next few years, where would I start?

Business Gateway - nearest one is based in a big stadium you'll know well.

[Derry Alli]

1 hour ago, Shandon Par said:

Things with a perceived high value but that aren’t really that complicated or involving much outlay on materials/plant. Eg, vinyl wrapping worktops. These guys can be booked up for months and charge more than it would cost for a joiner to replace the worktop for essentially putting some sellotape on a flat surface. 

I know two boys who do it. One does kitchens. One does cars. 

The kitchen boy makes a decent enough living. The car wrap boy makes a fucking stupid amount of money. 

['WellDel]

39 minutes ago, Boghead ranter said:

Business Gateway - nearest one is based in a big stadium you'll know well.

Would definitely agree with this. When my wife went out on her own she got plenty of excellent help and advice from the gateway including basics like researching competition/potential market share for your chosen job in your area, to start up costs and helping find any grants or subsidies you might be entitled to to get you up and running. Basically help you cover all the bases to come to an informed decision before getting over excited and diving in. Well worth chatting with them.

[Boghead ranter]

1 minute ago, 'WellDel said:

Would definitely agree with this. When my wife went out on her own she got plenty of excellent help and advice from the gateway including basics like researching competition/potential market share for your chosen job in your area, to start up costs and helping find any grants or subsidies you might be entitled to to get you up and running. Basically help you cover all the bases to come to an informed decision before getting over excited and diving in. Well worth chatting with them.

^^ put it much better than I did ^^

Would also add that they do loads of free courses, they let you know about them all, you just pick the one(s) that you would benefit from.  One I did re how Google/Facebook algorithms promote/relegate business pages was especially helpful for me when I was setting up and trying to attract customers.