Heating and AC , You're screwed

[Ray From Cleveland]

I'm curious, what prevents you from turning down the shower valve?

I never use full force when taking a shower. 90% of good clean water just goes down the drain. I keep the shower as low as possible and only turn it up when I rinse my hair. Water is expensive here, and I was telling my nephew how I would like to design a shower head that has an on/off chain. You don't need water running while you're soaping up or washing your hair, you only need it for rinsing.

That's been done.

Here you go: Shower Head,Water-Saver by LDR INDUSTRIES, INC | eBay

You push the tab back and forth to turn water on/off.

Thank you very much. I'll look into that.

 

[mudwhistle]

I didn't even realize...

I guess this January the government , with their "efficiency" BS , made 14 SEER heating and air conditioning the minimum which can be sold in the U.S.

One of the manufacturers told us they are barley scraping by making 14 SEER equipment, if the government raises the minimum to 15 SEER (which I think they are already planning to do) then we're talking about high efficiency motors. In my area high efficiency motors average $1500.

The high efficiency equipment designers have a habit of placing several circuit boards into one system. circuit boards are $400 to $800. Many go out without any reason.

Like everything else, the government is going to save you 5 bucks on your monthly bill , but send the money back to the economy with high repair costs.





By-the-way, I heard something about a new refrigerant for cars, R1234 , currently selling for $1000 per jug

Many of the old regulations will be scrapped.

 

[mudwhistle]

I didn't even realize...

I guess this January the government , with their "efficiency" BS , made 14 SEER heating and air conditioning the minimum which can be sold in the U.S.

One of the manufacturers told us they are barley scraping by making 14 SEER equipment, if the government raises the minimum to 15 SEER (which I think they are already planning to do) then we're talking about high efficiency motors. In my area high efficiency motors average $1500.

The high efficiency equipment designers have a habit of placing several circuit boards into one system. circuit boards are $400 to $800. Many go out without any reason.

Like everything else, the government is going to save you 5 bucks on your monthly bill , but send the money back to the economy with high repair costs.





By-the-way, I heard something about a new refrigerant for cars, R1234 , currently selling for $1000 per jug

Trump will put a stop to that.

These imbecile regulations are one of the main reasons the economy is growing so slowly.

All of the EPA efficiency standards are basically designed to raise energy costs, not cut usage.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

This is how you display you are so FOS. You are not a one-percent of anything. International trucks have the most problems staying away from tow trucks. They always were garbage, but much worse after they were forced to put in all this pollution BS. Freightliners stayed on the road forever before they had to put all the pollution stuff on theirs. Not only do they break down constantly, but over 80% of the time, it's because of some pollution gadget going haywire. To offset the thousands of dollars in additional environmental costs, they began installing cheaper parts in the truck. You can't sit in your mom's basement pretending you are wealthy and know something about this industry, you have to actually be in it.

Oh, and another thing you know nothing about. The commodity market has always set the price of fuel. Do you think this all started a few years ago? The commodities market doesn't "cost" you anything. The commodities market was created (and is used for) price stabilization.

You can't bring a knife to a gun fight. I've been driving trucks for nearly 30 years now and my current company uses Freightliner and International trucks. I also traded commodities for several years as well.

Freightliner sucks. Their day-cab trucks are low-bid garbage and make no effort to hide the fact. They are noisy, poorly-built penalty boxes.

Agreed. My point is they used to be great trucks. The ones we have now, the seats are like sitting on a pile of blocks. They use Panasonic radios. I don't know of one Panasonic product that worked for any acceptable length of time without problems.

Years ago when I started with this company, they had a Freightliner. I drove that truck for years with no major issues. You couldn't stop that thing. After it got too old and we got rid of it, my employer bought an International. What a piece of garbage that was. Of course I drove Internationals years before, and I always knew they were a problem.

