New England Met Fall 2022 Banter

[tamarack]

58 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Chickadees don't sit and eat at bird feeders.....they typically grab one seed and then fly to a nearby branch or perch and eat the seed there and then return to the feeder for another one. Rinse and repeat.

Titmice and nuthatches behave the same way. We have a ton of them that come to my feeders....prob seen 6-8 chickadees at once before near the feeders but typically not all on the feeder at the same time as they are in different stages of flying to and from the feeder after grabbing a seed.

Years ago, I read one theory on why those types of bird do that and it was because their beaks aren't strong enough to crack open sunflower husks, so they need to peck at it while holding it down on a branch to open it. Finches, grosbeaks, cardinals, etc all have much stronger beaks that can crack open the sunflower in one shot.

Our feeders get mostly suet or suet-y seed cakes, so the weak-beaks can get swallowable food on site.  However, if there's one chickadee on a feeder and another comes in, there's lots of fluttering and one one stays more than a few seconds.

[Great Snow 1717]

On 10/31/2022 at 5:51 PM, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

It looks like they may be able to remediate from the existing sump pit?

We are going to do another more extensive round of testing to see what the results are before we make any decisions. 
 

I did this test in the utility room on the ground floor with the sump pit and exposed French drain, so hopefully that was the worst area.

You can purchase a radon detector on amazon. The radon detector will allow you to track the level hour by hour.  That will allow you to determine how accurate the reading of 2.9 is. As of right now you do not know if that is a low or high reading for that area of your home.

A reading of 2.9 suggests that some mitigation action is required but that is just 1 reading.

[ORH_wxman]

8 minutes ago, tamarack said:

Our feeders get mostly suet or suet-y seed cakes, so the weak-beaks can get swallowable food on site.  However, if there's one chickadee on a feeder and another comes in, there's lots of fluttering and one one stays more than a few seconds.

OH i can see that too....my suet feeder is usually hogged by the larger woodpeckers but we do get the chickadees and nuthatches on it when it's free. Blue Jays use it too, esp in winter. I really need to get one or two more.

[tamarack]

20 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

OH i can see that too....my suet feeder is usually hogged by the larger woodpeckers but we do get the chickadees and nuthatches on it when it's free. Blue Jays use it too, esp in winter. I really need to get one or two more.

We have both downy and the larger hairy woodpeckers (and once a fly-by of a pileated), and too many of the piggy blue jays, along with smaller birds and a fat gray squirrel that hasn't been able to reach the feeders lately - they're on clothesline type of equipment and we've cut some of the nearest branches.  Every so often Grayboy/girl will climb the now-trimmed lilac and gauge the jumping distance required, but without trying.

[DavisStraight]

1 hour ago, Great Snow 1717 said:

You can purchase a radon detector on amazon. The radon detector will allow you to track the level hour by hour.  That will allow you to determine how accurate the reading of 2.9 is. As of right now you do not know if that is a low or high reading for that area of your home.

A reading of 2.9 suggests that some mitigation action is required but that is just 1 reading.

Yeah he's borderline, 4 and above is time to fix it, 2.9 is a personal choice but I'd take care of it.

[Great Snow 1717]

1 hour ago, DavisStraight said:

Yeah he's borderline, 4 and above is time to fix it, 2.9 is a personal choice but I'd take care of it.

Agree.  

[Ginx snewx]

2 hours ago, tamarack said:

We have both downy and the larger hairy woodpeckers (and once a fly-by of a pileated), and too many of the piggy blue jays, along with smaller birds and a fat gray squirrel that hasn't been able to reach the feeders lately - they're on clothesline type of equipment and we've cut some of the nearest branches.  Every so often Grayboy/girl will climb the now-trimmed lilac and gauge the jumping distance required, but without trying.

I restocked the suet and feed yesterday and immediately a frenzy was on. Love this time of year when the migration is underway you never know what might pop in. I always find  it amazing how the forest can go from perfectly quiet to a cacophony and then back again. 

[mreaves]

Few more vacation pics. Went to St. Andrews State Park on the eastern end of Panama City Beach. The we took a ferry to Shell Island, an uninhabited barrier island. Absolutely gorgeous beaches. The best on Florida imho. 

