Front Porch Chit Chat

[backlash]

My MIL lived in a mobile home with aluminum wiring. She was always having me come over to fix an electrical problem. I hated even starting but she had no one else. Whichever government entity approved aluminum wiring should be fired and made to pay for replacing all of it.
My MIL was also really bad about adding extension cords and plugging in Christmas lights in clusters. Her worst was 20 stings of light on the same plug. Fortunately, that tripped the breaker.
My wife started trying to do the same thing but when I found her mess I would cut the ends off the extension cords.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

 

[Neb]

I have run across old houses with tube and knob insulators and what looks like mica covered tar covered copper wires, I've brought samples home that were in a garage of a home that I did some work on, just to show people what electrical systems used to be like. My neighbor on the west side of us has a home that originally was built in the 20's, it was an electricians nightmare, I saw single wires hanging in the crawl space from one side of the house to the other, I told the new owners that they would have to tear all the sheetrock, possibly lath and plaster, off the walls and rewire the whole home, if there was Romex in the home it was just two wire and no ground. Actually some of the wiring in old homes was probably safer than some of the mobile homes that had aluminum Romex, thankfully over the years of helping people with their electrical issues, I've only seen one mobile home with aluminum wire in it, that was probably the worst mistake done in all the years we've used electricity and thankfully most of those old mobile homes are no longer around.

My place was wiredwith knob and tube which had been replaced before I got it with "Techbestos" wire. I have a roll of that stuff in my shop with my collection of mercury switches and relays.

Ben

 

[VThillman]

I have run across old houses with tube and knob insulators and what looks like mica covered tar covered copper wires, I've brought samples home that were in a garage of a home that I did some work on, just to show people what electrical systems used to be like. My neighbor on the west side of us has a home that originally was built in the 20's, it was an electricians nightmare, I saw single wires hanging in the crawl space from one side of the house to the other, I told the new owners that they would have to tear all the sheetrock, possibly lath and plaster, off the walls and rewire the whole home, if there was Romex in the home it was just two wire and no ground. Actually some of the wiring in old homes was probably safer than some of the mobile homes that had aluminum Romex, thankfully over the years of helping people with their electrical issues, I've only seen one mobile home with aluminum wire in it, that was probably the worst mistake done in all the years we've used electricity and thankfully most of those old mobile homes are no longer around.

I've seen aluminum wire. Was it a WW2 thing?

 

[backlash]

I've seen aluminum wire. Was it a WW2 thing?

In North American residential construction, aluminum wire was used for wiring entire houses for a short time from the 1960s to the mid-1970s during a period of high copper prices. Electrical devices (outlets, switches, lighting, fans, etc.) at the time were not designed with the particular properties of the aluminum wire being used in mind, and there were some issues related to the properties of the wire itself, making the installations with aluminum wire much more susceptible to problems. Revised manufacturing standards for both the wire and the devices were developed to reduce the problems. Existing homes with this older aluminum wiring used in branch circuits present a potential fire hazard.
Aluminum building wiring - Wikipedia

 

[SheepDog]

Do codes even acknowledge aluminum wire any more? They used to use copper clad aluminum to cut down on the fire danger from corrosion at the connectors.

 

[backlash]

I bought a paste that was made for copper to aluminium connections that was supposed to stop the oxidation. It didn't work very well on duplex outlets or light switches.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Dreary morning leading to a dreary day. Winding up for the storms to hit by supper time.
Have to get outside in the fresh air and walk and play with the pups
Also have to empty the scrap container into the compost barrel. Nothing is breaking down yet because its so cold
February is the month I think I should get one of those lights for SAD. Don't really have SAD but I could stand to sit in the light this month

 

[Aerindel]

The worst bully I ever had in school got hit by a train yesterday.

"Wait on the shores of the river long enough and the bodies of your enemies will float past"

It took 30 years....but he got his eventually.

And yeah, I am that kind of a person. Hurt me and I will hold a grudge for 30 years and cheer when they are picking bits of you off the tracks. Guy was a stone cold physcopath. I suspect not many in the valley will be shedding a tear. I would not be shocked if someone pushed him/dumped the body on the tracks.

