Questions for Icequeen

[WolFish]

If our refrigerator is broken and running more often than it should, would that cause a big jump in our electricity bill?
Is there a way (besides staying home all day and listening or working out a complicated random sampling schedule) of telling if it's running too much? The only change we've made was to turn it down because scooping ice cream was like scooping brick.
It doesn't immediately start running if we open the door. That would be a dead giveaway.

I am hoping there is an issue I can solve because otherwise I have to entertain skeezy handyman. He smells like booze and hobo brand cigarettes, he's dirty and manages to touch everything. We suspect that once when we were gone for a weekend he came in and entertained himself. There was food missing.

['andersom']

Refrigerators use a lot of power.

Anecdote.

A few students, sharing a flat, had a refrigerator that kept running. So, during winter, they made a cupboard on the balcony, and stored all their food there, shutting the refrigerator down.

To their surprise their energy bill in winter was lower than it was in summer.

[Icequeen]

If our refrigerator is broken and running more often than it should, would that cause a big jump in our electricity bill?
Is there a way (besides staying home all day and listening or working out a complicated random sampling schedule) of telling if it's running too much? The only change we've made was to turn it down because scooping ice cream was like scooping brick.
It doesn't immediately start running if we open the door. That would be a dead giveaway.

I am hoping there is an issue I can solve because otherwise I have to entertain skeezy handyman. He smells like booze and hobo brand cigarettes, he's dirty and manages to touch everything. We suspect that once when we were gone for a weekend he came in and entertained himself. There was food missing.

Yes. But it may not be technically "broken"...check the gasket/seal. Sometimes just cleaning the gasket and the contact area helps.

http://greenlivingideas.com/2014/07/29/check-seal-fridge-oven/

When the gasket started going for the second time on my 21+ yr old double door the power jump was substantial...but I didn't really notice how substantial until I got another fridge...it had started to rust at the bottom of the doors so it wasn't worth replacing the gasket a second time, not that it was too energy efficient to begin with at it's age....it was a tank though.

[WolFish]

If our refrigerator is broken and running more often than it should, would that cause a big jump in our electricity bill?
Is there a way (besides staying home all day and listening or working out a complicated random sampling schedule) of telling if it's running too much? The only change we've made was to turn it down because scooping ice cream was like scooping brick.
It doesn't immediately start running if we open the door. That would be a dead giveaway.

I am hoping there is an issue I can solve because otherwise I have to entertain skeezy handyman. He smells like booze and hobo brand cigarettes, he's dirty and manages to touch everything. We suspect that once when we were gone for a weekend he came in and entertained himself. There was food missing.

Yes. But it may not be technically "broken"...check the gasket/seal. Sometimes just cleaning the gasket and the contact area helps.

http://greenlivingideas.com/2014/07/29/check-seal-fridge-oven/

When the gasket started going for the second time on my 21+ yr old double door the power jump was substantial...but I didn't really notice how substantial until I got another fridge...it had started to rust at the bottom of the doors so it wasn't worth replacing the gasket a second time, not that it was too energy efficient to begin with at it's age....it was a tank though.

I'll try this. It's a second hand double door installed by the landlord. The doors don't hang right but the bill has been consistent until the most recent one. The refrigerator door has rust at the bottom but it hasn't gotten worse since we've been here. I keep an eye on the gaskets which aren't dirty but in true ADHD style I now realize that I never check the bottoms or tops of the gaskets. I just look at the sides. The refrigerator runs for an hour and then 2 -3 hours off depending on if it's opened a lot.

[WolFish]

I made some dehydrated pineapple. I was having trouble keeping it dry so I put it in the refrigerator, where some of it turned rust red. I wasn't sure if it would pass the Py-Elle scientific guinea pig standards, so I just tasted a little bit and spit it out because it tasted a little strange. Highly concentrated, I guess. Anyway, I put another bit in water to see what would happen and it turned back to pineapple yellow. I haven't tasted it because I think at this point I would be advised to avoid it.

