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everlarkficexchange · 5 years

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All the World's a Stage

Prompt 31: “We never see you two so much as kiss in public but last night we all heard you having sex.” Submitted by Buttercupbadass

Rated E (Explicit): Mainly for language because Johanna is a potty mouth and so are other certain characters whilst mid coitus okay I don’t make the rules here so there’s more than one f-bomb therefore we rate it E. Also sexual content.

Written by: @katnissdoesnotfollowback

Beta reading by: @stjohn27

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Act 1

Johanna Mason loves her neighbors. That is to say, she loves the entertainment they provide her with. It’s a rotating show of fabulous, ridiculous, and delicious drama, and she has a window to each and every one of their lives. Literally.

Victor’s Square is not exactly a square. It’s more of an elongated rectangle shaped building consisting of thirteen apartments, a workout room, a community center, and an office, with a hollowed out central area for a pool. Honestly, the pool is the reason she picked this place instead of The Arbor, which is pretty damn swanky but somehow they forgot to include a pool, of all things, when they added their five thousand luxury amenities. Since Johanna likes sunbathing and not golfing (ugh boring!), Victor’s Square won out.

The three story design of the building, and her luck in snagging the single apartment on top of the office, means that at some point in the day, barring sun glare on glass or inconvenient curtains, she can see directly into every other apartment on the rectangle. Hence the entertainment.

She’s been privy to all sorts of great shit, and none of them seem to know exactly what they’ve given her. The best part is, they’re clueless. As soon as she realized they were basically living their lives on a stage for her, Johanna started parading around her own place with the curtains wide open…while naked. Stark fucking naked. Just to see what would happen.

And nothing changed. No one complained. Which granted, she’s got a banging body. Axe wielding will do that, but she can think of at least half a dozen residents who’d be put off by her exhibitionism. And yet… nothing. No one started suspiciously keeping their curtains or blinds closed when they hadn’t before. Since they’re all too dumb to figure out that their lives are her parade, she just popped the popcorn and settled in for the show.

Tonight, however, Johanna is in no mood for the show. After a late night shift ending a bitch of a week, all she’s in the mood to do is swim a few laps to get the grime off of her skin then lay back in one of the lounge chairs around the pool, listening to the hum of the air conditioners in the sweltering Carolina night, swatting at the mosquitos because she’s too damn lazy to light the citronella torches, and stare up at the rectangle of starry sky she can see.

It’s quiet tonight. She swims her laps, and it works wonders to relax her tired bones and even more tired soul. After, she lays out on one of the squeaky lounge chairs. The hum and the warm air make her drowsy. Inevitably, she begins to doze, with only a vague awareness of the passage of time and the sounds around her.

It’s the loud click and the whoosh that wakes her. Just for a moment. Not long enough to place it at all before she fades back out into half slumber.

Her psyche is a bitch tonight, dropping long breathy moans into her dreams. The sex so good you can’t quite keep it in kind of moans, even though you’re trying. Completely aware that she messed up a truly great thing just days ago, she tells her subconcious to fuck off and stop reminding her of the one she let get away. Because she was stubborn. Unfortunately, her subconscious is not listening to her. Stupid fucker.

Scrunching up her nose, she refuses to move. She’s sticky with sweat and pretty sure that she’ll lose two layers of skin off her back and thighs when she goes to stand up from the lounge. Besides, there’s a low moaning noise that makes her wonder if maybe she wasn’t actually dreaming those sex sounds.

The moans in her mind grow louder and slightly more frantic until she can place the heavy feeling in her limbs. She’s awake after too little sleep.

Damn it. She’s not actually dreaming this shit. Which means one of her neighbors is on the brink of a seriously great orgasm. She’s not sure if she’s annoyed by the fact that she herself hasn’t had decent sex in far too long, or if she’s amused at yet another dramatic chapter in life at Victor’s Square.

The real question is… who’s doing the nasty tonight?

Act 2

A slight shiver and a thrill goes through Johanna as she finally opens her eyes and stares up at the canvas of stars above her.

Another moan ends in a slight squeal and fuck it, Johanna is hooked on the mystery. Shame she doesn’t have any popcorn down here, because given the sheer volume, and the way the sounds are magnified by the shape of the rectangle around the pool, she’s pretty sure whoever it is, they’re fucking with the windows open.

Kinky.

And a lot more interesting than her job. She does a happy little shimmy and settles in to guess who it possibly could be. First things first… she glances around the pool and discovers to her dismay that every apartment has at least one window open, but they’re all dark. Not surprising given that it’s well past midnight. But it’s unfortunately unhelpful. The air conditioner must be out again. That’s probably what that loud noise was earlier.

She closes her eyes again, hoping to pinpoint the direction of the sounds to figure out which of her neighbors is getting lucky tonight. But the shape of the building makes it impossible. Sounds just carry weird in this rectangular bullhorn. They could be coming from anywhere.

“Ung, yeah, right there… oh-oooooh!” The last sound is hitched and breathy. That’s a woman’s voice, Johanna thinks.

“Yes. Don’t — don’t stop! – I –” The word is pinched off in a desperate sort of ecstasy and Johanna smiles. This could be fun.

It can’t be Caesar and Claudius, the two radio talk show hosts who live in apartment 6. They’re gay. And men. And a couple. But truthfully, she’s not at all disappointed that she can rule them out. She already knows more than she’d like to admit about their sexual habits. Usually she’s not one to kink shame, but electrodes on nipples is a little too close to the realm of torture for her tastes.

“Yes! Please!” the woman begs and Johanna feels her body flush with the erotic sounds, she’s half aroused but fully invested in figuring out who this is. She could of course, get up and walk around to triangulate the sound, but what’s the fun in that?

She quickly rules out Mags in apartment 5. She’s the sweetest old lady, surprisingly spritely. From what Johanna has seen from old pictures of her, Mags was a fucking dish in her youth, but now she’s gotta be pushing ninety. Besides the wrinkles (shudder), Johanna would be worried about heart failure if Mags were the one getting her boots knocked around with this much vigor.

The long moans shift to the choppy, catch breath ones that mean she’s close, whoever the lucky bitch is.

Cinna in apartment 3 is out. He’s ace. Asexual and aromantic. Claims that he’s in a love affair with his work. Well if she could design clothes like the ones Cinna does, Johanna would be willing to give up sex too. She snorts a little and turns her ear, hoping for a better angle on the sound. She’s pretty sure it’s coming from one of the upstairs apartments, but can’t be sure.

Whoever it is, she lets fly a single high pitched note. And then a long stuttering moan that just sounds exactly how it feels to come back down from a really good orgasm. Satisfied, relieved, a little sleepy and a whole lotta euphoric.

Lucky bitch, Johanna thinks again. Her legs feel heavy and her toes tingle in empathy.

Now if only she could catch something of the partner’s noises…unless the woman is masturbating. Possible, but the directions to not stop earlier make it less likely.

A low pitched murmur and a deep masculine laugh helpfully nix that thought almost as soon as Johanna has it.

Not flying solo, but also Johanna can now rule out Enobaria and Lyme from apartment 2. She’s never understood them exactly. On the surface, you’d think they’d be perfect for one another. Their personalities mesh in a weird kinda way. Enobaria is louder while Lyme is more dignified, but they’re so often bickering about politics… and the truth is, they have an open relationship.

Or at least Johanna assumes they do based on the number of not-Lyme women Enobaria has entertained shoved up against the glass door leading to their balcony…but if not, Johanna is perfectly willing to offer up herself as a rebound to Lyme when the inevitable shit hits the fan. That woman is built like a house and fucking sexy in a domineering sort of way. Like Brienne of Tarth hotness.

She can order me to submit anytime she wants, Johanna thinks with a smirk.

As if confirming her thoughts, a long deep moan drifts down to her ears, slow and almost silky. Delighted and yet a little astonished, like he can’t quite believe his luck. Definitely a dude. Blowjob or penetration? Either way, this guy’s pent up, she thinks. She’s also guessing that the girl’s orgasm was from fingering or cunnilingus, which means the show is not anywhere near to being done.

There’s only so many people left who it could be…

Her phone vibrates on her chest and she finally opens her eyes again, lifting it above her face and squinting at the overly bright screen.

Finnick: I can’t believe you’re sleeping on this. Do you hear this?!

Johanna frowns. The time stamp is right now. Which rules out Finnick and Annie in apartment 4. Damn it. They were the most obvious choice for a man-woman pairing going at it with this much abandon, and while Johanna is pretty sure they have mind numbingly, porn worthy good sex, they’re unfortunately discreet about it.

It’s maddening.

Whenever she talks about Finnick and Annie, Johanna’s therapist always hums that way therapists sometimes do when they know you’re engaging in something destructive or unhealthy — such as a minor obsession with your best friend’s love and sex life — but the therapist wants you to figure it out on your own. Johanna can’t help it. Finnick’s a walking sexual fantasy for almost every woman out there. Even her lesbian friends find him hot. And Annie’s gorgeous. Johanna can’t help it if she not so secretly wants them to sandwich her. She’s got a good strap on that Annie could borrow to get it done.

But alas, or maybe fortunately, Finnick’s text eliminates them as the current lucky couple. Pity. She was hoping for something new to add to her spank bank.

Johanna: Where are you?

Finnick: Well we were asleep.

Johanna: Boring. You could be giving them competition.

As if to punctuate her point, a steady cadence of low, slow moans begins filling the air. They weave through the humidity and now Johanna is just angry.

Johanna: Do you know who it is?

Finnick: Nope. I have my theories…

Johanna: Ugh spare me.

There’s three potential couples left, and of those three, Johanna’s got a good guess who Finnick thinks it is, or at least wants it to be.

Johanna: I’ll gouge out my eyes if it’s them.

Finnick: Say it. Call them the name.

Johanna: I’m not using that stupid nickname, you absolute child

Finnick: Like you’re any better.

“Fuck fuck fuck, stop. You’re gonna make me come,” the lucky man gasps. The woman must say something because he chuckles and whispers back to her, the tone traveling if not the words. Johanna sets her phone down then, perked up by shuffling noises that sound maybe like a position change.

So who is left…

There’s Haymitch and Effie. Those two… residents of apartments 9 and 11 respectively…they pretend like they hate one another, and maybe they really do. While Johanna enjoys their epic fights, she’s not overly fond of their making up sessions. She’s pretty sure Effie was some kind of tantric goddess or pretzel in another life with the way that woman can bend.

It’s…unnatural.

Her phone vibrates again and Johanna lifts it in front of her face, this time it’s a notification from Facebook, sent out to all the residents in the group.

Effie: I have already filed a complaint with Mr. Heavensbee in regards to the broken a/c. He says there will be a repairman here first thing in the morning. In the meantime, we should all attempt to be cordial in our behaviors and not disturb the other residents since all will likely have the windows open for the night.

A text almost immediately after let’s Johanna know what her friend thinks of that.

Finnick: Where’s your sense of fun, Effie?

Johanna bites back a snort. Although the notice does rule out the exuberant woman as a candidate for Porn Queen tonight, so Johanna texts Finnick again.

Johanna: My money is on Cashmere and Gloss

Johanna sends the text and waits for the response. She’s not disappointed. She cackles internally at the flood of barf emojis and angry exclamations she gets back. Cashmere and Gloss of apartment 1, or as Johanna likes to call them, The Lannisters. Because they may be brother and sister, but they’re totally doing the nasty. Really nasty.

No one believes Johanna about this, though, and she’s not about to tell the other residents how she knows it’s a fact, not just some cockamamy theory of hers. People get pushed off walls for things like that.

Not to mention then they’d all figure out that she can see into their apartments as well and there goes that bit of fun.

“Fuck,” the lucky dude draws the word out into almost a croak, and there’s a soft sigh from her.

Finnick: Something is wrong with you

Johanna: Do you think he’s well hung? Whoever he is?

Finnick: Who cares as long as he knows how to use it?

Johanna shakes her head at this, easily able to picture her friend wiggling his eyebrows.

Johanna: He sounds well hung. It could still be Haymitch, sans Effie

After all, Haymitch isn’t officially tied down, and at the last residence brunch, Peeta’s good friend Delly was visiting and wasn’t at all subtle about her attraction to Haymitch. The girl was deceptively sweet, bubbly and innocent, but with those knockers on her chest and the way she kept laughing at Haymitch’s worst jokes, Johanna is pretty sure Delly has a thing for the much older man.

Finnick: I’m going to ignore your obsession with Haymitch’s junk for now. And also nope. Annie says she can see Haymitch through our window, sitting on his balcony, drinking.

Finnick: Alone.

