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That could be. I don't see how swappable batteries are a logistically feasible solution in the US. It only seems relevant to long distance touring, and I would think the demand is too sparse and spread out to expect conveniently placed battery stations across the country. I've been riding...

It looks like a number of new motorcycles will soon be discontinued, due to compliance issues with European emissions standards. https://www.webbikeworld.com/honda-suzuki-yamaha-and-kawasaki-to-cut-37-motorcycles-by-2023/

Something like that. The Air Force was under a lot of pressure back then to ensure that they went with a low bid alternative, when feasible. I'm sure that was cheaper than trying to catch some buzzards or something.

This isn't as funny, but that old memory triggered another old memory for me. My first job out of college involved reading a lot of Air Force documents for their research projects. In one study, they wanted to estimate the ability for a certain aircraft to withstand an aerial strike from a...

Another generator guy was out today, and this was his diagnosis. He replaced the controller (in the generator), which is covered by a 7-year warranty, so no charge for today's work! [emoji3] Surge protector work is a different crew, and I don't have a schedule for that yet. Thank you again to...

I finally updated my profile to indicate that I'm in Ohio. We certainly have lightning storms, but I don't know how we compare to other areas of the country. We do have a grounding rod at the barn panel, and I assume it is connected correctly. That would have been one of the few things subject...

Based on what I've learned on this thread, I was expecting a surge protector to be installed on the circuit panel in my house and barn, and I thought that this approach would hopefully protect my appliances, regardless of whether the surge originated in the outside power line or the generator...

We definitely have ants, and I've had them destroy an outdoor GFCI plug multiple times, but the generator looked clean. I will be glad to get whole house surge protectors installed. In addition to lightning issues, the cutover to generator power seems to generate some dirty electricity. I've...

That's a good point. Hopefully, I'll get a better answer tomorrow.

I think it's out of warranty, but I agree. The guy they sent out today does annual servicing, but he wasn't familiar with the inner workings of the transfer switch, which is where he suspects the issue is. He happens to live right down the street from me, and he was available sooner. He will...

Just a minor update, a guy came out today that is more of a mechanic, not an electrician. He confirmed that the switch over problem still exists and wasn't a one-time fluke. He confirmed that it was something he can't fix, and an electrician will be out at a later date.

That's a good point. In our house, the upstairs bathroom outlets are on the same circuit as the downstairs half bathroom. If the upstairs outlets lose power, I've learned to check the GFCI in the downstairs bathroom.

Thank you for all the information. I'm hoping to get someone out this week to check things out, and I'll also request some assistance with the ethernet surge protectors. I don't know how to properly handle the grounding wire connections. I'll post an update when I find something out. Thanks...

Those sound like nice memories. My father was a college professor. He was a smart guy, but not particularly mechanically inclined. As far as inspection requirements, my horse barn required virtually no inspections at all. There was a VERY early electrical inspection in order to get the power...

That is interesting and beyond my "do it yourself" qualifications. It's good to have some idea of what is involved. I envisioned it to be a bigger project.

Lot's of good stuff. Thank you! The laptop was connected to a power adapter, which was connected to a UPS, which is supposed to have surge protection, although I couldn't find a joule rating for it. It was also connected via an ethernet cable to one of the two network switches that got fried...

I don't have an extended warranty. I figure that I can expect to pay more for the warranty than I would have paid for repairs; otherwise, they wouldn't sell the warranties. Sometimes that comes back to bite me, but life happens.

I have one generator, and the breaker inside the generator is On. Everything has worked flawlessly until this last experience. The generator is about 3.5 years old, and it has automatically provided power several times.

That makes sense. The breaker in the generator was and is turned on. I let it run for about five minutes and then pushed the Off button, since it was just wasting propane. Then I set it back to Auto after the power came back on for a while. It will be interesting to see what they find. This has...

That's a good idea, and I'll look into it. It is somewhat common for us to have very short outages, which I suppose are due to local maintenance work. Today's outage was during beautiful and calm weather.

