Search found 94 matches

by NCPE
Thu Feb 29, 2024 4:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mini Excavator Question: CAT vs Kubota
Replies: 25
Views: 2652

Re: Mini Excavator Question: CAT vs Kubota

As said above unless you have 8 acres of very small sapling size trees to remove the machines you are looking at are going to be undersized.

I highly recommend that you rent a mini ex the size you are looking at and try it for a few days to see if it can handle the tasks you are wanting to do before shelling out the $$$.
by NCPE
Sat Sep 09, 2023 7:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pros and Cons of "Do Not Resuscitate"
Replies: 209
Views: 49756

Re: Pros and Cons of "Do Not Resuscitate"

As an Emergency Medical Technician for 40+ years make sure your family and/or caregivers are familiar with the requirements for a DNR in your state. Many times we arrive at a residence and the family states the patient has a DNR but either cannot provide the original signed copy or it has expired. Without a valid DNR in hand we must initiate life saving measures per state medical guidelines.

NCPE
by NCPE
Sat Aug 12, 2023 8:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gravel or concrete driveway, out in the country??
Replies: 45
Views: 3906

Re: Gravel or concrete driveway, out in the country??

We have a similar drive way, I budget for a load of washed gravel each year (~$550 this year) and do my own maintenance 1 - 2 times a month with a land grader that fits behind the tractor. Your prices for asphalt and concrete seem low based on some quotes I got about 10 years ago, a large portion of the quotes were for preparation and grading of our existing driveway to make a good base for the new asphalt / concrete. We wound up staying with gravel.
by NCPE
Sun Jun 25, 2023 6:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [Looking for a durable] Mattress
Replies: 4
Views: 445

Re: Mattress

+1 for the Casper mattress from Costco.
Bought one in January when they had them on sale and so far we love the mattress. Time will tell on durability.
by NCPE
Tue Jun 13, 2023 3:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do I need to pay tax on purchase of used item on Facebook marketplace?
Replies: 13
Views: 1576

Re: Do I need to pay tax on purchase of used item on Facebook marketplace?

Depends on the state you reside in if used items are taxed.
If eBay is applying tax then you are more than likely in a state that collects sales tax on used items.
by NCPE
Mon Mar 13, 2023 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: $3000 mattress worth it?
Replies: 97
Views: 10693

Re: $3000 mattress worth it?

In true Boglehead fashion we did the required internet searching, numerous store visits and after several months of consideration we purchased a Casper from Costco for somewhere around $650.00 last year.

No complaints and we have been very happy with the sleep quality.
by NCPE
Sun Dec 25, 2022 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alarm system panel for existing home
Replies: 12
Views: 1006

Re: Alarm system panel for existing home

If you need to be wired I would look at a DSC Alarm system, it has capability for both wired and wireless sensors. I would strongly recommend that the alarm smoke detectors be in addition to the ones required by the building code. (You can never have too many smoke alarms as long as they are installed in the proper locations).

If you do choose a DSC panel I would also add the NEXX alarm interface, it gives you pretty much full control / monitoring from your cell phone. Only caveat is the NEXX interface will not work with a Mesh Wifi system.
by NCPE
Tue Sep 13, 2022 4:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone use a car dash camera???
Replies: 32
Views: 4387

Re: Anyone use a car dash camera???

We have one in every vehicle, different brands in each one but I seem to like the Garmin that I bought a couple of years ago. We suffered a rear end collision at a traffic light about a month ago, the local police department doesn't write tickets for "minor" traffic accidents, and you are pretty much on your own to fight it out with the other insurance driver's company.

The video footage from the camera was priceless, the details that the other driver provided to his insurance company were not even close to reality. I downloaded the video from the camera and sent it to his insurance company and they accepted full responsibility within hours. Now just waiting on body parts to repair the damage :annoyed
by NCPE
Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hit by drunk driver
Replies: 32
Views: 4965

Re: Hit by drunk driver

First of all glad that you were not seriously injured and hope the other driver has insurance on his vehicle. A few suggestions: As soon as you get the other driver's insurance information file a claim with their insurance. Immediately request a rental vehicle comparable to your Lexus. More than likely your vehicle was towed and is at the wrecker's storage lot and they are charging a daily storage fee, the insurance company will quickly request to have the car moved to their storage lot keep from paying the storage fee. I have used this storage fee as a bargaining tool and made them hold it at the wrecker yard until the insurance company totals the vehicle or they have it scheduled to be repaired Given that the vehicle is brand new you are ...
by NCPE
Tue Aug 23, 2022 7:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best MagicJack Alternatives ?
Replies: 21
Views: 2968

Re: Best MagicJack Alternatives ?

