Momma, I think you are doing just fine. some of my garlics and shallots are the same size. They will slow down as it gets cooler. I am in zone 8, GA and we have had a very mild fall weather so far. That helps fall crops to grow a bit faster. Even my cubanell, gypsy and jalapenos peppers are having a ball. I've got more cubanell peppers this fall than in the summer. I have planted some onions from seeds, they are now about 5" tall. So are my lettuce and arrugulas. I may have some for Thanksgiving salad.

GREAT QUESTION and one I am sure is of interest to all. In the plumbing, pipe fitting and HVAC industries originaly the only pipe available was iron pipe. When comparing the volume of pipe sizes we must use a formula that considers the cross sectional area rather than the diameter thus each increase in pipe size approximately doubles the volume. The actual formula for comparison is: Large Diameter Squared divided by the Small Diameter Squared . Example 3/4" compared to 1/2" = (.75x.75)/(.5x.5) = .5625/.25= 2.25 From this we can see that a 3/4" pipe has 2.25 times the volume of a 1/2" pipe. Another basic rule of thumb, if you double the diameter you increase the volume by four times. Understanding that all pipe layout formulas were originally developed for iron pipe it then stands that as new materials became available they were manufactured in sizes that approximated their iron pipe equivalent thus we see copper, PVC, or CPVC listed in "Nominal" sizes. This means a 1/2" nominal copper pipe will be slightly different in size but for all intents and purposes it would meet the volume requirements of a 1/2" iron pipe thus we see the other piping materials listed in the same size variations as iron pipe. While we common think of the word "Schedule" as meaning a time table of events, properly the word Schedule means "A table" thus in the piping specifications each size of pipe is listed in a table of specifications and the number or letter indicates which table applies to the product in question thus we see iron pipe,PVC or CPVC pipe listed as Sched. 20, Sched.40, sched.80 etc. Rather than use the schedule numbers copper pipe is defined by a Letter indicating which table of specifictions apply. While the specifications are listed alphabetically Copper pipe is classified as Heavy Wall, Standard or Medium Wall, and Light wall. It was merely by co-incidence that copper pipe designations seem to be backwards: Example 1/2" Nominal Copper Pipe: TYPE k - Heavy Wall OD 0.625 ID 0.527 Wall thicknes .049 TYPE L - Medium Wall 0.625 0.545 .040 TYPE M - Light Wall. 0.625 0.569 .028 As you can see, even though the Type K heavy wall pipe has the thickest wall the ID of the pipe still remains slightly larger than its fractional designation but for the purposes of standardization all three types have the same OD so the fittings are interchangeable. Copper pipe is manufactured in two varieties. The 10ft long lengths of rigid copper pipe that we are most familiar with is properly called "Hard Drawn Copper Pipe". They also make 60' or 100' rolls of "Annealed Copper Pipe" and we must be very careful not to confuse Annealed Copper role pipe with Copper tubing which is made to an entirely different sizing standard. (Copper tubing is made to the ASTM-CTS standard--CTS =Copper Tubing Standard). FYI-While CPVC is manufactured to Pipe Standards the CPVC pipe that we commonly see in the hardware stores is also made to the CTS standard rather than Pipe standards. Primarily copper fittings are made in the hard drawn copper standard however there are copper fittings such as you describe which appear to have been cast rather than drawn or formed from copper pipe. These fittings are properly called "Wrought Copper fittings." Under the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) whenever copper pipe is run under a slab within the confines of a structure we must use wrought copper fittings and all joints must be brazed rather than soldered. Under both the International Residential Code and the Uniform Plumbing Code all three types of copper, K,L & M may be used for both Supply (the water line from a well or municipal main to the structure) and Distribution (Lines within a structure.) however the IRC only permits type M inside a structure if it is above ground. Type K-Heavy wall copper pipe can be obtained through most home supplies or hardware stores by special order or you can but it from a Plumbing or Heating Supply house but as a rule it is only used for applications that involve pressures or temperatures that exceed the allowable limits in general plumbing use. We commonly use type K roll pipe for direct burial supply lines but the use of type K in general plumbing within a structure would be considered serious overkill. While type L (med.wall) copper is considered the industry standard today in years past type M (thin wall) was considered the standard for residential service and type L was primarily used in commercial applications thus the overwhelming majority of residential structures that have copper pipe have type M thinwall pipe and even that has proven to provide 50+ yrs of service when properly sized and installed correctly. It is true that under some rare conditions copper pipe does exhibit wear in the form of pin holes, but in the final analysis it can also be said that those problems are directly attributed to water quality or in many cases improperly sized pipe which resulted in excessive velocity of flow. Copper pipe will exhibit internal wall erosion if the velocity of flow exceeds 10feet per second and it is for that reason that the codes now define a Fixture Unit method of determining proper pipe size. In regards to water quality. If you live in a region that has water quality issues that are detrimental to copper pipe, I must then wonder what those issues are doing to your general health as well. In my personal opinion rather than worry about finding a pipe that will tolerate those problems I think the homeowner and his or her family would be much better served to consider installing a water treatment system to correct the problem.

