Quoted from boscokid:Pinside: Prices are out of control!
also Pinside : hey man check out my $4000 shitter
I'm not an LE toilet buyer, I get the Premium. So more like $2500.
Quoted from boscokid:Pinside: Prices are out of control!
also Pinside : hey man check out my $4000 shitter
I'm not an LE toilet buyer, I get the Premium. So more like $2500.
Quoted from pinzrfun:What if you had spicy tacos the night before and there's been an explosive event that may require...a little more?
You sound like someone who would appreciate a gently oscillating stream of warm water, set to your preferred pressure level.
Quoted from mbwalker:One thing I've always wondered about a bidet seat...can a kid (not sitting on the toilet) accidently spray water if playing around? Would it go on the floor?
My Toto has a sensor to tell if someone is sitting or not, and will not spray without weight activating it. Kids can always find a way, but it's not immediately easy to make a mess by mashing buttons.
This is the finished basement of toilets.
Quoted from Aurich:We splurged for a nice Toto washlet+, tell you what, that’s something I miss when I travel. Japan has toilets down.
If it’s better it’s better.
I just have a cheap bidet, but I agree totally. Why are bidets not more common in the US? They are absolute game changers! I hate having to "go" anywhere that doesn't have a bidet!
Quoted from Haymaker:I just have a cheap bidet, but I agree totally.
That what's I did, as a test drive. That convinced me the Toto upgrade for the bathroom remodel was worth it.
Quoted from Haymaker:Why are bidets not more common in the US? They are absolute game changers!
Because it's a weirdly taboo subject to discuss. Which is why I don't mind answering questions, more people should at least be aware of now nice they are.
Quoted from Haymaker:I hate having to "go" anywhere that doesn't have a bidet!
We were traveling this last weekend and man I missed our setup. It feels primitive to go back.
We're talking about something everyone uses daily, it's a good part of your quality of life to invest in imo.
Quoted from Haymaker:I just have a cheap bidet, but I agree totally. Why are bidets not more common in the US? They are absolute game changers! I hate having to "go" anywhere that doesn't have a bidet!
In my experience there is a stigma about them, particularly with the dudes. Its not entirely dissimilar from conversations involving colonoscopies. We also started with one of the cheaper sprayer types, but have since converted 3 of the 4 toilets in the house, getting a fancier version each time. Agreed there is simply no going back. Probably going to have to go all in with something along the lines of the LE toilet for the last one. My step father recently had spinal surgery and we installed one in their house as a christmas gift. He raves about it and my mother is especially grateful since she was going to be the one having to help him wipe his ass.
Quoted from Aurich:We splurged for a nice Toto washlet+, tell you what, that’s something I miss when I travel. Japan has toilets down.
What you spend most of your life doing:
1. In Bed 41.8% of the time - Buy a great mattress, make your bedroom a haven for sleep;
2. Work 16% of the time (50 year career) - If you work sitting down, get a great office chair, on your feet, a great floor pad;
3. In front of a screen (TV Computer Phone) 14.6% of the time - Hi resolution screens, right height, high refresh rates;
4. In the bathroom 2.5% (more if you combine with number 3 above like my wife ); Get a bidet, your bottom will thank you!
Wow, this thread is moving fast.
Most of the left side of road driving are island countries. Always worries me that in parts of Africa, cars change sides when they cross the border.
Should we be grateful almost all our pinball machines are American made. Like why is the start button always on the left and the plunger on the right.
Why do you have to bolt on the legs. Would you buy a chair where the legs are separated?
My theory is that if the Japanese were making pinball machines the’d be far more innovative and half the price, half the weight and twice as reliable.
Just thought I’d drop that in there
Quoted from 7oxford:My theory is that if the Japanese were making pinball machines the’d be far more innovative and half the price, half the weight and twice as reliable.
Sega did make pinball machines in Tokyo. They came up with a few innovations, but fell far short of those predictions.
https://www.pinballnews.com/learn/japanesepinballs/index.html
Quoted from punkin:I'll see your Evil Knievel and raise you a Steve Irwin
And I'll trump your Steve Irwin with a Steve-O.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:my bedroom is a haven for something else more than sleep.
That comprises about 1.4% on average - your actual amount might be more (or less - that's what she said )
Quoted from Aurich:We have lights in a snake terrarium too, I just have them on a timer to auto switch on and off. It's better for the animal to keep a rhythm, the lights will still run if we're not home, and well, it means I don't have to think about it, so bonus.
