u/Different-Wallaby-10

Update on my BR 800x

Took it to my repair shop to see about having the spark plug socket rethreaded. They just called and left a message that the whole motor needs replacing. Best to get a new blower.

The blower is eight years old. Should I take it to a different shop for a second opinion or just get a new blower?

Context : I’m mostly retired. I only use my blower on my own property and three properties I do landscape maintenance on (no lawn mowing). I don’t to leaf removals either.

I’m asking this question as I am investigating the cause of my house’s mustiness/smelliness.

Single story, 2800 SF. I have two dogs. One occasionally pees on my hardwood floors or laminate floor in washroom.

I’ve recently replaced my carpet and I’ve replaced my upholstered sofa with a leather one.

I change my air filter regularly.

In the dogadvice group, several report hvac duct cleaning was helpful. Personal friends who have done it said it did not help. ChatGPT says the data does not support its usefulness for this purpose.

My hvac unit is on a maintenance plan where they check everything out every six months.

The only time I notice the mustiness is after I’ve been gone for a few days and return. To be fair, I do bump up my thermostat when I leave town.

I also run a dehumidifier.

Thoughts?

Where can I get it? Can I get it at the Saturday farmers market in Breckenridge ? Other places?

My roof has black streaks, and I wonder if one of those soft wash companies would eliminate them. Have you ever used one?

I’ve seen these “chlorine bombs” advertised as room deodorizers. I know when I use bleach in my home that it smells fresher. But I also wonder if the chlorine “neutralizes” our sense of smell to other odors.

What is your opinion on these products?

The fiber of this carpet is 81% SmartStrand Silk BCF Triexta, 13% BCF P.E.T., 6% BCF Nylon. It’s listed as Stain & Soil resistant, All Pet Stains.

Is this a quality carpet for a pet owner?

My current carpet is nine years old. For eight of those years I’ve had two dogs. I vacuum fairly regularly, but the carpet is old, worn. And the house is a bit musty. It’s time.

As I begin shopping around tomorrow for carpet, what features should a be sure to look for? Any things to ignore (carpet for pet owners comes to mind; I just don’t know if that’s legit or not). Any particular underlayment?

I’m also upgrading my vacuum to a Sebo upright.

Advice on buying new carpet? Last time was run of the mill Home Depot carpet. Don’t want that again.

I’m in the market for new carpet. Any places I should check out? Any that I should avoid?

I really like big bubbles with some char. Some places I’ve been to had that style…for a while. Then flat but tasty crusts.

My JRT weighs 25 lbs. He needs to weigh 22 lbs.

Calculated RER is 400 kcal/day
Calculated MER is 640 kcal/day

I feed him Purina One Healthy Weight (325 kcal/cup) half cup twice daily. Breakfast is around 0700. By noon/early afternoon he is whining for food. I give him 1-1.5 cups of green beans at that time.

By 4:00 he’s whining for food. I feed him dinner at that time.

I walk him 4 miles/day.

When I say he whines for food between meals, I mean he GROANS for food. He searches the house for food. He mouths his food bowl.

I do ignore him. But I promise, I can ignore him until the cows come home and his whining/searching does not relent.

He, like many dogs, does not like my lawn sprinkler. He woke me up at 0400 this morning. Annoyed but proud he alerted me he needed to go potty, I took him out. The sprinklers were on. He didn’t care. He stood midst the sprinklers EATING THE LEAVES OFF A PLANT at 0400 today.

He is hypothyroid, but his T4 is normal on meds.

I’m about to leave now to go read at a coffee shop just to get away from him until dinner time. Either that or let him get obese and be happy.

I cannot feed him less. I worry he’s going to become deficient in something because I’m having to underfeed him.

Please help.

I consider you guys experts in this area. I have two questions. 1) are those carpet freshener powder products bad for carpets? Vacuum cleaners? 2) any advice on buying new carpet for dog owners? I’m considering new carpet and a new Sebo Felix.

I’m looking for one of those old fashioned, southern fried seafood buffets — fried catfish, frog legs, shrimp, stuffed crab, the works. This was a Friday night tradition growing up. Anything like this in central AR?

Zone 8a
Arkansas

I want a couple interesting, unique conifers that can handle our heat and humidity. Any southerners here with success?

I’m in the USA. Two dogs —

1. Billie mix. I’ve had her for almost 9 years. Not sure how old she is. I’ve considered getting one of those dna tests for age determination, but I don’t know their accuracy. No food allergies. She weighs about 48 pounds with a body composition score of 4-5. She is on Librela and Galliprant for arthritis. Also takes Cosequin. I walk her 2-3 miles per day. She gets around ok but does have her slow days.

2. JRT mix is 6 years old. He has a pin in a front leg because of a fracture when a young puppy. He’s also hypothyroid on Thyro-tabs with normal thyroid blood tests. He is around 24.5 pounds. BCS 5-6. He is hungry all the time. Ideally he should be about 22-23 pounds. He, too, is on Librela and Galliprant for arthritis. He is slow on walks but it’s hard to determine if it’s because of pain or just his leg length discrepancy.

Their overall care currently runs me about $600/month for the two of them. I used to feed the a HS perfect weight kibble but stopped because of the expense. For the past year or two I’ve had them on Kirkland weight management kibble for cost and it’s the lowest calorie kibble I could find.

They each get low sodium green beans as a snack mid afternoon to hold them over until dinner time because they are looking for food starting around 1:00 pm.

I’m wondering if I should switch them to a higher quality kibble. Though I am fearful of weight gain and cost if I do so. Any advice is appreciated.

Do any of those tablets work? I need to clean out the dog hair. I know I need to hand scrub some areas, but just curious if those enzymatic tablets are legit.

I currently have a Bissell Powerforce Helix. I want to upgrade to a better vacuum. I have two dogs that shed, so I thought about a Sebo upright, whichever one is recommended for pet owners.

Looks like it will be around $799. If I take the plunge, will my socks be blown off by the difference?

*Sebo

I’ve been looking online at vacuum cleaners like Sebo and Miele. They are $$$. I prefer buying local. Are there any vacuum cleaner sales operations in central Arkansas?