Andrew Welser

Active ventilation: An Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)) is designed to give fresh/stale air exchange, while minimizing the required heating/cooling load because of the air movement. One basic idea is a counter directional air-to-air heat exchanger, which uses the heat in the stale inside air to preheat the incoming cold air (in heating season. Same idea but reversed heat flow in cooling season). There are commercial versions, and I've seen people DIY as well.

Passive and semi-passive: some kind of wind catcher might be able to feed/draw air to/from an ERV to supplement or instead of powered fans. Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fan air could exit through the ERV(s) using their fan motors that would have been running anyway.

I don't have any direct experience, other than being in Texas too so I know the value of shade! My first inclination would be to thin out the smaller trees where there are a bunch in one area, and on the larger ones prune side branches up 6-8 feet so the trees can grow higher and provide shade, but cattle and some sun can still get to the base of the trees.

I mainly have astigmatism, my prescription glasses are at least 5 years old, and those were gotten more due to the age of my previous glasses; the prescription may have changed, but not a lot. I mostly need my glasses for longer distance, like driving, so maybe 4 years ago I started wearing them mainly while driving, and going without the majority of the time. For long distance I can't say I've seen improvement, but I probably haven't gotten worse either. For near distance (phone, reading), I notice some difference for the worse with my glasses on; whereas many years ago I recall it being the other way round, that my close vision was better with glasses on.

Amy Gardener wrote:
Does anyone have any clever ideas for organizing and hiding unattractive long handled cleaning tools like broom, wet mop, paint roller, floor scrubber, extension pole duster?

Some kind of Wall Mount Broom Holder (link goes to amazon search for examples) could be mounted on or behind doors, or to the sides of cabinets or closets for long handled tools.

Or stand similar tools in a bucket, perhaps with a bungee attached to the wall to keep them standing upright, but that's likely to be much less convenient to put in and take out than a wall mount.

randal cranor wrote:Howdy,

kNights At White Castle...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw90TzvRpwY

And referring to the original that is being parodied, does anyone know what it was that the knights in white sat in?

I am very interested in building a rocket heater; given my cooling biased climate (Texas) and current housing (an RV), a mass heater doesn't make sense to me, what I'd be inclined to do would be a rocket water heater with a large insulated heat storage tank and an air coil (or radiant floor/ceiling if/when I build). In my current location I don't have much outside space for a rocket water heater and storage tank, but still considering building something here since pumps and a fan would be a lot easier to run off a battery backup and/or generator than the electric heat I'm currently stuck using.

Thinking of doing similar (with a super large insulated storage tank also fed by solar and heat pump) if/when I ever get to build.

Gray Henon wrote:You may have a refrigerant leak and/or the interior coils are icing up.  Can you get to the interior unit and remove a panel to check the coils?  They might be dirty as well.

A few things that might indicate low refrigerant:
-Icing up (like Gray mentioned), either on the interior coil and/or the larger line between the inside and outside units.
-Feel the air blowing out of your outside unit, does it feel warm/hot, more-so than just outside air being blown? If not, then there's minimal heat being removed from the house, often indicating low refrigerant (assuming everything else is working properly).

Can you access ductwork in the attic or crawlspace, has something come loose or has a critter made a hole allowing air into an unconditioned space?

Check/clean both outside and inside coils (if accessible). Outside can just be a strong stream of water through the grill/louvers (the stronger the better, as long as you're not bending fins), assuming there's not leaves caught up against the coils. Inside can be tricky to impossible to access depending on the ductwork and air handler; you'll want to get at the upstream side of the coil, if there's buildup scrape it off with a plastic bristled brush in the directions of the fins.

If the unit is running but not cooling well then the thermostat is probably not the issue, unless it's badly located (blown on by a vent) causing it to cycle off and on.

randal cranor wrote:

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:
“I'm gonna take a shit.” Really? Whose shit are you taking? And why would you want it? Ewww!

Howdy,

"Don't pack noshit...Don't take no shit"

Ismo is sh*t; no, wait, I mean THE sh*t!!

I rode for a number of years, usually to work and then for a ride out of the city through the countryside after work. Then I got married, had kids, changed jobs... I still have the bike, but it's sat long enough that it needs a good bit of work to get it roadworthy.

D Daniels wrote:
My question is....might aircrete make a good scab splint for my weakened uprights on my snow roof?

I was thinking, go up about 6-8 ft of the 12 ft overall height..., it would turn the lower section of the undersized juniper poles into less then gorgeous grey concrete pillars, but aesthetics is not the primary concern, as long as it will hold it all in place : )

....thought that hit me today was to maybe build a 12 inch+ split form, as in a lined and hinged sonotube and wrap them around the pole, (pour aircrete in about a foot high each pour, let cure {how long}? btwn pours) so as not to compress the bubbles out, idea is to use this as a cast for old weakened/notched upright juniper poles that support a snow roof, these poles are inside the drip line in a relatively dry area in SW Oregon, I just need the lateral strength so the weakened poles do not want to buckle, the former owners removed a full length deck that ran the 60 ft of singlewide, under the snowroof.. the poles were deeply notched to cut in the deck edges with this weak point being about 30 inches up from the ground, , I just bought the place 3 months ago, the deck was apparently removed 4? yrs ago, and these uprights have been listing and bowing a bit since, if we get a heavy snow I am going to be nervous to say the least..

I'd be very hesitant to use aircrete for anything more structural than holding up more aircrete. Rather than cement/concrete, my first inclination for your situation would be to attach some more boards to reinforce the posts; second would be to wrap the poles in wire mesh and coat them in ferrocement, rather than using forms and poured concrete.