July Chat Thread: 45 And Rising

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > July Chat Thread: 45 And Rising

BrokenKnucklez: Apr 22, 2008; by zen death robot

CornHolio posted:

Hey fellow homeowners,

I need a new water softener. I've actually been going without for over a year, but just got a new water heater and would rather it not get filled with a ton of sediment like the old one was.

I called a company called Home Comfort Experts, who had installed everything in my house for the previous owners. I'm getting a Marlo brand softener installed tomorrow evening for $2,100, installed.

That seems really loving high to me, looking at Lowe's at the $497 Whirlpool brand softeners that have $199 installation.

Should I let the 'experts' do it or is that a huge ripoff?

I'd really like to do it myself but I can't solder and don't want to learn on my own plumbing (plus they're hauling away my old Bauer system thats been sitting down there disconnected for a year now).

That sounds high as poo poo. But when it comes to installs, I know Lowe's uses licensed plumbers, so it can't really be any different than any other plumber.

Get more quotes.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 15:28

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# ? May 14, 2024 12:25

meatpimp: May 15, 2004; Psst -- Wanna buy

EVERYWHERE
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

CornHolio posted:

Hey fellow homeowners,

I need a new water softener. I've actually been going without for over a year, but just got a new water heater and would rather it not get filled with a ton of sediment like the old one was.

I called a company called Home Comfort Experts, who had installed everything in my house for the previous owners. I'm getting a Marlo brand softener installed tomorrow evening for $2,100, installed.

That seems really loving high to me, looking at Lowe's at the $497 Whirlpool brand softeners that have $199 installation.

Should I let the 'experts' do it or is that a huge ripoff?

I'd really like to do it myself but I can't solder and don't want to learn on my own plumbing (plus they're hauling away my old Bauer system thats been sitting down there disconnected for a year now).

2100 bucks would buy you many decades worth of water heaters. Are you using municipal water or well?

# ? Jul 20, 2015 15:33

CornHolio: May 20, 2001; Toilet Rascal

meatpimp posted:

2100 bucks would buy you many decades worth of water heaters. Are you using municipal water or well?

It's municipal water.

I don't know anything about Marlo brand water softeners. My wife did some research and it sounds like they're pretty high end, and I'm OK paying for quality, I just can't tell if I am.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 15:47

rdb: Jul 8, 2002; chicken mctesticles?

That seems pretty crazy and expensive given that your paying for water already. Is it really that bad?

# ? Jul 20, 2015 15:55

CornHolio: May 20, 2001; Toilet Rascal

rdb posted:

That seems pretty crazy and expensive given that your paying for water already. Is it really that bad?

I do have some pretty gnarly stains and stuff from the year we haven't had soft water.

Mishawaka, IN if there's hardness data out there.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 15:59

BrokenKnucklez: Apr 22, 2008; by zen death robot

It is a higher end unit, but you could replace 3 whirlpool units for the 1 time of the marlo with install.

Granted, I know you don't want to replace it 3 times, but that's just how I rationalize it.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 16:10

rdb: Jul 8, 2002; chicken mctesticles?

CornHolio posted:

I do have some pretty gnarly stains and stuff from the year we haven't had soft water.

Mishawaka, IN if there's hardness data out there.

http://mishawaka.in.gov/qualityreport

Doesn't sound that bad to me, certainly not $2100 bad. I would go to Lowes personally.

Edit: they say average hardness is 19 grains per gallon.

rdb fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Jul 20, 2015

# ? Jul 20, 2015 16:11

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

CornHolio posted:

Mishawaka, IN

Oh you poor, poor bastard.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 16:12

Fender Anarchist: May 20, 2009; Fender Anarchist

kastein posted:

Also I like how we just collectively out-trolled a FYAD invasion thread

irl cool dudes etc etc

Ramenchat: poach an egg in your ramen. Just as the noodles finish cooking, crack an egg directly in the broth and cover it with the noodles; put the lid on, turn the heat off (or the lowest setting on your smallest burner) and let it sit for 3 minutes. poo poo is transcendental. also sort of a family reunion type thing if you add chicken.

