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Grimas

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Everything posted by Grimas

  1. Icepick, catch pan, neighbor's truck... https://www.amazon.com/GasTapper-Gasoline-Transfer-Equipment-Vehicles/dp/B00QSPU0NS/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7pKFBhDUARIsAFUoMDYdHnw3Ue-ur3XOyb9f8_9IN-oFa6xsLifheeIUYIde2lL_oqDZP78aApjPEALw_wcB&hvadid=177583837850&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9027720&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11253720922796573218&hvtargid=kwd-132670641425&hydadcr=7478_9586273&keywords=gas+tapper&qid=1621431882&sr=8-2
  2. I forgot to add - a propane tank should last 8-10 hours if not on max load. If it looks like it's going to be a longer outage like post hurricane or zombie attack, I'll probably not keep in on all the time - run for a bit to cool house down, charge of the UPS's and devices and to keep the fridges cold. Backup plan is to siphon and use the 50+ gallons of gas in car tanks...
  3. I have a covered patio/bike storage area on one side of the house. I'll just leave it there (chained down and under a roof and an extra cover) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q1DLKBG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It weighs 200# and I wouldn't want to be lifting it up into the back of my truck myself but it moves pretty easily on the wheels if I wanted to keep it in the garage and just roll it out when needed. I may pull the wheels off of it to keep it walking away in the middle of the night... I went with a "proper" install as I wanted my wife/kids to be able to also get the house turned on if I'm not here. The other thing to consider is if you want to go with a 30A or 50A connector as you can only feed a max of 7200W into a 30A connector so having a larger generator than the 30A connection can handle is a waste of $$. As 50A connector can handle 12000W. (More info posted on page 8 of the "Next grid failure" discussion).
  4. I just got my "whole house" generator connected today. The original quote for a 22Kw Generac was about $15K installed (gas on total opposite side of the house and would need to plumbed quite a distance and under driveway and other slab). I went with a portable, dual fuel 12,500kw generator and it was around $1000 for the generator and another $700 for the lockout switch, 50A inlet and 20' of 50A cable plus labor. Tested it today and can run both the 5ton and 3ton A/C's (with soft start kits), 3 fridges/freezers, multiple TV's, VSP pool pumps, WIFi and lights in every room (most with LED bulbs) in a 4,000 sq. ft. house. Only downside is I have to manually turn the system on/off - turn off all breakers, turn off main power, plug in cable from generator to the external outlet, fire up generator with the remote, engage lockout and then turn breakers back on to areas that are needed... (I don't see drying clothes as a must have during a power outage). Genny will mainly run on 20# propane tanks - I usually have 4 full ones on hand for the grills) and can use gasoline from the SUV's as a backup if I run out of propane - I don't want to deal with old gas and carburetor issues... Sure it isn't instant on but I can have the whole house up and running in 3-5 minutes for a 1/7th of the cost (and can take the generator with me if I move)... Just something to consider...
  5. See if someone will share their "corporate rate" ID code with you. My Hertz card account is still tied to my previous employer and when I put in my gold card number, I got a weekly rental at the corporate price... (I'd share but the code tied to my account no longer works when I just plug in the corporate discount code without my card...) I guess the are honoring the corporate discounts and they are charging whatever they want to non-corporate renters...
  6. Have you looked at an alternative to plywood floor? Either a sheet of expanded steel mesh or even hog fencing if you are just going to be putting boxes up there... (looks good as is by the way...) Or make a pergola in the garage and lay down 1"x4" slats or even narrower ones..
  7. Why aren't you going from the elevated stairs on the right? Just knock out that existing section of handrail and add a few steps there...
  8. Has anyone reserved a car and not gotten the rental? I am a Hertz Gold member and booked a car on a weekly rate out of MIA next month with plans on driving to the Keys. Not getting a car would put a serious damper on the plans... I did book a backup reservation with another location (Sixt) at double the rate just in case but in both cases, I have no money down and am pretty screwed if I show up at the airport and there isn't a car available... (Backup plan 3 and 4 is an Uber or the Greyhound bus if needed but either of those would suck...)
  9. I need some assistance on finding an app or software to block internet access on an elderly person's account who has been scammed 2x on some social media sites. The original plan was to get on the router at their house and to block various sites but you've got to add the sites one by one as opposed to blocking everything and then allowing access to only a few sites like YoutubeTV, Netflix and Uber/Lyft. Any suggestions on apps or software that can be installed on a phone and tablet that tracks actual usage and then allows for remote monitoring and the ability to block sites? I've seen "Bark" and "Save Kids" apps but they are geared for kids and not seniors and the websites aren't really clear how much control and monitoring you have available...
  10. Got my kid the new Oculus Quest 2 the other day and thought I'd bump this thread to see what people are playing. Damn cool device (except it requires a FB account...)
