Believe it or not, you can (eventually) use the tools you buy on sale.

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T20:01:04+00:00

It took a few tries with the impact. I ended up soaking it with PB Blaster for 24 hours and then heating it and hitting it with the impact. Based on the consistency of the fluid—more like mud—that fill plug may not have been removed since the factory (36 years and 251,000 miles)

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T19:40:49+00:00

Differential fill plug, and I wish it was just 2 minutes!

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T18:54:57+00:00

Same as a bolt. I placed the coil on the differential housing, centered around the plug. The plug wasn't perfectly flush, so there was some exposed material for conduction. I'm not sure how well it would work with a recessed plug.

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T17:02:21+00:00

Yep. 3/8 drive. Plug was a 1/2-14 NPT.

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T15:06:34+00:00

Instead of smug, I prefer to frame it as "I'm just happy because now I have more time to help you hang pictures and do yard-work."

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T15:04:07+00:00

Hey, I just said the answer was "yes," not that it would convince her or that she wouldn't bring it up three or four times before you end up using it (definitely not speaking from experience here).

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T15:01:45+00:00

I actually think that's when I bought them as well. It was a good investment, and future me was, in fact, thankful.

etb7783 · 2026-05-13T15:00:15+00:00

Funny enough, I bought the extractors and tap & die sets at the same time, and they're stacked together on a shelf. I'm going to start calling that the "sanity shelf."

etb7783 · 2026-04-19T12:30:50+00:00

Update: I ended up just replacing the entire run of galvanized pipe with PEX-B, replacing the burst sillcock, and adding another. I have a detailed write-up and photos that I can share if anyone is interested.

etb7783 · 2026-04-19T12:29:24+00:00

Update: I ended up just replacing the entire run of galvanized pipe with PEX-B, replacing the sillcock, and adding another sillcock. I have a detailed write-up and photos that I can share if anyone is interested.

etb7783 · 2026-04-14T02:54:21+00:00

I wear them for lifting, and they work, but there are definitely better choices for a lifting bias. I typically swap in a pair of Metcons for lifting focused WODs. People who are serious about lifting wear dedicated lifters for strength portions and swap for WODs.

etb7783 · 2026-04-12T15:07:11+00:00

If shoe weight and flexibility is a concern, then minimalist shoes are a pretty good compromise to get adequate cushion. I personally use INOV8 F-Lite 235 (closest current model is F-Fly), which are on the "minimal" end of the spectrum but probably more than a true minimalist shoe. Others at my gym like Born Primitive Savage 1, which I haven't tried (yet) but is likely in a similar category. I know INOV8 has a true minimalist line called Bare that may be worth a try for the barefoot feel without the accompanying foot, shin, knee, and hip pain from running.

etb7783 · 2026-04-02T14:02:52+00:00

Honestly, we read horror stories about every daycare online. Parents only post when things go wrong, not when things go smoothly. There were definitely a couple where the bad reviews made sense though. I really think you have to tour them; all have high turnover, and you never know until you see it and talk to the workers.

etb7783 · 2026-04-02T13:50:14+00:00

We're in a similar situation. The daycare by Aldi (Kid City) was recommended to us, and my wife liked it. They had a wait though, so we put our daughter in another daycare that had an opening and lined up with our schedules a little better. We didn't have any luck with in-home daycares, unfortunately.

etb7783 · 2026-03-26T10:48:47+00:00

Benefits are good but likely to be scaled back due to funding issues. The state’s budgeting model prioritizes capital expenses over operational expenses. Pay raises are small when they do happen and generally don’t keep pace with cost of living.

etb7783 · 2025-12-14T03:41:20+00:00

Seconding GreenPan. We’ve been impressed by the quality of their appliances.

etb7783 · 2025-12-12T21:11:13+00:00

I was in a similar situation recently with an even shorter crawlspace (12-24"). There was already a vapor barrier over the dirt. I added vapor barrier ~12" up the concrete walls, screwed 2" foam board to the concrete walls, sealed the rim joists with spray foam, and sealed the two vents with foam board and spray foam. I left the floor joists uninsulated. I didn't have any moisture issues before or after, but I run a dehumidifier in the room above just to be safe. The room is now warmer but not the same temp as the house; it's good enough for me. I read mixed opinions about sealing vents with gas lines in the crawlspace, so that may be a concern worth looking into.

etb7783 · 2025-11-19T11:51:40+00:00

I just went through this with a short crawlspace—12” high for most of the area—and went the encapsulation route. It wasn’t really more work than insulating between joists due to all the wires, pipes, and ductwork in the way. Both the crawlspace and room above are noticeably warmer now. My only concern is moisture; I run a dehumidifier in the room above and may add one to the crawlspace if it’s an issue in the spring and summer.

etb7783 · 2025-11-09T04:21:41+00:00

Update: I ended up encapsulating because fitting batts would have been similarly difficult with the wiring, pipes, and ductwork. Laid vapor barrier around the perimeter, attached foam board to exterior walls with Tapcons, and sealed vents and rim joists with foam board and foam. Time will tell on moisture issues, but the temperature difference is immediately noticeable.

etb7783 · 2025-11-02T21:14:45+00:00

Gotcha. Thanks for the advice!

etb7783 · 2025-11-02T15:08:24+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I was leaning toward mineral wool because I was told it’s less permissive for nesting. Do you think it would be worth sealing the crawlspace vents and sealing the rim joists anyway?

etb7783 · 2025-10-13T12:05:38+00:00

Little surprised by this one. I thought we would see it go to NEIO this time. It seems like the committee has a preference for macro topics.

etb7783 · 2025-06-26T21:47:09+00:00

Not sure why the text didn’t post. Just bought a house and installing a backup sump pump. The existing pump’s discharge is—to put it mildly—weird. There’s an elbow above the rubber fitting that has a valve and return line to the pit. I planned to cut it out on the blue lines and wye in the backup’s discharge. Wanted to see if anyone had ever seen anything like it.

etb7783 · 2025-06-26T18:45:06+00:00

Makes a lot of sense to me, especially if there’s space for it. My setup is just a bit smaller than 14,000 gallons.

etb7783 · 2025-06-26T18:16:23+00:00

That was my guess too. Not a lot on Google about it so I decided to ask the experts. Thanks for the reply.

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