I can’t remember the details, but I think there are privacy concerns with the products like Ring. I started doing some casual research a few months ago into a true DIY IP camera system using something like a Raspberry Pi that doesn’t phone home to some corporate server. There are enough forum posts about setting one up that it seems pretty doable. When I finally give in to my wife’s demands for a security system, I’ll probably go the full DIY route.
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My brother has ring so I have experience by proximity. It’s pretty cool to see him be able to track a delivery person on his Dallas property while he is in Virginia, for example. So, as a security tool, seems legit. I’ve read that Ring shares video data with local PDs, which is uncool for me since I’m an over-the-top privacy freak, but some folks may be completely on board with that (My brother is completely fine with it) so YMMV. But again, as far as I’ve experienced, Ring does announce and display people on your property within it’s visual tracking limits.
Slightly OT, but seems like folks in this thread will know.
I recently purchased a home, my first. It is an old farm house and of course needs work–some things small, others not. … I closed approximately two weeks ago, and recently was contacted by the homeowners insurance company. Basically, the underwriting company had a look at the place and has come up with a list of fixes they say must be made.
I think I have one month, and then they cancel the insurance policy. The insurance company basically said if that happens, they will look for a new underwriter.
Is this normal?
recommendations are the front steps lack handrails, and the front porch has deteriorated floor boards and ceiling. The steps and the walkway at the right are uneven and create an increased liability hazard. There are tree limbs overhanging and touching the dwelling that require trimming. There is an outbuilding with vegetation and trees overgrown. The steps at the left side lack handrails. There is a broken window at the right side. There are downspouts that should have connectors/diverters. There is damaged facia at the rear of the home.
El Sapo, that situation seems really bizarre to me. I don’t understand how this wasn’t resolved prior to purchase, but unfortunately I don’t have any advice to offer.
I actually stopped into this thread because I’m closing on a house next Friday and will be a first time homeowner (past two years in a rented townhome and the prior 10 years in a high rise condo). Any and all new homeowner and/or moving tips and tricks are welcome.
Jump on renovations/redecorating/updating projects early. If you want/need to redo the bathroom, don’t say “I’ll wait and do it with the kitchen.”
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I think I need to make some holes in a ceiling to run speaker wire. Wireless systems all still suck, right? The home audio system is on the main level, finished basement below. I’ve seen YT videos for patching drywall and it seems to be in my technical range but I’m worried about the art of making it look perfect. The basement ceiling is just plain white but I’ve never worked with drywall. Someone convince me it’s safe to go ahead and start making holes.
It’s hard to make it perfect, but it’s easy to not care.
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Wiring up whole-house audio seems very last century. The millions of miles of unused speaker wire buried in walls and ceilings out there makes me think it’s pretty much always a bad idea.
You’re gonna spend literally days trying to float out drywall patches correctly and it still won’t look right. You’re also going to cover your entire basement in fine white dust.
I have a relatively cheap Vizio wireless surround system in my basement office/beer room and I’ve been impressed by how good it sounds. I think this is it (I bought mine from Costco):
https://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-SmartCast-Wireless-Soundbar-System/dp/B0727XPHKF
If I were getting one for my main room, I’d get either an upgraded version that Wirecutter recommends:
or I’d just put together a Sonos package. (We have a Sonos soundbar and subwoofer in our family room that we love, and some assorted Sonos wireless bookshelf speakers around the house that we also love, but we haven’t used the bookshelf speakers as surround speakers in the family room.)
I’m just a random guy who’s scared of making holes in his house, but there’s no way I’d choose wired over wireless if I were buying now.
Feel the same about wired but I’m completely deaf in one ear so I’m not exactly an audiophile. We have a couple of the sonos speakers placed throughout the house, I like them
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If you’re a hardcore audio snob you probably don’t run multi-room systems. It’s like the most expensive and involved option to get mediocre results.
Thanks for the suggestions. I already have a wired system (from the last century, yes) so I was trying to make use of it. I also realized that a possible drilling location sits right above a wide ceiling light so I took that down and plan to go in there. I’ll patch it as best I can but it’s getting covered by the light either way. The wall plate is going to have to go towards the side of the wall so it’s not ideal but it’s fine.
Not sure where this belongs tbh.
Calling @microbet or anyone else who might be able to help…
I really want to pull the trigger on an electric truck that has finally arrived in Uruguay. I deliver organic fruit and veg once a week in the city. Total km on my route = 160ish km.
