Good morning!!!!

[daugen]

Kev, have fun and sorry your foot hurts. Just find a nice high performance golf cart to tool around in....
The little beer I drink is from bottles, that won't help RS.
Buppies, I've had a few strange flowers pop out too. Until we get a hard freeze, we even are still plagued with mosquitoes. I have to use spray and who knows what toxic chemicals are in that.
Ron, nice charger, looks much smarter than the oem ferro resonant charger that ClubCar "requires" me to use due to a proprietary plug. Charging the batteries the other way would mean propping open the seat (no strap provided, odd) and connecting the charger clips. Versus plug and go. I check my water every several months and so far it's not boiling off. And I always leave it on charge when not using it. Maybe I shouldn't...I never run it low. 48V system, new Trojans.
When my charger first turns on, it sets off a howl of vibration when the entire metal case vibrates. Resonant it is...

50 degrees out, not warming up too much, but the rain is over and I am heading an hour South to look at another boat. Taking my new female boater friend with me to give me the woman's perspective. Then hotfoot it home as the concrete contractor is starting today, I think..., and I don't want to miss that.

 

[txdon]

txdon, Christy has made a name for herself. I bought a charger for my golf cart. Works much better than the OEM. No more boiled away water or corroded connections. Save A Battery.

Ron, thanks for the link, it's bookmarked and I'll get it if I can fix it. If I can't I might just trade it in for a new model. The golf cart is the one thing I use the most.
Christy has an offer to appear on a TV talk show, if it pans out I'll let the guys here know when it will be.

Good Morning! HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!! to all our vets. I'm not a vet but I remember the Vietnam era very well. I delivered Papers for the Houston Chronicle during that war - I had a paper route a long time. Every day the headline would report on the causalities and I delivered the sad news paper to the neighborhood. For the longest time I thought the line in the song American Pie was written for me when I had to get up early on those cold dark February Sunday mornings.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

In high school we had to get our draft card and number, then there was the drawing of the numbers to determine which order you would be drafted. Mine was in the middle for my year so it was a good chance I would be drafted, and then just like that we pulled out, and the draft was over and the only thing on my mind for years was gone.

A warm 74˚ breezy cloudy heading to 80˚

 

[ronjhall]

Ron, nice charger, looks much smarter than the oem ferro resonant charger that ClubCar "requires" me to use due to a proprietary plug. Charging the batteries the other way would mean propping open the seat (no strap provided, odd) and connecting the charger clips. Versus plug and go. I check my water every several months and so far it's not boiling off. And I always leave it on charge when not using it. Maybe I shouldn't...I never run it low. 48V system, new Trojans.
When my charger first turns on, it sets off a howl of vibration when the entire metal case vibrates. Resonant it is...

My golf cart is a 2002. I think Dons is previous model. They have a tendency to over charge batteries and boil away water. I purchased a 10' extension cable for the charger. Used lug connector to the batteries. All I have to do is lift seat and plug in cable. After several days of use. Batteries are charged overnight. Amazing that 1.1 amp will charge 6 batteries that quick.

 

[farmer2009]

43 this morning and headed to 70 today. Very windy. Gust above 40.

Well good news and bad. Good birds are gone but now work starts. Bad. Boy seen ENT doctor yesterday and now needs tubes. Wife is freaked out, but I'm glad a doctor finally found something. Fluid on ears. Maybe we are headed in the right direction now. We started this endeavor in May and are just now seeing a light.

TMA cleanup after catch crews. Then take boy to allergist to find out results of allergy testing.

Kev get to feeling better. You'll be in a strange place so a wheel chair could work out on your favor. Just saying, MILK IT.

Don this should be a great start to that solo career your niece was wanting.

RS are you planning to do the muffler mod yourself or take it in somewhere?

 

[riptides]

55 out this AM.

A salute to the veterans, serving and those who have served.

Thank you.

