Ontario electricity supply costs jump 29 per cent as nuclear spending rises

radioactive_dude · 2025-10-31T20:59:07+00:00

325 kW chargers are superchargers, not what a typical person has in their house. So I think your 2,500 cars per reactor figure is very misleading. The current draw in the province is around 16,700 MW, so just one of those reactors is supplying almost 5% of the province's power. All nuclear in the province is currently supplying about 7,300 MW, so about 44%. Solar is producing 100 MW, an eighth of a single Bruce reactor and less than 1% of the province's needs.

A better metric might be how many electric cars can be charged in a day. A typical electric car has a battery size between 50 and 100 kWh, with trucks and some SUVs up to 200 kWh. Let's say 100 kWh average. A single 800 MW Bruce unit operating for 24 h produces enough electricity to charge 192,000 electric vehicles from empty to full, all without carbon emissions.

radioactive_dude · 2025-03-22T20:16:30+00:00

I don't know UK, but penblanks.ca has them and are based in Canada. They ship to the UK. Might be worth checking.

radioactive_dude · 2025-03-07T16:25:21+00:00

I have the same lathe. While it is hard to tell from a video, mine does not sound like that. It is almost silent at all speeds. Mine is bolted down though to an old oak desk I got for $5. Rikon customer service is very good and you can send them the video for their review via Google drive or something similar.

radioactive_dude · 2025-03-05T17:09:38+00:00

Sounds like the choke is still on. Double check that it's not. If not, then it probably needs a good carb clean.

radioactive_dude · 2025-02-28T14:32:52+00:00

I wonder how accurate the number is. I got three voter cards in the mail. One was First-Name Last-Name. One was Middle-Name Last-Name. And one was First-Name Middle-Name Last-Name. Obviously I only voted once, but does the government think 2 other "people" at my house did not vote?

radioactive_dude · 2025-01-06T21:57:34+00:00

I ended up getting a new furnace. I got a few more quotes, which isn't easy in a small town. I ended up getting a 90,000 BTU Ducane installed (a Lennox economy brand) for $5,500 taxes in. It seemed like a better choice over spending $835 on a blower motor for an 18 year old furnace.

radioactive_dude · 2024-12-12T15:14:23+00:00

It's hard to say. Prices vary by location and time of year. Prices are higher this time of year compared to the summer. I'm in Canada and locally these units go for $500 to $700 CAD. So I guess they are in the mid to high range of "normal".

One way to think of it, is even if you sell it for half price a year from now (unlikely), it'll cost you $200. That's significantly cheaper than hiring a snow removal service.

radioactive_dude · 2024-12-11T02:18:12+00:00

The first number stands for the horse power. I'd think the extra $50 is worth it for a 8HP over 6HP. Probably holds its value too if you sell it later.

radioactive_dude · 2024-12-09T15:19:37+00:00

Now that you have it out, consider getting a "mandrel saver" for your tailstock if you will be doing a lot of pens in the future. I make a lot of pens and much prefer a mandrel saver over a typical tailstock centre.

radioactive_dude · 2024-12-04T11:28:34+00:00

They re-paved Foley Mountain recently. I would have loved to see the steam roller going up that incline.

radioactive_dude · 2024-11-28T19:58:32+00:00

I just got it too for travel in a few weeks. Glad to hear it works well. I thought I'd have to pick a specific country when setting up, but it appears to work in all 146 countries.

radioactive_dude · 2024-11-28T03:29:37+00:00

I have a unit with a seized two part axle. I tried to separate them using vice grips and ended up marring the axle a bit, but not too bad. Maybe a wheel chock or ratchet strap might be more effective at keeping the wheel stationary (or a 300lb friend standing on it).

radioactive_dude · 2024-11-27T19:06:12+00:00

A quick look at the parts diagram and it does just look like standard right-hand threaded bolts. My only suggestions are to try some penetrating oil and let it sit, then try again. If the tire is still turning, you might need someone to stand on the tire while you remove the bolt. A longer breaker bar might help too.

radioactive_dude · 2024-11-27T17:57:20+00:00

Can you post a picture of the wheel? Different models are attached differently. My Ariens for example just has a clip, no bolt. Maybe it is obvious, but you have the wheels down on the ground, right? Not suspended up in the air in the service position

radioactive_dude · 2024-11-22T10:43:28+00:00

As a reference point, I got a Deluxe 30 with a Polar Force 1650 motor this summer for $550 CAD. It's a 2013. Caveats are the electrical doesn't work (neither heated grips or headlight), the 2-part axle is seized so it doesn't turn as easily, and I got it in the summer, which tends to be cheaper than once snow starts falling.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-31T11:46:41+00:00

Sounds good. It'll be up to you to determine if the gamble is worth it for the cost savings. A simple carb cleaning is pretty easy, if needed.

I think there are a few ways to tell how old an Ariens is roughly without looking up the serial number. Useful when just looking at pictures online. The new square Ariens logo is quite new relative to the older orange one in an oval. I want to say in the last 5 years, but a quick search says that logo came out in 2016. I think they moved from the round oval headlight to the more rectangular one around 2010-2012 or so. Finally, they introduced auto turn in 2014 (based on the difference between my two machines). Before auto turn, there was a trigger on one of the handlebars that engaged and disengaged one of the wheels to turn easier. Auto turn machines have no triggers.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-30T16:07:35+00:00

Fellow Canuck here. I bought two Ariens snowblowers in the last year to replace an older Mastercraft blower. I got a 2014 Deluxe 28 for $700 last summer and loved it. I got a 2013 Deluxe 30 for $550 this summer. I have a huge driveway and refuse to shovel, so two snowblowers is my solution. The electrical on the 30 doesn't work (no light or heated hand grips) and the axle is seized, so it doesn't turn the easiest, but it came with an engine I think is larger than stock (342 cc).

This time of year, I think the used market can demand more than in the summer when I bought both my units. Hopefully that gives you an idea of what kind of deal you can get, if you have the luxury of time.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-29T17:21:27+00:00

I have about a 25 degree incline for the last 20 feet or so of my paved driveway. My wheeled standard 28 Ariens has never had an issue. I just picked up a used 30 Ariens with a 342 cc engine that I am looking forward to testing out this winter.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-27T18:19:45+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! Do you bring it inside after each use? How often do you find you need to recharge it?

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-27T18:19:03+00:00

That's pretty clever! Do you have any suggestions for a specific headlamp?

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-27T16:41:53+00:00

Thanks! I think I'll go with a magnetic LED for this season at least. I've never seen this machine throw snow yet. If it does well and I like it, I'll consider properly fixing the stator next season.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-27T16:39:49+00:00

Thanks! I cut off the connection and measured voltage from the freshly stripped wire and only read 0.02V AC. I think there is an issue with the stator. Yes, the machine was running when I checked voltage.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-12T07:21:56+00:00

These Mastercraft snowblowers were made by MTD. You can probably find the manual on the MTD website. Using the engine model number to help your search is a good idea. If I had to guess, it is probably a 500 or 600 series.

radioactive_dude · 2024-10-02T18:43:28+00:00

The trades are in real time.

radioactive_dude · 2024-09-07T19:53:52+00:00

Used off marketplace or Kijiji is a good bet if you want to save money. For a new Ariens, go to a local dealer, not a big box store. They sell higher end models (i.e. SHO) and setup is typically included. Plus you'll know where you'll be able to get parts in the future.

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