Its freeeeeeezing in Transylvania!

[baxxter]

Two popular manufacturers

http://wup.defa.com/en/wup_products_preheaters.html

http://www.calix.se/consumer/index.asp?lang=UK

That genuine block heater in roverparts.com looks like a toy..

Heater element costs 50-80eur, installation kit 20-40eur and wiring 40-50eur. Wiring for inside heater 50-70eur. Installation is something else, than just "Simply pop out a freeze plug and insert the coil permanently in its place."

Webasto/eberspächer ~1000eur + 250-400eur installation.

Atleast in nordic countries some diesel cars have webasto/eberspächer installed in factory or by importer. Modern diesel engine just doesn't generate enough heat without extra heater for car to warm up. So everytime when temperature goes below +5C (?), webasto runs when engine is running. I had clock switch and remote control installed afterwards and I love that remote control

[jacks906]

when you talk about the webasto/eberspächer are you talking of the airtops which heat the interior or the ones that go into the cooling system that warms the cooling system up?

cheers for them two links will have to have a look into them as they dont seem to sell them here in the UK but will make contact and see if i can get hold of them

cheers

dave

[Paul64]

With regards to your water supply i'd seriously consider a bore hole over any other method for reliability, also i'd consider a basic filtration system followed by a UV treatment before drinking - you may think its pure, and the locals may say its pure and ok but it would be much safer with such a system in place for guarenteed 100% safe drinking water.

Good luck out there - stunning scenery

You are 100% correct about bore hole water. There are two underground streams that can be tapped into where I live. The lower stream is safest, but when the ground water level is high the lower stream is sometimes contaminated by the upper stream. A lot of the villagers use open septic tanks, so this upper stream suffers as a result. I drink bottled water for a cold drink and boil everything from wells or bore holes. I did look into the UV and filtration system you suggest which I think was around £300 in the UK, but yet to find anything similar here.

What's the mains voltage in Transylvania?

220V

Great thread Paul. I'd like to come out there for a snoop around at some stage before they carry me off in my wooden box.

Your welcome anytime. Wood is very cheap here too!

[smo]

Until recently i worked for the UK's no.1 water company.....i'd seriously invest those £300 for clean safe water Paul.

Out of interest, what made you move there, did you used to live in the UK?

[q-rover]

The Eberspacher I had in the 110 was plumbed into the engine's cooling system.

Once this reached a certain temperature it switched on the heater fans to start getting

the inside warm aswell.

As for their problems, make sure you have good batteries, and run it once a week

during the summer aswell.

I didn't have a problem with mine in the 2 years I had the car.

[Paul64]

Until recently i worked for the UK's no.1 water company.....i'd seriously invest those £300 for clean safe water Paul.

Out of interest, what made you move there, did you used to live in the UK?

The plumber I used for the central heating system is going to talk to friend of his for a quote for the bore hole. I have to get this right as both my neighbours have wells. One had his dug 14 metres in depth and has water all year round. The other neighbour went down to 10 metres and only has water until late August. I had an old boy around in the summer to give me a quote for traditional well and he mapped the stream for me in my garden by dowsing! I wasn't sure whether to take this seriously but the villagers tell me this is the method he has used for more than 100 wells, and you don't want to get it wrong if your digging for up to 2 weeks. I will be back in the UK end of March for a couple of weeks so I will have a good look at some of these UV filtration systems. Can you recommend any system in particular?

The last time I lived in the UK was 1998. I worked in Germany as a civilian Nurse with the British army for 9 years and moved here March 2008. I have always been an outdoors person, so after 24 years in the Nursing professions and always working inside, I was gagging for a change. I used to work in the same village as a volunteer medical aid worker in the early 90's and have been coming back each year for my holidays since. I have no regrets at all and the hardest decision that had to be made was to give up a good salary and pension. But in the grand scheme of things I now realise that quality of life is far more important.

Cheers,

Paul

[Les Henson]

Transylvania!

How do you deal with the vampires? Does garlic/silver bullets/decapitation/stake through the heart, really work?

Is there a modern-day aerosol version of the above - 'Vamp Gone' or something like that?

Les

[JimAttrill]

Here we have mosquito nets - there they have vampire nets

We have an aerosol called 'Peaceful Sleep' dunno if it works for vampires though

I must say, Paul, that you seem to be living in a fantastic place. Though a bit colder than what I would like.

[ThreeSheds]

...

he mapped the stream for me in my garden by dowsing! I wasn't sure whether to take this seriously

...

Trust the Dowser!