Well damn. There goes that theory. Just to be sure, Johanna turns her head and cranes her neck. Sure enough, Haymitch sits on his balcony, lounged back in his chair with a glass in hand. After a second or two, he must feel eyes on him because he looks down towards Johanna and lifts the glass in toast.

Which is when the wall pounding begins and the lucky man’s moans start to grow out of control. Damn. They’re really into it now.

Finnick: You know I’m right

Johanna: You’re ridiculous.

Finnick: It’s Peeniss. How much you wanna bet?

Johanna rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Finnick has some crazy theory that Peeta Mellark, baker and all around way too nice guy of apartment 8 is somehow secretly dating Katniss-I-Will-Shoot-You-If-You-Touch-Me-Everdeen of apartment 12. Not that the girl doesn’t need a good fuck. If anyone is desperately in need of a body shaking, mind blowing, toe curling orgasm, like the one currently building in the summer night, it’s that perpetually scowling and uptight bitch.

Johanna just seriously doubts that the woman now moaning in cadence with the steady headboard thumps and the increasing volume is Katniss. She sounds way too into it, relaxed. Whoever she is, she’s getting nailed five ways to Sunday and is ecstatic about it.

It could be one of Katniss’ lovely roommates. Katniss lives with her younger sister and one of her best friends, Madge Undersee, in apartment 12. They’re crammed into it somehow… but before Johanna can suggest it to Finnick, she dismisses the idea.

Prim’s at college, left three days ago…so it won’t be her. Shame. She’s been living under her big sister’s overprotective arch so long that the poor girl has got some catching up to do in the sex arena. College will be good for that, but it means she’s not the woman–

“Fuck yeah.” A resounding slap and the accompanying whimper make Johanna’s eyes go wide. “Lift that ass for me. Fuck yourself on my cock. Love it when you do that.”

Whoa. Okay.

It could be Madge. Or Gale who lives right next door in apartment 13, but they’re almost as unlikely candidates as Katniss. Johanna is pretty sure Madge is a lesbian. Closeted still, unfortunately, because Johanna wouldn’t mind burying her face between those creamy thighs. And Gale… well it could be Gale, Johanna supposes, with some lucky girl who doesn’t live in Victor’s Square.

Maybe Delly.

Shame it’s not me, Johanna thinks and risks stretching a little. It has been her before, in her own apartment, because while Gale is usually down to fuck, he’s never down to doing it in his apartment.

That’s because he’s got a massive boner for Katniss and isn’t willing to risk her knowing that he fucks around with at least half a dozen girls that are not Katniss. Masochist. That’s what Gale is. But it’s also why Johanna doubts that Gale is the guy currently balls deep in ecstasy. He’s too loud for someone who wants to keep his sex life secret from his neighbor.

As for Peeta…well it could be Peeta with a girl who isn’t Katniss. He’s handsome and sweet enough to get plenty of pussy, if he tried—

“No! Don’t stop!”

“You don’t get to come again just yet,” the man growls and Johanna automatically clenches her thighs at the commanding tone.

More shuffling and grunting. One yelp from her, then the pounding resumes. And doesn’t let up.

“Harder!”

Faster and faster, his moans keeping pace. The resounding slapping of skin.

“Gonna – gonna!”

A chorus of “yes’s” and desperate pleas.

“Fucking yes! Peeta!”

Her phone goes off with a stupid amount of speed.

Finnick: I TOLD YOU!!!!

Johanna types madly at this.

Johanna: So it’s not the Lannisters, but that doesn’t mean it’s Katniss up there with Peeta.

Finnick: Oh come on! Who else could it be? You know he’s got it bad for her!

Okay yeah, there is that. There’s also the fact that Johanna shouldn’t be so bitter about this. Just like Katniss is in dire need of a good fuck, so is Peeta. But based on the sounds and the things they said…

Whoever she is, she’s still squealing and the thumping hasn’t let up yet. Damn that’s a long orgasm, Johanna thinks with more than a little jealousy.

“Come for me. Fucking come inside me. Now. Peeta!”

Those aren’t the words of a sexually frustrated prude talking, Johanna wants to say. Nor are they words of a couple going at it for the first time. Nope. This couple is way too comfortable with each other for it to be a first time. This couple has fucked before. Maybe often.

Go baker boy, Johanna wants to say, but she can’t imagine who he’s with. He hasn’t so much as brought a date home in a year.

A series of texts from Finnick crop up on her phone. Flame emojis and winking faces. An eggplant or two and the three drops of water people use to represent cum. Johanna slouches in her chair, a little miffed that she can’t shut Finnick up yet until…

There’s a deep growling, animalistic sound. A long string of curse words mixed with moans and then—

“Katniss. Fuuuuuuuuck.”

The curse word takes him about a minute to get out all the way. Damn it, Johanna thinks. Now Finnick will be impossible to live with. She can’t even look at her phone as it blows up again, knowing that he’ll be gloating. Instead she turns it off.

As carefully as she can, Johanna peels herself off the lounge chair and tiptoes towards the stairs, intent on reaching her own balcony. Not because it sits caddy corner to Peeta’s apartment and if they’re in his room, it’ll be easier for her to hear any pillow talk. Not at all.

She hurries and nearly gives herself away with the door, but manages it. She stands in the shadows of her balcony and nearly chokes on her tongue at the first thing she hears, besides the unmistakable sounds of coming down thrusts or sucks, maybe kissing, quiet aftermath moans.

“Hold still. I’m not done.”

“Feels too good,” he pants. “Can’t take much more, Katniss.”

“Mmm, you’ll take it and you’ll like it.”

“Yeah, I will,” he says and she giggles.

“Are you braiding my hair?”

“Can’t help it. You look so gorgeous sucking yourself off my dick… I can stop…”

“No… go ahead.”

Another few seconds of suction noises and then Peeta sighs in relief.

There’s the fwump and creak of a bed under weight. Johanna can practically see them all cuddled up like a cute little couple in his bed. Sighing and kissing and caressing in their afterglow.

Disgusting.

“Such a cute ass, and all mine,” Katniss says and there’s a slap then a gasp.

Fucking hell, Johanna thinks, eyes bulging out of her head.

Who would’ve thought the two of them would be so wild in bed? Who would’ve thought they were actually fucking each other?

Johanna wrinkles her nose then, finally forcing herself to go inside her own place. Just out of curiosity, though, she chances one last peek at Peeta’s place. The curtains are drawn, but a helpful gust sucks them out the window just long enough for Johanna to catch a glimpse of two naked bodies on his bed, illuminated in the soft glow of a lamp. Katniss with her head tipped over the edge in the direction of the window and a smile on her face as Peeta kisses a lazy path over her body. Her fingers plucking absently at the tangled sheets.

Well damn and fuck.

Johanna heads to bed after that and prepares a salvo of taunting for tomorrow morning. There’s no way she’s letting something this juicy go unremarked upon, especially since literally everyone who was home would’ve heard it.

Act 3

In the morning, Johanna is up early and down at the community center well before the once a month residents’ brunch that Effie insists on hosting. Poor thing is pinch faced and pale this morning, flummoxed when Johanna offers to help set up.

“I suppose. Since no one else appears to be out and about yet. Nothing funny with the vegetables this time,” Effie chastises and Johanna salutes. She’s got better things planned than erotic displays with the produce.

Honestly, she couldn’t care less about the flower arrangements or the energy inherent in the order of food laid out on the table. Helping Effie this morning affords her a prime view through the community center windows of each stairwell and of everyone arriving this morning.

And not just for brunch, she thinks with a smirk as she spots Gale, still wearing his work shirt, sneaking up a stairwell towards apartment 13.

Where have you been all night? Johanna wonders. Not with Katniss, the girl he’s so obviously got the hots for. Even better for the impending drama. She wonders if he’ll find his neighbors present or if Katniss is still cozied up with Peeta in post coital bliss. They’re probably totally morning sex people, Johanna decides.

Slow, sweet morning sex with loving words. Ugh, gag me, Johanna rolls her eyes at her own thoughts.

Preparations move swiftly after that, even with Effie on her case every few minutes. The pending drama is just too great to dampen her mood.

Peeta’s one of the first to arrive, conspicuously alone. He chats with Johanna for a few minutes, friendly as always, and then moves off as more of the residents arrive.

It takes everything in Johanna’s energy reserve to not throw something at the back of his head. He acts like he didn’t have the fuck of his life last night. It befuddles her and also infuriates her because it means Finnick could be right.

Oh my god, Finnick could be right about them! They might actually be dating. Who’s to say they aren’t if they can keep their sex life together such a secret. If the air conditioner hadn’t failed…

Peeta’s nonchalance this morning throws all her arguments against Finnick’s stupid Peeniss theories out the window. How is that even possible? She had Peeta pegged as a total softie. Hand holding, nose rubbing, and obnoxiously cute, borderline clingy PDA type of guy, not a rail you into the bed then pretend I don’t even know you the next morning type of guy.

Huh. Pegging. Wonder if he’s into that, Johanna thinks then has to forcibly shake the image out of her head. Because not only does it make sense in a way, but the image is also…sexy as fuck. And she doesn’t need yet another happy dappy ass couple to fantasize about and maker her therapist hum at her in that knowing way.

Fuck Finnick and his stupid theories.

When the tenants of apartments 12 and 13 finally arrive together, Madge splits off to talk to Mags. Gale and Katniss are both suspiciously wet haired. If Johanna didn’t know any better, she’d guess that they were the culprits last night, especially when Katniss doesn’t even so much as look in Peeta’s direction.

Her cheeks are flushed, but she’s avoiding her fuck buddy, talking to literally everyone else, twisting the damp ends of her braid around her finger.

“What do you make of it?” Johanna asks Finnick, bumping her hip into his. He shrugs, with that insufferable smirk on his face that he always gets whenever he’s right.

For two people who were so clearly intimate last night, Katniss and Peeta are doing a pretty good job of acting like the other one doesn’t even exist.

“They’re just… both very private people. But the signs are all there for anyone paying attention.”

“But that’s the thing… the signs aren’t there!” Johanna protests. What game are they playing, she wonders.

“I just don’t get it,” Johanna says and Finnick glances down at her.

“What?”

She waves her hands at Peeta, who looks for all the world like he’s fascinated by whatever Caesar is talking about. But why would he be when Katniss is literally right there.

“They act like nothing happened.”

“Well we know something happened,” Finnick says conspiratorially. Then his smile slips. “Actually, everyone here knows about it.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah. Apparently everyone was home last night…”

“Not Gale,” Johanna adds and lifts one eyebrow. Finnick’s eyes go wide and his mouth turns round.

“Oh my. Delicious.”

“Isn’t it?”Johanna says. “But still… you wouldn’t guess it from the way they act.”

“They can’t stop looking at each other.”

Johanna turns her head and motions at them. Absolutely not looking at one another.

“Are not.”

“You missed it. Gotta be quick with these two.”

Johanna shakes her head as she watches Katniss, and Gale who is placing some kind of food on her plate. She’s nodding and listening to him but subtly shifting the food off to the side of her plate while picking up something else and nibbling on it straight away.

And finally, Johanna can’t take it anymore. She stomps over to the tables and loads up her own plate, absolutely not eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Thought you were gonna text me when you got off work?” Gale says.

“Oh. Something came up… Prim. Prim needed to talk.”

“Everything alright?” Gale asks.

And this time, Johanna just catches the quick dart of gray eyes towards blue. Peeta’s shy smile. Katniss’ swift flutter of lashes and nibble on her bottom lip before returning her attention to Gale.

“It is now.”

“Usually is after a seriously good orgasm or two. And by the way, that’s low, using your baby sister as an excuse,” Johanna snorts. She doesn’t mean to, but it just sort of slips out.

Katniss whips around to face her. Dark rouge staining her high cheekbones and her lips pinched together.

“My sister isn’t an excuse.”

“Oh please. Cut the crap.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Katniss hisses.

“I’m talking about the fact that we never see the two of you so much as kiss or even hold hands in public, but last night, I heard you having sex. Loud sex. Phenomenal, shake the rafters loud, sex.” Johanna smirks at the pair of stunned faces looking at her. And the dozen curious faces plus Peeta’s mortified one. All of them focused on her. Center stage, she thinks with a grin and waves a half eaten croissant around at the gathered crowd. “We all heard you. Except for Gale here who was probably out getting consolation tail since you didn’t text him. Really, Brainless, what do you expect if you and baker boy are gonna bang with the windows open?”

There’s ten seconds of stunned silence before Finnick shouts, “I figured it out first, by the way!” Then he grunts as Annie elbows him in the gut.

“Baker boy?” Gale practically growls and Johanna sashays away as Peeta steps over to stand behind a now scowling Katniss. Her hand clenches into a fist as she faces Gale. She leans back against Peeta’s chest, as if she knows he’s there before she even sees him. Good for her. At least she’s not going to shy away from it. But now they’re going to be every bit as insufferably disgusting as Finnick and Annie are.

