Good Afternoon,
A cloudy, cool day here with some even cooler,wet weather tomorrow. Cool as in 40F.
I change my water heater every 10 years. I once had one leak and it made a mess of our finished basement. Since then we did a lot of remodeling down there and it is far cheaper to just change the heater regularly rather than repair water damage. We changed from gas to electric last year because of a code change that would have meant an expensive chimney upgrade. On demand heaters aren't very popular here possibly due the the cold water. Our mains are buried 8 feet to avoid frost and even then they can on occasion freeze.
Our Juncos are still here, well it could be different ones. They all look alike. A hawk landed in the back yard yesterday. My wife only got a glimpse of it. She thinks it was a Coopers. Not good for Juncos. Luckily the squirt gun arrived. When we had our yard redone 25 years ago we were having trouble keeping our 2 westies out of the planted area. We thought a water pistol would be a good, safe deterrent. It worked on one but the female would just stand there with her face dripping, likely thinking 'Is that all you've got'. She was very stubborn. Not sure what the neighbours thought when my wife would say, 'Get the gun'.
Nothing much on the agrenda today. Can't do anything in the yard yet.
I'm looking at a Tenshodo baggage car on ebay to go with my Hudson. They weren't correct for detail or size but short looks better on my small railway. Wonder why the term 'pike' isn't used anymore?
Have a safe day,
CN Charlie
SeeYou190 "Cold" water temperature into a house 10 months out of the year is 90-120 degrees from the munincipal supply.
Maybe some geothermal activity under the aquifer Cape Coral draws from.
One for TF. His hero and my hero hangin.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Tinplate ToddlerThis bloke tried to sell you a gas heater with a tank! Our tankless electric heater is 15 years old now and still works as good as new, although we have "hard" water.
Our neighborhood is all-electric.
We have an electric tank heater.
Even though it is not as efficient as a tankless, it was much less expensive to install. Sixteen years ago, they took the old one out and put the new one in in less than an hour. A tankless system would have meant moving some plumbing lines.
Sixteen years is a long time for a tank heater. I replaced one electrode about 6 years ago.
It has been a very good heater. When we have family visit, we have two showers at the same time over and over for 8 adults, a dishwasher running, and we have never had an issue.
We have a water softener for the whole house, and we have a reverse osmosis system for the kitchen that my wife uses for tea and coffee.
I would like to check into a tankless heater next time I have to replace this.
York1 John
Yes they do. We have a gas HWH, and our water has lots of lime deposits in it. With burner maintainence, so far we have got 14yrs. out of it, but....?
Because of the lime, we use bottled water for the coffee maker. Extends the life of the coffee maker a long time.
The two reason I wouldn't install a tankless WH, the ground water is very cold, and the lime deposits.
We have thought about filtering the water before it gets to any appliance, like the WH, but that never happened.
Mike.
My You Tube
York1When I talked to a local plumber about an electric tankless heater for our house, he told me that in our area with very hard water, unless we had a water softener, the heater would get scale deposits and lose efficiency within several years.
This bloke tried to sell you a gas heater with a tank! Our tankless electric heater is 15 years old now and still works as good as new, although we have "hard" water.
York1 I don't know if gas heaters have the same issue.
They do!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
When I talked to a local plumber about an electric tankless heater for our house, he told me that in our area with very hard water, unless we had a water softener, the heater would get scale deposits and lose efficiency within several years. There are ways to cleans the tubes, but it involves more plumbing and work.
We are in an all electric neighborhood. I don't know if gas heaters have the same issue.
That was several years ago. Maybe they have solved that problem.
herrinchokerYou might consider in line tankless hot water heaters.
Hot water heaters here do very little, and the tankless ones do not save much money in actual practice. "Cold" water temperature into a house 10 months out of the year is 90-120 degrees from the munincipal supply. The garage is quite hot, so the water heater is mostly just a storage tank.
The idea of the solar pre-heaters is that they heat the water to about 170 degrees before it gets to the hot water heater, making it do even less.
I take my showers on full cold nine months out of the year, 110 degree water is just fine for me. I get out of the shower feeling refreshed.
