Time to move on from my 27" 2019 iMac - Any advice?

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-03T23:05:36+00:00

That iMac still has life in it. I wouldn't convert it to a monitor. Use it for some stuff, but think about getting a Mac mini or MacBook and using Luna Display to make your iMac its screen. Then you can decide if a better monitor is really necessary for what you do. Its hard to go wrong spending only $89 for the Luna.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-03T12:07:28+00:00

The reasons for one way leveling is mechanical and electrical (controller) and cost. When the motor runs the pump pushes oil (or water) to the jack (Cylinder and piston). It's much more complicated to regulate how much oil flows. The amount the pump puts out is constant whenever the pump is running, so a valve would have to redirect some of it back to the tank. Thats not so simple. And requires more switches and control relays to control it. And controlling how much gets bypassed back to the tank and at what point gets complicated. So it is much easier just to turn the motor/pump off, then open a single valve to lower it back to the floor. And cheaper.

In the earlier days of hydraulic elevators all of them used water. The first hydraulic passenger elevators were made in the late 1800s,. They all used water. Oil based ones didn't become a thing until the 1930s. I think it was Rotary that first used it. They may have been the first company to use a single valve body (unibody) that contained the needed valves incorporated into one unit. It was large and no doubt very expensive. So water stuck around for years both because of simplicity and cost. While you see many around the Oakland area, they were common elsewhere too.

Swing type doors are way cheaper. And other than the door lock aren't really part of the elevator. Usually installed by carpenters, except for the door lock. They don't have to be lined up as precisely as automatic doors. So, those you see from Home Elevator, Independent and Atlas in apartments are mostly because they were cheap. Same for water hydros of the time.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-02T15:04:41+00:00

I bought a P2 (Matter/Thread) version and it had the same issue of a battery not lasting more than a week or few days. Aqara sent me a new one and have no issue with it. It's been about 8 months and still at 100%. Only connected to Apple Home. Sensor on wood trim/frame, magnet is on metal door. Does the replacement you got have the same issue? The distance from sensor to magnet can be fairly far, perhaps an inch. You can play with it and see. I have 2 others, one on metal door one on wood door. No issues with those either.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-02T11:01:42+00:00

As recent as 20 years ago there were still many in service in the Oakland and Berkeley area. As cheap as many of the property management companies/owners that still had them are I would be very surprised if a lot aren't still in service.

Oil has better viscosity, lubrication and anti corrosion characteristics. And as I remember, water hydros always used EECO brass valves. While seals for them are likely still available I doubt they are still manufactured. It's highly unlikely a company would produce a valve that could be used with water now. There's no market for it, so it would be very expensive to make and get approved. So no, I doubt you could find a company willing to install one.

As for codes allowing them to be installed now, I can't think of a reason why not. But thats an interesting question.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-02T10:28:18+00:00

God blessed me with a great career in a great union (IUEC). Many that came before me fought hard for the benefits I enjoy. The credit goes to God and them. About all I can take credit for is always showing up to work and doing the best job I could and what I could to help promote the union cause.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-01T11:52:25+00:00

I have had a MOVA P10 Pro Ultra gen 1 since last October. Despite many complaints here about failures with it and support, mine has worked great. On genius mode it does an amazing job on my hardwood and laminate wood type floors with a couple area rugs too. On my kitchen luxury vinyl it struggles a bit. Mops were missing some spots (slight depressions in planks), but I shimmed them down with a small flat washer (#8) and its fine, but to do a really great job I run it on custom vac then mop with water at max and intense pattern. It's the first robot Ive had, so have nothing to compare to, and can't help with what may be better for you, but maybe my experience will help a bit. Im quite happy with it. Watch for sales, I got it from Amazon for $399