But is it really gone bad? It looks fine with the moisture restored.

btw, I dehydrate them on a high shelf in the kitchen and finish them in the refrigerator.

["couldbecousin"]

  How can I safely dispose of aerosol cans that still have liquid in them?  A few are cans of stuff
  I just don't use, like boot-waterproofing spray and hair mousse.  A few are cans of Lysol that
  don't spray anymore because the nozzle is broken or something.  I don't want to throw them out
  in the trash and cause an explosion, either in the sanitation truck or in the landfill.  What should I do? 

[El]

I made some dehydrated pineapple. I was having trouble keeping it dry so I put it in the refrigerator, where some of it turned rust red. I wasn't sure if it would pass the Py-Elle scientific guinea pig standards, so I just tasted a little bit and spit it out because it tasted a little strange. Highly concentrated, I guess. Anyway, I put another bit in water to see what would happen and it turned back to pineapple yellow. I haven't tasted it because I think at this point I would be advised to avoid it.

But is it really gone bad? It looks fine with the moisture restored.

btw, I dehydrate them on a high shelf in the kitchen and finish them in the refrigerator.

How do you know you don't just have vegetarian vampire mice?   

[Icequeen]

  How can I safely dispose of aerosol cans that still have liquid in them?  A few are cans of stuff
  I just don't use, like boot-waterproofing spray and hair mousse.  A few are cans of Lysol that
  don't spray anymore because the nozzle is broken or something.  I don't want to throw them out
  in the trash and cause an explosion, either in the sanitation truck or in the landfill.  What should I do? 

Un-empty they are usually considered as hazardous waste and taken during collection times or at rallies in your locality.  They usually tell you that if you can empty them by spraying the contents out, they can go in with the rest of the trash.

That said...before all of this...my mother should have blown up a lot of trash trucks.

*Wonders just how many aerosol cans it takes to blow up a trash truck?*    

I also remember my dad cutting paint cans open just to see what the rattler was (normally a marble 95% of the time clear and light blue for any of you with inquiring minds that would like to know).

[WolFish]

I made some dehydrated pineapple. I was having trouble keeping it dry so I put it in the refrigerator, where some of it turned rust red. I wasn't sure if it would pass the Py-Elle scientific guinea pig standards, so I just tasted a little bit and spit it out because it tasted a little strange. Highly concentrated, I guess. Anyway, I put another bit in water to see what would happen and it turned back to pineapple yellow. I haven't tasted it because I think at this point I would be advised to avoid it.

But is it really gone bad? It looks fine with the moisture restored.

btw, I dehydrate them on a high shelf in the kitchen and finish them in the refrigerator.

How do you know you don't just have vegetarian vampire mice?   

That's an interesting idea. I was careful about skin flakes because I didn't want to wake up with a mouse nibbling my toes.
Have you read Bunnicula? The cartoon sucks as far as I can tell but I thought the book was great enough to keep my worn and battered copy. It's pretty hilarious.
As for the mice, they can/t get to the shelf without being able to jump three feet - I'm willing to bet they tried because the pineapple was fragrant the first day or so. But no mouse signs ever there so it seemed safe.

[El]

I made some dehydrated pineapple. I was having trouble keeping it dry so I put it in the refrigerator, where some of it turned rust red. I wasn't sure if it would pass the Py-Elle scientific guinea pig standards, so I just tasted a little bit and spit it out because it tasted a little strange. Highly concentrated, I guess. Anyway, I put another bit in water to see what would happen and it turned back to pineapple yellow. I haven't tasted it because I think at this point I would be advised to avoid it.

But is it really gone bad? It looks fine with the moisture restored.

btw, I dehydrate them on a high shelf in the kitchen and finish them in the refrigerator.

How do you know you don't just have vegetarian vampire mice?   

That's an interesting idea. I was careful about skin flakes because I didn't want to wake up with a mouse nibbling my toes.
Have you read Bunnicula? The cartoon sucks as far as I can tell but I thought the book was great enough to keep my worn and battered copy. It's pretty hilarious.
As for the mice, they can/t get to the shelf without being able to jump three feet - I'm willing to bet they tried because the pineapple was fragrant the first day or so. But no mouse signs ever there so it seemed safe.

