Home Improvement

Nija

Nija

<Silver Donator>
1,935
3,756
LachiusTZ said:
Used to have a wood burning stove in another house that was really low and long. Would burn for 10hrs at a time.

Any ideas on name / title / search boolean to find something similar?

Or recs for a long burning, wood stove? Going to put one in the basement, hopefully soonish. Lol
Click to expand...
I just got one this year. With the backorder I didn't get it installed until May, so I haven't even used it yet. I went with an insert.

There's currently a tax credit in effect for models above 75% efficiency. Since you have the room for a free standing stove, this opens it up for you. Lots of options. For my insert I needed a blower, and I was able to bundle the electrical with the install of the insert. This is key because the tax credit covers installation as well! I believe it's 26% for the next 2 years, for anyone else looking into it.

Here's the model I went with. Again, haven't fucking used it yet.

www.lopistoves.com

Large Flush Wood NexGen-Fyre™ Arch

INNOVATIONS WATCH VIDEO ON THIS FIREPLACE HOW TO USE YOUR MOISTURE METER
www.lopistoves.com www.lopistoves.com

And here's the tax credit.

Tax Credit | Biomass | Stove | Initiatives | HPBA

www.hpba.org
 
Nija

Nija

<Silver Donator>
1,935
3,756
I have a question for our electricians or those with more experience than I do.

I lost power to the outlets in the eaves of my house. I have cameras in many of them, little Wyze v3 cameras. This coincided with me installing a dimmer switch, and doing the typical "flip off the unlabeled breaker switches until I find the right one" method of turning off power and wiring it up. This is the 12th dimmer switch (Lutron Caseta - budget but pretty damn good) and those are brain dead simple, so I don't think that's the issue.

Anyways, all the plugs are out. I just went around to each one and checked and confirmed with a tester. None of them are GFCI. There are 6 eaves outlets, none with a GFCI switch built in. I have 4 ground level outlets around the house, all of them GFCI, and all of them functioning. I have flipped each breaker in my panel, counted to 5, and flipped it back on. I guess the next step is to flip the 200amp main and shut everything off for 15 seconds to see if that helps.

What's the next step in tracking down which breaker, or what is causing these to go off? I'm assuming that there is one GFCI switch somewhere in this chain that I'm missing, but I can't seem to find it. Is there a reasonably priced tool that I'm missing to help me track down this issue?
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,486
2,295
If the light your dimmer switch is controlling is working then it's probably not related unless the outlets are on the same circuit and you disconnected them when you put in the dimmer. That would be a weird way to wire something but people do weird shit all the time. Make sure the breaker isn't a GFCI breaker that needs to be reset. It would make a lot of sense for outdoor outlets to be wired to a GFCI breaker. Beyond that if you have a voltage tester make sure you're getting voltage on the output of your breaker and then go down the line opening up the outlets (start with the one you think would be closest to the panel but you never know how they wired it). Look for broken screws, wires that popped out of the holes in the back of the outlets, wire nuts that fell off, melted contacts, etc. Test for voltage as you go and don't electrocute yourself.
 
Nija

Nija

<Silver Donator>
1,935
3,756
BrutulTM BrutulTM yeah the dimmer is indoors, on a totally unrelated circuit. That was just the last thing I was doing when it cut out. The panel isn't labeled, so I'm labeling it as I go. I had to toggle about 10 switches to find the circuit I was working on. Once I found it, the others were on, but those outdoor outlets never powered back on. I'll research GFCI breaker and see if that's it.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,486
2,295
It would be pretty obvious. It would say on it that it's GFCI and have some sort of a test button which a normal breaker wouldn't have.
 
Nija

Nija

<Silver Donator>
1,935
3,756
Yeah. Damn. None of them have a reset button. I'll have to start with the closest one and work my way out.
 
