Slow Drain and Bladder

I am not a professional plumber and I tried to fix a slow drain - semi blocked kitchen sink.
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Location #1 - Sink to Wall Drain Pipe

I removed the P - pipes, it looked pretty clean - smelled bad though.

Location #2 - Vent Pipe Cap - to Septic Tank
I removed the vent pipe cap outside of the house, and used a bladder to flush out the blockage.  It flowed might fine but the slow drain persisted.


Location #3 - Wall Drain Pipe to Vent Pipe Cap 
I inserted the bladder into wall drain pipe to flush out any blockage between wall drain pipe and the outdoor vent pipe. The flush was smooth, the slow drain persisted.

Well, so where is it? 
I notice that the bladder gripped the inner wall the drain tube and shoot out a small string of high pressure water, I am not sure it really clears the "blockage" - in that  2-3" pipe, or just bored out a 1/8" hole in the blockage to clear that high pressure water squirt?

Fixing it like a toilet

I resorted to my old fashion way of fixing a plugged toilet drain - try the 5-gallon bucket - and let the "gravity" do the push - pushing out the clogs.

I loaded the kitchen sink with the garbage disposer with tub of water, and covered the adjacent sink drain.  I hope that the centrifugal water pressure is pushing through the entire pipe, not just the pushing, making an opening big enough for the 1/8" water jet to pass through.

I cranked up the disposer like a blender, short pauses, and longer pauses, short puses and let it ripped. Somehow it worked.  The sound of joy - I could hear a vacuum sucking sound, the water was flowing outward to somewhere.

Conclusion

The bladder may work well in a really clogged up pipe, I think the hair clogs is a suitable application.  

For older, galvanized pipes - the blockage due to rust or reduced inner- rough surface, I think the old snake is still a better tool to use.  I wonder if the running "crushed ice" through the drain pipe will create the "scrubbing effect"  - and take out residuals in the pipe?

Photos: 2010 Poland Krakow

Plug: 782SA.blogspot.com

Cars Worth Considering

Summary:

The vehicle depreciation rate for an average car relative to its initial requisition is about the same regardless of its purchase price.

above average condition, private party sales

A new family sedan (Camry @ 22,000) after 4 years @ 60K $12,250 (55%)

A new luxury sedan (328i @ 37,000) after 4 years @ 60K $18,500 (50%)

It translates into $2,500 yearly of depreciation, or 1,200 per $10,000

or translates into $1,600 per 10,000 miles

Fact 1: Average miles driven in a year is about 15,000 for a family with multiple vehicles.  Or 24,000 miles for single and likes to travel.

Fact 2: Medium size SUV with AWD capability gets about 20 mpg, adjusted for regular gas is about 18 mpg. Compact size FWD SUV gets 28 mpg, or 25 or so if go on high speed and strong head wind.

For 24,000 miles a year, the fuel cost saving (assuming $3.50 gallon) between a AWD SUV and compact fwd SUV is $1,500 a year, or $6,000 over 4 years.

# # # # # # # # # # # #
Honor Roll
MDX; (U) RL

Misses
TL; TSX

RDX; ZDX

Audi Honor Roll
(U) A8; Q5

Misses
A3; A4; A5; A6;TT; TTS

Q5; Q7;R8; S4; S5; S6

BMW Honor Roll

3-Series; (U) 5 Series

Misses

1 Series; 6 Series; 7 Series; 

M3; M5; M6; Z4

X1; X3; X5; X6

Chevrolet Honor Roll (Gov't-gave GM to UAW, free of charge)

Equinox; (u) Suburban

Misses

Avalanche; Colorado; Express; Silverado; Tahoe; Traverse

Aveo;  Colbalt; Cruze; HHR; Malibu

Camaro; Corvette

Ford Honor Roll

F-150; (u) Flex (In Lieu Of - Chevy Suburban?); Transit Connect

Misses

E-series; Edge; Escape; Expedition; Explorer; Explorer Sport Trac;

Fiesta; Focus; Fusion; Mustang; Taurus;

Renting and Buying A House - Same Qualifying Process?

When buying and qualifying for a home mortgage, a simple 28%-36% rules are often used to determine the risks of loan applicants.  Does this 28%, 36% rules apply to renters?

