Nonsense Thread

[DEV0 E30]

Just realizing - Northern, are you me? Also have a nearly 1 year old. Congrats! It is very different once it is yours. I wasn't sure if a kid was something I wanted, but it truly is magical. Couldn't imagine not having this tiny human in my life.

Simon - Also echoing some of that same stuffs. I'm stay at home dad right now, because of many a reasons but it was all for the better, that's the without going too much into it. Fortunate enough we can do it right now, and while it isn't forever I'm trying to really soak up every moment. I've also tried to take a lot of videos so we can look back on them. Pictures are great, but videos can tap back into that core memory stuff even better. If the work-at-night venture that I took over doesn't pan out, I'll likely refocus and switch up my career into one of my many interests, but we shall see.

On that same vein, topic / nonsense. The new house I mentioned in your garage thread, leads to building science. Word vomit incoming.

Close on the next house soon, and I'm getting an energy audit done pretty much as soon as we are moved in. Then I'll decide whether or not the suggested contractor via the auditor is going to get the work or not. I know how to do the stuff and it isn't hard, but I also have a lot of vaulted ceilings to worry about, no idea if I want to crawl around and air seal every single spot. Again, it isn't hard but I'm not 20 years old anymore. I also need to do more research and exploration. I've only peaked at the living space attic access area during inspection with the inspector. He said insulation level was "adequate" which being someone who knows our code is shit here, knows that's hilarious. Our vented attics need R40 minimum, and air sealing (at the floor of attic) to be worth it. Spray foam for air sealing is a necessary evil, spray foaming the rafters is not something that should be done in most situations IMO... oh boy I'm already sounding like an infomercial.

Anyways, I did spend a few minutes looking around in the other attic access, which is above the attached garage attic via a ladder. Looked like most houses here, aka zero insulation and no sealed barrier separating the garage attic from the living space attic. Newer homes this is becoming a thing, but yeah, let's just say I will be going beyond code for most stuffs (our code here is so outdated and behind it is sad... even brand new homes - which this is not). I watch entirely too many building science videos and research this stuff. Since this next house is going to be likely 8-10 year house (chose it for our nearly 1 year old to grow up in) I want it super efficient and healthy.

We'll see what the budget and my cost saving measures [cheap ass shenanigans?] can do. AC is original, and honestly I may end up installing a VRF, hybrid, or multiple minisplits with a separate fresh air system may even DIY or have friends in those trades help. I have a 12k/1 ton that will go in the garage in boxes, but there are also hybrid solar powered mini splits that are a realllly interesting option now. Imagine only paying for electricity at night? Totes possible. Basically, I want to slash the current power bill to a level to where the solar already on the house (which is leased ... ick) makes it so the house never has a bill, because it still has some which ... it truly shouldn't with said array. Also, may buy out the lease to own or pay off the lease or a portion so they still have to do all maintenance/repairs. I would have rather done solar myself over time... but the house hit all the other checkmarks, so it is what it is unfortunately. /// end

[Northern]

I had to look up what a VRF was.

I'm not super gung ho on house stuff. We've slowly done ~90% of the main floor, and a big thing is insulation. They had nothing in the ceiling - the house has a second storey slapped on, which was installed ~4" overtop the old ceiling structure, so it's around 16" thick with nothing against the wall. Basically I throw R12 bats on their side, pin one layer to the rim joist, then leave a second layer sort of loose against that. Also have some halfassed soundproofing efforts between the floors, which seems to work well enough.

I know what minisplit install prices are like around here and it's foolish. They are priced to maximize how much they get from government rebates.
I think a basic minisplit install runs 6-8k CAD, but I installed mine in the garage for <$2k and an HVAC friend evacuated it for me.
It's a 12k BTU Senville Aura (So it's a Midea rebrand and -30degC Arctic rated).

Downside: Manual is shit, and the company doesn't have much technical knowledge. If you have problems, they reportedly throw parts at the issue. They also include a dongle that only works with Amazon Alexa.

Upside: Lots of info on reddit and in other "brand" manuals that explain what features do, how to enter service mode, etc. You can buy dongles from any other "brand" that will work with all of the apps, google home, home assist, etc. So I now have an SK105 dongle that works with the "Nethome" app and gives way more functionality than the remote.

It hasn't really been cold yet, but so far so good, it holds the minimum "heat" set point of 60degF which is comfortable for working, or on the computer in a hoodie.

Mini splits/heat pumps seem great if you have an open space. I don't know what I would do in the upstairs of my house besides have a head in every room. I'll probably throw a 2-head unit on the main floor in a year or two if the garage one works well.

