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Message |
    
apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 147
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 3:03 pm: | 
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1. Where/how do you store your gas tanks for your outside grill for the winter?
2. Should you leave a computer on all the time and not shut it down at night? If so how much does it cost in electricity?
3. Any recommendations on fixing or replacing and installing a new garage door opener?? |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 374
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 3:48 pm: |
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1. outside only, never inside. disconnect the tank from the grill. bring your grill parts (burner, cooking grids) inside, though.
2. i'm told its less shock on the computer to leave it on all day if you'llbe using it off and on. for example -- if you use it only in the morning to check email and then again at night -- turn it off? (no data on this -- only what our tech guy says!)
3. if its older unit, without the infrared reversing detectors -- i'd say replace it no matter what -- the new models are much safer. i'm sure Sears and Home Depot install/replace -- but have no first hand informaiton on this. i installed a couple a few years back -- not that tough to do -- especially if the electric is already there.
good luck -- pete |
1-2many
Citizen
Username: Wbg69
Post Number: 647
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 4:04 pm: |
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1. my crazy ass husband grills all winter long. I kid you not. the gas and all parts, therefore, stay right where they are 12 months a year. no problems yet.
2. leave it on, but turn off once a week or so, to restore system resources.
3. call an honest professional, such as Elite Garage, 973-731-8800. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 320
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 4:04 pm: |
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#3 Christy's Overhead Door 973-887-2771 |
Sylad
Citizen
Username: Sylad
Post Number: 70
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 4:14 pm: |
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1. I use my grill all year, I store my back-up LP tank in the garage.
2. You can leave it on, but make sure you have an animated screen saver so you don't burn an image. If your connected to an always on broadband connection, you should disable it so a hacker can't get in or get a personal firewall.
3. If you just need to replace the motor it is pretty easy, a one person job, I did mine in just over an hour. If you need to replace the track for the chain drive or install the structure to secure it to the garage, it is not a hard job but it is much eaiser with two people. |
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1252
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 6:13 pm: |
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2. It is easier on the computer to leave it on, BUT...
The power you use (a) you have to pay for it (b) uses the earth's resources and (c) pollutes.
It's not a clearcut decision which is right.
to "restore system resources" all you have to do is restart. You rarely have to turn it off and on again.
If you have a CRT, those screen savers keep the monitor on. If you have a blanking screen saver that turns the monitor off, you save a lot of power. SOME monitors appear to be off but aren't. The monitor can use a lot of power.
LCD displays use a lot less power.
Check out those "wall warts" all over your house. I'm talking about the power cords with the brick, usually integrated with the plug. Most of those draw power, whether your appliance is on or off. These usually draw low power, like 5 watts, but they add up. I've seen some bricks that draw 35 watts! Jeez! This trend of using wall warts really bugs me, because the running cost is high, but the manufacturing cost is low. If we demanded more efficient gadgets, we'd pay more initially but less in the long run.
I don't know what we pay per kilowatt-hour, but I bet the power company will tell you. You can then easily calculate how much it costs. Every appliance says what its maximum power draw is (in watts). If it doesn't, it says it in amps, so multiply amps by volts (110) to get watts. Electrical engineers will point out that that multiplication isn't accurate, but it's accurate enough for this estimate.
My guess is that a computer draws about 200 watts. This is a nice argument in favor of a laptop, which draws a lot less.
Your refrigerator accounts for about half your electric bill, for whatever that's worth.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 5774
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 7:13 pm: |
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Tom makes an excellent argument for buying this.
which is why I never leave home |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 2236
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 7:46 pm: |
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1. Store the fuel tank out of doors. Even keeping it in the garage is a bad idea since fumes can build up and create a fire hazard.
2. It depends on your operating system. With windows 95 and 98, it is preferable to turn the computer off when not in use to restore system resources. With newer versions of windows it is preferable to keep the computer on all the time.
I don't about non-windows based systems.
3. Can't help you with this one. Our garage doesn't accomodate an automatic opener. |
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1253
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 7:54 pm: |
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Dave, I've met you outside your home, so I know you've left your home at least once.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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Sylad
Citizen
Username: Sylad
Post Number: 71
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 8:22 pm: |
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1.. additional comment....maybe someone from the Fire Dept can answer, but I think that storing an LP tank in the garage is fine. I store my car, lawnmower, snowblower and weed trimmer which are all full of gas in my garage, not to mention the 5 gallon gas can.
Where is Fire Marshall Bill when you need him???? |
apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 148
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 - 10:10 pm: |
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Thanks everyone. The gas tanks are where they should be, outside. The garage door opener works but it stops and gets stuck a lot so you have to get out of the car and manually push it closed which kind of defeats the whole purpose of it. I am still on the fence about the computer being on all night (I don't mind all day). Even if it doesn't cost too much it just seems a waste of resources to me.
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jgberkeley
Supporter
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 3362
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 9:06 am: |
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Propane tanks for the gas grill are BEST kept outside in the open air all year. Propane will not freeze.
I keep mine on the grill as I use my grill 3-4 times a week, rain, snow or whatever.
But back to you, propane in the tank is a liquid and should the tank or the valve leak the liquid gives off vapor or gas. The propane vapor is not like gasoline in that propane is heaver than air and the vapor will seek the lowest spot and will pocket or puddle into low spots and sit. When pooled like this it propane will not readily mix with air and dilute away, rather will sit and wait for a spark. In this environment it is quit explosive. On the other hand, gasoline vapor will float away and will rapidly mix with the air to a point that it will not be explosive.
Keeping Propane tanks outside solves the problem in that the open air, any slight breeze will blow any leaking vapor away and causes it to mix with air and dilute below its explosive point.
Next time you are at Home Depot or any other place that stores and sells the exchange tanks, look and note that the unit used to store the tanks have open meshed sides. This is to allow the airflow that I speak of and keeps the danger from leakage away.
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jeffl
Citizen
Username: Jeffl
Post Number: 226
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 2:33 pm: |
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I have a better idea...
1. buy a new garage door opener
2. buy a George Foreman grill
3. hook the grill and the computer up to the garage door opener
4. throw away the propane tank
5. get a universal remote control
6. operate your garage door opener, George Foreman grill, and computer with the remote control
7. move into your garage
8. rent out your house to jgberkely and call him on your cell phone when something goes wrong
9. with the extra cash you've saved buy yourself a xmas present of the monitor that Dave likes. |
Marvin Gardens
Citizen
Username: Marvin_gardens
Post Number: 23
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 4:39 pm: |
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I thought all computers in the last ten years were made with energy savers that will put your computer into Sleep mode to conserve energy after a set amount of time and not burn out your screen. Maybe that's just MAC I'm not sure. I actually didn't even know screen savers still existed.
_______________
Do Not Pass Go
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apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 150
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 5:14 pm: |
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Jeffl- LOL!!
PS I can't move into the garage as my neighbor's cats use it as their home. |
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