Help…
I am a single(meaning no one to help) woman who just moved from Los Angeles to a tiny town in southwestern Colorado. After being jumped in my backyard and having a sawed off shotgun held to my head, I figured a quality of life change was in order. So, here I am, trying to figure out how to make a living, but loving it nonetheless.
Here is where I need help. I bought a fixer-upper, putting it nicely. I was trying to wait for the spring, more money, and better weather to decide my heat issues. Right now I have a wood burning stove, which seems to be a constant issue. And an oil buring stove that is really, really loud, and very stinky!
Although, I am a model by profession I own tools and am pretty good at fixing things. My father and I did a complete remodel on a house a few years ago. Frankly, I love the work, and thank God he put tools in my hands at an early age. I even have his radial arm saw now!
So, I have done all the research, but am just coming up empty handed? I need some real world advice from guys who do this everyday. I would like to put radiant floors in, but can I do that mostly myself, in a very small crawlspace? Should I just put propane forced gas in, can I do that myself?? My two biggest issues are money(of course) and the best enviromentally. I have quite a bit of time, so that is not an issue, and I plan on staying here for a long while…
THis is the first chat I have ever done, I probably should be chatting on Match.com or something, looking for a husband…but I just figure fixing my heat will be less of a headache, then finding a husband, in the long run…:)
thanks in advance for any advice you might have…dasmitty66
Replies
Whale, shucks Ma'am!
Should be no shortage of knights on white chargers here at Breaktime to help out. Wethead Warrior is out there in the Delta area. He's married but can maybe help with your heat and plumbing Q's. If he doesn't pop his head up here, I can link you to him.
First things first.
If the existing furnace is stinky, it's a hint that there are problems that need tending. You could be getting CO gas in your house along with the stink. Is it a soot or an unburned oil smell and where is it coming from?
People often confuse boiler with furnace, too so please confirm that for us. A boiler heats water to distribute to radiators ore an in floor radiant heat system while a furnace heats air to be blown through ducts. Both kinds of system are equally common out your way. It is not a rare thing for a plenum (air/heat exchanger) to burn or rust out and let exhaust gases to be circulated through the house instead of out the chimney. Let's make syure you aren't getting gassed so you can keep coming back to Breaktime.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
The furnace is an old, old, oil burning, #2 diesel, I believe. I had my home inspector check it out. So, as far as leaks, I think me and the dog are safe. It mainly stinks, because it is just that nasty diesel smell. The wood burning stove, all I know is it is an insert into the fireplace, it takes 16" logs, and it is a pain in the butt!! I actually like splitting wood, and starting the fires. it is just the labor of keeping them going that I find mundane. Not to mention, no matter how much wood I stuff in it, every morning I wake up, it is only 59-60 degrees:( I can live with 65 even, but 60 is darn cold.
My crawlspace is downright nasty. And that is not coming from a girly girl! I ran plumbing in my crawlspace in Denver, and although it was a dirty job, I had no problem with it. Here, it is just a mess, pipes, wires, really tight spaces. After some of the replies I have received I think I will rethink that...
I have a really good set up for doing it on top of the old floor. I plan on tearing everything out, so it wouldn't be too tough to retro fit the floor. Although, I wanted to keep the orginal wood floors. I guess I would have to make that sacrifice. It does sound the most doable so far.
I'll keep you posted, thanks for the help..
Smitty
Smitty, welcome on board (pun intended)
Although, I am a model by profession I own tools and am pretty good at fixing things.
Send photo of tools! Trust me you won't be alone long.
Sorry about that, I just couldn't pass it up. Now to your questions.
Radiant in floor heat is not all that complicated for a do it yourselfer, the big down side is, how cold is the crawlspace and how much room do you have to insulate, how much room is there period. If you have an 18 inch crawlspace forget it. A year ago I helped one of my friends put in radiant in floor heat ,after the fact, over a 2 ft. crawlspace that was laced with wiring and pipes rendering it a nightmare to get too. We ended up bypassing all the underside headaches and building everything on top of the existing floor instead.
Step one remove all the base trim.
2. put down foil face 1/2 insulation board.
3. screw down 1x3 sleepers on 12 in centers
4. install heat pipes between the sleepers
5. 5/8 plywood as sub floor followed by carpet or tile (over backer)
6. Install new base and cut bottoms off doors.
Granted in some cases this would be a real pain dealing with cabinets and toilets however in this application the entire kitchen and bath were also replaced. The heating system as described worked very well and I would not hesitate to do it again.
Whatever system you choose I would advise you have a qualified licensed installer do the final gas hookup and check out the system. Good luck and keep us posted.
Is this really as easy as you make it sound?? Thanks for the crawlspace warning. My space is barely 18 inches, not to mention all sorts of obstacles.
I appreciate the sense of humor. Many a freind has said if I posted pictures with my Milwalkee 75th anniversary sawzall, I 'd have a date in no time! Spending many a Saturday night at home depot, forces you to laugh about it all.
So far, I am thinking this might be my best answer. I have plans to tear everything up, which would make a retro fit pretty easy. I won't be able to do this until next spring or summer, so I guess I will have to suck it up for this winter. And visit my girlfriend in Phoenix a lot!
Thnanks for the advice, and I might be back when the chore comes for more info...
Smitty
Is this really as easy as you make it sound??
Smitty, actually it is, this is not a new concept. There are a commerically manufactured panels that are 1 1/4inches thick with grooves routed into the face to hold the water coils, however at $128.oo per 4x8 sheet is would have killed the job. The foam and furring method cost less than $20 per 4 x 8 area. Keep in mind both methods still require a top layer of plywood. Also ol buddy didn't have money for a boiler so he used a high effency gas water heater $475.00 plus a circulator pump and controls $300, not the most efficent way to go but it works fine considering it gets colder than hell up here. ,
I have seen an ad in FHB for a plywood with grooves routed for pex. Is that a reasonable alternate?
I have seen an ad in FHB for a plywood with grooves routed for pex. Is that a reasonable alternate?
Yes it is , we ran a 1 x3 around the perimeter of the rooms then filled in the spaces with sleepers 12 inch on centers, (we used screws for everything) perpendicular to the joist, stoping the sleepers just short of the perimeter boards to allow the tubing to weave around the sleepers. To hold the tubing in place we used el-cheapo plastic pipe hangers screwed to the floor. Last but not least we layed out a tape measure and took a bunch of photos to document where the tubing was just in case one decided to remodel at a later date after loss of memory set in..
When you use the sleeper method you describe do you use aluminum panels to increase heat transfer?
Doc,
When you use the sleeper method you describe do you use aluminum panels to increase heat transfer
For the project mentioned in my original post we used foil backed 1/2 foam board, partly to reflect the heat up and partly because the foam is denser that the pink stuff. We opted to use 1 x3 sleepers on 12 inch centers to help distrubute the load over the foam too avoid compression. We did a simple test on a 4x8 panel, how simple? We rolled the wife's piano across the floor then unscrewed the subfloor and took a peek, nothing happened, so unless you plan entertaining guests that weigh more than a Steinway you should be OK.
Either of your options might be possible. You will probably end up with a better job if you at least consult with a contractor specializing in the job/s you want done. A professional design, access to the relatively specialized materials you will need and maybe some hands on help with the small portion of the job that is truly technical will go a long was to getting good results.
