18.04.2026 26km & "Air Swing!"

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 Saturday 18th 48F/9C [7.20] Heavy overcast. A day of sunshine and showers is promised. With light winds. 71F/21C in the room. 53F/12C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 6.30 after an unusually quiet night. I got up only once. I was comfortable in bed without my usual thin jumper over my t-shirt. It may be too early to be sure but the horrible pain in my right lower back seems to have eased. I hope I can have a proper walk today.

 The risk of showers makes my Saturday morning ride less likely. I'll see how the weather turns out later. I would be wearing a rainproof jacket anyway. With waterproof trousers in the panniers.

 9.10 Brighter, with veiled sunshine. Too warm in the room. I have reduced the remote setting to 18C again. Back from a limping crawl along the road and back. There was no relief from the pain. If the weather doesn't change I shall still have my Saturday ride to the next village 12km away. The exercise might help.

 13.00 Back from a 26km ride to the shops. Bright overcast.  Lots of trees and shrubs in bloom. The first leaves are showing on the sunlit faces of the forest. 

 No pain while cycling but it was hell getting on and off. It now occurs to me. That I manhandled the massive concrete paving slabs the other day. I had assumed that my careful handling had avoided injury. I may have been mistaken. Because I am so used to being active. 

The indoors is at 70F/21C. So I have now lowered the remote setting to 17C. 

 18.00 Raining. The lower temperature setting on the heat pump tended to blow cold air at me. So I have raised it to 19C. 

 I can also use the "Air Swing" button on the remote. To alter the angle of the blades. Repeated button pressing adjusts and fixes the chosen angle. Including downwards. Even to direct the air towards the floor if desired. Pressing the blades downwards manually does nothing long term. They will soon adjust themselves back up again under the control of the programming. The Auto setting always seems to choose upward and outward airflow. 

 Which I want to avoid. Because it is quite unpleasant to feel cold air coming straight at you. Unless I am using cooling mode in a heatwave. 

 The temperature of the air blowing out of the unit is not hot like a fan heater or hair drier. It is much cooler. Much closer to the ambient temperature in the room. Presumably this is much more economical. Than blasting hot air and then having to cool the room. Which might involve starting and stopping the blower motor. 

 I can use one of my thermometers to measure the exiting air temperature. It matches the temperature setting. Just as I surmised. Or not? The fan has just come on audibly and it was briefly blowing at 37C! That was with the sensor on the internal radiator. I have now moved the sensor to measure the airflow. Now falling rapidly. 

 Dinner was a sausage and mushroom fry-up. With an egg on toast and tomatoes on the side.

 

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17.04.2026 79 not out.

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  Friday 17th 43F/6C [8.10] Overcast with thick mist. 100m invisibility. A grey morning should brighten this afternoon. Peaking at 13C/55F. Light winds. Greenhouse at 53F/11.7C.

 Up at 7am after a quiet, comfortable night. I had the heat pump set to 19C on the remote control. Three well spaced thermometers are showing from 20-21C/68-70F. Slightly too warm for my taste while wearing a thin jumper and T-shirt. My back pain has reduced. A walk in the mist might be doable today. 

 10.00 Well, that didn't go well. I barely made it to the main drive before I had to turn back. My right hip/lower back area hurts like hell! I am back and doing laundry instead. The inner doors are all open. As I continue to experiment with the heat pump's capabilities. Now reduced to 18C on the remote. 64.5F. The greenhouse doors are closed. At 61F it can't contribute to solar heat gain in an overcast. Though it can act as a buffer.

 11.00 Reducing the remote control setting to 18C has had no effect on the three thermometers. I understand that a discount is available on my electricity bill for having a heat pump installed. There is a mobile phone remote control App. Though the designer of the App is quite obviously mentally ill. Presumably just another case of serial nepotism. Probably third generation's, 1st born son. With that spoilt brat level of sociopathy. Only made possible by being hoist by Daddy's designer bootstraps.

 11.30 51F/11C. The mist has gone. Brightening to weak sunshine. 70F/21C in the greenhouse. I must go shopping. Not yet.

 12.45 Having completely wasted another hour on the Panasonic Comfort Cloud App it's time for lunch. I should not have persisted with the App. I really should have known better. When I discovered that a whole string of forlorn cries for online help went unanswered. With non-existent buttons on the remote control and multiple button presses thereof being required. Just to escape from the quite deliberate consumer traps. Set by the twisted Panasonic Comfort Cloud App horror fiction writer. 

 The heat pump is as frustrated as I am. It is oscillating around the set temperature. Cooling to bring it down and reheating to climb back up. The surroundings are obviously slightly above the desired temperature setting. So I should really turn it off and let it rest. Done. 

 16.00 Back from the shops in the Morris. Two carrier bags full. Warm sunshine. Still hobbling about.

 Dinner was sardines on toast with halved tomatoes. I have switched the heat pump back on. Set to 20C/68F.

  

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16.04.2026 Heat pump installation.

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  Thursday 16th 44F/6.7C [7.00]  Overcast. Early rain clearing to a cloudy morning. 66F/19C in the room.  I kept the stove going until it reached 70F/21C last night. It seems to help. 49F/9.4C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 5.30 after a fairly sleepless night. Lower back still aching badly. No chance of a walk in this state! 

 Expecting the heat pump installers. I have been tidying and moving the furniture back from the work site. Lifted the TV off its bracket and placed it on my bed. Moved all the cables. Moved all my plants and the recycling bins outside. Their initial inspection took place at 7.15. So I am assuming a similar time for their arrival this morning.

 10.30 An update: Their first fitter had called in sick. They shuffled their customers around and arranged for a second fitter to call. Two young chaps just arrived. They chose to use a single layer of the large, paving labs. 60x30x10cm. Four, round rubber, isolation feet. Rather than using long, rubber blocks.

 13.30 Finished lunch. The lads were eating in the van. The installation work has restarted. Making very good progress. An amazing range of interesting and expensive tools required. Anyone contemplating cheating and installing one themselves has a vast expenditure ahead of them. 

 It is illegal for untrained and unqualified persons to install a heat pump. I can see why. It was satisfying watching the practiced movements of the installer. I have a large range of abilities in practical matters. With very little overlap with what I saw today. 

  My back is still very painful. I am hobbling about like an old man!

 14.00 Sunny periods.  Greenhouse door opened to the house. Now I can heat the house with the greenhouse and cool it with the heat pump. 

 14.40 Job done. Tested thoroughly. The customer was advised about maintenance and filter cleaning. I was shown the remote control functions. It all works. Tested from hot to cold. They even lifted my TV back onto the wall bracket. It nearly killed me to move it this morning. Very pleasant, helpful and competent young men. They sought my input on every decision where it mattered. Siting, cable runs, spacing, etc. I am a very happy bunny. 

 Once the room has been brought up to the set temperature it all goes very, very quiet. Set to Auto and 20C/68F on the remote. 21C was too warm. Two long blades pivot silently on tiny stepper motors. To direct the airflow.

 I have been experimenting with open internal doors. To see if the heat pump can push air right around the loop. I have to keep turning down the temperature on the remote. The thermometers are still reading 2-3 degrees above the setting on the remote. I have it at 19C and thermometers are showing 22C. Now it is blowing cold air! Endless fun ahead as I familiarise myself.

 Dinner was something simple. A salmon pasty and chips. I washed up while it cooked.

 

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