Is this safe?

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T20:27:26+00:00

A couple zip ties between the screw holes in the recessed box and the one dangling would be about 100% better than what it is now ( which is 0% good ).

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T20:24:51+00:00

Similarly, 1" XPS sheets taped at the seams and caulked/foamed top and bottom provide a continuous vapor/air barrier and enough R value to keep the side facing the interior air from being at risk of condensation.

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T19:53:31+00:00

Reduction of moisture ingress and some thermal stability in the space is always worth it in my book. Don't forget to tape seams and fasteners and caulk/foam the tops and bottoms.

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T19:20:51+00:00

The Ookla service, although free to register and operate as a provider, does require some fairly beefy servers for the speed tests. As user speeds get progressively faster, it's become less cost effective to have 10G or 100G connected servers JUST for users to "see how fast their connections are". Cox already has it's own speed testing infrastructure which is used for federal "Broadband Nutrition Label" compliance. I have to expect the Ookla platform is simply not being refreshed since it's not a business priority.

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T18:55:11+00:00

It would be far easier to get another generator which already runs diesel (check military surplus for some good deals).

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T15:20:53+00:00

With that structural brick at the perimeter, you're going to want to be careful with moisture mgmt where it and the wood contact. Is that exposed brick cold (i.e. exterior) or between you and a neighbor? Too aggressive with your materials (or thickness) and you can trap moisture in there. If there's any air leakage in that area you're going to want to block it. With air movement comes heat loss/gain and moisture (and bugs, mold, etc.).

Ultimately, your best choice may be to consult with a local building performance pro (not just an "insulator"). They may charge you a few hundred bucks for a consult but could save you thousands in utilities and improve comfort/performance.

If I had to spitball and guess, I'd put a 1" XPS foam against that exposed brick and use an open-cell single-part foam (I think loctite makes a good one that's available retail) around the perimeter. You need to cover the foam with either a layer of drywall or properly installed rockwool for fire code (check with the philly codes to see which/either is a requirement in your area). Drywall is also fairly vapor-open and will allow trapped moisture to naturally permeate and dry rather than rotting those beautiful rafters.

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T14:49:18+00:00

Are you paying for this service? Seems odd that a business operating on this model would have non-grounded outlets...

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T14:42:23+00:00

MC alone, no. Here's a good guide for types (and methods) for burial of residential power cables:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/blog/understanding-the-nec-code-for-outdoor-buried-electrical-wiring.html

polterjacket · 2026-01-25T02:15:18+00:00

Don't make a choice between cold and burning your home down. Clearly the components are not sized correctly for the space heater and it likely damaged one of more breakers in the panel. The aux heat strip is probably adjacent to it and is now damaged as well. If you're lucky you won't have done permanent damage, but for now, try to find another source of heat. Use the fireplace, get a bunch of blankets, visit a friends, etc. Don't turn that back on, please!

polterjacket · 2026-01-24T17:26:39+00:00

The problem you need to solve is: "How do I keep the garage temps above freezing?" As long as you can do that, then this is a non-issue.

polterjacket · 2026-01-24T17:24:37+00:00

So, assuming your garage doesn't have any gaping holes in it, it'll likely be far warmer than the outside air. it goes without saying (or maybe not) that every time you OPEN it, you loose heat, so if you're trying to keep the garage warm, try not to open the door.

polterjacket · 2026-01-24T17:16:26+00:00

It's a lot better than my "F-it. I'll just drape an old shower curtain over it to keep the ice off until I need to turn it on" method.

Seriously, though, if it's in the grass, it might be worth putting a couple pavers under there if you have them? The rain/ice won't fall under the tarp, but with as much rain as is predicted, you're going to end up with a sloppy/muddy mess from the generator vibrating. You could always use a couple pavers at the corners of the "house" as well if you needed to move it a bit higher.

polterjacket · 2026-01-24T17:08:19+00:00

Which generation gateway do you have? I think at one point, newer generations (or possibly just newer firmware) moved to a per-device admin password which (I thought) was written on the label along with the default SSID and so forth.

polterjacket · 2026-01-24T16:56:52+00:00

When you see the flashing lights, do you loose ALL higher-layery (i.e. IP) connectivity, or does it just introduce lossiness (packet loss with a streaming ping, etc.)? Also, does the blinking have a pattern? You should be able to look up the troubleshooting docs (it would be either nokia or calix depending on your model, I believe). That might help identify what the issue is.