I'm torn on solar. I think I'm going to pass unless the ROI gets to be like 5yr or less, from either the cost coming down or efficiency going up.
I just don't know a lot about it and I think there's a lot of uncertainty with what will be built around me in the next few years.
I have been thinking direct venting my propane boiler, demoing my chimney, and using that vertical cavity for an HRV or ERV (Heat/Energy Recovery Ventilator) unit for the house, because there's currently no ventilation.

[DEV0 E30]

VRF is kinda confusing. That or multi head mini spits I think will become more popular. Worst case, I want a condenser to be variable so it uses the same inverter tech. Here in AZ the hard kick on of ACs put so much wear on motors and they are why energy spikes cause your bill to go up, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Insulation like you pointed out is one of the big things people don’t do properly. If the PO’s of our new house did better steps before solar they’d probably not have solar, but it’s in an area where the door to door people did a lot of scammy or unethical things.

I think we have the same mini split haha. Mine is a senville too. Yeah mini splits are seen as too complicated to most hvac installers, it truly is best to diy them and understand that with the money saved, it may require replacement some day. The high end brands can even have parts availability issues like Mitsubishi, the pro is if you do a proper install most of the time mini splits are solid. I’m with you on not wanting heads in every room but when our attics are so ass backwards and the ducting superheats before delivering cold air, it just doesn’t make sense. If I didn’t have the air handler, ducting, furnace (currently gas) and only insulation up there it would make massive energy and cost saving differences. Again, we shall see what we end up with.

[2mAn]

Simon - Also echoing some of that same stuffs. I'm stay at home dad right now, because of many a reasons but it was all for the better, that's the without going too much into it. Fortunate enough we can do it right now, and while it isn't forever I'm trying to really soak up every moment. I've also tried to take a lot of videos so we can look back on them. Pictures are great, but videos can tap back into that core memory stuff even better. If the work-at-night venture that I took over doesn't pan out, I'll likely refocus and switch up my career into one of my many interests, but we shall see.

I have to say, we’re in a fortunate position with technology. I basically made videos of my kid from the moment my wife told me I was going to be a Dad and then ends on her first birthday. Did the same from 1-2 and then again from 2-3. They got pretty long, so now I’m going to make like 5 minute videos (versus 20-30 minutes). They are private and I share them with family. It’s pretty fun, especially now when she gets to watch herself as a baby

[varg]

even brand new homes - which this is not

You don't want a brand new home. We're in a building boom, new homes are built like shit, inspectors don't have time to look at them properly (and don't care), and you'd move in and go up in your attic and see crappy framing work, the worst builder grade fixtures you've seen in your life poorly installed, crappy tile work, etc etc. I'd much rather put insulation and windows in an old house than pay more for a new one that is built worse.

[DEV0 E30]

I have to say, we’re in a fortunate position with technology. I basically made videos of my kid from the moment my wife told me I was going to be a Dad and then ends on her first birthday. Did the same from 1-2 and then again from 2-3. They got pretty long, so now I’m going to make like 5 minute videos (versus 20-30 minutes). They are private and I share them with family. It’s pretty fun, especially now when she gets to watch herself as a baby

Yep, love that and have some similar plans with all of the media I've got now.

You don't want a brand new home. We're in a building boom, new homes are built like shit, inspectors don't have time to look at them properly (and don't care), and you'd move in and go up in your attic and see crappy framing work, the worst builder grade fixtures you've seen in your life poorly installed, crappy tile work, etc etc. I'd much rather put insulation and windows in an old house than pay more for a new one that is built worse.

Oh, trust me, I'm well aware. The viral sensation home inspector is local to me, he may be at a million followers now. I've seen all of his stuff. When we were looking, we considered new homes, but I would want a quality inspector (like Cy) but even still I wasn't loving the idea of having to battle with a builder. Even the 1-3 year old homes in that area, toured those too, and while I'm not an inspector (perhaps a future career option for me... honestly) I could point out things wrong... that likely wouldn't be covered by the builder or would require a lengthy process to get it fixed... maybe. The issue is the state inspectors are clearly slapping on their stickers on homes that they don't actually look at, or perhaps the inspector sends stacks of his pads to the builders in the mail - this is just my very biased takes. There is a TON wrong with construction, and because of our boom here once again, we likely have the worst offenders.

