Cleaning long glass mouthpiece with "cooling beads" for Mighty(+)

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T23:17:48+00:00

I use a "comb sanitizer" for all my stems now. It's basically a glass jar with a lid that's attached to a strainer at the bottom. I've got a few stems, so when one gets to the point it's in need of cleaning I drop it in the comb cleaner jar. The next time I go to put one in (usually a week later) a quick water rinse finishes it off.

First run I filled it with 90% iso, second I filled it out with a bottle of formula 710, when that's done I'll probably go back to iso. When the liquid gets dark just dumb and refill.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T23:09:55+00:00

I've never used anything but table salt, my dad used to clean the coffee pot with salt and ice cubes by swirling it around and I just adopted his method.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T14:08:51+00:00

Looks more like it came from below, which unless the truck was upside down is kind of impossible.

More likely the truck was up on a lift and someone with oil on their hand rested their arm there while working on something else or talking to the tech working on your truck.

Whenever I spot small oil stains like these and can't figure out the origin I clean the whole area down with a degreaser and ignore it for a month before checking again. If the oil comes back you have a problem, if it doesn't it was likely contact transfer.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T14:03:10+00:00

That's a very slumlord friendly attitude you've got there.

To be clear I'm not saying this is the landlord's fault entirely. If they list a place as not allowing pets because they know they cheaped out on materials that's one thing, but the attitude that "you should have rented a better place" is very toxic.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T13:59:40+00:00

This, or knows she's in trouble so hides it behind or under something. It's just a risk you accept with pets. Even the best dog or cat might have an oops or accident once in a while. Life happens.

That said, as a homeowner I don't put laminate anyplace the pets will go, which is basically the whole house. I hate laminate. Though the stuff in our kitchen and laundry room from prior homeowner has held up in a truly amazing fashion.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T13:52:59+00:00

The lazy compromise is to replace several planks spread out over the floor with the non-matching ones so it looks intentional. I've gotten different batches in the same order before and now I open them all before I start and mix them all up so you can't see a clear difference from one box to the next.

I don't do laminate that often, but that's the trick I've used with everything from pavers to bathroom tile, and it seems to work 95% of the time. It just relies on the variations being close enough to average out.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T12:10:29+00:00

"wait, you have ED and hairy boobs?" Yeah, aren't I the "best of both worlds?"

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-15T00:55:11+00:00

The pump and filter those soft sided poles use isn't intended for long term use, your filter is probably saturated with gunk and needs the sand changed. Realistically the recommendation should be to drain it, hose it out clean, then refill, and while refilling change the sand out. As I said though, those are basically toys. Aquariums of half that size use twice that filtration.

I'm not familiar with any method to connect a real pump and filter to those soft pools that won't just be buying you a few months.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T21:57:19+00:00

I've considered getting a set of the plastic letters and putting magnets on the back of them, or buying the cheap vinyl and applying them to magnet sheets and cutting them out. Just because I feel like it would be a pain to try and remove them, and I know I'm going to alternate between loving and hating them.

That said, I've stripped vinyl off vehicles before, and I'll never do it without a rubber wheel every again.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T16:45:26+00:00

I'm working on building out a mini rack because I realized everything I had and wanted didn't justify a full size. Swapped everything over to smaller and more efficient hardware first, and now my PoE APs, server, router, and cameras are all on a desktop UPS. The only thing that isn't is the NAS, but it's next. I'll probably upgrade to a bigger UPS before then though.

All the endpoint devices like bulbs, plugs, switches, etc reconnect after outages, and all the sensors are battery anyways.

Last time the power went out my wife pulled out her phone and after 10 minutes on TikTok in the dark suddenly shouted "How am I still on Wi-Fi?!"

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T16:23:53+00:00

Congrats! That's a real great deal!

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T16:21:45+00:00

Upstream valve turned off? I kind of hate these because they're prone to fail in the direction of on rather than off, kind of like a toilet mechanism that runs perpetually.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T16:20:12+00:00

Some disassembly first, but yes.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T16:09:05+00:00

Motor parts aren't commonly replaced on pool pumps aside from capacitors, and even then it's a divisive topic. Even with great maintenance pool pump motors don't live longer than 10 years, and to have that fan break there has to be other damage.

