[ucodegen]

[quote=flu] I am contemplating a BRZ since the days of Qualcomm Stadium are numbered and track day is best with a real roof and rollbar. Some guy I know rolled his RS4 on track, and that convinced me not to do this in an open car. Plus I figure if I get one now, it becomes my kid’s beater in 6-7 years :)[/quote]

Rolling a RS4? How did he manage to do that? Dip + corner? The track is also best with a car you really don’t care that much about… (or at least the external appearance)

[ucodegen]

[quote=spdrun]WRX is an understeering, front-heavy pile of porcine detritus. BRZ please, k’thx.[/quote]
Only once they get the AWD that has been intermittently proposed. WRX’s weight balace is 60/40, not good but not too bad. BRZ’s 53/47. The heavy nose is not too good for long drifting corners, but is more useful on sharp corners that you would see on an ‘autocross’ type meet at the Q parking lot. Only thing is, would the AWD on the BRZ change the weight balance to be like the WRX’s.. You would need to add a transfer case + front drive shaft + front diff.

[ucodegen]

[quote=flu]I might need to purchase a miata earlier than I thought… Mazda may not survive…

https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2017-01-24/subaru-will-overtake-mazda-on-trump-s-trade-track%5B/quote%5D
What about buying Subaru. Mod a WRX and use it on the track? (oops – don’t completely know about Qualcomm now – with the latest soccer proposal)

[ucodegen]

[quote=no_such_reality]
So is my real choice I get to decide if I’m gaslighted by the Trump organization or get gaslighted by the media?

BTW, welcome to 1984.

Or is it Animal Farm?[/quote]
What about a little bit of “Network”?

I’m trying to remember the name of the TV show or movie that takes the position of paid for announcers that don’t know s**t about news, history, etc displacing the knowledgeable journalists just because they look better on TV. It culminates with one of the pretty announcers reading copy w/o thinking, saying that a certain person recently committed a criminal act (don’t remember what). Turns out that ‘person’ has been long dead and has long been represented by a local monument – I think the name of so call person was Juan Cabrillo.

Found it: It was a made for TV movie called “News at Eleven”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091624/

Go down to User reviews. The summary review at the top is too vague.

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]But one should be connected enough to know that TPP does not include China. It was America’s attempt at leadership in the Pacific to exclude China. I would say that 98% of Trumpadors don’t know and don’t care but still opposed TPP.[/quote]
But it does include Mexico.

[ucodegen]

[quote=flu]I think this is why I decided to try not watch TV and nor watch what happens in washington.

I’m going to bury my head in the sand.

I’d rather focus on more interesting things…Like plumbing.[/quote]
Plumbing is probably better for your stress levels. TV likes to stir things up to get people foaming at the mouth and watching more. Plumbing means you will have something fixed/learned instead of your cortisol levels all screwed up.

Ch 10’s morning announcers seem to try this by doing their morning news/weather is the loudest most dramatic voice possible – even if it something really boring.

[ucodegen]

At least it is not sunny and 80 degrees outside, which would make the attic unbearable. The other nice thing is that these days you can get a decent really bright LED flashlight for not much money. They are much better than the old really hot ‘trouble lights’ that one you have to use in the past.

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
It felt good when I did my first solder job. I felt manly, a studly stud. It was a complete bath remodel. I left the walls open for 1 week to make sure there were no leaks. Now I’m confident in my work. I have moved washer dryer,… lots of things.

So there is something to a man doing mechanical stuff. I admire women who can do stuff.[/quote]
I think some of the ‘studly’ stud feeling comes from self sufficiency, other part may come from taking somethings solid, making part of it liquid and joining things together – then it becomes one solid thing that does something. Maybe a bit of ‘creating’?

Not enough women try to do these things. Possible reasons may be; people discourage them, not willing to try and take a risk – fail then learn, conditioning – through media and other sources..

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
Why get a threaded valve?Just get the solder kind. So much easier, and you have more room for adjustment. I never replaced a regulator…do they all have threaded connections? I know that you want future serviceability but once you learn how to solder, that is the serviceability.[/quote]The internal seals and diaphragms of a regulator do not like the type of heat you solder with. The unions make it easier to replace – since it is much more likely to fail than a copper pipe. The threads are brass, so they are less likely to corrode.

[ucodegen]

[quote=moneymaker]I put a ball valve in many years ago but used shark bite fittings as I did not want to use torches (oxy acetalene) as that was all I had at the time. had no problems but did have to have the water department replace their valve as it was defective at the street, they put a ball valve in as well after freezing the line with liquid nitrogen, talk about working quickly, they had to finish before the line thawed.[/quote]

I missed this comment. Many of the ball valves don’t like to be soldered because of the seat. If you look in through the end, you can see that the seat around many of them is a plastic – teflon like material that is probably not too happy getting a lot of heat.