 

[300UGUY]

Another day here. I am going back to fix my chimney, then hopefully, get some other stuff done. Gonna finish coffee first!

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning, and happy Veteran's Day! 39F @ 6:00AM. Sunny. High around 55F. Winds light and variable.

Thanks to all that served, and those serving now. The freedoms we all enjoy were purchased with the ultimate sacrifice of many that went before us, and we should all be eternally grateful.

RS, the water heater here is 8 years old and as far as I can tell has never been flushed. Bought the place five years ago and installed a water softener, but from the way the thing creaks and pops when the burner is on, it's full of sediment. Once the rains have the lake coming up again there'll be enough water to do a real flush on it, but it might take some acid soaking to get it all out. Dunno about the glass packs Drew suggested for your wife's car, but Summit Racing delivers quickly and has some of the best prices going. Wasn't too happy with the year old motorcycle tires they sent me though.

Roy, you're very lucky to have an honest mechanic! Tell all your friends about him so he stays busy enough to stay in business.

Kev, hope your foot heals quickly, but you'll have to follow doctor's orders for that to happen. You're going to an auction and planning on your wife not buying anything? Good luck with that.:laughing:

Farmer, I had tubes in my eardrums as a kid. The knocked me out to install them, but the doc pulled 'em out while I sat in a chair in his office. Squeaked a bit, but didn't hurt. They did stop the constant ear aches, and I've been told that the scaring they caused cost me some high frequency response. Hope they help with your boy's hearing. The allergy shots started for me at 7, and I'm still getting them. Not much fun, but a whole lot better than feeling like I have a cold all year. Some day your son will thank you for what you're putting him through now, but you might have to wait a while.

Had an old washing machine that wouldn't start because the safety switch on the lid had shifted. Had to take the top off to get to it, and all the clips were hidden. Went on line and googled using the make and model number of the machine and something like "lid safety switch" and got a photo tutorial of how to take it apart. A bit time consuming, but free since all I had to do was position the switch correctly and tighten a couple of screws.

Got the speedos back into their housings and installed with only a few instances of chasing dropped screws and standing on my head trying to see into the dark to get the screws aligned and started. One worked fine using a drill motor to test it, the other is electronic and will have to wait until later today since the battery on that bike had gone flat while waiting for the repair. Doesn't seem to matter how good the charger is if the battery spends most of its life sitting, even if it's on the charger the whole time. The secret to long battery life is to keep them full of water (if they're not the sealed type) and keep them charged by using whatever they're installed in as frequently as possible.

Got a $3300 estimate to replace two windows at my step dad's. One had a pane broken on the outside, the other a bad seal between the inner and outer. Both are custom Anderson brand windows, and even though I asked the repairman about a warranty replacement for the leaker, I don't see that reflected in the estimate. See previous comments about customer service...

Happy Hump Day!

 

[sodamo]

69°F and 4.11 inches rain last 24 hours.
Wife arrived safely in Ca for visit with her two sisters and their Mom. I'll join them 11/24. For now, just me and the dogs perusing my ToDo list.
Thanks to all the Vets out there..

Be safe
Have a great day
David Sent from my iPad Air using TractorByNet

 

[rswyan]

54F and extremely sunny @ 12:45 ...

Got nothing done that I had planned to work on yesterday.

I did end up investigating the caps on the compressor motor - it uses two: one for start, another for run. The one for run is slightly bulged on the end. Friend has one on the service truck for his business that is close in specs and will allow me to use it to see if it is the cap that is the problem. He'll be over in about an hour or so.

Hopefully the cap will be the problem, as a $7 to $15 cap is sure a lot better than $200+ motor.

I did make it over to Home Depot yesterday, primarily to pick up some silicone for the chimney. Of course, while I was there I did pick some light bulbs ... including a couple for the aquariums, as well as some corner brace brackets for the stand ...

Also grabbed a 3-pack of the warm white LEDs for the living room ... like those in there much better.

