If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine
on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was
installed the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater was
a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try
to get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker turned
on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was "fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new higher
amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of the new
heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the heating
element with the correct wattage element!

Bill wrote:
If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine
on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was
installed the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater was
a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try
to get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker turned
on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was "fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new higher
amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of the new
heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the heating
element with the correct wattage element!


I learned this lesson trying to install a toilet. Apparently you learn
that you crack the porcelain the first time you try it.

Less destructive and costly:

Normally I have my driveway sealed professionally every year for about
$65. I'd had it done two years in a row, and it looked really good
when the sealers came around last spring, so I said bag it.

Well, last week I looked at the driveway and it really needed sealing.
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the wet
and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

All the pros have moved south by now, so I went to Lowe's and got the
supplies to do it myself. A cheap brush and 5 pails of the cheapest
driveway tar they had: $105.

On Oct 17, 1:23*pm, wrote:
Less destructive and costly:

Normally I have my driveway sealed professionally every year for about
$65. I'd had it done two years in a row, and it looked really good
when the sealers came around last spring, so I said bag it.

Well, last week I looked at the driveway and it really needed sealing.
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the wet
and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

All the pros have moved south by now, so I went to Lowe's and got the
supplies to do it myself. A cheap brush and 5 pails of the cheapest
driveway tar they had: $105.

If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

wrote in message

Well, last week I looked at the driveway and it really needed sealing.
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the wet
and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

If that is true, let it go and put in a new driveway with proper base. Mine
is 30 years old and was sealed once, about 25 years ago. I found it is a
PITA to do and there is no damage after all those New England winters.

"Bill" wrote in
:

If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked
fine on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went
out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element
was installed the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water
heater was a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker
again kept tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp
(double throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the
breaker to try to get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker
turned on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was
"fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new
higher amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the
cost of the new heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15
amp circuit breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the
heating element with the correct wattage element!



OK Bill. Where did this story come from? How about even a link to the
page.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
wrote in message
Well, last week I looked at the driveway and it really needed sealing.
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the wet
and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

If that is true, let it go and put in a new driveway with proper base. Mine
is 30 years old and was sealed once, about 25 years ago. I found it is a
PITA to do and there is no damage after all those New England winters.


My neighbors all sealed their driveways this year, and tried to coax me
into doing mine, claiming I could get another couple of years out of it.
I called 2 different paving companies in for an estimate, and both
confirmed what I thought, that the driveway was shot, and the proper
repair was a rip-n-replace. Maybe next spring. My neighbors will just
have to avert their eyes, I guess. (I was gunshy about topcoating
because the driveway slopes so much. I think spinning uphill last winter
is what killed the tranny in my last car.)

--
aem sends...

"Frank" frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet wrote in message
. ..
Bill wrote:
If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine on
a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher wattage
heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was installed
the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater was a
higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try to
get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker turned
on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was "fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new higher
amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of the new
heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the heating
element with the correct wattage element!


I learned this lesson trying to install a toilet. Apparently you learn that
you crack the porcelain the first time you try it.

I took the time to discover this possibility before I replaced my first toilet.

A little research is always worthwhile, and usually easy these days.

"Bill" wrote in message
...
If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine
on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was
installed the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater
was a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept
tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try
to get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker
turned on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was
"fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new
higher amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of
the new heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit
breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the
heating element with the correct wattage element!

If you don't know what you're doing... get an education first, these days
it's easy to ask and get qualified answers

Sure, there's always a risk of failure in any DIY project, just as
there's a risk of failure in a professionally-done project. It's just
the risk is lower if it's a pro (hopefully), and the liability is
theirs, not yours.

But what is often neglected is the cost in dollars versus the cost in
time. When it comes to larger projects, how much is your time worth if
a project will suck up every waking non-work-related minute for days
or weeks? Is the money you save on redoing the kitchen yourself really
worth all the extra days you have to wash your dishes in the bathtub?
If you're not a flooring expert, is it worth the savings in dollars to
take longer to install a hardwood floor yourself than to have a
professional do it much more quickly and with less of a chance of
problems after?

My wife and I are about to rehab a foreclosure house we purchased from
Fannie Mae. It needs a lot of cosmetic work and it will take a lot of
time to re-do the kitchen, replace carpets in the bedrooms with
hardwood, abate the stink of the previous owners (smokers), and paint
_everything_. We both work 50--60 hours a week, so to get this place
ready to move in by the end of November, we'd have to do nothing in
our spare time but work on the house.

