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Natural Gas Pressure
I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had
any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. |
#2
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If your water heater is that old, it's about time it's buried.
IMO, I'd call a plumber or HVAC guy to check the pressure. "Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. |
#3
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"Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. Pressure in residences where I live is about 11 ounces. Less than a pound of pressure. High pressure, I would go "all in" against that. Utilities are controlled by the state and they would have no reason to provide you more than the equipment is designed to handle. You mentioned before that the previous owner had the meter replaced? Not likely that the utility installed another one that is mis-calibrated. 1973 water heater, just replace it. |
#4
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I had the meter replaced as well however the regulator is separate and
is much older. Would there be any reason to believe that it went bad? I'm tending to agree that I should just replace the water heater and see what happens. |
#5
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"Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. This is Turtle. After 30 years of service i would replace it and not play the hunting trip pressure game . There is a cotton mesh filter in most of these old gas hot water tank gas valves and when through the years sulpher builds up in it and the flame may become flawed and you would think there is a pressure problem. TURTLE |
#6
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You could call a plumber, but how much would that
cost? and what could he tell you, pressure is low, pressure is right, pressure is too high? Anyone with the ability to connect two pipes together could go to a store and buy a gage plus necessary stuff to hook it up, go home, turn off the gas to the water heater, disconnect the water heater, connect the gage, turn the valve on, read the pressure. A lot cheaper and a lot faster than calling a plumber. This isn't high tech, it is barely one step above checking the pressure of your tires. Heck, a little reading and some mechanical ability you can forgo buying a gage and make one in 5 minutes. HeatMan wrote: If your water heater is that old, it's about time it's buried. IMO, I'd call a plumber or HVAC guy to check the pressure. "Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. |
#7
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I would keep that old water heater it's working right? You no if you change
it, it will just lead to another problem. Besides what the big deal about a couple extra bucks month, there is nothing like the charm of an antique in the home "Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. |
#8
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I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had
any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater If its possible, depending on your wiring, I'd consider an electric water heater. The cost of gas has risen past the point where it used to be cheaper than electric. Contact your electric utility and see what they have for energy usage comparisons for your area. Many have incentives for "going electric" "NG" is predicted to go up another 10-15% again this Winter. R |
#9
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SQLit wrote:
Pressure in residences where I live is about 11 ounces. Less than a pound of pressure. ....11 ounces is a pressure? :-) Nick |
#10
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I think he means 11 column-inches.
wrote in message ... SQLit wrote: Pressure in residences where I live is about 11 ounces. Less than a pound of pressure. ...11 ounces is a pressure? :-) Nick |
#11
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Yes Nick.
Normal burner pressure is 3.5 Inches Water Colunm or IWC (also called Inches Water Gauge or IWG). That is about 2 ounces per square inch. Th check the proper firing of the water heater, you want to measure the burner pressure, also called manifold pressure. There is a pressure regulator built into the water heater thermostat assembly. Your incoming pressure should be less than 1/2 PSI which is 14 Inches Water Column. Normally the incomming pressure should be between 7 and 14 Inches Water Column, but check the label on the water heater. SQLit, 11 ounces sounds like too high incoming pressure. 11 Inches would be more correct. Stretch |
#12
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Natural gas is mentioned in "inches of water column". Or, the pressure
required to lift water. The actuall PSIG is rather low. -- Christopher A. Young Do good work. It's longer in the short run but shorter in the long run. .. .. wrote in message ... SQLit wrote: Pressure in residences where I live is about 11 ounces. Less than a pound of pressure. ....11 ounces is a pressure? :-) Nick |
#13
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13. Rudy Sep 9, 1:36 am show options
I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater If its possible, depending on your wiring, I'd consider an electric water heater. The cost of gas has risen past the point where it used to be cheaper than electric. Contact your electric utility and see what they have for energy usage comparisons for your area. Many have incentives for "going electric" "NG" is predicted to go up another 10-15% again this Winter. Rudy, even with price increases, natural gas is still cheaper than electric for heating water in every area that I have heard of, if it is available. Faster too. Getting someone competent to check the water heater would be a good idea. BTW, not every contractor is competent. Stretch |
#14
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About gas vs electric:
Much boiler-fuel is NG. Do you think that'll affect electric rates? Anyhow, for various simple physical reasons, in most areas, a BTU delivered via NG costs about 1/4 that delivered electrically. Let's see what Katrina brings. Where'd you hear 15%? Think 70+, depending. HTH, J |
#15
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"Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I had the meter replaced as well however the regulator is separate and is much older. Would there be any reason to believe that it went bad? I'm tending to agree that I should just replace the water heater and see what happens. No the regulators are pretty simple products. |
#16
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Well, with all the great stuff posted here I'm going to price a new
water heater today. One thing I didn't know was that a water heater has a regulator built into it. Who's to say that's not what's bad. As for checking pressure myself, I think an easier way would be to buy a fitting to attach to my dryer hose and checking the pressure there (no soldering). Once I have the new WH installed, I'll watch the meter and see how fast it spins. I actually recorded the meter when the current WH was in a heat cycle so I have something to compare to. |
#17
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in ky our nat gas pressure is 30 on inlet and 4 pounds on the outlet.
