Laceygirls New Pool - Intex 18 x 9 x 52....

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In Australia we pay 0.18300 per kWh.......ITS HIGHWAY ROBBERY..... and apparently I used 4194 kWh........ IN 90 DAYS AND IT WAS SUMMER...... I didn't run any air conditioning, and we switch things off at the point and even unplug things.... :-(

I am going with the ACER H5380Bd 3D gaming projector Stump.... :) http://www.myprojectors.com.au/acer...GChPI8MKZ1HFVHdeegFSzz5Mrskpk9Ur-YsJK0crw_wcB

I wish I could get it from Amazon, but because we use different power supplies, I have to use an adapter, and last time I did that my Blu Ray blew its converter.... So I'm stuck paying Aussie prices for this... I'll keep looking around and see if I can find one for around $500, but its free delivery so that's cool.... :)
 
Well we've just had another revelation here at the household.... We don't watch TV... But we watch movies, I download TV shows that I like, but TV in Australia is ****... So.... Dave wants to move the 42" LCD TV that's in our bedroom and hang it on our 10 year olds wall.... He then wants to take the 55" plasma that's currently in the TV room and put it in our bedroom, we have surround sound in our bedroom already if you can believe it..... He then wants to hang "his" projector from the ceiling and wants me to make a 2.4m wide x 1.40cm high screen for the TV room...... I guess I shouldn't have shown him those YouTube videos showing size and clarity......;-)

I thought about it for about 3 minutes... Our plasma is up really really high in the TV room so Samson won't put something through it, so a screen I can make on a frame with 3 PASS blackout cloth - that's easy and very cheap to replace - would be PERFECT :)

Looks like we'll have the projector before fathers day in September.....
 
Cool build laceygirl!

I can sympathize with you in regards to energy bills... We have 8 people in the house (me, the wife, 5 kids from 3 years to 16 years and my mother) and with everything except for the furnace being electric (that is natural gas) in the house I am sick of high energy bills... We average about $600-700/mo year round...

Part of that is the 10-person hot tub, but a big portion is the fact we have about 12 loads of laundry a week and with an electric dryer it eats a lot. That and the electric range/double stove combo we have sucks down a ton as well. Since it is warm out I am doing a ton more grilling (natural gas) and use the tuscan oven outside (natural gas again) for as much baking as possible... The oven does a great job with pizzas so it is a major hit...

But, yeah, I turn down the heater on the hot tub during the warmer months to save some, but I still can't get around at least $450-500 bills... I wish I could get them down to $300-350, but with a server, 5 gaming rigs, LCD and DLP TVs everywhere and a media PC on each and every one (at least one per room) I do believe I have created power-consuming monsters... I use my laptop to reduce my own power usage (my main rig pulls over 450watts idling, let alone the 1160watts it does at full tilt while gaming), but I have had to install occupancy sensors in a lot of places because everyone else has a hard time turning off the lights...

I have so much going into my own pool build/backyard redo that I am really having a hard time justifying the higher cost of a dual-speed pool pump, but I have a funny feeling it will pay for itself within short order...

Well, they did just put in a new electric meter on the feed to the 240v panel (I have 2 200amp service feeds, one is for a 40-breaker 120v panel and the other a 40-breaker 240v panel, both panels are filled), and since that is the expensive one for us I am hoping the meter had an issue and my monthly costs go down... Yeah, I know, but we can all dream, can't we???
 
Hi DennisP and Abigail :)

Yup paying for electricity sux, the good thing is, I don't have a gas bill, everything is electric here, so I only get one bill, but still.... Now I've turned the hot water system down by 16 degrees (we turned it down another 3 degrees), my bill should be reasonable.... My hot water heater is 20 years old, so not very environmentally friendly or economical.....

And I don't think it was an estimated reading Abigail, the guy came to the box.... They have to as we live in a complex.....

I just purchased the cloth for the indoor screen on eBay... :) The material with delivery was $46.20.. :) I bought 4 metres, it will be 2.4m x 1.4m, so pretty bloody big... :)

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300685026382?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
 
Actually, electrical heat is usually the most efficient, just that the electrical costs are so high...

Honestly, if your water heater is that old, you would do well to check or replace the elements. They may be completely crusted over, which would absolutely kill your efficiency. You may also want to replace the anode(s) at the same time if they haven't been replaced. That will keep your heating element(s) clear for a number of years.

Yeah, we use a lot of hot water. This place had a single 65gal hot water heater when we moved in. The guy that put it in was a dope and put hardline copper directly to the tank (a big big no-no since you get bi-metal corrosion). The damage was all cosmetic since it was a high-end glass lined water heater, so I completely cleaned it, replaced the elements/thermostats/diptube/anode and even got the OEM paint and took care of the exterior so it looked as nice as it was. I picked up an 80gal additional heater and put that in along with the 65gal. So we have 145gal of hot water available at all times. Then I added a hot water recirculation system so we don't have to wait for hot water at certain locations. Works great, but uses more hot water... I did insulate all the pipes to try to help the efficiency though... :D

But, yeah, we have done a ton to "try to be as green as possible", just not realistic unless you want to totally change your lifestyle, and even at that there is limits that just make things uncomfortable... So, yeah the utilities have our number and they just keep piling on the costs...
 
