Thank you for visiting. Below is the YouTube clip along with details and links to the items seen in the video in case you’d like to purchase them.
I installed a GE Window Air Conditioner 8000 BTU in my camper van and wanted to know how many watts did it pull. I connected an Electric Usage Monitor between the outlet at my camper van to measure how many watts it pulled along with a hi and a low and let it run for 18min.
I did have a 12 Volt Refrigerator pulling 14 watts during this test. I ran the AC for 18 minutes which resulted in:
Kwh: .209 Kwh
Volts: 117.3
Amps: 6.752
Low Watts Recorded: 14.1
High Watts Recorded: 786.0
GE Window Air Conditioner 8000 BTU, Wi-Fi Enabled, Energy-Efficient Cooling for Medium Rooms, 8K BTU Window AC Unit with Easy Install Kit, Control Using Remote or Smartphone Appkuman KW48 Electricity Usage Monitor Plug Power Watt Voltage Amps Meter with Digital LCD, Overload Protection and 7 Display Modes for Energy Saving (Backlight), white
For $20 from Lowe’s I bought a Motion Sensor Light Switch and installed it in my 30′ x 45′ metal garage so I wouldn’t have to go back and forth to turn on and off the lights.
Very convenience and energy saving.
Super simple. First you will turn off the breaker that leads to that switch for safety. Then you will have to determine if you need a switch with a NEUTRAL wire. You’re not going to know until you open up the box. Once you know if you need a switch with a NEUTRAL or not you can go to your local hardware store, such as Lowe’s or my favorite Home Depot OR you can order one through Amazon.
Remove the wall plate to expose the existing switch. Detach the wires and then you can connect your new switch which usually will include the connecting threads. Screw into place and cover the switch up VOILA!!
You now have a motion sensor switch that will automatically turn on the lights and turn off automatically once you leave the area. You can set the sensitivity of the detetor and duration of the lights. Usually between 1min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min., and 30 minutes.
Here is a video accompanying this blog post. Please like, subscribe and hit the bell for notifications at http://www.youtube.com/ugzjefe. I have new videos of various topics coming out weekly.
This blog is to go over what I did to add a metal garage workshop to my commercial property.
The video and blog compliment each other.
I am super happy that I contracted everyone myself cutting out the middle mad but there were a couple of things that I could have done better.
THE PROCESS
Since I wanted to have enough room to have/store at least 4 full size vehicles along with 4 garage bays I figured out that 30′ x 45′ was enough space. See sketch using FloorDesign
On FaceBook there are tons of ads on the Marketplace offering Metal Buildings. I used Universal Metal Buildings from North Carolina.
THE SPECIFICATIONS
30′ x 45′ x 12′
3 8′ x 8′ roll up doors
1 10′ x 10′ roll up door
1 36″ x 80″ walk in door
Etc… see attached
COST: $14,513.75
THE CONCRETE
Cost: $1,529.28 x 2
They were kind enough to refer me to Jose from Tifton at (229) 326-5550 who pours concrete slabs for them from time to time.
Mistake #1. When I spoke to Jose and told him the size of the building he was confident that we could stick to exactly 30′ x 45′. I should have given myself 1′ of give on each side making it 31′ x 46′.
Mistake #1: I should have had them make it 1/2″ higher than the existing concrete driveway to help with water flow since the grading was slightly sloped.
COST: $7,500 labor and materials ($3,058.56 in concrete)
THE ASSEMBLE AND ERECTION
The delivery and assembly took about 4 weeks from the time the concrete slab was poured. They came in and discovered a couple of problems that they were able to work around.
Problem #1: The slab was not angled properly so there is a gap on one side
Problem #2: The ground was so uneven that they had to cut 8″ off one corner height to make sure it was level
Problem #3: There was 15″ from one point to another diagonally so the structure would be sloped and you can feel it when you’re in it. Not a huge problem.
ELECTRICAL
I contacted my electrician that I had worked with in the past to come in and install a 75w circuit breaker with power drawn from the house and install interior and along with outlets high and next to the roll up door so I could add an automatic opener.
COST: $4,400 (Labor $4,000 Materials $400)
Here is the video to compliment this blog post. Please like, subscribe and click the bell for notifications. http://www.youtube.com/ugzjefe
AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENERS
Overhead Door quoted the sale and installation of 4 wall mounted door openers with app at $3,600
In my quest to learn how to v-blog with ease I have played around with a number of cameras. My old school Sony Handycam HDR-CX440 was my preferred choice until I bought some GoPro cameras.
My first GoPro was screen less then I bought a Session 4 and on a trip to Puerto Rico where I forgot my GoPro I purchased a Session 5. Now I have a 7 Black but before then I purchased the DJI Osmo Pocket.
The Osmo Pocket is a fantastic piece of hardware with a 3 axis gible and a small form factor. But to me its very sensitive and difficult to operate when I am not the subject.