[powderfreak]

Need to go out west.  Utah going to get rocked with another big cycle.

Alta, Utah Collins Station has picked up 10” in the past 8 hours on ~0.9” water and the storm just started.  29” on the ground.

Look at the y-axis on this model run for Alta, ha. I thought it was cm but no, it’s inches.

[CoastalWx]

4 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Need to go out west.  Utah going to get rocked with another big cycle.

Alta, Utah Collins Station has picked up 10” in the past 8 hours on ~0.9” water and the storm just started.  29” on the ground.

Look at the y-axis on this model run for Alta, ha. I thought it was cm but no, it’s inches.

-PNA. Seems like this is every winter lately. It starts early there. 

[ORH_wxman]

34 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

-PNA. Seems like this is every winter lately. It starts early there. 

They can get some obscene snow totals out there in November. Stuff you just can’t find back east even in our cold airmasses that early in the season. 

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

6 hours ago, DavisStraight said:

Yeah he's borderline, 4 and above is time to fix it, 2.9 is a personal choice but I'd take care of it.

 

5 hours ago, Great Snow 1717 said:

Agree.  

I’ve been told to test once a month for the next 3 months and see what the levels look like.

A guy I work with did the 3 month sample and all 3 were in the neighborhood of 3.5-4, so he decided to put in a mitigation system.

Im kind of just learning about it, but it’s pretty crazy how many houses probably have action level radon and how few people test for it/ have systems.

I was reading that upwards of 35% of homes could use radon mitigation and far less than 1% of those actually have it.

[powderfreak]

16 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

They can get some obscene snow totals out there in November. Stuff you just can’t find back east even in our cold airmasses that early in the season. 

Averaging 500” it’s gotta come at some point, ha.

49” season too date and 22F with +SN in the parking lot base elevation.

I want their snow observation platform though.  Fun hourly water stuff with this one 0.08/.14/.17/.14/.11/.09… I need that detail on Mansfield .

[DavisStraight]

1 hour ago, powderfreak said:

Need to go out west.  Utah going to get rocked with another big cycle.

Alta, Utah Collins Station has picked up 10” in the past 8 hours on ~0.9” water and the storm just started.  29” on the ground.

Look at the y-axis on this model run for Alta, ha. I thought it was cm but no, it’s inches.

That must have been what I saw on the news, was at the bowling alley so couldnt hear.

[Ginx snewx]

29 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

I’ve been told to test once a month for the next 3 months and see what the levels look like.

A guy I work with did the 3 month sample and all 3 were in the neighborhood of 3.5-4, so he decided to put in a mitigation system.

Im kind of just learning about it, but it’s pretty crazy how many houses probably have action level radon and how few people test for it/ have systems.

I was reading that upwards of 35% of homes could use radon mitigation and far less than 1% of those actually have it.

Have no idea how our parents lived to be in their 90s. Imagine those tests with dirt cellars. Radon DIY

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/diy-radon-reduction-system/

[DavisStraight]

38 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

I’ve been told to test once a month for the next 3 months and see what the levels look like.

A guy I work with did the 3 month sample and all 3 were in the neighborhood of 3.5-4, so he decided to put in a mitigation system.

Im kind of just learning about it, but it’s pretty crazy how many houses probably have action level radon and how few people test for it/ have systems.

I was reading that upwards of 35% of homes could use radon mitigation and far less than 1% of those actually have it.

Its going to vary, being higher once cold weather hits so thats the best way to do it and see what you get and take it from there, you might just have tested at a high level time but maybe it was a low level time, doing it over a length of time will give you a better idea. Most sales I see in my area require a radon test by the lender before they close.

[HIPPYVALLEY]

2 hours ago, Ginx snewx said:

Have no idea how our parents lived to be in their 90s. Imagine those tests with dirt cellars. Radon DIY

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/diy-radon-reduction-system/

Lots of old timers in my family.  
#Lithuaniantuff

[Lava Rock]

Its going to vary, being higher once cold weather hits so thats the best way to do it and see what you get and take it from there, you might just have tested at a high level time but maybe it was a low level time, doing it over a length of time will give you a better idea. Most sales I see in my area require a radon test by the lender before they close.