This is one of those things you're just used to one way or the other I guess, but I just can't think of anything I would use them for.
In reference to not need switches on an outlet, i think an essential use is older EM pins - many do not have a power switch on them. So that means they would be powered constantly 24/7 with lights on (and in some cases coils locked on - eg: high hand if targets are down, even out of a game). So that means you would have to constantly plug/unplug rather than jsut switch on at the wall. Or my solution of installing a switch in the game!
In relation to basements and water, i struggle to get my head around water not getting in, particularly with pics in the first few pages of the thread showing external concrete stairs leading down to an entry door. We can get 1 metre (40 inches) of rain in a 24 hour period - thats extreme, but its not uncommon for 300-500mm of rain in 24 hours - we got that last week here. I just can't fathom how a grate/drain in front of a door where water is rushing down a concrete set of stairs could get water away quick enough, or even if snow is melting. But if weather patterns are different, then i suppose what works.
We are fortunate enough to live on 1 Ha (2 acres) in a semi rural area in Australia, so i have 3 decent sheds, plus a 2 level house with a chunk of the floor level as a games room, and upstairs primarily living. Going up is great, as you catch more of a breeze, so in our stinking hot and humid summer (riught now!), any breeze is great.
Quoted from robm:I just can't fathom how a grate/drain in front of a door where water is rushing down a concrete set of stairs could get water away quick enough
But it does. Compare a drain pipe at the bottom of the stairs to a drainpipe coming off a roof. The roof has a lot more square footage of water collection and yet the gutters (eaves-troughs) and down-pipes can handle it. The stairs have less square footage than the roof and can also handle it... or should have been properly designed to handle it.
Quoted from sparky672:But it does. Compare a drain pipe at the bottom of the stairs to a drainpipe coming off a roof. The roof has a lot more square footage of water collection and yet the gutters (eaves-troughs) and down-pipes can handle it. The stairs have less square footage than the roof and can also handle it... or should have been properly designed to handle it.
Fair enough - this is what happens all over our 2 acres after 200mm of rain. Land is really flat all around, so nowhere for water to go
pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image2 (resized).pngQuoted from robm:Land is really flat all around, so nowhere for water to go
In that case, I'm surprised water retention ponds are not mandatory... although it would be expensive.
Quoted from robm:Fair enough - this is what happens all over our 2 acres after 200mm of rain. Land is really flat all around, so nowhere for water to go[quoted image][quoted image]
I don’t think you should build a basement brotha
Quoted from gandamack:How much is that in 'Merican?
8 inches. Fairly typical summer storm for us in North Queensland.
Quoted from sparky672:In that case, I'm surprised water retention ponds are not mandatory... although it would be expensive.
Doubt this would work, unless people dug holes many many metres deep, very close together. Its really just a matter of letting the water gradually flow away to creeks. In the meantime, kids get boogie boards out and drag them behind a motorbike and have fun!
Quoted from robm:Fair enough - this is what happens all over our 2 acres after 200mm of rain. Land is really flat all around, so nowhere for water to go[quoted image][quoted image]
It must get in too your shop too
Here is an example of our kids having fun in the backyard....
Quoted from Williampinball:It must get in too your shop too
Nah - not quite - shed slab level is same as house, and comes close but not quite which is great!
Quoted from robm:Here is an example of our kids having fun in the backyard....
Nah - not quite - shed slab level is same as house, and comes close but not quite which is great!
Thank god for that ,that's crazy hey ,my brothers place is like yours after the snow melts it floods at the shop and last year he had 4" inside of it that sucks
Quoted from robm:8 inches. Fairly typical summer storm for us in North Queensland.
Do you ever have issues with unwanted pests washing up in unwanted places, i.e. snakes?
Quoted from gandamack:Do you ever have issues with unwanted pests washing up in unwanted places, i.e. snakes?
Plenty of snakes find refuge in higher places, mostly they are pythons and tree snakes which are non venomous. But we can also get taipans here which are real bad news. One of the locals once had a small (like 20-30cm long) baby crocodile end up in thier swimming pool from flood water like this!
We've got a small dam, and i've always wanted to get a small freshwater crocodile to put in there - they are pretty harmless and not agressive. When the kids muck up, could threaten them they have to swim a lap of the dam with the croc!
