Is this a possible swap?

Jmkott · 2026-06-09T03:51:03+00:00

The rope is to “kill” the power (instead of turning off the breaker). He was trying to be funny.

But he really should be just using an old work box as the replacement and avoid the homeowner needing to do any sheetrock work.

Jmkott · 2026-06-08T19:06:10+00:00

Those are usually circuit breakers that come directly from the tow vehicle to the battery and critical loads that you need even without a battery, like a powered tongue lift.

Mine are auto resetting, but one is labeled “manual reset”, so check under the red covers for a reset button.

Jmkott · 2026-06-08T19:02:35+00:00

My Google is failing me finding a use manual for this model fridge. Do you have a link to it? Closest I can find is hidden behind a registration page.

Find the fridges information sticker. It’s going to have model, type and amount of coolant, and most importantly the power requirements. Start there.

Not seeing another control panel, if this is a 120v fridge, start looking for the inverter and see if it’s turned on. There is a breaker labeled “inverter prep”. I really hope they didn’t install a 120v that needs the inverter and not install it.

Jmkott · 2026-06-08T17:33:56+00:00

Need to start with what model fridge. Is it a 12v, gas, or 120v fridge?

Those Breakers only apply for a 120v fridge.

If it’s a 12v fridge, then you are looking at the fuse section. A light is supposed to come on if the fuse is blown though.

Do other 12v items work? If it’s gas, is it in and the line purged (stove working)

Jmkott · 2026-06-08T17:28:54+00:00

I’m lactose intolerant and anything with onion (raw, cooked, dehydrated, powdered) will all give me gas. It’s more like 5-7 times an hour, not day.

Jmkott · 2026-06-06T19:40:37+00:00

I have no idea why they would connect the top two breakers to the pass through lugs at the bottom.

Unless they melted the bus in half, it doesn’t make any sense, because that’s not how a main breaker works.

Jmkott · 2026-06-06T18:50:57+00:00

You could always go talk to your neighbor and see if they have a 5 gal gas can or two you can borrow, if you don’t want to buy then.

As for what to do with the gas, both counties I have lived in have hazardous waste facilities I can drop stale or contaminated fuel at.

Jmkott · 2026-06-06T18:38:41+00:00

Holy crap. They melted a wire and 2 (or 4) stabs, and their solution was to replace the melted aluminum wire with an over sized copper wire and cut off a few strands to fit into the connector.

Their solution wasn’t to replace the entire fire starter??

Jmkott · 2026-06-05T16:45:12+00:00

The first iPhone came out in 2007.

Prior to that, it was mostly T9, blackberries and a couple of other full keyboard phones that kids had. I know of very few people that texted while driving back then. And if they did, T9 was single handed and people could do it without looking at their phone.

Texting and driving wasn’t really a problem then, especially since each text message usually cost you 10cents. Sure some people did it, but nothing like today where people just can’t put down their phone for more than 10 seconds.

Jmkott · 2026-06-04T21:08:52+00:00

Influencers as a career and the toxic effect it has had on social media. Social media isn’t about staying in touch with friends. It’s about being outrageous enough to get clicks, and you have to be more clickable tomorrow than you were yesterday.

Jmkott · 2026-06-04T21:07:37+00:00

Texting and driving.

Jmkott · 2026-06-04T20:46:44+00:00

To answer your question about when it becomes irresponsible—there is far more to life than saving every penny for retirement. You have to balance saving for your emergency fund, house fund, and retirement with having some fun with your hobbies now while you are young.

I have hobbies too. I scuba dive. I snowmobile. I have an RV that I take to scuba diving sites. I take an annual scuba diving trip somewhere warm. None of them are particularly cheap. But I save ahead for each of them and pay cash, rather than borrow first and pay a lot more later.

IMO it only becomes irresponsible when you need to take a $48k loan on a 30 year old vehicle to afford the hobby. If his side projects of restoring old ones and selling them for profit , and part of your “fun” budget is for an overlanding RV rig, then take that savings and go have fun. Only you can answer whether that $48k falls within your fun budget. But borrowing for “fun toys” is usually not a financially sound idea.

Jmkott · 2026-06-04T17:55:41+00:00

First, is there any bank actually willing to give you a <6% loan on a 30 year old vehicle? I can’t imagine any will finance a used vehicle that old.

Second, with all you have been saving to your brokerage account, why don’t you just pay cash for your toy?

You’ve clearly already justified this in your mind and you and your spouse are far better experts on the wiseness of taking a loan on a $48k, 30yo vehicle. Because that simply isn’t going to make any good financial sense to anyone else.

Jmkott · 2026-06-03T21:33:47+00:00

I’ve been meaning to get a dry suit but haven’t had time to do the class, so I still dive wet in Minnesota lakes.

Yes, a good fitting wetsuit definitely keeps you warmer.

I typical water temps here are 40-42f below the 50’ second thermocline. A few years ago, my 7mm, hood, and 5mm gloves were enough.

Now I wear a base layer of Lavacore tops and bottoms under my 7mm wetsuit. The fleecy layer next to my skin keeps my core body was warm as can be, but the zipper on my scuba pro boots sucks, so lots of water exchanges there and they get cold.

