Welcome to the all new Geo Metro Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are features you can't use and images you can't see. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: Join our community! |
| Money saving ideas; Ways you save and also good ideas to make life better. | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 1 2011, 04:32 PM (5,868 Views) | |
| Memphis metro | Jan 21 2012, 06:55 PM Post #76 |
![]()
|
They are if they are switch rated. I had still rather have a inline switch though instead of using the breaker. |
![]() |
|
| Old Man | Jan 21 2012, 07:02 PM Post #77 |
![]()
|
All my plumbing is on the overhead of a full height heated basement. All plumbing is also insulated. Design and labor was real, real cheap--we built the place ourselves
|
![]() |
|
| Way | Jan 21 2012, 07:08 PM Post #78 |
![]()
|
Or we could fall back on rainwater collection. In my area, they charge a minimum per month on top of the water/sewer charge. When it first went into effect some 30+ years ago, so many people fixed the leaks they had to put in the minimum charge. It would be paid off in 10 years they said. ![]() 30 years on we're still paying. |
![]() |
|
| Way | Jan 21 2012, 07:11 PM Post #79 |
![]()
|
maxmpg I got a bunch of siding insulation leftover that I made a box out of. Not as good as direct wrapping but it was free to me.
|
![]() |
|
| JoeBob | Jan 21 2012, 08:56 PM Post #80 |
|
Why you Mutt!
![]()
|
A couple questions, and no, I am not trying to be an a-hole (I've been told I don't need to try, I just have a natural talent!), I have a serious interest in your answers. I would like to know how you live on $15k/yr. How close do you live to work? Apartment? House? Old motorhome parked behind work? Are you married (makes a big difference in expenses, in my experience)? What do you eat? Cost of utilities? Medical expenses? Pets? |
![]() |
|
| Memphis metro | Jan 21 2012, 09:11 PM Post #81 |
![]()
|
Your already knocked out of the box! You would have to move from california for starters. Its estimated a pet fish would cost you 180 bucks for the first year. Pet rocks are probably as cheap as you are gonna get for a pet. Even they will cost you if you take care of them. Polish to keep them nice and shiny, etc, etc. Thats not to mention what it would cost if little johnny throws it thru the living room window! |
![]() |
|
| iamgeo | Jan 21 2012, 09:45 PM Post #82 |
|
Big League
![]()
|
How does this save any money? If it is heating the water why do you need to to use water from the water heater? How much water and how long did it take before you got hot water at that tap? Seems like you are defeating the purpose of saving money. |
![]() |
|
| maxmpg | Jan 21 2012, 10:24 PM Post #83 |
![]()
|
Do you mean the rigid foam stuff? That's pretty good stuff, and free is good The **biggest key** is wrapping the entire water heater in the stuff, somehow that's air tight (but still relatively easy to access if necessary). If you have any large holes, it pretty much defeats the entire purpose. If you cover only 75%, the majority of the heat will just escape out of the other 25% - think of heat like water, and insulation like waterproofing material and you'll be fine. A 100% wrap of R5 is better than a partial wrap of R15 Also make sure all the exposed hot water pipe in the basement is properly insulated, somehow. Doesn't have to be fancy, and you can get really creative with the rigid foam stuff if you want to get hand's on DIY style. The key is just to keep the insulation between the pipe and cold air. An insulated waterheater won't do much to protect ~130 degF hot water flowing through pipes in 50 degF air. Edited by maxmpg, Jan 21 2012, 10:36 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| Way | Jan 21 2012, 10:38 PM Post #84 |
![]()
|
Oh believe me, I know about insulation.. We get pretty cold around these parts sometimes. It's about 2F right now, but it has been known to get below 30F. Maybe not as cold as Alaska but that's a record they can keep. -30F is plenty cold enough. Luckily that's only once every few years or so. If nothing else it helps point out weak spots in insulation. I have an old Victorian, typical uninsulated work in progress if you know what I mean. |
![]() |
|
| maxmpg | Jan 21 2012, 10:48 PM Post #85 |
![]()
|
They're always works in progress Definitely |
![]() |
|
| ascensions | Jan 21 2012, 10:49 PM Post #86 |
|
Je conduis une petite voiture.
![]()
|
