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Hi all. I have a 2 storey, ~1200 sq ft home in a hot climate. I have a single HVAC unit...central air and ductwork, electric AC/heat. There is no zoning to the system. The thermostat is downstairs.

Everything is great in the winter months. But in the summer months, the upstairs is absolutely stifling. I don't have a thermostat upstairs, but it feels like it stays at least 10 degrees hotter than downstairs. I get that hot air rises, but considering the bedrooms are upstairs, it makes things unbearable.

My HVAC air handler and condenser are from 2008, so they are rather old and I'm likely to have to replace them soon. When I do so, I want to figure out how to keep the upstairs more comfortable.

Before I start asking companies for quotes, I want to figure out what I'm doing first. Some things I've come across...

1. Install something like a Nest system with a remote temperature sensor. Place the temperature sensor upstairs and have the Nest use that to figure out when to cycle the AC on instead of the downstairs thermostat. I could install something like this myself instead of needing an HVAC company, though it isn't necessary very efficient.

2. Consult with an HVAC company about having dampers/a zoning system installed. From what I've read online, it seems like people are saying this isn't really financially worth it. But if I'm at the point where I want a new system anyway, would it make sense?

3. Window AC units are an obvious "solution", but I can't have them due to the HOA.

4. I have read of suggestions of people saying to close the vents downstairs in the summer, but it seems like this is bad advice, as supposedly it will stress your HVAC and cause it to fail prematurely.

Edit: Just found a new one...setting the fan on the thermostat to "on" instead of "auto". Although some people seem to warn of mold growth.

Would love to hear any and all suggestions. Thanks!

Hi all. Apologies if this is not allowed here. I know people out there are struggling, but I just want to share my good news with someone.

It's a big milestone of accomplishment in my life, but I feel weird just telling family members or my online friends about it. The only other people who know are my coworkers because we all got the same raise. Money doesn't go as far nowadays due to crazy inflation post COVID and my area has higher cost of living than where I grew up, but I'm still very happy about this. I remember back when I used to only make minimum wage. All those years of schooling eventually made their way back to me. I'll never make as much money as someone like a doctor, but it's definitely enough for me to live comfortably as a single person.

Anyway, I'll delete this in a bit (or sooner if it gets removed by a mod), but I hope you guys out there have a good weekend.

Edit: Thank you guys very much :)

Edit 2: Jeez there are so many more comments than I expected. You guys are so nice!!

I apologize if this isn't allowed, but I wasn't sure exactly where to put it. Just let me know if it's inappropriate and I'll delete. Thanks.

I'm a loner, so my life is basically just work and the internet. Two of my coworkers are among my favorite people in the whole world, but one of them doesn't like the other one and will complain to me about how they don't like them.

We work incredibly closely together...only a few feet apart for hours on end. Our job also necessitates that we frequently communicate with one another. In the beginning, I absolutely loved it and there was no conflict.

Now, I often get my one coworker complaining to me that the other is lazy. And I'm not going to lie, the "lazy" one definitely takes more breaks than everyone and doesn't at all work as hard as the others. But that doesn't really bother me because she's a super incredibly nice and friendly person.

But over time it has bothered my hardworking coworker more and more and driven a wedge into what I would have once considered to be a friendship between the 3 of us.

It never gets to the point where there is yelling or arguments or anything, but it absolutely ruins the mood and then I hear about it later.

I interact with these people for hours on end every single day and I'm just not sure how to handle it. I've been struggling to know how to deal with it for months now.

To top it all off it gives me endless paranoia that the hardworking coworker secretly resents me and hates me too. This stuff never used to happen before, but know I feel like it's all that happens.

Whenever I come across a song with specifically rapidly switching and ping ponging or warbling right/left effects, I get chills. But it's hard to find exactly what I mean.

The only two songs that I know of that exemplify this are:

• Such Great Heights by The Postal Service
• Slow Me Down by Emmy Rossum

I heard the latter song first and I'll never forget that moment I was sitting in front of the stereo and hit play, not knowing what to expect. I kept repeating the beginning of the song over and over again to hear that effect in the intro, amazed at what my ears were hearing.

There are a few more songs I've listened to that do this, but I've lost them and can't remember what they were called sadly. I've been combing through my music library but haven't found them again.

An example of songs that do NOT fit this criteria are Left and Right by Charlie Puth or Runaway by Kanye West. I don't really care that the lyrics switch ears. It doesn't provide that indescribable experience that the songs I posted above give.

