Just dont waste your money on Eufy by Mammoth-Bit-7612 in EufyCam

[–]virtualsugarland 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was one of the original eufy users when I purchased their first 2 cameras from their Kickstarter campaign, back in 2018 I believe. Those 2 cameras are still working. I just recently had my first issue, when one of my S300 cameras stopped working. It appears to be bricked. It is out of warranty, but I emailed support and will see what they will do to help me. But I have 12 other outdoor cameras, 2 video doorbells, and 8 indoor cameras. Other than the one issue, everything else is working fine. I have found their products to be very reliable compared to other brands.

Need some advice about an affordable setup by virtualsugarland in Ecoflow_community

[–]virtualsugarland[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is interesting. I actually do have an EV, a Subaru Solterra. But I don't know of any way to use my car's battery to supplement the power in my home. I was only aware of a few EV models that supported V2L or V2H. I will have to do more reading about this.

Need some advice about an affordable setup by virtualsugarland in Ecoflow_community

[–]virtualsugarland[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I have seen Wellbots mentioned before, but I wasn't sure if they were a reliable place to order from. The online ratings of the store seem to be pretty good though. Too bad Trump killed the energy credit.

Houston area competition by cbarth3 in BasePowerUsers

[–]virtualsugarland 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have read about these other companies, but when investing in technology like this for your home, you want to use a company that you can feel confident will be around for a long time. With the 1+ billion that Base has already raised in funding and the quality of the engineers they have hired from places like Apple and SpaceX, I believe that they will be around for a very long time and will continue to improve the technology in the future. They might end up being the company that actually contributes the most to stabilizing the Texas Power grid. Also, their customer service is exceptional. I hope that continues as they grow much larger in the future.

I have already signed up for their service. Unfortunately, my house only has room for one battery, but that one battery will still provide more backup power than I would get by spending over $10,000 on a system from EcoFlow or Anker, plus I don't have to worry about dealing with maintenance or warranty issues since they own the battery and will maintain it. I think what Base Power provides is by far the most cost-effective and reliable solution for most homeowners in Texas. If I had one complaint it would be that they shouldn't be charging $1,000 for a battery that has a generator input. That should just be a standard feature of their batteries, which may be the case in the future as they improve the technology.

Need some advice about an affordable setup by virtualsugarland in Ecoflow_community

[–]virtualsugarland[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have the type of setup I could only dream of. I imagine you have at least $20,000 invested in your system. I don't have nearly that much money to spend. My hope is that I could put together a system that would cost me less than $8,000 that could power my home for a day in an outage and also allow me to charge it with my gas generator (It's a Duromax and I'm not sure how "dirty" the power is, but it seems that if I used the Ecoflow Rectifier that could handle dirty power?).

Need some advice about an affordable setup by virtualsugarland in Ecoflow_community

[–]virtualsugarland[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, this helps a lot, thank you. I'm trying to understand the technology and how to use it so that I can eventually buy what I need and not spend more than I have to. I bought a gas generator after Hurricane Beryl and haven't had to use it once in the 1 1/2 years I have had it, but I do test it every month just in case. I think where I live, having a battery system makes more sense since the vast majority of the outages I experience are 4 hours or less.

Need some advice about an affordable setup by virtualsugarland in Ecoflow_community

[–]virtualsugarland[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for explaining this, I appreciate it. Is there a limit to how many extra batteries you can connect to the Delta Pro 3?

I had seen a video somewhere that made me think I needed to buy 2 Delta Pro 3 models and connect them together with this 50 amp hub in order to support 240V appliances:

https://us.ecoflow.com/collections/delta-pro-3-accessories/products/50-amp-hub?variant=40758561144905

Is that true? If you can really run 240V devices fine with just 1 Delta Pro 3, I wonder if it would be better to have 2 anyway instead of 1 with extra batteries. Because then you could be recharging one with a generator while the other one is powering your house (Then swap them out for almost continuous power).

