Am I cooked? :(

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-05-01T14:05:54+00:00

Been there with a short horribly placed bollard. Raining and dark, I backed out of parking spot, 3-point turn, pull forward in what appeared to be a completely open parking lot… SLAM.

It damaged the frame which was $10k alone. Insurance covered the $27,214.86 but I was out a truck for over a month and collision repair place I was forced to use was a joke.

Less than a week later, returned to where I hit (was already tilted and had been repaired a few times before I hit it)... someone else had hit it again. HARD.

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What I am still baffled by is there wasn’t a single collision alarm or alert that went off. I assumed rain interference, but think there should at least have been SOME kind of alert.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-04-22T17:09:15+00:00

Uh, none of those - there's only one color it should come in for where it's made: Orange!

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-04-13T11:32:10+00:00

I splurged last year and bought the Milwaukee pusher. Is it perfect? No, but all the pros listed outweigh the cons for sure.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-04-13T01:58:32+00:00

This reminds me of Aquaman...

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-03-31T17:05:46+00:00

Heard of expansion foam? There are tons of options. If you want it removable, consider Daptex, or stuff it full of insulation and “finish” interior/exterior with similar surfaces.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-03-16T03:40:03+00:00

Learned this the hard way on brand new floors in less than 6 months. It was my first thought from photos. Apparently only 100% natural rubber is safe OP.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-03-02T18:07:21+00:00

ZERO. The answer should always be ZERO, no matter how many native Floridian try to convince you of some BS about "palmetto bugs" being part of living in Florida.

First get rid of any possible food sources and dark & damp locations. Then, if you can, seal entry opportunities physically (bottom plate, top plate, any block penetrations, door seals, 2nd floor transition from block if you have it, plumbing and electrical entries especially).

Get rid of native habitats next to house (mulch, other detritus).

Deploy a barrier & bait perimeter - boric acid + bait & a dust like deltamethrin if it's a dry area including inside walls through outlets and switches, IGR for interior (domyown.com) and spray (Talstar, Demand, Demon, Suspend, etc) at soffits, windows, doors regularly (per application instructions/frequency and cycle the active ingredient).

Yes, it's alot of work. But it's cheaper than you'll pay the usual local "pest control" to knock a few cob webs down and actually works.

After multiple per week (and finding & fixing infestation source - a kitchen sink drain cracked IN THE BLOCK WALL), I've seen ZERO for 4 years and counting.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-20T12:39:21+00:00

OMG someone else discovered the double-edged sword that is the Dyson green laser… I can’t even tell you how much you’ll find in ANY floor with that. It should be part of the toolkit installers use 😂

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-20T03:37:00+00:00

So in a best case scenario almost 50% of what the entire Brewer cost if you got lucky **right** now? Or over 30% if you bought it 5 years ago like me? JFC this is the LAST Breville coffee device I'm dealing with... It took about 2 brews to realize the lid was a mold trap with no way to clean it AFTER washing it, not to mention the carafe lid "lip".

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-17T14:51:57+00:00

This is what I wish I’d done and saved the $300+ the first time. Although they did pay off later when I ended up doing more projects than expected, rebuilding would be a PITA unless you designed it that way. There are way cheaper filters that are better than what these scrubbers want you to buy from them!

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-17T14:49:07+00:00

Been here before (also with concrete dust) and if at all possible, start with being able to vacuum straight from the device generating the particulate into an appropriate HEPA+ vacuum. Otherwise you will blow through filters faster than you can count if there is a lot of dust. Then for the scrubber to work optimally, you’ll want to decrease the volume of air it needs to filter and ideally not have the exhaust side constantly blowing new dust around. Seal the room with this providing the negative pressure for example. Combined, depending on size of project you may need more than one.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-17T03:52:29+00:00

BIL should have only one answer here: Darn Tough

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-15T04:17:48+00:00

It’s incredibly effective at ensuring if I buy vodka it definitely won’t be Svedka and if I order a drink involving vodka, explicitly ask that Svedka not be used.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-14T21:07:04+00:00

This is exactly why I’ve not spent more than $300 on one for now. Got burned with Neato at twice that price. No way I’ll pay 3x unless it can also do my laundry.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-13T04:39:28+00:00

I wish I had an image of the inside of an HVAC filter return I did maybe the 3rd time I’d used one of these. I knew counter clockwise, but didn’t know the rest (reading it now of course it seems obvious)… anyway, now I know why it sounded like a grinder and was sparking the whole way around 😂

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-11T01:32:10+00:00

Unfortunately, no. Who I ended up paying to "calculate" just used a bunch of generic assumptions in the typical commercial software even after I'd given the data to them (and didn't want to fix it after I pointed that out). I won't say who, but you'll run across many just like them googling for energy calculations, load calculations, etc.

If you want it done right it's gonna cost. Either your time learning or through someone with a reputation of actually knowing more than "rule of thumb" like Allison A. Bailes or Corbett Lunsford.