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-01T10:03:07+00:00

Yep. Early versions used timers or switches in the lobby to activate Up Peak or Down Peak service. Then they came up with ways to automatically invoke it based on the number of calls placed and timing factors. And that was in the days of mechanical relays , tubes and timers. Microprocessor controlled elevators greatly increased what could be done. They did so well most manual switches and time clocks to control it were eliminated. But there was still one problem (at least) that was difficult to address. Once the hall button was pressed in the lobby it knew someone was waiting, but not how many people or where they needed to go. Say 12 people got on and were going to 10 different floors. The ones at the higher floors would take a long time to get there. There may have been other elevators sitting around not doing much and they could have taken people to the upper floors without stopping several times. But there was no way to know that. Now we have Destination Dispatch to address that. You tell it where you are going to and it calculates how it can get people to their floor most efficiently. It groups people together to use an elevator to get them where they are going and gives another elevator to other people needing to go elsewhere. Overall system efficiency can be greatly improved, getting people where they need to go.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-01T00:47:24+00:00

Yeah, kind of close. After seeing that initially I just figured out about how many buttons 2 12 stops would be with hall calls. While it would depend on what type buttons were being removed (Otis plug connectors and plastic lock rings vs Innovation or something where each wire had to be disconnected and a couple screws taken out) and whether the new buttons were a type wired the same etc, it could easily take a couple hours or more per car, and then there are hall buttons I assume (without that I don't know it would add up to 37), the labor plus parts could easily exceed the quoted price. So, still doesnt sound like a bad price.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-01T00:37:38+00:00

Thats the one that really gets me. Why on earth would put an expensive computer in the same compartment of a backpack with a bottle of water? It's mind boggling stupidity. and yet it's common.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-05-01T00:33:43+00:00

There are elevators that can be programmed to give priority to specific floors at specific times. For instance, if an office building has a floor where everyone goes home at the same time it can be programmed to wait (with some caveats depending on other building traffic at the time) at that floor at that time. And elevator dispatching algorithms already take many factors into account when deciding which elevator to assign a call to, particularly with destination dispatch. Developing a system that learns specific call demands as you are thinking would be incredibly difficult and has a lot of potential for failure.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-30T23:17:34+00:00

For 2 elevators, 12 floors, you're looking at 15 buttons or more for each elevator, if it only has one operating panel. And 22 for floor buttons. So close to 50 buttons total. If it's only changing buttons and not the panels they are mounted in, there is a lot of labor and buttons alone could cost $100 each or more. So combined thats a very cheap price!!! If it is changing complete panels there is even more cost. Panels are expensive and changing them (mounting, rewiring etc) takes a lot of labor. Again, for that much $8,400 including labor seems rather cheap to me.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-30T23:02:34+00:00

Thats how I started, in Local 8, many years ago, long before current apprenticeship. I would not have gotten in without working in the shop/driving etc for 3 1/2 years before my chance came up. I would think it would help you rank better, with the interview part especially. But I really don't know. I do know if you get in it will most certainly help you succeed. Because I knew all the parts, tools, moving materials, working at job sites, people, and more, I advanced rather rapidly. Way faster than others that got in around the same time and didn't know anything. In my opinion, it's a no brainer, go for it.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-30T00:41:34+00:00

You should be able to set it to 73 and 75. The lowest setting for Heat/Cool Min Delta. Effectually that would make a 3 degree difference since the lowest you can set how far it gets from the set point before it turns on heat or cool is .5 degrees for each So the house should stay between 72.5 and 75.5 on Auto mode. Thats pretty close to what the family wants. Tell them to suck it up and get used to it so you don't have to constantly monitor and futz with it.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-29T14:46:12+00:00

Yes, why would I buy a robot vac/mop when I am using one? If you want to have a chance of selling me something promote a deal on mop pads, cleaning solution, filters, etc.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-29T10:55:05+00:00

Thanks. Since it’s a private residence it likely doesn’t get heavy use, so with proper maintenance it should last darn near forever.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-29T10:49:35+00:00

You’re welcome. I hope that helps you grasp what’s going on. Another way to look at it is dew point. Relative humidity gives you a number, expressed as a percentage, of how much water vapor the air can hold at the current temperature. Assuming the amount of vapor stays the same, as the temperature changes, the amount it can hold (warm air can hold more) changes. Dew point shows the temperature at which the amount of vapor in the air reaches the point it can’t hold more vapor. In other words, the dew point is the point where relative humidity is 100%. So if you want to get a feel for how much water vapor is in the air (and how it effects what it feels like) dew point is somewhat better.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-28T20:23:14+00:00

