u/notitia_quaesitor

My livingroom is about 95-96" height. Its 189"x197" (8'x15'x16' HxWxL). It opens to the stairs down (split level home) and to the dining room and kitchen and other rooms. The 197" width includes the pathway from the stairs to the kitchen and rest of house which is about 36".

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The room itself has a grid of 3x3 pancake LED lights. And if I'll get a fan it'll be replacing the center LED light. From the center in the 197" axis the next LEDs are 50" away, and in the 189" axis its about 74" away. The lights were placed to be within the room area and not so much to include the pathway from the stairs.

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The LEDs are all tied to the same switch. But i can jump a separate line to the fan which will be without a switch, as i dont think it'll be easy to snake another wire down the wall (power lines come from the attic down). I guess I can try to do that and have a dedicated switch, but if there alternatives with a remote or them it'll be easier. But would i ever regret not installing a dedicated switch (current switch box has switch for rhe livingroom lights and the entrance area to the home (down the stairs), and ill have to increase the box to 3 switch. Shouldn't be too hard on its own.

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I know about the recommendation of 7' clearance and hence a low profile hugger fan needs. I am the tallest in the house st about 5'9" or so.

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Any recommendations for blade length that wont interfere with the light beam from the nearby LEDs?

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Any recommendations for anything else that I should look for in the fan?

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Any recommendations for the installation process?

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Wondering if there is a single guide, post, book, manual, video, that discusses the different installation techniques of how to install different hardwoods and focuses or pattern selection, per room style, different transitions, etc?

My AC system a a 40nyear old Rheem. It works just fine. And no issues in the past 2 years since we own this home. The house is a split level on slab. Naturally the lower floor (which is 1/3 under ground, windows are about a ft above ground or so) is colder than the first floor.

The attic is unfinished, and has blown cellulose. Which is probably original to the house.

The second floor tends to get hotter as the day gets warmer, and during hot days the AC seems to lower the temp relatively slowly.

I got Govee temperature sensors and placed them

1. in the AC above the Inverted V shaped coils/fins. It reads 54.3F.

2. In the livingroom on the top floor. It reads 73.4F.

3. In the AC duct/vent in the livingroom. It reads 55.9F.

4. In the return duct/vent in the livingroom. It reads 70.0F.

5. Outside the house, in shade under awning. It reads 74.7F. cloudy today and not hot.

6. Attic. It reads 89.1F

AC is set to 74F.

Is 15F delta between the vent/return good enough?

Will adding more blown in insulation in the attic help anything?

A friend received a speeding ticket. It has the date/time of the ticket, location, and the description is Traffic - Speeding - Exceed 69 MPH in 60 zone (169.14.2(a). The box with PM/M/GM is PM.

As being relatively new to MN, I expected a ticket/citation to clearly state the speeding MPH, and how it was detected (estimate, laser, lidar, radar, etc). Also I am used to seeing a requirement to either pay X amount or mandatory appearance in court.

I looked up the citation online, and it does not show anything like the speed. There is a Fine amount of $118.

My question is, how can I find out the speed the driver was going at? How it was detected/measured? Is there a common/easy way to dispute and either cancel or reduce the fee?

Lastly, are these type of citations added to the "points" with the insurance and increase premium?

Asking on behalf of a birthing parent planning to take both Pregnancy-related Medical Leave and Bonding Leave under Minnesota Paid Leave (up to 20 weeks total). What I understand is that they should take the medical leave first, followed immediately by bonding leave.

The payment calculator shows a max weekly benefit of $1,423 (2026 state average weekly wage), calculated in tiers: 90% for wages up to 50% of the SAWW, 66% for the portion between 50-100%, and 55% above that. The calculator is asking for quarterly wages, using the highest-earning quarter in the base period (typically the four most recent completed quarters before the leave) to determine average weekly wage.

Here are my specific questions:

Question #1: What proof of earnings/income do they require during the application to determine the benefit amount? Their current payroll (weekly/quarterly) would result in a lower benefit than the max, but they'll be starting a new higher-paying job 1-2 months before their planned bonding leave. Will the higher new-job wages be factored in, or is it locked to earlier quarters?