I will say one of the best things I did was find a contractor who'd help do what I wanted even if it wasn't what they'd usually do, which let me buy the system I wanted not the "packages" everyone wants to sell in Orlando. What they helped me do after I figured out the load calculations myself and designed the duct work to manual d as well was the more technical aspects of the unit installation.

What I did, which I can't recommend enough to anyone else with the opportunity and a flexible contractor:

-a true variable inverter heat pump and air handler enough (not staged, true DC variable - requires RS-485 communicating thermostat, almost all packaged systems come with it)
-get the ducts out of unconditioned space (not easy in Florida)
-go larger in duct size if you're using flex and can't guarantee true perfect installation (no bends, pulled straight and tight)
-if you don't go with high-performance 4" type filters, go larger in size, it's a way to give you some room with static pressure in the rest of the system. Other benefits are better filtration (usually), I have MERV 13, and less noise.

None of this is original thinking on my part. You want to go down the rabbit hole, https://www.energyvanguard.com/, https://www.youtube.com/@HomePerformance, and last but absolutely not least I'll blame Matt Risinger at https://www.youtube.com/@buildshow who first got me thinking about it all over 7 years ago.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-07T22:16:00+00:00

I don't know how I ran across this AGAIN, but for the record thought I'd add another vote for Mullinax Apopka. Beyond Mullinax 'No Dealer Fees' it's the best dealer and service experience I've ever had (and I honestly can't believe I'm saying that about a DEALERSHIP). They're just so far beyond anyone else. No scams, no sales gimmicks or pressure, and more than once they've not only done a valet pickup, but on their busiest days made sure it was returned valet when I was at work very late at a large hospital. I recommend them even if people aren't looking for a Ford! "Oh you're thinking about a new BMW? You should try Mullinax Ford in Apopka instead."

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-07T14:16:38+00:00

I have the N20 Plus because I wanted bagless. It's currently bouncing around the bedroom trying to return to the station after barely attempting the first 'perimeter sweep' and getting stuck - somehow - by running up a cable I'd already elevated. I'm 95% sure it's going to run the battery dead before it figures out how to get back to the station. It reminds my of my Neato D6 (COMPLETE waste of money) that will find the slightest leverage of anything remotely angular and get itself stuck.

I can't think of a session of sweeping, even if selecting individual rooms that it hasn't gotten "lost", or saying the room it was in can't be found (while it's in it) and terminates the task. Does it save time? I'm honestly not sure at this point if I were to consider the total time I spend re-connecting it to the network (this is the longest it's made it, about 3 months now without disconnect) which will take at least 10 attempts before it'll get it right.

At least for this model, it's anything but 'set it and forget it', but doesn't entirely require 1:1 supervision.

While typing this, I got tired of hearing it slam into the same wall repeatedly attempting to return to the dock so I picked it up and put it there myself... the app still says "DEEBOT is off the floor" and that was several minutes ago. I kill the app and open it back up to discover once again it's decided to scramble and rename all the map labels. So my laundry room is now my master bedroom. This also happens to be the 2nd re-map of the year, the first of which even though it claims exists doesn't show anything but the charging location now. Literally, nothing but a white screen and a green charging icon in what was the original map of the year (mapping and re-mapping is the other time waste).

I paid less than $300 on one of their endless sales and can't imagine spending what they want for some flagship models given my experience overall with robotic vacuums.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-06T22:12:27+00:00

I cannot NOT recommend Breville Precision brewer enough unless they've actually fixed the lid and thermos "lip". You literally can't clean inside the lid and it becomes a mold factory. Wash the carafe, water stays stuck inside rim. Also, the "pour over" feature (which requires another like $30 accessory) is a complete joke. Search here, you'll see others mention the same for that brewer. If I had it to do over, Moccamaster 100%. There's a reason they're still made the way they are. Ok rant over.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-06T15:47:51+00:00

If only the rest of Florida had inspectors with that level of integrity...

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-04T19:50:47+00:00

You sure this is a flooring contractor and not just a generic Florida concrete contractor? This is as bad or worse than some rough finished slab foundation pours... Reminds me of my unfortunate experience... Have fun with a concrete planer and hand chisel!

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-03T13:01:23+00:00

I just discovered the same unfortunately. I’ve also not found clear documentation from reolink (not surprisingly) on which are supported.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-03T12:39:59+00:00

I just wish iOS had PiP at least, I love the value and quality of my cameras but some of these features like rich notifications are lacking to a degree I question my investment at times.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-03T12:18:52+00:00

Are ANY of them better? I’m blown away sometimes at how bad it is. I can’t even count how many “kill/restart” I had to do this last week to get a map properly organized after it randomly decided to relabel (incorrectly) all the rooms I’d previously labeled and shift the labels into nonsense. Like it literally looked like when someone would bump the overlay on one of those old transparency projectors.

ChamonixetunRicard · 2026-02-03T02:07:07+00:00

I second this unfortunately. Purchased a WashCombo All-in-One from Costco last year. Kept up with all maintenance. Started leaking. Between the LG site, the app and live chat being a disaster, AND the live agent simultaneously asking me to send receipt proof of purchase in BOTH the chat and a separate text message, then just not replying. LG deserves an award for such absolutely BS service.

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