CH rising?

[chem geek]

Carl,

If it makes you feel any better, from mid-April to mid-May and from mid-October to mid-November we heat with lots of gas assist and it's EXPENSIVE, a few hundred dollars for each month. So we really only have FIVE months of true solar-only heating time and we still have a few days here and there where we use gas assistance since we keep the pool at 88F if we can (or at least 86F). I think we only use NO gas for a month in July. All other (swim-season) months have at least one day that needs gas due to the sometimes cloudy day or long foggy morning. If I really wanted to make you jealous, I'd be living in southern CA or AZ or southern FL.

Richard

[DONNIE]

88 degrees sounds warm. I haven't even been in mine since construction but hopefully anyday we will get out of this deep freeze. I have a 200K btu heater that I hope wont be too expensive to heat 9K gallons so we can use ours mid March thru September.

Donnie

[waterbear]

Carl.
Hate to make you feel even worse but how about 9-10 months a year (with the heatpump going for about 4-5 of them). Oh, the hottub gets used in the other 2-3 months! This is why I no longer live in New Jersey I hope to add solar in the next few years once my piggy bank recovers from the pool builder from h*ll that I still am fixing so don't begrudge me this one!

[CarlD]

Oh,
I'm just sitting here watching this ice storm shut down the state...How you can have an ice storm when it's 17 deg F is a mystery to me---that's 10 to 15 degrees too cold. But Hey! This is New Jersey! Our state flower is Poison Ivy. Our state bird is the greenhead mosquito.

But we are getting this nasty dangerous wet sleet. Even snow is easier.

We live in New Jersey because it's better to live in the Jughandle State than the Ripoff State (NY--where I was born and grew up). We pay high taxes, but lower than NY. NJ is actually an economic powerhouse and housing prices are STILL going up. Our public schools are among the best. All the drug companies are here in a big way, there are the oil refineries over on the coast, and it's all within easy reach of NYC and Philly, not to mention the vacation areas here, in PA, NY, Ct, and Mass.

While it's very densely populated, especially the eastern side of the state, people don't think to move here...that's OK with us!

We used to live on 4 acres further west. It was beautiful, on what passes for a mountain here, with all kinds of wildlife--the black bears were quite the nuisance. Even here in the 'burbs the deer are like pigeons and the wild turkeys show up regularly.

If you move to NJ, be sure to live on a hill, not a flood plain, and REALLY learn defensive driving! The NJ drivers are bad but the New York and Pa drivers are really crazy!

[waterbear]

Carl,
I was born in Millburn (NOT Short Hill, which used to be a part of Millburn, that was the NEW money. My parents lived in the Estates). It's a beautiful state! I can remember seeing deer and other wildlife nearby and can still remember the Maple trees everywhere and the Oaks! (Florida just has a lot of pine and mangrove, it's not all Palm trees like you northerner's think!) One thing though, the people that live in NJ have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel and it has them very upset.....
they realize it's New York!
(Appologies to any New Yorkers out there but I just couldn't resist this joke....at least it's not as bad as the one about the Jersey girl and the garbage.)

[waste]

Evan, what's the difference? (sorry to blow your 'punchline') FWIW - I grew up in N NJ, so I can say what I want to about the 'armpit of america'.
Truely, NJ is a beatiful state, if one takes the time to go a little way off of the interstates.
For all in the NE, enjoy the long awaiated snow/ ice (to y'all in more southern or western climates - *&()^%$ - um, I mean, enjoy your 'non iced over' pools)

[edit]Evan, my kin come from Short Hill, and I think thier money was old before Millburn was established , but you're right, get a few miles off of the highway and anyone would realize why it's called the 'Garden State' [ silly me -end edit]

[CarlD]

Oh No!!!! You guys are gonna get people thinking they need to move here! We are already the densest state in the union...Think Sopranos and "Fugeddaboudit" and Joe Piscapo...and the Turnpike..

[waterbear]

Evan, what's the difference? (sorry to blow your 'punchline')

You asked for it then--the garbage gets taken out once a week!) FWIW - I grew up in N NJ, so I can say what I want to about the 'armpit of america'.
Truely, NJ is a beatiful state, if one takes the time to go a little way off of the interstates.
For all in the NE, enjoy the long awaiated snow/ ice (to y'all in more southern or western climates - *&()^%$ - um, I mean, enjoy your 'non iced over' pools)

[edit]Evan, my kin come from Short Hill, and I think thier money was old before Millburn was established , but you're right, get a few miles off of the highway and anyone would realize why it's called the 'Garden State' [ silly me -end edit]

When I was a kid I can remember when most of Short Hills was being built! (Before the Sorpranos moved in there) Short Hills started as the 'new' section of Millburn before it broke off and became it's own town. This is why the 'Millburn Mall' is actually located in Short Hills (or have they finally changed the name to Short Hills Mall?)