Quoted from robm:but its not uncommon for 300-500mm of rain in 24 hours
Wow! Thanks for sharing. I know the South Pacific gets a lot of precipitation, but that really puts things in perspective. Here on the mid-Atlantic coast we will only see those numbers from a really significant weather event, such as a slow moving hurricane.
No Basements in SoCal... never seen one in 49 years.... they are as real to me as the Loch Ness Monster.
Scientific Method proves to me they are a Myth.
Ok - here ya go.
They have basements - because that’s what they are accustomed to. The older houses had basements - so that’s what they’re used to.
We are used to having large single level homes .. because that’s what we’ve always had.
US power sockets have no switches (and are controlled by the wall switch) because heaps of older US houses have no ceiling lights. They used a bunch of lamps instead. My buddies live in 1950s houses in SoCal and they have hardly any ceiling lights. They have a bunch of lamps everywhere. Which you can switch on/off with the wall switch.
In NZ/AUS we don’t have many lamps … Except for decoration maybe. They’re not needed for a light source.
Most of the older US houses don’t even have earths at the sockets. Hence why half the pins I buy in the states have no earth prong - someone cut them off to plug them in. Genius!
there ya go!
rd
I was on board with this thread at the beginning. Now I'm to the point that I don't care if people in Australia understand why basements exist in the USA. Australians are missing out if they don't have basements, but I'm over it.
Quoted from rotordave:Most of the older US houses don’t even have earths at the sockets.
Sockets with grounds (earths) received patents as early as 1928 in America, but widespread use did not become the norm until code changes in the 1960s. After then, most houses included grounded sockets. prior to the 1960s, armored BX wiring and metal boxes could provide a path to earth without the need of a third conductor. However, there was also construction with Non-metalic (NM) wiring that did not have a ground. It wasn't till the late 1960s than modern NM wiring with same size ground was required. There was also the period of time in the 1970s where aluminum wiring was used but that is not allowed anymore in residential wiring #fires
As an aside, the current median age of housing stock varies in the US - older in New England (the original colonies area) but newer elsewhere. The Median here in Illinois and in California is 40-50 years. In growing states like Texas and Florida, it is much lower (20-30). So even though most US homes have had grounded sockets for a long time, the legacy of the two prong outlets meant that even as new construction was requiring them, manufacturers still made two prong plugs until mandated in 1969 to use three prong plugs for appliances. Worse, for years we used these "cheater plugs" in which you were suppose to use the tab to screw into the grounded metal box (but remember, not all boxes were grounded at the time), and nobody actually screwed them in anyway!
1024px-Cheater_plug_edited (resized).jpgQuoted from pinzrfun:Ok, having not been enlightened, exactly how does this work? Is there toilet paper so you can dry your ass after it gets squirted? Is it just a little stream that's supposed to hit your butthole? What if you had spicy tacos the night before and there's been an explosive event that may require...a little more?
Just a very small amount of TP to dry up when done. Yes there's a stream aimed at your butt. Use it for as long as you need to feel clean. Works great for small shits or big spicy shits I do not even have a fancy bidet with heat or air drying. It's basically a cheap $20 attachment that goes under the toilet seat and tees into the toilet water supply. It's very simple and works extremely well!
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:Just a very small amount of TP to dry up when done. Yes there's a stream aimed at your butt. Use it for as long as you need to feel clean. Works great for small shits or big spicy shits I do not even have a fancy bidet with heat or air drying. It's basically a cheap $20 attachment that goes under the toilet seat and tees into the toilet water supply. It's very simple and works extremely well!
Butt it’s cold.
Quoted from rotordave:Ok - here ya go.
They have basements - because that’s what they are accustomed to.
No, plenty of places can and do flood like that in the US and generally you wouldn't have a basement, or you'd have measures in place to keep the basement from flooding, or you just have a basement that floods occasionally and you don't put stuff that can get ruined down there. That said, in most places it would be unusual to experience that type of flooding shown in the picture. That type of flooding I'd be worried about water coming into any area, not just a basement. In the US even in heavy rains, water has places to go most of the time, at least here in the midwest. In other areas its different. It has nothing to do with being "accustomed" to it. The weather and/or land simply allows and/or necessitates a basement. The US is absolutely massive with like every type of biome, environment, ect known to man. What is impossible in one area is absolutely necessary in another. What works in one place, may not work in another.
