Good morning!!!!

[PJSprog]

I found shorty extension cords on Amazon and use them under wall warts so I can use all the outlets on a power strip, Drew. Maybe you could set a timer on the hot tub so it heats at night when power is less expensive and maybe there aren't as many loads on that circuit? Depends on how fast the tub cools off, though.

Used to be a product called Dr. (removed)'s Wart Remover that was a small flat pad outlet on a short cord. It was very popular with musicians for use in the back of racks with rackmount power conditioners. A cursory look about the internet seems to find they may not be available anymore.

I have a couple of those four outlet short extension cords from Harbor Freight that serve a similar purpose in my studio.

Edit: No idea why the name is being removed, but here's a link to it.

 

[m7040]

Over the years I have gradually lost a lot of balance and strength to walk stairs etc. Used to do 10000. steps a day a couple of years ago. Then problems developed with foot pain on the right foot and also knee pain especially when walking up stairs or on sloping ground.

I am slowly getting things worked out to get back to my old routine. The foot pain has almost gone away by getting a prescription sole inlay that makes the foot not waddle when walking and therefor the tendons in the foot work in unison.
And the knee has improved by doing squats and various leg strengthening exercises
Had also lost the ability to balance on one foot and now I have that come back also.

I am back to walking and noticing taking much longer strides as a good indicator of progress

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Turns out your hot tub is hard on alligatoritus, as is sunshine, Drew.

 

[scaredychicken]

Good Morning Everyone

and as per usual, 2 days behind ... you / we are all so chatty, only 12 more pgs to catch up on. been busy in the home office. Tried to place the 2 youngest chicks (a week old) under a broody hen, but nope. 3 hens not interested yet... will attempt again. i'm running out of segregation units, ... the 4 older chicks are big enough now for the regular crowd. Wildfire smoke has blown through, for now.

LS - sore knees and stairs are a terrible combination, stay safe, be careful. my struggle every winter. i hope that the abdomen pain is not kidney stones, gall stones, or appendix ... keep monitoring that

m7040 - praying for you son. good that there is support for him. also that is a good news story re your daughter. way to go

BEF - sorry that the property plans didn't work out for you. my computer issues are improving, i can continue to use, techie guy will do upgrades, add memory, and get it happy via remote viewing. i need to give him a call again. We have an 800 foot well on the property, drilled before we bought the place ... back then 28 yrs ago, it was $18K Cdn. wowza

daugen - my neighbour worked his driveway for several years with the use of a small ATV and an old roll of chain link fence, probably 30 feet, rolled up and dragged for weight. i though that was redneck BRILLIANT

Yesterday was another day in the shop doing such exciting things as sorting and untangling a large tote full of tie down straps.

that sounds like one of my BUSY shop days yet you make it sound so casual, haha

Queen Elizabeth ll will be missed, amazing life ...

I know that I am so far behind that I am probably responding to old info (6 pgs to go, BEF seems to be getting creative with the offer ...) But for now, I need to get going into town. Will be busy, Fall Fair has started.

Welcome to the new guys on this thread.

have a great day

 

[scaredychicken]

and before I go to town ... a funny

 

[m7040]

Today set up appointments for getting the bivalent booster shots for covid vaccinations. Mine is on Monday and my wife is end of month. She needs to be off her medications that suppress her immune system for two weeks in order to give the vaccination a chance to generate antibodies

 

[m7040]

We (me wife) speak Danish when we don't want others to understand what we talk about and there are not that many Danes around so it is pretty safe. The other day there was a rather large lady in front us at the market and I made some comments about her butt to my wife. She turned around and said in perfect Danish that it was Danish. Very embarrassing!!

 

[RoyJackson]

We (me wife) speak Danish when we don't want others to understand what we talk about and there are not that many Danes around so it is pretty safe. The other day there was a rather large lady in front us at the market and I made some comments about her butt to my wife. She turned around and said in perfect Danish that it was Danish. Very embarrassing!!

Embarrassing, no doubt... but funny!!

 

[daugen]

We (me wife) speak Danish when we don't want others to understand what we talk about and there are not that many Danes around so it is pretty safe. The other day there was a rather large lady in front us at the market and I made some comments about her butt to my wife. She turned around and said in perfect Danish that it was Danish. Very embarrassing!!

wait, Danish as in the pastry, or as in the ham?...

 

[Popgadget]

80K sounds high for a batteryless system, Paul. Some things I've learned along the way:
- Each utility has its own policies for selling and buying power to solar equipped homes.
- Look at your power bills over the last few years and get a feeling for how much you actually use.
- Some inverters have 120 VAC outputs that can be used for recharging batteries or powering small lights during a grid outage…..
- Switching household loads from grid to generator might not seem like a big deal….
- The federal tax credit for solar power systems is gradually being phased out, so the sooner you finish your system, the larger the tax credit. A lot of state tax credits are doing the same.
- Most of the work of installing the system can be done by a handy person such as yourself,
- Carefully check the background of a solar installer if you use one. Ask for references, and talk to them. If possible, visit some installations and inspect the workmanship. You might be surprised what passes for "good enough".

