On our roadtrip to Solvang, we went through the drive through at McDonalds (family road trip tradition) and parked in the parking lot to eat. We were watching YouTube on my iPhone while it was plugged into the car. The audio from the phone was going through the bluetooth receiver. The headlights were inadvertently still on. The engine was off. […]
I’ve been using a Fishman Rare Earth pickup (pictured below) in my Taylor 810 for over 20 years. It started developing a hum when plugged into the amp. Usually changing the batteries fixes the issue. But not this time. I called tech support to ask if they can fix it and they said it is normal that a single coil […]
Overview We got a new teak patio set from Uchi House in Berkeley . A week after the furniture arrived i noticed two large cracks. I called Uchi House and they offered to replace the damaged furniture but i would have to wait two months for the new ones to arrive from Indonesia. Or they said I could try to […]
I got a standup paddle board last year for our camping trips last summer. This year, I wanted to add a seat to the paddleboard so i have more leverage to pull an inner tube. My paddle board doesn’t have d-rings to support the kayak seat so i would have to install the d-rings. Materials HH-66 vinyl cement glue rubbing […]
I love camping. Car camping in state parks, backpacking in wilderness areas, canvas tents at curry village. My wife never camped before she met me. For her camping is all-things not joyful in life combined into one activity, but she still comes with us because she knows how much my son and I enjoy it. I try to identify the […]
I love to cook, but my problem is that I make a huge mess in the kitchen. This is a source of great stress for my wife. I’ve worked hard to change my bad habits (no sponges left in the sink, lean cutting board against the wall so it can dry properly, no cooking greasy food in the morning). But […]
I called several HVAC companies and told them I installed a minisplit system and need a pro to come over and to add the refrigerant and do the high pressure test and vacuum test. Both the charging and the testing requires specialized HVAC tools and expertise. No contractors wanted to take on this work, because they don’t want to be […]
Lineset hook up The lineset (copper pipes) need to be connected to the wall unit and to the condensor. Each side has two pipes, one for the liquid and one for the suction. A total of 16 connections because I am installing 4 wall units. Each connection needs to be vacuum tight so no gas or liquid leaks out. This […]
Condensor Placement The 4-zone condensor is 220 lbs and 2 feet by four feet. I considered placing the condenser on the roof. Advantage of roof placement is that you don’t have to use valuable space around the house and the lineset distance is shorter since the condesnor is in a central location to all the wall units. The drawbacks are […]
Our packaged HVAC unit broke in the Summer of 2020. It was the 3rd time in the past two years. Previously it was a burnt out capacitor for the starter motor. Now the blower needed to be replaced. The technician came over and said the HVAC was past end of life. Replacing the blower would extend its life for another […]