Thank you for the advice, and I can follow that procedure if this happens again during another power outage. I'm don't know how to access the transfer coils to check the wiring, but that's outside of my comfort zone. I'll get someone who (hopefully) knows what he's doing to check it out...

The "Manual Operation" section above is more complicated, but it kind of sounds like it applies to the initial installation checks. The following section looks to me like I can just flip the switch, but I'm not sure.

I have a manual for the generator and a separate one for the transfer switch, but I don't really understand it. Here is a page that seems most relevant to me, but I'm not sure if it directly applies to my situation. I vaguely recall the installer telling me that I could just manually flip...

We recently had a short power outage for about ten minutes. Our Generac whole house generator kicked on, but we still had no power in the house. I removed the cover from the transfer switch, and there is a manual switch that requires a tool (which is provided) to manually switch the house load...

"Life is a joke, but remember, the last laugh's on you." I recall that from the Monty Python movie, The Life of Brian. When I looked it up, I realized that my recollection was a little off, but it's still a good quote, a good song, and a good movie, IMHO.

One of my stupid guilty pleasures is watching car crash compilations on YouTube. A common scenario is merging conflicts, where two drivers are hellbent on not letting the other driver get in front, and they eventually run into each other. I find it ironic that they both would have gotten home...

People get shot and killed for honking at the wrong person. On rare occasions, I'll give a short honk when someone is zoned out on their cellphone at a green light. I generally only use the horn as part of avoiding an accident. I always follow with enough distance that an aggressive driver...

I saw a billboard next to a highway that was advertising a roofing company: "Hot shingles in your area looking to get nailed!"

They ain't supposed to enjoy it. They're supposed to sit still for it! - Archie Bunker

I agree with the Dilbert comic strip, which suggested that the entire works of Shakespeare need a rewrite for clarity. "Where are you, Romeo?" [emoji23]

If you can find a local arena that you like and employ the person that made it, I think that would be worth while. Just the materials used in an arena can be expensive, and it's a shame to waste money on a faulty approach. The arena consists of sub-base, base, and footing layers. The clay you...

I have probably posted this one before, but it's a favorite of mine.

I'm addicted to placebos. I'd give them up, but it wouldn't make any difference. - Steven Wright

I also don't have to worry whether my lips are moving, as my mind is talking to itself. I had summer jobs mowing grass in my youth. My co-workers would razz me, because I was clearly in conversation with myself while mowing for eight hours a day.

At that point, you can safely judge him, because he's a mile away, and he has no shoes.

We used to have that rule in computer programming. 80% of the functionality can be provided with 20% of the work. Most of the time is spent covering all the little odd-ball scenarios.

A great landing is when they can also reuse the plane.

Karma is only a bitch if you are.

Ha! I didn't see that. I also thought it was an odd photoshop job.

On a related note, my father bought a new bare bones 78 Ford F-150, and IIRC it cost about $3900. That's more than a 100% price jump in 13 years. I would bet that was hard to stomach at the time. I do recall my dad groaning about the price, but he did that for everything. [emoji6]

She suspected her husband of cheating on her, because none of their children looked like him. - Benny Hill

Wow, those are some weird laws. The family can't sue the dealership, although they should be able to, so they sue the car owner, although it obviously wasn't his fault. The car owner sues the dealership and wins, so the trial goes on with car owner as the defendant, but all judgements go against...

We used to have BB gun fights. Our only safety consideration was a self-imposed rule that the shots should be below the waist. Since it's rather difficult to hit someone in the leg when they are running, a shot would sometimes stray up to the torso. That tended to result in retaliatory shots to...

The future's not ours to see. Que sera, sera.

I saw this on the Dave Barry blog. It gave me a chuckle. https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/22/23037654/tesla-crash-private-jet-reddit-video-smart-summon

I recall her saying she had been "carrying these things around since 7th grade." I guess a lady doesn't always tell?