Most contractors want to do the entire job and are set up to do it in a quick and efficient manner at a cost that is reasonable considering the hazards involved and the longevity of a properly installed system.
Many contractors resent abusive use of free or low cost estimation and specification services. Most, if they have been around for long, have had situations where they are called for a free estimate. After going out in good faith they explain the job and make an offer or present specification for the job to be approved by management. Later they find out the job was done by the HO or, in the case of a commercial or industrial customer, that the specifications provided served as the design for in-house workers to do the job. In both cases the contractor has spent time, sometimes many hours producing a design and researching specifications, and not received any payment.
To do it, largely, by yourself you are going to have to, using great candor and finesse, split the difference. You are going to have to find a contractor capable to do the job and have a sit down. You may have to interview a few. Your going to need to assure them that they will not loose money on the work they do and that you are willing to pay for the design, advice and any help you get. They will also be very reluctant to guarantee any work you do or the job as a whole. Legal and inspection requirements, if any, will be working against you if you work it this way.
Another approach may be to volunteer to work as labor on the job. Your sex and visual graces will work both for and against you. Mostly against. Tradesmen can get mighty clumsy around pretty women. As helpers you would see a reluctance to see you do anything combined with a profound doubt as to the adequacy of anything you do. Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astair did backwards and in high heels. Fred Astair gets all the credit. No, it's not right this but it is the nature of the beast. Nothing I can do, in the short term, to change it. Maybe in another generation or two.
I'm not a heating guy. I'm an electrician but I have worked with HOs who wanted to do most of the work themselves. Sometimes it works. lots of times it is not practical. A lot depends on the personalities involved. People who took notes, followed instructions to the letter and didn't cut corners on labor or techniques had the easiest time and saved the most money. I'm not sure if this answers your question but it might alert you to what you may be facing in mixing professional help and DIY projects. All the luck in the world to you on your project.
Oh. By the way. Welcome aboard. Always nice to see new people. Don't be shy. Jump right in and post on anything you have a view on. If you have some experience or expertise so much the better.
Thanks for all the good info. I think I have learned over the past years of do it yourself projects is to let the pros do the tough, technical stuff. In my remodel I met several great contractors that split the difference with me, not to mention shared lots of years of knowledge.
I defianately will bring in a pro for all the gas hook ups or boiler, or whatever it is I decide.
Thanks again for the info., and I will let you know how it goes
Smitty
smitty -welcome ,and get yourself a carbonmonoxide detector ....an ounce of pervention.... hope to see you around ...... bear
Edited 11/19/2002 7:20:40 PM ET by the bear
thanks,
It is on my list, next trip to the "big city"
Smitty
I enjoyed your story , but we would have helped you just the same .
Every thing has been covered but the stove . Since you came from an area that didnt need one and you flew to an area that are used like light bread , let me injest some words over them.
You make friends with that stove and it will be friends with you. Get to know it like a mama knows her baby. You get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and feed the stove . You wake up the first you realize you are cold and feed the stove . Usually an insert needs one feeding through the night if you are depending on it , or let the oil burner pick up in the night. Usually there is coals in the morning to open with a new load of wood. Pre heat some wood in the house , and it will pick right back up. If you get to be friends with this stove you will respect it . Honest .
Welcome to Breaktime .
Tim Mooney
I think that part of the trick to getting a wood stove to heat through the night is to partially close the air intake. This reduces the rate of combustion and makes the fire last longer. This, along with the once-nightly feeding you suggested, should allow for much warmer mornings. "Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."Jon
Tim's right (as usual ) Smitty. The wood stove can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
My best solution to cold mornings was to drink a big glass of water before going to bed. Around 1:30 or 2 am, you'll have to get up, and you can feed the stove then ! !
Guys, I think we're dealing with an old, fat, beer guzzling ex-Marine that just wants to get lots of responses to his problem. Model, indeed. Hmmmf.
Greg. : )
Hey,
If I was an old fat Marine, you know I would have told you I was a Playmate!!! I am working on my "tool Shot". I'll send it to you(like I don't know that is what your up to!)as soon as it is complete...
Smitty
I am working on my "tool Shot".
Do I get one? My shop could use a cool tool lady woodworker photo.
Smitty,
Where do YOU keep your pencil?
Welcome aboard, even if you are a retired marine drill seargent!
Mr TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Isn't that an awfully personal question so early in our relationship...you'll have to wait for the pictures!!
Mr. T
I have this morbud (morbud = what budwiser drinkers ask for) feeling were gonna get duped.
Boy, you really have no faith. It will be a little bit, but honest I will come through with my promise....now get back to your wood and make something...;) ohhh that didn't come out right! Well, you know what I mean. My photographer is out of town right now, as soon as he gets back I will get you something, just for proof.
But, it will be clean wholesome fun...so don't get too excited...
Smitty
I can't wait !!!
Those fat old marine seargants know where to get the BEST pictures !!
; )Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
Not too harp on it, but your oil burner should NOT stink! If it does, I suspect you might have a problem. I had the "experts" tell me I had no problem as well, even though the house would stink whenever the furnace would kick on (forced air). Turns out I had a cracked heat exchanger...a 6" crack in a weld no less...that the "experts" didn't find. The other experts finally did.
SO, if it still stinks...turn on the CO detector.
They say, there are no stupid questions, so...I thought CO detectors were for natural gas leaks?? So, I am now thinking there are also gases that come from the oil burner too? Carbon monoxide comes from anything being burnt?? Including the fireplace? I am guessing that is why everyone keeps telling me to get a detector?? Which I did, but I was thinking it was for the propane that is used for the dryer and hotwater heater???
Thanks,
Smitty
CO is a result of combustion of any natural fuel...It is of course odorless and invisible...but deadly indeed.
Is your furnance forced air or water? Does air come blowing out of your registers, or do you have radiators that give off heat? That will determine if you have forced air or a true boiler.
In forced air, the burner burns the oil "inside" a steel box...the heat exchanger...and a blower blows air across the outside of this box. The air gets hot (because the steel box is hot, fire on the inside) and blows into your house. The fire inside the box is vented to your chimney. The CO and all the stinky smells should go up the chimney...NOT IN YOUR HOUSE.
But that steel box can break...and then the smoke and soot and all can escape...mix into the air blowing across the heat exchanger, and then go into your house! If you have forced air, look around the registers...do you see any "black soot" at all? I have heard at times this will happen in a leak. The "experts" told me I had no soot by the registers, so I had no leaks in my exchanger. WRONG. I burn wood, not the furnace usually.
Anyways, always better to be safe then sorry. I'll second the notion of getting to know your wood stove...nothing like wood heat in my book. Lot's of work though...it is a lifestyle choice to some extent.
Also, installing radiant is not hard at all...I've done my own as other's have indicated as well.
They say, there are no stupid questions, so...I thought CO detectors were for natural gas leaks?? So, I am now thinking there are also gases that come from the oil burner too? Carbon monoxide comes from anything being burnt?? Including the fireplace?