I have the newest tractor in the fleet. I will say they are a little better than before, but still have issues. During the first hour of operation, all my gauges go crazy going back and forth like windshield wipers. Sometimes it stops in ten minutes, other times it can go on for a half-hour. Sometimes nothing at all which is why they can't fix the damn thing.

The tractor I had before this one wouldn't start one morning, so the mechanic came out and he couldn't get it started. They towed it back to Penske and they couldn't get it started. They towed it to a nearby Freightliner dealership, and the same thing. They towed it to the actual Freightliner manufacturer, and they couldn't get it started. They finally put an entire new engine in the SOB to get it running again. It's just silly already.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Modern ABS works well, though many older systems did not. Good beer will not freeze until below 15 degrees. Nobody mentioned a car wash. Are you in the right thread?

You were talking 25 below zero. Sorry but you have no clue.

Nobody mentioned beer. ABS was never mentioned. Only you mentioned a self-serve car wash. I repeat: are you in the right thread?

You set the table at 25 below zero. I was just telling you what it's like at that temperature. Knowledge you are clearly lacking in.

Actually (sound of hanging curve being launched into the Monster Seats) I have started engines at that temperature. Several cars, no block heaters used: turn the key. They started. Old pickup with a Holley carb: pump once, push in clutch, crank engine, pump again while cranking. It started, sputtered a few times, then stayed running. Diesel pickup: cycle glow plugs three times, push clutch, turn key. It started after about ten seconds of cranking...sputtered & smoked for maybe 30 seconds, but stayed running. I fired up an old Detroit Diesel at 13 below zero about ten years ago...half-second shot of ether, press the starter button...it cranked over a few times, and fired.

Modern vehicles will start unaided at -25 with no drama. (Indeed, most will start colder than that...I recall GM tests to -45.) If yours will not, something is wrong with it!

Stop blaming others for your inability to start your car.

 

[Jarlaxle]

This is how you display you are so FOS. You are not a one-percent of anything. International trucks have the most problems staying away from tow trucks. They always were garbage, but much worse after they were forced to put in all this pollution BS. Freightliners stayed on the road forever before they had to put all the pollution stuff on theirs. Not only do they break down constantly, but over 80% of the time, it's because of some pollution gadget going haywire. To offset the thousands of dollars in additional environmental costs, they began installing cheaper parts in the truck. You can't sit in your mom's basement pretending you are wealthy and know something about this industry, you have to actually be in it.

Oh, and another thing you know nothing about. The commodity market has always set the price of fuel. Do you think this all started a few years ago? The commodities market doesn't "cost" you anything. The commodities market was created (and is used for) price stabilization.

You can't bring a knife to a gun fight. I've been driving trucks for nearly 30 years now and my current company uses Freightliner and International trucks. I also traded commodities for several years as well.

Freightliner sucks. Their day-cab trucks are low-bid garbage and make no effort to hide the fact. They are noisy, poorly-built penalty boxes.

Agreed. My point is they used to be great trucks. The ones we have now, the seats are like sitting on a pile of blocks. They use Panasonic radios. I don't know of one Panasonic product that worked for any acceptable length of time without problems.

Years ago when I started with this company, they had a Freightliner. I drove that truck for years with no major issues. You couldn't stop that thing. After it got too old and we got rid of it, my employer bought an International. What a piece of garbage that was. Of course I drove Internationals years before, and I always knew they were a problem.

I have the newest tractor in the fleet. I will say they are a little better than before, but still have issues. During the first hour of operation, all my gauges go crazy going back and forth like windshield wipers. Sometimes it stops in ten minutes, other times it can go on for a half-hour. Sometimes nothing at all which is why they can't fix the damn thing.

The tractor I had before this one wouldn't start one morning, so the mechanic came out and he couldn't get it started. They towed it back to Penske and they couldn't get it started. They towed it to a nearby Freightliner dealership, and the same thing. They towed it to the actual Freightliner manufacturer, and they couldn't get it started. They finally put an entire new engine in the SOB to get it running again. It's just silly already.