Another +1 for OOMA. Very pleased with the call quality and features.

NCPE
by NCPE
Sat Aug 20, 2022 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Crawl Space Moisture-Real or Scam
Replies: 15
Views: 2896

Re: Crawl Space Moisture-Real or Scam

Probably not a rush to get this done, I would talk with your friends / neighbors and see if they have any recommendations regarding reputable local basement waterproofing companies. Current NC Building code requires: A minimum of 6-mil vapor retarder over the exposed ground in the crawl space with the plastic sheets lapped over at least 12 inches A sump pump or a gravity drain to the outside. Some means of moisture removal from the air (Exhaust fan or dehumidifier) One way to eliminate the fly by night contractors is to require that the contractor pull a permit for the work with the County Building Inspections office. The cost of the permit will add a couple hundred dollars to the price of the work but will ensure that the Contractor is lic...
by NCPE
Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Well and Septic Maintenance
Replies: 48
Views: 4178

Re: Well and Septic Maintenance

Congratulations on moving from an urban area to a rural area. Your local (county) health department might be a good place to start for basic information. Some general suggestions from the state of Ohio on septic system care: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-07/documents/septicsmart_week_flyer_082415_508-v2.pdf There are many types of septic systems and the main thing to remember is to have the solids pumped from the tank every 4 years or so. Cost to do this very widely depending on how much work has to be done to access the tank. I live in a LCOL area, my tank has access risers and the truck can back right up to it and it cost me $150 a couple of years ago to have it pumped. Other than routine pumping your septic system should l...
by NCPE
Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Central Air Conditioner Repair Parts
Replies: 37
Views: 2476

Re: Central Air Conditioner Repair Parts

$309 may be the going rate if you live in a HCOL area.

Long story short I am the family DIY'er / repair guy and was out of town when the SIL's central AC unit stopped cooling last week. I recommended a local independent A/C service company, the were on site within 24 hours, did a service check on the unit, replaced the bad capacitor and charged her $140.00 which to me was more than reasonable.

If you don't feel comfortable swapping the capacitor pay the $$$ for someone else to do it.

NCPE
by NCPE
Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help cutting the cord (landline)
Replies: 35
Views: 4303

Re: Help cutting the cord (landline)

Another + for OOMA, have been very pleased with them, also a + for Consumer Cellular, we have had excellent service from them. Give Consumer Cellular a call, they should be able to assist with porting your landline number to a cell phone.

Also check with your cell carrier and see if they offer a wireless home phone adapter, Verizon has them and the monthly rates were fairly reasonable monthly rate

NCPE
by NCPE
Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lexus door lock actuator
Replies: 4
Views: 1308

Re: Lexus door lock actuator

Apparently a very common problem with Lexus, had to replace all lock actuators on the daughter's 2008 RX350 and 1 so far on the daughter in law's 2013 RX350. Rock Auto has the lock assembly for anywhere $30 - $150 depending on who's branding is on the replacement assembly.

It doesn't sound like this applies to your situation but if your battery has went dead or has been replaced recently there is a strange reset procedure to enable the driver's switch panel to control the passenger side windows / locks. Had to do it one time with the daughter's RX350 but can't remember the steps needed.

If you need to replace the lock assembly, it is not too difficult if you take your time after watching a few of the YouTube videos.
by NCPE
Wed Jun 08, 2022 4:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Cell Phone Plan for Senior Citizen (Voice only, no data plan)
Replies: 17
Views: 1561

Re: Best Cell Phone Plan for Senior Citizen (Voice only, no data plan)

We have had excellent service from Consumer Cellular, 94 yo father in law has one of their "flip phones" on ATT, works great and the bill is a little under $19.00 for voice & texting (no data)
by NCPE
Thu Mar 24, 2022 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Well Water + Septic: Order of Operations + 'Expert' Engagement
Replies: 20
Views: 1613

Re: Well Water + Septic: Order of Operations + 'Expert' Engagement

General Comments: Purchase the land only if it has been approved by the authority having jurisdiction for construction of a septic system that will support the number of bedrooms that you are planning to have in the structure. Here in NC the local health department does this approval and it runs $200 - $500 depending on the size of the system. Septic system cost will depend on the type of system the health department approves but it won't be cheap. Rough guess on cost would be $5K - 15K. Local health department regulations will also determine how close you can drill the well to the septic system, typically at least a hundred feet away from the septic leach field. As far as well drilling contact a few of the local well drillers and see how h...
by NCPE
Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165419

Re: police fund phone calls?