28% Rule  - Front End 

The housing expense (mortgage, tax and insurance) should be less than 28% of gross income.   The funny thing is - the repairs is not part of this equation.  I found it costs about $1500 to $2000 a year to keep the house in good shape.  Don't forget the roof repairs, appliances break down, and the paint job etc.

Form the renter perspective, there is no property tax, no serious repairs and reduced insurance premium - does it mean you can get "more" as a renter?

36% Rule - Back End

The total housing expense and minimal debt payments should be less than 36% of the gross income. The funny things is - the calculation is based on "minimal debt payments".  If one continues to make minimal payments while pile on more revolving and other forms of debts, then 36% back end can easily become 40% or higher.

NEW 28%-36% Rule 

These 28%-36% rules lead me to  believe that "saving plan" is not part of the qualifying.  One should leave a few percentage for charitable/tithe or saving for 401K or retirement plan. To address the potential home repair costs, and increase of adjustable interest rates - I suggest a 28% rules for everything, because most of young families are loaded with car loans, student loans already.  Having children in the near future, the debt burden or other financial obligations can easily reached over 36% threashold.

Example:

80,000 yearly gross income @ 28% = 1866 per month for housing and debt obligation

1866 - 250 = car payment #1

1716 - 250 = car payment #2

1466 - 400 = student loans (a wild guess)

1066 = mortgage, insurance and prop tax

Assuming 30 years, 5% interest rate, 20% down, $960 of home owner insurance, property tax rate of 2.7% and assessed value is same as purchase price.  Then,

This applicant(s) qualifies for a home mortgage of $120,000 - home value of $150,000.  Interestingly, the debt obligations in this example -  $900 is about  13% of income. Um..  May be it's best to payoff student loans, or reducing transportation expenses before buying that house!

pictures: 2010 Poland Krakow

plugs: 782sa.blogspot.com

Tenacious & James 1-2

Online Dictionary

Tenacious =  Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action.

Book of James 1

Chapter 1., Verses 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 

3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

So, how can someone possess the quality of "tenacious"? Faith?

photos: 2010 Poland Gdnask

plugin: 782sa.blogspot.com

Where Do I Go with Old Paint?

Well, the cans of paint saved by my contractor are taking up valuable shelf space.  Are these 10-12 years paint still good?  Are they at least good enough for "color matching"?  The answer to both questions are NO and NO.

So where can I drop them off for recycling?  The city government only collect hazardous material (paint, chemicals) once a year, where do I go to drop off old paint and stay green? 

Location #1 (near by the famous brush recycling center)  - 4 days in a year

                  Located at 1800 E Bitters Rd. and open on:

                  March 6, April 3, May 1 and June 5

                  From 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. 

Location #2 (the permanent site) two days per week (except certain holidays).


                  Located at 7030 Culebra and open on:

                  Fridays from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

                  Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

ttp://www.sanantonio.gov/SWMD/EMD/HHW_SeasonalDropOff.asp

It feels like scheduling appointments with dentists. Errr!!!

photos:  2010 Krakow Poland

plug-ins: http://782sa.blogspot.com/

Stocking My Pantry (A Working Progress)

This is my list of "stuff" I think I will use regularly

Oils
    Extra virgin olive oil
    Regular olive oil (low calories)
    Vegetable oil
    Butter

Flavoring ,Wet (Liquid)
    Balsamic vinegars
    apple cider
    Soy sauce

Flavoring, Dry
    Kosher salt
    Sea Salt
    Garlic Salt
    Black peppercorns
    Paprika
    Dried Onions
    Sugar, brown (honey)

Flavoring, Fresh
    Garlics, fresh
    Lemons
    Ginger (??))

Grains
    Wild rice
    Texas long grain rice
    Spaghetti

Vegetable -long shelf life
    Onions
    Bell pepper
    Cauliflower

CAN STUFF
   Tomatoes
   Calms
   chicken chunks
   Corns
   Green Beans

REFRIGERATED - LONG SHELF LIFE
   Onions, yellow or white or red
   Bell pepper   Cauliflower
   Carrots
   Eggs

 Oak Finish Home or Office Storage Cabinet Organizer - Great as a Kitchen F...

