The grumpy thread

[Metal Guru]

Got my air con topped up last week by ATS (groupon). No leaks they said , all great. When I got in it was freezing but by the time I got home , all of 5 miles , I’m thinking “ that’s not as cold”. 2hr drive on Weds confirms we’re back to no a/c.

Went back today, “oh yes it’s leaking “. So I get a refund then ? No , we tested it , so it must have happened after you left. Yeh, within 10 minutes. Thieving bastards.

[omegod]

22 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

Got my air con topped up last week by ATS (groupon). No leaks they said , all great. When I got in it was freezing but by the time I got home , all of 5 miles , I’m thinking “ that’s not as cold”. 2hr drive on Weds confirms we’re back to no a/c.

Went back today, “oh yes it’s leaking “. So I get a refund then ? No , we tested it , so it must have happened after you left. Yeh, within 10 minutes. Thieving bastards.

Our 69 reg Qashqai is blowing warm air , they are notorious for holed condensers but I had Halford's stick a gauge on it yesterday and it's apparently full of gas, I've had a dig around and came across a guy who just does aircon from a tiny place, had a good gab with him today and sounded like an older guy, very passionate about aircon , £140 for a " Sonic/accoustic" diagnostic and a drain and refill, sadly we have the very expensive newer gas.  It's getting looked at on Saturday 

http://www.acvehicleairconditioningservices.co.uk/

[RoverFolkUs]

Consumerism at its finest 😞

Bought a kettle about 2 years ago, slightly impulsively, but now the lid is broken

Kept the old one "just in case" - it has a habit of cutting out early, hence impulsively buying the new one, but works fine. So now I'm back to using the trusty 15 year old kettle which is still working perfectly when the newer one is defunct. 

Why did I bother? 🤣

[AndyIggs]

2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

Got my air con topped up last week by ATS (groupon). No leaks they said , all great. When I got in it was freezing but by the time I got home , all of 5 miles , I’m thinking “ that’s not as cold”. 2hr drive on Weds confirms we’re back to no a/c.

Went back today, “oh yes it’s leaking “. So I get a refund then ? No , we tested it , so it must have happened after you left. Yeh, within 10 minutes. Thieving bastards.

Did the same to me many years ago, try submitting a chargeback with your bank, worked for me and got the money back. They don't test it for long enough so if its a very small leak it may not show up.

[cobblers]

4 hours ago, jakebullet said:

I'm on holiday. The Mrs's is being a pain in the arse and the locals are more professional thieves than at home. Here the car door tester was going round the car park on a push bike in daylight. Guess he doesn't like working nights and is confident he can pedal fast. 

Where have you gone on holiday? Hull? 😱

[Stanky]

1 hour ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Consumerism at its finest 😞

Bought a kettle about 2 years ago, slightly impulsively, but now the lid is broken

Kept the old one "just in case" - it has a habit of cutting out early, hence impulsively buying the new one, but works fine. So now I'm back to using the trusty 15 year old kettle which is still working perfectly when the newer one is defunct. 

Why did I bother? 🤣

Martin Lewis said that if you email [email protected] he'll send you a tenner.

[RoverFolkUs]

51 minutes ago, AndyIggs said:

Did the same to me many years ago, try submitting a chargeback with your bank, worked for me and got the money back. They don't test it for long enough so if its a very small leak it may not show up.

The vacuum cycle is not leak detection despite what anyone says. It is to purge the system of moisture. 

Yes, it serves as a leak test, and a lot of machines call it a leak test for a couple of minutes after the vacuum, but anything other than a completely blown seal or a hole somewhere which would fail the vacuum and indeed render the system "not airtight" may still pass the vacuum test as it'll just suck in whatever may be leaking. 

The only adequate leak detection is by pressurising the system and blowing out any weak points. Some leaks don't even show until 4/5/6 bar 

[calebaaront]

Not an awful place to have a breakdown. Suspected dirt in the carb.

