Agreed, especially for gaming PC. On laptops and generic PC I think there could be a bigger swing, but also you’d need a USB port capable of pushing 30w which is not a standard feature by any means in a PC/laptop.

Counter point. Most computer power supplies have a curve to their charging efficiency (somewhere north of 50% load). If your PC is substantially below the peak of that curve, then adding load (the phone) could raise the PSU’s efficiency say from 80 to 85% (I’m making up numbers) which would affect the overall efficiency of the entire PC’s load.

I think your answer is still probably correct, but it’s an interesting nuance to think about.

Side notes: Some PSU’s use gallium, e.g., Corsair ax1600i, though by and large most do not. Also if your in the EU then your working with 220/240v PSU’s which adds more efficiency, but that would apply to the phone charger as well.

Just understand if you want to get places in IT your going to have to climb the ladder, keep sharp on technologies, and make connections. It’s doable, but it takes effort. After a decade of cutting your teeth, your schooling should be largely irrelevant on your resume. This is my career path and I keep pace with my colleagues who all have degrees.

It’s called the cyberwiper :D

Agree with this post here. Adding to this thought:

Outside of initial provisioning/firmware updates. This server should only need to reboot once a month for OS/firmware security updates and maintenance. Maybe less/more depending on your organizations security posture. OP said they’re running VM’s so I don’t understand the concern with the boot time. Once you provision the host you don’t really tinker with any setting unless your adding hardware to updating firmware/os.

If the boot time is really that big a deal, get a second host and setup replication/vmotion with your VM’s to eliminate the host boot time from affecting your uptime entirely.

This should be a rule in the sidebar so people know before posting.

Or in the case OP, they bought pressure treated wood which is literally injected with moisture (chemicals) to prevent decay. If you ever picked up a piece of fresh PT lumber it is HEAVY from all the moisture. Best to let it dry a couple weeks before working with it.

To add to this: around 50% humidity is generally a good target to set for indoors.

Check out wave things. They make all in one CO2, radon, humidity, temp monitors. Good for long term monitoring of radon and other undesirable things.

Things that were built to code in 1986 may no longer be up to code in 2023. When making improvements it is a best practice to bring things up to current codes, but not always a requirement.

Towns don’t generally send inspectors around to enforce codes unless you’ve done major obvious stuff like add a bathroom. However, if you ever go to sell the house, smaller code violations can come up during an inspection.

My hot water heater doesn’t have an expansion tank either, but it is on an open connection to the municipal water supply which acts as one. I plan to add a PRV which makes it a closed system and would necessitate an expansion tank. I don’t believe there is any harm in adding an expansion tank to an open system, other than cost.

For the pressure relief air gap. The 2015 IRC code in New York for example requires that it discharge to an air gap inside the building. You can then drain it outside from there.

https://codes.iccsafe.org/s/IRC2015NY/chapter-28-water-heaters/IRC2015-Pt07-Ch28-SecP2804.6.1

I’m not sure why a drain pan would not fit. They add a negligible amount of height and aren’t much wider in diameter than the heater itself.

Electrical panel clearance see section E3405.1 workspace clearance. 30" width, 36" depth, 6’5" height. The 30" can start at the edge of the panel if you’ve got the room on the other side. It’s probably fine, but hard to tell from the picture angle.

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IRC2018/chapter-34-general-requirements

By all means, I think you did a great job and there likely won’t be any issue with the installation. These are just observations from a code compliance perspective.

Windows are usually towards the end of the list of things to upgrade. What’s your insulation situation like? Attic, walls, ductwork? Have you done a leak test to see where conditioned air is escaping? Has your AC been serviced and in good operating order?

I’d check all those out before replacing windows. As other poster suggested. Especially if you have windows that are in good condition otherwise.

Electrical panel clearance may be an issue. Think you need like 30" width clearance which can be off-center to push it up to the panel edge. Looks tight from the picture.

Add some fire blocking on the wall penetrations if that is going to an interior wall from a garage.

Is your pex rated to handle the pressure relief valve temperatures and is the inner diameter equal to or larger than the valve opening?

Is there an air gap on your pressure relief drain? (can’t see where it terminates.

Might need an expansion tank

What is the square footage of the space it was installed in? There’s usually a minimum requirements for heat pump units to function properly.

As others said: drain pan, straps

Had a nicer formatting post writen but lost it when trying to post during site outage.

If you are on municipal water and there is no check valve between you and the water meter then the municipal water supply is acting as the expansion tank. It may not be to code in your area but that’s how many homes were built in the past.

You have what appears to be a BX cable penetrating and indoor wall to a garage. This needs fire stopping to meet code.

