Useless Conversation

[Morat20]

My boss at my last job mandated a "if you're sick, stay away!" policy after we passed the super flu around for 2-3 months at the office and everyone got it multiple times. My current job & boss get concerned and want you to stay away as well, especially since he got pneumonia last year and was out for almost 3 months recovering.

Our work has that rule, and HR tends to enforce it. (They also don't allow vacation accumulation at year's end, because "The purpose of vacation is for you to take it, not bank up six months of it and let it sit for years").

Of course, for teacher's....as noted, unless you are dying they get upset if you're not there.

In other news: I got to spend a panicky twenty minutes as it appeared the guys installing the new dishwasher had somehow blown out the power to an entire wall. I finally found the culprit (they were of no help, kept telling me utterly wrong things about how it worked. Like "this switch turns power on and off to the dishwasher." No it doesn't. I've lived here 15 years. That powers that light right there, and has jack-shit to do with the dishwasher. I know this because I never turn that damn light on and the dishwasher runs fine) -- they'd tripped a GFCI. I didn't know that one covered the dishwasher or I'd have checked it first thing.

[apocrypha]

Did you move to the United States?

Nah, we've just had 20 years of governments copying US neoliberalism. 

[TheWalrus]

In other news: I got to spend a panicky twenty minutes as it appeared the guys installing the new dishwasher had somehow blown out the power to an entire wall. I finally found the culprit (they were of no help, kept telling me utterly wrong things about how it worked. Like "this switch turns power on and off to the dishwasher." No it doesn't. I've lived here 15 years. That powers that light right there, and has jack-shit to do with the dishwasher. I know this because I never turn that damn light on and the dishwasher runs fine) -- they'd tripped a GFCI. I didn't know that one covered the dishwasher or I'd have checked it first thing.

You have some funky setup or something? Dishwashers, as far as I'm concerned, are cake to install. I put my nice new Maytag in a couple months ago to replace my shitty all plastic one that came with the house. Only thing I needed was a section of hose and a fitting.

[Sky]

We no longer live in an era where skilled installations happen unless you bring in your own people (and pay them accordingly).

Hell, I wired my own dishwasher because honestly most contractors/installers can't wire things as well as I can.

[TheWalrus]

That. Tho, I don't think it's skill as much as caring.

[Merusk]

In other news: I got to spend a panicky twenty minutes as it appeared the guys installing the new dishwasher had somehow blown out the power to an entire wall. I finally found the culprit (they were of no help, kept telling me utterly wrong things about how it worked. Like "this switch turns power on and off to the dishwasher." No it doesn't. I've lived here 15 years. That powers that light right there, and has jack-shit to do with the dishwasher. I know this because I never turn that damn light on and the dishwasher runs fine) -- they'd tripped a GFCI. I didn't know that one covered the dishwasher or I'd have checked it first thing.

pw

You have some funky setup or something? Dishwashers, as far as I'm concerned, are cake to install. I put my nice new Maytag in a couple months ago to replace my shitty all plastic one that came with the house. Only thing I needed was a section of hose and a fitting.

He's got an older home. Switches for dishwashers didn't become a thing until the late 80s IIRC from the guys who taught me.  My house is 1985 and there's no dishwasher switch.  I imagine that's why his installers were confused.  Though him having GFIs seems odd. I forget the timeline on those being mandated though.

[MahrinSkel]

Switches for dishwashers? I have literally only seen that once (and I bypassed it and used the switch for the under-cabinet lighting I was adding). Are you sure that is an actual thing?

GFCI's for bathrooms and kitchens started back in the 70's.

--Dave

[Merusk]

Yes it's an actual thing. I thought it was an IRC thing but apparently not and it's done state-to-state. The NEC and IRC - from what I can tell I don't have access to the actual codes anymore - only require there to be a disconnect. This can be the breaker or a switch.  I know that jurisdictions around Dallas and here in Ohio required us to have a LOCAL (as in within sight of the appliance) disconnect. Thus, switches.  I assumed it to be an IRC thing but I guess it was just a local code thing.