Actually, the Internationals are great. Smooth, quiet, comfortable...the last one I drove (2016 witb a Cummins and Allison) rode like a modern pickup.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

All of which lack either power, reliability, or cost effectiveness.

Solar is very expensive and you depend on nice sunny days to get enough power to run your home. It's a bad investment that will never pay off. Same with wind. It's a very expensive investment and offers no real return. By the time you create enough electricity to break even on the investment, the thing breaks down and it's very costly to repair. And again, unreliable since it only works when it's windy, and if you have too much wind, it shuts down in effort to protect it from being damaged.

Electric cars? What's the point? It takes fossil fuels tho create the electricity to run it. If you need a charge overnight, and the power goes off, you are going to piss off your boss trying to explain why you can't get to work. If your car is low on electricity, and you end up sitting in a traffic jam for a couple of hours with the AC or heat blowing, your car is just going to stop working and you're going to need a tow.

You can get an 850W solar system for about $10K. And there are many utility companies that will subsidize your install costs up to 50%. Payback time is about 8 years.

Wind turbine set ups start at 2KW and cost anywhere from $10 - $70K. The approximate payback time is about 6 years.

Granted, the systems are still a little pricey, but once they reach their payback dates, you don't pay anymore utility bills, ever. Or your bills are very small, if the systems periodically go down from time to time. If you reduce your carbon footprint, that should be enough to meet your energy needs.

As far as cars, you can plan your route ahead of time and I doubt you would run out of power over night, unless there was a blackout, which don't happen all that often.

Not really because solar panels do not last forever. They need to be replaced as well. Up north, you are not going to break even ever. In most winters, the roofs are covered with snow so no sun hits the panels. They're worthless unless it's not snowing. Roof shingles will react to sun and melt the snow eventually. Solar panels will not do that.

My electric bill is about $50.00 per month. If I invested this 10K in solar panels, it would take me almost 17 years to break even, and that's if I never used one watt of electricity from the electric company and not had any repair or replacement issues with the panels. But as others have pointed out, you're not going to get the energy you need from 10K in panels.

Windmills are very disliked by local governments depending on where you live. From what I understand, they make it as difficult as they can for you to erect one, so there are many costs with that alone.

A company I used to deliver to was owned by a real lefty environmentalist. He used to ask me to shut down my truck while getting unloaded in the winter. He had a windmill to create the electricity he needed to run his shop. One day I made a delivery and the windmill was gone. I was told at that point, he just broke even with the investment he made. I seen him a week later and asked how the windmill repair was going. He just put his hands in the air like he was getting robbed and gunpoint, pushed his arms downwards towards the table, and just said "AHHHH!"

That was about six or seven years ago, and the windmill never came back.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

This is how you display you are so FOS. You are not a one-percent of anything. International trucks have the most problems staying away from tow trucks. They always were garbage, but much worse after they were forced to put in all this pollution BS. Freightliners stayed on the road forever before they had to put all the pollution stuff on theirs. Not only do they break down constantly, but over 80% of the time, it's because of some pollution gadget going haywire. To offset the thousands of dollars in additional environmental costs, they began installing cheaper parts in the truck. You can't sit in your mom's basement pretending you are wealthy and know something about this industry, you have to actually be in it.

Oh, and another thing you know nothing about. The commodity market has always set the price of fuel. Do you think this all started a few years ago? The commodities market doesn't "cost" you anything. The commodities market was created (and is used for) price stabilization.

You can't bring a knife to a gun fight. I've been driving trucks for nearly 30 years now and my current company uses Freightliner and International trucks. I also traded commodities for several years as well.

Freightliner sucks. Their day-cab trucks are low-bid garbage and make no effort to hide the fact. They are noisy, poorly-built penalty boxes.