When a carbon based fuel (wood, oil, natural gas, propane, gasoline) burns, each carbon atom wants to combine with 2 oxygen atoms to form CO2, carbon dioxide. (Other stuff also forms, including a lot of H2O, water vapor)
If, for some reason, a carbon atom can't find 2 oxygens, it might combine with only 1 oxygen atom and form CO -carbon monoxide - whish is a poisonous gas.
If some carbon atoms can't find any oxygen, it forms carbon soot: black powder.
If you see carbon soot, your appliance is also probably producing CO.
BUT - it can produce CO without producing soot.
CO itself is odorless, tasteless, etc. It's presence cannot be sensed. That's why you want a CO detector.
Wood fires (and charcoal fires) produce huge amounts of CO, especially in air tight stives where we cut down the amount of avaialable oxygen to make the burn last longer.
________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
They say, there are no stupid questions, so...I thought CO detectors were for natural gas leaks?? So, I am now thinking there are also gases that come from the oil burner too? Carbon monoxide comes from anything being burnt?? Including the fireplace?
Actually, CO detectors do not detect a gas leak. You can buy detectors that do, Mcmaster has a plug in one for $87. Most people rely on smelling the oderant in natural gas or propane as a leak detector.
CO detectors are invaluable, they just don't do gas leaks, and mine has possibly saved my family from a water heater problem. Neighbors then told me the previous family nearly died once from the same problem, they had no detector. Anytime you live in a house where anything is burned you should have a detector. We should all probably have gas detectors as well, but I don't, even though I know better.
Oh, last thought, make sure you know where to turn off your gas supply, and that anyone else who lives there does too. If a gas alarm goes off you can then leave the house, turn off the gas, and open the outside doors while you wait for the gas trucks you've called from a neighbors house. If you think you have a leak, stay outside, don't use anything electrical (lights, phones, ect.).
Excellant advice for gas leaks:
Oh, last thought, make sure you know where to turn off your gas supply, and that anyone else who lives there does too. If a gas alarm goes off you can then leave the house, turn off the gas, and open the outside doors while you wait for the gas trucks you've called from a neighbors house. If you think you have a leak, stay outside, don't use anything electrical (lights, phones, ect.).
Many experts will also say to open the windows if yor CO alarm goes off (experts like the gas comapny and the fire dept.)
Don't do it! One possible source of CO is a smouldering fire and your CO alarm may go off before the smoke detector
The last thing you want to do in that situation is give it lots of air.
Also, there's a pretty good chance whoever gives you that advice will thencome and sample the air in the house and tell you "there's no CO here, your CO detector is broken."
Duh!
If the CO detector goes off, leave and call a heating contractor or other specialist in CO.
________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Then when you do start breathing CO gas, for some reason it looks like oxygen to your hemoglobin so it links to it in the blood stream, preventing you from getting enough O2 while poisoniong yourself. The lack of O2 is stupifying, so most folks can't diagnose themselves. Long term low level symptoms can be like an ongoing flu bug. Headaches and crappy feeling.
Higher doses mean that we might not hear from you again..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Good points, Piffin.
Long term low level symptoms can be like an ongoing flu bug. Headaches and crappy feeling.
Key word there is "can."
Love level CO poisoning is often unnoticed or undiagnosed but can cause long term serious health problems.
Typical symptoms can include: headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, rapid breathing, fatigue, unconsciousness, disorientation, or flue like symptoms.
________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Edited 11/21/2002 9:47:50 AM ET by Bob Walker
stuff almost got me one time. in a vehicle. sometime I'll tell the story. not a pretty one. and it messes up your mind. I am trained in CO issues but couldn't think straight. came awfully close to dying. never got help. stupid!
Boy, I will get the detector!!! I guess my dad doesn't have to worry about me taking any shortcuts. You guys are getting the point across loud and clear. I actually went to town yesterday, but forgot to get one....
I'll report in right after it gets hung up!!! By the way, where is the best place to put it? My house is pretty small. The fireplace is in the living room, the kitchen is off of that, and my bedroom is off of that. I would say I am about 25-30 feet from the stove. The furnace is in the basement...
Thanks Smitty
By the way, where is the best place to put it?
ABout 18" from the ceiling; first rule is to put it where you will see it on a regular basis so you can see if the readout goes above 30 ppm.
Either bedroom (where you're most vulnerable) or Living room, where the wood stove is, but not right above the stove.________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
I've been watching this thread from the start, and I will admit I chuckled a bit when I saw the first post....sort of a "hmmmm, this is different" kind of chuckle. But I must say, whoever you are and whatever you look like, welcome, from one newbie to another! (Although I really don't think you're a fat 50 yr old former Marine! )
I too lived in the LA area for a while....I never had the trouble you did...sheeesh!, but I saw too much from too close a few times. An interesting area..... and I'll leave it at that!
The comments on CO ring so true. In my mind, my greatest fears are fire when I'm not here (AND when I'm here!) and CO. At least fire gives you some warning! I race cars, and have seen the effects of CO poisoning firsthand. A friend of mine who is a very experienced driver, and a super sharp engineeer by day, had an exhaust leak. The in car video is funny at first, but truly scary after 15 laps. He was passing out down the straight, coming to on the grass, recovering, then doing it again and again. People knew something was terribly wrong, but how to stop him? Well, they checkered the race early, and while he wasn't coherant enough to know that something was wrong with him (amazing as that sounds), he WAS coherant enough to see the checkers and pull in. Where he passed out, and was pulled from the car straight into the waiting ambulance. And to a multi day stay in the hospital followed by downtime at home. It took weeks to recover. My eyes were opened.
I'm wondering, if the guys might think a second detector in the basement where your furnace is might be a good idea? (I had a furnace crack its exchanger a year ago a couple days before Christmas, and smelled a weird smell. I shut it off immediatley, and while I couldn't get anyone to come to the house on such short notice, I was able to get to a wholesaler and put the new furnace in on christmas eve. THAT was, in my mind...the best Christmas gift...peace of mind!)
Hopefully this is all much ado about not so much, but the risks are so great and the prevention so easy....
Good luck!
Jake
You know I thought of a second detector, but people told me too close to the furnace and it would not work accurately. And frankly, my house is small enough 1000 sq. ft., that I hope I am okay with just the one?
The first few nights I started with the fire burning thing, I didn't sleep!! I was afraid of fire, all that noise, crackling, hissing...but people told me I would get use to it, and I have. The hardest part now, is leaving it. I will walk down the street to the post office, or market. Yep, this town is so small I have to go to the post office to get my mail. I think it is pretty cool, people have to talk to!!! Maybe in 10 years it will get old, I sure hope not. Anyway, only if I am gone a very short time, do I leave it alone. Otherwise, I let it burn out or don't start it at all until I get back. The problem is I have found it works best if I start the fire in the afternoon, and by evening everything has started to heat up perfectly. It definately makes it tough to schedule things. I plan my day around my stove!!!!! Who would have though...but thanks to everyone's help, it is working better for me now. I think I will manage through this winter and then make my heating choices for the up coming winter...
By the way, any chance I can drive one of those race cars:) My dad use to drag, and we restored a few cars when I was in high school...does that qualify me!!! I am glad to hear your friend got better. I never would have thought CO effects you like that.