Here is Hilti’s drawing showing the wall assembly and how it can be fire stopped with their products. The optional metal conduit pictured would make it cleaner but also require disconnecting the cable.

https://files-ask.hilti.com/original/eg/eg5q3zprsz.pdf

I don’t know about you but I regulary text my friend to ask how their fur trees are doing.

It’s not ideal, but could be worse. The old decking gave way. Whether the roofers saw that and covered it up or it gave through when the air nailer got it is another matter. Most roofers would probably keep going till the job was done and address isolated issues like this after.

If decking repairs or a warranty were in your contract then they should make it right. If you don’t have a contract then it’s at the discretion of the roofers if they want to do anything about it.

Over the life of the roof that spot may wear prematurely or give way if any weight hits it. It’s under a vent so there is probably a metal flange over it. So it might hold up. Time will tell.

It’s certainly fixable. To do it the right way you need to take it all the way down to the decking and patch in a new board. Certainly doable, but kind of a pita.

General order of operations

-When is the last time your AC was serviced? Are the filters or condenser coil blocked with dirt and dust and killing it’s performance? Is the condenser installed under a deck or somewhere stupid with no airflow?

-Fix air leaks. These are the biggest loss of energy. You can diy or have someone preform a home energy audit where they hookup a fan to see how much air loss there is. Then seal gaps, replace worn weatherstripping, etc and retest. There are incentive programs here in many states to help pay for these audits

-Is you attic properly vented? Look for soffit vents and ridge vents. You may only have gable vents in an older home which is not going to cut it. Your attic becomes an oven if it’s improperly vented. There is a certain ratio of ventilation to square footage of attic that needs to be met, 150:1 if I recall.

-Insulate attic: You didn’t specify your region but 8 inches of old fiberglass isn’t going to cut it in the majority of regions. That could be as little as R20. Adding additional insulation to the attic is cost effective and there are incentives programs to do so. Check what the recommended r value is for your zone. R49 will cover most of the US if I recall.

-insulate walls: You don’t need to tear down the drywall to insulate. They drill holes into each joist bay and blow loose fill insulation in. Then patch all the holes. Same as attic but slightly more work.

-windows: are your windows/storm windows using double pane glass? If they are, how old are they? have their seal been broken? Also look into curtain treatments for windows that get heavy sun.

The very last thing you should do is be looking at replacing HVAC gear. If you do it out of order then you’ll buy oversized equipment that will short cycle when you add insulation.

Also more generally, trees. Plant them. Let them get big and grow around your house for shade. Not exactly an overnight fix but mature trees can reduce massive thermal loads. Especially if they shade your AC from direct sunlight.

And one last note, please don’t add vinyl ontop of your brick veneer. That’s a great way to devalue your home. Yes technically you can put vinyl up with a layer of foam insulation board underneath but that’s really a last resort.

Then I’d say pry those two boards out. Take them to your local lumber supplier and pickup some new stock that is the correct dimension. Some places carry pre-primed lumber to save some labor. Use the existing pieces as a template to cut your new stock to shape. Scrape or sand the fascia that is solid. Prime and paint it all. Don’t forget to use some outdoor rated fasteners that won’t rust.

Which species of wood to use is a whole topic in itself, but the more expensive options are naturally rot resistant like cedar and redwood. I think cypress? is native to your area so that may be what they stock locally.

With regular paint maintenance though most species will hold up well.

Looks like you’ve got 1x6 boards as your fascia which are probably pine, cedar or something similar depending on your region with plywood under the soffit. This is how they are traditionally done.

Nothing wrong with this but they do require maintenance. You’ll pay a premium these days for solid wood which is why most builders and budget conscious people pick cement and man made products.

This honestly looks like it is decent shape still and is just due for some maintenance. But pictures can be deceiving. Poke it with a screwdriver. If it’s solid then strip and repaint. It may take a little more labor if a board needs replacing but I personally favor repairing something that is fixable.

A floorplan or photos would be helpful if you want a precise answer. Refer to you dryers manual for maximum vent length, but typically you can extend the vent around 25-30ft to get it to an exit point. The roof is an option but less ideal. Typically a gable end of the house is best.

They also make ventless condensing dryers which are in supposed to very efficient but have long drying cycles. I’ve not heard the best reviews on them, but do your own research.

More generally speaking try to limit your dryer use. It just adds wear and tear on your clothes and costs money to use. Hang dry when you can. I personally partially dry and then hang as it makes clothes largely wrinkle free.

Edit: I see the floorplan OP uploaded, but I’m unclear on what is an exterior wall. Is the north side of the garage an exterior wall? Because that would be a short run to extend the vent to reach an exit point.