. You can certainly do solar hot water heating if you're correct about your sun . . even here in central New York state; right now it pretty much can pay off quickly. If you're gonna consider doing PV . . make a game plan. Get RID of anything with electric heating elements in it . . stove, water heater, hair dryer ( ugh ! ) etc . . they are incredible consumers of electrical power. Are you gonna connect to the grid, or not? That's one you NEED to determine right up front. The dilemna is, that if you DO grid tie; you have a place to "put" your extra when you've got it; and a place to draw from when you haven't. That is of course; if you have net metering in your state . . many do. If you DON'T, then you've gotta put in a bigger system so that you have the power you need ALL the time. This is a big question you need to answer early ! You need to get an idea of what your needs WILL be; in your new place, as you live there. Your motion sensors are a neat idea; however: know that they consume "phantom" power 24 / 7. So does your TV with a remote . . your phone on the wall . . etc . . EVERY wall wart in your place. It all adds up when you're on a "tight" energy budget. And, when you are trying to produce your own power; it will be tight. That does NOT mean you can't have all the modern inconveniences; just that you need to choose and use them wisely. Get an idea of your electric usage in previous place . . how many kWh per month you used. This will be helpful in determining your energy "budget"; which in turn determines what size system you may need. PV on the roof . . . mixed bag. Snow may not be a concern where you are; but consider it. Also; on a roof; the angle of the panels is fixed. Best output says tilt them through the year for best angle. Pole mounting may be an option to consider. If you DO grid tie; there are lots of flaming hoops to jump through with your local, friendly, helpful, environmentally minded utility. You MUST follow thier requirements . . for lots of reasons . . . safety of you / your house / the utility workers. You need to take a thought out approach to the whole thing; it's not easy to "piecemeal" the thing. That is in part; why folks charge big bucks in some instances . . to truly figure out what you need; and the right stuff to put together. There are lots of good brands of batteries, panels, inverters, etc out there. Putting them together wrong or poorly matched; WILL result in poor performance. I'm a DIY myself; built my own place pretty much ONLY with my own two hands. I wouldn't consider doing a PV system without good, professional help. I did the bull and go-fer work . . to be involved and knowledgable; but the design / sizing / matching of equipment etc was all done by pro's. Here in NY at least; there are some pretty good incentives . . rebates, tax credits etc. However; here they are ONLY available by using a licensed installer. Had I done the same system myself ( even if I had been able to design / choose / size / deal with utility ); it would have cost me another $12k. I applaud your efforts and intent; but this is one thing that is tough to just put together . . you need a real plan here or you will likely be dissapointed . . I've had a system in place now for 1 1/2 years . . very happy . . works great . . . supply most of my electricity in a calendar year. VERY pleased with it . . . If you have more specific questions, or would like some further info / pix of my setup; email me via member page with a REAL email address and I can send some stuff along . . Good luck . . . Bob

