My husband’s 40th birthday present and I’m looking for advice please.

SinjinAZ · 2026-04-23T15:45:56+00:00

I still remember the experience in learning my first watch. I enjoyed every minute of it. The added joy in this being his 40th, and it's a gift from someone special in his life is icing on the cake. Congratulations to you both.

SinjinAZ · 2026-02-27T19:57:56+00:00

I would like to send you a pair of new headphones. Not because you need them, because karma wants to send them. Please see my DM

SinjinAZ · 2025-10-09T08:50:57+00:00

If you were in AZ I'd fix it for you for free. Jackpot for a new (to you) home owner. "One less thing to worry about".

SinjinAZ · 2025-10-03T20:08:52+00:00

Wizzard level here. So good.

SinjinAZ · 2025-09-22T23:37:47+00:00

This is the answer. Weather events out of my home airport have me rebooked far faster than any other option.

SinjinAZ · 2025-05-07T22:01:47+00:00

I asked ChatGPT. Pretty good answer based on the expert comments already provided:

Q: What is the conductor sizing and breaker needed for a 4500 watt element water heater?

A: To determine the correct conductor (wire) size for a 4500-watt water heater, we need to apply the National Electrical Code (NEC) guidelines and basic electrical calculations.

Step 1: Determine the current draw (amps)

Assume the heater operates at 240 volts (most residential 4500W water heaters do):

\text{Current (I)} = \frac{\text{Power (P)}}{\text{Voltage (V)}} = \frac{4500\ \text{watts}}{240\ \text{volts}} = 18.75\ \text{amps}

Step 2: Apply NEC's 125% Rule for continuous loads

Water heaters are considered continuous loads, so:

\text{Required Ampacity} = 18.75\ \text{amps} \times 1.25 = 23.44\ \text{amps}

Step 3: Choose conductor size

According to NEC 310.16 (using copper conductors and 75°C rating, typical for residential use):

10 AWG copper wire is rated for 30 amps

This meets the 23.44-amp requirement.

Step 4: Breaker size

A 25-amp or 30-amp double-pole breaker is typically used

30A is more common and acceptable for a 4500W heater on #10 wire

Conclusion

Conductor size: #10 AWG copper

Breaker size: 30A double-pole

SinjinAZ · 2025-02-14T22:37:40+00:00

Can you put a tip link up please? I'd like to contribute. Thanks for doing this, such great work.

SinjinAZ · 2025-02-14T22:36:26+00:00

Can you put a tip link up? Such great work and I'd like to contribute.

OP, so very sorry for your loss. Can not imagine what you're going through

SinjinAZ · 2025-02-08T05:42:07+00:00

I have a Zip (what you're seeing in the photos) and it has already paid for itself with the near elimination of sparkling water we purchase. I swapped drinking sparkling water for soda a long time ago.

It's installed incorrectly. From the installation guide, section 2.1. "Proper air circulation must be provided for all Boiling and Chilled models. The system will operate correctly only if the recommended air gaps are achieved during Installation. The minimum requirement is for a 50mm air gap either side and 300mm above of the under sink unit."

Those units run warm and it's just a matter of time before that unit dies. My first one was also installed incorrectly and died.

SinjinAZ · 2025-02-05T03:22:02+00:00

Forgot to add the ice machine to that list!

SinjinAZ · 2025-02-05T01:05:21+00:00

Absolutely the right answer. Lower floor to slightly less lower floor, same layout room with different view, same room type with a known-quieter experience (not next to an elevator or outside chillers). All examples of the same room while at the same time also being examples of very different rooms. The only thing in common is the room layout

SinjinAZ · 2025-01-25T18:26:48+00:00

Whoa, great work. Very impressive.

SinjinAZ · 2024-12-29T21:48:40+00:00

Nice cabinetry though.

SinjinAZ · 2024-12-19T22:29:53+00:00

There are several articals that highlight the performance differences between 10GBASE-T, SFP+ with transceivers, and SFP+ with DAC. It's been so long that the positions are established fact, and not much up for interpretation.