My wife and the dishwasher are to only users of heated water in this house.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Ulrich, many times I see little birds dive-bombing hawks. I think it's probably after the hawk tries to go to their nests and suck their eggs.
"The active ingredient in medicine made from willow bark is called salicin. Some people use willow bark as an alternative to aspirin, particularly those that experience chronic headaches or back pain. It comes from the branches of 2 to 3 year old willow trees."
I thought I'd share that with you just in case you have any willow trees in Germany and knew of Euell Gibbons in the 70s
Google it, interesting stuff!
TF
BigDaddy Bird lovers I heard an unfamiliar bird on this morning's walk It chirps twice at 2.0 and 2.9 seconds. Any ideas?
Bird lovers I heard an unfamiliar bird on this morning's walk It chirps twice at 2.0 and 2.9 seconds. Any ideas?
Tweety has the hickups.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
A few moments ago, Petra and I were able to observe a WWI style dogfight in the sky! A pair of hawks chasing a pair of blackbirds. It lasted for nearly 10 minutes, neither of the hawks was able to score!
I am having a bad time right now, struck by a bad case of migraine. We are out of any pain killer, so I just have to bear it. Ouch!
Dave I didn't build it, but I doubt the lightning rods are removable. I was thinking about making a foam donut, and tape it to the roof. Need to find my hot wire.
Mike Anything I should be aware of when I get my house inspected.
https://tinyurl.com/ycskrgca
I think the link will work, it's in a google drive but it's a .m4a file (apple)
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good morning
A slice of Ed's pecan pie with my coffee would go well right now. I usually don't have an appetite in the morning but that sounds good
Judy and I got up with the sun early this morning and it looks like another beautiful sunny day like yesterday.
We seen a flock of ducks flying north and took it as a sign of nature stating spring may be here to stay. Yesterday we seen a flock of trumpeter swans, even though they fly up high you can faintly hear them and always tell what they are by the way they glisten in the sunlight.
We also had a turkey visit yesterday, he came up unafraid and looked like he wanted us to feed him. The population of these things inner-city is getting quite abundant. Once a shy, skittish bird, they seem to be becoming somewhat domesticated.
Have a great morning.
gmpullmanHow about a nice slice of Pecan Pie?
Hi Ed,
I would love a piece of pecan pie! Dianne would too!! The best pecan pie that I have ever had was in Quebec City. It was just runny enough to melt in your mouth, and 'sweet' didn't describe it!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
herrinchokerThe photos of the flowers are quite stunning.
Herrinchoker,
I have only been to Butchart Gardens once, and that was in 1981. I remember a few of the highlights. One was a naturally barkless tree that stood on a raised part of the gardens. The trunk looked like a piece of fine furniture that had been polished with beeswax. The Rose Garden was also spectacular. Hundreds upon hundreds of blooms in every colour imaginable!
I hope to get back there someday.
Good Morning!
A beautiful Sunday! Lots of sunshine ahead for us, not too hot! Love it! Our regular morning visitors have not yet shown up, but I am sure they will. It´s such a nice view to seel this little herd of deer frolick in the sunshine!
No news on trhe lock-up fron, other than that a third of all restaurants, pubs and independent hotels have gone belly up so far. That´s about half a million jobs lost. Sad! Unlike in your country, they are not allowed to offer take-out services. Madness!
Kevin - tankless water heaters are quite common here and they have come a long way in terms of energy efficiency and comfort. They require very little maintenance and are easy to install.
Too late for breakfast, so I´ll just have some coffee, please!
Dave,
The photos of the flowers are quite stunning. I am envious of the hyacinths shown in one of the photos. For just over 70 years I have had Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. I never had one that would not dig up, and eat the hyacinth bulbs. I have read that they are toxic if eaten, appearently not to brown water dogs.
herrinchoker
Here's something that every gardener should see if you are ever in Victoria, British Columbia:
https://www.butchartgardens.com/
These incredible gardens were planted in a spent limestone quarry. I personally think that they are one of the most beautiful man made places on earth!
Mike,
Well water here is just as cold, that is why I had two in line--You can also valve back to 2 gal. min. flow from 3 GPM to increase the temp.
