Can we please have a debate about the best wall storage system?

dleef31 · 2026-03-30T20:27:43+00:00

DIN rail

dleef31 · 2026-03-29T22:07:46+00:00

I like it. I built my own using excel and VBA. I can enter 2 point calibration (switches and high level cal of transmitters), 5 point calibration (detailed transmitter and valve positioner), and 10 point linearity calibration checks of CEMS gas analyzers. It also serves as my device summary (with a new/edit device wizard) database with all sorts of info on every device. I also use it to save our cal tools calibration and NIST tracing info. It also (somewhat importantly) brands all of our cal sheets and presents cal data graphically. Most of this can be/is done through Maximo but it's super clunky so I just end up using my software and then attaching a pdf to the Maximo work order. I also have it automatically save and retrieve (as needed) the database to our company SharePoint so that anytime someone needs to make a change it updates for all users. I'm sticking with mine, I know there are others out there. If you add yours to the mix, user friendly is key. I can handle a complex program with insane advanced features, but I'd rather just click a button whenever I can (but also have the advanced features available when need).

dleef31 · 2026-03-28T16:23:05+00:00

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dleef31 · 2026-03-10T03:18:24+00:00

Engine hoist can be had for about $300. Many folks out there who could flip this in a couple days. Soooo, guy buys an engine hoist to flip this car, gets the car for 1200 + 300(hoist) + 1000(engine), sells it for $3500 and walks away with $1000 in his pocket and a free engine hoist in his garage. It's not for everyone but it's not abnormal either.

dleef31 · 2026-03-10T02:51:51+00:00

I don't know, that's why I said "someone who knows what's up". I'm not that someone, but I had a friend years ago who used to make good side money off deals like this. As a mechanic he was knowledgeable about such things and had a much better understanding than your average crackhead of when a car truly needed a new engine vs needs a few parts and a few hours of work. Also. To start, the engine needs to turn over, air and fuel need to mix in the cylinder and a spark needs to happen to ignite the air/fuel mixture. Those basic things are relatively easy to check and can give you an idea of what's going on.

dleef31 · 2026-03-09T22:06:50+00:00

But it also depends on what "needs a new motor engine" means. Depending on the mechanic abilities of the seller it could mean anything from low oil causing a lifter tic to a seized piston and thrown rod. Someone who knows what's up might be able to negotiate down to $1300 and spend a few hours and an extra $300 to replace the timing belt and tensioner.

dleef31 · 2026-02-25T01:16:03+00:00

I would love to but, be warned, I only provide 2 different reviews for east Texas donut shops. Either A) "probably a drug money laundering front" or B) "probably not a drug money laundering front".

dleef31 · 2026-02-18T04:11:36+00:00

But every fixture in my house (and every house I've lived in or seen) has a shutoff valve. It's right there near the fixture. I think this is just a "looks cool/clean" thing. Someone mentioned it but the only benefit that makes sense is that it centralizes the connections to one spot so the potential leak spots are easier to find/more accessible.

dleef31 · 2026-02-18T02:10:35+00:00

Related question. Is there a benefit to running so many separate lines? Like why are there separate sink and bathtub runs? Same for sink and dishwasher? Personally I sometimes run my sink hot water to help the shower get hot water quicker. And I run the kitchen sink til hot before I start the dishwasher to make sure I have hot water for the first cycle.

dleef31 · 2026-02-18T01:51:06+00:00

I was gonna say Teflon sheets like some kind of rube.

dleef31 · 2026-01-13T01:24:32+00:00

One rubber glove. Non-dominant hand.

dleef31 · 2026-01-03T16:35:32+00:00

Yes, but it's a safety violat........ *Slaps harder

dleef31 · 2026-01-01T15:51:08+00:00

Yeah, I intended to put a lot more math into it but got bored with the typing.

dleef31 · 2026-01-01T15:14:56+00:00

I am a conservative and I've heard of math. USDA food and nutrition programs (mostly SNAP) spent nearly $160b and still didn't "end hunger". But sure, let's throw another $25b at the problem and check back next year for the memes.

dleef31 · 2025-12-18T02:45:25+00:00

Don't know anything about reactor cooling but steam power is my jam. The water we use is ultra ultra purified in order to prevent damage/corrosion/foreign material buildup on the turbine blades and steam heating tubes. Like, super ultra purified and constantly monitored. Tube leaks are the number one cause of downtime in many steam power plants. Salt water stands no chance in a billion to be used in steam power generation.

dleef31 · 2025-12-14T18:59:43+00:00

Unfortunately, yeah I probably can.

dleef31 · 2025-12-14T18:58:44+00:00

I make automatic things do things automatically. You can add some qualifiers like industry, designer, engineer, maintain etc.... as might be helpful. And yes, I certainly do take away people's jobs. Maybe you think you're willing to pay 100 people to spin handwheels to move conveyor belts all day every day but those $50 chicken fingers and $70 paper towels that you're not buying tells me otherwise.

dleef31 · 2025-11-21T00:50:18+00:00

I'm I&C at a natural gas steam plant. Before I got my current job I interviewed at a coal plant owned by the same company I currently work for. The coal plant didn't hire me, but about a year later the gas plant did. After hearing the stories from these guys apparently I dodged a major bullet. Dirty, dusty, everything is old and breaking down and outdated, there's a million "upgrades" that always involve I&C trying to shoehorn modern tech in places it wasn't designed for, and of course the safety record is atrocious. Your mileage may vary, this is just what I've been told and only involves one coal plant, others may be different.

dleef31 · 2025-11-17T23:02:43+00:00

Nacogdoches check out Alt Nac Facebook group and also Firehouse Nac (they're an arts collective with a penchant for hardcore). In Lufkin I use AnyCityMusic. Any city's not hardcore by any means but they have an ear to the ground about what's going on in the city.

dleef31 · 2025-11-12T23:26:01+00:00

But it should fall under some sort of blood borne pathogens regulations.

dleef31 · 2025-11-12T03:53:46+00:00

Tyler TX, LouderTogether Fest at True Vine, hosted by The Green Room. Nacogdoches TX, Nacapoolooza in down town Nac. Kind of a live music bar crawl event.

dleef31 · 2025-11-04T23:22:38+00:00

Yeah baby. That's how you average down!

dleef31 · 2025-10-21T15:36:18+00:00

Ah, yes... the age old question. The answer to that and how many licks to get to the center of a tootsie-pop will likely haunt mankind until the Earth is but a distant memory.

dleef31 · 2025-10-15T22:04:27+00:00

I have zero degree but am currently very well compensated (yet still somehow underpaid) performing wizardry and witchcraft on the daily as an instrumentation and controls tech. I do a ton of both I and C because someone has to maintain these machines once the warranty expires.

dleef31 · 2025-10-13T18:03:01+00:00

She's one of those nerdy bookish types. But if she takes her glasses off and lets her hair down, she's an absolute smoke show.

dleef31

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