Probably a less than honorable paid fundraising mill. Several years ago I received a solicitation call from someone claiming to be a member of the local County Volunteer Firefighter's Assocation requesting a donation in exchange for some concert tickets. The conversation went south rather quickly when I informed the gentleman on the phone that I was a local Fire Chief, the Vice President of the Association he claimed to represent, we weren't doing any phone solicitations and that his name was not on our member roster. After several minutes of heated conversation the solicitor finally admitted he worked for an out of state fundraising company hired by the local Paramedic's Union to raise money for the Union Chapter and had no association wit...
by NCPE
Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lubricating Furnace Blower
Replies: 9
Views: 1300

Re: Lubricating Furnace Blower

The oiling cups should be located at either end of the blower motor. They will be on the top over the bearings and usually have a spring loaded cover or a plastic cap on them.
by NCPE
Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unresponsive Estate executors
Replies: 108
Views: 9181

Re: Unresponsive Estate executors

Before you lawyer up it might be beneficial to make a visit to whoever is the official in charge of the estates where the will was probated and explain the situation - in North Carolina it is the local County Clerk of Court.

I am really surprised that the authority having jurisdiction would be allowed the estate to be left unsettled this long.

NCPE
by NCPE
Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Liabilities for hiring help (gutter cleaning)
Replies: 6
Views: 1333

Re: Liabilities for hiring help (gutter cleaning)

I always ask for proof of Contractor's Liability Insurance and Worker's Compensation Insurance. I request a copy of their current certificates and then call the agency that issued the policy to confirm the policies are in effect.

This very quickly weeds out the fly by night guys.

NCPE
by NCPE
Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Replacing an electric panel
Replies: 73
Views: 8226

Re: Replacing an electric panel

Been a while but the cost ~ 10 years ago to have an electrician pull a permit and replace a 1960 vintage fuse panel with a 200 amp Square D breaker panel was just shy of $800.00 in a LCOL area. With the new codes requiring GFCI and Arc fault breakers I would guess current day prices would be at least $1,200 - $1,400 for the same work.

NCPE
by NCPE
Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Passport renewal time - what’s the current time frame?
Replies: 203
Views: 31043

Re: Passport renewal time - what’s the current time frame?

Just another data point (non expedited service)-

Passport received in Philadelphia on 06/26/2021
"In process" as of 07/21/2021

Issue date TBD.


NCPE
by NCPE
Wed May 26, 2021 8:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Contractors insurance, what should I ask to see?
Replies: 5
Views: 615

Re: Contractors insurance, what should I ask to see?

Proof of Contractor's Liability Insurance and Worker's Compensation Insurance. I request a copy of their current certificates and then call the agency that issued the policy to confirm the policies are in effect.

This quickly weeds out the fly by night guys.
by NCPE
Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to handle executing a will? [Georgia]
Replies: 24
Views: 2075

Re: How to handle executing a will?

First off sorry for your loss of a parent. I am not familiar with Georgia but here is a link to their information: https://georgiacourts.gov/probate/georgia-probate-court-recommended-forms-and-general-instructions/ You can do it yourself or hire an estate attorney to handle the paperwork. My sister and I were co-executors here in NC for both parents and handled the process ourselves. The local Clerk of Court's office is who we had to deal with and they were very helpful in providing guidance on the process. If my memory is correct we took the death certificate and will to the Clerk's office and were sworn in as executors and the Clerk's office issued us letters of testamentary which gave us the legal power to administer the estate. We then ...
by NCPE
Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best 4 wheel drive vehicle
Replies: 75
Views: 8076

Re: Best 4 wheel drive vehicle

Regardless of which vehicle you choose when you drive on the sand be sure to lower the air pressure in your tires for maximum traction.

Speaking from 30+ years of driving on the sand beaches of the NC Outer Banks.

