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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
Kids dig it

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swim jets: still not functional. No word on part availability or service date to install it.

I emailed my contact just now to ask about them extending a discount on upgrading the cover lifters to the hydraulic cylinder assisted ones that the hot tub had: wife has some physical difficulty with these unassisted ones given the 53” height of the swim spa and all. No harm in asking!
 
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6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
16,973
14,445
Fed: 30% of equipment cost credit nominally but also capped at $2k so not super helpful for actual project costs.

CO: 10% credit and also the state component of sales tax waived. Your contractor has to play nicely for the sales tax bit, though, not automatic.

Utility/city level: assuming you’re on Xcel then $2,200 towards a cold climate heat pump (whether ducted or mini split). $600 extra if you air seal or insulate more within 6 mo of heat pump.


Golden: $300/head for cold climate mini splits up to $1,200 total. Alternately $1,200 towards a whole house ducted cold climate but only if your house is all electric already—can’t have a NG boiler or furnace hanging out.

Tried submitting the Xcel rebate this morning, had to hunt for most of the information as I didn't get it from the contractor. So not sure if it will go through as submitted. I also need a new invoice from the contractor which breaks out the equipment cost so I can claim the fed and state costs at filing time I guess. Ho hum.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,418
13,957
In a van.... down by the river
Tried submitting the Xcel rebate this morning, had to hunt for most of the information as I didn't get it from the contractor. So not sure if it will go through as submitted. I also need a new invoice from the contractor which breaks out the equipment cost so I can claim the fed and state costs at filing time I guess. Ho hum.
All this work and then move? Damn, son...
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
16,973
14,445
All this work and then move? Damn, son...
Hot sunny days we have to have the insulated blinds down on the "view" side of the house from mid-morning and I was using reflectix type material on the front door and second bathroom which all face west. Otherwise, the house would be 80F - not good from a having people view and buy perspective :p
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
I'm guessing on a moped you can easily get up all those middle "steps" above Zorro?
I rode to the point of the bike leaning against tree photo, so up the first 6 or 8 wooden + rock step things. Takes a solid anaerobic effort + the bike helping, of course. Then mostly pushing the bike to the actual top, then awkwardly riding and bouncing off rocks from there, as one does :D
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
21,783
21,288
Canaderp
yup, legit Curt hitch.
Nice.

Do you have the 2" 1up rack as well? I can't remember what you got..

I have a 2" receiver on my VW, but have the 1.25" rack. It probably wouldn't make a huge difference, but I wonder if it'd be stronger or just "better" with the 2" lower bits? And then I could at least have a locking pin on it - having to take the lock off, to check if the ball thing is tight is annoying.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
yeah, that's a 2" Super Duty but of the pre-revision generation. since I put the wide spindle kit to clear fenders and the like the bikes can shift laterally in their little cage, which is a bit unnerving.
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
16,973
14,445
yeah, that's a 2" Super Duty but of the pre-revision generation. since I put the wide spindle kit to clear fenders and the like the bikes can shift laterally in their little cage, which is a bit unnerving.
We occasionally move our road bikes on our 1up with the fatty extensions. Just have to ensure the arms are tight :)
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,418
13,957
In a van.... down by the river
I have never, ever, once, cleaned all of those steps.
Some? sure, often. Most? once or twice. but F me, that section is exhausting and difficult.
I believe I cleaned it once before the concrete nonsense was poured. But that would have been in the mid-90's and my rememberer really isn't that good.

And it was a whole lot less rocky back then, from what I recall (poorly).
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
I have never, ever, once, cleaned all of those steps.
Some? sure, often. Most? once or twice. but F me, that section is exhausting and difficult.
and then you are on the 45 degree angle shale-bits section right after that that just loves to kick your bike sideways and make one flail around like an idiot

or maybe that's just me :D
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
we should have a group ride there. and hit all of the Optional Rox
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
rates.PNG


rates 2.PNG


I've kind of idly assumed I'd get more PV for the roof here down the road. but I don't think that makes sense.

this bill is not the easiest thing to parse, but it looks like everything but the lines under "electricity charges" that have kWh as their units are fixed charges: $34.73/mo. then in this optimal-case month of 6/24-7/24 we had net usage of 528 kWh of off-peak electricity from the grid. their math doesn't add up at all, but from the numbers that are there looks like we generated 10 kWh net peak and 197 kWh mid-peak over that same month.

in any case, when you account for the 1108 kWh that I "bought" in RECs from Xcel's utility scale solar through subscribing to Renewable*Connect then all of our net usage was effectively solar (and then some! covering for my neighbors, eh). and as has been the case for a year or two now, the credit for Renewable*Connect exceeded the charge: the program actually made me a bit of money.

and with that credit accounted for then my actual non-fixed electricity cost works out to have been 6.27 cents/kWh. with finance rates the way they are now I can't fathom how adding more home-scale PV to my roof would make any sense in light of that, especially given that 47% of my bill is from fixed costs that wouldn't go away even if I drew nothing from the grid.

