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hobbies/money pits other than biking?

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
How's the tankless water heater so far? I'm thinking about doing one in my rehab project next year.
For just heating water mine was rad. However, mine was also supposed to pump the heat for the house through the radiant heat in my loft. On one than one morning I would wake up to the door being frozen shut and the house at about 49*. It was awesome.
 

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
For just heating water mine was rad. However, mine was also supposed to pump the heat for the house through the radiant heat in my loft. On one than one morning I would wake up to the door being frozen shut and the house at about 49*. It was awesome.
Literally it's been functional now for..... about 3 hours. My only shower so far was AWESOME. :thumb:

The plumber who installed it WAY underbid on the job, so what was supposed to take 3.5 hours instead took literally all day. He had to thread the exhaust port in between the gas line and the air conditioner, reroute the water pipes and gas line, and he was short one little 1/2" L connector so he had to run to the hardware store in the middle of the day. But so far so good, and we're only going to be using it to heat water, not radiant heating. I've heard there can be issues if you try to do that... ;)

*But* there is a federal tax credit on tankless water heaters, meaning you get back 30% of the cost of the unit & installation, so it really did almost even the numbers. We had a powervent water heater before, so right off the bat instead of a cheapo $350 tank we were looking at $685, and then another $250 to install it (the powervents vent out the side of the house, so we would've had to do some major exhaust venting if we wanted a cheap tank). The tankless was $1000, plus $200 for the exhaust vent, plus $75 for the valves at the bottom (allows you to flush the system easier). Then installation was $350. So $1650 for the tankless, minus $500 for the tax rebate, meant that the difference was only ~$175. We're estimating savings of about $50-70/year, so that should pay for itself in another 3-4 years. Also keep in mind that the warranty on them is pretty good, and that they're figured to last ~20 years anyway. Even if something does go wrong, you can replace the individual part instead of just the whole unit. That part was definitely a plus for me. Also, you can use the remote control unit to control the temperature, meaning you don't have to heat it up any hotter than you like showers.

But dunno, doubt I would've done it if the math hadn't worked out. Time will tell, but without the tax credit we would've been looking at $700 more (and a LOT more if the plumber had actually bid the job correctly), meaning it was gong to take at a minimum 10 years to actually pay for itself in savings. We didn't have a choice since our water tank started leaking.
 

conor

Monkey
Jan 19, 2009
340
0
Ireland
Not rolling, but I'm doing alright. I'm 24, single, no kids, good health (knocks on wood), great paying job and very little debt.


Hence the eye roll smiley ;) The nice thing about the RS4 though, is that unlike some Japanese imports nothing has to be converted/swapped for it to pass inspection. There is even a version from France that is LHD.
you're 3 years older than me and you can afford to import a RS4 avant, i want in on whatever industry you're in.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
For some reason I really want a sports wagon. I'm even considering the yet to be released CTS-V Wagon. Still on the fence about the looks though...

the CTSV coupe,sedan and wagon are amazingly fast and would smoke most Audi's available.
556hp/551 lb-ft :rockout:

oohhh doggy. my favorite gun done up pretty much how id do it...except for the bi-pod
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
the CTSV coupe,sedan and wagon are amazingly fast and would smoke most Audi's available.
556hp/551 lb-ft :rockout:
Very True, The CTSV would definitely have the performance numbers but I'm debating whether or not I want rwd or awd. I think that Audi's wagons definitely have a little more overall versatility. Although there is just something about having a station wagon with a vette engine that makes me all giddy inside.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Very True, The CTSV would definitely have the performance numbers but I'm debating whether or not I want rwd or awd. I think that Audi's wagons definitely have a little more overall versatility. Although there is just something about having a station wagon with a vette engine that makes me all giddy inside.
556hp/551lb-ft is a bit much in a RWD for the east, but compared to the RS3 and or RS4, it blows it out of the water
 

BikerBoy28

Monkey
Jul 3, 2006
733
0
Bellingham, Wa
My Subaru is turning into a money pit. Wheelin gets expensive, the subarus like to go through the CV axles.

91 Loyale w/4" lift
Dual range T-case
swapped 1.8 for EJ22
3.9 LSD
Custom tube bumbers
Yakima rack
Offroad lights (front and rear)
dual electric fans
CB w/6ft whip
Dual gel pack batteries
Solar Panel to charge said batteries
Cherry bombed exhaust for badassness
Super Swamper TSL's
BFG All Terrains
and of course....a bike rack. :thumb:
 

-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
You mean besides kids and a house?