Thanks,
Smitty
You are scared of the wood stove . That's too bad . Here they are trying to scare you about the oil burner , and you are scared of the stove. Most women would have freaked out by now over the oil burner. Strange about your reaction to this post.
If the chimney and the stove have been checked , considering the chimney is clean , you are SAFE. You build up a hot fire once a day to burn the soot out of the stove and the chimney . Most of the time its in the morning while you will be there . [very early in the morning when you get up] One hot fire is recommended once a day.
After that you can shut it down . It will just sit there putting out about 55000 BTU per hour , which will be ample for a 1000 sgft house. You haven't got to know this stove yet and you don't feel safe. If something is going to happen it will happen when the stove is wide open . If you have had it wide open , you need to relax . When you get to know that stove you will love it unless you run out of wood. I was serious about becoming friends with the stove . I know it sounded corny to you or someone who hasn't depended on a stove , but that is how people here feel about them. There are a lot of woman fire tenders where I live .
Tim Mooney
Fire tender - that's the second oldest profession for woman, the first being... what was it now?
Tending that hearth, baking the bread, I can smell it now! Fresh baked with butter dripping down to my elbows.
Finnish coffee bread with cardomum seed. I think I'll go kill another slice. Maybe even kiss the cook..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
...hmmmm, methinks you either have or want one of Herr Porsche's toys, and am wondering do you SOLO, or race the car? Have you any track time? Cheers, Phil,ex-rallyer, race engineer and Solo Motorsport driver.If it is to be, 'twil be done by me..
Ah, yes, you have hit the head on the valve, so to speak! A 911 rests in my garage as we speak. It is a '73 911E that I stripeed to the chassis and welded man new parts on to hopefully exorcise the evil demon ...rust! Then it became my only car for a while, until the engine ate a valve autocrossing at a PCA event in LA. And it still put down the 4th fastest time of the day running on 5 cylinders AND was on old Yokohama street tires! (it had the 2nd fastest time of the day running on all 6). A hoot to autocross! The kind of car that "dances" if you can figure out its rythm. I made myself a promise that I would not sell it unless I replaced it with another Porsche, or a Ferrari, and well, the Ferrari still waits! But that's fine with me!
I recently turned the 2.4 into a RS spec 2.7, and I use it now for track days. It is even more of a hoot ! I spend most of my track time behind the wheel of a Mazda RX-7 prepped to SCCA ITA and IT7 specs. I get it on the track about 6 times a year at places like Lime Rock and Watkins Glen and NHIS. Nothing like the cut and thrust metal to metal of the first corner!
Race engineer, eh? We have to talk!
jake
We need to get a race car thread going here at BT.
I got a 92' Miata last weekend that is the donor car for Spec Miata. I stripped it in the evenings, and am in the process of buying all the needed parts to complete before the first spring race. I got a 90' Miata a few years ago with the same intentions, but when I got it home, my wife claimed it, and said "thanks, I've always wanted a little red convertible, now go find one for yourself" This one is blue, I brought it in when she was not home, and started gutting the interior out before she could claim this one to.
Hate to hijack this thread though, I think some of these geezers are getting themselves all worked up over the thought of a female with tools. Wonder how many have the "spill proof covers" on the keyboards?
I got a 92' Miata
You do know that you've gotta run high rpms to get anything out 'em, right?________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Yeah, but everybody does. This ones got 86K on a really tight motor and suspension. I figure I can get a race or two out of it before I have to get a crate motor. Some have said they get a car with 150K and it's competitive for a season before it goes weak.
Besides, they have a built in rev-limiter.You have tested that right? The one my wifes 90' works.....ah...well..I've been told it works.......from the shop...yeah, that's right, the mechanic at the shop told me it works...he tested it with a guage of sorts...yeah ...that's how I know.
Do you need any spare parts for your 92'? I have a complete a/c unit. Center consol, some carpet, an airbag and steering wheel, a am/fm cassette. More to come.
Besides, they have a built in rev-limiter.You have tested that right? The one my wifes 90' works.....ah...well..I've been told it works.......from the shop...yeah, that's right, the mechanic at the shop told me it works...he tested it with a guage of sorts...yeah ...that's how I know.
Hey, must be the same mechanic that told me that mine would hit 128 at about 5:30 AM on a clear summer morning headed due west from Pgh on a 4 laner with no one in sight!
Don't have it anymore; I miss it, and I miss the old Miataville section in the Cars forum on Compuserve! There were some great folks there!________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
It wasn't blue was it? Cause the one I picked up in Cuyahoga Falls last week is a blue 92'.
It would do 128mph easy. Umm.....at least that's what I've been told...by the same mechanic....Man I wish my wife would not read these boards.
It wasn't blue was it? Cause the one I picked up in Cuyahoga Falls last week is a blue 92'.
Nope, Red with the leather setup. Strictly stock.
________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Edited 11/30/2002 12:40:20 PM ET by Bob Walker
what you do is get the engine from a 323 turbo, and drop it in.....my brother tried to convince my sister to give him her old 323 for just this reason.
mind you, I know a guy with an old RX7 who's putting a 350 Chevy in it. Ugh, was all I could think to say.
Keith.....
Great choice! While the Miata is relatively slow racecar-wise, it doesn't matter as the jevents per second" are so much higher than in most of the other classes. The joy of the class is the equality....regionally, you can run at or near the front with a stock engine. Go to the ARRC however, and you'd best get out your checkbook!
I have thought long and hard about the whole spec Miata thing, as my RX-7 is an uphill battle with the 240s and CRXs. I had planned to do it for 2004 but my trailer, generator, straps and so on were stolen yestarday, so all my plans in limbo.
Check out SpecMiata.com to read all the controversy, but watch out, JD likes to lock and delete if you step on somebody's toes....or bring up anything too controversial...ask me how I know!
Also, ImprovedTouring.com has lots of good dicussions, and spec Miata comes up occasionally as well.
Plan on things taking twice as long as you think. Do you have a comp. lic.? If not, make sure your car is done with lots of time left... SCCA schools can be tough to come by, and if you miss one, you may not be able to race for another year!
Good luck! Feel free to email me if you need anything.Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
Specmiata.com has been a great help. I'm a veteran of the old spec renault/spec racer/spec racer ford. Comp. lic is now 3 years past, so I figure I'll do the Nelsons class in the spring, and a Skip Barber in the winter.
Car is coming along fast. Pretty simple stuff. This a step back for us, but I'm a little more in to less work, more fun racing at this point. I don't want to work on the car every night, I've got kids and they are more important. I want them to be around the track scene though. We took them alot this year as I helped campaign a formula continental. They loved it. The FC is too much work/money, for too little enjoyment. You've got to have spares, and coming from Ireland you better get 2....yuk. It got sold, and this replaces it.
I hear you! My ITA car can take as much wrenching as I want to throw at it! And it needs more than I can throw at it.....I think that's another reason the SM class is so wildly popular.
That and the fact that from the factory the cars are so right....a little lacking inpower, but they make phenominal backroad burners with some minor mods. And you can pick them up pretty reasonably.
I should get one!Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
How do you know what I was baking today, Piffin?"The blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half light..."--???