So we figure it's worth it to shell out some dollars to professionals
for a few of those tasks/projects rather than pay the price in loss of
sanity, grumpiness and a complete lack of lovin' until close to
Christmas...

http://tinyurl.com/5r66uw

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Red Green" wrote in message
...

OK Bill. Where did this story come from? How about even a link to the
page.

Kyle wrote:

-snip-

But what is often neglected is the cost in dollars versus the cost in
time. When it comes to larger projects, how much is your time worth if
a project will suck up every waking non-work-related minute for days
or weeks?
-snip-
Or years.

The converse is 'How much enjoyment do you get out of just doing the
work yourself.'

I've been digging a basement out for 20 yrs, off and on. 5 gallons
at a time of wet heavy clay. Money wise I probably started losing
money a few years ago. Convenience wise it has been a loser from the
gitgo.

But I've been getting a good workout through our long cold winters.
And next winter, when I will likely put a floor down in 1/2 the
basement, the level of satisfaction will be without equal.

When **** goes wrong- and it does from time to time- I write it off to
educational expenses.

Jim

On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:29:59 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 17, 1:23*pm, wrote:
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

We just put in a brand new driveway (tore out all the old asphalt,
laid down a new stone bed, then 2 weeks later, laid down 2" of
asphalt), and I'm debating whether to seal it next spring or not. I
get conflicting answers all the time. The paving company says to
seal. Your experience defies this advice.

DIY *should* be more expensive than a so called pro, after all, a DIYer
should be using better materials and doing better quality work than the
pro since they aren't trying to make a profit. It's also an excuse to
buy new tools, though after a while of DIY you have most everything
already so there isn't anything new to buy.

DIY jobs go bad, sometimes because of inexperience, others because job
is bigger than anticipated.

DIY is a learning experience, if you hang in thru bad jobs that
experience pays off in future

"Bill" wrote in message
...
If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine
on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was
installed the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater
was a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept
tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try
to get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker
turned on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was
"fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new
higher amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of
the new heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit
breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the
heating element with the correct wattage element!


When the "breaker kept tripping", after making a single change (replace the
heating element), wouldn't you think that the first thing to check is that
maybe the changed item is the problem?


Mike O.

Mike O. wrote:


When the "breaker kept tripping", after making a single change (replace
the heating element), wouldn't you think that the first thing to check
is that maybe the changed item is the problem?


Mike O.

NOT IF YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT.

KLS wrote:
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:29:59 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 17, 1:23 pm, wrote:
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

We just put in a brand new driveway (tore out all the old asphalt,
laid down a new stone bed, then 2 weeks later, laid down 2" of
asphalt), and I'm debating whether to seal it next spring or not. I
get conflicting answers all the time. The paving company says to
seal. Your experience defies this advice.
Sure it was just 2" ? That is awful thin for over fresh gravel. 2" is
about what they put down to stretch the life of existing non-heaved
asphalt, around here. Good that they waited 2 weeks for settling
problems to show up, but I hope they also compacted the gravel more than
just by having you drive on it.

--
aem sends...

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install
new higher amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus
had the cost of the new heating element, the new water heater,
and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.
All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced
the heating element with the correct wattage element!

Some people could screw up an anvil.

But most people simply CANNOT afford pay a professional for all the
work they need done, no matter how badly the professionals want them
to.

On Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:36:33 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

KLS wrote:
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:29:59 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 17, 1:23 pm, wrote:
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

We just put in a brand new driveway (tore out all the old asphalt,
laid down a new stone bed, then 2 weeks later, laid down 2" of
asphalt), and I'm debating whether to seal it next spring or not. I
get conflicting answers all the time. The paving company says to
seal. Your experience defies this advice.
Sure it was just 2" ? That is awful thin for over fresh gravel. 2" is
about what they put down to stretch the life of existing non-heaved
asphalt, around here. Good that they waited 2 weeks for settling
problems to show up, but I hope they also compacted the gravel more than
just by having you drive on it.

Yes, they went back and forth many times with their massive roller
equipment, and after 2 weeks of driving on the stone, there weren't
visible tracks (thank god), indicating good compaction. Yes, the
standard now is 2" of asphalt for new driveways, sadly, and the price
isn't pretty. It was about $1,500 more than just resurfacing the
previous -1" (and I was ****ed when I realized how thin the top layer
was) that was on top of the main layer of asphalt, so I'm hoping never
to deal with this again.