Fori: I was having a hard time reconciling Bosch's diagram with my setup and agree that it is inapplicable in many ways. I started to think of crazy workarounds like making 7" wide, 13" deep cabinets on either side of the hood (because I noticed the requirement to have 10" between the range and a combustible side wall) then getting 20" wide, 15" deep cabinets next to those silly skinny ones! I totally forgot to factor in that I'll be pulling the range out to match the deeper counters so it makes sense that having 15" deep cabinets would still meet that max 13" deep requirement. Thanks for giving me more hope that my deeper cabinets can be done! rococogurl: My current cabinets are only 16" above the counters and they're builder-grade cabs so I assumed that was standard! Guess standards gave changed in the 20 years since they were installed. Now that I know 18" is standard I don't feel as bad about losing those 2". But I'm only 5'1" so every inch higher means more of my wall cabs becomes inaccessible to me. Yes, I do want deeper than 13" cabs (15" deep seems to be the ideal "sweet spot" for my reach and the size/scale of my kitchen). And the reason why I want to maintain that 12" depth difference between the wall and base cabs is my attempt to keep more lower shelf space accessible to me. Sounds like I have to have a long chat with my GC about all this. I just wanted to have a better understanding before I called him up. Thanks so much for helping to make things a bit more clear!

Salt usage and capacity per cubic foot of resin isn't linear. In other words, it takes a lot more salt per cubic foot of resin to get that last bit of capacity. This is the chart I use. The complications with whole house carbon filters come from free chlorine vs chloramine. Free chlorine can be filtered out by a standard carbon filter, while chloramine needs a catalytic carbon filter. Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia which is replacing chlorine as a disinfectant. Byproducts of disinfection with chlorine include trihalomethanes which is what is driving the move to chloramine as a disinfectant. To make that point more clear, open up a bottle of bleach... is the smell overpowering and hurts your eyes, etc even in this relatively concentrated form? No. It's not until the chlorine combines with other molecules that it becomes chloramine and then you really smell it. Swimming pools smell strong because of chlorine mixed with organic materials in the water...(as in pee) not because of chlorine itself. I know that this will fall of deaf ears, but I think the residential water filtering industry has gone off the deep end. I have no problem with a basic carbon filter to clean up taste and smell of drinking water, not to mention cleaning up some VOC's and such. I think it's a bit much when people are worried about showering in water with small amounts of free chlorine. In terms of actual risk, I think that removing all of the residual disinfectant prior to a resin bed is probably more of a health risk than showering or bathing in water with some free chlorine. Many people raise the issue of bacteria growing in filters / resin beds / even water pitchers after all of the disinfectant has been removed by a carbon filter. Most of us have spent time in a swimming pool - and Olympic swimmers spend a lot of time in swimming pool. Other than a possible link between absorbing chlorine from the water and being gay, I haven't seen any serious health effects for Olympic swimmers and divers (ok, I am kidding). Put in your water softener. Put a cartridge carbon filter / KDF 55 filter on your drinking water. If you need to loop in a whole house carbon filter later you can - but I don't think you will need to. Just a tip, If this is a DIY job, I've been happy with units I've purchased online from ABC Water. I have no connection to them other than being a satisfied customer. They can put together any system you want. They sell them cheaper through Amazon than on their own website.