[MisterJJ]

My experience in business has been Chinese companies will change the specs.

Yup. I worked for an exercise equipment company and they would design in imperial units and the Chinese manufacturer would use the next gage size down in metric, which wasn't usually a problem but sometimes they would go two sizes down. But that's partially the fault of the designers who refused to use metric. Biggest problem was when they used fake grade 5 bolts.

 

[shrox]

I've imagined roving trucks that you could pull up to on the freeway and attach to, like in-flight fueling. Totally doable with autonomous vehicles. Could travel across the country without stopping in a camper van or just food and potty breaks in a regular car.

They had that in the 1950's...as an animated film about the future of motoring. Of course they also had highways going over the Grand Canyon and Niagara falls or something.

 

[redpoint5]

It's an MM850 19" with mulching. The nameplate is hardly readable anymore, but I think it's 10 amps, so max 1200W in. What's odd is it was sold as a 4.0HP mower, but a direct conversion from 4 HP is a clearly impossible 2980W in or out.

That marketing BS is used everywhere, and I don't know how they get away with it. 120v shop vacs are sold as 5HP Peak! That's 3,700 watts from a circuit that's rated for 1,440 watts max. Sure, it draws that much for a split second just before the motor begins to move, but it's not pulling more than the circuit rating during normal operation.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

My experience in business has been Chinese companies will change the specs. When an exact weight is involved, don't change the specs...

Ok, but now you are moving the goalposts. In your original comment, you used absolutes - "no one", but now you use ancedotes - "my experience has been...". I'm telling you that I know many specific examples where engineers are told to make it just good enough to pass the bare minimum (in this case, the warranty period) but otherwise make it as cheap as possible. Of course most engineers wouldn't choose to do that, but the decision is made "above their pay grade" as they say.

 

[shrox]

Ok, but now you are moving the goalposts. In your original comment, you used absolutes - "no one", but now you use ancedotes - "my experience has been...". I'm telling you that I know many specific examples where engineers are told to make it just good enough to pass the bare minimum (in this case, the warranty period) but otherwise make it as cheap as possible. Of course most engineers wouldn't choose to do that, but the decision is made "above their pay grade" as they say.

I didn't design any goalposts. Who added these goalposts?

 

[MisterJJ]

Speaking as an engineer of 25+ years;
1. It is nearly impossible to design something so it lasts just past the warranty period. Most things don't break/fail predictably enough to even try.
2. With few exceptions, you can't design something that will last excessively longer than competing products without it costing so much that nobody will buy it. Many people claim that they would pay this premium for such products but when they see that they could buy 3 of the cheaper product for the same price, they will buy the cheaper product.
3. If an engineer is told to design it as cheaply as possible, that's usually because the product is meant to compete on the bottom of the market where price is key. A good engineer can design cheap but good. Nobody can design cheap but great.

Also, a lot of "things" are far more complicated and do more than they used to. More complex systems are naturally more prone to failure. So don't be too surprised when your fancy new thing with all the bells and whistles doesn't last as long as the far less complex thing it replaced.

 

[shrox]

Speaking as an engineer of 25+ years;
1. It is nearly impossible to design something so it lasts just past the warranty period. Most things don't break/fail predictably enough to even try.
2. With few exceptions, you can't design something that will last excessively longer than competing products without it costing so much that nobody will buy it. Many people claim that they would pay this premium for such products but when they see that they could buy 3 of the cheaper product for the same price, they will buy the cheaper product.
3. If an engineer is told to design it as cheaply as possible, that's usually because the product is meant to compete on the bottom of the market where price is key. A good engineer can design cheap but good. Nobody can design cheap but great.

Also, a lot of "things" are far more complicated and do more than they used to. More complex systems are naturally more prone to failure. So don't be too surprised when your fancy new thing with all the bells and whistles doesn't last as long as the far less complex thing it replaced.

I concur.

 

[CHASBOLT]

I know a fridge made in the 1950's thru the 1980's last much longer than the junk made today. I have a EGO mower and it has been perfect for over 3 years.

