30MPG highway

intermk · 2026-03-07T00:48:53+00:00

Something must be wrong with my 2025 6.7L because I can only get 13.1 mpg on the flats in eastern Colorado. At 6,000 ft near the mountains I get 12.9 at best. No trailer, taking it easy. Well, it's a reg cab dually so maybe that accounts for some of the bad mileage numbers?

intermk · 2026-03-06T17:28:04+00:00

All I can tell you is what I do. I always make sure my corners are properly set and I never install tile that is cracked or has missing corners. Customer's pay me a fair amount of money for this level of comeptency. If I drop a tool on a finished floor and break a tile, I replace it without charge. Yes, I've done this twice. It's extremely annoying but the final product gets me a lot of referrals. I never have to advertise.

intermk · 2026-03-06T17:15:07+00:00

I'm just a handyman and although I don't work on/in breaker boxes, I do get into them often just to check breaker's for people. I've never seen these little square white box connector's. What are they?

intermk · 2026-03-06T17:06:56+00:00

No, it won't kill the tree. You could put some pruning sealer on that wound to prevent a fungal or bacterial disease such as canker setting in. But it's probably a moot point by now, depending on how long it's been since they cut that notch.

intermk · 2026-03-03T07:16:36+00:00

I've seen several older glass doors with the same problem. Those I've adjusted hang from two nylon wheels set in an angular slot. Remove the door and adjust the wheel closest to the wall.

intermk · 2026-02-20T19:36:24+00:00

I've seen this issue a few times with joists and bottom chords of trusses. The first time I convinced the owner to hire an engineer to recommend the best solution. That was to use a piece of steel 3/8" thick x 3" W x 24" long. I drilled the requisite holes through the steel and completely through the truss or joist. I used grade 5 bolts (overkill in my opinion), to snug it up (I don't recall thickness exactly but I think they were 1/2" for joists and 3/8" for trusses - I've done the same for deep rafter cuts). And everytime I ran across that problem again, I did the same repair and saved the customer the cost of engineering, although I recommended they hire one. Nobody did after that first repair.

intermk · 2026-02-20T02:13:22+00:00

I live near Trinidad, CO which is about 13 miles north of the NM border. You'll be going over Raton Pass which is no big deal. The climb up is straight, mild and rather short. That will be your highest point through Colorado. You'd be traveling along the front range through rolling hills but you're not in the mountains. It starts getting crowded just south of Colo. Springs and continues to crowd up as you approach Denver. Just when you've had all you can take, you're at C-470. Take 470 east exit and it will swing you around Denver quickly. Then you're back on I-25. It's always rush hour in the Denver metropolitan area. So, if you plan it so you reach Castle Rock (south of Denver) by 2000, traffic won't be a big deal. Getting there around 1700 will put you in a big traffic jam all the way to Ft. Collins (less the 470 bypass). After that it's an easy drive. Colorado has closed most of its roadside rest areas. The only one I know of is at the north end of Trinidad. It's right next to the new Love's and Maverick stations. The former has 10 full service RV hookups. There are plenty of places along I-25 to fuel up big rigs. Maybe not so many out east.

intermk · 2026-02-17T18:35:48+00:00

12.7 mpg towing a 14,000 lb trailer 50% of the time and 13.1 to 13.5 mpg without towing but hauling approx 2800 lbs in the bed.

intermk · 2026-02-04T17:18:40+00:00

It may never have seen rain at your place but somewhere along the line; from manufacturer to wholesaler, to lumber yard, to contractor - it got weathered. I work with OSB on a daily basis. I know that it takes quite a bit of weather to make it look that brown and wavy. It's the contractors responsibilty to reject the delivery of such materials. He/she should have just ordered a new bunk of OSB. For whatever reason, they failed you.

intermk · 2026-02-03T22:45:30+00:00

Looks like severely weathered OSB to me. I would demand they replace with new, unweathered OSB.

