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The sound of hiss.

Which is something I should pay more attention to, but I don't. I figure it was my dish washer. Alas, it wasn't.

When I went into the laundry room this morning, what laid before was water. Flooded.

Thank goodness it wasn't flood like Noah's Ark, but enough to get most of the ground wet. Worse, the drain at the bottom of the laundry room was clogged. Some genius decided to paint over it, closing the necessary holes that would allow the water to harmlessly disperse (well, harmless in relative terms.)

Turns out my water tank bursted. After fourteen years of faithful service, it's given up its ghost.

I really want do go the tankless hot water route, but at $3327 including installation (and that's just a rough estimate, basic install cost is $1200), that's a lot of bread.

I went to Home Depot, and checked out my options. It seems that for less than twelve hunnies I can get a 40 gallon tank (I don't know why we don't use litres in this situation, but we don't), installed. That includes the $150 required mix valve by the government. So if you subtract the above numbers, we get a difference of about $2245 - give or take here and there.

The energy savings I get with tankless water heaters are about 25-40%. Currently, in Sept and Oct, I paid $55 for natural gas. I didn't turn on heat yet, so I assume that that was the price of heating up my water.

If I save the maximum 40% from switching, that means I'm saving about $20 (I'm not good with math, please don't email me to correct me.) So let's go small and save $200 a year.

That multiply by 11 years would come close to about the difference between tank and tankless heaters. That means it takes 11 years for me to break even, and then beyond that is all gravy.

Tankless heaters last 20 years, so says the people selling it. The tanked ones from Home Depot has a 12 year warranty.

I have a philosophy. When one makes a big purchase that affects more than one person, don't skimp.

I might live alone, but eventually I won't. If that means I have tenants or whatever, someone else will share the water with me. I want what's best, and right now the best is tankless.

Still, if I somehow have to sell or whatever, then I've lost all my potential hot water savings from 12 years onward. Who knows what will happen right? I don't plan on leaving, but maybe I can't afford the house or whatever, and have to evict myself.

I'm so torn. I always thought I'd buy a tankless heater when I was given the chance. But with the new car, the washer/dryer combo, and Christmas, I don't see how this will work.

....Besides, a lifetime guarantee on the water tank is too nice to pass up. posted by losir at 10:43 PM

I don't have much to post tonight. I didn't do much this evening. I'm trying to get a couple of Christmas parties together at my house, and trying to organize an afternoon tea as a way to celebrate Jesus' Birthday.

....Yawn. posted by losir at 1:30 AM

I'm never getting my car.

I say that so often now, to no one in particular, most co-workers and friends don't even seem to notice it anymore.

Thing is, I called again, and once more I'm disappointed because the papers have not arrived.

Compounded by rumours, hearsays, conjectures and "broken telephone", there's talk that the Canadian government is clamping down on the importation of US vehicles, making it either impossible or so very tough, you wouldn't even bother.

I sure hope I don't get burned.

....But you know I'm going to be. posted by losir at 11:00 PM

....Once in a while, I get an okay shot.

posted by losir at 12:29 AM

Just a quick story about my experience with Sharp Canada.

I purchased my LC46D62U from an authorized dealer at the end of Nov/start Dec in 06.

Using Avia Test Disc, static .jpgs, and various PS2 loading screens all via DVI to HDMI output, I was able to 100% reliably reproduce both vertical and horizontal banding, confirmed yet again by using the Service Menu's built-in greyscale images.

I exchanged the unit after showing it to the dealer that I bought it from. Great service, he immediately gave me another boxed unit from their stock without hassle.

However, that unit also showed severe banding, which the dealer agrees after I showed him on his showroom floor with the signals that he provided.

So I called Sharp, and in March of 07, they provided me with a replacement model.

When it was brought to my house, I again ran through the gamut of my test signals, videos, etc, and again, saw that I could easily identify both vertical and horizontal banding, confirmed by the service personnel that brought me that new TV. His verdict was that there was no such thing as "non-banding" units. I disagreed.

Maybe I'm unlucky, as all three units had obvious banding that different people said they also saw - these weren't "laymen" per se, they all worked in the LCD industry in one capacity or another be it a salesman or a service repair guy.

I called Sharp again to complain. Lots of phone calls later, in July - they asked if I wanted to "upgrade" to their newer 42" panels for the price of $600. You read right. They offered me the privilege of paying more for a smaller panel just to solve a problem that had nothing to do with me. Of course I politely declined.

Jump to September, I finally get someone who sort of cared, but first she had to tell me that there's no such thing as a perfect product. I don't know how respond to that, as I paid over three thousand dollars for a TV that has a built-in flaw.

She offered me an exact same panel replacement (which was fine by me) except that I had to bring my current panel in, set up a side-by-side comparison, and with the new panel that they were to give me - I had to pick the "best one" of the two - even if my older one was better.

I was a little cocky, and agreed - figuring my 2001 Golf GTI could probably fit the panel in the car as long as I folded my seats down.

October. No new panel, no phone calls. So I call them back, and they say that a panel had actually come in, but Nadia (the person I was dealing with at Sharp Canada's headquarter) said she looked at it and one pixel was burnt, so she refused it for me. That's fine, at least they're making an effort.

I also inform her that I cannot drive to their head office anymore with my current panel for comparison. I sold my Golf and bought an S2000 convertible with only 2 seats and not enough of a trunk to even call it that.... At the time I had every intention of selling the Golf, but right now it's just sitting in my garage. I digress.

Early Nov. of this year. Still no panel - but I get a phone call from Nadia that they're sourcing me a slight upgraded LC46D64U. Same specs, thinner form-factor. Great.

One caveat. I have to sign an agreement that there's no warranty on the new TV. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. If it craps out, tough cookie.

I don't have much to play with here. The banding is bad enough that I don't watch TV with it much at all. As of Friday, Nov. 24th, 2007, I still have all the original packaging, and the tape that protects the edges are still left on. I even put the white plastic cover back on whenever I am done watching any amount of TV.

I do this because I'm not out to scam anyone. I am not going to abuse my current unit just because I want a new one. I keep it as gently used as possible. I try to catch up on some TV shows that I d/l off the net, and it equates to maybe 4 hours of TV every week. I actually watch most of them off the laptop, just because I don't want to over-run the TV. I know they'll probably repackage my unit as an openbox/refurbed, and I want the next person who can't notice the banding to enjoy it as long as s/he can.

Anyway.

My new unit came on Saturday morning of 11/25/07. I have not attempted to run any media that may show any signs of banding. I'm too scared. I don't want to ruin it for myself.

As for Sharp, I think it's a love/hate relationship. Yes, I got a TV replaced, and I'm grateful for Nadia in helping me out. But to force my hand in surrendering my warranty sort of sucks. Fingers crossed nothing happens.

At the end of the day, I still love my panel. The colour reproduction and picture performance is excellent. Although my next panel may be a different brand, I would still recommend Sharp to anyone else looking for an LCD panel.

....Not so short post. posted by losir at 1:33 AM

Check out these snacks. They're both portable, they're both crunchy, and both were bought from a Chinese grocery store.

Snack one is made primarily with refined wheat, while the other was made with wheat flour.

However, one snack is twice the calories of the other, has 38g of carbs and 30% of saturated/Trans fat!

....It's the one that looks healthier - whole wheat looking thing.

posted by losir at 10:07 PM