E: look what just popped up on my youtube feed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUqO3tFexiQ

# ? Jul 20, 2015 16:39

Nodoze: Aug 17, 2006; If it's only for a night I can live without you

loving windows refuses to give me sound out of my 3.5mm audio jacks now and I have no idea why :argh:

I have a surround sound receiver plugged in by optical and my headset plugged into the headphone jack on the front of the receiver. It's been that way for three years until yesterday when it just decided it didn't wanna do that anymore

e: it's definitely a windows thing because the audio mutes when I plug the cable into the receiver like it should, it's just not coming out where it should :argh:

Nodoze fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Jul 20, 2015

# ? Jul 20, 2015 16:59

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

I need a grill.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 17:22

jammyozzy: Dec 7, 2006; Is that a challenge?

Car failed it's MOT with only three advisories; CV boot making GBS threads grease everywhere (the mechanic was unimpressed when I claimed that was my undercoating system), worn rear pads and a poor handbrake, probably explained by the pads. I guess my wretched Peugeot gets to keep on trucking for another year. :toot:

# ? Jul 20, 2015 17:29

F1DriverQuidenBerg: Jan 19, 2014

Nodoze posted:

loving windows refuses to give me sound out of my 3.5mm audio jacks now and I have no idea why

Speaking of Microsoft and audio jack garbage.

Was at a wedding this weekend where my friend hired another friend to be the DJ. He's never DJ'd before but is an audio wizard so agreed. To make things easier my friend says he's going to just do up a playlist on his tablet and hand it over to him, sounds easy enough.

Well it turns out the tablet is a Microsoft Surface, and the Surface's audio jack is on the side that is slanted at just enough of an angle that no actual professional audio cord is going to fit in. He seriously ran out to a shop and tried 7 different cables and nothing fit other then some cheap headphones which he obviously couldn't use.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 17:46

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Rhyno posted:

I need a grill.

Weber kettle.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 18:09

El Jebus: Jun 18, 2008; This avatar is paid for by "Avatars for improving Lowtax's spine by any means that doesn't result in him becoming brain dead by putting his brain into a cyborg body and/or putting him in a exosuit due to fears of the suit being hacked and crushing him during a cyberpunk future timeline" Foundation

Phone posted:

Weber kettle.

Yep. Love mine. Even smoke pork shoulders in it.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 18:26

Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

Can someone remind me that selling my reliable (really), paid off, great condition, 49k mile 2010 GTI and buying a different unreliable German car is a bad idea, and that I should wait 2 years so I can buy the car I really want?

# ? Jul 20, 2015 18:28

Wistful of Dollars: Aug 25, 2009

Residency Evil posted:

Can someone remind me that selling my reliable (really), paid off, great condition, 49k mile 2010 GTI and buying a different unreliable German car is a bad idea, and that I should wait 2 years so I can buy the car I really want?

I'd personally wait 2 years before trading in your Mexican car for a newer one (German or no) but that's just me.

Go with what makes you happy in your gonads.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 18:31

BigPaddy: Jun 30, 2008; That night we performed the rite and opened the gate.
Halfway through, I went to fix us both a coke float.
By the time I got back, he'd gone insane.
Plus, he'd left the gate open and there was evil everywhere.

El Scotch posted:

I'd personally wait 2 years before trading in your Mexican car for a newer one (German or no) but that's just me.

Go with what makes you happy in your gonads.

GTIs before 2015 were built in Germany :godwinning:

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:01

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

Phone posted:

Weber kettle.

Yep, i have two kettles and a little webber q for simple poo poo. One of the kettles is converted into a pizza oven and it works so good it's scary. Better than any pizza joint around here.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:06

Darchangel: Feb 12, 2009; Tell him about the blower!

Tusen Takk posted:

add sriracha and labatt instead of water, trust me

or add curry and cayenne pepper

Like, the beer Labatt? Could be interesting. Srirachi, curry and cayenne, definitely.

Terrible Robot posted:

Also, cook up some chicken breast or cheap cut of steak with some seasoning and mix it in the ramen, shits awesome.

This, too.

