Kenneth Elwell

John C Daley, we have a small farm on a undeveloped parcel in a residential zone, in a suburb of Boston. The farm has a water service, but without any building there is no sewer connection to the sewer in the street. I think that years ago, when it belonged to my partner's father, there may not have been a sewer fee. There was a period of years after his passing that no water was used at all, before we began taking water again. Somewhere in that time the town must have decided to charge all customers for water and sewer, with no new accounts just for water without sewer (while possibly honoring existing water-only accounts in continuous service? which our lapse &/or change of ownership may have severed.)
Our residence is on an adjacent/abutting property, and if not for the farm water service and piping already existing, we might just as likely have extended the water for the irrigation from our home. Then at least we would not be paying an *extra* sewer fee... We could have operated our own meter on the irrigation, and calculate a portion of the total cost for the farm. Unclear if combined with the house usage, if the total usage would place us in the highest rate tier? and then if we would end up paying as much, just in a different way, than two accounts at lower usage but with the doubling up of fees...
Having a separate account and meter does make the accounting for the farm usage easier.

Ironically, (and comically) the farm has two easements for 3 enormous municipal sewer lines that connect to the main sewage treatment plant in Boston.

John C Daley wrote:...Even collecting water has a cost, tanks, pipes, valves etc.
I think I have never heard the comment 'water is expensive ' ever, so some more details will help.
...

In my town, our municipal water bill has risen considerably in recent years, partly the water rates, and also a four-fold increase in the "delivery fee".
The water rates are a tiered pricing (up to X volume is one rate, from X to Y is a higher rate, from Y to Z is a higher rate still.) and the combined billing for water and sewer is based off our water usage. Higher water use = higher sewer fees.

In our particular situation, our farm property has water, but no sewer, and since the town offers no exemptions we end up paying the water and sewer fees, to have water for irrigation.

I would use those for small fasteners, or dried herbs (similar to original use), office supplies, or small collected objects to keep them together and visible.
Visible is a big deal, since tins and boxes require accurate labelling or opening to know the contents. Some stuff is just nice to look at, jars keep them clean.
On the other hand, blocking light will prevent fading or deterioration of contents, such as tea, spices, etc... so clear glass is not great unless kept in a closed cabinet or drawer, then you can have it both ways!
The flip-top lid with smaller spout is nice for stuff that you want just one, a few, or a small amount of, opposed to the wide mouth of the jar.
Would be ideal for control when shaking out some herbs directly into a recipe, or dispensing something round such as beads, or seeds, or ball bearings.
As a display for something like a sea-glass collection, or "really nice rocks", or bottle caps, whatever... you'd get to see most/all of the stuff, shake it around a bit to see more.
The other nice feature which you alluded to, is that you already have almost a dozen, and you seem to like the source, so there could be plenty more!
Multiples, with uniform size and appearance, lend themselves to creating a system or a repeating design. A shelf, drawer, toolbox, or case that fits some multiple of units could be an efficient way to store what you have. Even just lined up on a windowsill or your desk, the jars would have a neat appearance.

As a serial container hoarder myself, I sometimes choose products just because I like the container for now (works well, or fits my cabinet/fridge) or for later (all of the reasons above) and stick with a product. Occasionally, there's a container that I like, but for a product that I don't use, and will try to find them in the wild or ask a friend for their containers. Yep, that's a thing.

r ranson wrote:
This one sounds like air can help.  They sell something innthe shops here that looks like a can of compressed air and a plunger had a baby. Put the plunger end on top of the drain and press down really well.  It shoots air into the drain and bingo, no more clog.  Good for ones just past the bend.  

I wonder if there is a more affordable version one can make at home.  It sounds like it would do the job but without taking the pipe apart or risk getting bad air in the lungs with a hose.

Affordable could mean NOT a consumable, single-purpose thingy, but something more expensive like a small air compressor, which has many other uses from filling tires, airbrush, air powered tools, evacuating irrigation lines... Maybe get the drain-air-plunger thingy ONCE, first to see if it works, and then to use its parts create an accessory for your air compressor.