thus concludes our brief arithmetic session, many thank
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
Seattle plane tix: booked. Alaska was the cheaper option so Alaska it is. (going to be stuck with United or a codeshare, or a connecting flight via Canada or whatever, when I get around to booking Japan tix. not ready to face that quite yet. :D)

ended up as $396/round trip for wife and kids, who are staying there later than me since I must work the New Years week. recall that we get Christmas or New Years week off without counting as vacation, with the flip side that we work deliberately understaffed the other week in exchange. my shorter round trip was 20,000 miles + $5.60 in fees, and then $153 for the one way back. could have bought or transferred miles for $95 for the return to also be on miles but refused on principal as that's usury.

also rebooked minivan reservations via Costco Travel as prices have apparently dipped as compared to when prior-Toshi sagely made said reservations. not cramming the family in a Bolt this time. minivan spaciousness ftw.
 

scrublover

Turbo Monkey
Sep 1, 2004
3,157
6,873
I have never, ever, once, cleaned all of those steps.
Some? sure, often. Most? once or twice. but F me, that section is exhausting and difficult.
I've seen one person do it once, years ago. Early 2000's. Was most impressive.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
got a quite-extended test drive of a Kia EV9 set up for this weekend. they'll drop it off (from Fort Collins Kia! not a short drive) on Friday afternoon and pick it up mid day Monday.

a perfect test to see whether it is big enough for our uses.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
Yard sign: up. Yard moai: doing its thing, warding off foul spirits. bonus kitteh

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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
Kia EV9 loaned to me for the weekend

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Looks nice. Spaceship like

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Frunk exists but very small

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Rear cargo space is marginal with the third row up. Made it work for us with 6 in the car (so both third row seats in use). Ski season would be like this so better but still not ideal.

related: Cargo area dimensions

51.5” width behind the wheelwells, but the door width is 49”.

41.5” width at wheelwells extending all the way up to the second row

48.5” depth to floor level at second row chairs with a folded third row seat. 21.5” depth at floor level to back of third row, but 14” or so at the level of the top of the third row seatback

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Interior is pleasant enough. Good headroom throughout. First two rows are power actuated, heated, and ventilated! Just the cargo room to gripe about.

it drives well, too. Quick enough. Stable with its super long wheelbase if a little floaty. Annoying fake engine spaceship noise thing can be turned off as can the blind spot cameras that my wife disliked. CarPlay is wireless. Lane keep assist is poorly implemented though, although the adaptive cruise alone is fine. It feels a bit spastic.

so are we going to get one? I don’t think so. I did owe it a chance and this weekend is the best chance it’ll get. The cargo area is just too marginal for our regular all five of us skiing use case. If we got a top box I’m not sure what gear would go in that anyway. We would want boot bags inside and not freezing.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
related: Cargo area dimensions

51.5” width behind the wheelwells, but the door width is 49”.

41.5” width at wheelwells extending all the way up to the second row

48.5” depth to floor level at second row chairs with a folded third row seat. 21.5” depth at floor level to back of third row, but 14” or so at the level of the top of the third row seatback
I am missing the length to the 2nd row for the ID.Buzz but these are the data that I have. Thatched areas on ID.Buzz scribble represent that they’re folded above the floor as in the second from last photo.

EV9 behind 3rd row, width at wheelwells: 41.5”W x 14-21.5”D x 28.5”H. (51.5” width for a bit behind the wheelwells.)

ID.Buzz behind 3rd row, platform thing removed: 47”W x ~10-15.75”D x 43”H. Same height possible all the way to the second row if third row removed as is possible.

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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
the Lucid Gravity seems to have their packaging figured out the best, honestly… also claiming late 2024 availability. Will be a race between the ID.Buzz and the Gravity to see which can get into my garage by ski season.


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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
Ham fisted renters broke the hydraulic cover lifter for the hot tub. Claim made. Red text was not explicit enough apparently

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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
Update: The Spa Man comes out before every group, including ours. They saw the lifter and had already scheduled a repair for Tuesday of their own volition. Lifter damage is apparently super common in rentals, as makes sense given unfamiliarity, drink, etc.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
I am glad we had those heat pumps put in here. This house does like to retain heat

prior renter in Mariko’s room had that mini split set at 60! She’s my always cold kid and wasn’t aware enough to turn it up or off yesterday. Remedied today. Meanwhile I figured out that the Quiet fan mode on the mini split in our bedroom keeps it at a low, nearly constant level of noise. Much better than it cycling on and off, not that I slept too poorly last night anyway.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,478
8,555
ended up leaving at 9:30

mild traffic down Berthoud, usual gapers with trailers

stop and go last few miles to Empire

express lanes were awesome, moving along well besides intermittently slow traffic

no issues from 6 to town