[Metal Guru]

40 minutes ago, calebaaront said:

Not an awful place to have a breakdown. Suspected dirt in the carb.

Reminds me of a card I saw the other day. Car broken down. Women says “ can you fix it?” Man replies “just crap in the carb”Woman , “ well , ok if you think it will help!”

[jakebullet]

12 hours ago, cobblers said:

Where have you gone on holiday? Hull? 😱

 Was visiting the delights of newbiggin by the sea. Why eye man, would you like your window broken pet?

[Talbot]

13 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

The vacuum cycle is not leak detection despite what anyone says. It is to purge the system of moisture. 

Yes, it serves as a leak test, and a lot of machines call it a leak test for a couple of minutes after the vacuum, but anything other than a completely blown seal or a hole somewhere which would fail the vacuum and indeed render the system "not airtight" may still pass the vacuum test as it'll just suck in whatever may be leaking. 

The only adequate leak detection is by pressurising the system and blowing out any weak points. Some leaks don't even show until 4/5/6 bar 

This this this.  Sooo many aircon people don't understand the pressures that can be present in an AC system.  200psi is not unusual in a hot condenser, and even when the system is at rest there will be 60+psi in there.  A vacuum test is a crude leak test.  I've known systems that will hold vacuum for hours, but then leak on pressure.  Had exactly this on my E300 just recently.

The only decent way to test is with dry nitrogen (or in theory, dry air will do, but getting the required -80c dewpoint is not easy). 

[cobblers]

1 minute ago, Talbot said:

This this this.  Sooo many aircon people don't understand the pressures that can be present in an AC system.  200psi is not unusual in a hot condenser, and even when the system is at rest there will be 60+psi in there.  A vacuum test is a crude leak test.  I've known systems that will hold vacuum for hours, but then leak on pressure.  Had exactly this on my E300 just recently.

The only decent way to test is with dry nitrogen (or in theory, dry air will do, but getting the required -80c dewpoint is not easy). 

Not to mention that if there's a nick in a seal, there's a flipping decent chance that the vacuum will pull the leak closed (I suppose the atmospheric pressure will actually push it closed etcs etcs)

The automatic machines pull and hold a vacuum and say "fail" if it doesn't hold a vacuum, not to say that the system is OK, but as a you say, a very crude way of preventing people just pumping gas into systems with whacking great holes in them.

[Talbot]

How would you get this:

In here:

?

 

[cobblers]

10 minutes ago, Talbot said:

How would you get this:

In here:

?

 

It'd start with a kiss from a rose and escalate into something much more frenzied one the lid was off the poppers

[iainrcz]

I've just recently learnt that talc, as in talcum powder, can contain Asbestos.

We use a lot of talc at work as a filler/bulker in plastics.

I'm thinking I need to raise it as a concern, I'd rather not end up with Cancer.

[Talbot]

Talc itself is not healthy at all (even without asbestos in it).  The body struggles to remove anything that has been inhaled.  I would be using force-fed fresh-air breathing apparatus around it.

The fact that it's available for sale and is puffed over just about everyone (including the very young) strikes me as absurd.

https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1773.pdf

[iainrcz]

No one I know of at work even uses a paper dust mask when dealing with it.

We can get through multiple tons in a 12 hour shift depending on filler percent of the job. The highest we run is around 73% which is barium.

 

[Metal Guru]

51 minutes ago, iainrcz said:

I've just recently learnt that talc, as in talcum powder, can contain Asbestos.

We use a lot of talc at work as a filler/bulker in plastics.

I'm thinking I need to raise it as a concern, I'd rather not end up with Cancer.

My Dad covered  himself in talc every morning. Didn’t get cancer. I guess he was lucky like people who smoke 60 a day and don’t get it either.

The fact that it is very small particles that can get anywhere and through a lot of masks is probably more concerning than the trace of asbestos.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, iainrcz said:

No one I know of at work even uses a paper dust mask when dealing with it.

We can get through multiple tons in a 12 hour shift depending on filler percent of the job. The highest we run is around 73% which is barium.