Hateyou

Hateyou

Not Great, Not Terrible
<Bronze Donator>
16,389
42,579
Got the barn doors up. Need some paint touch up but done otherwise. Hanging these is fucking annoying for anyone thinking about it!
651AA9FD-F5F7-465D-89B1-3AFDEAAA5BFF.jpeg
E75B9403-B643-4620-B325-ED37A66BAB4F.jpeg
 
  • 11Like
Reactions: 10 users
Intrinsic

Intrinsic

Person of Whiteness
<Gold Donor>
14,422
12,054
Hateyou said:
Got the barn doors up. Need some paint touch up but done otherwise. Hanging these is fucking annoying for anyone thinking about it!View attachment 370837View attachment 370838
Click to expand...

Was that Amazon hardware? I made my own for a cabinet downstairs that I built but didn't bend the aluminum quite right so it tracks a little wonky... rather than start over from scratch since I've already done it once was just thinking about buying from Amazon. Technically could reuse the rollers, they're nice once from McMaster-Carr.
 
Hateyou

Hateyou

Not Great, Not Terrible
<Bronze Donator>
16,389
42,579
Intrinsic said:
Was that Amazon hardware? I made my own for a cabinet downstairs that I built but didn't bend the aluminum quite right so it tracks a little wonky... rather than start over from scratch since I've already done it once was just thinking about buying from Amazon. Technically could reuse the rollers, they're nice once from McMaster-Carr.
Click to expand...
Yeah these. Pro tip, grind a flat on the standoffs before mounting otherwise the wheels hit them. Pretty poor design on those but it was an easy fix, otherwise they are good.

lurkingdirk said:
Jeeze, did you use a sponge to paint those?
Click to expand...

Nah brush and roller.
 
Last edited:
Foler

The_Black_Log Foler

Stock Pals Senior Vice President
<Screenshotted>
44,765
42,233
I don’t have gas at my house - everything runs on electric.

Would having my own tank installed and converting appliances to natural gas save me any money in the long run? Mainly looking at it as an option for sustainability/prepped reasons tbh. My electrical bills are pretty damn high atm.
 
Fucker

Fucker

Log Wizard
11,761
26,605
Foler said:
I don’t have gas at my house - everything runs on electric.

Would having my own tank installed and converting appliances to natural gas save me any money in the long run? Mainly looking at it as an option for sustainability/prepped reasons tbh. My electrical bills are pretty damn high atm.
Click to expand...
Off the top of my head, no...you won't recover that money in any reasonable span of time. Why not get an estimate and compare it to your current costs?
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
42,252
183,115
Foler said:
I don’t have gas at my house - everything runs on electric.

Would having my own tank installed and converting appliances to natural gas save me any money in the long run? Mainly looking at it as an option for sustainability/prepped reasons tbh. My electrical bills are pretty damn high atm.
Click to expand...

Is this even a thing? I've never heard of a natural gas tank for someone's house. Propane, sure, but not natural gas.

And Fucker is right. If you are at the point where you're going to have to replace every appliance soon, then sure, get the propane and replace them as necessary. But you have to plumb it in, and if I remember correctly, you don't have a basement, so that's not easy work. Also, you have electric heat, so if you swap that over to forced air you'd have to install ducts. You're not going to recoup the costs for 40 years.

On the other hand, it will make your resale value shoot up like crazy. So it all depends on what your goals are.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Dandai

Dandai

<WoW Guild Officer>
<Gold Donor>
5,909
4,484
lurkingdirk said:
Is this even a thing? I've never heard of a natural gas tank for someone's house. Propane, sure, but not natural gas.

And Fucker is right. If you are at the point where you're going to have to replace every appliance soon, then sure, get the propane and replace them as necessary. But you have to plumb it in, and if I remember correctly, you don't have a basement, so that's not easy work. Also, you have electric heat, so if you swap that over to forced air you'd have to install ducts. You're not going to recoup the costs for 40 years.

On the other hand, it will make your resale value shoot up like crazy. So it all depends on what your goals are.
Click to expand...
In Florida it’s a thing. They frequently bury the tank like a septic tank.
 