Actually, where Kevin lives, a tankless water heater would be good. Up here in WI., our well or city water is too cold to make them efficient, and not widely used.
Water coming out of the ground up here is about 40 or 45 degress.
As a retired home inspector, I've been to many seminars on how they work and how to include them in a home inspection.
Kevin,
You might consider in line tankless hot water heaters. When I had my outfitting business I would house up to six hunters in my home. Needless to say, showers were an important part of the evening ritual. Volume of hot water being an issue, I installed two tankless waterheaters for a constant flow of hot water.
Downside is they draw 40 AMP, each. Upside they are only on when there is water flow through them. Overall I cut my power bill better than 60%. Today, I have a timer on my water heater set to come on for 45 min. in the AM. and then cut off. I have an overide switch I can hit if I want hot water at another time.
I used #6 wire to run them.
Today they will run some where around $350.00 each. and you still have a pop-off valve in the line.
I was introduced to them when I was in Germany in 63.
.
Tinplate Toddler When I built my house in 1997, it cost $400k to put up.
When I built my house in 1997, it cost $400k to put up.
That's a great looking house, Ulrich.
BigDaddyYou can't see it well in this picture, but there is a lightning rod on either end. Any ideas on how I can protect them when I pack up this model for the move?
Hi Henry,
Can you not just pull them out? If not, how about making a couple of 'donuts' out of cardboard to protect them. You could glue them to a piece of cardboard that protects the whole roof that sits on top of the packaging.
Little TimmyI landed on my head ...... so I didn't feel a thing ....
Very funny!! Thanks.
Most houses over here have either concrete or clay roof tiles, some have slate roofs. They last a lifetime, but are certainly more expensive than tar shingles or metal roofing. Problems with floor joists are also hardly known, as houses are built on solid concrete slabs, eliminating the need for floor joists. The flip side is, that houses are much more expensive to build.
I still get watery eyes when I see this picture.
I always thought steel roofs were more expensive. The last a long time, but not as long as slate, which is now hideously expensive.
You can't see it well in this picture, but there is a lightning rod on either end. Any ideas on how I can protect them when I pack up this model for the move?
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk the good boy a dog treat.
Mixed day today.
Bad Tried to replace the dive belt on my Toro self propeled lawn mower. I was doing OK till I got to the front belt gaurd. It has square head inster bit? While I have seen them and pretty sure I have had many in my time I have never used one! So I could not find any.
Called Home Depote and they had them, so off I went. Got there and the parking lot was full. Had a line of about 75 people waiting to get in the store? I said Rail Spike that and came home!
Good news? Bid on the floor was much lower than I was thinking.I was thinking $14,000.00 range. His bid was $5010.00 so I should be OK.
Garry House was bulit in 1969 which would be Great if it was a Plymouth Roadrunner or Dodge Daytona. Not so much for a house.
Later, Ken and Dirk say's "Daddy, how did that man disappeaar in the floor? Woof, Woof?
I hate Rust
January 1980: Getting home from work late at night (still single at the time) I slipped getting out of my car and half-flipped backwards hitting oncrete first with my head. I think I was out for a couple minutes. I got up and went into the house, and couldn't get my coat off. Then my shoulder began hurting. So, instead of calling for help, I drove to the ER. My shoulder look like a cartoon image after being hit by a bat, a nice high bump. Diagnosis, an AC separation. No MD available late at night, so two paramedics taped my arm and shoulder using that old 2" white tape.Couldn't see the surgeon for two days, then a week before the surgery to screw the tendon back in place (I still have the screw someplace).
The fact that a norwegian landed first on the head seemed to be of little concern to the medical professionals, but perhaps it explains some odd quirks I seem to have developed over the years.
Gary
Ugh, bloody hands. They used to be just a normal part of doing things, but now I am on blood thinners for my heart, so even if the cat sticks her claws in me I have to make a big deal over controlling the bleeding and bandaging it up.
Maybe I'm sappy, but when I see those roadside memorials I think first of the people lost and then of their families. Those lost are usually young. We had a couple where I used to live. The stories in the local paper were very sad.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.