The actual IRC section and chart is here:
http://codes.iccsafe.org/app/book/content/2015-I-Codes/NY/2015%20IRC%20HTML/Chapter%2041.html

ed: Oh wait, it says Volt Amperes, not just Amps... so yeah, Dishwashers, which are ~1,200 Watts require a switch per table 4101.5 description #2

[Morat20]

He's got an older home. Switches for dishwashers didn't become a thing until the late 80s IIRC from the guys who taught me.  My house is 1985 and there's no dishwasher switch.  I imagine that's why his installers were confused.  Though him having GFIs seems odd. I forget the timeline on those being mandated though.

Older home. Code required GFCI's for kitchen and bathrooms, so that was done by the seller before we bought it. We have no "switch" for the dishwasher (the installers thought we did)> The confusion seemed to be the place where the power line entered the wall -- they thought it was connected to a switch above it, but it appears that entire circuit (that switch, the lights above, and the dishwasher) are routed through a GFCI on a different outlet.

So when the GFCI tripped when they installed it, they looked at the outlet they thought it was connected to, saw no GFCI, and figured it was the breaker.

I happened to check another outlet (I was going to see if power was out to that one) and saw the GFCI light.

Reset it, everything works. Except I seem to have a air in the dishwasher in line -- got this lovely hammering 'spurt' of water going in. Since when it starts, the water in the sink starts doing it, it's air in the lines and not a faulty install. Not sure how to clear that other than waiting it out.

[schild]

I'll make this as vague as possible.

Did someone from f13 add me on LinkedIn that owns a mattress store?

[Trippy]

You looking to furnish your new digs?

[schild]

Serious answer:
Yes, I need 2 beds. One queen, one king. Platform on the latter. Massage function would be nice.

Not serious answer:
I WOULD NEVER

[Morat20]

I'm kinda stoked by the idea that a mattress store owner hangs out here, bitching about games.

[rattran]

They probably just lie to hide their shame and claim to something like a dentist or librarian.

[Selby]

Hell, I wired my own dishwasher because honestly most contractors/installers can't wire things as well as I can.

Yup. I burned up the AC disconnect box this summer. A technician wanted $250 to come out and fix it. I did it myself in an hour, the box was $13 and the fuses were $15. And I did a good job unlike most techs because I do this for a living!

[Morat20]

Hell, I wired my own dishwasher because honestly most contractors/installers can't wire things as well as I can.

Yup. I burned up the AC disconnect box this summer. A technician wanted $250 to come out and fix it. I did it myself in an hour, the box was $13 and the fuses were $15. And I did a good job unlike most techs because I do this for a living!

It evens out. I don't need to pay 200 bucks to diagnose faulty RAM or replace a video card.

Or god knows how much to transfer data to a new PC or laptop.

I do have to pay money to have a guy install my dishwasher or properly ground my electrical sockets.

(And boy, was I glad of that -- the box on the pole blew this afternoon with the loudest damn bang. It took the surge, not the house, but damn. I was glad all my electronics are now properly grounded. Repair guys referred to it as "animal interference" which sounds like some poor squirrel grounded himself.

[Sky]

Dishwasher switches, forgot to add I did put in a cutoff switch for it. Luckily I could do it in the basement stairwell, right next to the cutoff for the furnace, so it's nicely logical.

[MahrinSkel]

Huh. Turns out the switch under the sink I though was for the garbage disposal is actually for the dishwasher. Interesting.

--Dave

Edit: Which, come to think of it, was kind of stupid of me. Why have two switches for the disposal?

[Merusk]

 

[TheWalrus]

(And boy, was I glad of that -- the box on the pole blew this afternoon with the loudest damn bang. It took the surge, not the house, but damn. I was glad all my electronics are now properly grounded. Repair guys referred to it as "animal interference" which sounds like some poor squirrel grounded himself.

Yep, probably a ground squirrel. They always take the path of least resistance.

[Rasix]

I just watched some guy in a massive, ancient Ford 150 pickup (probably a bigger number) take roughly 10 tries and around 3 minutes to park in a tiny spot next to my brand new car. There were easier spots, you jackass.