Agreed. My point is they used to be great trucks. The ones we have now, the seats are like sitting on a pile of blocks. They use Panasonic radios. I don't know of one Panasonic product that worked for any acceptable length of time without problems.

Years ago when I started with this company, they had a Freightliner. I drove that truck for years with no major issues. You couldn't stop that thing. After it got too old and we got rid of it, my employer bought an International. What a piece of garbage that was. Of course I drove Internationals years before, and I always knew they were a problem.

I have the newest tractor in the fleet. I will say they are a little better than before, but still have issues. During the first hour of operation, all my gauges go crazy going back and forth like windshield wipers. Sometimes it stops in ten minutes, other times it can go on for a half-hour. Sometimes nothing at all which is why they can't fix the damn thing.

The tractor I had before this one wouldn't start one morning, so the mechanic came out and he couldn't get it started. They towed it back to Penske and they couldn't get it started. They towed it to a nearby Freightliner dealership, and the same thing. They towed it to the actual Freightliner manufacturer, and they couldn't get it started. They finally put an entire new engine in the SOB to get it running again. It's just silly already.

Actually, the Internationals are great. Smooth, quiet, comfortable...the last one I drove (2016 witb a Cummins and Allison) rode like a modern pickup.

The ride isn't the problem, it's the breakdowns that are. Half of our straight truck fleet are still Internationals, and my employer has problems and expenses with them all the time. All our tractors are Freightliners and problems with them all the time as well.

With the exception of the brick hard seat, my tractor rides very smooth. I asked Penske if they would let me buy my own seat, and I'll put theirs back in when the lease is up, but they wouldn't do it. Nor would they let me put in a different brand of radio. Leasing has it's ups and downs just like with cars I guess.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Odd...I don't think our FLs have Panasonic radios. My old truck did, but it was pretyy obviously not original. The Internationals seem to ave a little more downtime...of course, none have less than 180,000 miles!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Odd...I don't think our FLs have Panasonic radios. My old truck did, but it was pretyy obviously not original.

It's not marked on the faceplate, sort of generic looking. But when I had mine replaced, they showed me the box it came out of. They're Panasonic's. The reception is terrible and the LED panel impossible to see when the sun is out. You have to keep taking off your sun glasses to change the channel or see what time it is.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Odd...I don't think our FLs have Panasonic radios. My old truck did, but it was pretyy obviously not original.

It's not marked on the faceplate, sort of generic looking. But when I had mine replaced, they showed me the box it came out of. They're Panasonic's. The reception is terrible and the LED panel impossible to see when the sun is out. You have to keep taking off your sun glasses to change the channel or see what time it is.

I suppose mine might be...my truck is older (2013 chassis), and has what might be an older head unit, with the old LCD display. Most reception issues on the FLS seem to be from the lousy mirror-mount antennas.

 

[Markle]

Off topic but if we have some truckers here maybe one of you can answer a question for a layman.

What do all the different positions for the wheels on the back of the trailer? Some, all the way to the back of the trailer, others, 15 feet or so toward the front, others, the pair are separated by 10 feet or so. I always wanted to learn to drive one but not for a living.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Off topic but if we have some truckers here maybe one of you can answer a question for a layman.

What do all the different positions for the wheels on the back of the trailer? Some, all the way to the back of the trailer, others, 15 feet or so toward the front, others, the pair are separated by 10 feet or so. I always wanted to learn to drive one but not for a living.

Much of the time it's preference. Other times it's for weight distribution. If most of your weight is in the front to middle of the trailer, you slide your tandems (wheels) more towards the front of the trailer to absorb some of the weight. Other times (and this happens to me) the place you're going to is so tight that you can barely get a tractor-trailer in the place. So you slide your tandems as forward as possible to make the turns needed to get into the business or into their docks.

I think what you're talking about though (separate axels slid) is flatbed and what we call covered wagons. Covered Wagons are basically a flat bed with wooden sides and a tarp on the top. Those axles can slide separately for the same reasons listed above. They usually haul steel which is pretty heavy at times. With all other trailers, both axles slide together and that's why you see the wheels always right next to each other.