Enourmo posted:

irl cool dudes etc etc

Ramenchat: poach an egg in your ramen. Just as the noodles finish cooking, crack an egg directly in the broth and cover it with the noodles; put the lid on, turn the heat off (or the lowest setting on your smallest burner) and let it sit for 3 minutes. poo poo is transcendental. also sort of a family reunion type thing if you add chicken.

E: look what just popped up on my youtube feed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUqO3tFexiQ

I... what did I just watch? Is that thermite?
The jump-cut sound effects with the torch just about killed me.

e: Jesus Christ that whole channel. :stare:

(eggs appear to be a running gag...)

Darchangel fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Jul 20, 2015

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:14

Elephanthead: Sep 11, 2008; Toilet Rascal

So is the green egg grill all hype? I am lazy griller and user a natural gas char something but will replace it with a Weber natural Gas when I get rich. (I.E. when i get some sucker to buy my miata.)

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:38

meatpimp: May 15, 2004; Psst -- Wanna buy

EVERYWHERE
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

Elephanthead posted:

So is the green egg grill all hype? I am lazy griller and user a natural gas char something but will replace it with a Weber natural Gas when I get rich. (I.E. when i get some sucker to buy my miata.)

I don't know how it's green, but I have a stainless natural gas Weber Genesis and it is tits. I've had it for about 4 years, use it year-round and it is just awesome. Going to a full-stainless unit is great -- the grilling surface, flavorizer bars, everything cleans up beautifully with a wire brush... little maintenance, great reliable grilling... taste the meat, not the heat. :coal:

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:41

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

Its not hype, they are terrific grills but are way over priced imo. A webber kettle works just as good for a fraction of the cost. I got the kettle for my pizza oven conversion off cl for 50 bucks in great condition.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:44

Tide: Mar 27, 2010; by FactsAreUseless

If you are a constant griller/smoker, like every day or every other day, the big green egg makes sense. It's a fantastic cooking appliance that is really well made. If you're even just a weekend griller, it doesn't make sense to get one.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:48

Safety Dance: Sep 10, 2007; Five degrees to starboard!

Tide posted:

If you are a constant griller/smoker, like every day or every other day, the big green egg makes sense. It's a fantastic cooking appliance that is really well made. If you're even just a weekend griller, it doesn't make sense to get one.

My dad has one and he likes it, but he's also at the point in his life where he can have something like three different smokers and two different grills because he wants to, dammit.

I think the allure of a Big Green Egg over, say, a Weber, is the ceramic BGE has greater thermal inertia.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:57

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

I can do anything a green egg can do on my kettle, just a bit less efficiently.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 19:58

Fender Anarchist: May 20, 2009; Fender Anarchist

Yeah my dad has a BGE too and he loves the poo poo out of it, but I feel like I could do everything it can with a smoker* and a normal grill for a shitload cheaper.

* I have never owned nor used a smoker, but I'd like to at some point.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:01

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

Ooops, Propane only as per terms of the community.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:07

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

Enourmo posted:

Yeah my dad has a BGE too and he loves the poo poo out of it, but I feel like I could do everything it can with a smoker* and a normal grill for a shitload cheaper.

* I have never owned nor used a smoker, but I'd like to at some point.

You can smoke with a kettle just as good as any commercial smoker out there, no need for a dedicated smoker.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:12

Siochain: May 24, 2005; "can they get rid of any humans who are fans of shitheads like Kanye West, 50 Cent, or any other piece of crap "artist" who thinks they're all that?

And also get rid of anyone who has posted retarded shit on the internet."

CornHolio posted:

Hey fellow homeowners,

I need a new water softener. I've actually been going without for over a year, but just got a new water heater and would rather it not get filled with a ton of sediment like the old one was.

I called a company called Home Comfort Experts, who had installed everything in my house for the previous owners. I'm getting a Marlo brand softener installed tomorrow evening for $2,100, installed.

That seems really loving high to me, looking at Lowe's at the $497 Whirlpool brand softeners that have $199 installation.

Should I let the 'experts' do it or is that a huge ripoff?

I'd really like to do it myself but I can't solder and don't want to learn on my own plumbing (plus they're hauling away my old Bauer system thats been sitting down there disconnected for a year now).

