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Meter readers will get their poo poo wrecked at work for curb reading. Just call and ask for someone to verify and they'll fix it up and you won't have that problem again.
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Feb 6, 2018 03:00
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DTaeKim posted:According to the last bill, my energy use was 1366 kWh. It looks like my company offers a home energy assessment, but I might have to pay for it because my income exceeds their threshold. Upon review of my bill, it looks like the power company levied a service fee equal to the use of my natural gas, which doubled it. I honestly have no idea how my energy is calculated. They don't physically send someone to my location each month, it automatically sends the reading back to their office every day at 6am. It's handy in the sense that I can see what my day-to-day energy use h as been and how much it cost me, but it makes almost no sense when I look at it. For instance... this past Saturday it was ~58 degrees so my heat didn't come on at all between 9am and 10pm. My house holds heat really well and the house stayed at 67 the entire day with the system turned off. I had no lights on since it was sunny outside. I literally watched Golf from about 12 until 6pm before anyone else came home and then night time still very few lights (all LED's in my house) and normal stuff. Heat kicked on around 10 according to this nifty app and then brought the house back to 68 where it would stay until 9am the next morning. Cost of power for the day $8.30.... Then Superbowl Sunday, I had 60 people in my house, every light bulb on, in every room, 4 TV's on for the game from about 1PM until the game ended. Cost of power for the day $3.50.. then there are days where I've used about a dollar in electricity, it's really weird.
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Feb 6, 2018 16:18
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thebushcommander posted:I honestly have no idea how my energy is calculated. They don't physically send someone to my location each month, it automatically sends the reading back to their office every day at 6am. It's handy in the sense that I can see what my day-to-day energy use h as been and how much it cost me, but it makes almost no sense when I look at it. For instance... this past Saturday it was ~58 degrees so my heat didn't come on at all between 9am and 10pm. My house holds heat really well and the house stayed at 67 the entire day with the system turned off. I had no lights on since it was sunny outside. I literally watched Golf from about 12 until 6pm before anyone else came home and then night time still very few lights (all LED's in my house) and normal stuff. Heat kicked on around 10 according to this nifty app and then brought the house back to 68 where it would stay until 9am the next morning. Cost of power for the day $8.30.... Then Superbowl Sunday, I had 60 people in my house, every light bulb on, in every room, 4 TV's on for the game from about 1PM until the game ended. Cost of power for the day $3.50.. then there are days where I've used about a dollar in electricity, it's really weird. Do you have natural gas, or does your house only have electric? If everything runs on electricity, your water heater, clothes dryer, stove/oven and furnace are going to matter a lot more than a bunch of LED TV's and light bulbs. If you have a normal house with natural gas appliances then it's mainly going to be air conditioning that drives the electric bill.
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Feb 6, 2018 16:27
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thebushcommander posted:I honestly have no idea how my energy is calculated. They don't physically send someone to my location each month, it automatically sends the reading back to their office every day at 6am. It's handy in the sense that I can see what my day-to-day energy use h as been and how much it cost me, but it makes almost no sense when I look at it. For instance... this past Saturday it was ~58 degrees so my heat didn't come on at all between 9am and 10pm. My house holds heat really well and the house stayed at 67 the entire day with the system turned off. I had no lights on since it was sunny outside. I literally watched Golf from about 12 until 6pm before anyone else came home and then night time still very few lights (all LED's in my house) and normal stuff. Heat kicked on around 10 according to this nifty app and then brought the house back to 68 where it would stay until 9am the next morning. Cost of power for the day $8.30.... Then Superbowl Sunday, I had 60 people in my house, every light bulb on, in every room, 4 TV's on for the game from about 1PM until the game ended. Cost of power for the day $3.50.. then there are days where I've used about a dollar in electricity, it's really weird. You are talking in dollars, how many kwh was it? Can you read your meter? The modern smart ones I've seen have both draw and total output on a lcd display. If they are showing you daily draw then it has a radio in it they are using to bill you. Do you have odd rate plans that's based on grid draw as a whole? A thermal camera can show you if any circuits are having trouble but you would need to do it daily if you are having wildly different days. Alternatively you can turn breakers off and see if you draw dramatically less power. They might also be shaming you for watching golf.
