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8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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One webpage with all the info a semi-newbie would need?
Comments (13)I love to sleep late and have sex at least twice a day. but I never get any of this. Trials and errors are the best teacher. As some suggested you can google the information you need but the danger the information is so contradicting each other it will confuse you more. For example the link for growing pepper above gets you to Ohio State U. They say in growing pepper use 12-12-12 fertilizer or one with high nitrogen content. From my experience gained by trial and errors high nitrogen content will give huge green plant and no or little fruit and the nitrogen number has to be the lowest. Did I say confusing it is....See MoreCompost pickup
Comments (2)Those are excellent tips for picking compost. And that is a genius idea for scooping it up. I have access to an ancient bed of horse manure. It has been cool and non-smelly for several years. I had been shoveling it but I'll cut up a bucket and see how fast that goes. Might be a little more back breaking, though. I would never pick up a yard of anything with a "normal" pick-up truck. Minimum structural size would be a Ford F-250 or a Chev 2500. F-350 would be preferred. Picking it up yourself really cuts the cost but your time is worth something. Sounds like you spent a good part of the day bagging compost....See MoreBluestar Range Top vs. American Range
Comments (24)I've had my 36" range Bluestar for almost seven years and we have replaced every single ignitor at least two times, many three or more. We've also had issues where we have had to replace the entire burner because the screws had rusted into place (our original range was built without stainless steel screws ... oops) and then they've broken off when we tried to make the ignitor change. In addition, we've had to have the spark modules (ignitor control boxes) replaced twice on one side, once on the other. On several occasions, "shorts" (that's the term we were told by repair people), have caused the wires to melt and fuse together--meaning the ignitor wire that goes from the ignitor itself and then plugs into another wire that goes into the spark module fused--requiring replacement of not only the ignitor, but the second wire (which also requires removal of the front plate). We also continue to have issues with all of our burners clicking constantly, even when the lit burner is fully on, unless the flame is on full high. (But only on two of the six burners.) So, yes, replacing an ignitor is a fairly trivial, if annoying and potentially expensive prospect, IF you don't also have melted wires, rusted screws that shear off when you try to remove the ignitor or broken spark modules. Oh, and you can actually get Bluestar to send you the ignitors you order and pay for in the first place. That's never really gone smoothly for me, either. In my experience, 6-12 week waits are the norm for parts from Bluestar. Plus, once you get the parts, you better hope they're right. We've had at least four replacement ignitors that didn't work, right out of the bag: cracked in shipment. The fragile, unprotected ceramic ignitors are sent loose--hitting against each other, if you order more than one--in small bubble mailers. A little rough handling in route and you're bound to get at least one pre-cracked ignitor per-batch ... At $25/pop, for what I've been told by several service people is a "$3 part." (But we've also not found off-brand ignitors that fit the Bluestar without modification.) "Stooxie," and others, I'm glad it hasn't happened to you but the ignitor issue (no air quotes) is, or at least, was, NOT "nonsensical." It's possible they've addressed these problems in later models, but I can attest the issue is most certainly a legit one. I don't have one, but I was very impressed with the Capital Culinarian, for many reasons, but at least in part because they had a large metal shield covering part of their ceramic ignitors, making me think they'll be a LOT less fragile. Oh and, in terms of Bluestar issues ... I will also say that, it's likely these are not current concerns, but we were certainly not thrilled to need two oven door replacements (locking itself shut) and a new oven bottom (support collapsed) ... Just more "non-issues" experienced by myself and many other Bluestar owners of the same generation. When the range works, it's impressive, but the shoddy build-quality I've seen (mine also came with loose screws floating free and missing parts) and abysmal customer service means I would never, ever buy another Bluestar, no matter what their next, latest-greatest is. They may have cleaned up their act now, but they treated their early adopters like Beta testers ... Without the service and support such positions usually come with. EDITED TO ADD: I'm not saying no one else should buy a Bluestar, or that they haven't solved the problems I've described above in later builds (I haven't cooked on one built later than mine, but I've read anecdotal evidence seems to indicate at least some changes have been made). I'm simply saying that I, personally, based solely on my own experience, would not. This post was edited by applnut on Tue, Apr 30, 13 at 8:57...See MoreWhere do you place your central light fixture?
Comments (33)I don't like recessed cans either and Enduring, I adore your fixture! I also love Greta's chandeliers. I would do the same if I didn't think my 8' ceilings are too low for a semi-flush and I didn't have part of a skylight shaft taking up the center of the ceiling. Uplight is definitely of the essence, no matter what, for aesthetics and for aging or sensitive eyes. I'd say where you put your chandelier will depend on the height, how wide an area it will light up and if it's just for ambient light or also for task lighting over your island - and how much light you think you need there. (I wonder if you can - safely! - temporarily hook a plug and an extension cord onto it and hold it up in the various positions?) I'm also working on (agonizing over)my plan right now - great advice from everybody! Trying to avoid shadows and glare. I'm thinking dimmable LED lighting under cabinets, something above the cabinets to wash the ceiling and some kind of down light over the sink and possibly over the end of the peninsula-to-be (eventually - right now it's a counter with a cutout). For me the burning questions are: LED or T4 fluorescent to wash the ceiling? Does it have to be dimmable? Fluorescent is cheaper, but not dimmable. Will I miss the overall diffused brightness of fluorescent (and the new color rendition is better) or is it worth paying extra for the gentleness of the LED and use the downlighting to fill in where it doesn't quite reach? I still don't want to do six cans, plus LED above and below......See More- 8 years ago
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8 years agoamylou321 thanked biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)- 8 years ago
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