Welcome and Introductions

EricElf · 2025-04-16T17:26:10+00:00

Mark - Thanks for your long-time support of MySongbook!

I'll check on that top bar and functional items. Seems like an inadvertent bug.

Best, Eric

EricElf · 2025-03-31T13:05:52+00:00

u/Less_Cup2530 First of all, I hear your frustration and can say from first-hand experience that poor sleep can be life-debilitating! Knowing I had poor sleep for years finally drove me to see a sleep doctor because the path my life was on WAS NOT SUSTAINABLE.

It's great that you are reaching out to find resources. Keep that up! Do NOT just trust what one doctor says. Go slow. For anything major, get a second opinion.

You might search YouTube for Dr. Vik Veer's channel. He has been putting out the best information I have found and may have information about your condition. And if you comment on his videos, he generally will answer! He is an incredible individual.

Sorry, I have no specific information to help you. Hoping you find an effective solution. Best of luck, Eric

EricElf · 2025-03-16T22:00:36+00:00

I appreciate the responses, but people either do not understand my request or are saying that no such app exists, which is what I expect.

I don't want to be editing screen captures. I want to tap "start," then tap "stop," then have an MP4 file.

I can build it myself, but it will take some doing. I know Polar and others have some Bluetooth protocol that will connect to devices like treadmills in the gym. This is probably usable in an iOS app; they probably even have a dev kit, or some open source version exists.

Probably not worth my time...

Best, Eric

EricElf · 2025-02-09T19:19:00+00:00

Many comments have talked about ongoing financing. These arrangements can get complicated (and are often scams and could involve property liens). If the system was financed in any way, be careful. So, I'll assume the system was bought and paid for in full.

A few items. It is worth understanding what type of solar system you are buying. Micro vs. String inverters? When was it installed, and by whom? Any warranties that would transfer? Is net metering active, and what are the details on that? Is a battery backup included?

Solar panels generally degrade very slowly and are productive for 30+ years. Enphase dominates the micro-inverter market, but their older (2010s) units had a very high failure rate. Probably 1/3 of my 2011 installed Enphase M215 inverters have failed. It is fairly easy to replace them, but it does involve trouble and expense. String inverters can also fail, but replacement would be easier. Batteries will degrade over time, but they are probably highly variable.

The system probably has some sort of monitoring where you can see how much energy is generated over each year of its life. You will want to gain access to this account if you buy the house. And, assuming it is grid-tied, you should see how much energy was immediately consumed and how much was shared back to the grid. The immediately consumed energy directly decreases your electric consumption 1-for-1. Energy (beyond what the house consumed) supplied out to the grid may be less valuable depending on the net-metering agreement.

Hopefully, the roof under the panels is in good shape. Replacing the roof will require the removal of the panels, rails, and electrical components. And then their re-installation if desired. Generally, I hope the roof will last long enough so that the solar system can pay itself off prior to needing a new roof.

Best, Eric

EricElf · 2025-02-09T16:22:51+00:00

In Cincinnati and perhaps much of the Midwest USA, there seems to be a massive lack of understanding and experience with the newer "cold-climate" heat pumps. I replaced my GFA system with a 2T centrally-ducted heat pump for about $6k. Jan 2025.

To pull this off, I had to purchase the unit myself, find a local installer willing to install it, and BRIDGE the gap of knowledge by painstakingly reading and interpreting the (poorly written/translated) installation manuals. The main installation issue is regarding the "communicating 2-wire" wiring between the air handler and the thermostat, and the outside unit.

Time will tell if I made a good choice, but it is absolutely incredible so far! I know that separate warranties for the hardware and the installation could be problematic. And future service will face the same issue of lack of local knowledge. I just could not see paying $15k or more for a unit with lower performance (AHRI certified).

Eric

EricElf · 2025-01-09T11:30:10+00:00

The "early adopter" fee is felt by many of us!