I did however get some work done on the really important stuff ... after The Woman hit the rack, I set up the stand and re-arranged the living room ...

She glanced into the room this morning on her way to the coffee pot and said "Holy crap ! ... I just knew you were up to something ..."

And the best part: "I like it ..."

Now I have to start hauling everything upstairs, so the tanks can actually be set up. Most of it I can do myself, but getting the tank itself upstairs will require another set of hands.

Have many posts here I need to reply to, but most of it will have wait until later as Pine Ridge is coming over here in a bit.

BTW, Pine Ridge - who the older members here may remember - is the maker of the stills.

 

[rswyan]

I prolly need to clean my chimney too. Is there a cheap poormans way to do it?

It's the one I'm using ...

Chimney sweepers are rare down here. I've been sooted before by all kinds of things.

Seriously, a brush size to fit your chimney (I have two: 6" round and 11" x 7" rectangular I think) and some 4' sections of screw-together fiberglass rod shouldn't be all that expensive ... probably less than $50.

Way cheaper than having a sweep come out and do it ...

 

[chad22]

45F out and Cloudy. Feels colder with the high wind we're having.

Thankfully there's no snow in my area of Kansas yet.

Other parts of Kansas are under a Blizzard warning. I'm so not ready for snow yet.

I'm already ready sick of winter and it's just now making it's way here. lol

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Seriously, a brush size to fit your chimney (I have two: 6" round and 11" x 7" rectangular I think) and some 4' sections of screw-together fiberglass rod shouldn't be all that expensive ... probably less than $50.

You can save some additional cash by substituting 1/2" PVC pipe for the fiberglass wands. Just glue the appropriate threaded adapter for whatever brush you end up to one end, and a M/F pair to the ends of additional pipes you may need to reach all the way through the flue.

 

[Depmandog]

Back in my bachelor days, I worked for a dealer of wood burning stoves. Good sized operation with two Denver locations. The main showroom location had six air tight wood burners as the main source of heat. The smaller location had two. Quite a chore every morning building the fires and getting the store ready for clients.

I asked the owner one day during my training, "chimney cleaning must really keep you busy?". He replied "I never clean the chimneys". I asked - "what about the creosote buildup"? He relied and then demonstrated - "I purposely start a chimney fire just about every morning. Then as soon as it catches, I cut the air and the fire goes out. I am burning out yesterday's creosote - these chimneys are clean".

I put a brand new chimney in at the shop 10 years ago, never been cleaned. I build a hot fire, leave the fan powered air intake on high. You can tell when the chimney catches, you can hear and feel it. As soon as it starts, I shut the fan off and shut the intake damper off and it only takes a few seconds to die out. A few minutes later, I set the intake where I need it rub and go about my business.

I wouldn't try this with a creosote caked flue and for sure not with a Ben Franklin or other non air tight unit. Likewise, your chimney needs to be in excellent shape, and that includes your black stovepipe. Don't go off and start a project while waiting for it to catch.

 

[wngsprd]

I use 2 brushes and fiberglass rods I purchased back in 1980 to clean mine, usually once a year, sometimes twice. We had a chimney fire once, would never want that experience again, but it did do a real nice clean job .

 

[daugen]

just be careful on old houses...having grown up in one with a 250 year old chimney.
Old stone mortar may have fallen out and a superhot planned or not chimney fire can go through cracks and potentially cause a fire.
I went out on at least six fire calls on chimney fires that had put smoke in the attics or even caught something on fire.
so the statement about chimneys in good condition is super important.
Burning creosote reaches temps much higher than normal fire temps so it puts quite a stress on the system.
All the more reason to not let it get on fire by keeping the worst of it cleaned out.
Lot has to do with what kind of wood is burned. I think I remember RS saying something about burning pretty green wood last year, and
no surprise he has very heavy creosote buildups.

