Figured I'd give an update of goings on in my abode starting with year 4.
For starters, I am throwing all extra $$$ to the principle of the mortgage so I can hopefully pay this off sooner than the 30 year maturity note.
By and large, doing ok here. I can say I enjoy home ownership. I like fiddling in the yard, trimming the weeds, mowing, cursing moles, chasing rabbits out and tossing Milorganite around. The yard will be an ongoing process, I'm trying to mix rye and Tall Fescue to overseed but it has been a challenge getting the fescue to actually grow. I will see if there is a local ag agency that can test the soil so I can see what it needs. Milorganite is a safe bet, but when I look close at the soil, I can plainly see it is lacking nitrogen. It was crap dirty to begin with and I won't rip it all up and start over but rather try to build up what I have. MIght consider a tri-axle of screen topsoil this year in the late fall to spread around. Not sure on that one yet.
Utility bills are manageable so far.
Starting with the gas, the highest I paid last winter was $92 and that is 100 per cent reflective of heat only, everything else here is electric.
Electric is about 20 per cent higher than when I lived in the condo due mainly to the electric water heater. Still, I am averaging $60/month on the average pay plan with First Energy
Water is same more or less as the condo, perhaps a tad more because I have the hose bib in the garage that gets used to wash down the mower and put a brief bit of water on dry spots on the yard. Same water utility.
Sewer is same, $108 every 90 days. No change there.
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Appliance use/reliablility</span>
Washer and dryer, Speed Queen, 'nuff said. I brought them over from the condo
Fridge, is a contractor grade Lowes sourced Frigidaire that I simply do no like. Yes, it keeps the food fresh but it is impossible to hit the 37/0 temp split. It has wire shelves and it is a noisy beast when running. Also on the defrost cycle, it gets warm enough in the freezer to make my Klondike bars get soft and gooey. Yuk. When it gives up the ghost, I probably won't replace it with another Frigidaire unit.
Range is Whirlpool and a smooth glass top. The oven is sloooow I learned to set the temp about 25 degrees higher than desired temp then wait another 5 minutes after the temp signal beeps then turn it down to desired temp. Not impressed here. Cooktop heats up nicely, keeps a pretty decent even temp when boiling but the glass is a pain in the ass to clean. Anything that gets stuck on regardless of the chemical makeup needs the Affresh cleaner. If I don't spill anything, I can get by with plain glass cleaner, Spray-away is what I use.
Other than that it is reliable and the cleaning feature on the oven is tops. NOthing, I mean nothing is left behind. Just plan on heating up the place about 10 degrees or so when running it.
Dishwasher is a contractor grade Lowes sourced Frigidaire. This has been a pleasant surprise. While it is a noisy thing, when I use the Cascade 16X pods, it cleans very well indeed. The filter is self cleaning but has a removable glass trap. Drying on the other hand is abysmal at best, even with jet Dry. I learned to run it at night and let it sit all night and by the AM, most of the stuff will be dry. No functionality problems here either. I probably won't invest 10 cents to fix anything when it breaks and if it manages to hold up for 5 or more years, I may well replace it with a similar model from Frigidaire.
Goodman furnace. No problems here. It simply does the job and not once did I feel it was undersized or working too hard to keep me warm this winter. I kept it on 68-69 during the day and 63 at night. It is 96 per cent efficient but I shudder to think at the cost of replacing any of the innards when they go bad. Until then I will enjoy the warmth it gives. The HVAC contractor installed the Aprilaire 413 filter rack; they are indeed expensive but since I have banished my tobaccuh habit to the garage, they last a LOT longer than when I puffed away inside.
Goodman 2 ton 13 SEER outdoor unit. No issues here either. I was expecting the start/run cap to give up the ghost as that is a weakness in units these days as they are sourced from China. But the compressor or fan does not labor on startup, even on the hottest days. I had a chap come over and put gauges on it to make sure all was copasetic and the suprheat and subcool were spot on. No issues with the Broad Ocean sourced fan motor, those are easy to replace. I did look up my model on line and surprisingly, it has sealed ball bearings. It has no bells or whistles, it does not communicate with anything except the f8n thermostat. No bluetooth or any other stuff. Pretty straightforward. It runs a fixed .057 flowrator device in lieu of a TXV. When it kicks on, it has to displace the hot air from the attic area but within 3-4 minutes, give or take, cool dry air flows out.
Next is the water heater, a union made Bradford White. No issues here either and I drain it each fall
It is a 50 gal unit ( I have 2 full bathrooms) and so far, I have not run out of hot water no matter what I do laundry or bathing wise. No drama here.
The plumbing fixtures are a mix of Delta, Price Pfister, and Peerless in that order in the master bath, kitchen, and 2nd bathroom. No problems here but the hot handle in the 2nd bath squeaks when I turn it off. No biggie, it doesn't leak so it does not bother me.