Weight limits are different in each state, but generally, you can put around 20,000 lbs max on each axle, but that includes the weight of the truck and trailer; usually around 15,000 lbs each. So even empty, the truck weighs in the area of 30,000 lbs right from the beginning.

 

[SmokeALib]

Yeah, they're not making them like that anymore.

If/when mine dies, I'm looking for an old one. Last one lasted 20+ years.

I am still using my old Kenmore...if it finally dies, I will probably get a HE front-loader. My mother has one, and it is superb.

Those front load he washers are pretty cool. The only reason I don't like 'em is because they don't get my clothes clean.

Operator error, pretty much 100% of the time.

Nope. They use lukewarm water with no agitation. Garbage.

Factually incorrect. They use whatever water you set them to use-from cold to right from the water heater-and yes, they do agitate.

Compared to my top loader, my mother's front loader does a better job washing a larger load of clothes, with half the water and one-eighth the soap. There is a reason that commercial washers are front-loaders!

No they don't.

Yeah, they're not making them like that anymore.

If/when mine dies, I'm looking for an old one. Last one lasted 20+ years.

I am still using my old Kenmore...if it finally dies, I will probably get a HE front-loader. My mother has one, and it is superb.

Those front load he washers are pretty cool. The only reason I don't like 'em is because they don't get my clothes clean.

Operator error, pretty much 100% of the time.

Nope. They use lukewarm water with no agitation. Garbage.

Factually incorrect. They use whatever water you set them to use-from cold to right from the water heater-and yes, they do agitate.

Compared to my top loader, my mother's front loader does a better job washing a larger load of clothes, with half the water and one-eighth the soap. There is a reason that commercial washers are front-loaders!

No they don't. The hot water mixes with the cold water before it enters the machine. My brother in law repairs these things for a living and he installed a valve in the machine so hot water goes straight in. Government mandated efficiency bullshit.

 

[Markle]

Off topic but if we have some truckers here maybe one of you can answer a question for a layman.

What do all the different positions for the wheels on the back of the trailer? Some, all the way to the back of the trailer, others, 15 feet or so toward the front, others, the pair are separated by 10 feet or so. I always wanted to learn to drive one but not for a living.

Much of the time it's preference. Other times it's for weight distribution. If most of your weight is in the front to middle of the trailer, you slide your tandems (wheels) more towards the front of the trailer to absorb some of the weight. Other times (and this happens to me) the place you're going to is so tight that you can barely get a tractor-trailer in the place. So you slide your tandems as forward as possible to make the turns needed to get into the business or into their docks.

I think what you're talking about though (separate axels slid) is flatbed and what we call covered wagons. Covered Wagons are basically a flat bed with wooden sides and a tarp on the top. Those axles can slide separately for the same reasons listed above. They usually haul steel which is pretty heavy at times. With all other trailers, both axles slide together and that's why you see the wheels always right next to each other.

Weight limits are different in each state, but generally, you can put around 20,000 lbs max on each axle, but that includes the weight of the truck and trailer; usually around 15,000 lbs each. So even empty, the truck weighs in the area of 30,000 lbs right from the beginning.

Thank you for your trouble. It all makes perfect sense.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I am still using my old Kenmore...if it finally dies, I will probably get a HE front-loader. My mother has one, and it is superb.

Those front load he washers are pretty cool. The only reason I don't like 'em is because they don't get my clothes clean.

Operator error, pretty much 100% of the time.

Nope. They use lukewarm water with no agitation. Garbage.

Factually incorrect. They use whatever water you set them to use-from cold to right from the water heater-and yes, they do agitate.

Compared to my top loader, my mother's front loader does a better job washing a larger load of clothes, with half the water and one-eighth the soap. There is a reason that commercial washers are front-loaders!

