the "not worthy of it's own thread" thread

What's worse than aviation related journalism?

Aviation real estate descriptions.
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This house is really cutting into my airplane budget. We moved in about a year ago. We knew the roof was on borrowed time, but with this rainy year it's been leaking so we are getting it replaced to the tune of $30k.

Then the boiler (which is responsible for domestic hot water and backup heat) stopped working, and I discovered a huge hole in the heat exchanger...$4k. Did I mention the water heater is leaking?

The room over the garage that became the room for the three little girls was not air conditioned, so we put in a mini-split. $6k.

Now the geothermal unit responsible for cooling the rest of the house has decided it's time for a break. It worked fine last week while we were at Oshkosh, then quits today now that it's in the 90s and super humid. Sigh. This is the newest house I've lived in, but has the oldest systems.
 
Jim K said:
This house is really cutting into my airplane budget. We moved in about a year ago. We knew the roof was on borrowed time, but with this rainy year it's been leaking so we are getting it replaced to the tune of $30k.

Then the boiler (which is responsible for domestic hot water and backup heat) stopped working, and I discovered a huge hole in the heat exchanger...$4k. Did I mention the water heater is leaking?

The room over the garage that became the room for the three little girls was not air conditioned, so we put in a mini-split. $6k.

Now the geothermal unit responsible for cooling the rest of the house has decided it's time for a break. It worked fine last week while we were at Oshkosh, then quits today now that it's in the 90s and super humid. Sigh. This is the newest house I've lived in, but has the oldest systems.
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I just replaced one of my AC units a few weeks ago. Package unit (2Ton A/C and gas heat packed outside the house) which I was quoted $3K to repair, $8,500 to replace. I bought a brand new unit (same brand and tonnage) shipped to my door for $2,850 with pad. The good thing about package units is that they come pre-charged with refrigerant, so no real HVAC skills needed. Hook up 220V and thermostat wires and a gas line. Saved a bunch of money, but lost a 3-day weekend working a few hours in the mornings or evenings. I feel really bad for the folks that are on a shoestring budget (often elderly) who have no choice but to pay the price HVAC companies toss at them. My other AC unit is a 5-ton and is the normal split unit so I can't do the same magic on that one. It'll be $10K+ when it gives up he ghost (which it's 20+ years-old as it is).
 
Jim K said:
We knew the roof was on borrowed time, but with this rainy year it's been leaking so we are getting it replaced to the tune of $30k.
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Small house.??

My moms roof needs replacing. I called 10 roofers, 6 showed up and the lowest bid was 38K for a 2000 sq ft house, highest 44k, 30 year shingles.

9 years ago I had my roof replaced on my 1500 sq ft house, 30 year shingles, 4k.
 
This is how my house has been. 10 years of ownership and the only thing that's original from when we moved in is the walls, refrigerator, and 2 windows - though to be fair the deck as well, but I did restore and repaint it. I'm never doing that again. Next time it's due I'm taking it out and planting grass.

My latest project has been replacing all of the ballasts for the plethora of florescent tube light fixtures I seem to have here.
 
kaiser said:
This is how my house has been. 10 years of ownership and the only thing that's original from when we moved in is the walls, refrigerator, and 2 windows - though to be fair the deck as well, but I did restore and repaint it. I'm never doing that again. Next time it's due I'm taking it out and planting grass.

My latest project has been replacing all of the ballasts for the plethora of florescent tube light fixtures I seem to have here.
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Should have just gotten rid of the ballasts and installed LED replacement bulbs that use 120V direct-wire.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Should have just gotten rid of the ballasts and installed LED replacement bulbs that use 120V direct-wire.
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I tried - but my fixtures are wired in a weird way so the LED replacements I tried to put in weren't igniting. It was confusing enough that it was cutting into my flying time so I returned them and just purchased ballasts - easier drop in replacement.
 
I didn’t even think you could buy florescent tubes anymore.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I just replaced one of my AC units a few weeks ago. Package unit (2Ton A/C and gas heat packed outside the house) which I was quoted $3K to repair, $8,500 to replace. I bought a brand new unit (same brand and tonnage) shipped to my door for $2,850 with pad. The good thing about package units is that they come pre-charged with refrigerant, so no real HVAC skills needed. Hook up 220V and thermostat wires and a gas line. Saved a bunch of money, but lost a 3-day weekend working a few hours in the mornings or evenings. I feel really bad for the folks that are on a shoestring budget (often elderly) who have no choice but to pay the price HVAC companies toss at them. My other AC unit is a 5-ton and is the normal split unit so I can't do the same magic on that one. It'll be $10K+ when it gives up he ghost (which it's 20+ years-old as it is).
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A mini-split? If you don't mind sharing, what brand?
 