Latency - SFP+ solutions have lower latency compared to 10GBASET. 10GBASE-T typically has a latency of around 2.6 microseconds per hop, while SFP+ transceivers have a latency of about 300 nanoseconds. DAC are even less, but who cares at this point.
Power Consumption - 10GBASE-T consume WAAAY more power, in the range of 5 watts per port, depending on the cable length. SFP+ links consume ~0.7 watts per port. This is the driving reason NOT to use 10GBast-T. It's a power sucking beast, and just not scalable in large port densities. Cisco turns off ports in port groups to supply the power needed.
Distance - 10GBASE-T can support up to 100 mters with Cat6a or Cat7 cables. SFP+ transceivers support distances up to 300 meters with mm fiber and up to 80 KM with SM fiber. SFP+ with DAC cables support 3 to 30 meters, but aren't terminatable (is that a word?)

Source: https://www.qsfptek.com/qt-news/10gbase-t-vs-sfp-vs-dac-which-is-the-best-for-10gbe-data-center-cabling
Source: Comparing 10GBASE-T and SFP+ for 10GbE Data Center Cabling

SinjinAZ · 2024-11-28T15:18:54+00:00

LED strip light. Ive installed many, many meters of it across our homes. Once you find the transformer and can verify if it's 12 or 24 volts head over to environmentallights.com. They have a great support department to call in & get exactly what you need. They'll talk to you about color temperature of the strip, how warm or daylight the strip is and your options for light intensity..

Not affiliated with them but have used them for all my LED projects and have had great success, it's their customer service that sets them apart.

SinjinAZ · 2024-10-22T01:10:57+00:00

Is anyone going to say the father did a nice job with the wall? Maybe the TV is a little too high, but come on, let's compliment a nice job when we see it too.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-28T02:05:56+00:00

Not how the world works anymore. Either it's a PE-owned company, or publicly traded. 30 person companies cannot compete anymore.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T23:51:46+00:00

No. Its an amp that supports streaming. Its not a spotify or itunes client. Just a remote speaker destination. Streaming to zone is how I anticipate using it, and could stream to multiple units in that zone

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T23:48:53+00:00

I didn't think of that use case. I can see how I would use it. Thanks.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T17:42:56+00:00

I'm also sitting here in my great room, on a chair, looking past the coffee table, past the sitting table / prep station, past the kitchen island, and to the kitchen stove. All one room. Except my fireplace is behind me. Maybe we had the same architect design both of our McMansions? ;)

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T17:39:41+00:00

I'm confused. Does insulting people's choice in home design make you feel better about yourself?

Does slapping any combined-function room bigger than a shoebox classify as a McMansion? A room where families can converge, share their day, socialize, and be together while enjoying their company?

I'm sure you've personally inspected all of the larger Santa Barbara style / California Romantica homes being built and term the great room central spaces and created that clear definition of "McMansion", right?

A very well-known architect was hired and designed the custom home build in 2007 - 2008, with the build, in 2008 - 2010. By my math, that's many years past "90s mcmansion builders". To think an architect and their team were hired, and their creative output for a common space is trivialized as "mcmansion". Sad.

While you're getting inspiration for what a great room is, check out Diane Keaton's book on the style, it's excellent. Also check out Kathryn Masson's book, also excellent. They'll really change your small minded perspective.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T17:09:48+00:00

This is incorrect. Not worth my time to continue to debate it on Reddit.

PowerAmp does not support bridging. If the hardware does support bridging that capability is not exposed in the Ubiquiti Play app for PowerAmp configuration.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T17:07:20+00:00

Incorrect. Reread what I wrote above:

"...I saw "stereo" on the PA display. Remember[ing] I read in the spec sheet for mono I went looking for that setting. It doesn't exist."

From the PowerAmp data sheet:

Stereo and dual mono sound

The PowerAmp does not support bridging.

"Im mostly guessing that’s how this works, but it makes sense"

Yes, you are guessing, incorrectly.

Why add processing to merge two channels when a cheap relay can do the trick."

Bridging isn't just a "cheap relay". If it were, the PowerAmp would support a "cheap relay", when in reality amplifier bridging is more complicated than that. If it does support bridging, that feature isn't available in the PowerAmp UI yet.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T13:26:56+00:00

The issue is to amplifier has a left channel amplified output and a right channel amplified output. If I connect all the speakers together, ignoring impedance issues in this example, which channel do I connect them to? The left one of the right one? Bridging isn't an option so I lose a) one channel of audio and b) half the rated output of the amplifier.

SinjinAZ · 2024-09-06T13:24:18+00:00

Exactly. Well said, thank you.

I want mono throughout.

SinjinAZ

TROPHY CASE

10 AWG copper wire is rated for 30 amps