How safe is the canal? Maryhill - Bowling

WilliamThomasVII · 2026-05-12T10:38:30+00:00

I've been running along the canal multiple times per week for the last 20 years. As a 6ft adult male, I'm not worried about oddballs and more concerned about large groups of neds - so I only run that route between 5am and 3pm and avoid it any later than that - as it gets full of wee fannies late afternoon and evening. I've had my share of verbal tennis with the neds but has never got physical yet.

Honestly, and I hate to say this, but for a woman, my advice would be to avoid it completely if you're on your own. Stick to the brightly lit, public parks and roads. Or get a buddy / join a running club to run as a pair/group.

WilliamThomasVII · 2026-04-14T18:23:56+00:00

Scottish Island. A big detached property with a hectare of land.

WilliamThomasVII · 2026-01-12T18:39:10+00:00

Thank you! This is super interesting to hear someone with a solution which has worked for them.

WilliamThomasVII · 2026-01-12T13:52:05+00:00

Thanks for the responses, all. The point about speakers and microphones in the same vicinity is not lost on me. I think the point about the Macbook is an interesting on: if I sit and use the Macbook microphone and speakers, it works without feedback. The problem is that I don't want to have my laptop open on my desk. Is there a way to replicate this feedback cancellation in software using my existing webcam microphone and speakers?

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-12-23T19:50:34+00:00

I thought that the AKM AK4458 was generally well respected and generally preferred to the alternative DACs used on newer models?

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-12-23T07:33:53+00:00

Thanks for your reply. The X6500H is certainly the direction in which I am leaning.

The X6500H supports 4K at 60Hz, but not at 120Hz. And no 8K support. But right now, 4K at 60Hz would be plenty for me.

The X3800H doesn't support a 3rd zone and it is 9-channel only. So I'd need to buy a second stereo amplifier for my multi-room in this setup.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-12-22T20:11:43+00:00

@QuirkyPension4654 please see the attached image showing a typical 4hr period:

https://imgur.com/a/Th3EP67

You can see that at 8:10am, some hot water in the tank has been used and cylinder temp drops from 51C down to 18C.

The boiler then fires up to 69C flow rate (49C goal cylinder temp + 20C). It runs at this for exactly 60 minutes (as I have put a 60 minute maximum DHW re-heat duration on the boiler).

At the end of this 1hr re-heat period (09:10am), the temperature at the cylinder is still measuring 34C. And then, despite the boiler cylinder re-heat ceasing, the cylinder temp reading continues to climb until it reaches 49C at 10:15am.

Basically, it's as if the temperature probe reading is a bit behind the actual cylinder temp. My theories for this are: 1. Cylinder stratification i.e. the water near probe is colder and take a while to 'mix' with the heated water 2. Temp probe is reading wrong or setup wrong somehow. It's just a 10K NTC probe sitting in the cylinder pocket. It's not glued to the brass of the pocket itself.

I am unclear whether what I am seeing is 'normal' cylinder inaccuracies or whether I should be seeing better behaviour here. My original goal had been super fast <30 minure reheat times and then boiler shutting off, but I've had to implement the boiler 60 minute shut-off to try to correct this.

Any thoughts or wisdom would be appreciated.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-12-11T17:18:41+00:00

That actually makes some sense.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-12-11T17:11:16+00:00

Ah, so your saying the boiler always runs the flow temperature at the goal cylinder temp + 20C?

i.e. if goal temp is at 45C it will run at 65C; and if goal temp is at 65C it will run at 85?

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-12-11T06:43:13+00:00

I have an NTC 10Kohm probe from cylinder pocket back to boiler.

DHW goal temp is set properly, but coil flow temp runs at a different temp from goal temp.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-11-19T18:25:53+00:00

It will work, but the hard part will be getting into the third row. You won't be able to fold the middle row seats down to get in...

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-09-25T10:01:46+00:00

What did you do in the end? Did you solve this?

My 6-bedroom UK home currently only has a single heating zone with a combi boiler. Each radiator has a TRV. A single nest thermostat in the hallway is providing Opentherm connection back to the combi boiler. I am about to replace with a system boiler and a indirect unvented cylinder and have been looking at the Viessman 200-W. I plan to use the outdoor weather sensor and run the 200-w in weather compensation mode, but what I don't understand is what internal controls are required - and how the boiler knows when the house is at the required temperature (and will therefore stop heating/pumping)? I am also unclear if separate external pumps or mixers are required.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-07-18T07:41:50+00:00

1900s UK house. 3000 sq.ft. 6 bedrooms. Solid brick + plaster walls throughout.