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Feb 6, 2018 16:29
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Droo posted:Do you have natural gas, or does your house only have electric? If everything runs on electricity, your water heater, clothes dryer, stove/oven and furnace are going to matter a lot more than a bunch of LED TV's and light bulbs. My water heater and stove are natural gas, but that bill is only about $15 dollars a month. My heat and ac is heat pump driven, so electric. It's not that I don't know what is using electricity, I just can't grasp the fluctuation day to day where I seemingly use more power on days where nothing is being used and less power when they are, unless their metering is off a day or something H110Hawk posted:You are talking in dollars, how many kwh was it? Can you read your meter? The modern smart ones I've seen have both draw and total output on a lcd display. If they are showing you daily draw then it has a radio in it they are using to bill you. Do you have odd rate plans that's based on grid draw as a whole? No fancy billing just flat $0.09 per/kwh it's obvious on days where it's higher kwh usage my dollar amount is higher, it just seems to be out of whack. I fully expected Sunday to be a huge drain, but it was cheap compared to Saturday where basically nothing happened all day and I only had the tv on.
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Feb 6, 2018 19:34
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Dumbass Lowe’s delivery guys didn’t hook my washer drain hose to the actual drain, just left it clipped against the machine drained to the floor. On a second floor laundry. Water all through the bathroom exhausts. No, rear end in a top hat, it is not supposed to drain to the floor! You removed the old one!
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Feb 6, 2018 20:18
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therobit posted:A Moen cartridge is what, like 20 bucks? For a shower, 48 and change at HD, or 32$ on Amazon... or 20$ for the generic one, which I initially bought before reading all the one star reviews saying it was leaky crap. Figure plumbing isn't the kinda thing to try and pinch pennies on, especially when I'm fairly sure it's the heavy rear end handle that killed it in the first place. Everything I've seen online of people complaining about a broken stem on a Moen cartridge has the same stupid handle as I do, which weighs probably fourish pounds, so I think that's the failure mode. howdoesishotweb posted:Dumbass Lowe’s delivery guys didn’t hook my washer drain hose to the actual drain, just left it clipped against the machine drained to the floor. On a second floor laundry. Water all through the bathroom exhausts.  That's hosed up... Can you complain to Lowe's or something?
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Feb 6, 2018 20:30
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OSU_Matthew posted:Everything I've seen online of people complaining about a broken stem on a Moen cartridge has the same stupid handle as I do, which weighs probably fourish pounds, so I think that's the failure mode. Interesting, which one do you have? Our handle feels like it's eventually going to sheer off.
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Feb 6, 2018 20:36
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I made a huge mistake taking this hand me down gas engine snowblower. I need it a few times a year, it never loving starts for no reason, and it just takes up space while being broken. God damnit
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Feb 7, 2018 04:30
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Are you leaving gas in it during the off season? I got a new snow blower last year and like an idiot I never prepare it for the off season and I don't try to test it before a big snow storm and then we get one and it doesn't start. Whenever it's warm enough to deal with staying outside I need to drain the gas out of it and see how gunked up the carb is.
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Feb 7, 2018 04:32
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The Dave posted:Are you leaving gas in it during the off season? I got a new snow blower last year and like an idiot I never prepare it for the off season and I don't try to test it before a big snow storm and then we get one and it doesn't start. Yep, I used it once last year and kept thinking I'd get around to running it empty or draining it somehow and next thing you know it's buried behind garden tools. Totally my fault but for something I barely need to use it seems like I should have just gotten electric instead but didn't want to spend the money.
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Feb 7, 2018 04:48
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Yeah, luckily I remembered to siphon out the gas at the end of last season and run it dry. Guess I'm ready if need be. I'm getting tired of this crap and just heard that there is a Uber for snow removal in my area, Snohub. Thinking I might try it out next storm.
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Feb 7, 2018 04:56
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Yeah, I had to clean the carburetor after I stupidly left gas in there my first summer. It started up nicely the first time this winter though.
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Feb 7, 2018 05:09
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H110Hawk posted:Interesting, which one do you have? Our handle feels like it's eventually going to sheer off. Similar to this, but an older generation: https://www.homedepot.com/p/MOEN-Brantford-1-Handle-Posi-Temp-Valve-Trim-Kit-in-Brushed-Nickel-Valve-Not-Included-T2151BN/100672493 E: for the record, I could tell mine was feeling weird about a week or two before it effortlessly sheared off
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Feb 7, 2018 05:45
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mastershakeman posted:Yep, I used it once last year and kept thinking I'd get around to running it empty or draining it somehow and next thing you know it's buried behind garden tools. Totally my fault but for something I barely need to use it seems like I should have just gotten electric instead but didn't want to spend the money. http://trufuel50.com/ You can get it any any of the big box stores. It entirely fixes this problem.
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Feb 7, 2018 17:14
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Motronic posted:http://trufuel50.com/ Thanks, looks expensive but worth it. I'll still need to clean the carb and whatnot after draining the old gas, right?