Don't worry Tim, my friendship is growing;) I am no longer scared of the stove, that was just in the very beginning. You know as a kid, they teach you never to leave a fire unattended. So, to go to bed, and leave it felt weird. But, like I said earlier, I am quickly getting use to it, and it is much better then turning on the "monster" in the basement!! MY pet name for my wonderful furnace...
The folks around here saiswI should make it through the winter with two cords of wood, and I am all set there. I think the toughest thing now is just regulating it. See, here in Colorado we have over 300 days of sunshine, and at 7000 feet it is pretty intense, even in winter. So, unlike the midwest, or New England, it isn't always easy to have a fire all day. I get a ton of passive solar, I start a fire in the morning to warm things, but then it is 75 before I know it...but if I don't start the fire early enough in the evening it doesn't warm things up well enough for the whole night???
It has been a fun learning experience, and I have learned a ton of new stuff, which I love.
Well, I got my Fine Woodworking and Homebuilding today, so my exciting Friday will consist of an evening with my new best friend...and my mags...
have a geat weekend...
Smitty
I've gotta venture a guess, - Ridgeway? Ouray? Silverton?.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
"I've gotta venture a guess, - Ridgeway? Ouray? Silverton?"
Thinking about a trip to see your Daughter at college ???To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
LOL
No, I was just running my mind over the small towns at about seven thousand feet in SW CO. Ouray and Ridgeway are welll known to the crowd form LA. Assuming she didn't just throw darts at a map to choose a place to live, she had been there to visit before or had a friend recomend the place. Telluride sking is just over the hill from there and also has a Hollywood presence.
So this was deductive reasoning, not wishful daydreaming!
;).
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Well, your deductive reasoning serves you well...Ridgway is my home now. And yes, one of the many attractions of the place is it is located so close to a lot of fun stuff. Skiing, ice climbing, moab, million dollar highway(motorcycling heaven)...
But, let's make sure we remind everyone how COLD, and isolated it is, the closest Home Depot is 2 hours away;) (you think that will keep masses away....
Telluride is great, whenever I need my Hollywood fix, I just head over the mountain!
As a matter of fact, the dog and I are heading down to the river for a walk...
see you later,
Smitty
Oh come on! the Home Depot in Montrose is only a fifty minute drive from there, unless you are up around the back side of the Ridge but I deduct that you are right in town since you walk to the PO. I've got a good friend who drills half the wells around there. When I was living in Montrose, I drove thru R almost every day for a year or so. I roofed a few buildings in Telluride and Ouray. My wife and I were in the Ouray pool a few times last fall and we used to do the Wisebaden every Valentines Day. That million dollar highway is a thriller to beat Hollywood scenes.
Enjoy the life, You may see me back again someday.
I'll put this feather in my cap for good guess work! Another point for my profile!.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Edited 11/23/2002 12:39:10 PM ET by piffin
The home Depot is not open in Montrose...they just started building it, they are predicting a Feb. or March opening if everything stays on track. And then it will only be 30 minutes from me. So, until then, you must drive to Grand Junction, for Home Depot...an hour and 45 minutes, if you drive the speed limit!
Unless of course in the big town of Montrose, there is another Home Depot I missed;)
If your ever back this way, you and the Mrs. stop by and say hi...
by the way, where are you now...you left this area to go somewhere else?? You must have had a great reason..I hope I never have to leave. I hiked courthouse, 12,500 ft., the first few weeks I was in town. I was still very much a flatlander. I just about died, but once I caught my breath it was magnificent. I alwasy want to have that view in my own backyard. It is waht life is truly all about:)
Smitty
My wife is from this island in Maine. Beautiful place but whole different culture. Daughter just started College in Guinnison last fall.
We moved here in abour '88 because wife's mother was in bad health. Good to be around for her final years. She passed on about five or six years ago. Moving back now would mean a BIG cut in income temporarily.
I guess my memory failed me on the HD thing, I thought I saw it while driving by somewhere near the Wally world super shrine to Sam Walton.
.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Edited 11/23/2002 3:00:01 PM ET by piffin
Ohhh... Maine...my father is from New England, (Rhode Island) it has it's own beauties also. And being near family is so much more important then the rest of it..
Your memory was just ahead of it's self!!! It is being built across from Sam's shrine....maybe you just figured that would be the place to put one. And the people at Home Depot just happen to agree with you.
One of these days, I 'll get my cross country bike trip in, and cruise that coast...
Smitty
Hey Smitty
If you ride through NY I'll ride north with ya this summer on my 1100S Virago and head up to pay the Piffmeister a visit.
Be well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
That sounds great...I rode behind a guy in college on a Virago 900, through the Shenandoah (sp) Mountains. I still remember how awesome it was. Making new friends and the comradery of riding a motorcycle is my favorite part of the whole thing. Alright, it comes in second with going 147 miles an hour, and NOT getting a ticket, but it is a close second:)
Maybe this will motivate me to get back east, visit friends and see that country, again, from a bike...
I have to get to work on fixing my 600. When it was stolen in LA, it was returned to me totaled. My plan is to see if the frame is straight and repair if it is. But, have you seen the new 600F4i, ahhhh, and fuel injected. What more could a girl want...
I'll keep you posted...
Smitty
"What more could a girl want.."
A long and healthy life comes to mind
Followed by a flock of young'uns to enjoy it with
And a man who knows how to rub your
feet.
;-)
.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Oh Piffin,
So philosophical...it goes without saying health, happiness, and foot rubs( I am still up in the air about the kid thing)...But being passionate about life is very important too. And I don't mean about "things", all that can be gone in a minute. I mean the kind of passion that stirs your soul, like motorcycling stirs my soul. Like the first time you kissed you wife, and you felt it in your toes...
Smitty
Well Smitty, I was almost born in my Dad's sidecar on an Indian. Grandad rode until he was 67 and broke his collarbone for the third time. You might say the breeze is in my hair but the passion for two wheels is gone. I found out how hard the pavement is.
Not that I don't get a twinge once or twice a year, like the taste of nicotine coming back after twenty years or so under certain circumstances...
But when I kissed my honey the first time, my toes is NOT where I felt it!
;o).
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Wow, I but you'd love to have that Indian now...Knock on wood, I have only hit dirt. I have seen a few bad accidents, that was enough to get me to ride within my limits, or at least try. I always where a helmet, even though it isn't the law here. And full leathers, I figure why risk it...
Great story about the sidecar...
Smitty
The sounds in this of panting and puffing and pawing the ground are deafening. UHaul is announcing a surge in truck rentals and AAA is out of maps to Colorado.
Single, model, motorcycles, hot cars,tools, mountain vistas....
Let's cut to the chase:
Does your father own a liquor store?
Are you a nym.....
Nevermind, family site
{GD&R}________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
No liquor store, I am just a SWF...what's a nym, never seen that one? If you can tell me on a family site?
Plus, most the guys seem pretty happy with the Mrs. although I think you need to take piffin's lead and spend more time rubbing her feet, and less time on the computer;)
Smitty
"Plus, most the guys seem pretty happy with the Mrs. although I think you need to take piffin's lead and spend more time rubbing her feet, and less time on the computer;)"
Piffin is a wise man.
If I tried to rub my former wife's feet, she'd probably go for a restraining order and then I couldn't keep fixing her computer for her{G}________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Okay, maybe you should avoid the feet thing. We'd hate to be bailing you out!! It is nice of you to still fix things for her. OF course I am sure she cooks something nice, or returns the favor;)...