NCPE
by NCPE
Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hire a contractor without worker's comp insurance if it's a family business?
Replies: 15
Views: 1816

Re: Hire a contractor without worker's comp insurance if it's a family business?

The first thing I ask for before any contractor steps on my property is a copy of their worker's compensation and liability insurance along with the name of the issuing agency so I can verify that it is up to date. I have heard every type of excuse you can imagine but it quickly separates the professionals from the fly by night types.
by NCPE
Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Smoke Detector Help - 5 chirps
Replies: 28
Views: 9735

Re: Smoke Detector Help - 5 chirps

Typically the 5 chirps means the smoke detector has reached the end of its life (Usually 10 years).
Check the manufacture date on the smoke detector, if it is any where close to the 10 year mark in is time to be replaced.

If I read your post correctly you have replaced the chirping detector with a new one and the new one still chirps then I would suspect that the AC wiring supplying power to that particular detector may be suspect.

NCPE
by NCPE
Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Typical Lifespan of Generac Propane-Powered, Standby Generator
Replies: 46
Views: 7112

Re: Typical Lifespan of Generac Propane-Powered, Standby Generator

The air cooled engines (Honda, Kohler, Generac, Briggs & Stratton, etc) used in your typical home back up generator run at 3,600 rpm in order to generate electricity at the proper frequency and should be good for 2000+ hours if maintained properly.

If you are looking for longer life move up to the next level of generators and spend more $$$ upfront and get a water cooled engine that runs at 1800 rpm.

NCPE
by NCPE
Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Radio Frequency Interference Issue
Replies: 25
Views: 2308

Re: Radio Frequency Interference Issue

I concur with David Jay and Vitaflo on with their responses, given that you are having a problem and your neighbors are not it is probably in your system. It is unusual that you can hear the radio station with nothing connected to the system, unless you have speakers that have a built in amplifiers. The ferrites should help, but you also may have a loose wire that is allowing the speaker wiring to be come an antenna. If the interference is present all the time it will be easier to trouble shoot that if it is intermittent. The system installer should be able to help and determine what can be done to mitigate the RFI. If you have a local amateur radio (Ham) club they may have someone that can assist determining the cause of the interference. ...
by NCPE
Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to find a nimh rechargeable replacement battery.
Replies: 13
Views: 1329

Re: Best place to find a nimh rechargeable replacement battery.

Your local Hobby or R/C shop should be able to fill your needs, or you can have one custom built by Digikey. Looks like it would run you ~ $15.00 plus shipping

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/fil ... p7F7WKiokA:

NCPE
by NCPE
Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Contractor license and City permit
Replies: 10
Views: 1076

Re: Contractor license and City permit

Not sure if a permit is required given the description of the work involved but I highly recommend that you require proof of business liability and worker's compensation insurance from the prospective contractor and to contact the issuing agency / agent to verify that the insurance is up to date.

From my experience this quickly weeds out the fly by night contractors / part time guys and covers you in case something goes wrong during the project. If the "contractor" doesn't have insurance then you and your insurance company are responsible for any damages / injuries that occur on your property.

NCPE
by NCPE
Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?
Replies: 139
Views: 13078

Re: What Kind of Generator Do you Use for your Home Backup?

Never could justify the expense of a whole house generator so we have a trailer mounted gasoline fueled Miller Bobcat Welder / Generator that puts out 9.5 KW continuous, which is enough to run the entire house other than the A/C compressors. 99% of the time the Bobcat spends its life happily welding up broken equipment around the farm, the other 1% of the time it gets plugged into the transfer panel and runs the house when the power is off.

NCPE
by NCPE
Thu Jan 07, 2021 6:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommend a free business checking account
Replies: 11
Views: 1352

Re: Recommend a free business checking account

First National Bank of Pennsylvania (Brick and Mortar Bank with offices mainly on the East Coast) offers a free business account, but I am pretty sure that you must truly be set up as a business with a Taxpayer ID number instead of a social security number to get it established.

As others have said - why not just set it up a new personal account if you are 1099 contractor?

NCPE
by NCPE
Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Has anyone swapped a Taco Circ Cartridge?
Replies: 3
Views: 444

Re: Has anyone swapped a Taco Circ Cartridge?

If you have water cut off valves on either side of the pump it is very simple -

turn off power to pump
close both valves
remove the 4 bolts
pull cartridge out of
replace with new cartridge and new o ring

It helps to have someone to hold the pump housing while you are popping the cartridge out.