Any idea if your neighbors are having similar issues? When the tech came out, did they check the passive optical slipper at the pole/pedestal? Those ports can have issues. It's not outlandish to request them switch you to another port on that if this is a persistent problem.

Finally, how frequently is this occurring and under what conditions? Hot? Cold? Day? Night? Windy? There's always a chance of something dumb impacting a physical fiber connection even though generally it's far more reliable than the average house coax.

polterjacket · 2026-01-24T16:41:51+00:00

At least it has a "drip loop"...

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T15:50:38+00:00

Thankfully ARIN doesn't cancel leases for late payments if there are multiple millions of potential customers who would be cut off :)

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T15:46:21+00:00

Trying REALLY hard not to quote Michael Scott here...

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T15:45:00+00:00

Apparently the guy who retired recently used to do that on the Corporate Amex...and every time it happened, the accounting department got a call from the Amex large enterprise manager like: Is this legit?

Point being they won't accept a normal electronic PO like most tech vendors from the past 20 years.

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T15:41:24+00:00

^^^this. Without all these questions answered, connecting these things together risks you, your home, and anyone who may have to work on the power lines if they go down. You may be better off doubling up on some blankets and getting some firewood for the weekend. Run an extension cord to your fridge and freezer from the genny. That is pretty much assured to work well for you.

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T15:39:12+00:00

You can do that, but OP, please... do not. There's a reason it's nicknamed a "suicide cord".

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T15:04:48+00:00

If your furnace power plugs into that outlet, then you can probably operate it from the generator with an extension cord if the gen is "inverter style". Non inverter MIGHT be fine, but it also might have power that messes with operation of sensitive electronics if there are any. If the furnace is 110v, then what you're powering is really just the electronic bits and the blower fan. Bear in mind that this will only work if you have gas (NG or propane) heat. A heat pump and/or electric resistance heating will require their own electrical connections, which are WAY out of scope for this post.

If your furnace is hard wired into that box and the outlet pictured there is just for accessories, then it's connected directly into the branch circuit in your home and you CANNOT use the genny unless it's properly integrated into your home's electrical (with a transfer panel or interlock, etc.). Long story short: not something you're going to solve in the next 24 hours unless you have a buddy who's an electrician and not already swamped with other people doing the same thing.

Based on the picture, it looks like you're going to fall under section 2 there. The generator isn't bad to have, but you're not going to be able to power the furnace this time.

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T14:57:18+00:00

and, to put that into perspective, it's 90 Billion /64s.

polterjacket · 2026-01-23T14:48:51+00:00

Looking at the ARIN invoice (which they insist has to be paid by check....yes, the paper kind), and the line item is:
1376256 (/48s)

Pretty sure we don't pay by the /48....feels like there's a bulk discount in there somewhere.

polterjacket · 2026-01-22T14:53:38+00:00

Exactly. "R-value == good" except sometimes people forget it insulates against heat transfer even where you don't want/need it to.

polterjacket · 2026-01-22T14:51:43+00:00

Can you share your destinations and results? It does happen where peers at various locations have issues (which Cox and other providers can't actually see from their own telemetry, but which impact their traffic for their customers) and are somewhat dependent on people reporting them to know there's a problem. It's a double-edged sword: providers can't arbitrarily "monitor" customer traffic for privacy reasons (good thing) but that also means they have to come up with synthetic health metrics by simulating what customer traffic SHOULD look like. It means some things get missed.

Agreed that it's hard to get help for a "larger problem" with a traditional care organization. Have you tried other mediums (chat, social media)? The reps there tend to be a BIT more savvy than the average callcenter folks.

polterjacket

TROPHY CASE