you could put a good guage on it to check it. but most of the burner/pilot problems like yours that i have had were fixed by taking the burner assembly out and blowing it out with compressed air. lucas |
#18
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"o it will probably live for quite a while yet" not necessarily, it depends on your water, hard, soft ect 33 yrs on a gas heater is enough....i have seen heaters, that old, have a problem in regards to the gas valve not shutting down the pilot if the pilot flame goes out. when it leaks, it might not drip, ive seen the glass liner go and wham, mess time. the new heaters are more efficient -- whodat ------------------------------------------------------------------------ whodat's Profile: http://www.homeplot.com/member.php?userid=35 View this thread: http://www.homeplot.com/showthread.php?t=58156 |
#19
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Firstly, not one of the steps you just advised the OP to take, in order to
determine delivery pressure were correct...not even remotely. Secondly, if you were giving the OP legitimate advice and you believe what you replied with you are a ****ing idiot, if not then you are dangerous as well. Yargnits, I would strongly urge you to disregard everything this ****tard just responded to your post with. Incidentally Cawthon when was the last time that checking air in your tires, posed a potential explosion or fire hazard to your home and family? Stupid mother****er. Yargnits, call HVAC and/or Plumbing providers find out what a service call costs. The pressure can be verified and adjusted if it is necessary at the gas valve probably included in the service call price ( at least it would be in ours). The delivery pressure is different for LP than it is for Natural. If it is LP and has been operating correctly up to this point I would suspect the regulator, at any rate dicking with gas and gas controls should be left to professional service people. "George E. Cawthon" wrote in message ... You could call a plumber, but how much would that cost? and what could he tell you, pressure is low, pressure is right, pressure is too high? Anyone with the ability to connect two pipes together could go to a store and buy a gage plus necessary stuff to hook it up, go home, turn off the gas to the water heater, disconnect the water heater, connect the gage, turn the valve on, read the pressure. A lot cheaper and a lot faster than calling a plumber. This isn't high tech, it is barely one step above checking the pressure of your tires. Heck, a little reading and some mechanical ability you can forgo buying a gage and make one in 5 minutes. HeatMan wrote: If your water heater is that old, it's about time it's buried. IMO, I'd call a plumber or HVAC guy to check the pressure. "Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. |
#20
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Gas pressure, LP and Natural are expressed in water column inches, and 11"
is too high for either. wrote in message ... SQLit wrote: Pressure in residences where I live is about 11 ounces. Less than a pound of pressure. ...11 ounces is a pressure? :-) Nick |
#21
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11" is too high to.