[quote=flu]
I don’t know if I would use PEX on potable water. I don’t think there has been any studies done if it is safe for drinking….then again, PVC isn’t exactly good either and lots of houses run PVC.[/quote]
You can use PEX on potable water. It tends to be used on R-O water because it is resistant to corrosion. Pure R-O water can eat metal pipes; copper and galvanized.

[quote=flu]
The concerning part is the bottom elbows. Yes, there appears to be two of them.[/quote]
Thats the little ‘dance’ to get away from the wall for the valves and regulator.
[quote=flu]
Any change of attack? I think the bottom part of the drywall needs to be removed. It’s probably going to get destroyed anyway with any sort of heat to the pipe…

I’m thinking maybe remove both elbows at the bottom and just have a clean pipe running up from the ground to work with…[/quote]
That may make it harder. I still suggest seeing if you can just repair/clean out the valve first. Anyway, most of the ball valves are going to be ‘threaded’ on vs sweated. I also see that comments on the one HD sweated ball valve are not very good. Check the lengths of any of the replacement items before going all the way down to the vertical pipe. I would also be careful of getting that joint closer to the foundation or further out from the wall – it makes it more likely to be hit by something. You might be able to get by with replacing the second of the connected elbows with something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/NIBCO-3-4-in-Lead-Free-Copper-Silicon-Alloy-Pressure-90-Degree-C-x-M-Elbow-C707-4-LF/202029387 which would give you threads for the ball valve. The portion to the pressure regulator would also need to be changed, which would mean something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Copper-Pressure-C-x-MPT-Male-Adapter-C604/100345906?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-202029387-_-100345906-_-N to connect to the ball valve from the top. I am assuming 3/4″, but there are also 1″ products for the same.
[quote=flu]
I also measured the pressure on my pipes. It looks to be around 80-82 PSI…Ouch…I guess it’s been that way for awhile now…[/quote] That could either be an adjustment on the regulator, the regulator not sealing – causing pressure creep when there is no flow, or regulator diaphragm being shot. Watch the pressure when a valve is slowly opened. Does it drop and then get to a more normal pressure? If so, then the regulator is not sealing and may need replacement. If it stays at 80+, try using the nut to drop the pressure. From what I remember, tightening is less pressure. Be careful, there is a jam nut and the housing is plastic – don’t force things. If the regulator does not change the pressure on adjusting – then it needs an overhaul – probably easier to replace unless you know how to do the teardown and rebuild.

Have fun – be careful – be safe.. don’t flood the garage ;-P

Oh yes, when loosening the compression fittings, stabilize the regulator so you don’t transmit torque through the pipe. It looks like you can put a large crescent or monkey wrench on the brass end of the center body of the regulator.

[ucodegen]

[quote=flu]
So dumb question…..What makes a good MAPP torch versus a crappy one? I am assuming the coupon special at harbor freight would be in the crap category?[/quote]

I didn’t see a MAPP torch at harbor freight, only propane. You have to be careful just switch gasses on the same torch. It doesn’t always work. MAPP gas requires more oxygen per molecule. It is a carbon heavy fuel (because of the acetylene in it). The torch needs to be one that creates a ‘swirling’ flame – sometimes called a ‘turbo torch’.

When removing the connection at the regulator, make sure you stabilize the pipe – copper is soft.

[quote=flu]The valve looks like it’s going to be a PITA. And I was tempted to try to just service the drop gate as ucodegen siggrdted. But then again, I really hate these valves…[/quote]
Just trying to give the lowest cost solution. If you start changing connections – de-soldering and re-soldering, you have to make sure pieces line up without putting stress on the connections when you screw in the regulator. Best way would be to do almost all but the last solder connection – bolt in the regulator and snug it at the couplings and then make the last solder connection. You don’t want the distance between the two couplings too long or short for the regulator. When fitting it together, the regulator is the last thing going in, it works like an interlocking puzzle.

[quote=FlyerInHi]Shark bites are good. I use them on first floor condos where there are no individual unit shutoff and the whole building needs to be shut off for servicing. [/quote]
I stay away from shark-bite/PEX, particularly for in-wall and ceiling construction. There are several lawsuits with respect to problems with PEX and the connectors.

https://failures.wikispaces.com/PEX+Plumbing+Failures?responseToken=04cd03e88575ef370dae6f8622409f8bd
http://www.plumbingfittingsettlement.com/FAQ.aspx
https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/zurn-pex-plumbing/zurn-pex-time-bomb-behind-walls-10673.html
http://gotaclassaction.com/nibco-inc-named-in-class-action-lawsuit-over-cross-linked-polyethylene-plumbing-tubes/
https://www.classaction.org/pex-plumbing-lawsuit

The last thing I want is water ‘getting loose’ in the wall and ceiling spaces. One generally does not discover it until quite a bit of damage is done.

Contractors (some) love the stuff because it assembles very quickly. Just bid as if you are doing copper and the extra hours saved is just additional $$ in the pocket.