 

[redpoint5]

Anything with a pilot light is wasting energy (unless the heat is needed). My fireplaces have pilot lights which allows them to operate when the power is out (thermocouple), but I switch them off in the spring since the extra heat isn't needed then.

Old appliances last forever, but they cost a fortune back in the day and are extremely energy inefficient compared to even the cheapest appliances nowadays.

I'm not saying to get rid of the old stuff, but everything has trade-offs.

 

[GregBrew]

I've been using the same plug-in electric mower for more than 30 years. I've had to replace the brushes a few times, and the bridge rectifier once, but it still mows just as well as it did when new.

Reducing your environmental impact also means keeping your equipment in service as long as possible. I'm awfully skeptical that I could keep a cordless mower in service that long because of battery technology and long-term availability.

It annoys me to no end that over time products are becoming more and more disposable. I'm still using the same Speed Queen washing machine that was in our house when I bought it in the late 1970's. I know for a fact that it's well over 40 years old, and it could easily be 50. I worry that if I ever have to replace it I'll never find another that would last even half as long.

And don't get me started on cell phones with non-replaceable batteries...

Nope. You're lucky to get ten years out of "modern" appliances. Mechanical engineers are getting real good at designing components to fail after a specified amount of use or time. I'm convinced that there must be an industry prize for the company that can have the highest number of products fail the month after their warranty expires.

 

[GregBrew]

We moved in here in 1979. Our clothes washer and dryer are still chugging along. I replaced a rusted out part on the gas dryer about five years ago, and replaced the hot water solenoid valve on the washer about ten years ago.

The control panel on the door of the dishwasher broke off due to a design flaw (metal structure all around the door, except at the control panel...plastic) in 2018. The new one isn't nearly as good at washing dishes.

One of our two 1950s refrigerators died in 2018 too. The new one is OK, but makes lots of weird gurgling noises related to having auto-defrost. Our chest freezer is still going strong.

The gas range got replaced two weeks ago. Wife hit the oven control with a casserole dish, destroying it. Oven and glow plug would not shut off. No replacement part available. The new range has huge, too hot, burners...SUV thinking for stoves.

Our well pressure tank lasted, until six months before the pandemic...apparently unheard of. Our glass lined, gas hot water heater still worked after 37 years, when replaced by a tankless gas heater.

Still have all of our small kitchen appliances, and cookware, all made in Wisconsin when I was a kid there. None of those companies makes anything here now.

By replacing all of your old, inefficient appliances with new ones, you could probably pay for them in short order in savings from improved efficiencies. Now, if they'd just last more than ten years...

 

[GregBrew]

Speaking as an engineer of 25+ years;
1. It is nearly impossible to design something so it lasts just past the warranty period. Most things don't break/fail predictably enough to even try.
2. With few exceptions, you can't design something that will last excessively longer than competing products without it costing so much that nobody will buy it. Many people claim that they would pay this premium for such products but when they see that they could buy 3 of the cheaper product for the same price, they will buy the cheaper product.
3. If an engineer is told to design it as cheaply as possible, that's usually because the product is meant to compete on the bottom of the market where price is key. A good engineer can design cheap but good. Nobody can design cheap but great.

Also, a lot of "things" are far more complicated and do more than they used to. More complex systems are naturally more prone to failure. So don't be too surprised when your fancy new thing with all the bells and whistles doesn't last as long as the far less complex thing it replaced.

Reminds me of what I always told Marketing when I was an R&D Program Manager.

You can have inexpensive
You can have well-made
You can have it quickly

Pick TWO!

 

[Sean Nelson]

You're lucky to get ten years out of "modern" appliances. Mechanical engineers are getting real good at designing components to fail after a specified amount of use or time.

The last time I had to replace my hot water heater I went scrounging around on the Internet and discovered that the reason they die is because of galvanic action that causes the fittings to corrode. Hot water heaters have a "sacrificial anode" that's designed to be the target of this action - it corrodes first before anything else does, but when the rod is "used up" then the rest of the tank starts to go.