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Feb 7, 2018 17:30
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mastershakeman posted:Thanks, looks expensive but worth it. I'll still need to clean the carb and whatnot after draining the old gas, right? Yes, this one last time. It's definitely expensive, but for small equipment that I don't use much I just use this. The rest I drain seasonally and put a splash of this stuff in and start it fort a while to get it through the lines/carb/etc. Turns out it's cheaper than paying yourself minimum wage to rebuild carbs, at least in my case.
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Feb 7, 2018 18:17
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Motronic posted:Yes, this one last time. I remember you recommending this - would adding stabilizer have the same effect or should I just load it with TF and leave it over the summer? I bought a snowblower and oh my God it makes my life so much loving better I can't believe I ever shoveled.
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Feb 7, 2018 20:13
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I was pleasantly surprised with the electric snowblower I got for free from someone who moved away. It makes my life far easier when it’s dumping.
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Feb 7, 2018 20:39
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:I remember you recommending this - would adding stabilizer have the same effect or should I just load it with TF and leave it over the summer? Sta-bil works for about a year (the marine stuff seems to be the best choice), so it's an okay substitute if you can go through at least a tank a year. That's far from a certainty with a lot of my stuff. The other thing with this tru fuel stuff is that I can start my poo poo when it 15 degrees out on the first or second pull. That doesn't happen on straight gas/gas with stabil.
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Feb 7, 2018 21:27
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My 4 year old snow blower's auger broke the other day. As in, the shaft part that holds it onto the rod came off the circular part. Of course the replacement parts won't be here for another two weeks. Goddamit! Now to use this fucker on my 130ft driveway: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Garant-24-in-Sleigh-Shovel-EPSS24/205680983
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Feb 7, 2018 22:00
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Motronic posted:The other thing with this tru fuel stuff is that I can start my poo poo when it 15 degrees out on the first or second pull. loving SOLD
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Feb 7, 2018 22:21
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I get that this question is surrounded with YMMV because we all have different cash flow situations, but does anyone else feel some pressure to snag a fixed-rate Home Equity loan or opening a HELOC to try and get some housework done before rates go up uP UP? I have $8-10K in "this will payoff 1.5x over when I sell the house" work (redo bathrooms with stone/tile, replace ripped up carpeting) and $15K in nice to have (backyard patio, walkway to front door), but my wife and I are programmed to be basically cash-only (Other than 30yr fixed mortgage and car loan). I was talking to my Boomer parents and it was crazy how optimistic they were about my situation and how I should really use my risk tolerance. Our financial plan is basically trying to hoard money for kids and vacations, but I can't get Grad-level macroeconomics out of my head that says "Increase in Deficit spending == inflation == higher rates" and it screaming at me to put that tuition money to actual use....
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Feb 8, 2018 04:00
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Now try to factor in the fact that we're about due for a market downturn. 
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Feb 8, 2018 04:15
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Crazyweasel posted:I was talking to my Boomer parents and it was crazy how optimistic they were This should tell your heart what your brain already knows.
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Feb 8, 2018 04:19
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Crazyweasel posted:I get that this question is surrounded with YMMV because we all have different cash flow situations, but does anyone else feel some pressure to snag a fixed-rate Home Equity loan or opening a HELOC to try and get some housework done before rates go up uP UP? I think it's a great way for your loan broker juice the deal for hugely increased commissions.
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Feb 8, 2018 04:34
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Rates are going to go up like a quarter of a percent once or twice a year... I wouldn't be too stressed. Also, we're overdue for a recession. We're in the longest continually running period of economic expansion in our nation's history, and that was even before a jar of sentient mayonnaise took the helm. Also, the only household remodeling that actually pays back most of the value when you sell is stuff like adding an extra toilet, or a ceiling fan. Kitchens and stonework never ever pay for themselves, don't listen to your realtor. They're just out to make your house easier and faster to sell, because 10,000 out of your pocket translates to a barely anything out of their cut.
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Feb 8, 2018 05:25
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OSU_Matthew posted:We're in the longest continually running period of economic expansion in our nation's history Third-longest, actually. There was a ten-year expansion in the 1990s that set the record. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_economic_expansions_in_the_United_States 120 months is the record. We'll break that in July 2019.
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Feb 8, 2018 17:04
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I'm so glad to have just bought a house. By the way, I'm still not living in my house. My entire bathroom is basically being re-done (though I'm keeping the sink/toilet/tub). New floors, new tile. Bathtub is getting new tile, as well. Walls/door/windows are staying the same (it's insurance work, not an actual remodel). Hopefully I'll be in there next week! This is why it's good to have insurance (will cost me 1k deductible at most - hopefully utility will pay that, we'll let the insurance company figure it out).
