The only local source for FP is Worm's Way - and you'll pay dearly for it. The best local source for most grow media, fertilizers, and a bunch of other stuff is Hummert International up in Earth City. This includes Turface, perlite, peat, Fafard Mixes (get #51 or #52 and you wouldn't have to build your own 5-1-1 - it's more expensive though). There are 2 good sources of pine fines locally but you have to buy in bulk: Kirkwood Material Supply and St. Louis Compost. At various times you will find one has a better price than the other - same with the delivery fees. Either will work as-is for the 5-1-1. You can only get Axis locally at OK Hatchery or through a guy at the Botanical Gardens .. but I lost his number, sorry. OK Hatchery is always slightly expensive on most of their stuff but at least they have a wide variety. You can get Gran-i-grit there too - but I've stopped using that except for very small pots (buy the perlite + charcoal from Hummert if you want to substitute). You will find with our water that if you use soiless mixes with high nitrate fertilizers (like the one you purchased) that you will have some serious micronutrient issues. You want no greater than a 3:1 ratio of nitrate:ammonium and probably more like 2:1 if you want the pH to stabilize in the pot around 5.5-6.5. Note what it says on the link you gave for the label: "Potential Basicity: 131 lbs calcium carbonate equivalent per ton" - all other things being equal if the nitrates are taken up by the plants with that fertilizer you will find the pH creeping up over time. We're already starting with high pH and moderately high alkalinity. That fertilizer is also lacking S and we don't have enough in our water and we also have very low atmospheric SO2 levels which plants can use in lieu of sulfates - or I do where I am anyway. If you want to use the Cal-Mag product then you should alternate it with an acid-reaction fertilizer that contains S. 25-5-15 would fit the bill (you can get it at Hummert) but so would a bunch of other options. Or the FP if you want to spring for it (supplement the FP with calcium sulfate if you aren't acidulating with sulfuric acid). If urea doesn't bother you I think Hummert carries the 24-8-16 Peter's product as well - that will give you the 3-1-2 but with no calcium. You would alternate that with the Cal-Mag. In my experience even if you do use an acid reaction fertilizer you will find that the pH and alkalinity of our water is such that you will eventually run into micro deficiencies with both mixes. Be looking for signs of Zn, Mn, and Fe deficiency and have a plan to correct them. For aeroponics I would definitely stick with a 2 or 3 part nutrient formula system. Or make your own fertilizer concentrates from scratch (larger initial investment, huge savings over time). To do aeroponics correctly you're going to need high quality pH and EC meters, and a lot of reading or expensive trial and error...

Once a year is sufficient, if indeed they do what they should. It doesn't really prevent major problems but can identify potential ones. Oiling the fan motors (helps prevent failure), checking the connections for corrosion, checking the charge, cleaning the coils, removing any debris etc., change filter is about all one can do. I also do wiring insulation integrity checks for the compressor motor and fan motor windings. That check doesn't have to be done, I do it for my own information, there are things I can predict with it. As for the absence from the site for a period of time...during refrigeration recovery and then vacuum down after compressor installation, this should take quite some time. Many guys go to lunch or other jobs while that is going on and then come back when that process is almost done. I usually don't dispute charges since everyone has their own expenses to cover. In my opinion, the charge for replacing the compressor under warranty provided by the manufacturer, is a bit excessive. I can say for sure that if I had to supply the compressor at my own cost and install it, I would be making quite a profit at $994.00. But again, I really have no right to dispute someone else's fees. That's where getting quotes is an advantage for the customer. For the sake of future work, you could contact the manufacturer and ask for a list of authorized dealers in your area from which to get quotes and service. It wouldn't hurt to run your concerns by them on the current work. A lot of times, the manufacturer suggests or even requires warranty work charges to be within a certain window or even a fixed fee. In exchange, this allows the repair company to use the Trane brand name in their advertising and list of units they work on. Give it a shot.

I think you are looking for the spec book. I got mine from the KD at Lowes. They usually have extras laying around as they get updated manuals every 3 months. If they don't have any extra spec books, you can go at any time without an appoinment and work on your own. Just ask them for the Schuler spec book and sit at the desk. My KD did not give it to me until she trusted I was committed to buying from there. Schuler can do almost any modification that you need so you can probably plan your kitchen based on standard cabinets and go from there. The sizes are standard in 3 inch increments. And yes, they are higher quality than Kraftmaid. When I got my Schuler cabinets at Lowes last Feb, plywood was standard construction. If plywood is no longer standard, I think the cabinet boxes themselves are similar but Schuler can do more modifications. I had a Kraftmaid kitchen in my house 5 years back and Schuler's quality is better. Also, I asked for 10% off the price when I was about to order. The manager at Lowes said okay right away. I would be wary of Lowes installers since that seems to be where people run into problems. Of course, there are good ones too, but you are playing roulette. Good luck. I would mail you my book but I am working on 2 bathrooms and I am using Schuler again. They are great!

"1. When the compressor was installed, could the unit have been damaged by his welding (overload protection opening periodically not allowing compressor to start?) He spent a long time heating the pipes. I solder and weld myself and it took him a long time heating pipes on a nearly empty bottle, which he had to go and replace. Could heat transfer have damaged the compressor?" Refrigeration lines are brazed, not welded. As long as he had a nitrogen purge running while he brazed to prevent formation of copper oxides that can then scale off the only thing you can mess up is to overheat the valves on the condenser. "2. Need to install hard start kit? He did try another capacitor but it made no difference. He tried what he called a hard start kit, which just seemed like a different value of capacitor, but that made no difference." Hard start kits contain a timer relay and a larger capacitor. They are useful when the power quality is not good. Long runs or low voltage can both prolong start time. A hard start kit provides more phase shift to the start winding and increases starting torque. "3. Could the charge be wrong so the system is out of balance and causing problems? After online research, it seems there should be a scientific approach to charging the system. Would a wrong charge cause the compressor protection to cut in. Would this happen quickly with a wrong charge? " Condensers come with a nominal charge in the unit. The installation instructions will state how many feet of lines the charge is set for. Any changes from the stated values require adjustment of the charge. "4. Could is be a power supply thing? The lights flicker when the compressor unit starts. Unlikely but possible? " When an induction motor like the one used in the compressor start up they appear as almost a dead short on the AC line. The starting current is a couple of times higher than the running current. Look on the nameplate for "LRA." This is Locked Rotor Amps and indicates the peak current required for starting the compressor. If your house feed is low, at the end of the line, or even on a marginally overloaded POCO circuit the voltage can drop under the starting current. This causes incandescent light bulbs to dim and can extend the start time of the compressor. A hard start kit can help under these circumstances. You can also try complain to the POCO and see if they can check their portion of the feed.