Question #2: Can someone apply for (and receive) Paid Leave benefits while between jobs? (as in, not actively be working).

Question #3: Can someone apply for benefits while still working (or return to work) but not actually take the time off, and still collect the Paid Leave payments on top of regular wages? (or are there restrictions where HR will cause the benefits stop or not be granted at all because not actually going on a leave)?

Any insights or experiences from people who've gone through this would be helpful - thanks!

I'm trying to understand the long-term reliability of U-channel galvanized steel posts (like PostMaster or similar) compared to traditional wooden 4x4 posts for a fence.

Standard wood post practice: Dig a hole 3x the post width (e.g., 12" for a 4x4), 36" deep, and set in concrete.

For steel U-channel posts, I've seen two approaches:

• Just drive them into the ground below the frost line (3–5+ ft) with no concrete.
• Or dig a hole and set them in concrete like wood posts.

I'm thinking through the structural forces involved:

• Tension - Mainly pulling out (e.g., wind uplift?).
• Buckling/Compression - Downward weight of the fence.
• Shear/Bending/Torsion - From rails, wind, sagging wood, etc.

Main questions about concrete:

1. Is it primarily a stabilizer against soil movement (moisture/freeze-thaw cycles changing density)?
2. Does it add mass/resistance for wind, fence weight, bending, and torsion?

What's the philosophy for U-channel steel posts with vs. without concrete? In Minnesota (frost line ~4-5 ft), many recommend driving 3+ ft deep without concrete for line posts, but using concrete for gates due to extra stress/weight. Does that make sense?

Any value in a partial concrete "ring"/collar (just ~12" around the top) instead of full-depth concrete? Or is that not worth it?

Thanks for any experienced input - especially from MN or similar climates!

I have a High Deductible Health Plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield and an HSA. A family member gets covered medical treatment. I pay the provider's monthly bill directly with my HSA debit card. Then I submit the claims to BCBS so the expenses count toward our annual deductible.

Once the deductible is met, BCBS (in theory) reimburses me for the amounts I already paid with HSA funds.

Previously, I paid these bills out of my checking account, submitted claims, and got reimbursed by insurance once the deductible was hit. The only difference now is using pre-tax HSA money instead of post-tax bank money.

Question: How does this work from a tax perspective? Is there anything I need to watch out for? It feels like I might be missing a step or creating a tax issue.

Any experiences with this setup (especially with BCBS)?

I have been reading and watching about fence installation, and regardless about the method, there is concurrence that installation should be below the frost line. In MN, the consensus is that the post should be installed at 4-5' below ground. For a wooden post, requiring concrete, the consensus is 12" (3x teh posts' width). Many posts suggest that 36" depth is sufficient. This will require at least 2x bags of concrete mix. For the Galvanized Steel U-Channel posts you will need a driver, and seen a Vevor brand on Amazon for $350 plus $50 warranty for 4 years because liability was the main complaint in reviews. For a privacy 6' fence, it will have the top rail 6" below the picket line, so 5.5' above ground.

2x Bags of Concrete: Quikrete Fast-Setting, 50lbs: $7.97 per bag. so $16.

Treated 4x4

• 10': $15.31 + $16 = $31.31
• 12': $20.48 + $16 = $36.48

Cedar:

• 10': $50.88 + $16 = $66.88
• 12': $60.59 + $16 = $76.59

Galvanized Steel U-Channel:

• 10': $41
• 12': $51

Question 1: How deep does the post has to be below ground in MN? 3', 4' 5', or more?

For a Wooden post, you will have to dig, place, pour, and wait. For a Galvanized Steel post you can drive as 12' post 6.5' into the ground, well below frost line, in under 5 minutes. the cost will be the post plus the $400 for the driver (rental is $200 and is time limited). The steel post can be covered by a picket so it will not be visible. Also, it can be driven right next to existing/older concrete post bases and avoid the digout.

Question 2: What is a better choice from cost, quality, and installation-time perspective? Treated, Cedar, or Steel?