Sorry - O/T:

My brother used to dowse to find buried mains cables before they had electronic location equipment. He is very insistent that it worked very well and can find any underground linear feature such as water pipes etc. It doesn't do so well with plastic gas mains though. I saw a science programme years ago which attempted to explain dowsing and came up with a very plausible explanation.

[Paul64]

How do you deal with the vampires? Does garlic/silver bullets/decapitation/stake through the heart, really work?

Is there a modern-day aerosol version of the above - 'Vamp Gone' or something like that?

Les

There is a place further north with a huge area of forest where many weird things have reportedly "happened". It is known by the locals as the Bermuda triangle of Romania and they give the healthy warning "STAY OUT". Just out of interest Vlad the Impaler's (Vlad Ţepeş) castle Bran is only an hour and a half from me!

I must say, Paul, that you seem to be living in a fantastic place. Though a bit colder than what I would like.

Hi Jim,

Yes, it is very cold but I have to say it is a very different cold than I am used to in the UK. Because it is so cold here it is very dry and the snow is powdery. There is very little wind too so you don't have the wind chill factor to contend with either. Seasons are very distinct so you really do know when it is spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Trust the Dowser!

Sorry - O/T:

My brother used to dowse to find buried mains cables before they had electronic location equipment. He is very insistent that it worked very well and can find any underground linear feature such as water pipes etc. It doesn't do so well with plastic gas mains though. I saw a science programme years ago which attempted to explain dowsing and came up with a very plausible explanation.

The dowser could see the scepticism on my face so handed over the tools. I have to say there was a definite tug on the wires as I walked over te area where he said the stream was.

[roybatty666]

The UK weather does suck, it does bad versions of everything, When its hot it is too close and stormy, when its cold it is wet

Still I had to scrap the inside of my window this morning so I little part of me velt like I was in 'vania with you

[Chris123]

The plumber I used for the central heating system is going to talk to friend of his for a quote for the bore hole. I have to get this right as both my neighbours have wells. One had his dug 14 metres in depth and has water all year round. The other neighbour went down to 10 metres and only has water until late August. I had an old boy around in the summer to give me a quote for traditional well and he mapped the stream for me in my garden by dowsing! I wasn't sure whether to take this seriously but the villagers tell me this is the method he has used for more than 100 wells, and you don't want to get it wrong if your digging for up to 2 weeks. I will be back in the UK end of March for a couple of weeks so I will have a good look at some of these UV filtration systems. Can you recommend any system in particular?

I imagine it's a fair distance, but how close are you to your neighbours? The reason I ask is that if you place a borehole in the same aquifier as another one, then they can start upsetting each other, and you might upset your neighbour by preventing water getting to his borehole (even if you're downhill from him).

[FridgeFreezer]

According to the UK weather, it got down to -11 last night and the met office have issued a severe weather warning our weather really is dull

[Paul64]

I imagine it's a fair distance, but how close are you to your neighbours? The reason I ask is that if you place a borehole in the same aquifier as another one, then they can start upsetting each other, and you might upset your neighbour by preventing water getting to his borehole (even if you're downhill from him).

I am about 45 metres from both wells. My neighbours have been encouraging me to arrange a well as the pipework to the nearest cooperative water supply will be too expensive.

The UK weather does suck, it does bad versions of everything, When its hot it is too close and stormy, when its cold it is wet

Still I had to scrap the inside of my window this morning so I little part of me velt like I was in 'vania with you

According to the UK weather, it got down to -11 last night and the met office have issued a severe weather warning our weather really is dull

2 nights ago it was reported to be -32oC in the town of Covasna (25kms away). On the news there were lots of pictures of people in hospital beds with black toes!

[cipx2]

The region Paul chose to live in is the coldest area of the country. The so called North Pole or Cold Pole of the country is only 26 miles south from him.

Paul's village is where I've placed the green placemark.

The Cold Pole is represented by the blue pin (3).

The (1) and (2) yellow and red pins are another two places where usually the temp drops more than normal.

The reason for lower temps is that the circled area is in a corner of a depression in the mountains, surrounded by a chain of over 2000 m mountains to the South and Est (green line), so the westerly winds (predominant winds in Europe - red arrows) are deflected upwards and build up a high pressure in the area - that's why there are almost no winds in the area.

Early yesterday morning there were the lowest temps recorded this winter:

* -31C at the blue pin

* -26C at the yellow pin

* -25 at the red pin (60 miles North from the village)

* -24 where it says Brasov *

whereas in the rest of country the temps where about -10C.

Here's a view of Paul's village in the winter and a panoramic view in the late spring (large files!)

Paul, my suggestion is to bring down the coolant to the correct 50/50 ratio asap. You will need an antifreeze tester for that.