The new house is was built in the late 90's, and that isn't great as far as timing but at least the framing is decent - that I could see. Really, it appears to be (and hopefully is) in rather good shape. I think only 2 owners, which isn't a lot especially for homes here. My first house I purchased was a 70's ranch slump block, it was solid but I left that thing far better than I received it. Our current house is a 1980 (I think) wood construction but pretty solid too - but not perfect, like no footings were poured for the full length patio in '95. So that was fixed by us. A lot of times, like cars it can be the previous owners who can mess up things. Like my previous rant, I'm kinda obsessed with building science so within a realistic budget - I've got plans to really make this next house a home we are happy to be in for a long time, not forever, but something we can be happy and healthy in making memories. It's exciting and daunting all at the same time, the next step is to get our current one cleared out in the coming weeks, freshened up here and there, then sold.

[Northern]

or multi head mini spits I think will become more popular.

I am thinking of a dual head for the main floor, but I'm trying to stay away from anything beyond that because I'm scared of the complexity of 3+ heads and how shitty it would be to replace the whole thing someday.

I don't think I have a way forward for my upstairs because there's 5 small rooms. I either go absolutely nuclear with cost and capacity and have a 9K BTU unit per room, or an 18k in the hallway, which will really only heat the hallway and probably just cause the tstat to not turn on the heat in the rooms lol.

varg yeah new homes are built like shit, but my old house is also built like shit, but the walls are a lot thinner and it's had 80 years of being hacked by whoever was hired to do this work.
I've found around a dozen buried electrical boxes, live wires snipped off in the walls/ceiling, floor joists cut completely through for plumbing, and exterior/load bearing walls without a single intact stud because someone couldn't decide where to put some windows. I could push the wall out like 3" at the middle before, and spliced in I think 6-7 studs floor to ceiling, tying into whatever I could lol.

I think building houses like shit is just NA tradition.

[roguetoaster]

I am constantly amazed that many of the homes I work on are standing at all. No foundations, 5" out of plumb over 8', variable rafter spacing over 30" with dimensional 2x4s, no headers, floor joists running 90 degrees out of plane. Sometimes I feel somewhat sorry for myself that I chose to be a person who fixes those nightmares.

[DEV0 E30]

I am thinking of a dual head for the main floor, but I'm trying to stay away from anything beyond that because I'm scared of the complexity of 3+ heads and how shitty it would be to replace the whole thing someday.

I don't think I have a way forward for my upstairs because there's 5 small rooms. I either go absolutely nuclear with cost and capacity and have a 9K BTU unit per room, or an 18k in the hallway, which will really only heat the hallway and probably just cause the tstat to not turn on the heat in the rooms lol.

varg yeah new homes are built like shit, but my old house is also built like shit, but the walls are a lot thinner and it's had 80 years of being hacked by whoever was hired to do this work.
I've found around a dozen buried electrical boxes, live wires snipped off in the walls/ceiling, floor joists cut completely through for plumbing, and exterior/load bearing walls without a single intact stud because someone couldn't decide where to put some windows. I could push the wall out like 3" at the middle before, and spliced in I think 6-7 studs floor to ceiling, tying into whatever I could lol.

I think building houses like shit is just NA tradition.

I'm with you, I don't want complexities. Muti heads/VRF have their place, but cost/efficiency comes into play. The smaller units have higher SEER ratings and better efficiency if you cool one room, but I do agree that use case is going to take advice and planning, best to get at least some advice from pros. Some may say minisplits are already complex enough for HVAC people, because if the board short circuits or something else, you're SOL. Hence why I think redundancy is paramount, at what level is a game of course. When the AC dies (for whatever reason) and it is the middle of the summer here, it becomes a safety concern. The reason I'm considering more than one unit is so if one of them dies, we don't have to pack up and head to a family member's house with a baby and dog. BTDT. Right now, the hypothesis I'm considering is if I can do a hybrid solar 24k in the living room/kitchen area that would cut down on how hard the central AC is working that is clearly running on borrowed time. I already have the Senville 12k for the garage, but if I ran a 12k solar for the garage (or turned the Senville into a hybrid) then I have two areas that are not at the mercy of the old AC. The old ducting could remain and help circulate the air at the start, then bring in a new separate ERV/HRV system that brings in fresh filtered air into the house. Other ideas are there, but again... don't get keys to the new house for a few more days, but I like to think through multiple plans.

This is why while wall units aren't the most aesthetically pleasing form of minisplit, it is the most simple - especially if you can install on an exterior wall and don't bury the lines in said wall. In ceiling / cassettes look better and can honestly look like AC registers, but I don't want to rely on a condensate pump to pump the water up through insulation (lots of it) then to a gravity fed condensate line. Just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Do they work? Yes, until they don't. In a previous office, the minisplit in the server room had to pump up to the roof of a large office building. If that line was buried in insulation those rusty stains from hose clamps and that variable amount of water on the floor would ruin the ceiling drywall and insulation.