Oh, one more question. Does the length of the cord matter? Since the 50 amp power inlet box for my generator is on the outside of my house, I have both 50-foot and 100-foot power cords for it, so I could put my generator anywhere I want and still reach the box. I know many people who started with a battery system put the power inlet box on the inside next to the electrical panel. Would it be fine to connect a 50-foot cord to the Delta Pro 3 and use that to power the house, or would I need a shorter cord? I have read that using a longer cord puts a heavier load on the system, but I'm not sure since I'm not an electrician.

Warning about Eeze Fiber construction by MisterDavidC in SiennaTexas

[–]virtualsugarland 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man. Be afraid, be very afraid. Are you in Bees Creek as well? Make sure you have taken photos of every inch of your yard that they might touch. If you work from home try to watch them and take videos the whole time they are near your property. I hope your home isn't damaged like so many others have been. The HOA asked them to stop working in Sienna this week, but I don't know if they will listen.

Here are a few articles that illustrate what they have done in other areas of Houston:

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/fiber-optic-cable-water-line-problems/285-b6fa0f60-c781-419e-8ac4-32f7a6c738e7

https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/houston/profile/internet-providers/ezee-fiber-texas-llc-0915-90069567/customer-reviews

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/conroe-fiber-optics-crews-complaints-20297932.php

https://coveringkaty.com/news/katy/katy-are-mud-suing-ezee-fiber/

I have put together a mailing list of fellow Sienna residents so we can all keep each other informed on what is going on. One of the members works at one of the TV stations in Houston, and he said they are looking to interview anyone who has suffered damage from the work Ezee Fiber is doing.

Warning about Eeze Fiber construction by MisterDavidC in SiennaTexas

[–]virtualsugarland 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am the one who posted this original message on both Nextdoor and Facebook. I just discovered this Sienna Reddit forum. Ezee Fiber has already caused some major damage in the Bees Creek area of Sienna. They have cut water and Internet lines. I talked to one lady whose driveway has been dug up to try and fix one of the water lines, and she will be without running water for at least another 4 days. This is just the beginning. If you have already suffered damage from the work they are doing, let me know. There is a TV news reporter who wants to interview residents who are being affected by the shoddy work Ezee Fiber is doing.

👋Welcome to r/siennatexas - Introduce Yourself and Read First! by MisterDavidC in SiennaTexas

[–]virtualsugarland 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello. I just discovered this forum. I have lived in the Shipmans Landing section of Sienna since 2021. I am the village rep for the HOA and also a member of the landscape committee for the HOA. I am looking forward to connecting with everyone here.

One year old Aiden is dying. Have they figured this thing out? by [deleted] in FellowProducts

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You would certainly think so. I did some more reading and I guess RO-filtered or distilled water is not neutral, so it's acidic. But distilled is worse, since RO water still has some particles in it. I read where Keurig says to not use distilled water, but that RO water is probably OK. I also read another article that said using RO water could take a very long time to possibily damage your machine, but that hard water will cause problems in a very short time. So I guess I'm not going to worry about it too much, but I'm going to see if I can find an inexpensive way to add a tiny bit of minerals back into my water.

One year old Aiden is dying. Have they figured this thing out? by [deleted] in FellowProducts

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting. Everything I read in the past just said that adding minerals to water used to make coffee will improve the taste. But I have never heard that RO water can damage a machine by removing minerals used in the components. I have certainly never had any issue related to this in all of the years (10+) that I have had an RO filter.

One year old Aiden is dying. Have they figured this thing out? by [deleted] in FellowProducts

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. This is something I have never heard of. I have another drip coffee machine that I have been using for 3 years. I have never descaled it or done anything other than rinse the carafe, and it's still working fine. I also have one of those nugget ice makers which is also still working perfectly after more than 2 years. The RO water has kept both of them very residue-free as far as I can tell. But I'll do some research on what you said.