The Nutone fans are a five star joke. While rated at 100 CFM I think it is more like 50 CFM. And they are both noisy as hell. The model is 8663RP, sourced from Home Depot. In my first year here, I had one crap out. An email to Nutone and voila, a replacement was on the way. And they told me toss the old power unit as they did not want it back. I cannot run plain jane Edison bulbs in there, even a 60W as they get so effing hot, they pop. So I had to resort to the CFL route, at least those don't blow up from the heat like the others did. I would not recommend this model to anyone unless they like noise.
Carpet in the bedrooms is holding up but suffice it to say in my bedroom, it is already showing signs of compaction and it is getting harder and harder to restore the nap when I vac the place.
The Simonton windows are holding up nicely; the fiberglass screens otoh are not doing so well. Apparently a sparrow can fly into one and break it which is exactly what happened one fine spring day. Thankfully we have a new ACE store that does screen repair and I will be down there soon and have it replaced with friggin aluminum for crying out loud.
Finally the Project Source toilets well.......................ahem, if you do #1 they work. If you do #2, plan on 2-3 flushes to remove the skid marks. Otherwise you'll notice the odor very quickly. Just goes to show that 1.28 gallons simply is not enough to send a US size duke down the drain. And forget about using Charmin duke paper. While it is soft and squeezable, it does not dissolve quickly enough. In fact, it tends to bunch up in a compact ball when flushed and it seems to want to fight the duke for who gets down the trap first. Often Korky the plunger is called to duty. Those are great plungers by the way. Unfortunately, he sees more use than I think he should. So when these porcelain abominations crap out (pardon the pun) I am getting something else. Even if I have to go black market and find a water guzzler!
No drain or plumbing or electrical problems other than my first year here we had a nasty power surge that baked 3 of my AFCI breakers that I had to replace to the tune of $38 a piece! Other than that, nothing. The breaker panel is a copper bus Siemens/Murray and I have lots of empty spaces if I need to add more breakers.
Finally one carp is the tamper resistant outlets. Run a 2 prong electrical device no issues, try a 3 pronger and good luck trying to get that bastard plug to go into the outlet. I got so pissed off I yanked one that was in the garage and ran to HD and got a US made run of the mill Leviton unit so I could plug my bench grinder in without having to resort to war. I don't know if it is code here or not, but screw it, when they conk out or I get jacked at one for refusing to take a 3 prong plug, I'll replace the SOB with a plain jane unit. I'd like to think after 5 decades of living on this rock I know better than to my finger or metal objects in there.......................yeesh.
For starters, I am throwing all extra $$$ to the principle of the mortgage so I can hopefully pay this off sooner than the 30 year maturity note.
By and large, doing ok here. I can say I enjoy home ownership. I like fiddling in the yard, trimming the weeds, mowing, cursing moles, chasing rabbits out and tossing Milorganite around. The yard will be an ongoing process, I'm trying to mix rye and Tall Fescue to overseed but it has been a challenge getting the fescue to actually grow. I will see if there is a local ag agency that can test the soil so I can see what it needs. Milorganite is a safe bet, but when I look close at the soil, I can plainly see it is lacking nitrogen. It was crap dirty to begin with and I won't rip it all up and start over but rather try to build up what I have. MIght consider a tri-axle of screen topsoil this year in the late fall to spread around. Not sure on that one yet.
Utility bills are manageable so far.
Starting with the gas, the highest I paid last winter was $92 and that is 100 per cent reflective of heat only, everything else here is electric.
Electric is about 20 per cent higher than when I lived in the condo due mainly to the electric water heater. Still, I am averaging $60/month on the average pay plan with First Energy
Water is same more or less as the condo, perhaps a tad more because I have the hose bib in the garage that gets used to wash down the mower and put a brief bit of water on dry spots on the yard. Same water utility.
Sewer is same, $108 every 90 days. No change there.
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Appliance use/reliablility</span>
Washer and dryer, Speed Queen, 'nuff said. I brought them over from the condo
Fridge, is a contractor grade Lowes sourced Frigidaire that I simply do no like. Yes, it keeps the food fresh but it is impossible to hit the 37/0 temp split. It has wire shelves and it is a noisy beast when running. Also on the defrost cycle, it gets warm enough in the freezer to make my Klondike bars get soft and gooey. Yuk. When it gives up the ghost, I probably won't replace it with another Frigidaire unit.
Range is Whirlpool and a smooth glass top. The oven is sloooow I learned to set the temp about 25 degrees higher than desired temp then wait another 5 minutes after the temp signal beeps then turn it down to desired temp. Not impressed here. Cooktop heats up nicely, keeps a pretty decent even temp when boiling but the glass is a pain in the ass to clean. Anything that gets stuck on regardless of the chemical makeup needs the Affresh cleaner. If I don't spill anything, I can get by with plain glass cleaner, Spray-away is what I use.
