The Very-Many-Questions-Not-Worth-Their-Own-Thread Thread XXXIV

[Timsup2nothin]

According to the internet Inuyasha is an anime series, and apparently this is part of the soundtrack.

 

[Farm Boy]

Spoiler haven't watched, but herego :

 

[Mouthwash]

I meant that it sounds familiar. Either it's an imitation or was imitated by someone else. Also, the one I remember didn't use those vocals; it was all instrument.

Spoiler haven't watched, but herego :

Thanks, but it's actually on Netflix.

 

[Farm Boy]

Well then. Why aren't you off enjoying your Netflix then, son?

Spoiler :

 

[Takhisis]

I should say that proper homes have thermostats that are more adjustable. With me, it's either on or it's off. There was a time this past winter when I was freezing even though it was set to 90F. Then enough tenants complained that the management decided to do something about it... and it became like a sauna on my floor. I had to turn the thermostat off.

Right now it's off, the balcony door is open to let in the cool air, and that's probably how things are going to stay for the next several months. My windows all face west, so it can get uncomfortably hot here. Maddy's already taken to napping on the kitchen floor because the tiles are cooler than the carpet.

Oooh, afternoon sun, eurgh!

Essentially all living spaces built in the past 50-60 years or so will have their own thermostat. And most work spaces as well. And most older than that will as well. Not having one is very much the exception.

(!)

How do you control the air temperature without a thermostat? Whether in the summer (AC) or winter (heating). Every home here has one, and most apartment buildings I've been in have them as well.

The cold is fought with a heater and/or not living in my underpants indoor except in summer. I don't even have an AC.

According to the internet Inuyasha is an anime series, and apparently this is part of the soundtrack.

You had to look it up?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

You had to look it up?

Anime wasn't a required course for my degree.

 

[Takhisis]

Well, you should ask for a refund.

 

[warpus]

The cold is fought with a heater

Ah yeah. I guess I'm used to a more centralized system here in Canada. I have a furnace in the basement turning natural gas into heat, I think. But I'm too lazy to walk down there to adjust it, so that's where the thermostat comes in, I only have to walk down 1 flight of stairs to get to it, instead of 2. And now that everything's on my phone I don't even need to walk anywhere

Without an AC I would also have a horrible time here. It gets pretty humid and I am technically a part of the global 1% so whatever I'll pay $200 a month to keep myself cool. And hopefully I am driving the costs down with all these upgrades and adjustments

 

[Takhisis]

And now that everything's on my phone I don't even need to walk anywhere

This is generally a bad idea.

Without an AC I would also have a horrible time here.

It can get up to 40 ºC in the summer here, but that's no reason to have an AC.

 

[Ajidica]

It can get up to 40 ºC in the summer here, but that's no reason to have an AC.

My people come from a land without sun. We need our AC to survive.

 

[Takhisis]

Ah, you're the type of 'Murican Trump wants!

 

[warpus]

This is generally a bad idea.

Yeah, one day Russian hackers will probably change the temperature settings in my house and I will wake up sweating. But ah well

It can get up to 40 ºC in the summer here, but that's no reason to have an AC.

But does it get humid?

 

[Takhisis]

Yeah, one day Russian hackers will probably change the temperature settings in my house and I will wake up sweating. But ah well

Automatising things in general using your cellphone as a remote isn't just bad because of Russian hackers (a very credible threat, actually, and I've read the Swedes are reconsidering their recent moves to eliminate cash), but also because if the danged thing is damaged, stolen, or even mislaid, suddenly you're screwed.

But does it get humid?

Well, I do live beside the broadest river in the world, so broad, in fact, that you can't see the other bank.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Ah yeah. I guess I'm used to a more centralized system here in Canada. I have a furnace in the basement turning natural gas into heat, I think. But I'm too lazy to walk down there to adjust it, so that's where the thermostat comes in, I only have to walk down 1 flight of stairs to get to it, instead of 2. And now that everything's on my phone I don't even need to walk anywhere

Without an AC I would also have a horrible time here. It gets pretty humid and I am technically a part of the global 1% so whatever I'll pay $200 a month to keep myself cool. And hopefully I am driving the costs down with all these upgrades and adjustments

It's a lot cheaper to keep a mail-order catalogue or envelope at hand to use as a fan.

 

[Cutlass]

(!)

You find this surprising? We take it for granted.

When I was in college the dorms on campus had central heat, but not room thermostats. Since it wasn't possible to regulate the heat to what people wanted, many people had their windows open much of the time while the boiler was cranking out heat. Sounds like Valka is the same way. I don't know when that building was built, but probably in the 1950s or 60s. But that's the only place I've ever lived that did not have a thermostat. And even my aunt's house in Maine that was built about 150 years ago has been retrofitted with one.

Why? Because it's stupid not to.

Think how much fuel is wasted when the boiler is cranking out heat, and the residents have the windows open to let that hear back out again. Now some old buildings don't, for it is too expensive to retrofit. But anything built now does, unless it just doesn't have a central heat or AC unit. Which means almost no construction in the US. Or Canada, or other developed nation.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

You find this surprising? We take it for granted.