 

You're not in the uk, iirc? That sounds bad, not allowed here, I reckon. Paper mask probably not enough.

[iainrcz]

31 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

You're not in the uk, iirc? That sounds bad, not allowed here, I reckon. Paper mask probably not enough.

Yes, glorious Grimsby 😆

I'm going to speak to my team leader on Friday, see what he says.

We do have access to better masks.

[High Jetter]

Uh, forren. Good luck

[paulplom]

20 hours ago, jakebullet said:

 Was visiting the delights of newbiggin by the sea. Why eye man, would you like your window broken pet?

I'm working there today at some point. Not my favourite place.

[horriblemercedes]

15 hours ago, iainrcz said:

I've just recently learnt that talc, as in talcum powder, can contain Asbestos.

We use a lot of talc at work as a filler/bulker in plastics.

I'm thinking I need to raise it as a concern, I'd rather not end up with Cancer.

Excuse my ignorance but I realise I've never known this - what is the purpose of talc in the household?

My family never used it so I've never really known.

I've seen people in films sprinkle it on themselves after a shower, but for what reason?

[New POD]

9 hours ago, iainrcz said:

Yes, glorious Grimsby 😆

I'm going to speak to my team leader on Friday, see what he says.

We do have access to better masks.

Ask to see the material safety data sheets provided by the manufacturer. 

Scratch that. Obtain them yourself. Probably you will be able to down load off interweb. If not there should be a phone number on the container and the supplier should be able to email it to you. 

This should tell you everything you need to know about handling it. 

Then go back and ask for the MSD and ask to see the COSHH assessment.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/nanotechnology/coshh.htm#:~:text=COSHH is the law that,to health (risk assessment)%3B

If they haven't got both or either you need to question if they give a stuff. And let hse know. 

[iainrcz]

1 hour ago, horriblemercedes said:

Excuse my ignorance but I realise I've never known this - what is the purpose of talc in the household?

My family never used it so I've never really known.

I've seen people in films sprinkle it on themselves after a shower, but for what reason?

I think it's like a "smoothing" thing, anti chafe. Plus most are perfumed, so you don't stink.

[myglaren]

Quote

Johnson & Johnson will end global sales of baby powder containing the mineral talc in 2023, switching to a formulation based on corn starch.

The company is facing over 40 000 lawsuits in the US alleging that baby powder contaminated with asbestos caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. But Johnson & Johnson did not attribute the switch to that controversy, calling it a “commercial decision” that “will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers, and evolving global trends.”

“Corn starch based Johnson’s Baby Powder is already sold in countries around the world,” the company said in a statement announcing the change. “Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged,” the statement continued. “We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that …

From the BMJ

My ex-DIL is fairly high up in J&J.

[horriblemercedes]

3 minutes ago, myglaren said:

From the BMJ

My ex-DIL is fairly high up in J&J.

Is she Johnson or Johnson?

[New POD]

2 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Excuse my ignorance but I realise I've never known this - what is the purpose of talc in the household?

My family never used it so I've never really known.

I've seen people in films sprinkle it on themselves after a shower, but for what reason?

Nans the world over used to douse babies and children in it.  My wife's nan used so much on herself that the bathroom floor was a slip hazard. It does make your skin feel soft. 

[horriblemercedes]

29 minutes ago, New POD said:

Nans the world over used to douse babies and children in it.  My wife's nan used so much on herself that the bathroom floor was a slip hazard. It does make your skin feel soft. 

I know that, but for what purpose? Just to make skin feel soft?

[Datsuncog]

Talc has a drying effect too - as a kid I was told to use it on my feet after getting showered to avoid athletes' foot.

I used to keep a container of it in my gym bag, as a puff or two after towelling myself off post-shower did make me feel a bit less clammy before wriggling into my clothes.

That said, I only finished the container (purchased in 1996) a few weeks ago, so I'm not overly concerned that I've exposed myself to lethal levels of asbestos over the past 27 years...