But should I seal it in the spring? Therein lies my question. Perhaps
I should.

"KLS" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:36:33 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

KLS wrote:
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:29:59 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 17, 1:23 pm, wrote:
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

We just put in a brand new driveway (tore out all the old asphalt,
laid down a new stone bed, then 2 weeks later, laid down 2" of
asphalt), and I'm debating whether to seal it next spring or not. I
get conflicting answers all the time. The paving company says to
seal. Your experience defies this advice.
Sure it was just 2" ? That is awful thin for over fresh gravel. 2" is
about what they put down to stretch the life of existing non-heaved
asphalt, around here. Good that they waited 2 weeks for settling
problems to show up, but I hope they also compacted the gravel more than
just by having you drive on it.

Yes, they went back and forth many times with their massive roller
equipment, and after 2 weeks of driving on the stone, there weren't
visible tracks (thank god), indicating good compaction. Yes, the
standard now is 2" of asphalt for new driveways, sadly, and the price
isn't pretty. It was about $1,500 more than just resurfacing the
previous -1" (and I was ****ed when I realized how thin the top layer
was) that was on top of the main layer of asphalt, so I'm hoping never
to deal with this again.

But should I seal it in the spring? Therein lies my question. Perhaps
I should.

Do they "seal" the interstate?

"GoBama" wrote in message
. ..
Mike O. wrote:


When the "breaker kept tripping", after making a single change (replace the
heating element), wouldn't you think that the first thing to check is that
maybe the changed item is the problem?


Mike O.

NOT IF YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT.

And who got us into the situation this country is now in?

A little clue - It wasn't the democrats.

On Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:49:21 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:


"KLS" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:36:33 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

KLS wrote:
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:29:59 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 17, 1:23 pm, wrote:
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

We just put in a brand new driveway (tore out all the old asphalt,
laid down a new stone bed, then 2 weeks later, laid down 2" of
asphalt), and I'm debating whether to seal it next spring or not. I
get conflicting answers all the time. The paving company says to
seal. Your experience defies this advice.
Sure it was just 2" ? That is awful thin for over fresh gravel. 2" is
about what they put down to stretch the life of existing non-heaved
asphalt, around here. Good that they waited 2 weeks for settling
problems to show up, but I hope they also compacted the gravel more than
just by having you drive on it.

Yes, they went back and forth many times with their massive roller
equipment, and after 2 weeks of driving on the stone, there weren't
visible tracks (thank god), indicating good compaction. Yes, the
standard now is 2" of asphalt for new driveways, sadly, and the price
isn't pretty. It was about $1,500 more than just resurfacing the
previous -1" (and I was ****ed when I realized how thin the top layer
was) that was on top of the main layer of asphalt, so I'm hoping never
to deal with this again.

But should I seal it in the spring? Therein lies my question. Perhaps
I should.

Do they "seal" the interstate?

GOOD POINT!

KLS wrote:
On Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:49:21 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

"KLS" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:36:33 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

KLS wrote:
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:29:59 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 17, 1:23 pm, wrote:
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.
We just put in a brand new driveway (tore out all the old asphalt,
laid down a new stone bed, then 2 weeks later, laid down 2" of
asphalt), and I'm debating whether to seal it next spring or not. I
get conflicting answers all the time. The paving company says to
seal. Your experience defies this advice.
Sure it was just 2" ? That is awful thin for over fresh gravel. 2" is
about what they put down to stretch the life of existing non-heaved
asphalt, around here. Good that they waited 2 weeks for settling
problems to show up, but I hope they also compacted the gravel more than
just by having you drive on it.
Yes, they went back and forth many times with their massive roller
equipment, and after 2 weeks of driving on the stone, there weren't
visible tracks (thank god), indicating good compaction. Yes, the
standard now is 2" of asphalt for new driveways, sadly, and the price
isn't pretty. It was about $1,500 more than just resurfacing the
previous -1" (and I was ****ed when I realized how thin the top layer
was) that was on top of the main layer of asphalt, so I'm hoping never
to deal with this again.

But should I seal it in the spring? Therein lies my question. Perhaps
I should.
Do they "seal" the interstate?

GOOD POINT!
When you see asphalt on the interstate, it is almost always a cap over
the original concrete road. Unless the original concrete failed
completely, you can't get a much better substrate than that. Sometimes
the original concrete joints telegraph right through the asphalt.

--
aem sends...