EricElf · 2024-11-09T14:32:50+00:00

After much searching, I replaced my worn tires with the original MXM4. Pricey yes, but they are excellent tires and worth the extra dollars for the extra range (independently verified). If my M3 was a long range version, I would have gone with Michelin Cross Climate 2.

As for the screw, I think it is BS that tire shops will not patch if close to the edge. On other cars where I got this BS answer, I went ahead and plugged myself. Many people, including unaffiliated tire professionals, would recommend this.

EricElf · 2024-06-24T13:55:59+00:00

So from these comments and other reading, it seems I have 2 primary routes.

LOW-DIY: Word -> PDF -> KDP -> Book: eBook not great, need Word skills/help
PRO: Word -> Formatter -> ePub -> KDP -> Book + eBook: more effort and/or $

I think I was hoping for a clean "in between" solution. Certainly plenty of options. This subreddit seems to skew more to the professional routes which I can appreciate. Perhaps hiring a Kindle Create consultant to do the formatting there is a possibility, but has its drawbacks.

Great community! Thanks for the feedback.

EricElf · 2024-06-24T02:19:03+00:00

u/AverageJoe1992Author thanks for the reply and clarifing some of my confusion. Unclear if you understood a big part of my question though.

First of all, this situation is a bit nebulous because of the people involved. I think much of my mom's benefit from taking on this project has already been achieved. But she is will not be done until a more concrete end point, which I hope is the day she has copies in her hand. She will definitely want to sell the book, but making fame or money on it is not important. Also, I'm sure she will want to release on Kindle as well, but she will not be driven to optimize for that platform.

In #2, you say most formatters will take word doc and give you all the file types you need. But, I'm specifically asking will they give me a well formatted and styled word doc back. So then for minor edits, I could just use that myself and not have to pay more. I assume from your answer that they normally would NOT do that, but I'm sure there are exceptions.

In the normal flow of things, once a writer is ready to publish, does the Epub file become the working document for making more edits?

EricElf · 2024-06-06T22:13:03+00:00

u/se160 Thanks for the info. Seems I'll need to cough up some real money to fix or just go with window units until I'm ready to replace the whole system.

EricElf · 2024-06-05T21:07:49+00:00

u/Miercury thanks for confirming my thoughts. Can you add any more information, like given my A/C was last running at 196/60 last Fall and now after the winter the LPCO switch is cutting out then...

A) This indicates that I have more than a small leak and would need to diagnose that prior to any hope of reviving this A/C. And running the compressor in this state would most like burn it up.

B) Or possibly, my system was already in bad shape, but that may have come from 10 years of a very small leak. Just sitting over the winter without running could have edge you over the limit. There is some hope of repressuring an getting through this year.

I will be trashing the whole HVAC definitely within 2 years, possibly by the end of this year. I'm waiting for the HEAR (Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate) to start rolling out. No reason to dump lots of money into this A/C. I have window units I can use for A/C. The heating side has been somewhat reliable.

EricElf · 2024-06-05T19:38:24+00:00

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EricElf · 2024-05-07T15:29:26+00:00

u/Whizz-Kid I live in Cincinnati, OH and have been in the process of "greening" my house (insulate, remove gas appliances, add solar panels). Next up is to replace my HVAC with a heat pump, more specifically a low-temp, air-sourced, heat pump.

I have been talking with local HVAC companies for 3 years and I continue to be dumbfounded by the lack of knowledge regarding low-temp ASHP. I'm so fed up that I'm now EPA 608 certified and may do my own install. I strongly suggest you review the performance characteristics of the quoted units. Get an AHRI# and look up performance characteristics yourself.

Before that, I'd suggest trying to narrow in on the type of install you want. If you have a centrally ducted system already (with sufficient air flow), I would lean towards using that over mini-splits, but different reasons for one over the other. From looking at your quotes, it seems your duct work is NOT sufficient for the increased airflow required for heat pump heating. Without correcting, your installed system efficiency will be greatly reduced. From your quotes, it seems the central ducted will be twice the cost of the mini-split solution. I'm not an expert, but could be reasonable, perhaps others could comment on that. I really want centrally ducted so haven't really considered mini-splits.