In my case, my basement would be practically impossible to flood. I live in one of the highest points in my area, plenty of rivers for the water to run down to and even when the rivers do flood it would just take massive flooding to reach my house. Most people I know would have water over their roofs before the water was at a worrying level for me. My yard runs down hill and the whole back wall of my house including the basement foundation is completely exposed. What I'm describing is not unusual or usual. Its just a product of my environment. The people by me who do live on or near the river, they do have to take a lot of extra precautions to keep their basements from flooding (many don't have basements either) or just expect some flooding when the rivers get high. As others pointed out, in many areas basements are just not common. I remember going to visit my relatives in Florida when I was a kid and being blown away that basements were uncommon. Well, when it was explained to me why, it made sense even as a child.
You guys do realize most modern basements are much more than just a concrete filled hole in the ground right? Like there is drain tile to drain water around and away from the foundations, sump pumps, ect. Also is there not hills in Australia? Like OK one guy shows his house on some flat flood plane style ground, could a person that lives on higher ground get away with a basement hypothetically? I'm not saying basements should be everywhere in Australia, just trying to prove my point that different areas have different conditions. Again, I don't understand this "its just what they know" or "its what they are accustomed to" argument. Like no...its just because....we can? Like if you could have a basement, why wouldn't you want one?
Quoted from ReadyPO:Sockets with grounds (earths) received patents as early as 1928 in America, but widespread use did not become the norm until code changes in the 1960s. After then, most houses included grounded sockets. prior to the 1960s, armored BX wiring and metal boxes could provide a path to earth without the need of a third conductor. However, there was also construction with Non-metalic (NM) wiring that did not have a ground. It wasn't till the late 1960s than modern NM wiring with same size ground was required. There was also the period of time in the 1970s where aluminum wiring was used but that is not allowed anymore in residential wiring #fires
As an aside, the current median age of housing stock varies in the US - older in New England (the original colonies area) but newer elsewhere. The Median here in Illinois and in California is 40-50 years. In growing states like Texas and Florida, it is much lower (20-30). So even though most US homes have had grounded sockets for a long time, the legacy of the two prong outlets meant that even as new construction was requiring them, manufacturers still made two prong plugs until mandated in 1969 to use three prong plugs for appliances. Worse, for years we used these "cheater plugs" in which you were suppose to use the tab to screw into the grounded metal box (but remember, not all boxes were grounded at the time), and nobody actually screwed them in anyway!
[quoted image]
Impressive flex!
Quoted from Haymaker:You guys do realize most modern basements are much more than just a concrete filled hole in the ground right? Like there is drain tile to drain water around and away from the foundations, sump pumps, ect.
Have you seen this product? I used this on our home worked great and my Radon reading was 35-40 using constant monitoring, put a in line radon fan it is always below 1.5
https://www.formadrainsolutions.com/product/form-a-drain-plus
Great product, maybe they don't have stuff like this in Ausssie.
Quoted from JohnTTwo:Butt it’s cold.
You get used to it quickly. Just feels normal to me.
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:...It's basically a cheap $20 attachment that goes under the toilet seat and tees into the toilet water supply. It's very simple and works extremely well!
Which one did you get?
Quoted from mbwalker:Which one did you get?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B8DCCG71/
Comes with "feminine mode" as well but it's not used or why I bought it. Basically it has an option to spray the stream forward a bit in addition to butt spray.
There are many different manufacturers of this style - just find any with decent reviews. They all work basically the same way.
My entry level was https://hellotushy.com
Still have one in a second bathroom we don't use much.
Honestly once you upgrade to having pre-warmed water it's a little hard to go back to the basic model.
Quoted from robm:Doubt this would work, unless people dug holes many many metres deep, very close together. Its really just a matter of letting the water gradually flow away to creeks. In the meantime, kids get boogie boards out and drag them behind a motorbike and have fun!
I don't know how it would work for you. Every geographic area is different. It works around here whenever a large mass of concrete covers earth... warehouses, parking lots, shopping malls, etc... all require a retention pond(s); low grassy area(s) that collect and hold the water until it absorbs into the ground.