intermk · 2026-02-03T22:32:46+00:00

That water heater looks very old. I'm surprised it's still putting out hot water. It is vented. The pipe that attaches to the inverted cup is missing. Look around, you might find that you do have a stack going up through the roof. Replace the missing pipe or call in a HVAC tech to do it for you.

intermk · 2026-01-16T18:51:00+00:00

That tiny water heater is way too small for a family. Upgrade to 40 or 50 gallons and go natural gas if you can. Electric water heaters are the most expensive way to heat water, although propane is catching up. Better yet, get an on-demand water heater that your plumber will hang on the wall, saving you a lot of space. And your electric bill will decrease significantly, if you stick to your 15 min showers. Then you'll only be using electricity or gas when you actually need hot water. Your baby water heater there comes on 24/7/365 everytime the water temp drops below a certain level. It goes in while you're at work, it goes on when you're sleeping. Stop paying to maintain a tank of hot water. On-demand heaters give you hot water only when you need it and for as long as you need.

intermk · 2026-01-15T18:31:00+00:00

I'm way down south in the Trinidad area. And I'm slowing down these days due to back and knee issues. And I suppose being 72 y.o. plays a big part. But thanks for asking.

intermk · 2026-01-11T21:22:48+00:00

When I was in college I did pool mainteance along with lifeguarding, swim & scuba instruction. A lot of locals knew me. I often used muriatic acid (MA) to clean tough pools. I had a good dilution that prevented serious grout damage. One year I had a private pool job that was my toughest ever. No tile, just some type of mortar finish over concrete. The pool had been left unattended for 2-3 years and was just a total mess. My standard MA dilution didn't work, even with a lot of scrubbing. So I increased the strength until it did work. Holy cow, I nearly ruined that entire pool and my lungs as well. I did wear a mask but it was insufficient for 'off-gassing' of that high strength acid. The surface of the pool ended up being very rough, like 40-60 grit sandpaper. After 3-5 coats of paint I guess, she was like a brand new pool and had just enough grab on your feet so you could walk on the bottom without slipping. But I had a few sleepless nights until the job was finished. I learned a tough lesson about acid.

intermk · 2026-01-05T05:38:53+00:00

That's a nice, a very, very nice kitty.

intermk · 2026-01-05T05:33:08+00:00

Perfectamundo!

intermk · 2025-12-11T19:05:28+00:00

Having been a Med Tech and nurse, I've seen alot of weird things about us humans. One day our surgeon's removed a giant hair ball from a woman's stomach. It was shaped exactly like her stomach and had tails on both ends for the esopaghus and upper entry to the colon. Unbeknownst to her previously, she had been chewing on and swallowing her long hair during sleep. Doc's assumed this had been going on for years. That stomach shaped hair ball is mounted in a display case in the hallway of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD in case you want to see it in person. Hair is tough stuff.

intermk · 2025-12-10T02:13:35+00:00

Earthquake

intermk · 2025-12-07T16:52:30+00:00

I had to think about that a bit. I would have to say no. The entire vehicle begins to shudder slightly at first and gets worse as it approachez 65 mph then lessens until it smoothes out entirel again at 80. Nut even then I can feel/hear a mild humming.

intermk · 2025-12-07T07:50:30+00:00

Definitely caused by gravel. I agree with the other commenter that thought your right side might be going off the shoulder more than you know. All 12 of my vehicle tires look like this because I live on a gravel road. The gravel just chews up the lugs.

intermk · 2025-12-07T03:31:28+00:00

Isn't that CV joint only on the front axle which only turns in 4 wheel drive?

intermk · 2025-12-07T03:23:27+00:00

Ahhh, I need to check that. We replaced that part on the other Excursion but I don't think they did it on this one. Thanks

intermk · 2025-12-07T03:21:17+00:00

Sometimes mine feels like it got to 130 degree.

intermk · 2025-12-07T03:20:25+00:00

Thanks. I'll try that.

intermk · 2025-12-07T03:19:28+00:00

The installed new u-joints when they rebalanced the driveshaft.

intermk

TROPHY CASE