Fluid Extraction Suction Syphon Pump 6 Litre Extractor

I have seen and used some tools over the years, but this one is simply a must buy. It is quite simple - a device that allows you to suck fluids out of your car namely oil and transmission. I used this tool to change the oil on my car.

To be honest, the price of an oil change has become for me, too expensive. It is about 30 pounds at Kwik Fit in the UK and on average around $50 dollars in North America. For some, this is a lot of money and of all the things on a car that need to be done, changing the oil is one of the most important.

A lot of damage, wear and tear and increased emissions along with reduced petrol economy are some of the results of not changing the oil regularly. It is generally accepted that an oil change should be carried out about every six months for the life of the car. Even with the improved durability and effectiveness of modern day, synthetic oils, oil degrades and does so quickly. It will soon become contaminated with the engine deposits that will be given off over time.

This suction pump is going to make life a whole lot easier and cheaper. So, I followed the very simple instructions, stuck the thin tube down the dipstick until it could go no further, pumped about eight times and there it goes! The pump created a vacuum which sucked the oil out of the engine without any further input from me. This I like very much. It took about ten minutes and I changed the oil when the car was cold although it was about 25 degrees Celsius at the time, so quite warm.

Towards the end, I pumped a few more times just to make sure it had got all the oil it could out. I did not change the oil filter but this had been done three months before. Changing the filter is optional but I do recommend that the oil filter is changed about once a year. That was it. I chatted with my friend while it was doing it's thing and we could have even had a cup of tea!

I had worked out how much the unit holds, what my car needs for a change without oil filter and it had sucked out almost exactly that amount. So, I knew I had to refill to that amount. I checked the dipstick a couple of times and it was perfect. Lastly, I cleaned the unit by putting the tubes in a bowl of soapy water and pumping that out and that worked very well. I disposed of the old oil and waste water in an old can and took it to recycling.

The advantage of changing the oil this way are many but for starters, it is much safer, no jacking up of the car and having to wrestle with the oil nut and no mess when the oil pours out. Also, when I take my car for an oil change, they DO NOT use synthetic oil but conventional oil which is nowhere near as good. I was able to purchase Castrol fully synthetic oil about half the cost of an oil change at the garage which is about 25 pounds.

So, it is a no brainer that you will recoup your money and save money after two or three oil changes and you will be using the oil that YOU want and need to use, when you want and where. The unit is light and compact and can be carried around so you could share it with your family and friends, all they have to do is supply the oil!

The Portal of Healing.

Jollop Recipe

Well, it's been a busy summer, hence the prolonged absence. In that time, I have been garnishing some recipe ideas for healthy cooking and eating. This is very important to me and many others. One cannot trust in any way most of what can be bought in a shop that passes for food.

So, it is with that in mind, I have increased my efforts to make as much of the food that I eat from fresh ingredients, bought from locally produced outlets where possible and if it is reduced in price, that is good too. For instance, on a recent trip to the local grocery store/supermarket, I happened upon a glut of tomatoes, reduced in price, waiting for someone like me to snap them up! That I did for I was reliably informed that tomatoes can be frozen. Yes, that's correct, they can be frozen for use later in cooking or pickling as we shall be doing in this recipe. So, look out for vegetable or fruit that you can freeze which is reduced. Now, I have some 100 tomatoes and my friend is now called 'the mad tomato woman' for she cannot stop buying them! So, without further ado, the recipe.

This jollop, which is a slang term used to describe a concoction, a mix, a blend of ingredients, is something that has become a major ingredient itself in my cooking. Essentially, one can eat it as a pickle, like a dip or use as I do as the flavouring and base for other recipes which will follow. So here it is:

Jollop (Fresh Pickle)

Chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber
Teaspoon each of thyme, oregano/marjoram, coriander, dill, basil, sage
A little salt and pepper or paprika

Put your favourite ingredients from the above in a clean jam-jar
Top up with cider vinegar and extra-virgin olive-oil - I suggest mixing the cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil 50/50 in another bottle which will make it easier to dispense and that mix works fine for me

Shake well and leave for a few hours before eating (You can put all ingredients in a chopper first if you want) Can be eaten fresh or used as a cooking flavouring.

Now, the quantities above are for one jar of jollop. I had so many tomatoes, that I ended up with several jars of the stuff! But that is just fine, for whenever I want to flavour something else quickly, all I have to do is chuck some of the jollop in the pan before! So, once you have made a batch, it will keep very well in the fridge and be there, which means you do not have to spend time chopping garlic and onions and all the other nice things every time you need to cook. Simple!
The Portal of Healing.