Love’s a bitch, oh well. Time for that popcorn, Johanna thinks.

#Springtime Edition 2020 #katnissdoesnotfollowback #buttercupbadass #Prompt 31 #early submission #submission

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luxeairconditioning5-blog · 4 years

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Air cooling has many uses besides preserving us comfortable. Many market sectors depend on it to keep air in their plants clean, neat and at the right moisture level. Like textile fiber such as made of wool and cotton will expand or shrink as the wetness content of air alterations. This causes variations within the quality of the cloth. Excessive moisture in the air -or possibly on a worker's fingertips- will result in delicate metal parts for example rocket components or excellence instruments instrument to rust. The wrong temperature can pamper a batch of convential medical culture. Proper air conditioning inhibits this mishap.

The serious diamond and gold fosse of South Africa use air-con to enable miners to work concerning how would otherwise be suffocating in heat, thousands of legs below the ground. With the ac is involved in every part states space program, from generating missiles to tracking these people through the atmosphere.

Inventors get tinkered with methods of air cooling for years. Ancient Egyptians as well as Romans got some getting rid of the heat by hanging unique mats soaked with normal water across to their entrances with their houses, so the air can be could by evaporation. From the 15th century A. G., the famous artist and creator built water powered lover.

As men is curiosity about science grew so does the number of schemes for getting awesome. There were hundreds of ideas, nevertheless non-e of them really previously worked. In fact , many of the schemes built people feel worse because they extra large amount of water to the air flow. Air is like a cloth or sponge. It will soak up water create people feel sticky and uneasy, especially in hot weather. When the atmosphere is very moist, we the humidity is high. As soon as the air is dry, humidity is low and we feel much better.

The first machine that kept humidity low or cooled the oxygen at the same time was developed in 1902 by Willis H. Transporter who built is often known as "the father of air conditioner. " Carrier built this model for a printing plant within Brooklyn, New York, that possessed trouble printing in coloring. Paper stretches when the surroundings is damp and lessens when the air is dried. Since each color would have to be printed separately, printing of various colors on the same sheet involving paper did not line up properly because the papers change dimension between printings. Carrier's device kept the moisture level in the air constant by pulling the air over a row frosty pipes that condensed surplus moisture. This kept typically the paper at one sizing and also made the people inside the plant feel cool. Carrier's invention marked the get started of scientific air conditioning.

Air conditioner was soon being used in a lot of factories, such as plants that will made ammunition during Entire world War I. But men and women generally did nit find out about this invention until 1920's, when hundreds of movie theaters, malls, and restaurants had air conditioning installed. People often arrived to these places just to get respite from hot, muggy air exterior.

As the air conditioning became widely used during the 1930's, central air-con systems were developed. All these could cool the whole place of work or apartment building from a centrally located unit, just as structures were heated from one major furnace in the basement as an alternative to by little stoves inside each room. During the similar period small units that can air condition a single room were being developed. After World Conflict II large numbers of small models began to be used in private properties. A later development, employed increasingly in public buildings and homes, combined heating and cooling products in one system.

How does the idea Work?

An air conditioning unit is not going to "add coolness" to the weather. It removes heat. A air conditioner works on the same standard principle as a refrigerator-though it's not designed to produce such very low temperatures. Heat is removed from the air by the rapid development of a refrigerant (cooling substances) as it turns from a liquefied at high pressure. An with illustration shows the circuit of operations of a smaller home-type air conditioner. Here the environment is cooled directly with the machine. For the sake of the convenience, filter and motors are definitely not shown in this diagram. Inside large, central installations, like those in office properties and schools, a equipment chills water that is piped to a series of coils. Surroundings from building is driven over this coils and also circulated through the building blowers.

To be practical, an air conditioner must be able to maintain a temperature. Otherwise people will have to turn their units don and doff continually as the temperature grow to be too cold or sizzling. A steady temperature-regulating device named thermostat. The thermostat is focused at desired temperature. After that it switches the cooling model on and off as needed.

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dianaquinonesfan-blog · 5 years

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Heating Companies Near by in West End Vancouver

Pioneer Plumbing has built a reputation of honesty with our long time returning customers. We’ve found that “doing the right thing” in all aspects of our company has brought us to where we are today, and will continue to guide us into the future. Don’t hesitate to call and ask us any plumbing, heating, ventilation, or gas related questions. Chances are if you have a tricky issue, we can solve it.

We have a few goals for our clients. One is to be available for you. It is very uncommon that when you call us we are unable to make it within the same day. We give our repeat customers priority service so if you’ve used us before and you have an emergency, we are going to do what we need to, to get someone there.

Two is to be upfront and honest. From our quotes to our service techs on site, we don’t like to beat around the bush. We will let you know our concerns, our recommendations, and our opinions on how we would handle each situation as if it were our own residence where the problem occurred. We won’t tell you the job is only a 2 hour repair when we have had situations where it turned into an all day repair.

Three is to stand behind our installations and repairs. With mechanical work, it is very common for jobs to get larger or go sideways as you get into them. If we give you a quote we will stand true to the price, if we complete a job for you and you are unhappy with the finished product, we will come back and make it right. In return, all we ask is that you communicate with our office respectfully and honestly so that we can make sure at the end of the day you are happy with our services!

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

They are making a few good points regarding Electric Furnace Repair as a whole in this content on the next paragraphs.

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

If you have central heating, the furnace (also known as an air handler) in your home will heat your air in the winter while the blower motor circulates the air throughout your home. The AC evaporator coils for your air handler remove heat and humidity in summer. After your furnace heats or cools your air, it is then supplied to the duct system and the air begins flowing through your registers.

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Air duct cleaning can help reduce allergies from dust and other pollutants. Pollen, dust, and mold spores can get trapped in your duct work, which means that it's being continuously circulated throughout the air you breathe at home.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 25 to 40 percent of the energy used for heating or cooling a home is wasted. Contaminants in the heating and cooling system cause it to work harder and shorten the life of your system. Although filters are used, the heating and cooling system still gets dirty through normal use.

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends air duct cleaning for improvement of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). A certified duct cleaning will include cleaning of the furnace, the main trunk line [for air circulation] and all vents (including supplies and returns) each cleaned out individually.

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

Typically your furnace is centrally located in the home. It is usually located in an area such as a utility closet (by a cold air return), garage, attic, basement, or crawlspace; in the case of a heat-pump (a dual-system) it will be located outside of the home. When your system is run with a heat pump, it is likely a typical duct cleaning will include cleaning of evaporator coils with full system cleanings. Your furnace is usually located by other mechanical equipment such as the hot water heater, a [permanently installed] central vacuum cleaner, or a water softener, if this equipment is installed in your home.

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

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Heating Repair And Seasonal Maintenance Tips

There are many ways to maintain your furnace system. Chances are good the system shall be running full-time in winter. furnace systems normally run more than needed, because of incorrect settings. When trouble shooting and improving your heating portion of your furnace system, there are various things to consider.

The Air Filter

This part is what gets brought up probably the most in discussions about furnace maintenance, but is sometimes forgotten. When there is a blockage, you either run the risk of not distributing heat effectively or possibly igniting a fire.When the filter gets dirty air cannot flow through either which means the furnace must work overtime and will also mean a risk of fire. When your furnace works too much, it is more expensive to operate. You want to obviously remove any chance of fire. In both cases it is not good for reassurance or your budget.

Test The Blower

Check out the blower blades to ensure they are free of crap. Should there be any buildup of dirt and dust, your fan will work overtime to blow the air around, and your furnace will be overexerting itself. This implies strain on your furnace system and your budget since more energy is required to constantly run the blower.

Check To See That The Fire Damper Works

Be sure to check your fire damper for correct operation. This will ensure that the fir risk is reduced and that the system will work more proficiently.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

It is feasible that your ducts became impaired throughout the years for a variety of reasons. If a duct has flattened or become blocked, your system will believe that the right temperature has been achieved, which will not be true. When this happens the furnace works harder to do its job but is going to be unable to attain the right temperature range.

Band Insulation

It is easy to miss the insulation, but is one of the most typical reason for a system out of order. Be sure to look at the insulation and confirm it has not become loose and resulted in gaps involving the ductwork and of course the exterior. When this happens furnace works more than wanted while attempting to reach optimal temperature.

Ductwork Needs To Be Connected

Make sure the ductwork is hooked up everywhere to all sections. Disconnected ductwork will permit warm air to escape and of course increase the running costs.

Return Air Inlets And Zone Dampers

Be certain to check that return air intakes are dirt free and in good shape or your system will be out of balance. Look at your dampers to verify that they are in the best position. Through the year we could change the position of the damper for many reasons (i.e. getting into a tight space or arranging for storage). For a properly working system, check to see that the dampers are in the best position.

If these everyday jobs are beyond what you are comfortable with, it may be wise to appoint a local heating service licensed for furnace and gas furnaces. You will find a number of heating contractors around you who can take care of this all quite competently. For the best results you could set up annual upkeep for furnace and your heating people will call yearly to take care of it.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=3074062878359928777 https://plumber-vancouver-repair-service.business.site/

https://downtown.pioneerplumbing.com/services/vancouver/west-end

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

1101-1202 Harwood St Vancouver BC, V6E 1S3 Phone: (778) 839-2040 Place ID ChIJfSdjui5zhlQRyb_bmeZDqSo

Business Hours: Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours

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Water Heater Contractor my Area in Downtown Vancouver

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

What're your ideas with regards to Furnace Humidifier?

How One Can Avoid High Heating Repair Bills

There are many ways to maintain your furnace system. Chances are good the system will be running full-time in the winter. furnace systems typically run longer than needed, because of incorrect controls. When troubleshooting and improving the heating segment of your furnace system, there are several areas to examine.

Replace The Air Filter

This is what you usually hear people talking about most frequently, but so few people take the advice and check it. If there is a obstruction, you either run the chance of not disbursing heat appropriately or perhaps igniting a fire.When the filter gets dirty air will not flow through as well which suggests the furnace must work harder and could also mean a likelihood of fire. If the system is not circulating heat efficiently, it will be working overtime. You want eliminate any risk of fire. Neither circumstance is good for your wallet or your peace of mind..

Look At The Blower

Look at your blower blades and clean them up. If you find any build-up of grime and dust, your fan will work harder to blow the air around, and your heating will be overexerting itself. This means the system is over taxed and costing extra money to run.

Check To See That The Fire Damper Works

Be sure to look at your fire damper for correct functioning. The fire damper is self-explanatory so take note of this aspect.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

Air ducts get bumped into over the years. If there are obstructions or if the duct has collapsed somewhere the furnace system will think the correct temp has been reached, which will be wrong. When this will happen the furnace works too much to do its job but is going to be unable to reach the desired tempurature.

Band Insulation

It is easy to miss the insulation, but is one of the most typical reason for a system malfunctioning. Take take time to focus on the insulation in between the duct work and the outside to make sure it has not come loose. When this happens furnace will work more than required while attempting to reach optimal temperature.

Air Ducts Need To Be Sealed

See that the ductwork has not become detached from the next section. Disconnected ductwork will permit hot air to escape and naturally increase the running costs.

Return Air Inlets And The Zone Dampers

Be sure that that return air intakes are free of dust and debris so air can easily flow. Examine the zone dampers to see if they are in the correct spot. Through the year we could change the position of the damper for many reasons (i.e. getting into a tight space or making room for storage). For a properly working system, look to see that the dampers are actually in the best place.

If these tasks are more than what you are confident with, it would be wise to hire a local heating company licensed for furnace and gas furnaces. You ought to manage to find a good heating company who will look after this for you. The most sage advice we can provide is to establish annual maintenance for that appliance.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=3074062878359928777 https://plumber-vancouver-repair-service.business.site/

https://downtown.pioneerplumbing.com/

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

1101-1202 Harwood St Vancouver BC, V6E 1S3 Phone: (778) 839-2040 Place ID ChIJfSdjui5zhlQRyb_bmeZDqSo

Business Hours: Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

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Air Conditioning Parts and Service my Area in Vancouver

What're your opinions on Furnace Installation Near Me?

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

HVAC in Vancouver

youtube

Heating Repair And Seasonal Upkeep Tips

There are a few ways to maintain your furnace system. Odds are, during winter months your heater runs throughout the day attempting to keep the home warm. furnace systems generally run more than needed, because of erroneous controls. There there are various areas in your heating section to take a look at when troubleshooting for performance.