Just my experience but the plastic used in the Taco impellers degrades over time, if your pump is like mine the impeller will be broken loose from the motor.
by NCPE
Sat Jul 11, 2020 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will my credit card be cancelled?
Replies: 16
Views: 2118

Re: Will my credit card be cancelled?

From our experience you won't get cancelled provided you do all the paperwork / phone calls with the CC issuer to confirm they were fraudulent charges. We have several cards, and there appears to be no rhyme or reason on how they get hacked. Seems like every couple of years (some times more often) we have to get a new card number issued due to some one making an unauthorized charge. We keep a Fidelity card as a back up that has never been use for any on line transactions and it has been hacked a couple of times. +1 for setting up alerts, I have a text alert / email alert any time when there is a charge made where the card is not present. An minor annoyance but it has allowed me to catch unauthorized charges and report them in a timely manne...
by NCPE
Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 1st Car Purchase - Volvo XC90 vs. Lexus RX350
Replies: 70
Views: 8129

Re: 1st Car Purchase - Volvo XC90 vs. Lexus RX350

For reliability hands down go with the Lexus, have a RX350 in the driveway with 200,000+ miles and wouldn't be afraid to drive it across the country.
We drove Volvo 240's for years until they stopped making them, bought an XC70 and that was the worst car I have ever owned for reliability.

NCPE
by NCPE
Wed Jun 10, 2020 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Exterior Water Service Line Coverage
Replies: 29
Views: 2987

Re: Exterior Water Service Line Coverage

When we were on a municipal water system years ago we got the yearly solicitations you describe, but our house was about 10 years old and the water line was black polyethylene pipe (much more resistant to failure than the white PVC pipe) and it was only about 30 feet from the meter to the cut off valve inside the basement. I always threw the offers in the trash and we never had a problem.

Chances of a water line failing are very rare, and unless you have an old line, covered by pavement / concrete / trees / expensive ornamentals I would probably decline. If you do decide to go with the "insurance" I would carefully read what the policy will cover or most importantly not cover. As always the devil is in the details.

NCPE
by NCPE
Tue May 26, 2020 4:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: does anyone have a subscription to youtube tv?
Replies: 118
Views: 10577

Re: does anyone have a subscription to youtube tv?

Switched in December when DirectTV raised their rates (again :annoyed ).

Overall very pleased, at $49.99 plus tax it saved us about $75.00 / month and the ability to have 3 users works well with our household. The DVR feature works great also. We are running ROKUs on all the TVS with no issues.

We will never go back to cable or one of the satellite providers.
by NCPE
Sat May 16, 2020 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tire shop returned my van with a broken part!
Replies: 27
Views: 2269

Re: Tire shop returned my van with a broken part!

Some comments: Tire winches have been on vehicles for at least 30 years, and are pretty much trouble free other than the cable rusting in half or road grime / road salt locking up the mechanisms. Any competent tire mechanic should be able to quickly look at the winch and diagnose any issues. I'm guessing that the cable is backlashed on the winch drum and jammed up. Shouldn't take much to fix it. A complete new aftermarket replacement winch should run $50 - $100 depending on the model of the vehicle. The tire industry no longer approves of plugging a tire from the outside and recommends using an internal patch. In order to patch the tire it must be removed from the rim and must be rebalanced when it is put back on the rim. The tire dealer sh...
by NCPE
Sat May 09, 2020 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where should I go for extended warranty on my Toyota?
Replies: 35
Views: 3121

Re: Where should I go for extended warranty on my Toyota?

Kenkat wrote: Sat May 09, 2020 8:27 pm I have a 2005 Camry, a hand me down to my son, with 140k mileage. In 15 years, total non-maintenance repairs were two rear power window regulator/motor assemblies and an exhaust manifold leak. About $1000 total for the three repairs. I’d skip the extended warranty.
Pretty much our experience with a 2007 Lexus RX350 (made by Toyota) that we bought used in 2009. Other than normal maintenance we had a coil pack, a window regulator and 2 door locks go bad. Vehicle just turned 200,000 miles and should be good for another 100,000 miles.

NCPE
by NCPE
Sat May 09, 2020 8:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where should I go for extended warranty on my Toyota?
Replies: 35
Views: 3121

Re: Where should I go for extended warranty on my Toyota?