That's not the switch, the switch stops thermal loss in stand-by. The reduced shower time is a result of the 126F thermostat setting change. A timer is fine, a switch is just simple and cheap. In fact most of the world, outside of the US uses switches on their water-heaters, so it's an easy solution which works well. But feel free to add a timer, a flux-capacitor, or a count-down clock. I couldn't afford $100 timer, so a $10 switch was perfect for me. Better yet, should I wish to add any of the above apparatuses at a latter time, it's easy breezy. |
![]() |
|
| Memphis metro | Jan 21 2012, 10:53 PM Post #87 |
![]()
|
I tried without success to find a 220 switch about two weeks ago. Where did you find one at? Yours a lever style switch or pushbutton? |
![]() |
|
| nerys | Jan 21 2012, 11:12 PM Post #88 |
|
Grr
![]()
|
Thats interesting switching the hot water. sadly won't work in this household (7 people showers at all weird times and washer (both) at all weird times. what I really want to do is go "on demand" hot water. but they are so expensive. they would pay for themselves in 2 years but I just don't have the "upfront" costs they command. I use cold cold for my clothes but others do not like that :-) I am working on insulating the hot water. its proving annoyingly hard so I am thinking instead of insulating the little room its in instead and letting the dryer keep that room warm too :-) if I can figure out how to "filter" it properly I want to vent the dryer air into the house in the winter (to outside in the summertime) just seems an insane WASTE to dump all that useful heat in the winter. Wish copper was not so damned expensive. I would love to install a massive series of "coils" in the chimney so when we have a fire going (wood buning stove so no convection heat losses) so I could reclaim some of that heat going out the chimney. A project I am working on for spring is a collection tank under each sink. then have that collection tank collect water from the sinks and use that water to fill the toilets (we pay fixed quarterly rate for sewer but a LOT of cash $75 to $100 a month for water!!) with 7 people the toilets get flushed a lot of I could reduce their water usage to ZERO that would be a huge savings. Also working on rain collection. we have a lot of roof surface area I could probably collect a few thousands gallons every time it rains without much trouble. Edited by nerys, Jan 21 2012, 11:13 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| AlexK | Jan 21 2012, 11:32 PM Post #89 |
|
Advanced Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
$15k/yr is $1250/mo. My monthly averages for 2011 were $291 on housing (including taxes, utilities, dsl), $136 on gas, $154 on groceries, $67 on restaurants, $280 on vehicles, about $300 on misc. I keep track of all expenses in Excel. I could reduce these if I needed to. I have 2 Geos, a Tacoma, and 2 motorcycles so a little heavy in vehicles right now. I own a mobile home and live with my girlfriend + one chihuahua. No significant medical expenses, I try to stay healthy with exercise and good eating. The funny thing is my expenses actually rose a little bit when the girlfriend moved in even though she contributes because she's not as frugal as I am and it rubbed off on me a little. What was said about the water heater insulation is correct, wrap all of it and seal the leaks as best you can. The problem is hot air is less dense and buoyancy causes a pressure gradient, so if there are leaks you will have a chimney with cold air flowing up through it, carrying the heat away. I have a gas water heater and they are cheaper but they have a chimney through the middle which allows air to cool the water when the burner isn't on. And you can't block it. Edited by AlexK, Jan 21 2012, 11:37 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| iamgeo | Jan 22 2012, 12:12 AM Post #90 |
|
Big League
![]()
|
Do you have a fireplace insert or a free standing woodstove? I will be buying one of these sometime later this year. Magic Heat. ![]() I will also buy or make a plate that will have copper tubing sandwiched in between for water to flow through when using the woodstove. Build a Woodstove Water-Heating Attachment
Here is a great idea.....Toilet Lid Sink ![]() You can even buy one if you do not want to make it yourself. I'll be making my own. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · The Geo Metro Lounge · Next Topic » |


Welcome to the all new Geo Metro Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.






I got a bunch of siding insulation leftover that I made a box out of. Not as good as direct wrapping but it was free to me.
-30F is plenty cold enough. Luckily that's only once every few years or so. If nothing else it helps point out weak spots in insulation.
I have an old Victorian, typical uninsulated work in progress if you know what I mean.


![]](http://z3.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)


7:56 PM Jul 10