Lots of uranium and radon here, nit surprisingly

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

[CoastalWx]

1 hour ago, Lava Rock said:

Lots of uranium and radon here, nit surprisingly

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk
 

That explains your lawn

[Ginx snewx]

[Baroclinic Zone]

Bluejays are everywhere right now 

[BrianW]

Get ready for some big rate increases for CT Eversource customer's. Eversource's CEO is saying rates could potentially go up 40%. They are currently submitting their winter rate increase to the public utilities board. 

I also don't think people realize how low LNG and heating oil inventories are in New England. A prolonged cold snap is going to put a serious strain on our energy here. Blackouts are real possibility. 

Eversource CEO warns of potential 40% bill increase

https://www.wtnh.com/news/eversource-ceo-calls-on-pres-biden-for-energy-assistance-in-new-england-this-winter/

[Great Snow 1717]

13 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

I’ve been told to test once a month for the next 3 months and see what the levels look like.

A guy I work with did the 3 month sample and all 3 were in the neighborhood of 3.5-4, so he decided to put in a mitigation system.

Im kind of just learning about it, but it’s pretty crazy how many houses probably have action level radon and how few people test for it/ have systems.

I was reading that upwards of 35% of homes could use radon mitigation and far less than 1% of those actually have it.

I certainly wish you all the best with the situation.  A lot of people do pass on addressing the situation.  They roll the dice so to speak. 

A friend purchased this radon detector. He learned that the levels fluctuated more  during rainy periods. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ecosense-RD200-Real-Time-Monitoring-Bluetooth/dp/B01IH7SGCQ/ref=sr_1_9?crid=P07PXDUORL8B&keywords=radon+detector+for+home&qid=1667490288&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjIwIiwicXNhIjoiMy43NiIsInFzcCI6IjMuMTQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

13 hours ago, Ginx snewx said:

Have no idea how our parents lived to be in their 90s. Imagine those tests with dirt cellars. Radon DIY

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/diy-radon-reduction-system/

 

13 hours ago, DavisStraight said:

Its going to vary, being higher once cold weather hits so thats the best way to do it and see what you get and take it from there, you might just have tested at a high level time but maybe it was a low level time, doing it over a length of time will give you a better idea. Most sales I see in my area require a radon test by the lender before they close.

I mean, just because people lived with it before doesn’t mean we should keep doing it lol.

And that article addresses setting up the piping, but nowhere does it show how the fan will be setup. If I need to have something done, I’ll just hire a company that specializes in it. It’s not a 10k job, so I’d rather pay some one and have it done right.

 

It did rain during the time period I performed the test. And I also tested in the room with exposed cement floors and the sump pit, so I’m cautiously optimistic that was the highest area in the house. More testing will confirm.

I’d probably let it go, but my parents live in an in law Down there, so I need to address it.

[CoastalWx]

I am sitting on ledge and needed a mitigation system put in by the previous owners before we passed papers. Many have it. 

 

Brett, is there a lot of ledge there? 

[Cold Miser]

...Can't read tea leaves?

...Have zero idea how to interpret the dead sea scrolls?

Don't worry, because the Dove wrapper says it all..

[Ginx snewx]

3 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

I mean, just because people lived with it before doesn’t mean we should keep doing it lol.

And that article addresses setting up the piping, but nowhere does it show how the fan will be setup. If I need to have something done, I’ll just hire a company that specializes in it. It’s not a 10k job, so I’d rather pay some one and have it done right.

 

It did rain during the time period I performed the test. And I also tested in the room with exposed cement floors and the sump pit, so I’m cautiously optimistic that was the highest area in the house. More testing will confirm.

I’d probably let it go, but my parents live in an in law Down there, so I need to address it.

Who said we shouldn't mitigate? Just think it's funny those dirt cellar peeps lived so long.

[Ginx snewx]

2 hours ago, CoastalWx said:

I am sitting on ledge 

Sounds like your weather forecasts 

[CoastalWx]

Just now, Ginx snewx said:

Sounds like your weather forecasts 

Yep, solid like a rock. 

[Ginx snewx]

9 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

Yep, solid like a rock. 

Congrats Allison