Replace The Air Filter

This is what you typically hear people talking about most often, but so few people take the recommendation and do anything about it. If there is a blockage, you either run the chance of not circulating heat properly or perhaps igniting a fire.When the air conditioner filter gets dirty air will not flow through as well which means the furnace must work overtime and will also mean a risk of fire. When a furnace works too much, it costs more to run. The fire issue is obviously self-explanatory. In both cases it is not good for peace of mind or your funds.

Test The Blower

Look at your blower blades and clean them. A dirty fan will work overtime to blow air around and naturally use higher energy to preserve the thermostat level you choose it at. Therefore the system is overworking and costing extra money to run.

Check To See That The Fire Damper Works

Next, focus on the fire damper to ensure it is running correctly. This will ensure that the risk of fire is lowered and that the system works more proficiently.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

Air ducts get bumped into over time. If a duct has flattened or become stopped up, the system will think that the proper temperature has been achieved, which will be false. When this happens the furnace works harder to do its job but is going to be incapable to reach the desired temperature range.

Band Insulation

Insulation is usually overlooked but is among the most regular reasons why an furnace system malfunctions. Take take time to focus on the insulation in between the duct work and the exterior to make sure it has not worked itself loose. If this happens, your equipment will not reach optimal temperatures and work overtime to attempt to accommodate.

Ductwork Needs To Be Connected

See that the ductwork has not become detached from the next section. Disconnected ductwork will allow hot air leak out and of course add to the running costs.

Return Air Inlets And The Zone Dampers

Be sure that that return air intakes are free of the dust and dirt so air can easily flow. Examine the zone dampers to see if they are in the right spot. Throughout the year we could change the position of the damper for a lot of reasons (i.e. getting into a tight space or making room for storage). For a properly working system, check to see that the dampers are actually in the best place.

If this is a tad too much to handle yourself, we propose you hire an area plumbing contractor certified for furnace and heating repair. There will be numerous heating specialists close to you who can care for all of this quite competently. For the right results you could set up annual up-keep for furnace and your heating people will call yearly to deal with it.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=16109373416364653742 https://vancouver-plumber.business.site/

https://www.pioneerplumbing.com/

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

626 Kingsway, Vancouver BC, V5T 3K4 Phone: (604) 872-4946

Business Hours: Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours

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As a keen reader on Gas Furnace Installation Cost, I imagined sharing that topic was really useful. I beg you take the opportunity to distribute this blog posting if you enjoyed reading it. Thanks a lot for your time invested reading it.

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Air Conditioning Parts and Service my Area in Vancouver

#Heating #HVAC #Heater

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hot-water-tank-repair-servi-blog · 5 years

Text

Air Conditioning Service Company Near by in Vancouver

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

HVAC in Vancouver

We have uncovered this post on Residential Furnace down the page on the net and decided it made sense to discuss it with you here.

Heating Repair And Seasonal Maintenance Tips

There are a few ways to maintain your furnace system. Odds are, during winter months your furnace runs throughout the day trying to keep the house warm. In fact, it is usually on more than it must be because it is incapable of maintaining an efficient atmosphere. When trouble shooting and improving the heating portion of your furnace system, there are several areas to look at.

Replace The Air Filter

This is what you typically hear people speaking about most often, but so few people take the recommendation and do anything about it. If there is a blockage, you either run the chance of not disbursing heat properly or perhaps starting a fire.When the filter becomes dirty air will not flow through either which means the furnace must work harder and will also mean a risk of fire. If the system is not circulating heat properly, it will be working harder. The fire concern is self-explanatory. In both situations it is not good for reassurance or your funds.

Look At The Blower

Check out the blower blades to make sure they are free of crap. Should there be any build-up of grime and debris, your fan will need to work overtime to blow the air around, and your heating will be overexerting itself. Therefore the system is over taxed and costing more money to run.

Check To See That The Fire Damper Works

Next, focus on the fire damper to ensure it is running the right way. The fire damper is self-explanatory so pay attention to this aspect.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

It is feasible that your ducts have become impaired throughout the years for different reasons. If a duct has flattened or become obstructed, your system will think that the right temperature has been reached, which will be false. When this happens the system works too much to do its job but is going to be incapable to attain the right tempurature.

Band Insulation

Insulation is usually missed but is among the most frequent explanations why an furnace system malfunctions. Take take time to focus on the insulation in between the duct work and the exterior to make sure it has not come loose. When this has happened furnace works more than wanted while trying to reach the best temperature.

Air Ducts Need To Be Sealed

Make be certain the ductwork is hooked up everywhere to all pieces. Disconnected ductwork will allow heated air leak out and of course add to the running costs.

Check For Leaks In The Return Air Inlets And The Zone Dampers

Be sure to check that return air intakes are clean and in good condition or your system will be unbalanced. Examine the zone dampers to check if they are in the correct place. Through the year we may change the position of the damper for a lot of reasons (i.e. getting into a tight space or making room for storage). Check to see that the dampers are actually in the correct position too.

If this is a little too much to handle by yourself, we suggest you hire an area plumbing service licensed for furnace and heating repair. You should be able to locate a good heating company who can deal with this for you. For the best results you could set up annual maintenance for furnace and your heating people will call yearly to deal with it.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=16109373416364653742 https://vancouver-plumber.business.site/

https://www.pioneerplumbing.com/

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

626 Kingsway, Vancouver BC, V5T 3K4 Phone: (604) 872-4946

Business Hours: Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

youtube

I'm certainly very interested in Heating System Replacement and I'm hoping you enjoyed reading the entire blog posting. Are you aware of somebody else who is looking into the niche? Please feel free to share it. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it.

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Air Conditioning Service Company Near by in Vancouver

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airconditioning-contractor-blog1 · 5 years

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Commercial Air Conditioning Contractor Close by in Vancouver

CommercialAir Conditioning Contractor Close by in Vancouver

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

HVAC in Vancouver

The author is making a few good pointers on the subject of HVAC Replacement as a whole in this great article below.

How To Avoid High Heating Repair Costs

You can maintain an furnace system numerous different ways. Chances are good the system shall be running all day long during the cold months. furnace systems generally run longer than needed, due to inaccurate settings. There there are various areas in your heating section to look at when troubleshooting for performance.

The Air Filter

This subject is what gets referred to the most in chats about furnace maintenance, but is usually overlooked. If there is a obstruction, you either run the risk of not disbursing heat appropriately or possibly igniting a fire.When the air conditioner filter gets dirty air will not flow through either which suggests the unit must work harder and could also mean a likelihood of fire. If the system is not circulating heat properly, it is working overtime. You want to obviously remove any risk of fire. In each case it is not good for peace of mind or your budget.

Look At The Blower

Check the blower blades and clean them. Should there be any buildup of grime and dust, your fan will need to work harder to blow the air out, and the furnace will be overexerting itself. Therefore the system is over taxed and costing extra money to run.

Check To See That The Fire Damper Works

Be sure to check your fire damper for correct functioning. This will make sure that the risk of fire is lowered and that the system will work more effectively.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

Air ducts can get damaged over the years. If a duct has collapsed or become stopped up, the system will think that the proper temperature has been achieved, which will be false. When this happens the furnace works harder to do its job but will be incapable to attain the right tempurature.

Make Sure The Insulation Is Secure

Insulation is often ignored but is among the most prevalent explanations why an furnace system fails. Take take time to look at the insulation in between the duct work and the outside to make sure it has not worked itself loose. If this happens, your system will not reach optimal temperatures and work too hard to try and accommodate.

Air Ducts Need To Be Sealed

Make be certain the ductwork is hooked up in all places to all sections. These detachments can cause spaces in the ventilation and result in a loss of heated air in your home, since it is going to be escaping through the gaps.

Return Air Inlets And The Zone Dampers

Be sure that that return air intakes are free of debris and dust so air can easily flow. Check your dampers verifying that they are in the best spot. Now and again a damper can get moved by mistake like when you fit by it, or create space for storage. For a properly functioning system, look to see that your dampers are actually in the best spot.

If these tasks are more than what you are confident with, it may be wise to appoint a local heating service licensed for furnace and gas furnaces. You ought to be able to locate a good heating company who can manage this for you. The most sage advice we can provide is to set up yearly maintenance for that appliance.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=16109373416364653742 https://vancouver-plumber.business.site/

https://www.pioneerplumbing.com/

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

626 Kingsway, Vancouver BC, V5T 3K4 Phone: (604) 872-4946

Business Hours: Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

youtube

As a passionate reader about Furnace Contractors, I thought sharing that excerpt was valuable. Appreciated our write-up? Please quickly share it. Let other people find it. Many thanks for your time. Come back soon.

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heating297-blog · 5 years

Text

Heating Repair Companies Close by in Vancouver

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

HVAC in Vancouver

How do you actually feel with regards to Boiler Repair?

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

youtube

As a serious person who reads on Commercial HVAC Service, I think sharing that piece of content was a good thing. In case you enjoyed our blog entry plz do not forget to pass it around. Thanks for being here. Don't hesitate to visit our website back soon.

How One Can Avoid High Heating Repair Costs

You can maintain an furnace system numerous different ways. Chances are good that the system shall be running all day long during the cold months. furnace systems normally run more than needed, because of erroneous controls. There there are various areas in your heating section to look at when trouble shooting for efficiency.

The Air Filter

This is the part you typically hear people speaking about most frequently, but so few people take the advice and do anything about it. If there is a obstruction, you either run the chance of not circulating heat properly or perhaps igniting a fire.When the filter becomes dirty air will not flow through as well which suggests the furnace must work harder and could also mean a risk of fire. When the furnace works overtime, it costs more to run. You want eliminate any risk of fire. In both cases it is not suitable for peace of mind or your budget.

Try The Blower

Check the blower blades and clean them up. A messy fan will work harder to blow air around and of course use more energy to preserve the thermostat level you choose it at. This implies strain on your furnace system and your wallet since more energy is required to constantly run the blower.

Check To See That The Fire Damper Works

Be sure to check your fire damper for correct functioning. The fire damper explains itself so take note of this component.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

Air ducts can get damaged over the years. If there are blockades or if the duct has flattened anywhere the furnace system will think the correct temperature has been achieved, which will be wrong. When this happens the furnace works harder to do its job but will be unable to attain the right tempurature.

Band Insulation

Insulation is usually forgotten but is among the most frequent explanations why an furnace system malfunctions. Take take time to look at the insulation between the duct work and the outside to make sure it has not worked itself loose. If this has happened, your system will not reach optimal temperatures and will work overtime to try and accommodate.

Air Ducts Need To Be Sealed

Make sure the ductwork is hooked up in all places to all sections. These detachments may cause space in the circulation and result in a loss of heated air in your house, since it will be leaking out through the gaps.

Return Air Inlets And The Zone Dampers

Be certain to check that return air intakes are dirt free and in good shape or your system will be out of balance. Check out the zone dampers to see if they are in the correct position. Every so often a damper will get moved in error like when you fit by it, or create space for storage. Check to notice that the dampers are actually in the correct position too.

If these tasks are beyond what you are confident with, it would be a good idea to hire a local heating company licensed for furnace and gas furnaces. There will be a number of heating specialists around you who will take care of this all quite skillfully. The most sage advice we can offer is to set up annual maintenance for this appliance.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=16109373416364653742 https://vancouver-plumber.business.site/

https://www.pioneerplumbing.com/

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

626 Kingsway, Vancouver BC, V5T 3K4 Phone: (604) 872-4946

Business Hours: Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours

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New Furnace Heat Repair HVAC Maintenance Heating And Ac Repair Home HVAC Repair

Heating Repair Companies Close by in Vancouver

#Heating #HVAC #Heater

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clogged-shower-drain-blog · 5 years

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Boiler Service Services Near me in Vancouver

What are your thoughts regarding First Rate Heating Repair?

HVAC in Vancouver

So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.

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Why Heating Repair is Bound To Happen When Upkeep Is Forgotten

You can maintain an furnace system a number of different ways. Odds are, during wintertime months your furnace is on throughout the day attempting to keep the home warm. In fact, it is probably on more than it needs to be because it is incapable of maintaining an operable climate. There are several areas in the heating section to look at when trouble shooting for proficiency.

The Air Filter

This is what you usually hear people talking about most often, but so few individuals take the advice and do anything about it. When there is a obstruction, you either run the chance of not disbursing heat effectively or perhaps starting a fire.When the air filter is dirty air will not flow through as well which means the unit must work harder and will also mean a likelihood of fire. If the system is not distributing heat properly, it will be working harder. The fire issue is obviously self-explanatory. In both situations it is not good for reassurance or your budget.

Try The Blower

Examine the blower blades to make sure they are free of crap. A messy fan will work overtime to blow air around and naturally use higher energy to preserve the thermostat level you choose it at. This means strain on your furnace system and your pocketbook since more gas is needed to continually run the blower.