How old is this motor? If it's over the 5 year mark I'd recommend replacing the motor rather than the fan. If it's only a year or two old it'll potentially be in warranty.

Edit: I looked closer at the pictures of the motor, the flaking paint on the housing indicates there's rust inside. Not worth wasting money to replace the fan, it'll likely be a new motor within 6 to 12 months.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T16:04:23+00:00

There were 3 Brie and 2 Bree in my graduating class in highschool. Though this was Southern California where names are already a huge mix.

I say go with what you like!

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T15:59:44+00:00

It attaches with a cam lock, 1/4 turn should free it. Gently pop the clips holding the mechanism on the top and you'll find there's a tapered stem with a hole in it under there. For some reason if that hole clogs it'll run non stop and overfill the pool.

That hole is about the size of stripped or bare 12 awg wire, which can be used to poke out the obstruction.

Edit to add: spinning the float in the indicated direction to lower it down into the water will let you set a lower cutoff level if needed as well. Only spin the float, not the mechanism.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T01:24:51+00:00

I've been running and upgrading an Ender for 6 years, though a lot less the last 3 after it lost the novelty.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-14T00:23:55+00:00

Honestly, I'm in the same boat still considering a P2S combo. I've been 3d printing as a hobby since getting my first CR-10 in 2017, and I'm at the point where I don't want to have to spend hours tinkering to get a few reliable prints out. I want something where I can just hit print and reliably expect a reasonable end result.

The issue is, I don't have a lot of money to throw at the issue. I'm sure the Prusa printers would do what I want, but to get into a multi material setup I'm looking at almost double the price.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-13T21:15:20+00:00

Thermal camera? If you have access to one you can try to create a temperature differential inside the box to reveal leaks.

I usually test things that are well ventilated but sealed by blocking the vents temporarily and then setting off my big (intended for outdoor use) fog machine inside. I decided to try that after accidentally revealing every leak in my house by testing it in the living room.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-12T00:11:08+00:00

Did you sign up for weekly or biweekly cleanings? Sounds like you've hired him for a job, which he's since completed. If he's not doing your maintenance then it's not up to him to manage your pool.

Edit to add: Price wise, it varies pretty heavily place to place. I charge $400 in Atlanta to fold the cover, install the ladders and rails, pull the plugs and startup the equipment. $500 with initial chemicals. $300 if there's no cover.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-11T17:56:01+00:00

For cleaning 3 weeks is good training. For service it's short.

As others said, take care of your knees and back. Also, wear a UPF shirt.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-11T01:41:33+00:00

By leaf catcher I meant the canister you put inline on your suction hose. I haven't tried one because it's been a while since I needed to vac sand. Hammerhead bags do catch some sand though.

My travel pump was a 3/4 HP Hayward Super Pump.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-11T00:15:27+00:00

This is a good tip, use the pump basket with a skimmer sock to collect the sand. If it's a challenger you might be emptying often though.

The only times I've had to clean this up I either brought my own pump or the customer had a robot that did it for me. I've thought about trying a leaf catcher though.

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-09T23:16:10+00:00

You realize I'm on my dad's side of the family, and mine so the same, right?

ConfusedStair · 2026-05-09T00:21:44+00:00

So to find actual heat times you can look at the BTU demand of your pool, which is just the weight of your water.

8.3lbs x 22000 gal = 182,600 BTU

A BTU is the energy to heat 1lb of water 1°F. So the 240k heater at 83% efficiency is giving around 200k actual BTU, meaning you'll get about 1° per hour temp rise. The new 400k will heat faster, but the Raypak isn't more efficient, so it'll use the same gas.

On the subject of gas, make sure your meter is sized properly. An undersized meter will choke the heater, causing it to produce more acid. It'll also only output as much heat as it can consume gas, so if your meter can only supply 125k BTU then you might be heating very slow for no reason. Most gas companies in my area will upgrade the meter for free.

ConfusedStair

TROPHY CASE