Major Tractor Engines on US Highways

BALANCED- Detroit Series 60
It is one of the most common on the road. The D60 is a fairly reliable engine known for its throttle response, clean emissions, flexible torque and high-RPM horsepower. Fuel economy is not the greatest on the road, but the engine's other virtues make it a popular choice for large fleets and owner-operators alike.

TORQUE - CAT Diesel
CAT's popular N-Series motors are expensive, heavy and lack the high-RPM power of some others, but carry on the company's industrial legacy by providing massive low-RPM torque and tank-like reliability. These engines are preferred for those driving in mountainous regions, where steep grades and heavy loads necessitate an engine with this kind of grunt. For heavy hauling in extreme conditions, many owners agree that there simply are no substitutes for a CAT.

FUEL EFFICIENCY - Volvo

Volvo family of engines sacrifice all power and torque in the name of fuel economy. While emissions, reliability and fuel economy are excellent, this engine is best suited for light-duty applications (like buses and cargo trucks) in fairly flat areas where torque is not required.

CHEAP AND COMPROMISED - Cummins
# If ever there were such a thing as a "corporate engine," then the Cummins is it. Cheap to buy and very long-lived when properly maintained, the Cummins offers good fuel economy at the expense of some power.





pictures: 2010 Poland Krakow

plugs: 782sa.blogspot.com

plugs: rts2go.blogspot.com
source: My notes from reading www.ehow.com

15 Flash Lights (6-LED unit) and Heavy Duty Batteries Included

I went pass the aisle display for "special" items.  There was a 15-flash light pack for less than $12, after tax.  I passed the offer, because it listed the power output as a 18 lumens.  How much power does it give out over a distance?  LED works well in close distance, but it performs poorly in the outdoor.

The last LED I bought was a TechLite from Costco.  It costs $20 for two, and now it sells for $18 for 3.  The TechLite puts out 160 lumens - according the specification.  It will take 8 of the "special" to give out the same lumens. Errr..


For $12 dollars?? I decided to give that a try..

I taped 3 of the units together to form a "18 LED" flash light.  It takes 9 AAA battery, instead of just 3 AAA on the TechLite.  I don't know whether the "special LED" unit will last longer than the TechLite, but I think it should.  LED based flash light has very high degree of efficiency - the power is mostly converted into light. If the 3 units put out as much light as 1 unit, then the overall power consumption should be the same right??

 By taping the 3 units as one, the LED provides a brighter, evenly distributed light, similar to the Krypton flash light - except at a different color temperature.










photos:  2010 Poland Krakow
plugs: 782sa.blogspot.com
plugs: rts2go.blogspot.com

5-Year-Old Class 8 Tractor - for $25,000

Having a Class A Commercial Drivers License in hand - I want to get behind the wheel of a 18-wheelers (tractor only) without taking a job.

Shocker #1 - a new truck runs $150,000 - That's a lot of money - It's like paying off a single family - starter home in 5 years.

Shocker #2 - a used trucks runs at fraction of new one - considering the expected longevity of a million-miles truck.

 Many of the 5-6 year old used tractors (with 400,000 to 600,000) runs between $22,000 to $28,000.  I wonder why these vehicles depreciate so quickly.  Will I be better off with an older trucks?

from  $25,000 - base truck
  add  $ 8,000 - transmission overhaul
  add  $10,000 - engine overhaul
  add  $ 4,000  - replacement tires
  add  $ 5,000  - other systems
===================
   Est $53,000  - as if new truck

There are many "integrators" - tractors manufactures, but the engine/transmission combination is total out of this world.  I don't know how can a brand of truck can be price cheaper than the others with the same guts.

Eat Pray and Love

i

Person of the Week - ABC News was Elizabeth Gilbert.

She wrote the book Eat Pray and Love and her book story is turning into a movie.

What an interesting book title.. Isn't that so true, that's what we need to survive too - in that same sequence?

Photos:   Frankfurt, Germany - Cafe along the river bank

Plug-in:   http://782sa.blogspot.com   - SA Living Guide

Mirror, Mirror

The bathroom had a large piece of mirror.  It was nothing special, except it's big. There no bevels, no frames, it was held by two J-clips and u-clips on the bottom.

After the bathroom remodeling, the replaced vanity cabinet was couple inches taller than the old one, causing the mirror not to fit between the back splash and vanity light bar.

I was given two options to have the mirror re-sized.

