[sinatras]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

That’s about par for the course for Samsung appliances. They look nice but are designed to fail. The ice maker in our Samsung fridge became non-functional in 2020 because of a design flaw. (Water line into the fridge was designed to freeze solid and we discovered you can only do the hit it with a hairdryer trick so many times before you melt the water line from the heat.)

Our next fridge will either be a Bosch or GE depending on whether the Bosch will fit under the cabinet correctly- it’s something like 1/4 inch too tall according to specs- a previous owner put tile over the original sheet vinyls and changed the height space in a slight buy annoying way- and it should still work in the space but there are no guarantees.

every one of my homes has a Kitchenaid fridge, and they range in age from 8 to 15 years old; zero issues with any of them

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by Nerad

I’m puzzled that Florida homes don’t have mostly metal roofs now. They even make textured metal roofs that look like a traditional metal roof. This seems like prime opportunity to capitalize on roofing system that combats the insurance issue and less risk of any roof shingles going flying.

I think there are quite a few more metal roofs on FL homes at least in this neck of the woods, especially after Ian. We considered having our shingle roof replaced with metal, and found the cost of the metal would run about 2.5 times higher than the quotes we got for a shingle replacement. We debated springing for the extra cost of the metal, but after consideration of many factors, ended up with a shingle roof replacement.

We noted that many shingle roofs, especially the newer ones, also held up well in Ian's winds. I think this is directly attributable to the current FL building codes, which require the use of a "peel and stick" underlayment ( used to be called roofing felt, under the shingles) that adheres to the plywood on the roof. The shingles must be nailed using 5 nails, think it is, for each shingle, with roofing nails that are longer than previous types and are threaded to prevent the nails pulling out. The use of a shingle manufacturer's total roofing system for replacement, including underlayment, drip edges, valley material, Cobra ridge vents ( our roofer used GAF) brings a manufacturer's warranty of 50 years ( I'm admittedly skeptical about how that works), and a roofing company workmanship warranty of 10 years.

Our reasons for choosing the shingle roof replacement were threefold. We had to consider the cost of a metal roof, despite the assumptions of those who might equate a paid off house with limitless funds and an Ivory Tower existence sheltered from the everyday problems of the masses, we aren't made out of money. We witnessed first hand how well so many shingle roofs weathered the wrath of Ian, and decided to take our chances with a new shingle roof put in according to the current building codes. The third reason, was personal. We worried about cell phone reception through a metal roof, had received mixed responses when we asked about this issue, some yeah, it's ok, some nay, it's lousy, you have to go outside to use your cell phone. We also gained some first hand experience when we rented a VRBO house ( had to leave our house during mold remediation and drywall replacement) with a metal roof. This place had no cell phone reception inside, we had to go outside to use our cell phones.

Why this last reason even matters is that both my daughter ( who lives with us) and I have cardiac pacemakers, with remote wireless monitoring. Our monitors transmit the pacemaker data at prescheduled intervals, and in the event of a significant event, alerts to our healthcare providers using cell phone adaptors. We had to consider the possibility of a poor to no cell phone coverage's effect on the transmission of pacemaker data.

[Corrie22]

We have a metal roof....but it doesn't effect our cell at all....I have no idea why, but it might have something to do with how close, or far, you are from their tower....dunno...just guessing

One of things with metal roofs...is the screws....over the years the ”fins” on the screws corrode/dissolve....and you're left with nails that pull out.....screws need to be replaced about every 8-10 years....or at least have a roofer go up...pull and few and check

...we had our screws replaced ~3 years ago

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

That’s about par for the course for Samsung appliances. They look nice but are designed to fail. The ice maker in our Samsung fridge became non-functional in 2020 because of a design flaw. (Water line into the fridge was designed to freeze solid and we discovered you can only do the hit it with a hairdryer trick so many times before you melt the water line from the heat.)

Our next fridge will either be a Bosch or GE depending on whether the Bosch will fit under the cabinet correctly- it’s something like 1/4 inch too tall according to specs- a previous owner put tile over the original sheet vinyls and changed the height space in a slight buy annoying way- and it should still work in the space but there are no guarantees.

