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Admittedly not very useful, but next time, buy a machine with a rat-proof base. Our machine lives in an external passage way, and this is an absolute requirement for me. The machine I brought from UK was destroyed by a rat, which must have been electrocuted, eroding the control board as it rotted.

All very well, you tell me, but you don't want to go out and buy a new machine. You have a machine and you want to protect it! :)

If there is a base that includes a strong mesh that really prevents rats entering from underneath (would be interested to see picture or link) then that seems like a really good idea. Otherwise you must close off the base with a mesh or plate.

I didn't get that far, because I did, soon after, replace the machine. But I think a guard could be fixed. Tack-welded if the cabinet is steel.

As I type, I'm thinking! Have you seen the threads on protecting cars? One thing rats seem to hate is wire brushes. Some people have fixed them in strategic positions under the bonnet; others have placed a wire-brush barrier all around the car. I really think this could be adapted to washing machines etc!

Thanks Aroy. I was also looking out for buying a gas cooking range. But not sure what to look for. I can see there are models from sunflame that are available in 20ks.

http://sunflame.com/cooking-range.html

So not really been able to make up my mind to go for one of these or some other brand.

Looking for recommendations for a Microwave.

Basic needs : 21L or +, Convection, Better warranty deals.

We have a LG 28L convection, but it's kind of a lemon. Had to change a few parts within warranty. Now that it's out of warranty, the magnetron went kaput again...

Any preferred brands with genuine reliability?

I think LG and Samsung have a good reputation. How old was your LG? and was it used very often?

You could try Samsung models, but I like the LG for it's simpler buttons - just one press and it starts heating for 30 seconds. Press 4 times (2 min) and it boils a cup of water. The Samsungs are more convoluted.

If in doubt check Amazon UK sites for reviews on a particular model which is sold both in India and the UK. I think you got a lemon; in general the LGs and the Samsungs are preferred. You could try other brands, but everything is made in China anyway, but it all boils down to how good the brand is at quality control. Good luck!

There a few things to consider
. Efficiency of burners
. Construction of the pot stands - cast iron lasts a life time, while mild steel ones give way in five years
. Design of the enclosure and its materials
. After sales supports and availability of critical parts

We had a cooking range similar to Sunflame, but it deteriorated withing a few years. The main problems were
. The burners were prone to clogging which meant regular cleaning
. Spilt liquids would mess up the interior
. The design is prone to rat infestation and we had to regularly (once in three months), check and clean the box at the base. The rats also ate the insulation, so the oven efficiency went down a lot.

On the whole the BPL Sanyo we have and the Faff we are contemplating are much superior products, worth the price as our current one has lasted nearly 20 years and we are replacing it as no parts are available. As Kaff are manufacturing in India (in contrast to our one which was just imported and re branded), I guess burner and other critical parts which need replacement once in a decade will be available.

I have found that Samsung Microwave are quite robust and trouble free. Of course one can always get a lemon, but that is life. Of the two Samsung we have one gave way in ten years and we just sold it off. The second one is still going strong for the last eight years.

You can always buy European ones at twice the price as they will last a long time, but then I would rather buy one for half the price today and change it after ten years for a more modern model.

Another line of microwaves which are built to last are those meant for built-in use rather than stand alone. They are more rugged but cost a fortune.

Well, the hose was fixed and all the rat poop cleaned away, but the technician said there was a lot of limescale buildup. This is inspite of using a descaler once in a few months.
Now after this episode the drum is smelling musty. There is no rotting rat anywhere - the smell is annoying but not overpowering. It's the drum that smells the most. The outlet hose etc don't have a smell. The technician said it is because of limescale buildup.
Any suggestions about what can be done. I've asked him to come and check again . He has suggested a Bosch descaler.
Wondering what else I could do. I want him to check the drum in case something is rotting in any of the tubes or hoses.

Looking for a robust high capacity geyser for a bathtub equipped bathroom. Any ideas? BLR water is chilly throughout the year and a normal geyser simply cannot service our tub.

The capacity of the geyser depends on the volume of water required to fill up your bathtub. A normal 6' x 3' bathtub can have a capacity of 400L+, so a geyser needs to be quite big. As storage geysers cannot supply hot water continuously, you will need to heat the water to 90 degrees and mix it with 40% - 50% cold water to get the desired hot water. So a 100L size is minimum you should be looking at (and it will take a few hours to heat up!).

https://www.aosmithindia.com/assista...s/water-heater
http://www.racold.com/electric-stora...m-150300l.html
http://www.zelect.in/geyser/water-he...ize-calculator
https://www.aosmithindia.com/buy-wat...-water-heaters

One method of reducing the electricity consumption is to install a "Solar Water Heater" and use the 50 to 70 degree water as inlet to the geyser.
http://www.racold.com/solar-domestic/alpha-pro.html
http://www.racold.com/solar-domestic/omega-max-8.html

We had a bathtub at our house in Delhi and faced problems similar to yours. It was very difficult to have a bathtub filled with really hot water. We ended up with augmenting the geyser (25L) with a bucket of hot water heated on gas when ever we used it. Ultimately we gave up and dismantled it.

Aroy, amazingly detailed response, many thanks!

Let me research a bit. We do have a terrace-mounted solar geyser but no piping anywhere near this particular bathroom.

Very geography dependent, I suppose. Delhi has a real winter. But here, solar produces scolding water in any weather that is not actual rain. No need for any electricity at all. The tanks are well-insulated and will store at-least shower-hot water for a day or three.

So, people up North: how hot is the solar-heated water in your winter?

Looks like the Water Tank associated with the Solar Heater on our apartment has a leak. There is no issue as such with the panel and only the 200 Liter Tank needs to be replaced. The current one was from SunTech (URL) and installed by the Builder but there seems to be no warranty now. Can people recommend a good brand to go to in order to replace the tank?

For the past week, the drum in our Bosch washing machine is making strange sounds. The technician visited today and says that the drum is gone and needs to be replaced. This exactly after 5 months of expiry of the 2 year warranty period. :Frustrati
The cost of replacement will be around 10K.
Does it make sense to replace the drum or go for a new machine?
Also if going for a new machine which one is recommended? No Bosch definitely

Any reason given for such early demise of the drum. We bought ours in 2012 and it is still working perfectly without any issues. Was the machine installed and levelled properly.
We have moved our machine twice and I find that the machine makes noises when it isn't not levelled properly. I feel that I need to replace the feet on mine now because it seems to move a bit on the marble floors that it is kept on now. When levelled properly, our machine is still as silent as it was on the first day.
Don't give up just yet. Get a second opinion from some other technician whom you trust or get Bosch to schedule a proper engineer visit and ask for proper reason behind such a quick failure of the drum. If possible push for a goodwill replacement for free or at a discounted rate because the machine is barely out of warranty and the drum shouldn't fail such quickly.

The drum has "gone?" doesn't make sense. They are made of stainless or similar, and you can probably find them in scrap heaps when the whole of the rest of the machine has literally "gone!"

I'd want detailed technical reasoning!