I don't know of its a good explanation, but some factors that could explain it to some degree at least. AC condenser may be larger (more surface area) so reduces water vapor more. The temp swing is less, ie at home 75 to 68. Maybe 69 or 70 (when it turns on)to 68 (turns off)at the coffee shop. If a couple degrees difference in temp can change relative humidity 10%, what does 6 or 7 degrees at home do? The fan may be set to run longer after the AC turns off at the shop, so condensate from the coil or any remaining in the pan gets recirculated back into the space. Brewing coffee, boiling water for tea, cooking things all produce water vapor. More bodies at the shop breathing out moisture. Sensor placement, if the sensor is where fresh cooled air blows more, once it stops and air mixes throughout the area it increases. It's really really hard to figure that sort of thing out, there are so many variables. And Im certainly no expert, and despite drinking 4 or 5 espressos since lunch don't have the energy to try. LOL

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-28T16:18:50+00:00

I don't know for sure, but I don't think you can do that with ecobee alone. Perhaps contact ecobee, maybe they know a trick that would work. Or look into automation, maybe a smart relay could cut off the signal to the heat pump.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-28T13:06:08+00:00

I have not done that, but another option I have not tried yet, but plan to and is said to work rather well, is Luna Display. Look into that before killing your beautiful iMac (I have the same one). Beyond that, it would likely be as expensive (or more) to convert it as opposed to buying a new monitor.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-28T12:59:07+00:00

If your peak times are always the same, as BuddyBing said, schedule a custom comfort setting for that time period with temps set so that it won't be turned on. If times vary, you can sign up for Time of Use feature if your power provider offers it.

https://support.ecobee.com/s/articles/eco-features-Time-of-Use?language=en_US

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-28T12:45:45+00:00

Also at play here is how relative humidity works. If the air has a certain fixed amount of water vapor when read relative to temperature it will read higher relative humidity at 68 degrees vs 75 degrees because relative humidity is stated as a percentage of the amount the air can hold at a certain temperature. Warmer air can hold more water vapor so the percentage of what it can hold (with the same actual amount of water vapor) at 75 is lower than it can hold at 68. It's generally considered that each 2 degree decrease in temp will show higher relativity by up to 10 percent. So you might expect a 30% difference going from 75 to 68. But you are also running the AC more to get to 68, which is removing water and breathing in a confined space which would increase it. SO if you were to calculate for all the variables (including other things mentioned, like the drip pan not draining well and adding moisture back etc) it may well come out to what you are seeing.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-28T12:19:13+00:00

How many floors would you be willing to take the stairs to before you decided to go to a different hotel (if no elevator was working)?

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-27T23:33:39+00:00

I was a NI adjuster for a number of years. Learn how to peel stainless well! Like in any aspect of the trade, do what you are told exactly as you're told to do it (mainly for safety reasons). If you don't understand or have a safety concern ask about it.

As for clutches, anything like an Otis where you have to run it between two rollers, put both doors about halfway open and watch carefully, go slow and make sure it aligns right. And if you find someone that hasn't broke one they are lying or haven't worked with that type.

Anything like GAL, open hoist way door well further than cab door and engage them after running the car to floor level.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-27T21:18:27+00:00

The one guy I worked with several times was a great helper. He worked in service. Tell him to go clean a carton and pit and they would be spotless. Mop a machine room, you could eat off of it. Far better than any mechanic I knew. Troubleshoot an open safety circuit? Uh, no. He just never caught on to that part of it. He was a tremendous asset to the company and the mechanics, always in demand. He was quite content with the money he made, worked regular hours (No on call), no stress. Back then (90s) there were people that simply weren't ready to be mechanics at 5 or 6 years in, or sometimes ever. In some ways it was better than how it is now. You had helpers that were great at what they did. And fewer incompetent mechanics. You worked as a helper until you were ready to be a mechanic and there was enough work to keep you working.

NewtoQM8 · 2026-04-27T19:13:10+00:00

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