Now here's the interesting bit - Hot water heaters are sold with 6, 9, or 12 year warranties. The only real difference between them is how long or how many of these anode rods are installed. It's a perfect example of planned obsolescence.

I've read that you can buy hot water heaters with replaceable anode rods - I've looked high and low around here but I haven't been able to find one. All I was able to do was to buy a 12-year water tank and keep my fingers crossed.

The hot water tank that was in the house when I bought it lasted over 25 years after we moved in. I'm hoping that the "12-year" tank will last as long. It turned 12 a couple of years ago...

 

[redpoint5]

Hot water tanks are supposed to be drained and cleaned periodically too, but how many actually do that? I've never done it before.

 

[Jax]

Since I have my Bolt now I am looking at the other gas thing in the garage - the lawnmower. I then look at fancy Level 2 charger on the wall. Does anyone have experience with electric ( battery ) lawnmowers? Do any charge with a J1772 adapter or plug into a 240V Nema 14-50 outlet?

Like several had mentioned, supplemental batterie(s)













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666


































is the best course. Stay in the same family, like Toro, Worx, Makita, Greenworks etc... Actually cheapest way to acquire batteries is to obtain related family equipment. Like drills, weedwackers, portable lights, trimmers, hedgers and the like. Be sure to keep the battery size constant for all.,

 

[GJETSON]

By replacing all of your old, inefficient appliances with new ones, you could probably pay for them in short order in savings from improved efficiencies. Now, if they'd just last more than ten years...

Our CREE LED light bulbs have a lifetime free replacement warranty. Of the two dozen we bought in January 2014, eight have been replaced. Technology isn't going to lower global CO2 levels. let me know the first year it actually goes down.

 

[ARob]

By replacing all of your old, inefficient appliances with new ones, you could probably pay for them in short order in savings from improved efficiencies. Now, if they'd just last more than ten years...

I definitely agree with this statement. Since about the time I bought my Bolt in 4/2018, I have been replacing bulbs and appliances.

My electric bill is the lowest it has been in 25 years (in terms of kWh used). At it's peak during the Bolt years, my use average climbed ~200kWh/mo over a 5 year average pre-Bolt. I was commuting 130 mi/day (pre-COVID). My last 3 bills have been 400+ kWh less than the average for the 8 years I have tracked thanks to work from home and more efficient lighting and appliances.

 

[redpoint5]

I installed Emporia energy monitoring into my breaker panel to see exactly what each circuit is consuming and to track down loads that could be lowered or eliminated.

I even used it to troubleshoot a single fire alarm chirp I heard at 3am. Walking around the house I found nothing on or creating smoke. Looking at my energy monitor I could see a 700w spike every 40 seconds, indicating some sort of heating element was cycling on and off. Then I saw it had started at 7am, precisely when my wife irons her clothes. The iron was left on inside the wall mounted ironing station.

How the Gen 2 Vue Energy Monitor Works

... the first thing I did after buying this house was replace all bulbs with LEDs, set timer switches on things like bathroom vent fans, and utilize motion activated switches for things like closet or pantry lighting. I've also got Google Home routines setup to turn things on and off with a schedule. I don't need instant hot water at 3am, so that gets switched off at night.

 

[MisterJJ]

let me know the first year it actually goes down.

That would be 2008, for the U.S., since it has been declining since then. Tell me again why we should focus all efforts on reducing U.S. CO2 while ignoring other countries.

Technology isn't going to lower global CO2 levels.

Really? Then how do you explain GDP rising and CO2 going down in technologically advanced countries?

 

[GJETSON]

That would be 2008, for the U.S., since it has been declining since then.

Then how do you explain GDP rising and CO2 going down in technologically advanced countries?

I said nothing about US CO2. We don't live in a bubble.

Because the GDP is a made up number having less to do with the physical world all the time, which is manipulated to get the results desired by those in charge.