Fire Damper Function

Next, look at the fire damper to ensure it is running correctly. The fire damper explains itself so pay attention to this component.

Look For Holes In The Flex Duct

Air ducts get bumped into over time. If there are blockades or the duct has collapsed anywhere the furnace system will think the correct temperature has been achieved, which can be wrong. When this will happen the furnace works harder to do its job but is going to be incapable to reach the desired temperature range.

Make Sure The Insulation Is Secure

Insulation is often overlooked but is perhaps the most regular reasons why an furnace system does not work properly. Be sure to check the insulation and confirm it has never become unfastened and resulted in gaps involving the ductwork and the outside. When this happens the system will work more than needed while attempting to reach the best temperature.

Air Ducts Need To Be Sealed

Make be certain the ductwork is hooked up everywhere to all pieces. Disconnected ductwork will allow warm air leak out and naturally add to the running costs.

Check For Leaks In The Return Air Inlets And Zone Dampers

Ensure that that return air intakes are free of dust and debris so air can easily flow. Look at your dampers to verify that they are in the right place. Through the year we may change the positioning of the damper for many reasons (i.e. getting in a tight space or arranging for storage). For a properly working system, check to see that the dampers are in the right position.

If that is a little too much to handle on your own, we suggest you hire an area plumbing contractor certified for furnace and heating repair. You will find a number of heating companies close to you who will take care of all of this quite skillfully. For the best results you could arrange annual maintenance for furnace and the heating people will call every year to deal with it.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=16109373416364653742 https://vancouver-plumber.business.site/

https://www.pioneerplumbing.com/

Pioneer Plumbing & Heating Inc

626 Kingsway, Vancouver BC, V5T 3K4 Phone: (604) 872-4946

Business Hours: Sunday Open 24 hours Monday Open 24 hours Tuesday Open 24 hours Wednesday Open 24 hours Thursday Open 24 hours Friday Open 24 hours Saturday Open 24 hours

HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOCATE YOUR FURNACE?

Air circulation in your home

How many air systems run in your home?

Your thermostat is what sets the temperature in your home for your comfort. The number of thermostat(s) determine how many systems work to regulate your indoor air for heating and cooling.

Improve IAQ with Duct cleaning

Where is a furnace/air-handler typically located in a home?

https://www.advantaclean.com/blog/2014/november/how-to-locate-your-furnace/

I came across that post on Home Furnace Installation when doing a lookup on the web. Do you know about someone else who is occupied with the topic? Take a moment to promote it. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it.

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Heating Company Furnace Service Furnace And Ac Replacement Heating And Cooling Installation Natural Gas Furnace Repair

Boiler Service Services Near me in Vancouver

#Heating #HVAC #Heater

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neverwatchedonepiece · 6 years

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526-528: "Undersea Volcanic Eruption! Drifting to the Fish-Man Island!", "Landing at the Fish-Man Island! Beautiful Mermaids!" and "Excitement Blow-out! Sanji's Life Under Threat!"

HOORAY! :D:D:D

Will this be one of those arcs that’s filled with sympathetic villains? The kind of characters who... well, you get where they’re coming from because they have a cast-iron reason for their villainy and you feel conflicted about cheering for the heroes? Or will it be more complicated than that?

I hope I like this arc. Ever since Arlong Park, since I learned about the Sun Pirates from Hachi and the racism Fishmen experience I’ve been hoping Oda might dig deeper into the theme. It’s early days yet, but from what I’ve seen in this episode, I’m quietly confident he’ll deliver.

Cthulhu Is... Friendly?

Must admit the Flying Dutchman action was a bit of a let-down. I thought Captain Vander Decken would be the next villain (or at least the henchman of the next villain). It was built up so well. The creepy “Dead men tell no tales” speech, Brook confirming he was the Real Deal, that the legend told of how the captain lost his mind, killed his crew and cursed the gods (who got their revenge by cursing him to drift forever).

I thought that might make a good plot line (that was before Hammond appeared and the Real Plot kicked in).

The Kraken coming back and sucker punching the Sea Bonze was so worth it. I laughed like a drain and could not believe I was cheering a Kraken like it was Hell in a Cell. Top it all off, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji came paddling back in a single bubble. And Luffy had made the Kraken his pet and named it Surume! Only Luffy can get separated from his crew and return with a pet Kraken. And laugh about the fact that he almost died.

The volcanic eruption action scene was fun. The Flying Dutchman crew and the Kraken would not mess with nature. The water glowed an ominous red and before Luffy gave any orders, Surume the Kraken was already checking out. Nami made the call for them to leap into the deep trench ahead to avoid the pyroclastic flow (is that even possible underwater? I have no idea.)

Usopp got to show off some of his skills by shooting a net-like plant weapon that stopped the debris from the eruption from smashing Sunny to pieces. (Could be good in combat for subduing bad guys.) I liked how Luffy was a good captain and praised Usopp and his cute Kraken pet for doing a good job. There’s that leadership shining through.

This was just before a stray rock bonked Surume on the head and the Strawhats woke up... ten thousand meters under the sea?

But... how? I thought.

It was bright. There was natural light and vivid colours. How?

Because it was Fishman Island! :D

Cannot lie. I was excited to finally see it. I wonder how it was for manga readers then to see that place brought to life after so long. I mean, how many chapters was it since it was first mentioned in Arlong Park until now when it was animated. I mean, it was huge! And there were entire massive trees inside the bubble. I still have no idea where the natural light was coming from, but pffft, did I care? It was FISHMAN ISLAND! :D

Then the Border Patrol Arrived?

At least, that’s who I thought they were at first.

And they brought Plot, which, let’s face it, is always good.

Three shady-looking Fishmen rode up on massive Sea Kings. They were so tough, they spoke to Surume the Kraken like it was a disobedient pet. Or... more accurately, as if it was a race traitor. “Why are you obeying such fools as humans, Kraken?” Surume fled the scene (obviously scared of these guys).

They recognised the Straw Hats too. I love how Luffy said, “Who are you? How do you know about us?” Um, Luffy... everyone knows about you now. xD

But these guys went way back. Much further than Alabasta, Enies Lobby, Impel Down or Marineford.

“You are the ones who foiled the Arlong Pirates’ plan. You stood up for Hachi and knocked out a hateful Celestial Dragon, just like Fisher Tiger, the hero of Fishman Island.”

They claimed they were the New Fishman Pirates and demanded the Strawhats enlist under their banner or be sunk.

Hammod did most of the talking but two others tagged along (Hyouzo and Kasagon).

Nami and Franky knew Luffy would say no (and possibly put them in danger because they couldn’t fight back). They took a huge gamble and spent the last of Sunny’s air crashing through Fishman Island’s protective bubbles.

The dramatic tension when the coating shrank, pinning all the Strawhats to the deck was great. But it really ramped up when the first bubble ripped off the coating and the second one turned out to be full of water. I didn’t expect that twist.

Was that the closest the Strawhats have been yet to almost dying?

Camie to the Rescue!

Luckily, they have a friend who was sort of expecting them. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji woke up at none other than Camie’s place! (The others were separated. Franky, Nami and Robin are together. I have no idea where Brook is and Zoro is on his own.)

Turns out she works at a Mermaid Cafe on the sea floor of Mermaid Cove. The dorms are more affordable on the sea floor, as opposed to the ones higher up with more natural light. I liked that Oda has imagined an entire class system here. Mermaid Cove seems an okay place. Pappagu the starfish is in the fanciest district: Fishverly Hills (lol!) and is a famous designer. Hachi lives in Fishman District, which Camie said was a ‘rough place’. Luffy still thinks Pappagu is Camie’s pet. I don’t think Luffy completely gets how Fishman Island works yet, but Camie was nice and didn’t say anything. Hammond also hinted at another Fishman Island faction: Neptune’s Army, who were introduced later but I don’t know which side they’re on yet, so they seem like a neutral third party so far. 10/10 world building from Oda there.

Camie showed them around. They took a cute turtle elevator up to the “surface”, where there were clouds, blue sky, trees and rainbows. Luffy mentioned reuniting with Jimbei because “when Ace died two years ago, I didn’t lose heart thanks to him” (yes, Luffy. I’m glad you realise just how much Jimbei did for you!)

But Jimbei was not on the island. Camie seemed to hint the War in Marineford caused a bit of trouble in Fishman Island. She didn’t go into it, damn it.

Then, the royal family’s Fish Boat swam into view, heading straight for them, carrying the Neptune Princes (Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi and Sanboshi). The mermaids hid the Straw Hats, in case they were arrested for illegally entering Fishman Island. One mermaid made the mistake of holding Sanji... let’s just say a little close to her chest.

And Lots of Beautiful Mermaids

You know what, I didn’t want to say but over the past couple of episodes, Sanji’s weakness had been annoying me. Not really badly. Just that the joke was getting a bit thin because it’d been played so many times for laughs.

Now I know why.

Does Oda do nothing without a purpose?

He had to set up all the blood loss stuff because blood transfusions are a central tenet in the hatred a lot of Fishmen have over humans.

When Sanji had his Vesuvius Moment, Dr Chopper bravely came to the rescue. Just as the Princes seemed about to take the Strawhats (though they didn’t want to arrest them. Still not sure what their deal is), Chopper placed himself in harm’s way and shouted, “Stop! I’m a Doctor! Can anyone donate S RH negative blood? If Fishman blood is the same, would anyone be willing to donate?”

Chopper unwittingly referenced an Old, Highly Politicised Grudge.

Fisher Tiger: The Hero of Fishman Island

Hammond, who had been lurking, waiting for an opportune moment to catch the Strawhats, couldn’t stay quiet at that point.

“No one on this island would give blood to lowly humans,” he scoffed. “If anyone did, they’d risk punishment from the Dark Night, from human haters. The Old Law in the kingdom states that donating blood to humans is prohibited.”

When the Strawhats protested, Hammond fired back with some Context.

“You humans set that rule first! You people have a long history of fearing us. Didn’t want your blood mixed up with ours. That’s how the hero, Fisher Tiger, died. He risked his own life to free slaves of all races. But after a bloody war, he died. He could have lived if he had a transfusion. The heartless humans refused to give their blood to him.”

I was gobsmacked by that. Honestly. What a great twist, in terms of both plot and morality! How are the Strawhats going to fight against years of racism, abuse, toxic politics and the veneration of a martyr-like figure who means so much to the people of Fishman Island?

This is going to be a wild ride.

Usopp dismissed the old law. He begged someone, anyone, to help Sanji. Hammod tried to take Luffy by force but severely underestimated how much stronger he’d become (that Haki, honestly... it is so badass).

Camie hijacked the Royal Fish Boat (the royals here seem pretty laid back because if that was real life, you’d be in your local Impel Down faster than you can say, “But I need a blood transfusion!”)

And it seems something is rotten in the state of Fishman Island. Not only are the Strawhats the first human visitors in a while, the Princes were unable to deliver a message to Jimbei.

I wonder if it’s anything to do with this shady character?

This is the guy who wants to see Luffy. The one Hammond calls “Boss.” Hordy Jones, I think his name was? And here we have a shady face, not entirely revealed, sharp teeth and a good voice actor? This has happened before with Moria and Crocodile. Could this be the villain? Is this Hordy Jones, or is he higher up the chain?

I hope so. Was blue-balled with the Flying Dutchman stuff. Don’t want it happening again, haha.

Also, who or what is Noah? Was confused as to whether it was a location or a person.

*insert Rocky Theme tune*

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jwood719 · 5 years

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A Walking Tour of Iron History on the Monongahela River.

When Pittsburgh’s Quantum Theatre announced that it would be producing King Lear at the Carrie Furnace, interest exploded. True enough that Quantum’s productions are consistently pretty damn good and are well attended, but couple a pretty damn good show with an old Iron City industrial site? Wow! The Associated Press took up the story, too, and news outlets ran the wire copy as far from Pittsburgh as Japan. Perhaps needless to say, there was a waiting list for “rush” tickets, which went up 15 minutes before curtain (and seating was limited, anyway).

“General view of blast furnace plant, known as the Carrie Furnaces...Carrie Furnaces No. 6 and No. 7 are on the left, No. 3 and No. 4 are on the right. The town of Rankin is in the background.” Jet Lowe, 1989. {2}

The Carrie Blast Furnaces were first built in 1884 on the north (or is that east?) bank of the Monongahela River, and were in operation until 1982. From fairly humble beginnings as a private operation, selling iron to whomever would buy, the Carrie Furnaces were purchased by Andrew Carnegie and expanded to include 7 massive furnaces (some of which are pictured above) operating 24/7 for the Homestead Works, and continued to churn out iron when Carnegie’s steel company was restructured as United States Steel.