That is all great input, and what I was looking for.
I have had an automatic backup backup generator for over 30 years, and have the transfer to and from the grid worked out to be seamless with a combination of UPS’ and time delays. I really have no need for the solar to provide any back up.

I have reviewed my usage, and have sized the system to cover what I use on a yearly basis. I need to review the utility’s policy on solar generation, and gain a clear understanding of how the buy vs sell equation is done. I’m hoping that it is averaged over a long time period rather than real time.

I have no intention of doing any of the install myself. The company that I’m talking to is part of Fortress Power, and local to me. They do have an excellent reputation. But again, I would do my due diligence before proceeding.
They offer 25 year warranty on the hardware and 5 on workmanship.
I’ll be pushing 100 by the time the warranty expires.
And so far they have embraced my geek like questions rather than tolerate them. And I have gotten good answers!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I thought one of the latest give away bills to reduce inflation was extending solar credits. But I could be mistaken.

Back from a nice day trip that started rather late. Went to PA Dutch market in Hagerstown for lunch, had BBQ, got donuts and cookies also.
Then headed down to WV to look at another lot, but my cell plan data had ran out (thought it renewed today but guess it’s tomorrow) and I wasn’t exactly sure which road one was on. We found 2 others, way down a rocky dirt road. Actually one was on side road from that, road marked private , do not enter, etc. so I decided not to even go look for it but drove by the other. Not interested, but a pretty drive. Then swung back up through the WV panhandle, took some back roads to look around there.

Subaru making a noise when I drive, that I don’t hear when stopped and idling. Don’t know if it’s tire road noise, transmission, or maybe exhaust. Just a new, different sound I never noticed before.

Need to put burgers on grill.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

The brakes and axle are done! Not without taking multiple breaks.
The darn abdominal pain came back, not real bad like the other night, but still uncomfortable.

Scaredy, all those things were going through my mind the other night. But all of my diagnostic tests ruled those out.... If it gets bad again, I'll probably go to an urgent care for maybe some tests.

Time to get something to eat, going to keep it light. Then it's time to put the feet up.

 

[RoyJackson]

Feeling pretty good now...need to hit the dump and get some fuel for both the tractor and the ZTR... that will be tomorrow morning's activities.
I'll only get a couple gallons for each machine...if you recall when I had major maintenance on the ZTR, the mechanic found a lot of water in the fuel tank...gallons. He suggested running the tank close to empty and adding Stabil, then running it for a few minutes to protect the carb, jets, etc. Mowing season is almost over.
As far as the tractor, won't need much...and I want the tank fairly close to empty when it comes time to get winterized diesel (early to mid-October). The tank has about 2/3rds in it now and the chipping won't use more then, maybe, ½ a tank, if that

I have noticed my right leg is getting weaker... need to figure out what the best exercise is...
This might be a good start:

or this:

 

[Thomas]

68F clear sky.

Been good day...main lawn trim and mow and both mowers got good washing,1 kitten and I had good nap.

Going to be good evening to set on the deck enjoying smooth cigar waiting for critters and stars.

Enjoy your evening all.

 

[Wagtail]

Good (Saturday) morning. Another rainy overnight with a Low of 10C. There was 21.3mm in the gauge so, so far, this 'non-rain-event' has dumped 51.8mm over the past 3 days. It's overcast and fairly calm with a present High of 16.1C.

Roy: Way back in '97 when I was looking for my retirement property & house, I told the various real estate agents that I was looking for a house as if I was 80+ years old = the main bedroom had to be on the ground floor. I've since added a few handrails as needed in anticipation of getting older and less stable. This 'mindset' was because my parents had to sell & move out of their home when my Mum just couldn't make it upstairs to their bedroom anymore. (Later, it would've been my Dad too.)

Take care all.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Well, my reduced offer was rejected, as expected.

 

[RoyJackson]

Roy: Way back in '97 when I was looking for my retirement property & house, I told the various real estate agents that I was looking for a house as if I was 80+ years old = the main bedroom had to be on the ground floor. I've since added a few handrails as needed in anticipation of getting older and less stable. This 'mindset' was because my parents had to sell & move out of their home when my Mum just couldn't make it upstairs to their bedroom anymore. (Later, it would've been my Dad too.)

We live in a rancher and if we ever move (I'd like to get out of Vermont), it'll be another single-story house.
Stairs are tough for me... wife has problems too.