If you do a double wall system, you're entering into building science stuff and could do some really cool stuff to improve your house, but yeah it is a slippery slope and of course any project like that you're budget will balloon quick. Retrofits as shown time and time again are a major PITA and super costly. I dig the "Pretty Good House" standard that actually brings in building science and mimics passive haus/passive house without the expensive certification. The problem with most houses in the US is obviously they are built to a price, not to a true standard. This has been the case for decades. Our building codes across range from decent/ok to fucking pathetic and there isn't an agreement. Then, many builders don't even build to code or they barely do but hire shitty subcontractors who have zero pride of workmanship. It's all bad and just gets worse with massive builders. The ones that care and surpass code, are generally more expensive - sometimes by a lot, other times not. ... I type too much on these topics.

I am constantly amazed that many of the homes I work on are standing at all. No foundations, 5" out of plumb over 8', variable rafter spacing over 30" with dimensional 2x4s, no headers, floor joists running 90 degrees out of plane. Sometimes I feel somewhat sorry for myself that I chose to be a person who fixes those nightmares.

At least there are people out there like you who have the knowledge and commitment to do the fixes. We need more care and sharing of knowledge about the things that affect us day to day.

[Northern]

Fuck, I've been staring at LR3/LR4 for the past year, but anything good sells super fast. So I saw this and ran out of work.



A the local LR/Jag dealer. great price for the facelift/SCV6/8speed.
Engine replaced, but needed tires (despite what the ad says) and a few small things.

While I was test driving it, some fucker called in and paid credit card over the phone sight unseen.

r3v keeps shrinking the screenshot so here's the link in case anyone else has the LR4 bug.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DPn87q2jG/

[McGyver]

Does anyone know someone who works at Subaru of North America, particularly at their headquarters in Camden, NJ?

I know it's a long shot, but I'd be interested in chatting about the company culture and any suggestions for getting an online application noticed. I got laid off a few months ago due to corporate restructuring and have been taking advantage of the time to work on a ton of projects around the house. It's time to get back to work again and I'd prefer to do something that I find fun/interesting, preferably in Operations Management or Operational Excellence around Philly.

[Ryan...]

Fuck, I've been staring at LR3/LR4 for the past year, but anything good sells super fast. So I saw this and ran out of work.


A the local LR/Jag dealer. great price for the facelift/SCV6/8speed.
Engine replaced, but needed tires (despite what the ad says) and a few small things.

While I was test driving it, some fucker called in and paid credit card over the phone sight unseen.

r3v keeps shrinking the screenshot so here's the link in case anyone else has the LR4 bug.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DPn87q2jG/

My first post in probably 4 years here, just to give you this warning... Immediately buy a GAP IID tool and keep it in the vehicle at all times if you do buy one.

My '13 LR4 was one of my favorite vehicles I've ever owned, right behind the 07 RRS.

I put about 32k on mine in the 1.5 years I had it. The torque converter was starting to fail, it developed an oil leak from #somewhere, started misfiring, every single window/seal was leaking, etc...

10/10 recommend.

[Northern]

My first post in probably 4 years here, just to give you this warning... Immediately buy a GAP IID tool and keep it in the vehicle at all times if you do buy one.

My '13 LR4 was one of my favorite vehicles I've ever owned, right behind the 07 RRS.

I put about 32k on mine in the 1.5 years I had it. The torque converter was starting to fail, it developed an oil leak from #somewhere, started misfiring, every single window/seal was leaking, etc...

10/10 recommend.

hahaha well, I posted this in the LR thread, but against my better judgment after having that 2015 ripped from my clutches, I started chatting with the seller of the cheapest LR4 on kijiji/marketplace, and ended up driving 300km to pick one up.

The ad was very basic. Side shot and rear shot (aftermarket wheels visible and you could see the whole front end had been PPFed at some point because it was starting to peel on the hood in the pictures.), with the text something along the lines of "2011 LR4 HSE, inspected, no issues" which seemed sketchy. I'm pretty sure I've seen this for sale a few times recently with the price slowly dropping from the high teens down to 7800 when I looked at it.