 

[Weedygarden]

The worst bully I ever had in school got hit by a train yesterday.

"Wait on the shores of the river long enough and the bodies of your enemies will float past"

It took 30 years....but he got his eventually.

And yeah, I am that kind of a person. Hurt me and I will hold a grudge for 30 years and cheer when they are picking bits of you off the tracks. Guy was a stone cold physcopath. I suspect not many in the valley will be shedding a tear. I would not be shocked if someone pushed him/dumped the body on the tracks.

I wonder if it was suicide by train? When you are so miserable for that long, maybe the day comes when you just want it to go away. It is interesting that we (you are not alone!) are happy or satisfied when someone gets the comeuppance they have been needing for so long. It is not easy, but I do pray for people who bullies to me. Can't do it without God's help though.

 

[Aerindel]

I wonder if it was suicide by train? When you are so miserable for that long, maybe the day comes when you just want it to go away. It is interesting that we (you are not alone!) are happy or satisfied when someone gets the comeuppance they have been needing for so long. It is not easy, but I do pray for people who bullies to me. Can't do it without God's help though.

I don't know. I imagine more will come out soon.

I won't say I'm happy so much...but the world is a better place without him. He was seriously violent and had a long history of assaulting people from a young age and it only got worse as he got older and stronger. Extensive criminal record. A lot of people where afraid of him. Not your normal criminal thief but a real pyscho who would hurt you just for the fun of it.

 

[Weedygarden]

I don't know. I imagine more will come out soon.

I won't saw I'm happy so much...but the world is a better place without him. He was seriously violent and had a long history of assaulting people from a young age and it only got worse as he got older and stronger. Extensive criminal record. A lot of people where afraid of him.

People create their own reputations. No doubt, no one else did it for him. It is all his own doing.

 

[backlash]

Karma sometimes takes a while but she will get to you eventually.

 

[Cascadian]

I knew a person I thought was awful. She was on her way to the hospital and the ambulance got in an accident. She was ejected out the the back and the gurney went sliding down the freeway. She lived a few days after, but was aware of her perdicument. Now that is karma.

 

[SheepDog]

Did he and the engineer go to the same school?

 

[WVDragonlady]

Just for fun. Find your elevation
https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm

I came across this looking for my elevation so I can start pressure canning. Gotta know that ya know

 

[backlash]

It got my elevation correct, 708 feet.

 

[Bacpacker]

900 feet on the money. Got a 1:24,000 scale TOPO map with my place on it. We are right on the contour line

 

[WVDragonlady]

It got my elevation correct, 708 feet.

Yea mine too. 757.9 feet lol

 

[Terri9630]

Y'all are practically in the water! I'm at 7,802ft.

 

[phideaux]

Good grief I'm in the swamp !!

456 ft.

Jim

 

[Neb]

1046 ft enough to be out of water

Ben

 

[Weedygarden]

5229.7 feet

 

[Amish Heart]

1539 feet. Husband can breathe here.

 

[Morgan101]

I must be

Good grief I'm in the swamp !!

456 ft.

Jim

I must be in the deep end of the swamp. I am only at 433 ft.

 

[backlash]

I'm waiting for the person from New Orleans to chime in.
I had to look NO is at 3.3 feet but the Mississippi River that runs around NO is at 9.8 feet.

 

[hiwall]

7604 feet

 

[Morgan101]

Has anyone ever flown in to Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport? When you walk out of the main terminal there is a clock tower that shows Sea Level. It is about fifteen feet above your head. More than a little disconcerting.

 

[200years2late]

8054'

 

[Supervisor42]

I'm waiting for the person from New Orleans to chime in.
I had to look NO is at 3.3 feet but the Mississippi River that runs around NO is at 9.8 feet.

I'm not in New Orleans but I think we're probably at about 20 feet.

Good grief I'm in the swamp !!
456 ft.
Jim

Naa, we got ya' swamp, right here baby!
Edit: I was pretty close. 23 feet.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Why is something so simple as homemade jelly on a saltine cracker so good?