No they don't.

Yeah, actually, they do...having used both! Stop blaming the washer for your own incompetence! And yeah, commercial washers ARE front-loaders!

I am still using my old Kenmore...if it finally dies, I will probably get a HE front-loader. My mother has one, and it is superb.

Those front load he washers are pretty cool. The only reason I don't like 'em is because they don't get my clothes clean.

Operator error, pretty much 100% of the time.

Nope. They use lukewarm water with no agitation. Garbage.

Factually incorrect. They use whatever water you set them to use-from cold to right from the water heater-and yes, they do agitate.

Compared to my top loader, my mother's front loader does a better job washing a larger load of clothes, with half the water and one-eighth the soap. There is a reason that commercial washers are front-loaders!

No they don't. The hot water mixes with the cold water before it enters the machine. My brother in law repairs these things for a living and he installed a valve in the machine so hot water goes straight in. Government mandated efficiency bullshit.

Still factually incorrect. When set to "hot", my mother's washer fills with only hot water. (I have checked...for the wash, there is zero flow from the cold water hose.) Having said that, she rarely uses a hot wash, and I never do.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Off topic but if we have some truckers here maybe one of you can answer a question for a layman.

What do all the different positions for the wheels on the back of the trailer? Some, all the way to the back of the trailer, others, 15 feet or so toward the front, others, the pair are separated by 10 feet or so. I always wanted to learn to drive one but not for a living.

Much of the time it's preference. Other times it's for weight distribution. If most of your weight is in the front to middle of the trailer, you slide your tandems (wheels) more towards the front of the trailer to absorb some of the weight. Other times (and this happens to me) the place you're going to is so tight that you can barely get a tractor-trailer in the place. So you slide your tandems as forward as possible to make the turns needed to get into the business or into their docks.

I think what you're talking about though (separate axels slid) is flatbed and what we call covered wagons. Covered Wagons are basically a flat bed with wooden sides and a tarp on the top. Those axles can slide separately for the same reasons listed above. They usually haul steel which is pretty heavy at times. With all other trailers, both axles slide together and that's why you see the wheels always right next to each other.

Weight limits are different in each state, but generally, you can put around 20,000 lbs max on each axle, but that includes the weight of the truck and trailer; usually around 15,000 lbs each. So even empty, the truck weighs in the area of 30,000 lbs right from the beginning.

Thank you for your trouble. It all makes perfect sense.

No trouble at all. Always glad to help when I can.

 

[Billo_Really]

I go to the State Fair green display every yr to check prices,,,see if there is anything worth considering. Last yr they had the Tesla SUV and their solar array for full house is still over 20K

I remember when a VCR cost $850. Now they're what, fifty bucks? The nice thing about technology, the prices go down after time.

 

[Billo_Really]

An 850 W solar system is little more than a novelty. Most panels produce a maximum of 200 watts which means this is only four panels. For a small house, you will need at least 45 to 50 panels. That cost, for the panels alone is $18,000 to $22,000 plus all the other parts and installation.

Home Solar System Price List - Compare Wholesale Discount Prices

Plus, in my experience to date, the house is harder to sell and sells for less than the price the house would bring without the solar. They are unattractive, if they are on the roof they can prevent firefighters from getting water in through the roof.

Perhaps someday they will be realistic, but certainly not today.

Who wants a hole in their roof? If firefighters can get water through your roof, then your roof isn't up to code. You can also market the house as being able to live off the grid, with no electric bills to pay.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I go to the State Fair green display every yr to check prices,,,see if there is anything worth considering. Last yr they had the Tesla SUV and their solar array for full house is still over 20K

I remember when a VCR cost $850. Now they're what, fifty bucks? The nice thing about technology, the prices go down after time.

This is true, but only if sales are huge. Most all technology came down in price because of mass sales: cell phones, big screen televisions, computers, internet. But these are things people really wanted. Not many want more expensive less reliable energy.