*nod*  Read most, if not all, of the series as a kid.  It was good times.  Didn't know there was a cartoon.

[WolFish]

  How can I safely dispose of aerosol cans that still have liquid in them?  A few are cans of stuff
  I just don't use, like boot-waterproofing spray and hair mousse.  A few are cans of Lysol that
  don't spray anymore because the nozzle is broken or something.  I don't want to throw them out
  in the trash and cause an explosion, either in the sanitation truck or in the landfill.  What should I do? 

Un-empty they are usually considered as hazardous waste and taken during collection times or at rallies in your locality.  They usually tell you that if you can empty them by spraying the contents out, they can go in with the rest of the trash.

That said...before all of this...my mother should have blown up a lot of trash trucks.

*Wonders just how many aerosol cans it takes to blow up a trash truck?*    

I also remember my dad cutting paint cans open just to see what the rattler was (normally a marble 95% of the time clear and light blue for any of you with inquiring minds that would like to know).

that's the same color as the marble in ramune drinks. Have to cut through a lot of plastic to get them out.

["couldbecousin"]

  How can I safely dispose of aerosol cans that still have liquid in them?  A few are cans of stuff
  I just don't use, like boot-waterproofing spray and hair mousse.  A few are cans of Lysol that
  don't spray anymore because the nozzle is broken or something.  I don't want to throw them out
  in the trash and cause an explosion, either in the sanitation truck or in the landfill.  What should I do? 

Un-empty they are usually considered as hazardous waste and taken during collection times or at rallies in your locality.  They usually tell you that if you can empty them by spraying the contents out, they can go in with the rest of the trash.

That said...before all of this...my mother should have blown up a lot of trash trucks.

*Wonders just how many aerosol cans it takes to blow up a trash truck?*    

I also remember my dad cutting paint cans open just to see what the rattler was (normally a marble 95% of the time clear and light blue for any of you with inquiring minds that would like to know).

  Your parents were badasses!   


  I wish I could donate my cans to the creative dream team of
     Walter, Jesse, Mike, and Old Joe from the junkyard.



Jesse    junkyard dudes    Old Joe    Walter    Mike 

[WolFish]

So I decided that since chemicals are used to keep the pineapple from changing colors, that the red might not be so bad. It only happens with the less fresh stuff so I will be trying it with really fresh pineapple next.
Haven't brought myself to taste the red ones but they seem good otherwise so at some point I will try them.

[Icequeen]

So I decided that since chemicals are used to keep the pineapple from changing colors, that the red might not be so bad. It only happens with the less fresh stuff so I will be trying it with really fresh pineapple next.
Haven't brought myself to taste the red ones but they seem good otherwise so at some point I will try them.

Missed that one.
It's the enzymes I believe that make it change color.
I have eaten reddish dried pineapple. 

If you store canned pineapple in the fridge and forget about it, it will also turn red...but by then it is bad and the texture (slimy) has also changed. If the texture or smell changes...pitch it.

[WolFish]

So I decided that since chemicals are used to keep the pineapple from changing colors, that the red might not be so bad. It only happens with the less fresh stuff so I will be trying it with really fresh pineapple next.
Haven't brought myself to taste the red ones but they seem good otherwise so at some point I will try them.

Missed that one.
It's the enzymes I believe that make it change color.
I have eaten reddish dried pineapple. 

If you store canned pineapple in the fridge and forget about it, it will also turn red...but by then it is bad and the texture (slimy) has also changed. If the texture or smell changes...pitch it.

I probably won't eat a lot of canned pineapple anymore - between Florida and Montreal I am spoiled. It costs between $3 and $5 CDN for a pineapple here. Florida actually was more expensive. The last can I ate was awful.
We have a lot of other fruit but I will be taking the pineapple on hikes. Going to try the red stuff later today.