So I reverted back to my Session 4 when I go on my trips. It’s small, waterproof but lacks image stabilization. That’s where the 5 comes in. It was the first unit to have image stabilization but now the 7 is the mack daddy of them all. It has near bible like steadiness.
My hesitation is that I am not used to the larger size. The Session was 1″ cubed and I had to do was point in the general direction and it gave me the general view I was looking for. But the 7 Black is too technologically advanced to ignore. But it has its downfalls. You have to take off the frame mount to access the charging port and sd card slot.
My brother and I’s ranch is in Covington, Georgia in the boon docks. Comcast nor any other internet service provider can serve us. According to them the closest post is 1,500 ft away which is too far.
Since we’re seldom there security was an issue. We added a gate with an automatic gate opener but as we all know if someone wants to break in, a gate will not stop them. If someone were to break in at least I’d like some video footage. So I decided to subscribe to T-mobiles hotspot of 10g for $40 per month and use a NestCam system which in my opinion is the best out there for recording, reviewing and downloading of events.
My problem is that every month, I would go over my aloud bandwidth and they would throttle me down. I decided to use a first generation 3 camera Arlo System. But their unit needs to be hard wired, with ethernet, and the hotspot does not have that output. I decided to hack the system by using a $16 wifi extender that had an ethernet port. Voila!! It worked and now to see the results.
The pros are that now I have 3 cameras using a fraction of the bandwidth because it only saves 10second videos when triggered by motion. I can always see the live stream but as it turns out it takes a lonnnnnngggg time for it to appear but that’s ok.
Every year my friends and family claim that I am the hardest person to shop for. I understand what they mean and every year I tell them to get me a gift card to Home Depot. I love going there and walking around. I can always find something I need.
This year I happily went to Home Depot with my gift card and bout 15 12×12 pewter pavers for my back yard, a black and yellow storage bin and a small bag of potting soil and still had $12 left over!!
Should I have told them to get me 15 pavers easily weighing in at 15-20lbs each? I could barely manuver the shopping cart with all that weight. Let alone transferring them in to the truck then unloading them and placing them where I needed them to go. How crazy would if be if next year I just tell them, “hmmm, you can get me 15 20lb pavers, deliver and install them at my house. It only costs $23”. That would give me a chuckle. I may do that next year.
Anyway, here is the video I made of my trek to Home Depot and a final install of the pavers.
Our family’s ranch in Covington gets pretty muddy when it rains for a long time. Meanwhile, I have 3 Honda Recon’s that needed repair. So I found a guy on Craigslist who’s in Locust Grove that could come up and pick them up and rebuild their carburetors.
He came with an F150 that is 2×4 and probably would have been able to get out by him self but his tires were road tires.
We loaded the ATV’s up and that’s when he got stuck. Luckily, I had a tow strap in my 2015 GMC Yukon Denali that is 4×4.
As always, please Like and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel! 🙂
This is the extensive review of the Uniden 4 camera Security Cloud System. This post covers more things than the video. The video is good for some basic information.
I chose to go with this system because I wanted the reliability of having a hybrid wired camera system with cloud dvr storage. This is a POE, Power Over Ethernet, which means you only need 1 cable per camera. Some systems require 2 or 3 cablers per camera, 1 for video, 1 for sound and 1 to power the camera. This system does not record sound which I am ok with.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
4 bullet outdoor cameras
4 x 100′ ethernet cables
1 x 6′ ethernet cable
1 5 port ethernet switch
Power Supply
Instructions
Mounting screws
Drill Template
L Shaped tool for mounting hardware adjustments
Plastic weather proof caps. (I was not able to use the caps because I couldn’t thread the cat5 ethernet cable though the cover. Unless I did it wrong I believe the caps are too small.)
SET UP
Set up was easy. Once you mounted and connected the cameras you download the Uniden Cloud app.
You tap the + sign and it will ask you to name the camera, scan the QR code that is attached to each camera. It will ask you to create a user name and password (These are IP cameras so make sure you create some difficult credentials and write them down). Then you’re done.
INSTALLATION
The stencil came in very handy. It’s best to pre-drill holes smaller than the screw you’re using to mount your camera. I unrolled the 100′ ethernet cables and connected them to the camera and used coaxial nail clips. The challenge was how to get the cables from the outside, through the attic and into the media closet. My first choice was to drive a hole next to the cameras but getting them from the corners from within the attic was not going to let that happen. So I decided to gather them in the back of the house. Go up to the peak of the roof and lift one of the shingles. I drilled a 3/4″ hole and fed them through to the attic. I caulked the edges and hole to make sure no rain would seep through. From the attic I dropped them down to the media closet.
MOTION DETECTION
You can configure up to 4 zones in each camera and control Sensitivity and Threshold
NOTIFICATIONS
Unless I did missed something, notification are only via EMAIL. No phone notification like a SMS message
FOOTAGE REVIEW
When you look at the LIVE view through your smart device it conveniently shows you if there was an event by way of an orange bar across the screen with any bars spiking up.