Range on truck is 120km (probably 100km when loaded/it’s cold etc).
If I install solar panels can I extend the range sufficiently?!
What numbers do you need from me to help with the calcs?
Assume I know nothing about solar (I don’t)
Truck batteries are lead, 72V 150Ah.
4kw, charge time 8-10hs!!
Eta: there ia little to no infrastructure here for EVs/charging etc.
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Is it as simple as:
To increase range by 50%
I need to generate 4kw/2 = 2kw during my 10hr delivery day??
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Is this a new truck? With lead batteries?
You say 72V and 150Ah. I presume that’s (6) 12v 150Ah batteries in series? That’s 10800 watt-hours. Most lead batteries shouldn’t discharge more than 50%, so that’s 5400 watt-hours of energy.
You say “4kw, charge time 8-10 hours!!” I’m not sure what that means. 8-10 hours of 4kw of power would be like 40000 watt-hours of energy. 8-10 hours to add 4kwh to your battery just tells me something about your charger.
Your range is 100km on I guess 5400 watt-hours, so that’s 54 watt-hours per km. That’s like 87 watt-hours per mile. That’s kinda too good to be true. Electric cars are generally 200-300 watt-hours per mile. Is this a tiny truck? Maybe I have the battery capacity wrong? Are there (12) 12v batteries with 2 strings of 6 in parallel?
I have mentioned this before, but I converted a VW squareback to electric with a friend. He got bought me out and later put a huge rack with like 5 solar panels on it. He commuted across LA with it and never charged it except via solar panels. The amount of sitting in the sun was enough to charge it for his ~30 mile drive. But it was a huge rack - like a bumper to bumper rectangle of solar panels.
If you have any specs on the truck, make/model, whatever, you should post it/them.
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Thanks man! Yes, it’s a tiny truck…hilariously so, but it represents basically the only thing viable on the market here right now.
Apparently they’ve sold a few in the US:
https://electrek.co/2019/01/29/pickman-electric-pickup-truck/amp/
I have some poor quality photos of the brochure here, in spanish ldo. Monday the containers arrive with the first arrivals, Tuesday I should be checking one out.
Top speed 45km/h!
3 (o maybe 4) hp
Aces.
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Ok, that’s some good info. They say 7.2 kwh battery and given the info you gave me, I’m going to assume that’s 7kwh of usable energy. So 70 watt-hours per km using 100 km range (probably fair because it’ll probably be much lower than the 121km when it’s loaded). So you need to get an extra 4000 or so watt-hours into those batteries in 10 hours or 400 watt-hours on average each hour.
You’re not always going to be in the sun, you’re almost never going to have the panels pointed straight at the sun, so, I’m thinking you need like 800 watts of solar. You can get 400w panels and they are about 1 meter by 2 meters. This truck is 3.2m by 1.2m, so you’re almost there area wise. You’d have to have a rack that covered the whole truck. (there are a lot of options for panels, shapes, so maybe 3 smaller panels cover better). The rack will hurt your efficiency a bit, but not a lot at those speeds.
You might look into adding some batteries to the truck and just putting the solar at your house? Or maybe add some batteries and like 400 watts of solar or 600 watts so you don’t have to have a rack that sticks out past the outline of the truck?
Also, if it’s like totally cloudy/raining, this is just not going to work unless you have more more solar and/or batteries, a generator, something.
Since it’s a brand new truck, I’d think you’d want to keep the jerry rigged electrical separate from the truck’s electrical. Add a couple/few batteries, the rack with solar, a charge controller/inverter, use the solar to charge your added batteries and charge the truck off the inverter. It may have some mechanism so that it can’t be driven and charged at the same time. You might have to get around that.
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Great, thanks. Yeah, I thought maybe I could just lugg around 6 extra batteries and have a decent solar set up on the farm.
Dunno if it’s gonna be doable sadly, I need to be able to jump in and out of the truck bed it at each stop…could adapt it and put an insulated type box on the bed maybe? Furgon they call it here…no idea in english. More weight though.
Eta voila:
If the batteries were lithium it’d probably do what you need. It’d cost more in the short run, but lithium batteries aren’t really more expensive when you figure how much longer they last and that you can discharge them much deeper.
If this doesn’t work out we can do a conversion when I get down there.
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Dude, they’re building that wall to keep y’all in!
Gonna go see the truck Tuesday anyway, heart says yes, head says no. Really appreciate your input.
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