Other than that it is reliable and the cleaning feature on the oven is tops. NOthing, I mean nothing is left behind. Just plan on heating up the place about 10 degrees or so when running it.
Dishwasher is a contractor grade Lowes sourced Frigidaire. This has been a pleasant surprise. While it is a noisy thing, when I use the Cascade 16X pods, it cleans very well indeed. The filter is self cleaning but has a removable glass trap. Drying on the other hand is abysmal at best, even with jet Dry. I learned to run it at night and let it sit all night and by the AM, most of the stuff will be dry. No functionality problems here either. I probably won't invest 10 cents to fix anything when it breaks and if it manages to hold up for 5 or more years, I may well replace it with a similar model from Frigidaire.
Goodman furnace. No problems here. It simply does the job and not once did I feel it was undersized or working too hard to keep me warm this winter. I kept it on 68-69 during the day and 63 at night. It is 96 per cent efficient but I shudder to think at the cost of replacing any of the innards when they go bad. Until then I will enjoy the warmth it gives. The HVAC contractor installed the Aprilaire 413 filter rack; they are indeed expensive but since I have banished my tobaccuh habit to the garage, they last a LOT longer than when I puffed away inside.
Goodman 2 ton 13 SEER outdoor unit. No issues here either. I was expecting the start/run cap to give up the ghost as that is a weakness in units these days as they are sourced from China. But the compressor or fan does not labor on startup, even on the hottest days. I had a chap come over and put gauges on it to make sure all was copasetic and the suprheat and subcool were spot on. No issues with the Broad Ocean sourced fan motor, those are easy to replace. I did look up my model on line and surprisingly, it has sealed ball bearings. It has no bells or whistles, it does not communicate with anything except the f8n thermostat. No bluetooth or any other stuff. Pretty straightforward. It runs a fixed .057 flowrator device in lieu of a TXV. When it kicks on, it has to displace the hot air from the attic area but within 3-4 minutes, give or take, cool dry air flows out.
Next is the water heater, a union made Bradford White. No issues here either and I drain it each fall
It is a 50 gal unit ( I have 2 full bathrooms) and so far, I have not run out of hot water no matter what I do laundry or bathing wise. No drama here.
The plumbing fixtures are a mix of Delta, Price Pfister, and Peerless in that order in the master bath, kitchen, and 2nd bathroom. No problems here but the hot handle in the 2nd bath squeaks when I turn it off. No biggie, it doesn't leak so it does not bother me.
The Nutone fans are a five star joke. While rated at 100 CFM I think it is more like 50 CFM. And they are both noisy as hell. The model is 8663RP, sourced from Home Depot. In my first year here, I had one crap out. An email to Nutone and voila, a replacement was on the way. And they told me toss the old power unit as they did not want it back. I cannot run plain jane Edison bulbs in there, even a 60W as they get so effing hot, they pop. So I had to resort to the CFL route, at least those don't blow up from the heat like the others did. I would not recommend this model to anyone unless they like noise.
Carpet in the bedrooms is holding up but suffice it to say in my bedroom, it is already showing signs of compaction and it is getting harder and harder to restore the nap when I vac the place.
The Simonton windows are holding up nicely; the fiberglass screens otoh are not doing so well. Apparently a sparrow can fly into one and break it which is exactly what happened one fine spring day. Thankfully we have a new ACE store that does screen repair and I will be down there soon and have it replaced with friggin aluminum for crying out loud.
Finally the Project Source toilets well.......................ahem, if you do #1 they work. If you do #2, plan on 2-3 flushes to remove the skid marks. Otherwise you'll notice the odor very quickly. Just goes to show that 1.28 gallons simply is not enough to send a US size duke down the drain. And forget about using Charmin duke paper. While it is soft and squeezable, it does not dissolve quickly enough. In fact, it tends to bunch up in a compact ball when flushed and it seems to want to fight the duke for who gets down the trap first. Often Korky the plunger is called to duty. Those are great plungers by the way. Unfortunately, he sees more use than I think he should. So when these porcelain abominations crap out (pardon the pun) I am getting something else. Even if I have to go black market and find a water guzzler!
No drain or plumbing or electrical problems other than my first year here we had a nasty power surge that baked 3 of my AFCI breakers that I had to replace to the tune of $38 a piece! Other than that, nothing. The breaker panel is a copper bus Siemens/Murray and I have lots of empty spaces if I need to add more breakers.
Finally one carp is the tamper resistant outlets. Run a 2 prong electrical device no issues, try a 3 pronger and good luck trying to get that bastard plug to go into the outlet. I got so pissed off I yanked one that was in the garage and ran to HD and got a US made run of the mill Leviton unit so I could plug my bench grinder in without having to resort to war. I don't know if it is code here or not, but screw it, when they conk out or I get jacked at one for refusing to take a 3 prong plug, I'll replace the SOB with a plain jane unit. I'd like to think after 5 decades of living on this rock I know better than to my finger or metal objects in there.......................yeesh.
