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DIY Professional Repair my of GE Profile GDT655 Dishwasher

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GE Profile GDT695 Dishwasher

About 7 years ago , I replaced all my kitchen appliances with GE models. Was mostly so they all matched. I haven’t been overly happy with the fridge, but the dishwasher has been fine, and the stove was really the only option for a slide in with dual ovens (and range top).

The dishwasher is a GDT695 model. And until about 9-12 months ago, worked great. Then it randomly started waking up every 30-60 minutes like someone had opened the door (making the little chime, and the lights on the control panel would light up). The other symptom is the green light on the door after a cycle complete wouldn’t stay on. But, cycles always completed.

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FLUID Water Meter

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I’ve been building a smart home (at my home) for years. Buying home automation, energy monitors, etc. One of the big things I had no good way to monitor was water usage. So when I found out about FLUID Water Meter (years ago), I was stoked. I missed the Kickstarter (somehow) so I put my name on the waiting list and waited.

Then, come January of this year, I got an email from Fluid saying they were accepting pre-orders for a run of meters they’d do and have delivered by end of April (2019). Cool. Also, that the price would be $300 vs their expected MSRP of $600. I sent an email to them confirming the meter would work on my home piping, and then placed the order. Something I should have never done (in hindsight).

As time ticked I kept checking Fluid’s website. No updates. The only email I got was a confirmation of my preorder. No status updates on the process of their April run. April came around and I started trying to contact them asking for an update. Nothing. Finally, something I should have done, I looked at the comments on their Kickstarter page and saw a lot of asking for refunds, and a lot of non-responses. =/ Also the fact that no one on Kickstarter had had their order fulfilled in the years since.

Then I looked at the reviews for the preorder site (Celery, or trycelery.com). Not great. Their FAQs pages were all seller focused with very little targeted toward buyers. So, I’d had enough. I contacted Fluid through Celery asking for a refund. Nothing. I tried contacting Celery asking for options if the seller doesn’t respond. Nothing. Tried contacting Fluid via twitter, facebook, other email… nothing. Finally, I did the last resort and filed a chargeback with my VISA processor (in hind sight, I should have used Paypal). I have more than a sneaking suspicion that VISA won’t be able to help me, but I’m hopeful.

At this point, I’m hoping I get my money back and then I’ll save up extra and buy the Flo from Moen. Sure, it requires actual plumbing, but it looks like a better product, and I don’t worry that Moen is going to randomly up and close shop.

New Windows

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Milgard_logoA Couple weeks ago, we had new Milgard windows installed on our house. The windows that were in the house were standard, 1978, double glazed, aluminum windows. They weren’t terrible, but they weren’t great either. A couple had popped seals (moisture inside), and they would grow mold on the frames from condensation. While we fully realize that window upgrades RARELY pay for themselves in terms of energy savings, we did hate the mold and look of the other windows (plus the fact some had blown seals), we did go ahead and make the purchase ((plus, our utility company offers a 0% 5 year loan to cover tho costs)).

While the install took all day, the result after the fact has been great. The windows LOOK much better, and I’m fairly certain my allergies have been better (mold removal is always good). For my own interest sake, I’ve compiled info on the windows that you can  (if you care to) see here (PDF download). Information is mainly for my sake, and includes model of the window, size, features, and most importantly U-Value (inverse of R-value), SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient), and VT (Visual Transmittance) info.

Otherwise, this post is pretty much at an end (for now).