I think that's what we have. I'll go check after work, but if it is, I've been loving impressed. Came with the house, so not sure how expensive it is/was for the PO's.

And as to the Big Green Egg - they are loving amazing. Overpriced as hell, but amazing. With that being said, a standard kettle is like 80% as good.

The BGE's just allow you to do some crazy stuff (super-long charcoal smokes, mega-high temps for pizza, etc.), but there are cheaper options that are nearly as good. If you are a techy type of person, there's tons of ways to automate fans and louvers to allow a computer (real PC or raspberry-pi type of things) to modulate temp,.etc.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:23

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Rhyno posted:

Ooops, Propane only as per terms of the community.

Weber kettle. (ignore the hoa)

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:26

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

Phone posted:

Weber kettle. (ignore the hoa)

Girlfriend is the property manager, our patio is adjacent to the leasing office patio so it would be seen.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:29

redgubbinz: May 1, 2007

Darchangel posted:

I... what did I just watch? Is that thermite?
The jump-cut sound effects with the torch just about killed me.

e: Jesus Christ that whole channel. (eggs appear to be a running gag...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2s0aOhkjmY

"GRIND DA BEANS" gets me every time

# ? Jul 20, 2015 20:43

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

Rhyno posted:

Girlfriend is the property manager, our patio is adjacent to the leasing office patio so it would be seen.

Weber q unless you need to grill for a bunch of people.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:06

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

leica posted:

Weber q unless you need to grill for a bunch of people.

poo poo I didn't know they made a Q series that you didn't have to squat on the ground to use.

Edit: ha, I just showed her and she's like "Oh funny story, they rescinded that rule. We can get charcoal."

Rhyno fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Jul 20, 2015

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:09

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Elephanthead posted:

So is the green egg grill all hype? I am lazy griller and user a natural gas char something but will replace it with a Weber natural Gas when I get rich. (I.E. when i get some sucker to buy my miata.)

Expensive as hell but amazing for smoking and large batches of food. Friend has one and makes some great stuff on it, even a full turkey last Thanksgiving. There's some off brand ones that work well but the actual Big Green Egg is the best from what I've seen.

Think I might upgrade to a gas charcoal combo at some point to replace my beat-up hand me down weber at some point.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:13

Safety Dance: Sep 10, 2007; Five degrees to starboard!

Livestream of the Apollo 11 landing, with a 46 year delay. Landing is at 16:10 EDT, moonwalk is at 22:51.
http://kottke.org/apollo-11/

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:14

Olympic Mathlete: Feb 25, 2011

1500quidporsche posted:

Speaking of Microsoft and audio jack garbage.

Was at a wedding this weekend where my friend hired another friend to be the DJ. He's never DJ'd before but is an audio wizard so agreed. To make things easier my friend says he's going to just do up a playlist on his tablet and hand it over to him, sounds easy enough.

Well it turns out the tablet is a Microsoft Surface, and the Surface's audio jack is on the side that is slanted at just enough of an angle that no actual professional audio cord is going to fit in. He seriously ran out to a shop and tried 7 different cables and nothing fit other then some cheap headphones which he obviously couldn't use.

As someone who gets paid to piss about with sound equipment and DJs on occasion I would've slashed off the plug from the headphones about 2 inches after the plug, slashed up one of those cheap cables, twisted and taped that poo poo together and then soldered on another plug at a later date.

...if your man gave him a playlist then he probably wasn't DJing in the traditional sense anyway, more like being human jukebox.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:16

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

Rhyno posted:

poo poo I didn't know they made a Q series that you didn't have to squat on the ground to use.

Edit: ha, I just showed her and she's like "Oh funny story, they rescinded that rule. We can get charcoal."

Get a master touch kettle or a performer kettle if you can afford it, its worth the extra coin. I have both and the performer is the best grill ive ever owned.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:23

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# ? May 14, 2024 12:25

bandman: Mar 17, 2008

leica posted:

Weber q unless you need to grill for a bunch of people.

I loved the poo poo out of mine. My ex still has it and I secretly want to steal it back from her.

# ? Jul 20, 2015 21:58

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