Quoted from ReadyPO:Sockets with grounds (earths) received patents as early as 1928 in America, but widespread use did not become the norm until code changes in the 1960s. After then, most houses included grounded sockets. prior to the 1960s, armored BX wiring and metal boxes could provide a path to earth without the need of a third conductor. However, there was also construction with Non-metalic (NM) wiring that did not have a ground. It wasn't till the late 1960s than modern NM wiring with same size ground was required. There was also the period of time in the 1970s where aluminum wiring was used but that is not allowed anymore in residential wiring #fires
As an aside, the current median age of housing stock varies in the US - older in New England (the original colonies area) but newer elsewhere. The Median here in Illinois and in California is 40-50 years. In growing states like Texas and Florida, it is much lower (20-30). So even though most US homes have had grounded sockets for a long time, the legacy of the two prong outlets meant that even as new construction was requiring them, manufacturers still made two prong plugs until mandated in 1969 to use three prong plugs for appliances. Worse, for years we used these "cheater plugs" in which you were suppose to use the tab to screw into the grounded metal box (but remember, not all boxes were grounded at the time), and nobody actually screwed them in anyway!
My home was built in 1928. Its wiring originally all knob and tube with cloth covered wiring, and no ground.
In the late 70s they did a partial remodel and addition, remodeling the kitchen,
adding on a Master bedroom and finishing the basement.
With the remodel and additions they obviously brought things up to code, though in the other
50% of the house were no work was done
it still has the old wiring and two prong outlets/plugs.
When we bought the house 10 yrs ago, in order to get the house insured,
the insurance company made use change out all the knob and tube wiring
with grounded romex wiring in all the areas with exposed wiring in the garage and attic.
Obviously any wiring within the old walls and old sockets are still knob and tube and non grounded.
In the last few years, I have taken it upon myself to hire an electrician to install one or two
GFCI outlets in all the bedrooms upstairs and the foyer and dining and living & family rooms
which were not grounded, so in doing that it will give each room some grounding effect protection
while providing some outlets with 3 prong plugs, to avoid having to use those cheater plug adapters.
If anybody hasn't seen the movie "Why Him?" I do recommend it if you're in to that kind of comedy. There is a scene with a fancy Japanese butthole-seeking bidet toilet
Quoted from sparky672:I don't know how it would work for you. Every geographic area is different. It works around here whenever a large mass of concrete covers earth... warehouses, parking lots, shopping malls, etc... all require a retention pond(s); low grassy area(s) that collect and hold the water until it absorbs into the ground.
As discussed elsewhere, we have a stormwater system in the towns and cities, so it's all piped out to sea eventually. Shopping centers, factories, car parks have drains that lead to pipes undergound. It's all pretty civilized.
As far as the switches on power sockets go, you guys are thinking only of using the switch to turn things on and off. The main reason we have a switch there is so you can turn the power off before connecting or disconnecting an appliance. No chance of arcing.
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:If anybody hasn't seen the movie "Why Him?" I do recommend it if you're in to that kind of comedy. There is a scene with a fancy Japanese butthole-seeking bidet toilet
Bullet Train has a good scene in that vein too.
Quoted from gonzo73:No Basements in SoCal... never seen one in 49 years.... they are as real to me as the Loch Ness Monster.
Scientific Method proves to me they are a Myth.
One of the many, MANY reasons I moved my wife and kid to the midwest. I wanted a finished basement and a mortgage thats affordable. I have a finished walk in basement now and that was worth the move alone. The rat race of the 91, 55, 22, 57, freeways made me want to suck a shotgun. I liked the weather and the beach but rarely had any time to enjoy either of them, just working constantly to stay afloat. Realized I'd never own a home that I'd like in a neighborhood that was actually safe...I'd be paying 4-5k a month for a home I don't even like and cant afford to repair when shit breaks. let alone own a pinball collection...
We have 120V in the states. Any arcing that you might see is a minor light show. Any place that has a known explosion hazard is equipped to handle such occurrences. No need for a home environment.
Quoted from punkin:As discussed elsewhere, we have a stormwater system in the towns and cities, so it's all piped out to sea eventually. Shopping centers, factories, car parks have drains that lead to pipes undergound. It's all pretty civilized.
We have those too. Depends on the infrastructure of the area.
Quoted from punkin:As far as the switches on power sockets go, you guys are thinking only of using the switch to turn things on and off. The main reason we have a switch there is so you can turn the power off before connecting or disconnecting an appliance. No chance of arcing.
There would only be arcing if the appliance being plugged in is already in the "ON" condition. Seems to be an issue of human behavior that won't necessarily be solved by adding a second switch. Don't plug something in when the switch is left on... in your case, two switches.
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