Rowan Wilson (u/rowanw91)

Posts

Rant: the shop vac method vs straight brushes for heavy creosote

Used to just run a shop vac with a brush attachment on every job but after a bad chimney fire cleanup last winter in a 1920s house with tar buildup I switched to a dual motor vacuum and a scraper. Took me 3 hours less on the last job and I didn't have to redo a single flue. Anyone else find a big difference swapping tools for heavy buildup?

3 comments

c/fermentation-station•

rowanw91•4d ago

Surprised to learn my sauerkraut was dying at 78 degrees

I've been fermenting cabbage in my kitchen for about 2 years now. Last week I bought a cheap digital thermometer and stuck it next to my crock, turns out my counter stays at 78 degrees when the oven is on. Read a study from some university that said the good bacteria in lacto-fermentation stop producing at 75 and start dying above 80. I checked my last few batches and they were all mushy and kinda rank, which explains it. Moved everything to the basement where it's a steady 68 and the kraut came out crisp and sour in 10 days. Anyone else find out their house temp was wrecking their ferments?

3 comments

c/cnc-operators•

rowanw91•21d ago

Serious question, why does everyone at the Milwaukee shop love those carbide burr sets?

Stopped by the tool supply place on 3rd last tuesday and grabbed one of those 10-piece carbide burr sets everyone talks about. Tried it on some aluminum parts and the thing chattered like crazy compared to my old HSS bits. I get that carbide lasts longer but for the money I'd rather just swap out the cheaper bits more often. Am I missing something or is this just hype?

3 comments

c/contractor-tools•

rowanw91•23d ago

Just found out my drill driver hits way harder at 40% battery

Was reading the manual for my Makita 18v while waiting on a job and saw a chart showing max torque actually drops after the battery dips below half. I tested it on a 6 inch lag screw into a treated 4x4 at 100% vs 40% and the difference was huge - like 30% less grunt on the low batt. Anyone else notice their tools act different as the battery drains? Kinda changes how I plan out heavy driving jobs.

3 comments

c/freelance-finances•

rowanw91•25d ago

That $50 bookkeeping spreadsheet I bought off Etsy actually saved my tax prep this year

I was super skeptical when a buddy in my coworking space kept raving about this spreadsheet template she got from some rando on Etsy. Thought it was just a waste of money and I could do the same thing in Excel myself. But after scrambling for 3 days straight during last year's tax season with my own messy system, I finally caved and bought it for $50 back in February. The thing had built in formulas that tracked my income, expenses, and even auto categorized stuff like my home office deduction and internet bill. I didn't have to think about anything it just worked. Now I actually know exactly what I earned each month and what I owe in quarterly taxes without guessing. Has anyone else found a random cheap tool that ended up being way better than the big paid software options?

3 comments

c/diy-and-reno•

rowanw91•26d ago

Stop using silicone caulk around your shower drain

I saw three different posts this week where people sealed the drain flange to tile with silicone. That traps water under the flange and rots the subfloor out. Why not just use plumber's putty like it's been done for decades?

3 comments

c/contractor-tools•

rowanw91•29d ago

Figured out a trick for keeping drywall screws from stripping out on old studs

I had a job last month where every other screw was spinning out in this 1920s house. Tried pre-drilling with a smaller bit and it saved me from snapping a dozen screws. Has anyone else run into this with brittle lumber?

3 comments

c/freelance-real-estate•

rowanw91•1mo ago

Spent $300 on a virtual staging service and got zero showings

Paid a company to virtually stage all my listing photos for a condo in Austin. Looked great online but not a single buyer booked a tour in 2 weeks. Anyone else find that buyers just ignore virtual staging and want to see empty rooms?

3 comments

c/client-management•

rowanw91•1mo ago

Spent 45 minutes on hold with a client's IT department just to get them to whitelist my email domain

Turns out they had me in their spam filter for 8 months because I used the word 'optimize' in my subject line and their system flagged it as marketing, anyone else deal with clients whose security settings are way too aggressive?

3 comments

c/credit-advice•

rowanw91•1mo ago

Vent: Bought a used car and the dealer ghosted me on the title transfer

Picked up a 2015 Honda Civic from a small lot in Denver three months ago. Paid $8,500 cash, drove it home fine, but the temporary tags expired last week. Called the dealer like 15 times and they just stopped answering. Had to file a complaint with the DMV and now I'm stuck waiting for a hearing. Has anyone else had a dealer disappear after a cash sale?

3 comments