Dandai

Dandai

<WoW Guild Officer>
<Gold Donor>
5,909
4,484
Foler said:
I don’t have gas at my house - everything runs on electric.

Would having my own tank installed and converting appliances to natural gas save me any money in the long run? Mainly looking at it as an option for sustainability/prepped reasons tbh. My electrical bills are pretty damn high atm.
Click to expand...
Does your roof face south/southwest? Solar is expensive up front but ROI can be as low as 5 years depending on your current electric kWh cost and how much southern facing full sun real estate you have.

I recently got a couple quotes but didn’t go through with them because only a tiny section of my roof over my garage faces south. My optimal potential solar generation was very low, around 8 kW. I’m probably gonna be building a series of panels on the ground, but haven’t decided for sure yet.
 
Foler

The_Black_Log Foler

Stock Pals Senior Vice President
<Screenshotted>
44,765
42,233
lurkingdirk said:
Is this even a thing? I've never heard of a natural gas tank for someone's house. Propane, sure, but not natural gas.

And Fucker is right. If you are at the point where you're going to have to replace every appliance soon, then sure, get the propane and replace them as necessary. But you have to plumb it in, and if I remember correctly, you don't have a basement, so that's not easy work. Also, you have electric heat, so if you swap that over to forced air you'd have to install ducts. You're not going to recoup the costs for 40 years.

On the other hand, it will make your resale value shoot up like crazy. So it all depends on what your goals are.
Click to expand...
Sorry I meant propane.
 
  • 1Like
  • 1Worf
Reactions: 1 users
Fucker

Fucker

Log Wizard
11,761
26,605
Dandai said:
Does your roof face south/southwest? Solar is expensive up front but ROI can be as low as 5 years depending on your current electric kWh cost and how much southern facing full sun real estate you have.

I recently got a couple quotes but didn’t go through with them because only a tiny section of my roof over my garage faces south. My optimal potential solar generation was very low, around 8 kW. I’m probably gonna be building a series of panels on the ground, but haven’t decided for sure yet.
Click to expand...
ROI is 20-25 years. Anyone saying otherwise is selling snake oil. The only reason to have solar is to have energy independence and availability, not cost. The places where energy independence makes sense wildly sucks for solar. These places without question have diesel power backups and maybe a tiny boost from solar.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Fucker

Fucker

Log Wizard
11,761
26,605
Foler said:
Sorry I meant propane.
Click to expand...
If you own, sell the place and bail out. Converting from electricity to gas is going to be very expensive and modernizing HVAC will fucking kill your checkbook, and you will never see a dime of that back in savings. Further, a good conversion and HVAC update can be mediocre to...mediocre. Even if you do that, you have to replace all the windows and reinsulate the walls. Huge cash, otherwise you will be pissing blood AND still be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter on top of all the usual shit old houses always need done. There's a reason why most 1900's era houses are cheap in this country, and it isn't because the seller is looking out for your financial well being.
 
Dandai

Dandai

<WoW Guild Officer>
<Gold Donor>
5,909
4,484
Fucker said:
ROI is 20-25 years. Anyone saying otherwise is selling snake oil. The only reason to have solar is to have energy independence and availability, not cost. The places where energy independence makes sense wildly sucks for solar. These places without question have diesel power backups and maybe a tiny boost from solar.
Click to expand...
I reflexively wanted to defend myself and say you were being hyperbolic, but as I recalled the process I went through when calculating feasibility, I realized it was mostly conjecture and assuming the cost of electricity from the utility was going to go up significantly in the near future (the plants around me are all natural gas).

In short, touche good sir :trump:
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,486
2,295
If the goal is just to not have to depend on the electrical grid, just get a wood stove in addition to your current appliances. If you don't like cutting wood you can use your electric heat and just have wood as a backup. They even make ones that you can cook on, although a grill on the back deck is an easier solution for that.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
You must log in or register to reply here.