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
I think home automation is a good thing because that will deter burglaries, maybe do away with them entirely.[/quote]
I only wish that ‘open standards’ would be mandated as well as not having ‘tie-in’ with cable companies – giving them access to your privies as well (as well as potentially your daughter).

[quote=FlyerInHi]
I would like a device to record the MAC address of people who walk by my house then gives me a report on how often and when.[/quote]That statement brings back memories – because I worked on such a system, but we monitored MAC addresses from over 1 mile away using a high gain directional antenna. Kind of ‘spook’y stuff. One thing about WiFi, for the most part, whether you get the MAC depends if the person’s client WiFi is trying to make a connection. If the client WiFi is set to only connect to known ‘routers’/’hubs’ – then it will generally be silent until is sees it. Constant querying burns through power on cell phones. However, there is a way to ‘ping’ a client side WiFi – and make it reveal itself in some cases.

[ucodegen]

You guys are going about disassembly the hard way. Take a note of the pressure regulator. It is a coupling type. That means it can be disconnected and removed without de-soldering anything. See the coupling portion on each end of the pressure regulator? It helps in dismantling – so I would recommend replacing it with same type, same manufacturer if possible (which will keep the dimensions the same and would be able to reuse the upper coupling connector and elbow w/out dismantling that). Note that the gate valve is before the pressure regulator – this is to allow easy servicing of the pressure regulator.

Turn off water at the street connection (meter), I tend to drain by opening one of the highest faucets and most of the lowest. Even after draining, you may have quite a bit of water coming out of the line after the regulator (pressure regulators also act like a one way valve). Be prepared – water draining is unavoidable and can be a surprise when a kid or spouse decides to try a faucet upstairs even after you tell them the water is off – it happens.

After removing the pressure regulator, the lower end with the gate valve will be easy to remove (comparatively). Water feed is from the bottom, and you will need to remove water from the lower portion, probably by siphoning. Even with MAPP gas, water in the pipe can make it hard to heat because water can absorb a considerable amount of energy and copper is a great thermal conductor. Just work towards the ends when the regulator is removed. No cutting needed.

Important
If the pressure regulator is still working (check with a gauge – make sure you are measuring after the regulator because some outside/garden lines are fed pre-regulator), you might not want to bother touching it – check for pressure creep with all lines closed. Your regulator is adjustable. If it turns out that your gate valve is the only thing not working right, you may want to consider fixing it. It looks like yours may be the ‘serviceable’ type where you can remove the gate and stem without removing the valve body. The main problem with gate valves is crap getting into the gate channel and preventing it from closing completely. Gate valves do not seal/close with a rubber seal – the only rubber washers are on the stem. Gate valves use a tapered brass ‘gate’ – thereby the name. Closing the valve drives the brass gate in between two tapered brass seats (like a wedge). The second problem occurs when people don’t open them all the way, and water passing through wears down the edge of the gate over time. Gate valves should be all the way open or all the way closed – never ‘between’.

To remove the gate assembly, just open the gate valve at least half way, remove handle, remove packing/seal bolt (nut closest to handle), then loosen at the next nut which is part of the top of the body (there is a seam line that is sometimes hard to see – you’ll see it when loosening). You may need to jockey moving the gate by turning the stem vs turning the removable portion of the body. NOTE: Do all the above after turning off water at meter and draining.

When I re-pressure, I tend to crack several valves located at the high point in the house and then crack open the street/meter feed. I then start closing off the house valves as water starts flowing smoothly. When all house valves are closed, I open the street all the way.

NOTE: MAPP gas is the only way to go with this one. You may be there until eternity arrives with Propane.

Ref on valves: http://pointing.spiraxsarco.com/resources/steam-engineering-tutorials/pipeline-ancillaries/isolation-valves-linear-movement.asp

[ucodegen]

[quote=spdrun]The ironic thing is that most of the listed applications of voice control can be strictly local. Basically, all except shopping.[/quote]
Which can result in some unexpected results:
http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/7/14200210/amazon-alexa-tech-news-anchor-order-dollhouse

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=ucodegen]
China has been getting pushy with the Spratly Islands, the US has been tip-toe’ing around that too much.[/quote]

Tough talkers are so funny….

We don’t have standing to challenge China. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia do. They are only 2 ways to enable them. Do business with them or provide them with weapons. 2 things that Trump doesn’t want to do. Do you think they have incentives to antagonize their biggest trading partner, China?[/quote]
So you have the opinion that the strongest should be able to take whatever they want within their area of ‘influence’? Those three other nations have standing and brought it to international court. China lost but does not want to be bound by the decision. The Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia don’t stand much of a chance against China in a confrontation.

We actually do have standing because the area involved contains international shipping lanes that are used by the United States as well as several other nations. We also have standing because we and all other nations follow a 12 mile rule on maritime borders. Standing does not require trying to lay claim to the area. It may also involve trying to keep the area open for all to use – since it has historically been used that way before China’s invention of ownership.

[Author]

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