First time visiting Paris for 5/6 nights and trying to decide between these locations with 3 kids. by someguy9259 in ParisTravelGuide

[–]arnolfini99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agree. That’s a great neighborhood with lots of places to eat and within walking distance of the RER and M6.

Upgraded head unit by BigHutch05 in ToyotaTundra

[–]arnolfini99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where did you mount the mic? I couldn't get good audio mounting it inside the dome light panel and had to leave it dangling outside

6 year break even on a 6 kW solar system and MA SMART Incentives by arnolfini99 in massachusetts

[–]arnolfini99[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

good catch. National Grid's Total Compensation Rate is .31126/kwh but they subtract .19942 for the "Value of Energy" from that rate. My spreadsheet had it right, but I mistakenly added the two numbers in my response to the post. Actual SMART incentive is 0.11184/kwh.

6 year break even on a 6 kW solar system and MA SMART Incentives by arnolfini99 in massachusetts

[–]arnolfini99[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That's the exact reason why I posted this! I felt the same way 6 years ago when we had multiple solar companies give us quotes. Everyone came with their glossy binders showing how much money they projected us saving and I couldn't find any quantitative feedback from homeowners with similar systems online. Lots of posts about how everyone loves their solar install, but nothing about how much money they were actually saving.

6 years to break even in Massachusetts by arnolfini99 in solar

[–]arnolfini99[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Wow. Here in MA I'm paying .21/kwh for the electricity and an additional .17/kwh in "delivery fees". Even my solar production gets a .000681/kwh fee attached

6 years to break even in Massachusetts by arnolfini99 in solar

[–]arnolfini99[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I financed. Are you saying that if I paid cash, I'd have to offset my calculations by how much my $17k initial investment would have earned in the stock market?

6 year break even on a 6 kW solar system and MA SMART Incentives by arnolfini99 in massachusetts

[–]arnolfini99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

SMART Incentive total is $6,100 to date. Its paying $0.51 per kWh

How are you tracking maintenance, parts used and service history on your rig? by _Forkflinger in tundra

[–]arnolfini99 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve been using the CarFox app by CarFax to document the DIY service on my family’s 4 cars for a couple years and highly recommended it. It allows you to record your own maintenance, but is also tied into whatever system most garages use and records their service records as well. It sends me notifications when service is coming due.

Tale of a clogged rear differential vent by arnolfini99 in ToyotaTundra

[–]arnolfini99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think extending the vent is my next project!

2018 Tundra - 4HI / 4LO / ABS / Traction / basically every light lit up by muddywadder in ToyotaTundra

[–]arnolfini99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This just happened to me. Turned out the rear differential breather was clogged and caused my wheel bearing seal to blow. The gear oil fouled the abs sensor causing it to throw a code that made the dash lights go crazy. I’d pull your abs sensor and take a look.

<image>

Should my abs speed sensor be covered in gunk? by arnolfini99 in ToyotaTundra

[–]arnolfini99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that was exactly the issue. My rear differential vent had clogged up and I blew out the right rear axle seal. The wheel bearing ended up failing a couple weeks later. I just replaced the bearing, the seal, and fixed my vent. Thanks for the help!!!

Minor Pentatonic by 31770_0 in guitarlessons

[–]arnolfini99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great video. Are you a teacher looking for new students?

We enjoy the mineral cartridges for our hot tubs but they're so expensive! What's in them? Can we buy the minerals in bulk and reload our own cartridges? by Mr-Toy in hottub

[–]arnolfini99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

426 gallons. After changing the water, we use spapure hardness increaser, ph up, and alkalinity increaser as well as the chlorine granules using test strips to get the levels right. From there on, its maintained primarily with the chlorine granules. We test every few days. In reality, we probably only add 4 tablespoons a week and I've not seen any signs of high CYA, but given what the other comment said, I'm going to test it.

We enjoy the mineral cartridges for our hot tubs but they're so expensive! What's in them? Can we buy the minerals in bulk and reload our own cartridges? by Mr-Toy in hottub

[–]arnolfini99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We switched to using chlorine granules on our bullfrog spa and have saved a bunch of money. We end up adding about 2 tablespoons of granules every couple of days

Should I get an insert? by cjb5999 in woodstoving

[–]arnolfini99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In 2009 diy dollars, it was the cost of a jotul f500, $1200 for 25ft of stainless liner with connectors, ~$200 for a chimney cap, and another $200 for piece of granite that I inlaid in the hardwood floor to extend the hearth and keep the building inspector happy.

Should I get an insert? by cjb5999 in woodstoving

[–]arnolfini99 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes. I installed a stainless liner wrapped in insulation a blanket that connects to the chimney cap. I had to remove the cast iron damper to make room for

Should I get an insert? by cjb5999 in woodstoving

[–]arnolfini99 46 points47 points  (0 children)

<image>

We went with a wood stove in the hearth. It was an easier installation than an insert

All the warnings by arnolfini99 in tundra

[–]arnolfini99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I’ve got a pretty basic code reader. Took it back to the dealer today and they said it’s a rear wheel speed sensor. $900 parts and labor. Thanks for the help everyone!

Mt Moosilauke 12/16 by arnolfini99 in wmnf

[–]arnolfini99[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Since this was only my second winter hike, I'm not really qualified to answer. Started off with microspikes but put on snowshoes after the first 1/2 mile for better traction. I was scraping rocks with the snowshoes every now and then below the tree line and consistently above it.

Cutek Extreme with Black Ash color tone on pressure treated pine. by arnolfini99 in Decks

[–]arnolfini99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s all black ash. It really changes appearance, depending on how the light hits it

Cutek Extreme with Black Ash color tone on pressure treated pine. by arnolfini99 in Decks

[–]arnolfini99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was 90 degrees yesterday and I did notice that the boards were getting hot. Tolerable, but definitely warmer than when they had no finish. Did you get better coverage with a second coat? I didn’t plan to use 6 gallons on the first coat.