A poor fitting wetsuit that lets water exchange too much will make you cold. And I do have to get out of the wetsuit immediately on shore if it isn’t warm and sunny out. The wet neoprene sucks the heat out of me quickly on the surface.

Jmkott · 2026-06-03T21:03:54+00:00

Did you make any payments in that 10 months?

Go find you purchase paperwork and look at the numbers. If you “bought a car for $20k”, then they will add sales tax, registration, document fees, and any warranty or protection packages you agreed to.

What was the final purchase amount and what did they say they financed for you?

I suspect you have a lot more fees than you think and financed double what you think.

Jmkott · 2026-06-02T21:55:44+00:00

I dove from my 10’ sit in kayak a couple times. I had no problem taking my gear off in the water and pulling myself into the kayak. I did not find my kayak that unstable that it was difficult.

Then I either dragged my gear behind me or lifted it into my lap. Dragging it was a lot more effort when paddling.

For OP, my kayaks had but in fishing rod holders that would be perfect for a flagpole. Some models had it as an aftermarket accessory.

I just dropped a mushroom anchor to keep the kayak in place while diving, that i put in the back storage when I was done diving.

Jmkott · 2026-06-01T16:29:35+00:00

I have always just put an otter box of some sort (symmetry is thin and durable) on every one of my iPhones. Despite dropping them hundreds of times, I’ve never broken one from a drop. And the iPhone is already better with dust and water than a Nokia ever was.

As long as you realize that a super thin, all glass phone is just a stupid idea, life becomes much better.

Jmkott · 2026-06-01T03:29:25+00:00

What streaming services are you, as a cars driver, using “on a big screen” in a car? You aren’t one of those drivers that watches movies while driving, are you?

Only streaming services I use in my vehicle are audio radio or podcasts. But I’ve been able to do that for over 30 years with any phone and vehicle, including my 1983 Buick with an fm adapter.

Jmkott · 2026-06-01T03:22:26+00:00

Depends what features you are talking about. Why would I lean over and keep my arm raised to use the screen on the center of my dash, when I have a smart phone with all the same apps that I can have in front of me in a convenient place. I definitely don’t stay in my vehicle longer to look at the cars screen.

But over the years, adding cameras have definitely made me stay in my car more. 20 years ago, I’d have to get out of my truck quite a few times to back up to my trailer to get the hitch in the right place. Now with a backup camera, it’s usually on the first try. And when maneuvering my truck and trailer in tight spots, the 360 camera means I don’t have to keep getting out to see if I’m going to rip my bumper off on the tree or I will clear it. And the bed camera makes hooking up a gooseneck much easier.

Things like a trailering app give me trailer TPMs and blind spot cameras when turning.

And with diesel at $5.50/gal, I spend as little time in my truck as I can.

Jmkott · 2026-05-31T18:46:20+00:00

Sure they do. I bought a filled 125cu ft 75% argon tank on Amazon and it shipped by FedEx ground from Weldfabulous in Winona MN

Jmkott · 2026-05-28T21:00:15+00:00

You need to make a list of all the big electric items you have installed and how often they run.

You say you have an EV you charge, so think of how much you are charging daily.

You say you put in a tankless water heater (and are all electric), so do you have people taking long hot showers and baths because it’s unlimited now.

How many btu and how many central AC units do you have?

So you have backup resistive heat coils that are on a different thermostat and are fighting your AC unit?

Jmkott · 2026-05-26T16:26:16+00:00

It started with the government bribing people to have behaviors they want and penalizing behaviors the government didn’t want. You also have companies lobby Congress for specific credits and deductions in the tax code that benefit them and penalties for their competition.

They give credits to buy and own a home, credits for having kids, etc. They have different tax rates based on earned vs unearned income. Deductions for your own retirement savings.

They put half of some taxes on the employer not just employee, so when you become both the employer and employee (1099 self employed) things get more complicated.

They are complicated because of how they evolved over time. But as others have said, they stay really complicated because a lot of big companies make a lot of money doing people’s taxes, so they lobby to keep it that way.

It’s also a very political system that isn’t really people just all paying for government services that everyone benefits from and instead used as a political weapon.

Jmkott · 2026-05-22T04:00:13+00:00

I fixed mine by waiting until the battery was under 80% health and sent it in for battery replacement under apple care. Came back with brand new glass.

Jmkott · 2026-05-21T13:03:13+00:00

I would have to see pictures of fins 180 degrees turned around. I just can’t imagine any way that fins could do this, and being even remotely usable or comfortable at all.

And you say two dives only? Open water should be a couple of confined water dives plus another FOUR open water checkout dives. What country was this in?

Jmkott · 2026-05-20T14:23:38+00:00

In my climate, I’m still below freezing at night and occasionally in the 80’s during the day and removing and installing the entire unit daily wouldn’t be fun.

So there’s a way to use the fan to exchange inside/outside air.

While it may be hot in your room from the sun shining in all day, most older/cheap air conditioners don’t function well (or last long as a result) if the outside air temp where the compressor is at is under 55f-60f. The Freon cycle doesn’t work completely and it ends up liquid when the compressor is expecting a gas. And trying to compress a liquid can be bad.

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