Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now

[Shaw S Hunter]

I don't think it's timber framing in particular, but rather multi-storey timber framed buildings. There is/was an issue with mains gas supplies to such construction:

Gas supplies to multi-storey timber framed buildings - HSE

Gas supplies to multi-storey timber framed buildings

www.hse.gov.uk

Sadly even this can't prevent fires arising from stupidity. There was once a 6-storey building of this type of construction that lost the whole top floor, literally, and most of one end thanks to careless use of a barbecue on a balcony.

 

[Yorkshire09876]

How far back in history is this? IME punctures are no more or less common now than when I first started driving 30+ years ago.

The repair goop is a very poor substitute for a spare wheel for next to no benefit, you don't gain any useful boot space (in all the cars I've had with repair kits, the spare wheel well is just plugged with a foam tray) and a weight saving of around 15kg on a 2 tonne car is insignificant.

I had an issue last year where a wheel was badly damaged by a pothole. Fortunately my car has a full-size spare as I was out in the country on a single-track road. Goop would have been completely useless in this situation as the damaged wheel and tyre were wrecked. As it is, I was able to change the wheel and drive it home.

 

[scarby]

I remember as a kid, back in the 1950's, the air-raid siren on top of our local telephone exchange being tested at regular intervals, usually on a Sunday if memory serves correctly.
We lived some distance away from it, but it was pretty loud.

Of course, fast forward to current times and we now have the National Emergency Alarm or whatever they call it on our mobile phones. When they tested it in the south-west out of the blue last year, it scared the living daylights out of me - I think I finished up vibrating in tune with the wretched phone ......

There are still outdoor alarms in Sweden which are tested at 3pm on the first Monday of the month every three months. They are very loud.

 

[PeterC]

Combi boilers are great - but for larger homes, a system boiler and hot water cylinder is still preferred as a boiler that could keep up with maximum demand would be unduly large. Our immersion heater switch is buried away in the cupboard with the cylinder so it's really easy to forget about and run up a huge electricity bill!

Mine is fitted with a timer.

 

[DelW]

Combi boilers are great - but for larger homes, a system boiler and hot water cylinder is still preferred as a boiler that could keep up with maximum demand would be unduly large. Our immersion heater switch is buried away in the cupboard with the cylinder so it's really easy to forget about and run up a huge electricity bill!

I use the immersion heater (in preference to the gas boiler) for hot water at this time of year, as it doesn't add any waste heat to the rest of the house. Current temperatures in south east England make that an important consideration. It also seems only to heat the top part of the tank if it's only turned on for a short period, meaning I'm not heating an unnecessarily large volume.

I have a similarly located switch. My solution is a bright yellow plastic ball kept in the airing cupboard. When the immersion heater is switched on, said plastic ball has to be put out on the landing or stairs, and only put away again when the heater is turned off.

 

[GordonT]

When hotels in their advertising specifically promoted such comforts as "hot and cold running water in every bedroom".

 

[dangie]

When hotels in their advertising specifically promoted such comforts as "hot and cold running water in every bedroom".

I’ve never yet used the iron or ironing board

 

[Bradford PA]

I’ve never yet used the iron or ironing board

I use both pretty much every visit. I often arrive after a days walking and carry my "evening wear" rolled up in my backpack to save space and need to put this in order before I am fit to be seen in company.

 

[Indigo Soup]

I’ve never yet used the iron or ironing board

I've been known to ask for an iron & ironing board - some chains don't put them in the rooms by default as they're not much used.

Always thought trouser presses were the most exotic thing in the world as a child. Which probably tells you how sheltered an upbringing I had!

 

[PeterC]

I use the immersion heater (in preference to the gas boiler) for hot water at this time of year, as it doesn't add any waste heat to the rest of the house. Current temperatures in south east England make that an important consideration. It also seems only to heat the top part of the tank if it's only turned on for a short period, meaning I'm not heating an unnecessarily large volume.

I have a similarly located switch. My solution is a bright yellow plastic ball kept in the airing cupboard. When the immersion heater is switched on, said plastic ball has to be put out on the landing or stairs, and only put away again when the heater is turned off.

Again, you need a timer with a "boost" button which will switch itself off after 60 minutes

 

[DelW]

Again, you need a timer with a "boost" button which will switch itself off after 60 minutes

Your solution is better, but mine's cheaper in fact it was free.

 

[swt_passenger]

I took the fuse out the immersion heater about 25 years ago. I test it now and again, it was last used for a day when the incoming gas supply failed. Even when ambient temperatures are stupidly high the gas boiler doesn’t seem to put significant waste heat into the house, I guess it depends how and where the pipes between boiler and cylinder are run.

 

[bleeder4]

I had my combi boiler serviced last week and got chatting to the guy about heat pumps and immersion heaters. He said that immersion heaters were very much on the way out. He hadn't visited a property with one all this year so far, it's all gas boilers like me. And as for heat pumps, he thinks until the installation costs come down and the amount of space they need is reduced then they are just a pipe dream by the politicians.

 

[Bald Rick]

And as for heat pumps, he thinks until the installation costs come down and the amount of space they need is reduced then they are just a pipe dream by the politicians.

Almost 100,000 heat pumps installed in* UK homes last year.

One of my family has one, for a 4 bed detached, and it is no bigger than a boiler.