 

[mostly_gas]

Good evning all. 64ºF for the start, mostly clear sky, light breeze. Humidity so low no dew. Light wind, mostly sunny sky, and hight tem was 87ºF. 10 day has no rain, and highs mid 80's to low 90's. Bike ride to start day, after lunch worked on back tire of Peugeot, leaked down from valve stem patch seams to be holding.
RS congrats on getting concrete floor underway, nice collectionof rock. thanks for the warning about you getting behind on posting. Hope you are fully recovered from yellow jackets.
Buppies hope you can get some mowing in soon.
Drew sounds like you have some nice weather also. Sorry to hear about lady daughter. My condolences to the family. Hope you can give away tomatoes fast enoug.
Billy hope you got a good hike in, good to hear plots planted.
Roy sorry to hear about your fall. Hope laptop ok.
Mike good to hear insurance is moving closer to what you need. I mowed all summer, only about half the lawn was growing.
Roy glad no serious injuries from fall. railing good idea.
Bill yes the Queen ws a class act. She is a very tough act to follow.
Thomas hope nap was good, need you strength for date night.
Bill nice to have you back for a few days
NHBX I agree does not take long for grass/weeds to recover.
Frits hope mowing goes well. Glad to hear I am not only one who can't find stuff
Ken nice weather, hope all is going well.
Paul good luck with array decision, hopw today you can get what needs to be done, completed. Hopw market goes well for wife, might be some pent up demand. I get wounds all the time, more often on legs.
Drew hope you can work out a better arrangement for the eletric. Washing machine probably best bet.
Don good to hear more hay in the picture. Hope caulking goes well.
Mark hope you do not get too much rain.
Dennis I thougt AC better for long run.
Scotty hope you don't have to evacuate, and rains beats fire.
Ted hope the rest of the Jeep project goes well. Sorry vacation not in the cards
RNG sorry to hear about machine shop not wanting to do what you need. If someone has a good setup to do what you need, probably better off using them, unless you have supreme confidence in your abilites.
David flair mowing may go better if the grass is not as tall as last time.
Drew regulation won't help, competion will, current system does not encourage competion. Glad memorial service went well. Hope you had fun in garden
Frits good to hear walking and balance coming back.
Scaredy good luck catching up, usually take me as many days to catch up as I am off line.
Frits oops !!
Paul great to hear you are getting good answers on solar questions
Dennis sorry you are back in land looking mode. hope noise not serious.
Ted sorry pain is back.Good to hear axle done. hope Max gets some ice cream
Roy thanks for exercise links.
Thomas thought tonight was date night.
Randy(wag) nice rain, would like to have that much rain around here.
Dennis sorry about rejection.

prayer for all, especially Jay/Peg, Kyle's daughter and family drama, /mom's breathing, /learning new job, Bird/aging issues/, Don /mom's pipeline process, Randy / RIP /condolences to Family, Roy /palpitations, /angina /wife ankle, Billy /wife back & hip, David(moss) /remodel, /divorce, Buppies /3 new skin cancer spots and treatment, /wife knee healing, /getting dehydrated and cramping, Thomas /gout, Phil /reflux, /wife's eyes, Frits/ daughters hip replacement /vetran son with mental issues, Steppenwolfe/son-auto immune disorder, Grev/wife's eye, Ted /knee recovery, /retirement, /family issues, /wife feeling bad, Doug and wife/health issues, /nerve and pain, / wife headaches, David(sadamo)/Sophie's new eye surgery recovery, Chris /neighbor's granddaughter and Covid issues, Scaredy/shoulder dislocation, /wife not feeling well, /marriage, / friend stop drinking, Paul/ wife's healing from back surgery, Gale and KY/ tornado victims, Mike /5 year plan, Dennis /retirement plans and land purchase and development, / brother "alligallyitus" and improving, Drew /foot heel issues, /friend cancer diagnosis and recovery, Helogabals /second opinion, /wife's friend situation, Ukraine war, and Country.

 

[sodamo]

Plus one on single story with enhancements. Sophie was still in a wheelchair and we lived in a 2 story when we designed this house. Wheel chair accessible, 3 ft doorways, other passages 4 ft min. All the bathrooms have multiple grab bars.


My 2cents on PV Solar. Would be difficult for me to recommend any system with no battery backup. Have had a few friends locally that got grid tied systems for the offset and when they’d lose power regret they had useless panel doing nothing. Unfortunately, those systems were not capable of having batteries added as they were dependent on the grid. I would say as a minimum to have a system designed and capable of taking advantage of battery backup. I do believe the newer systems can do that. I also like a system designed to be readily expandable. Too often in the past, expandable meant take out the old and completely replace. Poor design. These days, with lithium batteries, even possible to expand a battery bank, something near impossible with lead acid.

 

[scootr]

Good morning. Cooling off significantly in S.CA. Coastal Hurricane Kay made landfall in Baja Mexico. Hopefully bringing much needed rain to this area. 30-40 mph winds fanning the flames of the now 24k acre Fairview wildfire in the rugged San Jacinto Mtn foothills just east of us. Mandatory evacuation line just a 1/4 mile away - we set at the ready. Hopefully the rain gets here before the fire. Both predicted for today. Pray for the firefighters and the people in it's path. Thank you

We won. Rain which has been absent for 4 or 5 months came today. Not a moment too soon for the fire. But it arrived with high winds that sent us all running. What a day. The fire is 40% contained - estimated to be completely out in 2 days. the total acreage will be 30k acres burned. - Prayer works.