Bj”rn Forsstr”m (2:203/614.61) wrote to Steven Horn at 07:59 on 17 Feb 2004:

 BF> What are you doin'g with your waste?

Some people might not want to know.:-)

 BF> We have to sort it in different bags. Red bags for pure garbage and
 BF> green for food
 BF> garbage and stuff that can be recycled to Methane.
 BF> Then we have to sort tin-cans in one container, paper in one, white
 BF> glass in one and
 BF> green glass in one and so on.
 BF> If you don't do this properly you can get a ticket for it.

So far we only separate into "pure garbage" and recyclables but
the recyclable stuff does not go into methane.  Wine, beer and liquor
bottles go to the recycling depot for refund. 

 BF> To the block heater. After 3 hours the temp in the engine will not
 BF> rise anymore and then you will only burn energy without cause.

Three hours is what my block heater is set at.

 SH> I somehow think that at -5, there is still some viscosity left.

 BF> Yes there is but that isn't the only reason to have a block heater.
 BF> When the metal in the cylinders freeze small pores rise and when
 BF> the even frozen piston with rised pores comes rubbing, all this
 BF> pores will be cut off, just like if you would use a abrasive 
 BF> cloth. And this is happening to all moveable parts in the engine 
 BF> like ball bearings aso. And this will happen even if there is some 
 BF> oil until the temp in the enging makes the pores go down. But if 
 BF> you use a block heater all this small pores don't rise and the 
 BF> engine will last much longer.

 BF> If you cold start your engine every morning in wintertime for a
 BF> couple of years you have worned it out three or four times faster 
 BF> than you would have if you had used a block heater.  When I hear 
 BF> someone cold start his engine in the morning and drive off at once 
 BF> I get goose pimples.
 BF> 

Very eloquent but even if I don't plug in my block heater, I never drive
off immediately after starting.  As for engine wear, we don't put on a lot
of miles.  My last Honda only had 110,000 km on the odometer when I traded
it in and of those kilometers I only put on 80,000 km in 10 years.
 
Take care,

Steven Horn (steven_a_horn{at}yahoo.ca)
Moderator, ALASKA_CHAT 
--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+