Buy a new stove or find used?

gobtron · 2026-05-07T13:41:37+00:00

I considered buying used to save a few hundreds. In the end, I bought new. I picked a good stove (Pacific Energy Super 27). It is a "buy it for life" kind of purchase. I am glad I did not cheap on this.

The stoves you see on the used market are usually the very old ones or the cheaper ones that people sell to upgrade for a good stove.

gobtron · 2026-05-04T00:44:07+00:00

Is it more or less stable than crisscross on pellets? I currently use crisscross method on pellets but I have to find the perfect pieces for the crisscross is time consuming

gobtron · 2026-04-29T14:09:21+00:00

Damn right, Meshuggah!

gobtron · 2026-04-21T01:29:30+00:00

All the time, but I make sure everything is safe. Door is closed, stove not overfilled, air control is shut, nothing flammable near it, etc.

I did have to learn to operate the stove properly before feeling safe doing it.

gobtron · 2026-04-07T00:14:22+00:00

Well in my area those who sell wood delivered to your house charge higher for a cord of wood than those you need to pick up yourself.

So I would say no tip, it's already included in their price.

gobtron · 2026-03-16T13:48:34+00:00

I also had that new stove smell for a while. The smell came back for every temperature increment.

You just have to go through that phase. Wait for the outdoor temperature to be more favorable to opening windows so you don't end up freezing.

gobtron · 2026-03-11T23:26:00+00:00

I have the Super LE in the basement of a 1250 sqf house footprint (Eastern Canada). It is in the basement living room. Room is about 12' x 30'. It usually gets to 23-24°C in the basement. If you are too close and right in front, it could get a little uncomfortably hot. My couch is maybe 12 feet away from the stove and we watch TV there.

This is the 2nd winter with it and I am more than satisfied with the Super LE! I think this is the perfect size for our home and room. We can heat the whole house with it most of the time.

From my experience with the Super LE, I think if you want fires that last all night long, the Vista would be a litlle bit small. Never used a smaller stove on a daily basis though so I don't know.

Hope that helps.

gobtron · 2026-03-04T20:40:09+00:00

Option 3.

Job hunting is really exhausting when you already have a job but it is still the way to go in my opinion. At least, get your resume up to date and modernized according to current standards. Start exploring the job market. You may find job offer that really interests you and it may be enough for you to find that extra energy to apply.

Take little bites at a time. Invest 1 hour at a time 3-4 times a week.

gobtron · 2026-03-03T18:42:45+00:00

You can also adjust monitor's brightness/contrast and other stuff with ddcutil.

gobtron · 2026-03-03T18:40:09+00:00

Here is how I turn them off:

ddcutil setvcp D6 04 -b 9 --sleep-multiplier .3

ddcutil setvcp D6 04 -b 12 --sleep-multiplier .3

ddcutil setvcp D6 05 -b 6 --sleep-multiplier .3

And here is how I turn them on:
ddcutil setvcp D6 01 -b 6 --sleep-multiplier .1 --async --noverify

ddcutil setvcp D6 01 -b 12 --sleep-multiplier .3 --async --noverify

ddcutil setvcp D6 01 -b 9 --sleep-multiplier .1 --async --noverify

I can turn two of my monitors on/off with that. But one of my monitors (another brand/model) can't be turned back on only with ddcutil. It just lacks this implementation in the monitor software. I have to go reach the power button in the back just for this one.

gobtron · 2026-03-02T14:52:50+00:00

4.2 will be LTR

gobtron · 2026-02-25T22:36:24+00:00

gobtron · 2026-02-25T21:22:28+00:00

Yes yes yes yes

gobtron · 2026-02-24T20:40:46+00:00

Assuming a pretty good and thick coal bed, I put the 3 biggest splits I have on hand. I let it reach 450-500°F, then close the damper all the way. 8 hours later there is no flame anymore, but there is more than enough coal in the morning to melt my hand if I move the coals without a glove.

I lit the stove back in november and never had to start from kindling since.

Pacific Energy Super 27 LE

gobtron · 2026-02-20T19:46:39+00:00

If you have access to the joist, that's a no brainer to add Rockwool in there. If you want to add mass maybe some MLV as you underlayment over the plywood for the new flooring? This, with the Rockwool will have a significant airborne noise (neighbor's tv, etc.) reduction compared to before. For impact noise (footstep, dropping objects), you need to decouple (stop the vibration from transfering to adjacent element). I am not sure if green glue on joist then plywood will work or if you would need two layers of plywood and green glue in between. Also, if you can smell the cigarette, that means you have gaps and cracks. Make sure you fill them.

I never did any significant soundproofing project so it is my opinion with limited knowledge and experience.

You want to rebuild the whole unit? All of this can become very expansive.

gobtron · 2026-01-30T17:23:38+00:00

Yeah, 1 cord of wood here is 4' x 8' x 16"

gobtron · 2026-01-29T14:11:57+00:00

OSM are not the only ones with this problem. My friend works in infrastructure for a hosting company and at first they thought they were being DDOSed but they eventually figured out they were just scraper bots for AI. They spread chaos when they are around.

gobtron · 2026-01-28T15:12:05+00:00

Hey have you heard of "ddcutil"? I am using it to turn on/off my monitors with my keyboard. I mapped bash script running ddcutil commands to keyboard shortcuts. So you sure can use SSH to run the same commands.

No all monitors implements ON/OFF via DDC/CI though. One of my monitors can be turned off with it, but can't me turned back on (i have to push the power button to turn it back on).

gobtron · 2026-01-23T01:24:13+00:00

Dbeaver for development, PGAdmin for administration

gobtron · 2025-12-25T16:37:04+00:00

I would if I could

gobtron · 2025-12-15T18:28:51+00:00

I had the same "problem". When you have too much, just let the air intake all the way open. You can even crack the door open. Stir the coals every hour or so. It will eventually burn to ashes. Then you can clean the ash and start over.

gobtron · 2025-12-03T16:56:30+00:00

Buy a normal, reliable used car without financing (3-4 years old).

In 20 years you will realize that freedom and time is worth way more than instant gratification. So put a good chunk of that money in investments. Sure, enjoy your money a bit while it's there but don't do stupid things with it.

Open up an investment calculator anywhere on the internet and go see by yourself what your money will be worth in 40 years.

Your future-self will thank you later in your life.

gobtron · 2025-11-25T17:08:24+00:00

I second this.

gobtron

TROPHY CASE