Smitty
Your name came up.
You still have the same email ?
We`re fixin to see. <G>
Tim
Hey Bob, That's not a bad mantra you dreamed up there for Andy...
Piffin is a wise man.
Piffin is a wise man.
Piffin is a wise man.
Piffin is a wise guy
8<).
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Piff
I beleive the mantra goes something like this..
"within me, without me"
within me, without me
within me
with
Namaste
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Pretty pithy withy, Cliffy!.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Hey Piffy Wiffy
you made Breaktime big time this month along w/ 4 Lorn1.....I dont even remember those threads. So when you doing an article?
Be well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I'll have to think of something worth writing about first. Andy had asked me to do the one on valley flashing (I've got a couple more methods) but I couldn't forsee spending the time and money to do mockups (that was my idea) just to get my name in print.
Of course if I spent the same time that I do here on more productive pursuits, I'd be rich and famous.
Being a remodeler, I know a little about a lot and much of my roofing knowledge is outdated since newer technology and products are coming along.
still, I've got ideas.....
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Piffy
Yeh, I saw your post about andy asking you to do the mock up. Personally I think you should do an article on more interesting things than valley flashing. Kinda boring if you ask me. save that one for the staff. I think all of us here at BT would rather read something more interesting from you. Like building solar powered chicken coops using chicken poop as methane gas. MAybe thats more for Mother Earth News though hmmmmmm.
Be well
Namaste
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Are you pulling my chicken leg?.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
I ain't gay dude.
aIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Man O man has this thread gone down hill!
;-)
BTW, speaking of legs, how are your ankles doing after that concrete burn from that basement pour?.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Piffy
Gee...what a guy,,,,,,even my wife doesnt ask. My ankles hurt and feel burnt for days. Thanks so much fer askin' . Actually does matter.
.....didnt think anyone cared. Theyre ugly but dont hurt any more. We pored 6 yds today and it was finished off. Most all the forms are out as well. My mason asked me to come upstate with hm next week to look at properties.
Hey, Piffy wiffy..........Be well my brother
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Glad to hear it. Some guys can get crippled right up from those burns. Keep soaking in water, it'll bring the poisons to the surface and sooth you while it heals.
Noe loose the piffy wiffy - 'fore I start with Candy Andy
8o).
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
: )
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
No puffin', pawin' or snortin' here. The girls always see me as their older brother buddy.
Not that it looks like Dasmitty needs any too much protection. She's armed with a degrree in comunications and apparently, she can use it!
:O).
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
"Not that it looks like Dasmitty needs any too much protection. She's armed with a degrree in comunications and apparently, she can use it! "
I think I said in another post that Smitty is going to be fine ! I had the same thoughts . Hell shes one of the guys as far as Im concered just like the other girls are . She deserves the same respect and in my opinion , well deserved. Shes gonna be alright .
Tim Mooney
smitty have to but in and ask where in rhode island is your father from???? bear
Yeah, Everybody probably knows him. It's a small town in the State of Connectitcut, LOL.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
He is from Providence, born in 1942, went to La Salle private Academy.
Smitty
We still get some nice views here too..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
I have always said when I win the lottery, the house here and a house on the shore. The perfect combination...
It is truly beautiful, upper northwest?? Looks like a coastline I need to explore on my motorcycle!
I am guessing on your journey, as well as on mine, we have learned it isn't really where you live but how that makes a person happy.
Although, a nice view on the journey doesn't hurt...
Smitty
As for the two sensor thing, I'm sure you're fine. It would seem to me though that if there was a problem, it would be in the cellar first, and two would give you advance warning. On the other hand, the sensors sound the alarm well below any level that would render you incapacitated, so I'm just getting carrried away! My racing friend seems like his old normal self....at least he doen't try to blame any of his actions on the incident, that is!
So, you wanna drive a race car, eh? Well, anybody who's gotten their hands dirty restoring cars is OK in my book. When you take that bike ride east to visit the New England area, look me up and we'll see what we can do! (If I haven't tossed it on it's roof by then!) Am I correct in my understanding that you have a Honda F4? Nice! I have a 900 Ninja...rode it ALL over Cali when I lived there. The ride one day from LA to SF on Rt.1 along the coast ranks #1 on my list of all time great rides... We're lucky to have great twisty hilly rural roads here in CT. I need to get out and enjoy them more! Not until spring, though!
(on edit): 147 on a bike???? wow..How old were you?
Jake
Edited 11/24/2002 11:29:47 PM ET by LATEAPEX911
First, I have the CBR F3 97. It is in a crumbled ball in my shed. It was stolen in LA, and that is how I got it returned. I would like to fix it, but if that is not possible...I have my eye on the new CBR F4i. It is fuel injected ,mine is not. Around here, with all the different altitudes having fuel injection would be nice, jetting a bike is no fun.
I also own a KTM 200 exc dirt bike. It is a blast, I already put myself in the emergency room on that one!! Six years on a sport bike, riding canyons, across country, and my third day out on the dirt, and to the Hospital!! It is a 2 stroke, very sensitive throttle, trying to keep up with the boys...you think I would know better. Well, at least I do now.
I also have a vintage bike, no one as ever heard of it...Piffin probably has;) It is an Austrian bike 1967 Puch. You could order them out of the Sears catalogue. When my dad and I were renovating that house in Denver we found it on the internet. The same model he had, not same Vin. Anyway, we have a picture of me when I was around 2, riding in front of him, around the military base. So, we bought it, and I plan to restore it, someday...my grandpa rode bikes too. I think it is in the blood...
I also just sold a Vintage 1982 Vespa scooter that I rebuilt the motor with the scooter mechanic I was dating at the time. That thing was a blast, 250cc, went about 75...
I just had too many toys...so something had to go...
I was in my 30's when I had my CBR 147...it had just come from the mountains, and I was at sea level...it was fun...it isn't as scary as it sounds. The new bikes are so tweaked technically, from all the racing technology... the Hyabusa 1300, goes 200 out of the crate...it's crazy.
Smitty
p.s. don't get me started on bikes, I have a hard time shutting up!!(no female jokes about that)
On the other hand, the sensors sound the alarm well below any level that would render you incapacitated,
Maybe incapacited, but there can still be signifcant adverse medical p[ronblems caused by levels of CO lower than the alarm threshhold of 70ppm for 4 hours, and some people are more vulnerable than others.________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
That's a good question, I bet the instructions that come with the device will say, but I was wondering that myself:
Is CO heavier or lighter than air? (mount low or high in the room)
Anybody know the answer to this?
I have purchased one, but wisely* have never plugged it in, so I've not yet even looked at the instructions with it.
*(foolishly)
Norm
Is CO heavier or lighter than air? (mount low or high in the room)
It's slightly lighter, but probably not enough to rise to the top because of it's lightness.
It will tend to rise to the top of the room when it's first emitted, though, becasue it's in hot flue gases.________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Ahhh, yes read the directions?? What a concept:) I actually found a model that plugs in, with a back up battery. So, as far as mounting goes, my options are in an outlet!! Boy, that was a petty easy one!!!