"Stretch" wrote in message oups.com... Yes Nick. Normal burner pressure is 3.5 Inches Water Colunm or IWC (also called Inches Water Gauge or IWG). That is about 2 ounces per square inch. Th check the proper firing of the water heater, you want to measure the burner pressure, also called manifold pressure. There is a pressure regulator built into the water heater thermostat assembly. Your incoming pressure should be less than 1/2 PSI which is 14 Inches Water Column. Normally the incomming pressure should be between 7 and 14 Inches Water Column, but check the label on the water heater. SQLit, 11 ounces sounds like too high incoming pressure. 11 Inches would be more correct. Stretch |
#22
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"Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... Well, with all the great stuff posted here I'm going to price a new water heater today. One thing I didn't know was that a water heater has a regulator built into it. Who's to say that's not what's bad. As for checking pressure myself, I think an easier way would be to buy a fitting to attach to my dryer hose and checking the pressure there (no soldering). Once I have the new WH installed, I'll watch the meter and see how fast it spins. I actually recorded the meter when the current WH was in a heat cycle so I have something to compare to. What you really should see is not a difference in consumption while it burns, but how short a period a new one takes before the water is hot. AMUN |
#23
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Anthony
3.5 inches WC is normal manifold pressure for natural gas. 11 inches wc is normal manifold pressure for LP, although some LP burners go as low as 8.5 Inches WC. Don't ask me, check with rour gas supplier. Or a service tech with a manometer who knows how to check it. Stretch |
#24
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Pressure is tested through an existing tap in the thermostatic gas valve,
nothing is unsoldered....you people are scary. "Amun" wrote in message .. . "Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... Well, with all the great stuff posted here I'm going to price a new water heater today. One thing I didn't know was that a water heater has a regulator built into it. Who's to say that's not what's bad. As for checking pressure myself, I think an easier way would be to buy a fitting to attach to my dryer hose and checking the pressure there (no soldering). Once I have the new WH installed, I'll watch the meter and see how fast it spins. I actually recorded the meter when the current WH was in a heat cycle so I have something to compare to. What you really should see is not a difference in consumption while it burns, but how short a period a new one takes before the water is hot. AMUN |
#25
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Incidentally, I didn't ask you....I made a statement. 11"wc for LP is not
ideal delivery pressure, 10" wc however is. 8.5" wc is too low and will give an excessively yellow flame and a "dirty" burn. "Stretch" wrote in message oups.com... Anthony 3.5 inches WC is normal manifold pressure for natural gas. 11 inches wc is normal manifold pressure for LP, although some LP burners go as low as 8.5 Inches WC. Don't ask me, check with rour gas supplier. Or a service tech with a manometer who knows how to check it. Stretch |
#26
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Excellent retort for a 4th grader just learning
filthy words and trying to impress 6th graders. It appear that your knowledge is about on the same level. Get some help with your anger. Anthony Berlin wrote: Firstly, not one of the steps you just advised the OP to take, in order to determine delivery pressure were correct...not even remotely. Secondly, if you were giving the OP legitimate advice and you believe what you replied with you are a ****ing idiot, if not then you are dangerous as well. Yargnits, I would strongly urge you to disregard everything this ****tard just responded to your post with. Incidentally Cawthon when was the last time that checking air in your tires, posed a potential explosion or fire hazard to your home and family? Stupid mother****er. |
#27
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26. Anthony Berlin Sep 9, 6:26 pm show options
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair From: "Anthony Berlin" - Find messages by this author I do it for a living, and NG should be delivered out of the gas valve at 10"wc. Anthony, I also do it for a living and have been since 1975. I have worked on Lennox gas furnaces that list 8.5" WC as the manifold pressure on the nameplate for LP furnaces. If Lennox designs it to run at 8.5" that is what I set the Manifold pressure for. If there is no pressure listed I use 11" WC. A few years ago I installed a Carrier gas pack and installed a LP conversion kit. The kit stated the manifold pressure was set for 3.5" Wc. I thought it was a typo and called Carrier. They designed it for 3.5 Inches manifold pressure and the orifices were sized to work at that pressure. I have seen atmospheric gas burners on hgh pressure steam boilers for dry cleaners that were designed to work at 4 inches water column manifold pressure. If there is no rating on the nameplate, I use 11 inches water column for LP and 3.5 inches water column for natural gas. This has been the standard since at least 1975 in the USA. Do you live outside the USA by chance? There might be different standards elsewhere. If the manufacturers name plate says something else, then I follow the manufacturers instructions. Stretch |
#28
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No I live in the USA....you've just been doing it wrong since 1975.