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Feb 8, 2018 17:12
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Regarding gas in small tools, I've had good luck running ethanol free gasoline with Marine Sta-Bil. Don't bother draining anything, and all my tools start up year after year. Only reason I use the Marine Sta-Bil is because I buy it in bulk for my boat, so that simplifies things. I'd probably look into the TrueFuel stuff if I lived somewhere that ethanol free gas wasn't available, but fortunately there are a ton of gas stations around here that carry it. https://www.pure-gas.org/
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Feb 8, 2018 18:24
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n0tqu1tesane posted:I'd probably look into the TrueFuel stuff if I lived somewhere that ethanol free gas wasn't available, but fortunately there are a ton of gas stations around here that carry it. This is a really good point. I simply can't reasonably get ethanol free gas near me. My experience with sta-bil longevity would be much different otherwise.
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Feb 8, 2018 19:38
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I got a five gallon can of gas a few days ago since they were predicting 6 inches. Something told me to wait to fill up the blower in case it was a dud, sure enough we only had 2 inches. If this winter turns around with no more big storms then I won’t have to drain the tank and can just dump those 5 gals in my car.
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Feb 8, 2018 21:00
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Motronic posted:Yes, this one last time. Yeah this was perfect. I'm probably going to go through the entire 32oz bottle that cost 9 bucks, but Im not going to use this snowblower very often and it's worth the convenience. Thanks!
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Feb 9, 2018 03:16
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n0tqu1tesane posted:Regarding gas in small tools, I've had good luck running ethanol free gasoline with Marine Sta-Bil.  and also a little seafoam
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Feb 9, 2018 05:14
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Motronic posted:This is a really good point. I simply can't reasonably get ethanol free gas near me. My experience with sta-bil longevity would be much different otherwise. Pretty sure this is the key to that trufuel stuff. I use it in my small engines (not lawn mower) so they don't gum up and not start too. The fire department guy says they use it in their car saws.
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Feb 9, 2018 14:26
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Elephanthead posted:The fire department guy says they use it in their car saws. I learned about this stuff because we buy it by the drum for the fire house now. We use it in all of our gas tools. Before this stuff we ran 100ll avgas, but that supposedly has issues with lead buildup in some engines (we never saw any problems) and technically we're not supposed to be using it/they're not supposed to sell it to us. We kinda got around that because one of our air boats had a rotax on it and that was the right stuff to be running it on.
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Feb 9, 2018 15:15
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You’ll see lead fouling with 100LL (and other leaded fuels) in engines that idle a lot, or are run for continuous periods at low throttle settings. Lots of aircraft engines (particularly the ones originally certified on 80 octane leaded) just don’t burn hot enough at low power settings/idle to get the stuff properly vaporized, and it builds up on plugs and valves. If you use it in a power implement, chances are you’re running at higher power settings, and it’s not a problem.
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Feb 9, 2018 15:24
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howdoesishotweb posted:Dumbass Lowe’s delivery guys didn’t hook my washer drain hose to the actual drain, just left it clipped against the machine drained to the floor. On a second floor laundry. Water all through the bathroom exhausts. Ha I just bought a dishwasher from lowes, and they offered $15 install and hauling away, so I took them up on it. The contractor they used to deliver and install didn't call the day before, and emailed my wife an I a window of 4 - 6 pm. When my wife got home at 3:30 pm the dishwasher was sitting on the front porch. We called and just said screw it Ill put it in myself, but they said they would still come pick it up the next day. After no call the whole day we finally called again and the Lowes rep just apologized for the inconvenience and refunded us the $15 install plus $50 extra. Apparently they just hire this "service" out to god knows who and this usually how it ends up.
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Feb 9, 2018 15:40
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I ordered a snowblower from Home Depot online because of a great deal, and it came in completely hosed up, like the box and engine got nailed by the forklift. Anyways the HD rep on the phone said the pick up guys take the pallet and the cardboard box (saturated with oil/fluid). When they show up it's an unmarked box truck, the guy who had me sign said "nah man we don't take that poo poo" and just took off. So yea I assume most major retailers sub out to a company that does the logistics of subbing out bids to whoever the gently caress has the truck/"expertise" and can do it around the time they are supposed to
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Feb 9, 2018 19:08
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Ugh, bathroom sink stopped working... snaking it worked but I was tempted to just throw the snake away afterwards rather then clean the hair and black muck off it.
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Feb 10, 2018 19:02
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