OMG I'm so tired after all that. Just kidding and greetings, I signed up here, to add my two cents. ==== Hey good people, I started early this a.m. and like others can't believe I read the whole thing. Okay, true, I didn't read *all* all the words.... Really appreciate the indefatigable Chad ! and the digs-deeper Tina Noyes -- thank you thank you! My husband had already spent the time to try to research, but because of the $$ involved, then I was the spot-checker trying to sort out the many claims. I was good enough at science but still, anyone can say "it works like this", and I wouldn't know enough to pick it apart, or not that much.... We built our rural home five years ago. We'd previously had slightly hard water at our former home of many years, and once did have a water tank issue. But we had a water softener at the place we rented while building here, and hated it. Hated the slimy feel while showering; never felt like you got your hair clean. Really disliked the whole iron-out business and just the ongoing cost and chemicals. And we believe we are seeking long term solutions and infrastructure, as in, our squash in our northern climate are surviving till May in the cold room, and hopefully this summer the root cellar gets built, that sort of thing. So we were willing to put the money into a system if we could improve the hard water. This water is harder than what we had at our former home; we just got in under the warranty deadline for a repair on our washing machine -- the incoming line was clogged. We always put lots of vinegar in the dishwasher rinse cycle. Don't know the 'grains' in our water, but we have calcium moreso than iron, from the test early on. We judge it to not be super hard. I just wanted to share what I'd dug up whilst following other leads and links, some here, some elsewhere. The Scalewatcher Enigma fares well at http://www.bdonline.co.uk/100-best-products-(m-z)/3044142.article but you can't get there with the link -- you have to google 100 Best Products M-Z bdonline. So I save you the trouble, here's what they say: ==== Scalewatcher ENiGMA by ETC X-factor Kills limescale and saves energy. Joint winner of this year’s 100% Detail/RIBA Journal Innovation Award, Scalewatcher cuts energy bills by getting rid of limescale in water pipes. Just wind it around the pipes and hook it up to the electricity. King’s School Canterbury, in one of the hardest water areas in the UK, saved 58% on energy costs in one boarding house within two months ��" the boiler can heat up water faster, and valves are less likely to need replacing. Scalewatcher uses resonance to create a crystal formation that remains in suspension in the water, so scale ends up down the drain rather than clogging pipes. The water stays drinkable and the risk of Legionnaire’s disease is reduced as there is no scale for bacteria to feed on. It can be used in pipes up to a metre in diameter. A recent test by Cranfield University put it at 36% more effective at preventing scaling than its closest rival. A similar system for waste water treatment is under development. ======= My husband had been inclined toward one of the Scalewatcher (Aquagenesis) models but since "Enigma" isn't one (with or without the tricky capitals) we'll have to check further re that. The actual reference in the article (Cranfield) isn't quite that simple but the last paragraph in that research report is favorable. Also there's this: http://www.bdonline.co.uk/not-big-but-very-clever/3042553.article (same thing as to access, you must google it instead) -- same product, winner of an award. Also: http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/var/uploads/exhibitor/4133/ux6jvnqo8w.pdf (same award, diff. article) -- and apparently if you go searching Jack Pringle *is* president of Royal Institute of British Architects. Hard water is said to affect 60% of British households so it's a big deal there. I think I read here somewhere that various jurisdictions are "banning" water softeners, and I think many of you are aware of the many problems of water in many places not least being overall desertification. My husband's family is in Los Angeles, and we have travelled quite a bit in the SW where we think there will be further aquifer problems and that sort of thing -- so the search for non-saline solutions (pun accidental!) is very real, and not only to do with avoiding the hassle and cost as to appliance repair and replacement. We believe we live in Paradise, but in the words of Gilda Radner, "It's always something." Thanks folks, Linda

Hi EQ, Speaking of "as long as I can remember".. Maybe I just read your post twice and that's why I thought you had made two tables or possibly equated your apple pie recipe with making furniture, who knows. I can almost remember the days when I could remember. Senility is the "E-Ticket" of life. The un-induced double vision is like the metro bus that that awaits you on every corner. o_O I've never missed a bus in my life but sure do miss being able to see straight. At least with senility you keep forgetting you have it. You can't remember that you can't remember. I used to be able to spot things a mile away and now all I see are spots. I was reading another post where someone was talking (if I can remember correctly) about miscommunication with contractors and architects and was going to be relaxing with an "adult beverage" and the fist thing that came to mind was "yuk-!", prune juice is not what you want to be drinking if you want to relax. Then it dawned on me... Tequila. I should remember to ask my doctor about that. Not for me but for my friends so they'll talk louder so I could possibly hear them. I don't think I've ever bought a new piece of furniture that made it through the doors of my house. I have bought some Grants' specials to gift to others knowing the piece it replaced would be tossed to the curb though. It is amazing what people consider garbage. People used to think I made and refinished furniture because I enjoyed it but that was the farthest from the truth. I just like nice things and you could not buy them at G. Fox et al. So now that your table is done and you're anxious to have some people over for dinner the moment your chairs arrive what's on the menu for the christening?

The reason the photos have vanished is because Photobucket changed their policy in June 2017 and no longer allows people with free Photobucket accounts to post pictures to a 3rd party website. If the individuals that posted pictures to other websites want the link fixed they have to upgrade their Photobucket account at the cost of $399. If you google Photobucket 3rd party hosting you will find lots of articles about this change and how upset people are that Photobucket is holding their images hostage. Here is one article about it Missing Photobucket pictures