Zero Knievel

I’m glad I’m not the only one who knows that trick. Works great when you have to thread a bolt by feel because you don’t have a good line of sight. Mostly, I do this installing oil filters where I’m lucky to just get my hand in place.

Just buy the correct size in a deep socket and have one of those mini magnet probes. I’ve used that over a spark plug wrench for years. For tightening, I gently unscrew until I feel the thread alignment pop…then gently hand tighten. You’ll know right away if something is amiss.

Ditto. Platinum plugs were harder to find years ago. When I saw iridium served the same purpose (anti fouling), I just started buying iridium plugs.

Just my 2 cents. Having air always circulating helps ensure even heating. As you want to reduce moisture, getting air moving would improve effectiveness. No issue with humidity during the warmer months? I have a dehumidifier in the basement to prevent items from absorbing ambient moisture from the air.

1. Mom can't stand the noise (no matter how quiet), and none are designed for the total square footage. 2. Most of those you're lucky if they last 2-3 years before needing replacement (my record so far for the one in the basement).

CO detector....sorry....

I wonder if they make an air exchanger that can heat the air being pumped in. Otherwise we’re just blowing freezing air into the house.

No problem. Have a CO2 detector. Please don’t suffocate me. Interior storm windows…interesting. Maybe will try that on one of the worst windows and see if it does the job before spending on all other windows. We hardly ever open windows, so they wouldn’t be an imposition 99% of the time. Too much. We put more than most when building the house. I added some more over air ducts and registers near the outer walls because too much cold was getting in and we were waiting a long time to heat up the ducts. Yes…my dad was an a-hole and insisted on the ductwork being in the ceiling and not the floors. One of several decisions that is costing us more down the road to deal with.

I'll look into that...thanks.

Granted, home is 30 years old, but this is a worsening issue. Not one window has any condensation BETWEEN the interior and exterior panes...indicating the seal is good. However, the amount of condensation we get on the inside of the window on cold nights (particularly worse when we use unvented gas heat to warm the house) is a growing issue, and I don't know if replacing windows will "fix" the issue (we didn't have gas heat on below-freezing days/nights when house was new). We had screens for the windows that we stopped using because of dogs. This makes me think that a "storm window" in place of where the screens would mount would help. I believe if we could direct airflow over the glass, it would also help, but that means fans all over the house. I don't know if they make a window glass heater for indoor use (like your car rear window).

I’d have to check…most microwave instructions will state what wattage microwave to use. I’d presume they calculate based on a “break room” unit that’s lower in wattage than what one would own for their home use.

Someone did a video on a 20+ year old microwave that was THE BEST at properly reheating food. In short, most companies use a basic method that tends to get it wrong. By the time it thinks your food is sufficiently hot...it's too hot. All you can do is set for a couple minutes on defrost levels (say 3 out of 10) and see what that does. Whose guidelines are you using? I'd not trust what some places put on the packaging for food sold in stores.

Makes me think of that Wings episode where Roy bought a CarBQ.

I don’t know why I even looked. I know the XX isn’t comfortable for me anymore.

I know I considered upgraded speakers…at the time, there wasn’t much in the line of options unless you were able to fabricate your own, better speakers into the OEM wire harness. I’ve relied on relatively inexpensive earbuds and the outside port for long rides, but you’re right…it would be an issue if I kept catching it on something.