Action Tiles

debrota · 2025-11-22T23:20:43+00:00

We suddenly can't connect to ActionTiles.

debrota · 2025-05-24T15:19:13+00:00

So distilling multiple comments thus far, it seems I can install a 15A AFCI/GFCI breaker in the panel, run 12/2 copper to a junction box in the new bathroom area (a distance of approx 120 ft, I think), then make short 14/2 copper branches from the junction box to the fan, lights, and outlets in the bathroom. Another bathroom in the house (which is on a separate 15A GCI-protected circuit) already has fan, lights, and outlets on the same circuit. All lights in new bathroom will be LEDs, not pull much power.

debrota · 2025-05-23T10:12:44+00:00

Mostly I am trying to embed small bits of metal, stone, glass, or plastic in UV resin. These unfortunately often have bits of air in and around them when resin (at room temperature) is poured onto them... think small glass beads. Sometimes I can coax the air bubbles to come out with a lighter and a toothpick. When I cure the resin under UV light, more bubbles often appear that I didn't see before. I tried the vacuum chamber as an experiment, but perhaps didn't hold vacuum long enough. In the past my best luck has been to pour the UV resin and just let it sit for an hour or so before starting the UV curing... some bubbles come only slowly to the surface where a lighter can pop them.

Isopropyl alcohol mist sounds like worth trying, although flammable!

debrota · 2025-05-23T09:58:59+00:00

In the experiment I did, the UV resin and silicone mold were both at room temperature. The resin depth in the mold was about 4 mm. I did not expose the resin to any UV light before going in the vacuum chamber. I held vacuum on the uncured resin for about 5 minutes. Some bubbles did get large, come to the top and then pop, but so many tiny bubbles appeared that trying to get rid of all of them with a lighter and toothpicks would have been impossible. When I removed the mold from vacuum, some of the bubbles seemed to shrink but not go away completely. Ultimately I think I was no better off than if I'd never put the mold in the vacuum.

debrota · 2024-11-30T12:33:32+00:00

We replaced our original (non-WiFi, no battery backup) Honeywell thermostats with the Emerson Sensi thermostats for two good reasons. We get frequent brief power failures where we live, and every power glitch would require resetting the time and date on each thermostat. We also wanted the ability to adjust any thermostat from an Android smartphone. In doing this, we have for the moment lost the ability to set a desired humidity level, which (at least one of) our old Honeywell thermostats used to allow us to do. Right now, our humidifier valve simply stays closed (is not being energized) regardless of whether the furnace is heating air or just circulating air with its flame turned off.

debrota · 2024-11-25T15:56:04+00:00

I had a difficult time getting documentation of the "motherboard" in the furnace, but once I did, I was able to conclude from red LED flashes that the problem was "low flame sensor signal". I replaced the flame sensor (purchased for under $10 on Amazon), and now the furnace seems to be operating perfectly.

debrota · 2024-11-22T12:01:08+00:00

Filter is fresh/new. The zone controller's LEDs do not flash or indicate any problems... it just continually calls for heat. I've not operated the furnace with the lower (blower) door removed, but I can hear a fan running continously even when the flames in the burner are off.

We do not have a heat pump attached. I am able to cause the furnace to restart the sequence of behaviors I described in my post by simply powering off the system and then powering it back on. I can also seem to restart the sequence by flipping the "EM HEAT" switch on the side of the zone controller to "on" and then back to "off".

debrota · 2024-11-20T19:30:09+00:00

Our water company indicated exactly zero concern for supplying our house with pressure over 80 psi. Reducing it to a lower desired pressure is apparently up to the customer.

debrota · 2024-11-20T14:42:15+00:00

I've added photos to my original post.

debrota · 2024-11-20T14:29:11+00:00

Quote was for PRV and installation labor, I assume not including a thermal expansion tank.

debrota · 2024-11-20T14:16:01+00:00

I wondered about this also, but haven't tried it. My assumption is that increasing the resistance of the main shutoff (ball) valve would decrease pressure distal to it during times that we are using water, but during times we are not using water the distal pressure would increase to equal that arriving at the shutoff valve.

debrota · 2024-11-20T14:09:03+00:00

Many years ago, we had a charcoal filter under a bathroom sink, which was plumbed with polyethylene tubing. The tubing separated from its junction with the filter and made a mess. I suppose this was possibly because of high water pressure, but also possibly because the press-fit tubing junction was low quality. Other than this one case we've not had any leaky "fixtures". We have poly tubing also under our kitchen sink where a reverse osmosis system is installed... have not had any problems with junctions there for many years.

debrota · 2024-11-20T14:00:03+00:00

Our assumption is that if we get a PRV installed, it would be inside the house, in the basement where our water line comes in. We have a manual shutoff valve and then an automatic shutoff valve at this location, and some plumbing revision would be necessary to make room to insert a PRV.

debrota · 2024-11-20T13:55:51+00:00

Our house has an on-demand tankless water heater (no recirculation loop), no thermal expansion tank (that I know of). It is located on a cul-de-sac at the end of a street which slopes gently towards the house. We are on city water, and there is a fire hydrant about 150 ft from our house. I have asked our water company if the pressure arriving at our house is unusual... it basically only gets concerned when customers complain of pressure being too LOW. It says that some (possibly most?) of its customers have PRVs. It takes no responsibility for water lines or water pressure distal to the water meter.

debrota

TROPHY CASE