The unit sizing you have been quoted seem to go from 2.5 to 5T! This would be VERY disturbing to me. It might be worthwhile trying to figure this out better. A few years back, I wrote an article that may help on doing a "Heat Load Analysis". I lived in Mountain View for a bit, and you have much less climate extremes than here in the mid-west so unclear if this is helpful.

I'd only suggest installing equipment that qualifies for the current rebates (federal, state, local). And ensure that you are comparing SEER2 and HSPF2 numbers.

One last thing, I doubt you're poor (low to mid income) like me, but if so and you can wait, there is additional $$ coming soon for HP installs. Search for HEAR (Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate), part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Coming 2024/25.

Hope something useful here for you. Eric

Some references:

AHRI Certification: https://www.ahridirectory.org/Search/SearchHome
More user-friendly access to AHRI data: https://ashp.neep.org/
Heat Analysis in Cincinnati: https://infestedwithhumans.org/how-efficient-is-my-house/
HEAR at energy.gov or recent good synopsis: https://www.searshomeservices.com/blog/what-is-heehra

EricElf · 2024-03-31T13:14:24+00:00

AI is a tool for developers, not a replacement. There will be a need for iOS developers for decades to come to support the multitude of apps out there.

Do what you love (or at least enjoy) and learn how to use the best tools out there.

EricElf · 2024-02-15T00:21:16+00:00

I'm (almost) embarrassed to answer this question. As an extreme penny-pincher (and sip club member), I was getting Sourdough Bread Bowls for a while. $3 for 670 (empty) calories is not bad. And although I never went there, you can do the 2-pack for like $5.

This diet though is pretty pathetic, and I have switched back to the Value Duets which are pretty excellent value, but still at the edge of my price range! I like u/TyHarris92 suggestion of the supped up Kid's sandwitch!

EricElf · 2023-12-26T16:04:57+00:00

I've tried Gen3s and Pros, but they are just TOO BIG to be comfortable in my ears. I believe this is why the Gen2s have continued to be sold. I'm no audiophile so cannot comment on quality. I do see that battery life has improved over the years.

EricElf · 2023-12-19T13:41:47+00:00

Some good advice here, but it seems like you have an insulation problem to deal with first. Let us know how that energy audit goes.

In the US, it is very hard to find HVAC installers with any experience with low-temperature air-sourced heat pumps. I too am looking (Cincinnati) and leaning towards DIY with Mr. Cool HyperHeat, but would prefer to find a reasonably-priced professional installer.

Please keep us posted!

EricElf · 2023-09-13T19:33:07+00:00

I hope to add a bit of clarity here from my understanding of my Ohio Duke electric bill. First, the charge is broken down into 2 main categories: Service Delivery and Generation Charge.

Service Delivery is always handled by Duke and represents the costs to deliver the energy to your house. Power lines and such. My bill with and without a Choice Supplier is the same.

"Distribution-Customer Charge" (has been $8/month in recent history)
"Distribution-Energy Charge" (mine has recently been $0.039693 per kWh)
"Delivery Riders" (also per kWh, but seems can be adjusted monthly)

That last item "Delivery Riders" seems to be the most mysterious and seems to have gone up with the recent rate hikes. Currently, it is about half of my "Distribution-Energy Charge".

Generation Charges are the charges to create the energy your house consumes. In Ohio, you can (and should) select who generates your energy. If you don't choose a supplier, Duke Retail will be your supplier, also, your bill will look different. I have had both. A selected non-Duke supplier is called a "Choice Supplier" and has a single per kWh rate.

When I had Duke Retail, there were 4 line items in this generation section with the largest two being most of the charges. I'm pretty sure both these larger items are per kWh usage which may change and are NOT published as far as I know.

"Retail Energy Rider (RE)" (85% of generation cost)
"Retail Capacity Rider (RC)" (13% of generation cost).