Thanks
Smitty
Don't even think about it! Let the thunder crack and the waves roar.
We're going on.
Aw but Rez, There is so VERY much innuendo in that last post.
You sure that we can't even at least think about it ?
; )Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
Double entendre'!
I'd a never thuink it if not for rez
Smitty - watch out for that guy!.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Oh I saw it immediately. That post is loaded from front to back.
The surprise was when Rez immediately said that we shouldn't even think of it.
I will not believe this person is not a fat 50 year old ex-marine, until someone actualy meets them at a fest. (Any fat 50 year old ex-marine can post a picture of a pretty girl on the internet.) But I sure am looking forward to the picture. hehehe
It is, of course, also fun to see the double and triple entendre's run their course.
: )Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
You are killing me Luka....... There is only one ex-Marine and that is Lee Harvey Oswald......... The rest of us jarheads are from the former persuation.
Semper Fi
: )Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
Wouldn't do a thing like that..........
From a fat 40 year old former Marine
???
I guess I'm not understanding what is going on here...Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
Bogart the ghost........ :-)
Ah !!
Good.
: )Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
I follow . . . .and the ex- part is my fault.
Once a Marine, always a Marine, right ? No such thing as an Ex-Marine, except for Lee Harvey Oswald. ( 39 years - it can't be ! )
Sorry to you, too, Smitty. I didn't mean to call you names. Be ye pointer or be ye setter, we're glad to have you around.
Greg.
http://www.pushback.com/Wattenburg/FAQ/CO2-detectors.html
Norm, check this site out explaining the atomic weights of gases. Describes the question of where Co detectors should be placed. I have a detector plugged into the wall recepticle in the same hall way as the return air. My hypothesis is that any Co gasses present will be pretty much be neutral in respect to the surrounding air atomic weight. Thus, any present Co floating around would be pulled across the detector as it is entering the return air duct.
One would have to wonder why a company would sell a product that plugs into an electrical outlet a foot off the floor, if the detector was intended to be operational at the ceiling level.
Well, naturallly I would share it. Since you guys have been so giving with all your expertise. I will keep you posted, I promise...
Smitty
Thanks,
preheating wood, who would have ever thought!!! I'll go make friends right now!!
Smitty
Smitty
Before I ask what type of model you are......foot model? Hand model? Cover girl model? Model Citizen of the community, might I just say welcome to this rambuncious site here at Breaktime. As you being a DYS'er I'd have to say for the projects youre speaking about.....get a contractor versed in the projects and ask "them" how you might save money by doing whatever it is to lighten their load and time. I don't belive these are jobs I'd tackle if I were you....or even if I am me...and I am me last time I looked..I think.....I'm not versed in radiant flooring in spite of being a renovations and restorations contractor/builder for about 27 years. Some things are much more "cost effective" to let the experts do. Here in NY, LI there are so many experts that the costs vary within a mind boggling difference. Find a local builder organization if available such as N.A.R.I (National Association for the Remodeling Industry) and get names and refrences. As I said.....ask the contractor of your choice what "you" can do yourself to save some money.
PS...I think "The Bear" might date you but jus' don't tell his woman.....lol
BE well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
ssssshhhhh , she's like a friggin' bat..........
Thanks for the info. As for the modeling type, not too get too technical, but I work secondary markets. Mainly doing a little bit of everything, except foot modeling and nudes! I worked conventions(i.e. booth bunny), swimsuit calendars,posters, catalogues, runway, promotional, commercial, hand modeling. Unless you have lived in the area I worked you would have not seen me, except in a national Harley calendar, or perhaps in a swimwear mag...but that was in my 20's. I really have to fight that stereotype, that I am an incompetent woman just trying to get a guy to do things for me! I do have a BA in Communication, and I actually end up too proud to ask for help, when I should, just to prove a "model" is more then just another pretty face! So, the saying goes....
Back to the topic at hand!!! Yes, I have learned that in many cases the time it takes me to do something( if I paid myself a competitive rate) just doesn't make sense. If I had hired a pro, he/she would have done it in 2 days, and it took me 7 days. The problem is I just enjoy doing the projects. When I finished the project there was so much satisfaction in saying I did it myself. Whether it was laying the hickory floor, hanging drywall, or installing the tub and marble. There are 2 other factors that have played a roll also. First, as you always hear, I save myself money, kinda...only because the cash doesn't actually have to come out of pocket. So, I can do a tile job, that costs me 500 bucks. Whereas, if I hired a pro I couldn't afford the 2500 bucks she wanted for the job...
Once again, I will say that one of the things I have learned from doing it myself is an amazing respect for the trades. I look at people who build with truly a completely different respect. That being said, and I know I will catch hell for this, but... I have found that I have a pretty high standard for how I want work done. It is hard to find someone who does it as if it is their own house, unless it is their house!! And whether you guys admit it or not, think about how you build your house and then how you work on a customer's? I am not saying all people are this way, but we all know their a lot out there.
I do like the suggestion of working with a contractor to see if I can work with them to save, but still have a pro on the job. I have heard this earlier, and it is a good compromise.
thanks for the info.
Smitty
Your motivation for wanting to do projects, I gather, is similar to why most of us, from what I understand, stay in the trades. The joy of manual skills used in a workmanlike manner. The pride of doing a job that not everybody could do. The feeling of learning skills, even if it is just not to do it that way, nearly every day.
There is an old saying: The cobblers children go barefoot. I usually do a better job on their house than I do on my own. The actual living space in my house is well wired and maintained but my shed has a switch that I haven't gotten around to replacing, its been only a year or so, so if you want the light to work you need to cross the wires. I can, mostly, do it without getting much of a shock so I guess it isn't a problem so much as a security feature.
Edited to change carpenter to cobbler. Blew it the first time. Makes more sense.
Edited 11/20/2002 4:59:41 AM ET by 4LORN1
Roar! I hear stuff like that light switch and it makes me feel more normal by the minute. Let the thunder crack and the waves roar.
We're going on.
Yes, I know your more common then the bad "cobbler". My next door neighbor in Denver went without Baseboards for 3 years, until I taught her to use my chop saw!!!! Now her husband gets her chores done in a little more timely manner....god forbid his friends come over and he has to tell them his wife did the trim work;) !!
Smitty I do mostly old house restoration and before I start on about different heating systems (which I will leave to those who deal in heating ) . But , as a carpenter I look at the house ... doors & windows , & insulation to keep the heat in . Also what kind of wood stove is it? And just how small is the crawl space ? Anyhow I'm sure there will be more good advice coming . Good luck Billy D. QWC
Thanks for the info. I know windows and doors are important. But, your right, I haven't even looked at those, and how I could improve them.
Thanks,
Smitty
Smitty, two things you will need. A digital camera to make your project visible so we know what you are talking about instead of "thinking we know".
Also you need to spend some time with the "Search" feature here. There was a recent thread about using a water heater for radiant heating that was a pretty thorough technical paper for a do it yourselfer.
If you bought a fixer, chances are the windows are leaking and probably many air leaks into the attic space. Those things will overcome any heating system, so look there first. No amount of firewood can heat the great outdoors. Do you feel a draft by the doors or windows?