When I was in college the dorms on campus had central heat, but not room thermostats. Since it wasn't possible to regulate the heat to what people wanted, many people had their windows open much of the time while the boiler was cranking out heat. Sounds like Valka is the same way. I don't know when that building was built, but probably in the 1950s or 60s. But that's the only place I've ever lived that did not have a thermostat. And even my aunt's house in Maine that was built about 150 years ago has been retrofitted with one.

Why? Because it's stupid not to.

Think how much fuel is wasted when the boiler is cranking out heat, and the residents have the windows open to let that hear back out again. Now some old buildings don't, for it is too expensive to retrofit. But anything built now does, unless it just doesn't have a central heat or AC unit. Which means almost no construction in the US. Or Canada, or other developed nation.

At a guess, this building I live in is at least 40 years old, and probably older (something I had to find out for the long-form census, after the Liberals brought it back in 2016; I was randomly chosen for it and one of the questions is how old your dwelling is).

As mentioned, the thermostats are basically on or off, even though there are numbers on them that are supposed to mean they're adjustable to your preferences.

I guess the property management company decided to do it this way, since heat is included in the rent and they didn't want the hassle of people having wildly differing usage.

This past winter was a case of catering to the people on the top floor and not remembering that heat rises. Finally somebody did remember that and reasoned that the people on the top floor could either open a window or put on a sweater as necessary, but the people on the bottom floor didn't have any rising heat to help them (my suite is situated over part of the parkade - the area that's a freezing wind tunnel even in summer, never mind winter).

So they adjusted the boiler, and went overboard. It was nice for a few days - I no longer had to wear 5 layers, but it got to the point where I was back to summer wear because it was too damned hot. It's an iffy proposition to open the windows and balcony doors in winter because of the heaters being located under them and the dangers of having the water freeze. So from about October to April or so, we're not supposed to open the windows or balcony except for brief periods (it's allowed if someone wants to put Christmas lights on the balcony, or if that's where they keep a bike).

Anyway, that was one manager and a few maintenance people ago, and the current batch seem to be a more sensible lot of people.

I miss being able to set the thermostat at 18C and forgetting about it. This time of year, the only way I can regulate the heat is by opening or closing a window.

 

[Cutlass]

Valka, that used to be true in how they often built apartment buildings. People thought that if they gave tenants control then they would misuse it and use too much heat. So they save a little money on construction. But for the reasons you describe, it doesn't work in the long run, because no one is comfortable, and too much heat is wasted. But it's too expensive to retrofit most multi-unit buildings.

 

[warpus]

Automatising things in general using your cellphone as a remote isn't just bad because of Russian hackers (a very credible threat, actually, and I've read the Swedes are reconsidering their recent moves to eliminate cash), but also because if the danged thing is damaged, stolen, or even mislaid, suddenly you're screwed.

The cellphone just connects to the thermostat, if I lose my phone and have to get it replaced, it'll just be a matter of getting a new phone, installing an app, and logging in. And until I get the new phone I can just use the thermostat to change all the settings

I'm looking up duct cleaning companies today and hiring somebody to clean mine out. That hasn't been done since the house was built (I bet), 25 years, maybe it will help with airflow

 

[civvver]

Unless you have pets or live in a dusty area and leave your windows open or something there shouldn't be that much stuff in your ducts. It would have to sit and collect vs getting blow through and trapped by your furnace filter. You may want to check the joints for leaks though and seal with tape and close registers in rooms where airflow is strong to direct it to rooms where it's weak.

 

[warpus]

Unless you have pets or live in a dusty area and leave your windows open or something there shouldn't be that much stuff in your ducts. It would have to sit and collect vs getting blow through and trapped by your furnace filter. You may want to check the joints for leaks though and seal with tape and close registers in rooms where airflow is strong to direct it to rooms where it's weak.

My roommate owns a dog and is a dog walker, so there's always at least 1 dog around. I was quoted $159 for the duct cleaning, and a lot of resources online I've been reading say you should do it every couple years. It hasn't been done in 25 so I figure I might as well do it. A lot of the vent openings are also in the ground, so it's possible stuff has been falling in there. I also had mice once, so maybe they were in there too and dragged stuff into the vents? I dunno but if it helps even a bit IMO it will be worht it

They also want to clean my furnace and I told them I'd get back to them about that. They are quoting me $80 for that IIRC. They also want to do another thing.. I think cleaning the ducts with chemicals? To get rid of mold or other similar things? I told them I won't need that part done ($60 IIRC)

I also have another fan on the way (small one, $28, designed for air circulation, pretty powerful for its size) and a new spinny fanny thingy that hangs on the ceiling. I will hang that up in the hallway upstairs.

I don't want to pay so much for cooling my house each month, so I'm willing to invest a bit and make things more efficient. Next on my list is to clean out my closet and check out the attic, and look into insulating it better. I also want to get some windows tinted