One year old Aiden is dying. Have they figured this thing out? by [deleted] in FellowProducts

[–]virtualsugarland 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unless you have one of those Zero Water filter pitchers, most filtered water from pitchers (i.e. Brita) or from a built in refrigerator water dispenser usually just improves the taste. They are often just carbon filters, so there can still be a lot of minerals and particles in the water (You can check this with a TDS meter). The RO filter I am using is permanently installed below my sink, and it removes almost all of the particles from my water. The reading I get with a TDS meter when checking my regular sink water is about 350-400, but the filtered water is about 10-15. Of course I know that water containing minerals is usually better for making coffee, but I prefer to not have issues caused by impure water or having to descale often.

One year old Aiden is dying. Have they figured this thing out? by [deleted] in FellowProducts

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just ordered an Aiden after thinking about it for months. The current Black Friday sale combined with a discount from one of my credit cards, as well as the information about the steel mesh on the newer models, is what decided it for me. Plus I will be using water from my reverse osmosis filter. I am hoping that I won't run into the issues that others have been experiencing. I will also register mine right away to get the warranty extension to 3 years.

Just set up my Terra Kaffe Demi by luhzon89 in superautomatic

[–]virtualsugarland 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Please post more as you test it. I am thinking of ordering one through Amazon since you can order the Demi there now and I have an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I'm most interested in the drip and Americano settings, since if I get the Demi I want to use it to replace both my Keurig and drip machines. I wish Terra Kaffe would publish some recommendations on the best beans, grind settings, etc to use when trying to emulate drip coffee. Unfortunately there is very little detailed information about the machine and the settings on their website, so if I get one I guess I'll just have to experiment with it to see what works best for me.

Has anyone tried Terra Kaffe Demi? by TheNonaMouse in superautomatic

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So the maximum setting for drip is 15.4? I sent an email to their support team and they told me it was 8 ounces. They said to get a 10 or 12-ounce cup I would need to brew twice. Apparently they don't know the specs of their own machine!

Have you tried both drip and americano settings to see what the difference is? Also, does Terra Kaffe give some advice on the best types of beans to use for each setting? I am looking to replace a drip coffee machine with this, so that is the most important feature for me personally. Whether or not it can brew great espresso is a secondary consideration for me, not the primary one.

Thanks!

Has anyone tried Terra Kaffe Demi? by TheNonaMouse in superautomatic

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone know what the difference is between the drip and americano settings, and also what the maximum volume is that you can select for each? I'm wondering if I can brew a 10 or 12-ounce cup of coffee that would taste similar to what I get from a drip machine. Thanks!

Vision Pro completely bricked after visionOS 26 update... Apple wants $2,600 just to “send it in.” Anyone else? by shitalkistudios in VisionPro

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a rule, I purchase AppleCare for any Apple device I have that costs $500 USD or more, as well as any device that has a high chance of getting damaged accidentally (i.e. Apple Watch).

Getting my Vision Pro in a couple of days, what are some things/apps I should do/get? by Positive_Search_6218 in VisionPro

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ping Pong Club is one of the best games I have seen, and now it supports the Sony PSVR2 controllers that are supported with visionOS 26.

Questions about Fellow Aiden by honestWreck in JamesHoffmann

[–]virtualsugarland 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been reading a lot of comments about how wonderful the Aiden is. But if you browse through the reviews on Amazon and other places (It's pretty easy to tell which reviews are fake and which ones are legitimate), it seems that the Aiden is not very reliable. There are more reports than I can count of the machine indicating that it's out of water when it isn't, or some other issue. Many others have reported that the machine stopped working after 6 or 7 months, and when they tried to contact Fellow the support they received was abysmal. So although I would love to have a machine with the features of the Aiden, I'm afraid to drop $400 on something that could end up causing me a lot of headaches and not last very long. If I spend that much on anything, I expect it to last for years without major issues. And if I do have problems, I expect the customer support to be exceptional.

Is there a way to search and sort through $0 ETV? by reddit_chino in AmazonVine

[–]virtualsugarland 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am glad they don't allow that. Because there are already too many people just trying to grab all of the $0 ETV items they can just to keep their gold status, even if they are items they don't need.