Interior of the AC Power House, now used for tour introductions and special event receptions. {1}

“Big Steel” in Pittsburgh went from supplying a quarter of all the steel on the planet to “big bust,” and the furnaces went cold along with the rest of the sprawling Homestead Works.

Satellite view of the Mon River Valley: what is now the Waterfront retail development (outlined in yellow) was once Andrew Carnegie’s signature Homestead Steel Works; the Carrie Furnaces are circled on the opposite bank. {3}

"’Pittsburgh was once a giant in that particular space. You can't be at the site without feeling the enormity of industry and the enormity of the fact that the industry collapsed and we were stripped as a region of this power,’ said Karla Boos, artistic director and founder of [Quantum Theatre]. ‘All very wonderful metaphors for King Lear.’" {4}

Beginning the walking tour: guests approach the No. 6 Furnace between the AC Power House (left) and the Blowing Engine House (right). {1}

“General interior view of low pressure turbo blower wing [for] No. 3 power house...” Martin Stupich, 1989. {2}

Carnegie was an early adopter of “vertical integration,” as Henry Ford would do a couple decades later. If there was a way to bring any aspect of iron and steel manufacturing under the company’s direct control, such would be done -- like buying the blast furnaces across the river instead of buying from them.

Satellite view of the Carrie Furnace site, below Rankin. {3}

The furnaces as they exist today are basically as they were when built in 1907. For that condition (deterioration aside) they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: they are the among the last of the pre-World War II blast furnaces that still stand essentially unchanged.

Looking up at Number 6. {1}

The interceding decades have seen some changes, of course, since the furnaces were shuttered. Environmental contamination has been remediated to some extent, and the large surfaces have proved a magnet to “urban artists” who went over or under fences. Many of the operating ports and moving parts were rendered inoperable, and naturally the structure has been subject to the weather.

The ore bridge: a massive gantry that was used for spreading iron ore pellets through the ore yard, using the clam shell bucket at right. That bucket is twice the height of the average man. Some of the urban art can bee seen at center, where a pair of stag heads have been painted, as well as on the retaining wall in the far right distance, which has been a “canvas” for a great deal of spray can paint application. Rivers of Steel now allows (regulated) application of urban art in select locations. {1}

“View of Carrie No. 3 and No. 4 ore bridge, ore yard and furnaces...” Martin Stupich, 1989. {2}

Allegheny County bought the site in 2005, and it is now managed by the non-profit Rivers of Steel, a local heritage organization formed in 1988 to save the history of what had been an economic powerhouse (if an ecological disaster area). To help in their preservation efforts, Rivers of Steel offers tours across the region, including walking tours around and through the Carrie Furnace site. Quantum had the option of an hour long tour for patrons before curtain, but those sold out as fast as the shows -- so I booked a regular tour with Rivers of Steel that I attended the day before I saw Lear.

Tour leader Doug Styles with guests on the stationary car dumper.

The stationary car dumper was installed to speed the unloading of iron ore cars; instead of a team of men shoveling for a several hours to empty a rail car of iron, the entire car would be heaved up and tipped out in a half-hour so. An entire shipment of ore, on a 150+ car consist, could be processed in a few hours.

The iron ore was brought down mainly from the Iron Range in the Great Lakes region, shipped first by lake boats to Ashtabula or Conneaut, Ohio, then by rail to Pittsburgh and other plants up and down the rivers.

The lake boat port of Ashtabula, Ohio, in 2015. {1}

Also shipped were loads of coke, and limestone, for in-furnace filtering-out of impurities. The raw iron was kept in the ore yard, as large an area as a couple three football fields, in quantities to last for up to three months of operation -- as the lake boats couldn’t always get through in winter; y’know: because ice.

The view down the ore yard, with the ore bridge above. {1}

The tour in the ore yard. The iron ore was piled up nearly as high as the top of the retaining wall of the stock house in the middle distance. The Number 7 Furnace is above. {1}

“Carrie Furnaces No 6 and No 7 from across ore yard...” Martin Stupich, 1989. {2}

It’s odd, and a little sad, to look at the images taken in 1989 and see that nothing much has moved since. In the two preceding images it can be seen that the hoist cars on the Number 7 have been stuck in the same place, probably since the plant closed in ‘82. But, I suppose there isn’t much need to move them, nor the means to do so, other than cutting the cables.

The hoist cars on their car way at No. 7 Furnace. The stock building held ore, limestone, and coke, which was transferred in measured quantities to the hoist cars for delivery to the top of the furnace where they were tipped in. {1}

Looking down the stock house. The various ingredients of the blast furnace process were kept in the hoppers overhead, and then dispensed as needed into the “larry car,” which would then transfer the material to the hoist cars at a central loading pit. {1}

Tour leader Doug Styles spent as much time describing the conditions of the furnace operation as he did the mechanics of it -- which was, in fact, a good balance of information. As much as the steel heritage of Pittsburgh can be lauded, it was also a dirty, dangerous employment, done for bosses who would happily replace a recalcitrant worker. As the saying goes: “You don’t like the job? There’s 16 guys at the gate who’ll take it if y’don’t want it.” The hoist cars, for instance, were apt to suffer broken cables, which would result in a 4 ton load sliding down an inclined plane at high speed -- to the detriment of the men in the central loading pit under the car way, unless they managed to get the hell out the way.

Approaching the No. 7 Furnace; the remains of the cast house are seen above the tour group, with the stock house to the right, and the hoist car-way angling up to the top of the furnace structure. To the left, above the encroaching foliage, can be seen the giant wire deer head. {1}

Because the interior of the furnace was, well, hot enough to melt iron, a metal structure was in danger of melting, too. To stave off the otherwise inevitable, the interior of the furnace was lined with fire brick several inches thick, and the exterior was clad with heat abating plates and wrapped in water pipes that helped keep the outside cool (or cool enough). The water was pumped from the Mon River, sent through the system, and back into the river. None of the water used in the iron or steel making processes were subject to any regulation on pollution: “pollution” didn’t exist at a regulatory level -- not until the Environmental Protection Agency was established, but that wasn’t until 1973.

“Electrostatic precipitator for Carrie Furnace No. 7...” Martin Stupich, 1989. {2} Compare to following image:

Doug Styles describing the events surrounding the Homestead Strike of 1892 at Quantum’s act 1 setting. The electrostatic precipitator is above to the right, with the great Carrie Furnace Deer Head up center. {1}

Crafted by urban artists with materials found on the site, the Deer Head is held together with “zip” ties, wire, and fast acting adhesive compounds. According to Mr. Styles, the Carrie Furnace can’t be fully designated as a National Historic Site unless the urban art, like the Deer Head, is removed, as the graffiti and the constructs were all executed after and beyond the original construction and intent of usage.

The view of the ancillary structures between No’s 6 and 7. {1}

Above: “General interior view of Carrie No. 6 cast house...” Martin Stupich, 1989. {2} Below: interior view of the No. 6 cast house, 2019. {1}

The molten iron produced from the furnaces was, at first, cast into iron ingots that could then be shipped to any buyer for further refining into steel. To reduce time and costs, the Homestead operation sent the molten steel across the Mon River to the steel works in “torpedo” or “bottle” rail cars, on the appropriately named Hot Metal Bridge (one of two that still exist over the Mon). Ports at the bottom of the furnace could be opened to allow the molten iron to flow down sand lined troughs in the floor, where it would then drop into the bottle cars for shipment.

Detail highlighting two of the furnace ports, and one of the troughs. The ports are around the base of the furnace in several places, and all have been sealed. {1}

I would say “as might be imagined,” but I’m not sure I can reasonably imagine the heat that would blow through the cast house when the furnace was operating, much less when molten iron was flowing down the ways to the bottle cars. I mean, maybe turn your oven on to “broil” and try sticking your head inside?

Mr. Styles noted that much of the agitation for unionization was about employee safety more than for wages. The hours worked, the dangers of moving mountains of raw material, the heat and other hazards of handling molten metal, all took their toll on the workforce. Safety demands at the federal level did make some changes, as did unionization when it finally landed in 1936, but the relationship between labor and management never really did improve.

Tour leader Doug Styles beneath the No. 6 Furnace. Mr. Styles spent 30 years working steel in Canada.

And steel in the United States didn’t go bust just because of cheaper overseas steel finally being produced, nor was it just automation, though both did affect the market. Among other things, Mr. Styles explained, it was because companies like U.S. Steel were still literally operating as if they were producing in 1910, not 1975: modernization never came to Homestead, despite improved methods of steel production being available. The unions didn’t help themselves, and neither did management -- both sides were stuck in the past, too, the union employees frittering work hours away while they waited for “repairs,” while the owners had no wish to spend any money that might eat at quarterly profits -- and neither side trusting the other.

Looking up the No. 6. {1}

The Edgar Thomson Works, Andrew Carnegie’s original plant, still operates about two miles up the Mon from the Carrie site. It was modernized, however, and while never as large as the Homestead operation, it today turns out 5 or 10 times the steel it used to, with a quarter of the labor force. Such is the case with most steel concerns in the 21st Century.

Looking up at the No. 7 gas washer and other ancillary structures. {1}

The evening light on the No. 7, with Lear audience members meandering prior to the performance. {1}

And, yes, there will likely be more from Carrie Furnace. Rivers of Steel offers other options for visiting the site, and I’m of a mind to take them up on the offers. So, stay tuned!

Rivers of Steel official site: “Founded on the principles of heritage development, community partnership, and a reverence for the region’s natural and shared resources, Rivers of Steel strengthens the economic and cultural fabric of western Pennsylvania by fostering dynamic initiatives and transformative experiences.”

Associated Press story, “Theatre Company Brings Shakespeare to Steel,” as displayed by The New York Times, May 26, 2019.

{1} Photos by R. Jake Wood, 2015-2019.

{2} Images from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. The Carrie Furnace photos as well as other images taken in and around the Homestead Works are part of the Library’s Historic American Buildings Survey. Minor processing by Jake Wood, 2019.

{3} Satellite images by Google Maps, with minor processing by Jake Wood, 2019.

{4} Karla Boos as quoted by the Associated Press, May, 2019 (see link above).

Last light over the ore bridge. {1}

#photography #pittsburgh #rivers of steel #carrie furnace site #our shots

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vanilla-blessing · 6 years

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qb anime of the year list 2018

Anime of the Year 2018 - the year of girls going to aquariums together

I’ve seen at least one person who claimed that 2018 was the best year for anime in recent memory and I’m inclined to agree. A large majority of my top ten list is shows that I would consider perfect and even shows that blew away what I thought was possible in the medium. It was a revolutionary year and makes a strong argument that anime wasn’t a mistake after all. - qb

Hugtto! Precure blew away my expectations every week for close to a year. I don’t exactly know what to say about it here, since this isn’t the last time I’ll talk about it for sure. It doesn’t even end in 2018, but it was such a huge part of my 2018 in anime that it would be inaccurate to not include it. The only way I can think to explain Hugtto! Precure is to talk about the Netflix She-ra reboot. She-ra’s a pretty basic modern Dreamworks cartoon, with some interesting ideas thrown in and likable characters, but mostly held back by what they could realistically allot for production. Because of this limitation, She-ra goes hard on a single perfect episode (if you’ve seen it, you know which one) that stands out in a big way and shows the full potential of what they set out to make. Usually, Precure is lucky to get a handful of these stand-out episodes in a season, and most of the time just gets by, due to being an annual series that can never, ever take a break. Normally, the first few episodes of a Precure season can be counted on to be strong, but the realities of anime production being hella tough inevitably catch up.

Hugtto! Precure started with an incredible opening arc, then never let off the gas pedal. Nearly every episode of Hugtto is a stand-out, never-before-seen, innovative tour-de-force. The combination of production miracles that resulted in Hugtto has been talked about by me on this blog before, (http://vanilla-blessing.tumblr.com/post/176000267859/hana-is-getting-unstable-a-pink-precure) but the length of time that Hugtto stayed in the paint, going extremely hard every single week with few exceptions, was just absurd. Every season of Precure has one or two peaks, sometimes a good season gets lucky and has even more, the best seasons bat a solid average, but are still expected to be held back by reality. Coming out of the fifteenth season of Precure with a majority of the best episodes in the entire franchise isn’t something that I can wrap my head around, but it definitely happened, mostly in 2018. It’s simultaneously a love letter to the franchise’s past, present, and future made by the biggest Precure fans on the planet, and it’s unquestionably the best season. Hugtto threw what we all knew was true and had accepted about Precure clear out the window, retroactively made older seasons better, watered my crops, brought world peace, ect.

Oh yeah and boys can be cures now.

