Entropy

[JR.]

The replacement switches and capacitor arrived today... already swapped them in and the old cooker is now working as good as new... not fully back together, but enough to confirm that it works. I don't really need two slow cookers, we'll see...

The bigger one is now large enough to comfortably hold my 3 weeks plus of lunch meals.

I made a neater looking thermal blanket cover for the lid, we'll see how well that works. Should not trap moisture inside, like the old igloo.

JR
[update... completely together and still works fine, only 3 screws left over /update]

[edit- I contacted Cuisinart customer service after I repaired my unit to pass along my observations... At first the customer service representative was totally confused because my situation did not fit any typical script. I tried to explain that my comments about the failed switches were for engineering, and the notes about thermal insulating the cover was for product managers, but they should feel free to disregard. A couple days later I got a pleasant email from somebody else there thanking me for my feedback and saying my notes would be passed along to the respective departments. Kind of rare to get thoughtful responses like that. /edit]

[JR.]

Today's entropy contribution is my refrigerator door retainer just broke, when I apparently opened the door with too much force (who me?).

I keep a heavy 1/2 gallon glass jug of lemonade on the top door shelf, and it's mass broke the cheesy plastic retainer...

Replacement part on order... got to love the WWW...

JR

[mediatechnology]

Replacement part on order... got to love the WWW...

And probably a better price than if you were able to get it on will call from a warehouse...

If I buy a gas dryer igniter from Appliance Parts Depot and drive to the warehouse a few minutes away to pick it up as a commercial account customer its about $40. I pay the same price as the repairmen lined up at the counter.

If I order that same igniter online from Appliance Parts for All its about $14.

The real kicker is that the $14 part is drop-shipped from the exact same warehouse I would drive to.
I've ordered two different dryer parts this way and the price differences are consistently huge.

[JR.]

Replacement part on order... got to love the WWW...

And probably a better price than if you were able to get it on will call from a warehouse...

don't have much of anything very useful within driving distance.

If I buy a gas dryer igniter from Appliance Parts Depot and drive to the warehouse a few minutes away to pick it up as a commercial account customer its about $40. I pay the same price as the repairmen lined up at the counter.

If I order that same igniter online from Appliance Parts for All its about $14.

The real kicker is that the $14 part is drop-shipped from the exact same warehouse I would drive to.
I've ordered two different dryer parts this way and the price differences are consistently huge.

I did a search on a highly promoted appliance repair website... they were asking $30 probably plus shipping.

After learning the exact part number I did another search and found walmart cheaper than amazon with free shipping. $20 is not a bargain for a <$2 worth of plastic part, but I am not ready to replace the refrigerator despite being a few decades old, so I can live with the price.

FWIW it appears that walmart is challenging amazon's prime with free shipping and no membership requirement... This leaning out the window contest will end at some point (they always do), but for now I will mine the WWW competition for relative bargains.

JR

PS: When I tried to repair my broken wall oven (2x+ older than fridge) it was too old to source repair parts. The refrigerator is getting long in the tooth, but apparently the part that broke is still in enough demand to be worth stocking and selling. Yes, no doubt multiple web merchants selling the exact same inventory.

[terkio]

Prices and qualities are becoming more and more unpredictable.
Cost and quality of shipment, payment refund reliability too.
Now days, price has little to do with manufacturing cost, the price is more, what the buyer can be induced to pay.
In Europe and Asia, they have reactivated railroad transportation for freight shipments direct from China. Goods are packed in China in containers onto trains for delivery to railway stations in Europe where they transfer containers onto trucks going directly at the shops whare houses.
Fast delivery, little stock, direct, ready for sale.

[JR.]

Prices and qualities are becoming more and more unpredictable.

I see funny prices often from web merchants, almost always way high, so perhaps a method to the variability (AI fishing for suckers?).

Cost and quality of shipment, payment refund reliability too.

Shipping has gotten quicker but not cheaper (with the exception of free shipping promotions). I have studied free/cheap shipping wrt heavy items. Try to buy a 50# sack of cement with free shipping and you will invariably see the price adjusted up to reflect actual shipping cost. I can get some deals on heavy shipments from west coast, but suspect that is promotional and may not last.

Now days, price has little to do with manufacturing cost, the price is more, what the buyer can be induced to pay.

I expect this has always been true to some extent, at least for profitable companies. Those companies that don't charge enough typically go out of business. While some modern start-ups can apparently lose money for years (a consequence of too easy capital raising). Perversely in some market segments the customers associate higher price with higher value, even when sometimes the only thing high is the price.

In Europe and Asia, they have reactivated railroad transportation for freight shipments direct from China.

The "silk road" has been used since BC. Recently China has been investing in their "Belts and road" infrastructure initiative. No doubt trying to use their new economic might to expand influence, and Chinese trade.

Goods are packed in China in containers onto trains for delivery to railway stations in Europe where they transfer containers onto trucks going directly at the shops warehouses.
Fast delivery, little stock, direct, ready for sale.

Even by train/truck can't be as fast as by air...Train/truck is arguably shorter than circuitous ocean route. Quicker depends on status of infrastructure supporting roads/rails. Historians are suggesting that corona virus could follow similar path along silk road as the plague did centuries ago. The quick virus spread occurring right now appears dominated by modern air travel.

JR

[JR.]

Replacement refrigerator door part arrived and snapped in place... That was easy.
======
Transformer for measuring sump pump current arrived, but crawl space is drying out, as if on queue.

I just mailed the faulty water level switch controller back to the manufacturer who still hasn't responded to my email(s)...maybe he's busy.

JR

[JR.]

My rain ditch silt buckets/traps are mostly working, but the drain pipes I use to steer silt laden ditch water into the buckets fill up with silt after only a few months in service.

I am probably past due to run my jetter nozzle through my buried drain pipe, but in the near term I will shorten the steering pipes so they hold less silt when clogged up.

Even though we have only had trace rainfall in the last week, and my crawlspace is dry (sump pump quiet), the rain ditches are still flowing water from uphill of me. I suspect poorly maintained rain ditches uphill, trap and hold water, only releasing it slowly. My neighbor immediately uphill from me has a swampy section of yard from a blocked rain ditch that should drain it and dry it out. This isn't rocket science, plants evolved to trap water for survival.

JR

[JR.]

First image is silt buckets full of silt and leaves...

Next image is after picture of cleaned silt buckets back in place, with shorter feeder pipes/

Last picture is the front lower rain ditch after I ran my pressure washer jetter nozzle in 70'+ from top and same from the bottom. The light, chocolate milk colored water is from silt I shook loose out of the buried drain pipe...

JR

[billshurv]

I've hit a new low recently. I've had to repair a $10 electric toothbrush twice in 2 weeks. First time was some corrosion on the PCB which I cleaned. A week later it had flattened the batteries again and I noticed the rubber seal at the top was not holding water at bay. As nipping to the hardware store is out I decided to go for a make and mend solution, dried and cleaned everythign and daubed in plenty of petroleum Jelly. Should hold for a few more days until I find somewhere with one in stock who can post. Oddly £250 toothbrushes that connect to your phone are plentiful, but ones that actually clean your teeth for sensible money are hard to find!