Didn't they use to pull christmas trees up the chimney to clean them? What a mess that would make...
though maybe they just use artificial trees now. This of course would not work with a modern smaller round flue but some of the old stuff was much bigger.
I'm happy to pay a hundred bucks every two years and have them come out and do mine with their HEPA vac running. I had all three cleaned when I bought the home, but only really use one, in the den, so that's all I'll get cleaned next year. I looked up the flu with a bright light and it had just a very light coating. Fine for this year. I used a really bright flashlight and looked up as far as I could see, and got pretty dirty in the process, but wanted to make sure no critters had gotten through the chimney screen on top and made a home in there before I lit it up. Clean as a whistle, though why would a whistle be particularly clean?

 

[txdon]

Depmandog - oh that is what that tornado sound is when the WBS door is wide open with a good fire - like a self cleaning stove.

Farmer 2009 - you are right, a heck of a way for my niece to jump start her full time endeavor. However when she fist told me about quitting her job and going gator catching full time I wanted to advise her not to quite her day job, as I'm sure everyone here was also thinking and still may be thinking (Hey they do hibernate in the winter!). . . but if Hollywood is also involved maybe a break in her day job is in order.

 

[300UGUY]

Depmandog - oh that is what that tornado sound is when the WBS door is wide open with a good fire - like a self cleaning stove.

Farmer 2009 - you are right, a heck of a way for my niece to jump start her full time endeavor. However when she fist told me about quitting her job and going gator catching full time I wanted to advise her not to quite her day job, as I'm sure everyone here was also thinking and still may be thinking (Hey they do hibernate in the winter!). . . but if Hollywood is also involved maybe a break in her day job is in order.

I saw the vid. Brave girl. The only way I want to see a gator that big is when he is luggage....

 

[rswyan]

... RS, Gold Fish got to be the easiest fish to keep. Have about 2 dozen in our garden pond. Low maintenance and add good color.

Is the pond deep enough that they can winter over in it ?

Our doctor office has some in a 50 gallon aquarium. Big Fantails. ...

Seems like some of the more exotic koi could be a real money making opportunity ... :laughing:

 

[rswyan]

... RS, customer service is a dying art in this country. Besides, who needs to be nice to people when everyone knows that the world owes you a living?:banghead:

Yupper ... the "me" generation ...

I've had good luck buying used appliances off Craig's List, but I always make sure that replacement parts are still available before dragging any particular one home. If they're of fairly recent manufacture, it's also easy to find reviews on line, too.

Makes sense ...

And as far as LEDs go, no way I'd drop to anything near 60W equivalent. As my eyes age they need more light to see anything clearly,

Yup ... same here (on the eyes) ... that's why the garage and the back basement utility room both have a pair of 200w incandescents. I was running 300w clear incandescents out in the garage, but they're getting harder to find these days.

so I've held off replacing anything until the 100W equivalents start dropping in price.

There are some places where 60w equivs work here ... for instance the big bathroom - it has a total of 4 fixtures, pair of hanging light in front of the mirror. Pulled a 60w and 100w incandescent out of there the other night and stuck in a pair of those cool white 60w equiv LEDs.

It looks at least as bright as before - if not brighter.

I ended up throwing another lamp in the living room as part of the reconfig, with a 100w incandescent in it ... made a huge difference.

Once I get the tanks set up that will add even more light.

And even then I'll be comparing lumens. But even that isn't always accurate as demonstrated by the 4' florescents I just replaced. The rating on the LEDs was actually lower than that of the florescents, but in practice the LEDs appear much, much brighter.

Yup, as above ...

 

[rswyan]

Rswyan - at least you made progress on 3. Before I could start the repair the Farmall the weed eater quite running and so did the golf cart. I fixed the weed eater and start on the golf cart tomorrow - the farmall just gets pushed back more and more. . .

Oh, I'm counting my blessings ... I realize it could have gone far worse ...

Hope ya can find the time to give the Farmall the TLC it no doubt deserves.

Eric haggis sounds pretty disgusting - heart, liver, lung, served in a stomach, ugg.

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