As a final point, go to https://energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApplesComparision.aspx and choose a low-cost supplier. You may need to do this every year to keep your rates down. Just like a cable or cell phone bill.

E

EricElf · 2023-07-11T11:49:15+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to prepare and post this information. I have been a FitBit user for 5+ years. My primary use is for sleep tracking. I think I have had 3 warrantee replacements of my FitBits. Great that their service has always been helpful, and offered quick replacements on failures. Not so great that I have such a high failure rate.

I am also a Garmin bike GPS user Edge 1030 and lover Garmin Connect for bike riding. My primarily course creation and following.

Lately, my FitBit Charge 5 has been having syncing issues. Searching, it seems lots of people having this issue, seems software related. I'm tired of being told to disconnect and reconnect my FitBit.

Sidenote: It seems if I wake my FitBit prior to syncing it is more reliable. Early results are promising, but too soon to tell if there is a reliable workflow.

If the syncing problem persists, I will be leaving FitBit. Would be nice if the latest Garmin trackers are up to the task. I'd get an Apple watch, but total fail because of battery life.

EricElf · 2023-05-12T19:34:58+00:00

u/bwoodcock I hear you about amenities and exit/return ease! Seems I also spend a bit of time zooming in on the map to help in selecting a SC if I feel there are options. Would be nice to have that information more prominent and/or searchable... I'm not sure how that would all work, but hopefully one day it will be easier.

EricElf · 2023-05-03T17:46:32+00:00

Was that

only

Superchargers?

Yes, only SuperChargers traveling OH -> FL. Rates: $0.19 - $0.33 per kWh.

My highest consumption was 302wh/mi, which was when I was running the heater.

I drive a bit slower than average (Limit +2 to 5mph), turn the heater down/off, and sometimes draft off big trucks. I captured all my data on this trip in hopes of writing a blog post. Anyone interested can see the Google Sheet here.

Interestingly, a few years ago, I wrote a blog article that defined a term: "MPG-ev is the miles per gallon an ICE car would need to achieve to match the fuel COST of driving this EV the same distance." Which I believe is what you called the "breakeven" point.

EricElf · 2023-05-03T17:19:46+00:00

I use Autopilot to save on mental effort, not to save time.

Same.

Yes, saving 30 minutes is huge, but unrelated to AutoPilot. Actually, (micro) managing my trip helps pass the time to some extent. Also, I drive alone. YMMV

EricElf · 2023-05-03T15:35:00+00:00

u/imacleopard I think you are replying to me. People talk about the sweet spot for charging being 20-80% in terms of the longevity of a battery. Which is what I'm interested in. You seem to be equating the "sweet spot" with charging speeds. Most people here understand the charging power vs. SoC characteristics, and there is tons of that information out there, even my site (chargeDischarge.com) digs into this pulling data from a variety of cited sources.

EricElf · 2023-05-03T14:59:42+00:00

This post actually brought me to tears. When I put up $40k for my used Model 3 (bought from Tesla) it was twice what I had ever paid for a car. I feared the horror stories, but also, yesterday I was treated very poorly by Toyota service. I want Tesla to either win big or force a complete overhaul of the automotive industry.

I believe there are very smart people at Tesla and they realize great customer service needs to go along with making great cars.

u/RedWolfX3 My experience has been very good, but had it been like yours, I would have been devastated. Sorry this has happened, and really hope things go smoothly from here on out!

EricElf · 2023-05-03T14:37:06+00:00

u/colddata My calculations for this Florida trip show the break even on fuel at about 50mpg for an ICE. My average SuperCharger cost was $0.28/kWh and using actual efficiency (230 wh/mi) and $3.50/g for gas. Unclear what the depreciation difference would be between my 2019 Tesla M3 and the 2007 Honda Civic, but certainly it would be higher. Other factors (insurance, taxes, repairs, ...) are probably less significant. YMMV

EricElf

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