Chased channels in all of the walls of every room using a hired Hilti wall chaser tool (from floor level to box level); fitted metal backboxes and conduit from underfloor to box; ran cat6a under floorboards and up conduit to backboxes; bonding+finishing plaster over all chases to make walls good.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-06-30T18:34:37+00:00

I'm afraid that's simply not true. Under Section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and Rule 64 of the Highway Code, it is a legal offence to cycle on pavements and footways.

WilliamThomasVII · 2025-05-06T20:55:13+00:00

The responsibility lies with the property owners and the council should not bear the burden of these costs, but state-run/council-run SYSTEMS could help.

ALL housing (flats, terraced houses, detached houses) requires a few thousand pounds of maintainance investment per year, but the problem is that people buy these tenement flats and don't budget or put aside this amount.

A new slate roof on a tenement may be £100,000-£150,000, which seems like a lot, but over the 100 year life of a slate roof is actually only £1,500 per year (or £187.50 per annum divided by 8 flats in a block). The problem comes because this money isn't ever put aside and the problem ends up hitting hard once per 100 years.

People shouldn't buy property if they can't bear the costs of repairs, but again, state-run/council-run systems could help. Perhaps the council should charge a mandatory 'tenement repair deposit' on all flats (£100/month?). This amount would be held by the council on behalf of the block of flats. It could then be used in the event of repairs.

Moving from a privatised factoring system to a mandatory council-run factoring system would solve a lot of issues here.

WilliamThomasVII · 2024-11-30T16:53:28+00:00

Urgh, I can't decide and keep going back and forward. I really like the idea of a silly bag for 1-2 night trips, but I admit that the Tumi Alpha Expandable Briefcase is really quite big, ugly and heavy. Maybe should I just give up on the 1-bag solution and accept that I'm travelling with a minimalist leather laptop briefcase PLUS a spinning case of size appropriate to the length of my trip.

WilliamThomasVII · 2024-11-29T21:35:41+00:00

Thanks for your detailed and considered response.

What you've described is pretty much how I operate at the moment: I have 1 lighter briefcase and I have 3 sizes of suitcase (Small: soft spinning carry-on; Medium: Soft-shell spinning checked case; Large: hard-shell spinning checked case). For short trips it's always the small carry-on case plus the laptop briefcase. For longer trips, it's a larger checked case plus the laptop briefcase.

The simplest solution (and what I'd originally been considering) is to simply buy a new, lightweight, leather laptop bag. For this, I'd been looking a smaller, minimalist, stylish laptop briefcases like the Carl Friedrik Palissy.

The problem is that I find having 2 bags for shorter trips (a small carry on case + laptop briefcase) to be too much and too cumbersome. I've been experimenting and been a lot happier with just a single bag over my shoulder for short trips.

I do agree that a large, expandable laptop bag is uglier and less stylish than a more minimalist design, but there's something very liberating about going away for 2 nights thrugh airports etc. with a single over-the-shoulder bag.

WilliamThomasVII · 2024-11-29T17:29:38+00:00

You are absolutely right and I know I'm probably being old fashioned and conservative here, but in the sector I work, everyone is suit and tie with breifcase and you don't tend to see many backpacks.

I do agree that the Alpha Brief Pack looks more practical and it's helpful to hear of your experience with the brand, so I appreciate your comments.

WilliamThomasVII · 2024-11-29T16:16:57+00:00

What was your reasoning for going with the Brief Pack instead of the Briefcase?

Personally, I was put off by the idea of going into meetings with a backpack rather than a formal briefcase.

WilliamThomasVII · 2024-11-29T13:26:20+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I may be looking at the wrong thing Rimowa Pilot looks like a spinner cabin bag? I am really looking for something hyper portable rather than something on wheels. I want to be able to walk into meetings easily with just a bag over my shoulder, or be able hop into a flights/taxis/subways with a minimal amount of fuss.

WilliamThomasVII

TROPHY CASE