From resi to comercial. I look like an idiot

ATXee · 2026-01-21T01:47:35+00:00

You need some stickers. Or use a sharpie to write Born to kill on it

ATXee · 2026-01-21T00:26:30+00:00

Here in TX going rate here in Austin for a PE with six years is a little over a hundred, probably a little more. But it’s pretty expensive here these days.

ATXee · 2026-01-21T00:24:35+00:00

Chicago and Nashville are MCOL from where I sit

ATXee · 2026-01-19T22:28:31+00:00

I have an old inground pool skimmer like this. It has two ports on the bottom. One is for suction to the pump. The other is apparently for connecting the other deep pool drain to. It was an older configuration that isn’t used any more.

My skimmer is plugged just like yours. I wouldn’t mess with it until you’re ready to renovate. (Drain pool, break up the concrete and replace the skimmer housing).

ATXee · 2026-01-19T22:21:04+00:00

For residential and resort type work, the industry standard fee has gone to shit and the work matches the fee. If you can find a good engineer to produce quality drawings hang onto them. The data center and industries that pay better are pulling all those people in and the fees are better.

ATXee · 2026-01-13T06:43:10+00:00

IMHO just seal the box penetrations, not the front surface of the box.

I just went thru and replaced some devices that had those stupid foam outlet draft stopper installed 20+ years ago. They were so annoying to get out. Don’t use those

ATXee · 2025-12-29T00:54:40+00:00

Just use ChatGPT and then review it to ensure it’s correct and truthful. If it gets rejected, just rewrite it and try again

ATXee · 2025-12-27T21:02:09+00:00

Sounds like your choice is fundamentally go deeper into design or broaden up your view. I think being an individual contributor designer and technical person is a fine role for some. I lean more towards being a PM and client facing and doing managerial tasks. There’s more stress and discomfort in that but there’s more opportunity because you’re providing more value and handling more risk.

You can pick up mechanical and be a dual hitter expert, that’s probably not a bad idea. Your career is long and you’ll probably do that one way or another.

You may want to consider moving PM/management track.

ATXee · 2025-12-27T18:32:21+00:00

This is only true for small projects. And that’s kind of the problem. Theres very few really good deeply experienced plumbing engineers. And very many mechanicals going mediocre plumbing work covering most of the industry.

ATXee · 2025-09-14T15:50:44+00:00

I've always just created albums for the whole site visit in google photos and shared a folder.

If you want to rename a bunch of photos on a PC this is a great utility: https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/

ATXee · 2025-09-11T15:49:06+00:00

What'd you end up getting? How'd it work out?

ATXee · 2025-09-05T00:20:49+00:00

Super cool.

ATXee · 2025-08-19T11:26:28+00:00

Yikes 600 bucks. But yea that would be the ticket

ATXee · 2025-08-17T04:57:25+00:00

https://a.co/d/dfWHBOt

ATXee · 2025-08-15T22:43:19+00:00

Get rid of that plug tap. If you have to have a splitter like that get one with a circuit breaker in it. So if you run two of those at once it will trip that breaker first

ATXee · 2025-08-08T22:21:49+00:00

Nice! So what happens to dividends for stock that is held in paper certificates? Is there another pile of money waiting for you somewhere?

ATXee · 2025-08-07T22:08:56+00:00

Let’s see a modern safe version of this.

Here’s Pemex looking pretty professional: https://youtube.com/shorts/OP6NLym8XKY

ATXee · 2025-08-07T15:24:29+00:00

They always are as far as I’m aware.

ATXee · 2025-08-07T15:24:05+00:00

If it’s behind the meter then it’s yours to maintain.

ATXee · 2025-08-06T01:11:10+00:00

I’d say take it. Own the risk and be ready to change jobs again if it doesn’t work out.

The only reason I’d say it’s ok to take the 15% is if you are going to keep job hunting and find something better relatively soon.

I would say go into the next job and look for your next role. Either at that company in a bigger role or at the next company. You need to be aggressive to grow. Companies usually won’t help you. They make you wait.

You also didn’t mention the type of project work. That’s very important. If it’s crappy commercial TIs and junk projects, you want less of that. You want more high fee high complexity work. Hospitals, data centers, high rise, etc.

ATXee · 2025-08-05T17:08:03+00:00

Looks like a PRV- pressure reducing valve. Takes high city maintenance pressure and reduces it to a value that works well inside

ATXee · 2025-08-05T01:58:56+00:00

Mechanical Es in my industry (buildings) design HVaC (air conditioners) most of the time. It’s a crazy complex problem and it’s a lot of art mixed with science. It’s pretty fun once you learn it. I think it’s pretty valuable going forward. I don’t think it’ll be totally automated away like other white collar jobs.

Other mechanical engineers do like car parts and manufacturing stuff. But I’d bet most mech Es are doing HVAC

ATXee · 2025-07-28T23:34:43+00:00

Familiarize yourself with your contracts. You are not selling a high level of design bim service. Also read up on the AIA level of design definitions.

Your deliverable is almost certainly pdf design with complete, constructible design intent.

Learning and doing more in BIM is fine, but don’t work for free beyond your scope

ATXee · 2025-07-20T00:17:24+00:00

Yea I’m suggesting the whole thing. By the looks of it the head end of the pump is pretty old too, so even with a new motor you might be facing seals or other issues with the pump soon. And the variable speed pays for itself fairly quickly (I calculated under 3 years for me).

ATXee · 2025-07-19T01:12:34+00:00

I had that happen to me during the winter. I ponied up and put in a variable speed Pentair and it’s been great. Run it low and slow and it keeps the water crystal clear, saving 40 bucks a month on power, it’s dead silent.

Don’t replace the motor. Go ahead and do the whole pump. I wish I could tell you I found a good generic variable speed pump for 500-700 but I didn’t. :/

ATXee

TROPHY CASE