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In my neck of the woods, fuel oil is about $3.45/gal, so not too much more expensive. Oil systems are fairly rare though, with the majority of off grid heating being LPG or solid fuel.

Thanks for the replies folks. Over here, even the new builds are predominantly hydronic, albeit utilising various energy sources now. The latest fad is for massively insulated property, fitted with...

Howdy folks, I've been a lurker on this forum for quite a while, and thought I'd ask a wee question about the usage of hydronic heating systems in North America. It seems to me that the vast majority...

As somebody from a country with very low levels of gun ownership, and extremely low levels of gun crime,(5 murders in 2011/12 and 11 attempted murders) I have read these pages with fascination. We...

As per the title: Happy independence day to all the folks of the U.S. Hopefully, us Scots will have our own independence shortly! Have a good one!:cheers:

Actually, it refers to the football (fitba in Scots or soccer in American!) team I support, Glasgow Celtic. It's pronounced with a soft c in the same way as The Boston Celtics. We wear green too!

Well, you get a pint for trying!:cheers: To scour is indeed to scrub vigorously, but in a plumbing/heating context a scour is a drain cock. If you find language and words interesting, you should...

Over here, lagging is pipe insulation. An old lag is someone who has done gaol time. Not got a cue why though... Part of what interests me on this site is the use of different terminologies. Virtual...

We had a remarkable 16c today, or 61F. Remarkable for Scotland in March anyway...

These 'biomass' boiler installations are becoming increasingly popular in rural locations here due to government subsidy for low carbon heating and insanely high oil/LPG costs! In the towns and...

In some of the larger buildings, we have fan coil units which are connected to both heated and chilled water pipework. That is generally how cooling is achieved, rather than ducted air supply,at...

I have never seen a domestic a/c fitted here,(apart from air source heat pumps,which can do cooling too) theres is just no need for it.(Unfortunately!) We just had a Trane dry air chiller fitted in...

Domestically speaking, over 95% of heating in Scotland is boiler based with very few warm air units. The town I live in funnily enough is one of the "new towns" which were built or massively expanded...

Well, if the Scots stereotype is to be believed, it's all about saving money! By the way, is your picture of a British cub scout? I used to wear a not too dissimilar uniform myself many moons ago!...

This is a really interesting thread. I may be quite sad thinking that, but hey ho! Over here, if there is a reported gas escape(in a domestic situation) our procedure would be to carry out a...

Unforunately you can't get beer in them here. I know what you mean though. My wife is German, and when we visit the inlaws, I make a point of going to BK/McD/Pizza hut just for the novelty of good...

Funnily enough, the exact opposite is true over here. Mickey Ds are almost universally minging and BK are usually top notch. Especially the crispy fries. mmm fries.

I use my season ticket for the mighty Glasgow Celtic, drink beer/whiskey/various others and play football. Or soccer as it may be known over there:grin2:

Cheers pal, a cheeky wee nip (or2) of Laphroaig single malt with my haggis,neeps(turnip) and tatties (potato). Can't beat it!:cheers:

On the day when our first minister unveiled details of our long awaited independence referendum (305 years!!!!), it's good to think on what Rabbie Burns, our great poet, who was a supporter of the...

This is almost exactly the situation in Scotland too. The gas transporter is responsible up to the meter outlet. Downstream of the meter is the homeowners responsibility.

Wow. So am I to take it from that comment that poor Americans who cannot afford to choose health care are somehow a lesser class of citizen? Not true Americans? This is a great thread,very...

Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've been called perverse:whistle: It actually depends on where you are. It varies between Laddie, lad or loddie. Scots is a very diverse language with vocabulary...

His name was John Paul Jones, born in Kirkcudbright (pronounced kirk-oo-bri) in the year 1747. In about 1772 he moved to Fredericksburg in the province of Virginia, and he served in the US...

Not knowing the regulations in the States, I could not say if this was legal or not. However, over here appliances (older natural draught ones) can and are regularly range rated. An example would be...

And one of its first and most distinguished officers was a Scotsman! Happy birthday USN.

The family tree thing isn't massive here, but some folk do it. My Dad traced our family back to the 15th century. I work in St Andrews, the home of golf. I must be the only guy there who doesn't...

Aye, Connery is from Edinburgh. Where was your Grandad from?

Not too sure mate. Mind you, he is Irish! I can't pay the pipes, but when I was in the army cadets I played the drum in a pipe band. Many moons ago! Stonewall, Glasgow is where I was born and to the...

It was most likely a boiler. We have relatively few warm air units in domestic properties. Out of all the gas guys I know, I'm the only local one with the ticket to work on them. Fitting boilers in...

That appliance could be anywhere up to 28 years old. I believe that Vaillant now only deal in solar heating in the US. Here in Europe they are regarded as one of the very best gas appliance...

Aye man!

I'm just home from a callout, a leaking diverter valve on a worcester bosch 28 CDi combination boiler. Pain in the backside! I'm on call until Friday morning, then we have a big night out on Friday...

Spare a thought for us poor folk in Scotland! It costs £6.08 for a gallon of diesel here, or £5.94 for petrol. Thats about $9.73 and 9.50 respectively!!! Horrific. Good job my car does 70mpg and my...

A husband and his wife are arguing. She says " You only want sex when you are drunk!"." Not true" replies the husband "sometimes I want pizza too!" :whistle:

Make sure the installer checks your incoming water supply is adequate for the boiler, both pressure and flow rate. Ask also if he will be flushing the system before the new appliance is fitted (many...

General, Municipal and Boilermakers Union (GMB), UK, Scotland area.

High efficiency appliances produce a lot of condensate which can be a nuisance when it plumes outside. Try to make sure that your installer takes this into consideration. Also, if you are going to...

I am also a hydronics guy who works on boilers and water heaters every day. I'm not really au fait with all the manufacturers who are available in the states, however Viessman and Buderus are both...

I always wear sleeveless overalls with carpenter pockets and carry a cybalite LED torch, my beloved leatherman multitool, a 4mm allen driver (for Danfoss thermostatic valve heads- everywhere here!) A...

Done:cheers:

Aw shucks man, you're making me blush! Is it right enough that guys can't DIY a heating system in the U.S.? In Scotland you can do pretty much everything apart from the gas work/flueing without being...

Well, firstly I should say that I'm talking about how these things are done here in Scotland, but the principals are the same. The Glycol water mixture should be determined based on the...

My family name is Dingwall, a sept of the clan Munro. Dread God. Aberfeldy is a bonnie place. It's about an hours drive away from me!

Refractorys are used to protect metal surfaces at critical points of a boiler (the door being the main one.) If you have a flame hitting bare metal you have a situation called 'flame impingement'...

Reading the above posts, I am happy to see that heating guys across the globe have broadly similar experiences... warm in the winter! Ha! Seriously, the major positive for me is that I could never...

Thats great, you may just have become my go to man when I need some US terminology explained!

Howdy fellas, I work for a university as part of the mechanical engineering squad. I served an apprenticeship originally as a plumber and found that I loved gas work, so then went on to serve a...