Fishes/Corals... especially when I get to cut them up and glue them to rocks (corals, no fish).

Jacksonpt... you frequent RC at all? I'm Jefathome over there.
I'm in the middle of a 150g in-wall build right now, but here are some shots of the 120g that busted on me back in March.














And the first inhabitants of the new 150g (currently sitting in a 10g QT)


a replacement for these:



My tank here at work:



I also Cut n'Glue
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I like the .45 silenced.

I just put the bi-pod on once to prove that I could. My dad didn't think I could with the quad rail. Taught that old bastard.
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,128
7,679
Transylvania 90210
My new B&W speakers & NAD amp+cd player



Thanks goodness for the bro-deal.

I think "NAD" stands for "Neighbor Annoyance Device" though they haven't complained yet.
 

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
Patches, spill some deetz on that system. is that a sub on the left?
'tis an SVS. I love it and is the cornerstone of my setup. It makes movies, music, video games all sound bitchin'. I pre-ordered one before they released them and got a couple hundy off. Damn thing weighs 125 lbs. It's this guy right here:

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-newpb12plus.cfm

The speakers are an internet company called Swan, the Diva 6.1s (I also have the rear surrounds.)

The TV is a Panasonic 50", which maybe with next year's tax return, might become a 65". The receiver is a Pioneer 92 TXH. PS3, XBox 360, all ran with HDMI.
 

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
My new B&W speakers & NAD amp+cd player



Thanks goodness for the bro-deal.

I think "NAD" stands for "Neighbor Annoyance Device" though they haven't complained yet.
Dats good stuff. I like B&Ws. One of these days I will probably upgrade the speakers, but I like 'em for now.
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,128
7,679
Transylvania 90210
is that a C375BEE mandown?
Don't recall off the top of my head, but the C375BEE on the NAD site looks like a bigger cannon than what I have. I'm almost certain I've got the C165BEE. It was only 50w but it sounds solid, and it sounded better than the $2,500 amp that was hooked up to the B&Ws when I arrived at the shop.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Don't recall off the top of my head, but the C375BEE on the NAD site looks like a bigger cannon than what I have. I'm almost certain I've got the C165BEE. It was only 50w but it sounds solid, and it sounded better than the $2,500 amp that was hooked up to the B&Ws when I arrived at the shop.
yeah, NAD amps usually have lower Watt output but are high current amps. they were always a favorite of mine when i sold them.
their A/V receivers are great, but initially lacked all the features the other brands had
 

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
NAD makes bueno stuff. They are always under rated for what they actually put out too. I would like to set up and amp for my stuff. Rotels are nice, but are $$. I have looked at Emotiva...they seem to get good reviews for the money.
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I'm thinking about starting down the AV money pit.

Does anyone know anything/have some time with the Polk Audio RTi A9's?
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,134
Portland, OR
Here's mine before I got the new speakers.


Gots me some of these (Polk Audio RTi A7's):


I have no sub and crap center channel. I got the Polk's on sale at Fry's on the cheap and haven't spent the coin to upgrade.

The rest of the system is:
Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver
D-Link DSM-520 media lounge (wireless streaming from PC, not pictured)
Panasonic 50" 1080P plasma
Old as hell Sony DVD player
Now running the HDMI version of the moto cable box
and the best part:
My Logitech Harmony 720 remote
 

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
My Logitech Harmony 720 remote
Agreed. I have a Harmony too. It's stupid simple to setup.

polks are meh IMO. i personally dont find them pleasing to the ears at all, but speaker choice is a huge preference.
Yea, speakers really are personal preference, but most of the main stream stuff sounds pretty good. Also, a lot of internet only manufacturers now that you get for really good prices.

Check out www.axiomaudio.com
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,134
Portland, OR
polks are meh IMO. i personally dont find them pleasing to the ears at all, but speaker choice is a huge preference.
This is my first major home speaker purchase and they were like $400 a pair ($1100 retail?) so I got 2 pair. Considering what I spent, they sound awesome.

I'm not much of a brand whore, but Polk and Infinity were what a lot of the high end car stereos we built to compete with. Never ran the subs in show systems, but the mids and highs always got amazing scores. Of course I'm old and this was 88-91 when I was heavy into IASCA.

Polk was always awesome to deal with and came through for us more than once. So I don't mind giving them my cash, especially when it's on sale!