I’m definitely not done with Revue Starlight and this won’t be the last time I talk about it. Revue Starlight essentially carried the Summer 2018 anime season on its back. Starlight absolutely dominated my anime watching schedule; my week was seriously just waiting for and watching different translations and releases with every other show being almost incidental, far less important than waiting for the song lyrics to get translated for an episode I had seen three times already. I won’t get into everything here, since I’ve already talked about it on this blog after all (http://vanilla-blessing.tumblr.com/post/179023723689/subtext-is-for-cowards-revue-starlight), but I need to reiterate that it was such a commanding, unique, stylized experience and didn’t drop a single episode in its entire absurdly high-level production. The only reasonable explanation for this is devil magic, and hell, it was worth it. Revue Starlight is probably in my top 5 anime of all time and I wouldn’t get this list out if I said everything I wanted to say about it. It’s great. Watch it twenty times.

Pop Teen Epic, or Hoshiiro Girldrop, was the most wildcard that has ever been in seasonal anime, and could have been absolutely anything. What none of us predicted was just how much of anything this show would be, encompassing an unprecedented range of artists, voice acting talent, and whatever AC-bu are, each giving their very individual takes on a self-described shitpost comic strip, sometimes covering the exact same material two or three times, with no regard for any sort of cohesion or structure.

Nothing about this idea should have been funded, nothing in Pop Team Epic has any reason to work, and as a straight adaptation probably wouldn’t have worked. PTE spun gold from trash through the raw effort of artists doing their own thing, which captures the original spirit that made the formerly-cancelled comic popular in a way that’s much too intelligent for haters to understand. Also it got a dub, which is the most ridiculously bad idea i’ve heard in my life, and it owns that it happened.

Spider-man into the Spider-verse is legit the best comic book movie ever made. It’s a fun, expressive twist on the most tired superhero origin story of all time, and showcases some of the most sssssssssstyle and raw, real emotion I’ve ever seen in animation. Its particular selection of influences is brilliant and poignant, rising far above the simple fanservice you’ve come to expect from Spider-man. The unrelenting individualistic spirit of this movie will stick with you the longest in the soundtrack, bravely incorporating a side of pop music that you don’t usually get to see in big-budget productions, pulling soundcloud rappers out of their grody (i’m told) dens into the spotlight with equal importance alongside the heroic score. Spider-verse is all about establishing your own unique flavor, and it manages to overwrite every other entry in this cursed franchise with its bold taste.

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It doesn’t make sense to me how amazing Aggretsuko’s dub is. The impeccable timing of each line, the perfect integration with the comedy, and the optimal length of the episodes are all far beyond what I expected from a Netflix show. It not only converted the original series of shorts that I already had on my top 10 the first year into a godlike longer series I didn’t know I wanted, but went to the effort to bring real metal singers in for the karaoke. Honestly just repeat everything I said in my 2016 list and multiply it by five. I hope they make more. They’re making more.

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I was pretty slow to pick up anime in the Winter 2018 season, but I never missed Hakumei and Mikochi, maybe because it was like, the only simulcast on my favorite online anime streaming subscription service HiDiVE. The subs weren’t great, and it certainly wasn’t all that popular, but it was just the relaxing show I needed. Hakumei and Mikochi brought me back to my favorite non-racist parts of the Redwall series of books: friendly animals, delicious foods, alcohol, and rustic songs. I was ready to put it on my list for simply being a cute healing foodie anime, but to my surprise, it had much more in store within its tiny world: stark confrontations with mortality, a shy riverside necromancer, the inexplicable remake of The Raid: Redemption in miniature, fashion trends, frogs, carpenter weasels, carpenter skeletons, ghost celebrations, a country beetle with lofty dreams. The list of memorable people, places, and things contained in the gnomish roommates’ tiny world goes on and on.

Masaomi Ando’s directing went completely along with the storybook aesthetic, maybe even to an overall detriment, which is exactly the kind of reckless commitment to style I love to see. The distinctive paneling, constantly gorgeous backgrounds, and deliberate pacing perfectly captured the imaginative stories I loved to read as a kid, but with more alcohol, and more sophisticated themes under the surface. Even something anime rarely get right, endings, were perfectly capstoned every week with a short digest that explored more of the history, legends, and very personal lore of their small, unique world. At its core, Hakumei and Mikochi is the calming story of tiny roommates you think it is, but it’s also so much more. They have day jobs and get drunk and remodel their house after it explodes that one time. They gamble dangerously to escape a blizzard, help a photographer give herself a little credit, and rescue their neighbor from a fancy grave of her own making. By the end of the show Hakumei practically built half a town. The collective stories from their everyday adventures build into something tremendous, and it all wraps up on the most perfect ending sequence I could have hoped for, which calls back to every story thus far as a new verse of the show’s central duet is sung. In any reasonable AnimeOTY Hakumei and Mikochi would be my top anime of 2018, but this year, the competition was unreasonable. This show will just have to settle for being the best regular anime of the year.

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Bloom Into You is an incredible adaptation of an apparently yuri romance manga that raises the bar for anime adaptations in general. I don’t know when, but somewhere along the line I stopped expecting that serious capital R Romance anime would have a distinctive style, and gave up to the notion that there was no demand anymore and a stylized, seinen/josei romance would just never get made. Well that was 2016 and then Scum’s Wish happened which this blog has covered extensively.(http://vanilla-blessing.tumblr.com/post/168842023559/how-lerche-adapted-an-average-trashy-romcom-into, http://vanilla-blessing.tumblr.com/post/168789506264/scums-wish-and-our-messy-uncomfortable) To me Bloom Into You feels similar in concept, as a difficult romantic situation with no easy answers or completely happy people. The main perspective character, Yuu, is among my favorite romantic leads in any series; she doesn’t get romantic feelings, although she wants to, and despite being easily motivated, is kind of dispassionate. Her relationship that she was pushed into with Touko might as well be out of mutual convenience, since Touko doesn’t want to fall in love with someone who would love her back, and Yuu doesn’t think she can.

Yuu filters the developments of the series as they grow closer through a very different perspective compared to more emotional leads of usual romance stories, methodically breaking down and considering where she’s at, observing where others are at, before taking an action that makes sense to her. Her growth through the series takes a very different direction than the common dramatic formula; instead of running headfirst into misunderstandings to overcome romantic challenges, she’s compelled to take a step back and position herself in a way that allows her to understand and confront her girlfriend’s issues. The changes that she experiences herself during this process are extremely gradual, but are no less significant to her. Although the dramatic weight of the series is obviously all about Touko, the central thesis of Bloom Into You is to explore Yuu’s complex feelings, and ask to what degree our actions are dictated by our emotions. It’s a heavy topic to be sure, but what makes this anime adaptation special in particular is how the directing and production pull it off, to maybe an even stronger degree than the original material.

Bloom Into You’s most striking and noticeable feature is the incredible conservation of small movements that connect expressions naturally. Minute changes in characters’ faces are vital to observe the almost imperceptible changes in Yuu over the course of the series, and every aspect of the direction is in service of highlighting these subtle moments. In addition, repeated cinematic themes are reinforced over the show’s run, such as the use of light to impart a blinding realization, flower language to inform deeper personalities, even using a literal (not literal) cinema. Symbols such as trains, masks, and mirrors are used constantly and consistently to reinforce the show’s themes, which should be immediately obvious from the opening animation. I’m still kind of stunned that Bloom Into You’s ending theme is such a banger and managed to use an oscillating sine curve in a metaphorical way. These details might be lost without the brilliant layouts, intentionally resembling a stage, which always push the minute differences front and center. As an anime adaptation, Bloom Into You adds so much value in such a subdued, conservative way that it puts uninspired adaptations to shame.

Thunderbolt Fantasy 2 rounded out the year with a good old new-fashioned Japanese-speaking Chinese-Wuxia Taiwanese puppet show. The novelty of this wild series, like, existing at all, is still incredible to me, but I was really wowed by the new characters and the direction the series went in after the already high standards of the first season. Following the outrageous action and fights of the previous season, I did not expect that season 2’s introductory goon would 1. Live past the first episode 2. So quickly become my favorite swordfighter and 3. Have inarguably the most complete character arc of the entire show thus far. The Princess of Cruelty’s struggle against her inner and outer demons in a unreasonably stacked, desperate situation developed her into easily the most compelling character of the season, and the rest of the cast including a corrupt police officer with extremely disconcerting and bad puppet teeth, a ventriloquist rock-lutist, and a nihilist monk each bring their own unique flavors to the table. The table that they throw the puppets in the air from to make the show. All of the new elements of Thunderbolt Fantasy 2 improved an already strong formula even more, and revealed an emotional depth to the series that I’m excited to see developed further. Some people might not call this anime, but those people haven’t seen Thunderbolt Fantasy for longer than 2 seconds. It’s so anime.

I blasted all available seasons of Star vs the Forces of Evil early in 2018, and it was basically my first foray into straight-up American cartoon magical girl, despite watching all the Japanese ones, which was probably an oversight on my part. That’s because Star Versus is really good, and provided a flavor of magical girl I had been missing out on. I could talk about the excellent sparkle witch aesthetic of the show, fluid animation, and hilarious comedy, but I’d rather spend this blogspace posting Star Butterfly faces.

#10

A Place Further Than the Universe, or YoriMoi, or my preferred moniker That Antartica Anime, wasn’t on my radar until well after it had finished airing, but it stuck with me for most of the year. Although it’s definitely melodramatic at times, it utilizes this tendency in exactly the right way to enhance the individual characters’ emotional arcs. Even though I was personally sort of taken out of it for many of the girls’ personal trials, :penguin emoji: is obviously thoughtfully written and carefully constructed, and especially knows how to orchestrate an immense emotional reaction with pitch-perfect timing. If there’s one particular aspect this anime has absolute mastery over, it’s hitting that perfect note and cue to create a memorable narrative climax. And for all my bellyaching about not fully relating to some of the characters, Miyake is definitively the #1 qb-relatable character of the year.

Here’s the rest of my list. Don’t @ me about it because if its not on my top ten then it doesnt really count anymore i dont make the rules thats just how it is

11. Yuru Camp

12. Hisone and Masotan

13. Asagao to Kase-san

14. Devilman Crybaby

15. After the Rain

16. Planet With

- friend of the show @queuebae on twitter

That’s why the 2018 anime of the year award goes to Kaiju Girls 2.

#top ten anime 2018 #top ten pop team epics #pop teen epic #pop team epic #hoshiiro girldrop #poppiteppikiu #popttippiku #bob team epic #bob epic team #PTE 2018 #Pop Team Epic Season 2

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modernarchitecturefirminla · 3 years

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Micky’s Bar Design Project in West Hollywood

Micky’s Bar is an iconic bar in West Hollywood which, due to a fire, was completely reimagined in 2007 by Dean Larkin Designs. Architectural design work leads to projects that are memorable for a variety of reasons. For Dean Larkin, the Micky’s Bar Design Project in West Hollywood on Santa Monica Boulevard was exciting for several reasons. One was the opportunity to work on the project for which the focus was a community hub and a historic location.

History of West Hollywood and Micky’s Bar

As we move into Pride Month, where WEHO will host its first independent Pride month celebration June 26-27, 2021, we thought it was fitting to discuss Micky’s Bar Design Project and the history of the area that is home to Micky’s. The bar that is now Micky’s opened in 1909 when the area was an incorporated city called Sherman. Sherman was so named for Moses H Sherman who created an electric railway to connect downtown LA with Santa Monica Beach. In 1898, where the Pacific Design Center is now, Sherman’s company built a rail yard, and the area became known as “Sherman.” Here you could find small homes for the company’s employees, and soon bars and gambling halls opened up. Sherman was unincorporated and also less restrictive than Hollywood or other areas, so many decided to open nightclubs to accommodate entertainment industry figures. Ciro’s, now The Comedy Store, was a place that many celebrities went to see and be seen. People like WC Fields and Fatty Arbuckle had their speakeasys here in West Hollywood because it was outside the city limits. Clubs in Sherman had relaxed rules about gender roles as well. Eventually the electric railways went away and Sherman was renamed West Hollywood. This popular area was home to the Sunset Strip, which became the place to go for adult entertainment until the 1950s. Ciro’s, which hosted gay tea dances and although it was illegal, allowed men to dance together. It eventually closed, but in the ‘70s more gay bars and clubs were opened since the area was still unincorporated and less restrictive. By the ‘80s many anti-gay laws were repealed and in 1984, the area was incorporated with the first U.S. city to have a city council with a majority of gay and lesbian leaders. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, a group of patrons of a gay bar called “Stonewall,” rioted in opposition to police trying to force them to leave the bar where they were collectively mourning and celebrating Judy Garland after her death. This riot is considered the beginning of the gay pride movement, and one year later the first U.S. Gay Pride march was held on Hollywood Blvd as well as Central Park in New York. In 1979, the march was moved to Santa Monica Boulevard, where it is still held each year, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Micky’s Bar – An Iconic Bar

As the years progressed, the one-mile strip called Gay West Hollywood has become a hub for gay life in LA, bringing in a large amount of traffic to area businesses. Micky’s is one such business, as well as others such as PUMP and The Metropolitan/Factory.