What kind of ceiling, attic, roof do you have? There are many ways to improve your situation that don't necessarily involve spending time and money on a new heating system.
Good luck from still in the bario in SoCal. Joe H
Thanks for the feedback, I'll check out the search. I have a ditgital camera. A freind has it in New Zealand, as soon as it returns I'll start using it. Great idea...
As far as my windows, they suck...and I don't really have an attic space?? This house was built in 1924, with a 1970's remodel...They finished the attic into the second bedroom. Eveutually, I will take out the second floor, and make it vaulted celings. But, I 'll have to get advice on that insulation project when it gets closer...
Thanks,
I am wishing I was back in SOCal riding my motorcycle, it is 19 degrees here!!!
Smitty, About 85º here today. Nobody shooting at you there though. Joe H
Great now I have 2 of you!!! My brother lives in Tucson...YOur right, no shooting, except it is Elk season Yikes!!!
1.) A model?
2.) A model with tools?
2.) a model with tools who rides a motorcycle?
I volunteer to sit next to your wood stove and keep it stoked free of charge. I won't even talk. You'll never know I'm there.
In all seriousness, regardless of the type of heating you decide on, the house will definitely need to be tightened up from an insulating standpoint.
Good luck with all of your projects and welcome to Breaktime.
p.s. I predict that your original post will receive one million+ replies.
Thanks for the offer...Boy, if I would have know I would have received this much attention I would been here long ago....
this is better then any bar...I can actually talk to people about subjects that are interesting to me!
In all seriousness...everyone has been a huge help. I had a great night last night burning wood. I took all the tips and they worked great. The place stayed warm, and was even nice this morning:)
Now, I'll start incorporating the other advice, windows, insulation, and try and decide what I will do in the spring.
It has been great fun, and I am sure I will be back with more questions. And I owe a couple pictures, I gave my word and that means everything...so I 'll be back..
Smitty
Smitty,
I want to add a voice to the recommendation that you get a CO detector.
Even with a home inspector having given his okey-dokey, things can change and there is only so much an HI can see and do (I'm a home inspector, myself.)
I strongly recommend you get a CO detector with a digital readout; not the type ($20 +/-) that just sounds an alarm. The cheap one's aren't sensitive enough. (Minimum 70ppm)
The good one's cost about $40-50. Minimum readout 30ppm, and some will show down to 11ppm in history check.)
The best ones cost $75 - 125, read down to 5ppm and are only available on-line that I know of at http://www.aeromedix.com
FWIW, I recommed the best one toi people who are likely to be extra-sensitive, infants, pregnant women, older people, people with heart conditions, people with chemical sensitivity, people with supressed immune system issues, people with prior CO poisoning.
________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
YOu guys are so caring!! Thanks for the info. I am actually driving to the big city today, and probably would have just bought a cheap one. So, I 'll heed your advice and and go for the Mercedes model...
Thanks, Smitty
RE the fireplace insert: have it checked out and cleaned by a good chimney sweep.
Early fireplace inserts didn't connect to the chimney's flue and can be extreme fire hazards.
The best inspectors will have training from "Fireplace Investigation and Research: http://f-i-r-e-service.com/f-i-r-e-service/mainframe.html
________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
I had an inspection, everything seemed fine. The fireplace was build for the woodburning stove?? Added on after the house was built. So, insert might not be the right term. It is set into the wall, and has a flue coming up from that, that was encased and made to look like a regualr chimmney.
So, do I still need to worry about the attachement?
The fireplace was build for the woodburning stove??
OK. When wood heat became popular in the 70's when the price of petroleum went sky high, many "insert " wood stoves were made to slide into existing fireplaces; the early versions of those were poorly done and had creosote problems.
If the whole thing was done as a unit, you should be ok, but you'll still need regular cleanings and inspections, depending on your usage.________________________________________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Yes, I believe that was the case. this house had a beautiful 1970's remodel. When I tore off the front porch, and uncovered the chimmney I thought I would find a brick fireplace covered with viynal, or perhaps clap board. But, it was framed out for the round flue and I beleive that it was all built for the wood burning stove as a whole unit. As far as this rookie could tell...I have had it cleaned and inspected. He seemed to think it was okay, but I realize their are inherent risks to burning wood, even the best inspector can't for see...
thanks,
Smitty
> After being jumped in my backyard and having a sawed off shotgun held to my head,
Sheesh, where in LA did that happen? I've lived in Westwood, Venice, San Pedro, and now the South part of Hollywood between the Paramount lot and #### Park. Venice was the only place I got out of because of the crime.
For the kind of modeling you do, being in a remote place might be a bad career move -- out of sight, out of mind. At the very least, you won't be getting those jobs where they have to replace somebody in a hurry. Freelance people generally can't afford not to be local. I'm an associate member in the ASC, and even the top dogs there find that they have to live in town.
There are also a lot of threads here complaining about how unrealistic all those "home improvement" TV shows are -- maybe we can get Taunton and HGTV to set you up with your own series.... ;-)
-- J.S.
Maybe I could invite her onto my radio show to boost the ratings...
Oops, The listeners couldn't see around the big microphone.
;o).
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
It is funny that you say that...my girlfriend calls me all the time, "did you see that show on HGTV, you would be so much better!! She might be somewhat tainted:)
I was living in a beautiful home in Santa Monica. It was really one of the cases of wrong place wrong time. The guy that rented before us, grew pot and sold it out of the house. Quiet little business, we found out afterword, the whole neighborhood knew about it. He lived there for three years doing this. Then, quickly he dissapeared, sick mother in Austrialia they said?? Anyway, some thugs came back to get all his loot, unfortuantely, he was gone and we were there. As weird as it sounds, I consider myself very lucky to be alive, I had bruises on the back of my head from the barrel of the gun. It could have easily gone off, or they could have beat us worse. We walked away with just bruises. The neighbors heard noise, but figured it was just a girlfriend/boyfriend thing?! That's LA for you...
As far as work goes your so right. I mainly will have to persue convention work, narrating, stuff I can book way in advance. In towns where the agents consider me local. I have contacts in Vegas, DC, Denver, Phoenix, LA. I am still going to try and persue those markets in print work too, but as you know, I need to be there. I will see how things go, I might have to split my time between here and LA. I am not afraid to go back, I just like that I have a place now, to get a way from the rat race. I know I could fall climbing, or ski into a tree, life anywhere is a gamble. But, at least here I die somewhere beautiful, instead of huffing car exhaust!!!
Hey, as far as a show goes...:) I'll take any help, you know the biz... it is who you know...I am working on trying to get a pilot of a motorcycle show I have in mind too. I ride sport bikes ( CBR F3, that got stolen in LA and returned to me in a ball) I have a KTM 200exc, and an old vintage bike...so lots of ideas...stay in touch, I am open to anything that helps me keep my piece of heaven, even if I only get to be here months at a time...
Smitty
Smitty --
Tell me more about the motorcycle idea. I'll ask around our group of companies and see if there's an appropriate way to pitch it. I'll also run it by our resident biker, though he's mainly a Harley guy. You can reach me at [email protected].
-- J.S.
I e-mailed you. Call me and I'll do my best to help. No sales pitch... just honest advice from a pro. And if you are going to do it yourself let me step you through it to save yourself a lot of grief!