We had an interesting conversation with an employee from an appliance repair place a couple years ago. Seems the compressor on our GE refrigerator- around 10 yrs old, had died. We'd already replaced the icemaker in the thing, and were wondering if it was worth trying to get the compressor fixed or just chuck the whole thing and get a new one. We asked the employee, who told us that replacing the compressor would not cost all that much less than a new fridge, and her opinion was that in our shoes, she'd get a new fridge- they didn't sell new appliances so she wasn't trying to make a sale. She went on, saying that in looking for a new fridge, she recommended avoiding the Samsungs and LG models, while their electronics were good, she said, their mechanical parts, icemakers and compressors were terrible. She recommended sticking with GE or Whirlpool. We ended up replacing that GE with a Whirlpool.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by sinatras

What is wrong with the article? All it is, is a straight report of what Floridians say they are facing in terms of insurance costs, etc. You are not interested in hearing about the problems facing Floridians? Even the headline is not the Palm Beach Post, it's straight from the mouth of a Floridian.

Conservatives like to be lied to about varying issues to reinforce what they've been spoon-fed for so long. This is a massive issue for low to moderate income Floridians, as well as retirees not on a fat pension. Sadly neither demographic register any sympathy with our rulers in Tallahassee so would guess it's the new normal for a while.

[LKJ1988]

I bought a new fridge in 2019 and so far no probs. My oven was bought new 2004 when i moved from Tampa and had to have a board replaced around 8 years ago. So when it goes again stan i will replace it.

[SanyBelle]

Originally Posted by Corrie22

We have a metal roof....but it doesn't effect our cell at all....I have no idea why, but it might have something to do with how close, or far, you are from their tower....dunno...just guessing

One of things with metal roofs...is the screws....over the years the ”fins” on the screws corrode/dissolve....and you're left with nails that pull out.....screws need to be replaced about every 8-10 years....or at least have a roofer go up...pull and few and check

...we had our screws replaced ~3 years ago

So you haven't had a screw loose in quite awhile!

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by sinatras

The only thing that gets my panties in a wad are people who are selfish and lack empathy for others. I have no mortgages and have more money than I could ever spend, yet I have empathy for the millions of Floridians who can no longer afford Florida or most of the USA for that matter. I am a native Floridian and I remember when anyone could afford to retire in Florida. That is no longer the case. The more we think of other people as "victims" who don't deserve anything other than our displeasure and irritation, the more US society is doomed. The USA is turning into one of those third world countries that has people living in tents and shacks on a mountainside, and perennial shortages; the rich think they are isolated from this, and they are, but only if they stay in their homes 24/7. That's not the country I grew up in, nor is it the country I want to see in the future.

I just spent a week in Palm Beach and I had to drive to 5 gas stations before I found one that had gas, and the gas it had was a specific type only (89 octane). The last time I saw gas stations without gas was Cuba. 7 years ago. Florida has real infrastructure and cost of living problems that no amount of righteous disregard will erase.

So you are the self-declared judge, jury and executioner, figuratively speaking, of just who is "selfish and lacks" empathy, eh? Even internet strangers about whom you know nothing.

I'll tell you this. Searching out personal stories of hardship, tragedies described in glorious technicolor by publications for entertainment and readership, then wringing one's hands, crying, exercising one's own righteous indignation over the miseries of others might be a good example of virtue signaling ( look how empathetic I am because I feel bad) but if that is all one does about it, it's not true empathy and it's not productive. And linking stories of "victims" endlessly on internet forums, then accusing others of selfishness and lack of empathy for the sole reason that they failed to react in accordance with the poster's expectations ( join me in weeping, handwringing, and blaming my political opponents) is pure virtue signaling, embellished by the poster's ongoing expressions of contempt towards those that failed to play the game.

True empathy lies not in the spectator sport of poring over the tabloid style publications regaling victimhood, but in action, actually doing what one is able to help these victims help themselves. Empathy might translate to any number of actions intended to help the less fortunate as one is able and one's means permit, ie, regular donations to worthy organizations, donations of money, food or goods where they are needed, donation of one's time, say, in food banks or volunteer activities in other organizations, the list is endless. Just saying, I'm not asking or interested in what you might do with your stated wealth of resources, it's no one's concern here. I know of any number of people, family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances that contribute generously of their time and money to help those less fortunate. This is true empathy, even though many of these people would not react to every "victim" story in an "approved" way.

[Corrie22]

Originally Posted by SanyBelle

So you haven't had a screw loose in quite awhile!

...those screws I gave up even looking for.....

[Miss Hepburn]

We're talking about refrigerators now? From Day 1 my Frigadaire was a horror. I could make a list!