Disclaimer - I am not a fan of extended warranties, when you read the fine print there are too many loop holes. We typically buy 3 - 4 year old vehicles with good maintenance history and then put 300,000 or so miles on them before donating them to charity or sending them to the crusher. Anyway earlier this year we purchased a 2017 Toyota Tacoma "Certified Pre-Owned" that included a 7 year / 100,000 mile extended warranty. I tried to get the extended warranty dropped in exchange for a decrease in the purchase price but was told it was part of the certified package. When I filtered through all the paperwork the warranty is not directly from Toyota but is from "Fidelity Warranty Services, Inc". Might want to check with Fide...
by NCPE
Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: wide lace up work boots
Replies: 8
Views: 810

Re: wide lace up work boots

+ 1 for Red Wing. I also have a 4E size foot and they have always been able to get a safety shoe or boot to fit my foot like a glove.


NCPE
by NCPE
Thu Jan 23, 2020 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need help to repair a 1975 Maytag dryer Need some folks that are dryer pro's here
Replies: 11
Views: 1122

Re: Need help to repair a 1975 Maytag dryer Need some folks that are dryer pro's here

Wow - That is an old Maytag.

Your best option would be to find the model number and check the online parts houses to see if they have an exploded parts diagram available for your model. Just off the top of my head www.repairclinic.com might be a good starting point. Not sure about the back of the fan, normally the fan slides up on the motor shaft and is held on the shaft by a circlip or a compression band.

The felt is usually a replaceable part but given the that your dryer is 45 years old it is probably long past being supported by Maytag.
by NCPE
Fri Dec 20, 2019 2:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [Anyone drop cable for YouTube TV?]
Replies: 139
Views: 17227

Re: [Anyone drop cable for YouTube TV?]

As they say "great minds must think alike".

We had been looking at alternatives to DirectTV, received their price increase notification letter last Saturday, switched to YTTV on Monday and cancelled DirectTV yesterday. So far very pleased with YTTV, the ROKU devices are much more user friendly than the built in app on our LG smart television. Total savings will be about $80.00 / month.
by NCPE
Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?
Replies: 73
Views: 9062

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

You might have needed an oil pan gasket but you should have noticed a large puddle of oil under the car in your garage.

The DW took her Honda CRV to the stealership for maintenance while it was under warranty since it was "included" in the purchase price (she also liked the free coffee :? ). As the car started to approach the end of the free maintenance period they became more and more aggressive at "upselling" services that were questionable at best.

Find a local mechanic you can trust and avoid the stealership and you will be better off.
by NCPE
Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Starting A New Busines
Replies: 23
Views: 2443

Re: Starting A New Busines

I would recommend a separate credit card to keep the business and personal expenses separate, and to look at Microsoft Money Plus as a accounting software package. (It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of QuickBooks but it is free :happy )

Good luck with your future endeavors !!!

NCPE
by NCPE
Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What is the official bogleheads home fire extinguisher?
Replies: 52
Views: 3454

Re: What is the official bogleheads home fire extinguisher?

Look for an ABC rated extinguisher with a metal head, should run you around $30 -$35 each at a big box type store.

Remember P-A-S-S

Pull the lock pin
Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire
Squeeze the handle
Sweep side to side at the base of the fire
by NCPE
Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dash Cams [want recommendations]
Replies: 22
Views: 2871

Re: Dash Cams [want recommendations]

I installed low end Transcend Drive-Pro models in all our vehicles a couple of years ago after one of the daughter was run off the road by another motorist. Long story short the other driver initially admitted fault but as soon as the police department arrived she changed her story. Police Officer refused to file any charges and let the insurance companies fight it out. If we had a Dash Cam in the vehicle it would have been a much easier fight with the insurance company.

I hope we never need the Dash Cam video but I think the expenditure will be justified if we are ever in another accident.
by NCPE
Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who cuts your hair? And for how much?
Replies: 153
Views: 14775

Re: Who cuts your hair? And for how much?

Get mine cut every 3 weeks, $14 plus a $3 tip. Same barber for last 35 years, one man shop (think of Floyd's Barber Shop in Mayberry). Able to catch up on all the local news / politics / etc. for the price of a haircut. He used to take walk ins but now everything is by appointment which works great for me.

NCPE