According to the owner, Micky’s liquor license is number 2, which indicates that it was the second license issued in the state of California. Since the bar was originally part of the unincorporated area, the owners had permission to serve alcohol to customers on the outside street, a privilege they still hold today. There is an outside bar for this purpose. The popular Micky’s Bar was in need of renovation, but the owner could not close down long enough to make them. But in August of 2007, a fire caused by an AC unit destroyed the bar, and the owner had his chance to reimagine and improve Micky’s. Dean considers Micky’s Bar Design Project in West Hollywood one of his favorite projects to this day.

Dean Larkin recalls, “When I walked in with the owner to view the place, there were drinks and money on the bar left behind in the rushed evacuation. It was a moment stuck in time.”

Micky’s Renovation

The owner reached out to Dean to help him bring in new, state-of-the-art changes that remain fresh today. Dean related that in the renovation at Micky’s “We were way ahead of time with some of the design elements. For example, the stone slab counters were made of semi-precious geodes. They were Concetto made by CaesarStone and we were the first to have them installed at $7000 per slab.”

In addition, previous to the fire, the bar was glaringly dark, so Dean redesigned the bar with an eye for creating a daylight harvesting system. There is a glass ceiling on the first floor to allow as much natural light from above as possible to reach the structure. This also meant a glass floor on the second floor, which allowed patrons above to hang out and watch what was happening below. Columns, back bars, and bar tops with state-of-the-art rainbow lighting effects also increase the illumination and allows for varied themes.

Finally, 20-foot-wide full height doors allow the outside to look in and promote an exchange of energy- the indoor club energy projects out, while the outside energy, of the people passing by and living the West Hollywood life, comes in. This element was one that caused a great deal of concern for the owner because he feared the design wouldn’t be approved, in part because of the cumbersome requirements, and in part because of the visibility of strippers in the club to passersby.

Micky’s Bar Design Project Faces the City Council

The meeting where he presented the design for approval in front of the city council is a story Dean loves to tell clients. He relates, “At the council meeting a person would have the opportunity to speak and then they weren’t supposed to speak again. So, I spoke, and then it was time for the council members to speak and one member who was a middle aged woman, in all seriousness, said ‘Let me get this straight. If you put this full width door in I don’t have to get out of my car to see the strippers?’ I had to get permission to reply and then I said, ‘I guess.’ Much to my surprise, her quick response was ”….I’m in.’” “The city had a soft spot for Micky’s, as the bar’s closure was pulling the other businesses down. Without the pull of Micky’s, the other businesses were seeing less traffic, so there was a lot of pressure to get the bar open again. Fortunately, we got approval for all of the elements we wanted to include.” Now that Micky’s Bar design project is complete, the venue is once again a bright, popular place for the city’s residents and visitors to enjoy.

Dean Larkin Creates State of the Art Contemporary Commercial Architecture Design

Dean Larkin Design was established in Los Angeles in 1999. This modern commercial architecture firm maximizes the intrinsic potential of a location while meeting each client’s specific lifestyle, business, or institutional needs. Dean Larkin and his close-knit team have developed a successful design process, and they face the daily challenges that come with balancing the desires of a client with the architectural vision of the team. He has found that his high-end clients are more passionate and appreciative of quality design and that he sees his client’s needs as opportunities to diversify his commercial portfolio and raise the bar for his firm. Contact Dean Larkin for a consultation today to learn what is possible for your design project.

Blog is originally published at: https://deanlarkindesign.com/mickys-bar-design-project-in-west-hollywood/

It is republished with the permission from the author.

#commercial architecture #commercial design #modern commercial design #architecture firm

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nuttydefendoryouth · 3 years

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The air conditioning trap: how cold air is heating the world

On a sweltering Thursday evening in Manhattan last month, people across New York City were preparing for what meteorologists predicted would be the hottest weekend of the year. Over the past two decades, every record for peak electricity use in the city has occurred during a heatwave, as millions of people turn on their air conditioning units at the same time. And so, at the midtown headquarters of Con Edison, the company that supplies more than 10 million people in the New York area with electricity, employees were busy turning a conference room on the 19th floor into an emergency command centre.

Inside the conference room, close to 80 engineers and company executives, joined by representatives of the city’s emergency management department, monitored the status of the city power grid, directed ground crews and watched a set of dials displaying each borough’s electricity use tick upward. “It’s like the bridge in Star Trek in there,” Anthony Suozzo, a former senior system operator with the company, told me. “You’ve got all hands on deck, they’re telling Scotty to fix things, the system is running at max capacity.”

Power grids are measured by the amount of electricity that can pass through them at any one time. Con Edison’s grid, with 62 power substations and more than 130,000 miles of power lines and cables across New York City and Westchester County, can deliver 13,400MW every second. This is roughly equivalent to 18m horsepower.

On a regular day, New York City demands around 10,000MW every second; during a heatwave, that figure can exceed 13,000MW. “Do the math, whatever that gap is, is the AC,” Michael Clendenin, a company spokesman, told me. The combination of high demand and extreme temperature can cause parts of the system to overheat and fail, leading to blackouts. In 2006, equipment failure left 175,000 people in Queens without power for a week, during a heatwave that killed 40 people.

This year, by the evening of Sunday 21 July, with temperatures above 36C (97F) and demand at more than 12,000MW every second, Con Edison cut power to 50,000 customers in Brooklyn and Queens for 24 hours, afraid that parts of the nearby grid were close to collapse, which could have left hundreds of thousands of people without power for days. The state had to send in police to help residents, and Con Edison crews dispensed dry ice for people to cool their homes.

As the world gets hotter, scenes like these will become increasingly common. Buying a VRF air conditioner is perhaps the most popular individual response to climate change, and air conditioners are almost uniquely power-hungry appliances: a small unit cooling a single room, on average, consumes more power than running four fridges, while a central unit cooling an average house uses more power than 15. “Last year in Beijing, during a heatwave, 50% of the power capacity was going to air conditioning,” says John Dulac, an analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA). “These are ‘oh shit’ moments.”

There are just over 1bn single-room air conditioning units in the world right now – about one for every seven people on earth. Numerous reports have projected that by 2050 there are likely to be more than 4.5bn, making them as ubiquitous as the mobile phone is today. The US already uses as much electricity for air conditioning each year as the UK uses in total. The IEA projects that as the rest of the world reaches similar levels, air conditioning will use about 13% of all electricity worldwide, and produce 2bn tonnes of CO2 a year – about the same amount as India, the world’s third-largest emitter, produces today.

All of these reports note the awful irony of this feedback loop: warmer temperatures lead to more air conditioning; more air conditioning leads to warmer temperatures. The problem posed by air conditioning resembles, in miniature, the problem we face in tackling the climate crisis. The solutions that we reach for most easily only bind us closer to the original problem.

The global dominance of air conditioning was not inevitable. As recently as 1990, there were only about 400m air conditioning units in the world, mostly in the US. Originally built for industrial use, air conditioning eventually came to be seen as essential, a symbol of modernity and comfort. Then air conditioning went global. Today, as with other drivers of the climate crisis, we race to find solutions – and puzzle over how we ended up so closely tied to a technology that turns out to be drowning us.

Like the aqueduct or the automobile, air conditioning is a technology that transformed the world. Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of independent Singapore, called it “one of the signal inventions of history” that allowed the rapid modernisation of his tropical country. In 1998, the American academic Richard Nathan told the New York Times that, along with the “civil rights revolution”, air conditioning had been the biggest factor in changing American demography and politics over the previous three decades, enabling extensive residential development in the very hot, and very conservative, American south.

A century ago, few would have predicted this. For the first 50 years of its existence, air conditioning was mainly restricted to factories and a handful of public spaces. The initial invention is credited to Willis Carrier, an American engineer at a heating and ventilation company, who was tasked in 1902 with reducing humidity in a Brooklyn printing factory. Today we assume that the purpose of air conditioning is to reduce heat, but engineers at the time weren’t solely concerned with temperature. They wanted to create the most stable possible conditions for industrial production – and in a print factory, humidity curled sheets of paper and smudged ink.

Carrier realised that removing heat from the factory air would reduce humidity, and so he borrowed technology from the nascent refrigeration industry to create what was, and still is, essentially a jacked-up fridge. Then as now, air conditioning units work by breathing in warm air, passing it across a cold surface, and exhaling cool, dry air. The invention was an immediate success with industry – textile, ammunition, and pharmaceutical factories were among the first adopters – and then began to catch on elsewhere. The House of Representatives installed air conditioning in 1928, followed by the White House and the Senate in 1929. But during this period, most Americans encountered air conditioning only in places such as theatres or department stores, where it was seen as a delightful novelty.

It wasn’t until the late 1940s, when it began to enter people’s homes, that the TICA air conditioner really conquered the US. Before then, according to the historian Gail Cooper, the industry had struggled to convince the public that air conditioning was a necessity, rather than a luxury. In her definitive account of the early days of the industry, Air-Conditioning America, Cooper notes that magazines described air conditioning as a flop with consumers. Fortune called it “a prime public disappointment of the 1930s”. By 1938 only one out of every 400 American homes had an air conditioner; today it is closer to nine out of 10.

What fuelled the rise of the air conditioning was not a sudden explosion in consumer demand, but the influence of the industries behind the great postwar housing boom. Between 1946 and 1965, 31m new homes were constructed in the US, and for the people building those houses, air conditioning was a godsend. Architects and construction companies no longer had to worry much about differences in climate – they could sell the same style of home just as easily in New Mexico as in Delaware. The prevailing mentality was that just about any problems caused by hot climates, cheap building materials, shoddy design or poor city planning could be overcome, as the American Institute of Architects wrote in 1973, “by the brute application of more air conditioning”. As Cooper writes, “Architects, builders and bankers accepted air conditioning first, and consumers were faced with a fait accompli that they merely had to ratify.”

Equally essential to the rise of the dunham bush air conditioner were electric utilities – the companies that operate power plants and sell electricity to consumers. Electric utilities benefit from every new house hooked up to their grid, but throughout the early 20th century they were also looking for ways to get these new customers to use even more electricity in their homes. This process was known as “load building”, after the industry term (load) for the amount of electricity used at any one time. “The cost of electricity was low, which was fine by the utilities. They simply increased demand, and encouraged customers to use more electricity so they could keep expanding and building new power plants,” says Richard Hirsh, a historian of technology at Virginia Tech.

The utilities quickly recognised that air conditioning was a serious load builder. As early as 1935, Commonwealth Edison, the precursor to the modern Con Edison, noted in its end-of-year report that the power demand from terminal air conditioner was growing at 50% a year, and “offered substantial potential for the future”. That same year, Electric Light & Power, an industry trade magazine, reported that utilities in big cities “are now pushing air conditioning. For their own good, all power companies should be very active in this field.”

By the 1950s, that future had arrived. Electric utilities ran print, radio and film adverts promoting air conditioning, as well as offering financing and discount rates to construction companies that installed it. In 1957, Commonwealth Edison reported that for the first time, peak electricity usage had occurred not in the winter, when households were turning up their heating, but during summer, when people were turning on their air-conditioning units. By 1970, 35% of American houses had air conditioning, more than 200 times the number just three decades earlier.

At the same time, air-conditioning-hungry commercial buildings were springing up across the US. The all-glass skyscraper, a building style that, because of its poor reflective properties and lack of ventilation, often requires more than half its electricity output be reserved for air conditioning, became an American mainstay. Between 1950 and 1970 the average electricity used per square foot in commercial buildings more than doubled. New York’s World Trade Center, completed in 1974, had what was then the world’s largest AC unit, with nine enormous engines and more than 270km of piping for cooling and heating. Commentators at the time noted that it used the same amount of electricity each day as the nearby city of Schenectady, population 80,000.

The air-conditioning industry, construction companies and electric utilities were all riding the great wave of postwar American capitalism. In their pursuit of profit, they ensured that the light commercial air conditioner became an essential element of American life. “Our children are raised in an air-conditioned culture,” an AC company executive told Time magazine in 1968. “You can’t really expect them to live in a home that isn’t air conditioned.” Over time, the public found they liked air conditioning, and its use continued to climb, reaching 87% of US households by 2009.

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