I'm finding that this is such a hard thing to Google. A lot of people link to songs simply with "right left stereo effects", but I'm looking for something more specific as in the above. I'm specifically looking for rapid right left switching effects, and NOT just instruments occasionally played in a different ear.

My genre of choice is pop/EDM and modern pop, but I'm open to others. Thanks all, I'd really appreciate it.

Edit: Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the responses, guys. There are so many songs to wade through. Thanks!

Hi all. Apologies if this isn't the right community for this type of question. Just let me know and I'll remove it.

Recently I've been struggling a bit. There are a few people in my life right know who I care deeply about. They are going through some very rough times right now. (Ex: money issues, sick relatives, etc.)

I am very frustrated because I hear about what's going on all the time and I am powerless to do anything to help. The advice I've had in the past is "just be a friend and be there for them," but there is only so far I am mentally and even physically able to go with that. All I want to do is to fix it and make it better for them but I can't.

And it's been making me go a bit crazy tbh. It's pretty narcissistic of me to be reacting this way, but I can't help it. I don't tell these people that I am stressed out because of them and I don't tell them that it is affecting me in any way. It's such an asshole move for me to be feeling this way but I just don't know how to get out of it.

I try to be nice and friendly all the time, but it's killing me. I just want to be able to help but I can't. I'm completely and totally powerless.

Surely there are those of you out there who care about others and have run into this issue before. What the actual fuck am I supposed to do? "Just be a friend" doesn't help my mental state or do anything for any of the issues that any of us have.

Thanks all.

Hi all.

This happened several months back as well in June. However, at the time, I had an incredibly old water heater that had not been serviced. I replaced it due to its incredibly advanced age (not due to the smell) and the smell eventually went away.

But this week I noticed my water has suddenly developed the same smell again. However, my new water heater is only a few months old. Surely it doesn't need to be serviced already? It is still outputting very hot water. I have it set to 130F, which is above the temperature that it was set at by default. (I think when I got it, it was set to 120F at first, which I found too cold. So I upped it not long after).

ALL faucets and things with a water supply within the home (ex toilets) exhibit the smell when the water is running. It is not limited to one spigot, floor, or room. Hot water makes it worse (as in showering), but I still notice it with cold water (as in flushing the toilet or room temp water from the tap...I can't get my water super cold where I live though).

The smell reminds me of when I used to swim in a lake or pond. It doesn't smell like sewage and it doesn't smell like fish, but it is not overly pleasant.

Is there a way I can investigate this easily enough without hiring a plumber? And how can I tell if it's safe to drink.

I have city water, NOT well water.

Thanks all.

I know this is a cleaning request than a home improvement one, but I would appreciate some advice.

Some months back I moved into a place where the only carpet is located on a staircase. The carpet is thick and maybe considered to be medium to high pile??

The entire time I've lived here, I've struggled to figure out how to clean the damn stairs. The carpeting seems to be a magnet for every particle of dirt and strand of hair.

I have a full size vacuum with a hose. The hose doesn't actually seem to vacuum up anything from the stairs and the main part of the vacuum is too large to use. So the vacuum does fuck all for it.

I'm thinking I maybe need to use something like a wire bristle brush and a lint roller to actually remove dirt and hair??? Is there a best methodology for something like this?

Also of note...I was gifted a Bissell Crosswave recently. It doesn't seem like it would work well on thick carpeting, but I'm wondering if there's a technique where I could maybe use it for that???

I appreciate any advice! Thanks!

Somewhere within the last few updates, it seems that haptic feedback has been added to whenever you swipe over a post.

I know a lot of Apple users were asking for this, but I really don't like it as an Android user who doesn't have haptic feedback for apps normally. It's annoying for my phone to be vibrating every 2 seconds when I'm doing things. Is there no option to turn it off?

Thanks! Loving the work you guys do!

I am having some family members visit my place for the first time since I moved in and I'm pretty excited. It's a small thing, but yeah. I have a tendency to work most weekends because I don't have a social life so it's a nice change of pace. Do any of you get to do anything fun? Hooe your Friday goes well!

I know the question is a bit vague, but I'm hoping people will interpret this however they see fit an give their own experiences.

To be honest, I'm struggling a bit with this right now and would enjoy reading others' experiences.

Very bizarre! Never had that happen before!