In the meantime, before starting the engine in lower than -20C mornings, pop up the bonnet and squeeze the top hose in your hand to see if the coolant is still liquid enough to freely migrate to the expansion tank. The coolant won't freeze rock solid, the worst case would be like a pourly made ice cream (with ice pins).

As for the water, you'll have to dig a bore hole, no doubt about it. My advice is dig the hole first, have the water tested at the nearest water laboratory (10-20 quid) and, if the case might be, choose the most suited filter system for the case. The filters are ranging from 1-200 up to 2000 quid, depending on what and how they filter.

[Chris123]

I am about 45 metres from both wells. My neighbours have been encouraging me to arrange a well as the pipework to the nearest cooperative water supply will be too expensive.

Should be all groovy for domestic use, just don't start a bottling plant

Myself and a couple of friends are heading over that way in August, just for the purpose of driving the Transfagaras (sp?) highway, quite looking forward to it!

[cipx2]

.......... just for the purpose of driving the Transfagaras (sp?) highway.....

The spelling is close enough >>> Transfagarasan

But that's for the kids In fact, it's recommended to have at least 1 year driving experience to drive this road.

If you want a more thrilling experience and plenty of adrenaline rushes try this: Transalpina - 4x4 highly recommended, a 4x2 only if it has sufficient ground clearance and only in dry conditions. Here's a video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dEGLkVq-y4k (although it might not look as being too bad the song's name says it all).

Or you can cross the mountains on one road and cross back on the other (but watch out for the weather forecast before crossing on Transalpina!)

[Chris123]

The spelling is close enough >>> Transfagarasan

But that's for the kids In fact, it's recommended to have at least 1 year driving experience to drive this road.

If you want a more thrilling experience and plenty of adrenaline rushes try this: Transalpina - 4x4 highly recommended, a 4x2 only if it has sufficient ground clearance and only in dry conditions. Here's a video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dEGLkVq-y4k (although it might not look as being too bad the song's name says it all).

Or you can cross the mountains on one road and cross back on the other (but watch out for the weather forecast before crossing on Transalpina!)

Cooo errr!! Video will have to wait til tonight though, as I'm at work. My friend was thinking of taking a porsche 944, for the twisty stuff. Might that then be a tadge suicidal for the Transalpina??

Looking at this photo, one suggests it might be!

[cipx2]

No, a Porche can't cross on Transalpina. The road isn't actually a road since it's not paved. It's a gravel road, rocky and steep. Wait and see the video (search for Transalpina to see other videos) and you'll see for yourself.

Try to avoid the weekend for crossing on Transfagarasan, too many vehicles on the road at that time of year for a proper experience.

[smo]

Oh wow, i have to drive those roads!

[Paul64]

Cooo errr!! Video will have to wait til tonight though, as I'm at work. My friend was thinking of taking a porsche 944, for the twisty stuff. Might that then be a tadge suicidal for the Transalpina??

Looking at this photo, one suggests it might be!

You can take a 944 over the Transfagarasan though. You just have to take it easy at altitude as there are few bend barriers, so make sure your brakes are in good working order! I took these photos in June and there was still plenty of snow and ice around. Although the views are spectacular the Transfagarasan is all tarmac and very tame. you should consider visiting us if you want to see similar but with real dirt in your tread!

[Chris123]

No, a Porche can't cross on Transalpina. The road isn't actually a road since it's not paved. It's a gravel road, rocky and steep. Wait and see the video (search for Transalpina to see other videos) and you'll see for yourself.

Try to avoid the weekend for crossing on Transfagarasan, too many vehicles on the road at that time of year for a proper experience.

Cheers, I think I might well have a word with mr Paul64 then, see if a 4x4 excursion is possible, as it does look like the best way to see the place. I would take my own landy, but time is short in august so need to get around quickly.

[cipx2]

Of course, Paul is only 100 miles drive from the north end of the Transfagarasan road. Transalpina is parallel to Transfagarasan a further 60 miles West.

Paul, the pics are bit too big for my 2 Mpix screen and my 20Gb broadband, could you make them a tad smaller?

[Paul64]

Of course, Paul is only 100 miles drive from the north end of the Transfagarasan road. Transalpina is parallel to Transfagarasan a further 60 miles West.

Paul, the pics are bit too big for my 2 Mpix screen and my 20Gb broadband, could you make them a tad smaller?

Photos resized Mr Chip, and thanks for the cold weather explanation, as I have learned something there too!

[cipx2]

Much obliged, Mr. Paul.

Now I can print the 3rd pic, hang it on the wall in my bedroom so I can count some sheep to go to sleep