Albany Tom said:
A mini-split? If you don't mind sharing, what brand?
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Not a mini-split, a package unit. You see them a lot more on commercial applications, but in my case the kitchen/master BR are on a crawlspace and apparently it was easier to keep the entire unit outside rather than carve out an interior space for the heater/blower like a typical split system. It's a Goodman, which is a middle-of-the-road brand but gets the job done. The unit is connected to a plenum which provides the return and supply air ducts. Weighs about 450lbs, so I had to use the tractor with some forks on the bucket to move it into place.

There are a few mini split applications which have a sort-of quick-connect refrigerant line/charging mechanism that gets around the HVAC licensing. Mr Cool comes to mind on those.

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Thanks for that! I'm not thrilled with the concept of mini-split, but I'm looking for an interim solution before adding central air, better than window or portable units. Central air is going to be more of a pita because the heat is hot water. I love the hw heat, but not helpful for the ac.
 
Albany Tom said:
Thanks for that! I'm not thrilled with the concept of mini-split, but I'm looking for an interim solution before adding central air, better than window or portable units. Central air is going to be more of a pita because the heat is hot water. I love the hw heat, but not helpful for the ac.
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if you do add a mini-split, be aware that the plastic refrigerant tubing used for a while (still being installed?) doesn't have a great track record. The guy that installed my mini-split (2 head Fujitsu circa 2013) recently serviced it and talked about how the plastic stuff used in other installations was failing. He was glad that I have the copper tubing.
 
Where/how do you buy your HVAC equipment? I have a whiny blower that one of our two contractors said he would come replace in January, and the other said he would come take a look in 2022. I’m starting to get to the DIY point but don’t want to install a Chinese listening device that wears out after two hours.
 
iamtheari said:
Where/how do you buy your HVAC equipment? I have a whiny blower that one of our two contractors said he would come replace in January, and the other said he would come take a look in 2022. I’m starting to get to the DIY point but don’t want to install a Chinese listening device that wears out after two hours.
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I used an online outfit called The AC Outlet. My unit actually shipped direct from Daikin (major AC/refrigeration manufacturer) in Wichita, KS. I was a little hesitant to make such a large purchase from an online retailer, but they had the unit to my door in less than 5 business days and offered free shipping (with liftgate if needed). I'm sure some of the more exclusive brands (Lennox/Trane/etc) can be difficult to get parts for if they're unique, but I've been able to buy capacitors or contactors straight from a local supply house and they didn't ask for any HVAC licensing IDs. I'm sure it might be different if I were trying to buy refrigerant or similar EPA-controlled items.
 
If you live close to a big enough town or city, you could also probably go to a local HVAC supply house. Many will sell to the public.
 
Jim K said:
Passed my flight review this morning. Free to menace the skies for another 24 calendar months.
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Congrats. Now why did they stop calling it the biennial? Seems like a fitting name for something you do every two years.
 
WDD said:
Congrats. Now why did they stop calling it the biennial? Seems like a fitting name for something you do every two years.
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You can get a flight review every day if you want.
 
Came home a few days ago. Parked in the garage. "Something died near here." Next day, "Something BIG died near here." Parked on the grass, away from the garage. Following day, "The refrigerator we keep in the garage is coated with squirming rice." Smell is deadly.
Hubby emptied formerly frozen food and refrigerated drinks into industrial strength trash bags and drenched everything in bleach. Called trash collector to get a quote. "Can't pick up refrigerator. It contains freon." Called disaster cleanup, "No household cleanup; only major disaster." Still trying to find a way to get rid of refrigerator. Buying lots more bleach.
 
Clean it up good. Unplug it. Spread some aluminum foil down near the bottom. Buy 4-5 jars of noxema if you can find it. Spread 2 jars over foil. Open the other 2 or 3 and sit them on shelves. Close door as tight as it can get. 10-20 days later you won't smell a thing.

We did this to a freezer that got accidentally unplugged. After 3 weeks we turned it back on and used it till we moved 5 years later.
 
Las Vegas is really hot right now. I almost burst into flames walking between hotels.
 
Try this: Spray it down with a mixture of Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide. Once you mix it is has a short shelf life, but it will denature the remaining proteins and biologics that are making the smell. Works great on Skunk odor as well.
 
"The MX department would like to remind our students and their CFIs that they are not allowed to adjust trim tabs."
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....if you don't know how to uses the fancy door handles, it's not a good reason to just peel back the door instead.
 
Got a flu shot at the pharmacy today. I told the pharmacist that my regular doctor wanted me to go to her office to get the RSVP vaccine, but I never e mailed back to tell her I would come.
 
Did a little time building (and engine break-in) yesterday... 3.1 hrs, 1 take off, 1 landing.

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Mostly followed streams and rivers. Maybe next time I'll draw some shapes in the flight path- i'm just not that creative.
 
kaiser said:
Did a little time building (and engine break-in) yesterday... 3.1 hrs, 1 take off, 1 landing.

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Mostly followed streams and rivers. Maybe next time I'll draw some shapes in the flight path- i'm just not that creative.
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That would be worthy of its own thread. In fact you might even start a competition with drawings and name writings ...
 
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