Oh, I understand... My point is, since I rented for 15 years before I bought a home, that even if you are renting, since you pay for the electrical, it is more times than not, advantageous to "fix" appliance issues instead of waiting for the appliance to die, since the cost of elements are cheap ($20-30 each here in the states at most, with some running only $10-15) it is a cheap "fix" compared to spending hundreds a month on one that is mineral encrusted.

And that is the bad point about most "landlords" as they don't maintain their properties the way they should if they are renting them. If they lived there they would be cleaning the AC condensor fins, changing filters, fixing heating elements, cleaning furnaces, etc, etc... But, since it is all about "profitability" for most, they just don't care and let things go until they fail. Less up-front cost, less hassle, the whole "who cares?" factor...

But, I digress... Not meaning to de-rail anything, just trying to be helpful. Back to the POOL! :D
 
Yeah, I have a great pitch to my roof, but I am totally screwed for solar panels as my roof is ceder shakes... Even though the area above the kids rooms would work pretty well... hmmm.... I would just have to build standoffs to set them above the shakes so that the shakes get proper ventilation... Hmm.... I gotta look into that some more...
 

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MermaidMama said:
Blah. We had a long snowy winter, just seeing them pics has me thankful Summer is officially here. ��☀️
Click to expand...

Its not supposed to snow here in Canberra, we are too far above sea level.... But the snow resorts are celebrating a thick layer of snow, bout 40cm over night... Its the biggest dump of snow we've had in years, they reckon it could snow here due to the chill factor... Winds are howling today at around 60 kilometres an hour, that's the speed limit driving around town... :-(
 
Ok this is what happens when the weather turns crappy.... I shop online....

And I'm so excited, I've just purchased Daves projector from Amazon and I've saved $230 including postage... I'm really happy... :) Now just to frame up the indoor and outdoor screens, and Voila, home theatre inside and outside.... :) Will post pics when it arrives....

For those wondering, I bought an Acer H5380bd projector... I bought this one because of the rave reviews, and because it can use 240v power which is what we use here in Oz.... :)
 
G'day again...

More shopping, as the weather is so bad.... I've been thinking about the construction of the Dive In Theatre that will hang over my pool... I need something light, strong and weather proof, to construct my projector screen frame, and it needs to be made into a large size without requiring support... Enter super light extruded aluminium!!!!



I'm going with 25mm x 25mm and its $8 a metre..... I'll need 20 metres as the screen will measure 5m x 4m.... I will then tie the screen inside the frame, with a white cord, and make it look like a trampoline....

I'm pretty impressed I've managed to make a screen that is GIANT in size, and it only cost me about $220 all up... That's the amount I saved on buying the projector from Amazon... :)
 
$230 is a ridiculous mark-up... And it seems that the (federal) government is aware of the problems, because the tax-free threshold on imported (by post) goods in AUD1000... Much higher than many countries around the world...

Beware of sharp edges on the ends of extruded aluminium Lacey... And remember to secure the frame down... We've just had trampolines blow into pools with the severe winds here...
http://www.theage.com.au/environmen...-calms-after-wild-tuesday-20140625-zskpn.html

The cherry on the icing is that your total is still slightly less than buying the projector alone here...
 
May I just say that I hate the tv in the bedroom. My husband watches Sci-Fi at night and I just want to smash it! I can not stand hearing someone scream for their life when I'm trying to sleep! I seriously want to pull my 9. It is a pet peeve of mine! I could not imagine having surround sound in my bedroom with his shows! OMG... lol
 
Hi Abigail, I will be using plastic connectors that come with the aluminium so it will eliminate the sharp edges, but I will still put a fine grade of sandpaper over the cut sections, thank you for that... :) And yes, the mark up here is ridiculous... :-( I managed retail for nearly 20 years before I had my kids, so I know how much they can rip you off, but its really the landlord's fault... Commercial rent is criminal... :-( Our population doesn't allow the same competition as the US... :-(

Hi Casey... :) Really? The TV in the bedroom is more for me, as when Dave's head hits the pillow, he doesn't last long, so its usually me watching while he's sleeping... :) I try not to watch stuff that's too loud, its usually a chick flick or a drama or cartoons when I head to bed... But we do go to bed and specifically watch TV on those cold nights when the kids sleeping... Then any type of flick goes... :) Please tell your hubby I LOVE sci-fi too... :)
 
You would so not be allowed in my bedroom! :mrgreen: I don't mind certain things but crazy, murderous, screaming shows get to me when I'm trying to sleep. I've told him, NO MORE!
 

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