I was visibly distraught. I'm not great at hiding my emotions.

Random female that exited the truck (may have been the driver, I wasn't looking at them) angrily: "Is something the matter?"

NOPE, I'M GREAT. HAVE A NICE NIGHT.

Heh, we just watched someone take like 5 tries to park their giant SUV in a similar spot. I realize it might not be easy to pull these things in, but jesus christ.

[Trippy]

This is me parking my car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUsKbBgyywk

[TheWalrus]

I drive a Chevy Avalanche. It's not huge, but I love it enough that I purposely park next to nice cars. I know I'm not gonna ding their shit, and I'm pretty sure they won't hit mine.

[Selby]

I do my own computer building and diagnostics too! No one local knows how to do that either ;-)

I just watched some guy in a massive, ancient Ford 150 pickup (probably a bigger number) take roughly 10 tries and around 3 minutes to park in a tiny spot next to my brand new car.

I just sold off my F250 for this reason. Great truck but a complete bitch to park anywhere except a 6 spot empty area. Parking large vehicles sucks and is very stressful!

[Sky]

Unrelated to that bad parking photo, we grabbed fast food on the way to the Jamey Johnson show last night and were mightily entertained by the busy intersection. The city has decided to change several busy intersections to blinking lights at dusk. Which is early right now. And I may have an odd sense of humor, but it was hilarious watching these morons struggle with the concept of a blinking yellow/red intersection. In the 20 minutes we were there, I lost count of the near collisions. People stopping at the yellow, people not stopping at the red, people not understanding blinking red = stop sign rules, etc.

[Strazos]

Parking these damn suburbans, in a country built for subcompacts, makes me a sad. 

[HaemishM]

I always say, if you can't park it, don't drive it, motherfucker. Hate these cockwombles that get these massive SUV's or trucks, then can't park it without taking at least 2 spots.

[Paelos]

I always say, if you can't park it, don't drive it, motherfucker. Hate these cockwombles that get these massive SUV's or trucks, then can't park it without taking at least 2 spots.

They need it to take Jimmy to soccer practice so he doesn't sit at home masturbating all day.

[Yegolev]

I need a truck to haul my garbage to the dump.  And other things that no one wants to put inside a Cadillac SRX.

[MisterNoisy]

This is me parking my car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUsKbBgyywk

Heh.  I'm the same way - door dings drive me bonkers and it gives me the opportunity to take a short walk and have a smoke.

[Sky]

This is me parking my car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUsKbBgyywk

Heh.  I'm the same way - door dings drive me bonkers and it gives me the opportunity to take a short walk and have a smoke.

The fiancee has a running joke about seeing a parking spot in the lot across the street. It's always hilaaaarious.

I like to park and walk, let the mouth-breathers fight for spots close to the entrance. It's also faster to just take an open spot at the end of the lot and walk than circle around and around or gods forbid wait for someone to pull out of a spot.

[Yegolev]

I actually agree with you that it can often be faster to just get the first easy spot.  Walking an extra thirty yards now means I'm probably going to be alive when TEOTWAWKI arrives.  Extra points if you park next to the cart corral and don't have to trot it somewhere.

[Chimpy]

Cart corrals are the place I won't park next to/across from if I can possibly avoid it. People just launch carts at them because they are too lazy to walk the 20 feet to put the cart inside thus creating wheeled projectiles primed to bang into my car.

[apocrypha]

I called some bloke a lazy cunt in Tescos car park this morning because he left his trolley in a parking space instead of walking it 10 meters to the trolley park. He looked quite shocked as he drove off. Cunt.

[Rasix]

Cart corrals are the place I won't park next to/across from if I can possibly avoid it. People just launch carts at them because they are too lazy to walk the 20 feet to put the cart inside thus creating wheeled projectiles primed to bang into my car.

I had not thought of that. I sometimes park next to them because it removes at least one asshole from parking next to you. I think on nights out to crowded areas; I'm going to avoid bringing the new car. That shit was horrifying.

Heh, I avoid confrontation in Arizona. You really have no idea who's packing and how insane/eager they are.