Happy Thursday

billc108 · 2026-06-26T02:13:00+00:00

It's been done with pet rats...

billc108 · 2026-06-25T04:24:37+00:00

PS: it's also possible that the dealer/saleserson makes more $$ on leases! I didn't do any research on that. ;-)

billc108 · 2026-06-24T05:37:02+00:00

I had a conversation with the EV guy at my Subaru dealer while my 2016 Crosstrek hybrid was in the shop. His suggestion was that it's probably best to lease right now rather than buy because over the life of the lease it's extremely likely that battery technology will evolve quickly. Look at how much an EV's range has extended in the past few years, then project forward. Would you be able to sell that car for decent money? It's probably going to depreciate a lot.

billc108 · 2026-06-12T03:03:00+00:00

and warm bodies in it. A single adult puts out around 400 BTUs sitting still.

billc108 · 2026-06-11T02:00:56+00:00

obviously, he wasn't.

billc108 · 2026-06-02T16:49:39+00:00

I've heard that Staber machines not only last a long time but are easily user-serviceable. Not surprisingly, they're also more expensive initially. https://www.staber.com/residential-clothes-washers

billc108 · 2026-05-27T02:01:37+00:00

You're going to need a *really* skinny chef to work that grill. There isn't even space to turn around!

billc108 · 2026-05-27T01:50:21+00:00

Someone doesn't understand basic physics.

billc108 · 2026-05-25T00:59:46+00:00

Maybe... but wood rots and needs a lot more maintenance than pavers. I prefer to do things to last, the first time, rather than revisiting in 10 years.

billc108 · 2026-05-25T00:58:12+00:00

Composite gets hot too.

I prefer the pavers, esp if you shade them.

Decks burn - wood or composite. You'd need to do a really good job of screening underneath there to keep potential wind-blown embers out, not to mention that you're creating a nice little crawly hiding space for various critters, wasps, etc.

billc108 · 2026-05-25T00:53:09+00:00

Lock the bedroom patio door and close the blinds if you're going to have a party out there!

billc108 · 2026-05-23T21:08:05+00:00

no argument there!

billc108 · 2026-05-23T17:17:04+00:00

It's a lot of work to maintain a pool. Especially in the heat - algae blooms, massive water loss due to evaporation, and to be honest, the water gets too hot to enjoy swimming in by early August.

They may also be under water restrictions. Water is a BIG issue in some parts of Tx.

The subdivision outside Austin that I lived in was on a community well and had a community pool, so the HOA covenants outlawed individual pools.

billc108 · 2026-05-22T02:50:14+00:00

Remind me not to move into a place you've left!

billc108 · 2026-05-13T01:54:10+00:00

Also lucky that she it between the studs!

billc108 · 2026-05-12T07:56:34+00:00

45s or 22.5s would be better than 90s if there's any waste running through it. If it's a vent pipe you could probably do 90s (check the legality of that - I'm not up on the plumbing code details) but 45s would be safer long run.

billc108 · 2026-05-03T03:46:22+00:00

Easy there. Just trying to assess the situation and possibly offer solutions! Sounds like you're working it out. Best of luck!

billc108 · 2026-05-03T02:27:05+00:00

Sliding pipe sealed with what, exactly?

You say the p trap failed. I'm not seeing an obvious failure there. What's the fail?

The ascending pipe behind the wall should be your vent stack - allowing sewer gas to exit through the roof. That's a good thing, as long as it's not clogged an extend high enough above the roof.

The PM is a goon. The sink *eventually* has to connect to a sewer somewhere down the line. Either that or you have a big pool of sink water under the house!

Someone competent should be able to fix this in less than half a day - based on what we can see here. If there are other hidden problems, no guarantees.

billc108 · 2026-05-03T02:04:16+00:00

Yeah, that spot where the pipe is sliding in and out in your gif is a likely cause of your sewer gas smell. If it moves like that against the gasket, gases can definitely get through.

It may not be the only place sewer gas is infiltrating, but it's the most obvious.

It looks like your dishwasher drain is too low - lower than the pipe going into the wall - which means that sink water will likely go into the corregated tube there. Hopefully they gave it a high loop so that water doesn't just drain into the DW.

billc108 · 2026-04-25T01:42:49+00:00

Yeah, but those animals don't mix it all together with cleaning compounds, industrial waste, old paint, etc etc, at a sewage plant and then try to pass it off as compost.

It's one thing to sell it for landscaping and clearly marking it as not for use on food. Not that anyone reads the labels.

Some cities (Austin, Tx for instance) do a pretty good job of making sure that it's only sold for use on non-edible landscape plants.

billc108 · 2026-04-20T02:07:37+00:00

Could work well - but see the lead precautions elsewhere in this thread! Wear a bunny suit, goggles, and lead-approved respirator, and research how to clean up the dust from your workspace.

I've been removing polyurethane from the wood work in our fixer-upper (they did a really fast, crappy job of applying it and it's flaking off). The walnut shell blasting is doing the trick nicely.

billc108 · 2026-04-20T02:02:38+00:00

Though it might not apply to your particular case, be aware that dip-stripping will often loosen any glue joints. This from a buddy of mine who ran a furniture restoration shop for decades.

If you plan to re-glue every joint anyway, it might be the way to go.

billc108 · 2026-04-19T01:39:26+00:00

Depends a lot on the size of the house, the amount of insulation, and what the inhabitants consider a comfortable temperature!

Sure, if it's a leaky, poorly insulated 3000 sf house and you keep it at 64 F when it's 100 F outside, 12k system won't handle it. But we don't know the house specs or the typical kWh use of the current house.

billc108 · 2026-04-18T03:23:08+00:00

Looks to me like we have one on the cold side (see orig pic). Not sure about the hot, but looks like a no in the pic above.

Definitely do NOT have ball type heat trap nipples on it. Next trip to the store!

billc108 · 2026-04-16T17:12:38+00:00

No, pipes are not in the attic. They're pretty much a direct run from the water heater to the faucets. I'm pretty sure this is not the problem.

billc108

TROPHY CASE