I've had decent luck using the plastic "zipper" clog tools (looks like a giant zip-tie with barbs all along its length) mainly in the bathtub and bathroom sink, which are mainly hair clogs. They are much more flexible, in my opinion, than the metal spring style drain snakes, and much more convenient to keep at hand in the vanity cabinet.

Of course an ounce of prevention is worth £190 of cure. (Sorry, Michael.) And it's been much more convenient for us to have an effective strainer over the bathtub drain than unclogging the drain a few times a year.

Hard won is right! Whether it's learning on-the-fly how to D.I.Y. a repair, or handing money over to get shown why the professionals make the big bucks.

Whenever I get the chance to "supervise" a contractor, at work or at home, I'm there to learn.
I want to ask questions: why does it do/not do that? what to do to fix it? how do I prevent this?
I want to see inside stuff, how it comes apart and goes back together. I want to see some neato tools too.
I want to hear their questions and understand why they want to know.
I want to know what he/she sees and what they are looking for. Where did they look? Where did they go first?

That last one.
The pros are not there to guess, they're there to know, and they are going check off the list right from the top: is there power/fuel/oil/water/light bulb/battery/whatever... that this thing needs, before I chase what you think is wrong with it ?

William Bronson wrote: I used to be service plumber, and learned the hard way that a 5 min 150$ toilet unclog did not make the customer happy, but closing the door, unclogging the toilet and then spending 15 minutes making noise did make the customer happy.
A little murmured cursing didn't hurt either.

We don't murmur our cursing here in Boston.
A couple years ago, after some difficulty with some 25 year old thermostats, I installed new smart thermostats in my employer's house. It was the beginning of the heating season, all seemed to be okay, then trouble... since one thermostat was behind a door it couldn't sense any motion and wrongly decided that no one was home. We figured that out (can't remember the details now) and it was back to working. But, then the next weekend rolls around, the temperature outside had dropped, and the house kept getting colder. I get a call on Saturday afternoon, about how the last two nights were cold and colder and how today the house was down in the 50's! I get told a story that the heating company had just been to do a yearly maintenance, and they said "oh yeah, those smart thermostats are a real hassle, we don't recommend them." She apologized for it being Saturday but "You need to come out to put the OLD thermostats BACK IN!!"

An hour drive with a stop at the workshop to retrieve the old parts, tools, and get to the house. Dig right in, un-installing, stripping wires, re-installing... all three thermostats... another hour. Switch the power back on, test... wait... and no heat. Try the other zones, wait... no heat. I go down into the crawlspace, to see if I can learn anything. I switch on the light, at the bottom of the steps and looking directly at the air-handler from 8 feet away... Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME!? There's circuit breakers built into the unit, and one of them is OFF because the side panel was put back crooked, and pushing against the switch!! FUUUCCCK!!! In a crawlspace, in a closed house, on a secluded property, no one can hear you scream.
I can't even turn it back on. I have to go back to my truck for the right tools. I take some pictures first, then reinstall the panel correctly, and wouldn't you know, those "extra screws" on the floor, actually fit into some empty holes that line up now... *Click* the breaker back ON, and there was heat again!
Three hours and change, at this point. Sent "as safe for work as possible" message about the situation, and "yes, you have heat.", before packing up, locking up and driving an hour back home.

I am hard on my clothes. My daily wear clothes, they get... worn. stained. torn. burned. My "good clothes" are that way by being rarely worn, and washed even less... worn for an evening, then hung back in the closet.

This past year, no way for 5! replacing/filling gaps in the wardrobe for winter and foul weather gear, other worn-out stuff I've been wearing despite the holes...

I am very pleased by my latest shoe purchase, two pairs of boots at about half-price, from the factory returns (worn and returned, but still good, resold at a discount). Since the very first thing that I'm going to do is scuff up a new pair of boots, why am I worried about a scuff before I get it? They're work wear, not dress shoes!