I had him send me some pics of the interior and saw it was a Lux, no lights on the dash. Allegedly air worked (and it does, but haven't parked it aired up to see if it sags) and had new brakes. Actually was a 2010 and not a 2011.
Aftermarket 18s and Goodyear Duratracs on it with like 7/32 left to the wear bars - more on the front right, much less on the rear right... Drives well except for tire noise as can probably be expected lol.

Anyway here's the copypaste from the LR thread.

Pulled the trigger on a 2010 LR4 HSE Lux over the weekend.
Fun little road trip to pick it up and drive it back. No issues along the way.

High miles, rusty underneath, and first MY, but the price was right, it's inspected for another year, and the mechanicals are solid.

Plenty of small things broken. Already ordered a new hatch lid button, 3rd brake light, and a key shell because the key that works is held together with band-aids.

Very happy with it so far, like it's genuinely such a nice vehicle in ways that my Volvo isn't - but haven't done much yet because it's blocked in the driveway by the Volvo and I don't have a second kid seat anyway.

I will be buying the IID Gap tool tomorrow when the Black Friday sale starts. I've been (im)patiently waiting haha. I want to drive it around for a bit, fix a few small things that bug me, and DIY some rock sliders and underbody armour, then address the rust a bit. I'm probably going to take it very slowly.

Anyway, Yours looked great! I love the colour - Nara Bronze? Love the colours they have, but so many just were ordered in black or white.
Even the silver is a bit boring but I'm just happy it's an colour.
I would love a clean 2013 long term because I like the V8. Maybe find one in the Southern US and do a road trip for it. Just for the updated nav/sound system, because the 2010 lacks bluetooth.

[Ryan...]

hahaha well, I posted this in the LR thread, but against my better judgment after having that 2015 ripped from my clutches, I started chatting with the seller of the cheapest LR4 on kijiji/marketplace, and ended up driving 300km to pick one up.

The ad was very basic. Side shot and rear shot (aftermarket wheels visible and you could see the whole front end had been PPFed at some point because it was starting to peel on the hood in the pictures.), with the text something along the lines of "2011 LR4 HSE, inspected, no issues" which seemed sketchy. I'm pretty sure I've seen this for sale a few times recently with the price slowly dropping from the high teens down to 7800 when I looked at it.


I had him send me some pics of the interior and saw it was a Lux, no lights on the dash. Allegedly air worked (and it does, but haven't parked it aired up to see if it sags) and had new brakes. Actually was a 2010 and not a 2011.
Aftermarket 18s and Goodyear Duratracs on it with like 7/32 left to the wear bars - more on the front right, much less on the rear right... Drives well except for tire noise as can probably be expected lol.

Anyway here's the copypaste from the LR thread.






Very happy with it so far, like it's genuinely such a nice vehicle in ways that my Volvo isn't - but haven't done much yet because it's blocked in the driveway by the Volvo and I don't have a second kid seat anyway.

I will be buying the IID Gap tool tomorrow when the Black Friday sale starts. I've been (im)patiently waiting haha. I want to drive it around for a bit, fix a few small things that bug me, and DIY some rock sliders and underbody armour, then address the rust a bit. I'm probably going to take it very slowly.

Anyway, Yours looked great! I love the colour - Nara Bronze? Love the colours they have, but so many just were ordered in black or white.
Even the silver is a bit boring but I'm just happy it's an colour.
I would love a clean 2013 long term because I like the V8. Maybe find one in the Southern US and do a road trip for it. Just for the updated nav/sound system, because the 2010 lacks bluetooth.

Glad you found one, that looks sweet with those wheels/tires! $7800 for any running LR4 is a killer deal. They look super classy with silver, that was the second color I wanted.

Mine was Nara Bronze, was super stoked to find it only 2hrs from home. Traded my Alfa Guilia for it. As much of a PITA as it was at times, I miss that Rover dearly lol

[Northern]

I'm very happy with it so far, and didn't even pay the full amount. Lots of little easy things to fix that have been surprisingly cheap so far. It's very rusty underneath and has a few visible spots on the body, but I'm willing to deal with that in whatever way I need to. Mechanically it seems well looked after and the PPF on the front made me think someone loved this at one point at least semi-recently.

Unexpectedly, the tires seem to have some life in them, and the wheels are a bit cheesy but look decent enough and clear the brakes really well for 18s.
I've heard of people running some 2000s BMW 18in wheels, but needing to grind calipers for clearance.

When these tires die, I'm thinking about throwing some 32 or 32.5 inch tires on it, but there's work involved in creating clearance and ensuring you don't lock the wheel up against the wheel well before you hit the bump stop. Ideally I don't completely ruin the on-road behaviour because it's really nice as it is.