  11. Renting an exotic car to get on a highway that is basically one lane for several hours doesn’t sound like the best investment especially if it’s hot out and many of those don’t have a/c and you are at the mercy of the slowest car on the road... Save that bucket list item and fly into Germany and hit the autobahn on another trip... (150+ mph in an X5 with family onboard will cause a pucker that I won’t do again...)
  12. No sales tax on certain emergency supplies this weekend. Picked up a 12,000 watt dual fuel generator yesterday...
  13. Stupid me thinking I could find the best rates for car rental online... Punched in my corporate card and got a week of a large sedan for $290 (from the airport as the local place on S. Beach is closed on Sunday) all in... Thanks!
  14. I ended up booking the Islander Resort on Islamorada for 5 nights. After digging through recent reviews the past day, it seems Covid has really messed up all the resorts in general in the Keys with crappy (or no) housekeeping as most of them have complaints of having dirty rooms seem to be the common thread. Bummer that stone crab season ends in May and damn, what happened to rental car prices?!!? $88/day out of Miami for an intermediate?
  15. It's $60 not $35 for the yearly renewal and I've got my own kids college to fund...
  16. Going down to Miami Beach in June with wife and 15 year old boys. Was looking at a few days in the Keys as well but any preference to Key West over Marathon over Key Largo? Goal is to do nothing but eat, fish, snorkel and sit by pool/water with a drink in hand. With the teens in tow, the bar/nightlife and wife shopping scene not as important (we'll get that on Miami Beach). Looks like more and slightly cheaper housing/hotels in KL and it looks like a car rental is a must to get down to either.... I'm trying to talk myself out of the drive all the way out to KW...
  17. I only renew my membership when I come in for a game to get into the Ex center to make a few laps or when I buy a new car to replace the window Texas Ex sticker... Got a new car - anyone got an extra sticker they haven't used and are willing to part with?
  18. Radio link... https://texassports.com/sports/2014/11/19/GEN_1119144623.aspx
  19. I lived in SE Asia for a few years and talked to a fellow expat yesterday who is still there in KL. He said KL is still considered a Covid “red zone” so if you are there, you can’t leave the city. Traffic there is back to pre-Covid levels but he said he ditched his car as the MY version of Uber is dirt cheap and has fixed prices and it’s pretty much killed off the taxis there. He said many former expat enclaves are empty do nice, high end apartments in town are dropping in price as most expats moving out of the city and out into the “suburbs” like Bangsar, Mt. Kiera where they can have big houses and pools rather than high rise apartments. Also, most expats have had to give up their “house keepers” because of Covid restrictions so one of the expat wives “benefits” of not doing cleaning or laundry is gone... if I had to go back, Bangkok (or anywhere in Thailand) would be my choice - we loved the people and the city and will probably spend a lot of time living there when we retire... Singapore is nice but damn expensive compared to the rest of the region... Jakarta is great to visit but the whole place is a mess and is a step below the other countries in terms of being a “modern” country...
  20. Looks like AMZYF has bounced off the bottom... Still in red overall but I like the direction it's headed again...
  21. Got a custom made mattress from Houston Mattress Makers and it's a hell of a lot better than any of the "store bought" generic mattresses... Wife (no pictures) got her side softer than my fat ass side and got the added top layer with the "cooling fabric" that wicks away body heat. Bought 2 more from them for the teens when they grew out of their "kiddy" beds... If you are in Houston, it's a better alternative than the Sealy, etc then you can get at the mattress shops or Costco for the same price...
  22. I don't know if its been mentioned in this thread (didn't find it when I searched) is the BBC Series "Line of Duty" is a good watch. Basic story line is Internal Affairs UK coppers looking for corrupt cops. The first 4 series on Amazon Prime but the current real show is in the 3rd episode of season 6 (I'm watching the current ones via Kodi). Lots of good twists each season - you think it's going one way and by the end of each season. does a flip you don't expect but all the clues were there...
  23. Painfully riding the AMY slide down... (Insert image of the old aggy season roller coaster picture here...)
  24. Whole Foods (in the Woodlands at least) has Gulf Oysters for $.59 Amazon Prime members/$.69 non-Prime members...
  25. I've got a 3 node Velop Tri-band AC6600 mesh with my 80mbps Xfinity internet with 2 of the 3 hardwired to each other. Getting 1000mb fiber installed in the coming weeks. I currently get rock-solid signal across the whole house and no one in the house bitches about any lag or buffering (2 kids stream Xboxes and all the TV's and devices streaming as well and lots of Teams and Zoom conferences from the backyard). What's considered "fast enough" for a SpeedTest at a device?? Is it worth the coin to upgrade to a WiFi 6 mesh system? With my current provider, I'm doing fine with this current setup with a 80mbps connection but with the new fiber coming I should be able to increase the speed at every device by quite a bit. Yes, a WiFi6 would deliver even better performance but is it worth the money to do this upgrade when I'm content with the current mesh on a slower connection?
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