"Stretch" wrote in message oups.com... 26. Anthony Berlin Sep 9, 6:26 pm show options Newsgroups: alt.home.repair From: "Anthony Berlin" - Find messages by this author I do it for a living, and NG should be delivered out of the gas valve at 10"wc. Anthony, I also do it for a living and have been since 1975. I have worked on Lennox gas furnaces that list 8.5" WC as the manifold pressure on the nameplate for LP furnaces. If Lennox designs it to run at 8.5" that is what I set the Manifold pressure for. If there is no pressure listed I use 11" WC. A few years ago I installed a Carrier gas pack and installed a LP conversion kit. The kit stated the manifold pressure was set for 3.5" Wc. I thought it was a typo and called Carrier. They designed it for 3.5 Inches manifold pressure and the orifices were sized to work at that pressure. I have seen atmospheric gas burners on hgh pressure steam boilers for dry cleaners that were designed to work at 4 inches water column manifold pressure. If there is no rating on the nameplate, I use 11 inches water column for LP and 3.5 inches water column for natural gas. This has been the standard since at least 1975 in the USA. Do you live outside the USA by chance? There might be different standards elsewhere. If the manufacturers name plate says something else, then I follow the manufacturers instructions. Stretch |
#29
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30. Anthony Berlin Sep 9, 8:47 pm show options
No I live in the USA....you've just been doing it wrong since 1975. "Stretch" wrote in message Anthony, No, you are a troll. You could not possibly be legitimate and doing what you say. Therefore, henceforth I will ignore you. Stretch |
#30
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Personally I would just replace the old water heater myself since it's
already way out lived it's normal life and is most likely full of lime and calcium. Having said that it is very easy to check the manifold pressure on a water heater at the provided plugged pressure port. In fact you can make a water column gauge with a piece of 1/4" plastic tube marked in one inch increments from the bottom and a tall bottle of water. Like I said, I wouldn't even bother on a WH that old.. Most all newer residential water heaters do not have a PRV but are designed to operate off of normal house gas pressure. By the way, Stretch and Turtle both know what they are talking about, the other troll just likes to type the "F" word and cause trouble all the time. I've been doing this stuff for a living for over 37 years myself. Yargnits wrote: I posted a few days ago about my high gas bills and I still haven't had any luck tracking the cause. Since my main suspect is the water heater I contacted AO Smith and asked them how old the water heater was. They said it was made in 1973 so it's the original one installed in my house. I also sent them some pics of the water heater and the flame and they said that the flame looks too big and colorful. They suspect the gas pressure to be too high and that I should have the gas company come check it. It will like pulling teeth to get them to come out so I'd like an opinion from the knowledgeable people here. Should I just replace the 30 year old water heater or pursue the pressure? It's got a glass tank so it will probably live for quite a while yet and if it is the pressure the new water heater will have the same problem. That is unless they're putting regulators in them now. |
#31
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Rudy, even with price increases, natural gas is still cheaper than electric for heating water in every area that I have heard of, if it is available. Not here in BC. Our electric is .0605 cents Kwh CDN or about .051 cents Kwh USD. BC has the 3rd lowest electric rates in North America (the lowest 2 are other Cdn provinces) I'll admit that this isn't the case in the USA. Here is a "calculator" that shows what the annual HW cost here is: https://ewb.bchydro.com/appcalc/pg1.asp?id=0 Gas: $ 213 while electric is $ 189 Electric turns out to be $ 24 or 11.25% cheaper IIRC, Gas (which BC has a lot of also) has gone up something like 300% or more in the last 10 years and they're getting a 15% increase this Winter. Electric went from around 4 cents to 6 cents in the same time R |
#32
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Where'd you hear 15%? Thats here in BC. I have seen the +70% figure relating to NGas for somewhere in the Midwest this Winter, on the news. |
#33
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Gas regulators internal diaphram can be damaged easier than you think. I
have seen a few go bad, Not common but can happen. Most of the time when they go bad is due to rupture when the gas service has been off and then the valve on the incoming line is turned on too quickly, should always open slowly to pervent rupture. "SQLit" wrote in message ... "Yargnits" wrote in message oups.com... I had the meter replaced as well however the regulator is separate and is much older. Would there be any reason to believe that it went bad? I'm tending to agree that I should just replace the water heater and see what happens. No the regulators are pretty simple products. |
#34
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Fri, 9 Sep 2005 13:25:16 -0500, "Anthony Berlin" wrote: Incidentally Cawthon when was the last time that checking air in your tires, posed a potential explosion or fire hazard to your home and family? When they're filled with a flammable gas. It's not uncommon. Fix-A-Flat, Seal N' Air, et al. use propane and latex, an explosiove mixture when carbureted properly in air. See, I can be a smartass, too. :-) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 7.1 iQA/AwUBQy4/GwIk7T39FC4ZEQIQjgCgoH/ecYqkMZmQ+rWUeikFcAk77roAoKAO XdNMPkSWJyxxKGCWaUNZnFSI =82s3 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- -john wide-open at throttle dot info |
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