Bring it in to the glass shop =  $25 cut
Having send one out to the house to cut the mirror and re-install the mirror = $152.

Taking-in the mirror for $25 sounds like a logical choice but it's likely that I have many chances to break the 4 ft by 5 ft mirror.  The cost of the mirror runs over $150.00

What did I do?  I bought two framed beveled mirrors for $150 total. They covered up the same foot print - actually - it looked nice.

I gave the old simple mirror to charity for "tax write-off"..

photos:  Frankfurt Germany - Saturday Wedding
plug-in: http://782sa.blogspot.com/

305/80R22.5 Tires; Bus Bought and Sold

January 2011 - Bus was sold
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I sold the bus without actually putting any miles it.

I won the bid for a bus that appear to be in good condition. I know what to expect for a bus from the north (rust), the possible mechanical conditions problems (bad tires, no A/C, engine may be require some serious service), so buying without seeing wasn't too much as risk.

After delay and delay (schedule, no license, holiday conflict etc), after 1 year and 3 month I went north to pickup the bus.  The bus had been parked in the same spot for two years, same diesel fuel - not sure it is still good or not, 2 8D battery packs were dead, and re-charged and it wasn't working either.  I hired a truck service to jump start the bus, sort of get it running. Not realizing it has been sucking juice from the service truck, we couldn't get it to run after put in back to right configuration.

Good news - excellent AC, it ran. Engine didn't smoke at all, one would except loose ring everywhere in that DD 6V92 turbo, all air bags hold up, windows were free of frost; and it has low miles 420,000.
Bad news - didn't move the bus to test transmission, tires were badly needed for replacement, door controls wasn't working right, the air compressor were a bit slow to build up pressure (7-8 minutes to build up to 90 psi).

After considering what were the unknown, the expect expenses (tune up, fuel costs, tires) -that calls for a budget of $4500 plus unknown just to bring the bus down to Texas.

Around Christmas, someone wanted to buy my bus, so I left him have it.  It's just too much work/money to make the bus run properly.



Bus Tire - August 2010
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I phoned many freeway/ road side commercial truck service stops like Pilot, Flying J, Petro, looking for my transit bus tires.To my surprise, that (1) - They don't know much about the metric tires, (2) they only carry inventory for the 11R, or truck/trailer tires.  The bus tires or 12R tires are special order items. The lead time varies from 3 days to 10 days.

Well, where do I go for the RV/Bus tires then?

photos: 2010 Germany Berlin
plugs: 782sa.blogspot.com

Update:  2010.08.12
Well, there is no such thing as 305/80R22.5

There is 305/85R22.5
and 315/80R22.5 Tires

I was shooting for tires that don't exist ! Err

Update: 2010.08.18
Suitable Highway Tires (from Michelin)
XZA1   315/80R22.5  75mph, 42.5 dia, 489 rpm
XZA2   315/80R22.5  75mph, 42.3 dia 492 rpm
XZU S  305/85R22.5  65 mph, 42.9 dia 486 rpm



June 2009 - I did it - bought  a bus
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I did it.

I wanted to buy a bus to be used as conversion for sometime now. After 12 years, I jumped into action and purchased a bus over the Internet.

5-6 years ago, I went online and started bidding on bus auctions. But I was not daring to put up high bids to "make sure" I could win the auctions.

I bid low - on buses in bad condition; I didn't get it.
I bid higher than I was planned on buses with highway gearing; I didn't get it.
I watched good buses auctioned off for reasonable prices; I wasn't in the mood to do it.
I saw the RV piled up in the dealers lots, RV workers lost jobs when the gas price hit over $4.00 a gallon; I thought the RV was too expensive for average Joe's.

Now, I am getting older now and a bit more disciplined, or I am better at managing expectations. I always though having a bus and working on the bus will make me happy; as others have enjoyed theirs.

I read many failed conversions, unfinished projects - it also made me feel unease about getting into this bus conversion project. I admire the bus owners for their passions, envy of their skills and have sympathy toward their financial challenges in funding conversions.

After 12 years of on the sideline, and endless of on-and-off “dreaming & planning”, I bought a 40-ft RTS bus on eBay over the Memorial Day weekend.

I am thankful for those had shared their experiences with their conversions - I think I am (bus) wiser now on my own endeavor. May my 12-year conversion project be enjoyable and many others have with theirs.