*on rather than in, I suppose.

 

[dangie]

One of my family has one, for a 4 bed detached, and it is no bigger than a boiler.

I know little about Heat Pumps. As well as the boiler do you also need a hot water storage tank?

 

[Bald Rick]

I know little about Heat Pumps. As well as the boiler do you also need a hot water storage tank?

Yes, but there isn’t a bolier!

 

[dangie]

Yes, but there isn’t a bolier!

Oh ok, said I didn’t know much about Heat Pumps
So what is the boiler replaced with? Where does the heat come from?
Apart from the big boxy thing you see mounted to outside walls, what extra equipment is required?
Do Heat Pumps take up more space than say a Combi Boiler?

 

[sprunt]

Almost 100,000 heat pumps installed in* UK homes last year.

How does that compare to boilers?

 

[cool110]

So what is the boiler replaced with? Where does the heat come from?

A heat pump is basically just a fridge/air conditioner in reverse. Instead of making the inside cold and the outside hot, it makes the outside cold and the inside hot. Hence the pump name, since it's taking the existing heat in the environment and moving it somewhere else.

 

[D6130]

Sticky fly papers.

 

[Indigo Soup]

Almost 100,000 heat pumps installed in* UK homes last year.

One of my family has one, for a 4 bed detached, and it is no bigger than a boiler.

*on rather than in, I suppose.

One of the principal difficulties with heat pumps seems to be that they're incompatible with the British attitude of 'I'll just pop the heating on for an hour'. Operated that way, they're very slow to warm a home and cost a lot of money, leading to a lot of complaints that they don't work.

AIUI, they're designed to be run near-continuously, in which mode they're very cost-effective at maintaining a constant temperature. But most Britons have been conditioned to believe that that's wasteful and that there's moral value in being cold.

Sticky fly papers.

A very similar product is available to protect houseplants from various pests.

 

[Sealink]

When you arranged to meet someone you met them at the time stated, none of this texting to say "running late" (Which I do )

 

[styles]

When you arranged to meet someone you met them at the time stated, none of this texting to say "running late" (Which I do )

On a semi-related note, being on time for work meetings.

People who spend all day in meetings were always occasionally late due to previous meetings over-running or whatever, but I swear on the whole people used to be pretty embarrassed turning up to in-person meetings late. Now with Zoom and Teams meetings it seems commonplace for people to slip in a few minutes late each time, perhaps because unlike face-to-face meetings, you don't have everybody stare at you as you open the door late and stumble to the other side of the room to get to a free seat.

 

[cb a1]

How does that compare to boilers?

According to this Guardian article, there are 15 new gas boiler installations for each heat pump installation - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/10/gas-boilers-heat-pumps-uk-grants-report

 

[Ken X]

On a semi-related note, being on time for work meetings.

People who spend all day in meetings were always occasionally late due to previous meetings over-running or whatever, but I swear on the whole people used to be pretty embarrassed turning up to in-person meetings late. Now with Zoom and Teams meetings it seems commonplace for people to slip in a few minutes late each time, perhaps because unlike face-to-face meetings, you don't have everybody stare at you as you open the door late and stumble to the other side of the room to get to a free seat.

Times would definitely seem to have changed.

One of my bosses had a simple system. 10 mins before was early, 5 mins before was on time and on time was late. If you were after that you didn't bother attending and strong words were had later.
Great boss and we had a very good working relationship.

 

[styles]

Times would definitely seem to have changed.

One of my bosses had a simple system. 10 mins before was early, 5 mins before was on time and on time was late. If you were after that you didn't bother attending and strong words were had later.
Great boss and we had a very good working relationship.

I treat online meetings in a similar way, though more like 1-2 minutes early is on-time. Gives time to sort out any audio/video issues, which can happen pretty randomly so we can start on time.

I see it mainly as having respect for other people's time more than anything.

 

[The exile]

When I bought my car 11 years ago I was spending a lot of time driving in the Peak District all year round. I found a set of winter tyres and wheels on special offer at the main dealer - at £500 it was so good it wasn't to be missed. Worked a treat. We haven't had a really bad winter since. I should get rid of them to make space in the garage.

Winter tyres have adhesion advantages over summer ones the minute the road surface gets below 7 Celsius.

 

[Killingworth]

Times would definitely seem to have changed.

One of my bosses had a simple system. 10 mins before was early, 5 mins before was on time and on time was late. If you were after that you didn't bother attending and strong words were had later.
Great boss and we had a very good working relationship.

My small office used to host area meetings every Friday morning at 8.30, the venue chosen having good road access and free parking. Agenda item 1, 8.25 discussion of Nigel's usually colourful socks. Front door locked at 8.30 with tight 30 minute agenda then back to offices. Area Manager was very unhappy one day when he was late and couldn't get in until the meeting closed at 9.00! One law for all of us.

 

[dcbwhaley]

Winter tyres have adhesion advantages over summer ones the minute the road surface gets below 7 Celsius.

Do you mean "all weather tyre"?
Winter tyre have metal studs and are unsuitable for driving on clear roads

 

[najaB]

Do you mean "all weather tyre"?
Winter tyre have metal studs and are unsuitable for driving on clear roads

AIUI, winter tyres have a bigger tread gaps so that snow is less likely to get compacted and stuck and then turn into ice. What you're describing are studded tires.