On the desktop web browser the orange bar is removed and a timeline bar with hash marks show when an event was triggered
Setting up zones is crucial and you will get false alarms created by wind blowing leaves or bushes and even the change in light when the sun goes behind and out from the clouds.
The first night I was able to capture a homeless guy set up shelter in my back deck. I kindly left him a note and he removed himself the following day. He later approached me to apologize. His name is Gary, seems very nice and down on his luck. I felt terrible for making him move. But I did not want to give him permission for fear it would come back later to cause me problems. Luckily there is a church across the street that he made his temporary home.
The best way to review footage is through your desktop. There are a couple of bugs. First off it records in 2 minute increments and they are not all synced. If an event occurs you can click on the hash mark and it will take you back to that time period but the cameras may be off by 10 secs to a 1minute. Nevertheless you will be able to view the footage and download the clip.
CLOUD SUBSCRIPTION
It came with 30 days of 7 day Cloud Lite service. I opted to go with the 30 day premium.
Pool details: 10′ x 20′ (5′ deep) heated salt water pool with stone coping edge and Brazilian IPE wood deck no automatic cover
Total Cost: $63,000 (Pool: $40,200 + Deck: $22,800)
Palm trees: $2,600
Power Bill went up about $50 per month
Gas Bill went up, obviously, during the times I’ve used the heater but I cannot put a number to it.
Pool service averages about: $270 / month (cleaning, vacuuming, chemicals and salt)
Time: 16 month (2/26/16 to 6/30/17). Could have been quicker if I didn’t wait 8 months to decide to go through the NPU process. About 6 months once getting permitted and deck construction.
Overall I am extremely happy with adding a pool to my home for my family ‘s enjoyment. It is an a large investment that you may or may not be able to get back if you sold your home.
The system is different from a traditional pool because it has a central filtration system and molded concrete “bowl” with a thick membrane. Supposedly their systems is more energy efficient.
Started this project when I decided that I was going to make East Lake my permanent home. When I bought the house I made sure the back yard was big enough if I ever wanted to add a pool.
I decided to “pool” (pun intended) the trigger and began to call pool companies to get a quote. Unfortunately, most of them did not want work or quote because I was located in City of Atlanta / Dekalb County. The only company that would do the job was Ronald Knelson with Desjoaux Pools, they have a nice show room in Alpharetta.
One of the challenges was that I needed a special exemption (Desjoyaux said variance but that was not correct) because the pool was going to be to the side of the [back] of the house instead of directly behind the house. The rules are you need a “structure”, 4 walls and a roof, between the street and your “recreational structure”. But the work around is to acquire a Special Exemption. Desjoyauux would prepare the paperwork but I would have to do the leg work. If the pool was to be build directly behind the house I would not have needed a special exemption.
The other hurdle was the Deck, I did not include a concrete deck because I was concerned with the City’s standard of permeable surface (allowing rain water to filter into the ground) was going to be a problem. So I decided to go with a wood deck. The problem is I already have a deck that is constructed from Brazilian wood, which is more expensive. In an effort to keep continuity I was forced to use the same material to surround the pool. I could have gone with grass, which looks great, but I didn’t want to deal with the expense and hassle of maintenance. Finding a deck contractor was very hard because they get busy and coordinating them and the pool was a challenge.
Received the quote on 02/26/16 but started the Application for Board of Zoning Adjustment Variances & Special Exemption (link) process on 10/5/16 basically scheduling a hearing with the NPU. I decided to strengthen my case by getting permission from my neighbors and my neighborhood association even though they held no bearing on the NPU boards decision but it was good to have their consent.
On 11/15/16 I received approval from the NPU, Desjoyaux was able to proceed with the permitting process but was not able to start until January 27, 2017 and completed the project on June 30, 2017.
They were very professional and began work. They had some delays due to rain but they began excavating. This is the only hiccup, they did not haul away enough dirt so they had to come back later so the deck had enough spacer ventilation. As mentioned earlier, it was hard to get a deck contractor to work with the timeline but all in all we were able to get it done.
Now that my 1968 Camaro RS has been LS swapped and updated it’s time to give the exterior some TLC.
The paint is not too bad, but it has a lot of swirlies, chips, and a nasty stain on the hood from when the car may have been stored underneath another on a lift.
I went to the July 2019 Caffeine and Octane at Perimeter Mall and met 2 guys, John and Sean. John has a awesome 72 Red and Black Chevelle while Sean has a gorgeous 67 Black Buick. The Buick is ceramic waxed while the Chevelle is ceramic coated.
Check out the rest of my review and experience on the YouTube video below.
Very convenience and energy saving.
This blog is to go over what I did to add a metal garage workshop to my commercial property.
You can configure up to 4 zones in each camera and control Sensitivity and Threshold
Now that my 1968 Camaro RS has been LS swapped and updated it’s time to give the exterior some TLC.
Qwigi 