I have a mountain of mending to do, which would spare my better clothes from farm chores and lengthen their life. I also have to figure out why I have the same failure of a split crotch on many pants. I suspect that it's a fit issue, crotch too low? Or maybe waistband not high enough? due to "circumstances" (read "circumferences" lol) An earlier comment about adding gussets, is one I might try while mending some pants. In a fantasy world, I would make my own work pants, tailored to fit me, with features that I find most useful, rather than what is available for sale.

Isopropyl alcohol might work, and not as objectionable as WD-40 or acetone (already mentioned) or naphtha - which works really well on rubber/rubber adhesives...
or
Ethyl alcohol (the edible/potable kind of alcohol) might also work, if a high-proof vodka or straight 190 proof "everclear" was used.

Edible oils might dissolve the residue, or will at least prevent loosened bits from re-adhering to the jar or your scraper tool. Orange/citrus oil always amazes me by how effective it is.

Something else sticky such as duct tape, packing tape, etc... might grab the residue more than it is held to the jar? Stick, peel, repeat... This often works when peeling a label leaves a residue, the label can be used to grab the residue, or a separate piece of tape does the trick. For this to work, I think you do have to try this before any of the "oily" methods.

I understand and respect the sensitivity/objection to using non-edible solvents, and I am certain that there are solutions mentioned here that are safe alternatives, in addition to using mechanical methods. I also believe that soaps and detergents can fully remove any residue (edible or not) from a non-porous surface such as glass or metal. I might wash twice, or use an intermediate solvent or degreaser, then wash.

Ben Brownell wrote:I think the "pipeline" factor is important for keeping the process running smoothly at scale. By that I mean, having biochar production as one important step in a sensible operation/maintenance regime for your site. Making the stuff as an end goal in itself is marginal or unsustainable, but if it fits well in a sequence of other productive, function-stacking tasks, then it really is easy to establish a system and routine and make and use a lot of the stuff. For me, the pipeline is brush clearing / fuel reduction on a large neglected and overgrown property which leads to lots of light weight soil improving fill material and amendment I can incorporate in a variety of more fine tuned landscaping and nutrient cycling endeavors. It helps that my feed stock requires no pre-processing and burns quickly to a nice output in open pits, but it's an adaptable process and not hard to streamline when you have the incentive of an essential workflow serving several purposes consistently.

^^^This^^^ and the time factor... and some procrastination.
I really like the concept of seeing systems, where nothing stands alone, but fits in to solve a problem and/or serve a need, and doesn't produce "waste", only "inputs" to another element of the system. Capturing/using the heat from biochar making for space heating or some other purpose. Using lumpy charcoal for cooking or heating/forging (rather than needing to crush it) and sifting out the small bits of biochar for soil amendments.
My struggle is managing my time, and building the system and its components, so that I can operate on-time/in-season with available inputs and required outputs. Maybe this year...

John Suavecito wrote:I've had the fire department sicced on me a couple of times.  I burn in the cement driveway with a chimney.  They were annoyed that someone called, because they considered it a waste of time.  No danger whatsoever. People can have barbecues.  This is a suburban area.  I guess it depends on where you live.

John S
PDX OR

In the town where I grew up, there were restrictions on "open burning" limited to late winter - early spring, and a required call to the fire department both to get the okay due to conditions, and granting of a permit and being told the rules (hours, safety, etc.). The town where I live now, open burning is not allowed at all. So, any burning would need to be in some sort of "appliance": fire pit, cooker - grill/oven/smoker, or something else contained... probably... like a kiln or retort. So, that limits the pit or trench methods in both time and place. The kiln or retort ( or just plain fire pit) would have to be used practically speaking.

I have had the F.D. called by a neighbor on many occasions. On days when it was allowed, and we had called in for permission, and they respond to the call because that's what they do. They are compelled to, there's never a second call of "no, really it IS a fire this time! I swear it!"
They checked our preparedness (charged hose nearby) what we were burning (told to not burn too many scraps of plywood all at once... we had a small pile that we were adding to the brush.) and they even complimented us on a nice setup (a steel ring raised on bricks for airflow).