dragonnite

As #11 pointed out, one of the most well-known brands for air purifiers/filters is Honeywell and yes, they make industrial grade air purifiers for hospitals. I only got to know Blueair when I moved to Beijing, I think they're about the same grade ba. But I bought my Honeywell in BJ for about SGD400+, cos Honeywell was recommended by my doc. It worked pretty well as I have sinus issues and am sensitive to pollution. The only catch is that the carbon filter needs to be replaced pretty frequently as BJ was very polluted. The HEPA filter only requires changing once the light turns on, I think in about a year or so. Replacement cost was not too ex, if I don't remember wrongly. The unit was quite quiet once I switched to the sleep mode, otherwise the humming can be a bit loud. Once I moved back here, I don't use it anymore as the air quality is so much better. It works best in enclosed spaces. Before you buy the air purifier, check how often you gotta change the filter (not every brand uses carbon, some of the Honeywell models feature a washable one which drives down running costs significantly), and the HEPA filter, and how much the replacement costs. You also want to figure out if you truly need one. You definitely do not need a humidifier here - Singapore is already very humid ! I owned a few in BJ cos it was the reverse - it was too dry ! A pure diffuser is probably something that you use to release a nice scent into the air, essential oils etc. Typically has no health benefits. I think usually ppl combine a diffuser with an air purifier, which is kinda an oxymoron to me - u are pumping something into the air and yet, trying to clear the air ?

u may want to refer to this thread http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1142

Ummm, I honestly dunno what that string is cos they need to run actual optic fibre into your unit. It's an orange cable. In terms of installation, this is more or less what happened at my parents' place: 1. Opennet guys drilled a hole from outside the unit into the unit. Typically, this is the shortest distance from the outside point into your unit, avoiding any fixtures like cabinets etc you may have. 2. I told them to terminate the TP right at the point of entry into the house since my parents do not need it to watch TV and it will be used mainly for internet. 3. They pull the optic fibre through the hole, connect up to the ONT, cover up all the wires. Test the whole thing to make sure the signal is ok and they're done. Some notes of the experience: 1. The worker will typically try to "sell" you to locate it next to your Starhub TV point cos : a) they can earn the $$ if your trunking exceeds the free 5m; b) it's what they're familiar with Well, they asked me 3 different times and tried to convince me but I told them no, you terminate it where I tell you to. I had to sign a form from Opennet that states that I'm terminating the ONT at a place that I specified. 2. They take a photo of the whole setup once they're done - I believe this is to prove to Singtel that they complete x number of units a day. 3. One of my neighbours got these workers to run the wiring through his false ceiling - was charged SGD150 for that, which went to the workers' pockets. I think something was damaged but am not very sure. Another neighbour exceeded the free wiring allotment, he managed to sweetalk the guy into waiving the extra charge by paying him an amount which is less than what Opennet would have charged. Not trying to advocate cheating Opennet here, btw, this is reality on the ground. After the installation, the setup at my parent's place is a <1m run of the cabling from outside to the TP, terminating right next to the front door. M1 Huawei ONT wall-mounted above ONT and above, the main Dlink wireless router. To boost the signal to the other parts of the house, another Dlink wireless router is configured as a client bridge which has line-of-sight view to the main router. I get about 23Mbps download speed in the 2nd part of the house, compared to about double (and sometimes tripel) that if I connect to the main router. You will get the same bandwidth reduction by 50% if you use Powerline networking, fyi. Good luck !

Ok, this is probably a stupid question but how do I go about selecting which brand of toilet bowl to go with ? Frankly, I saw 2 types : either the classic oval type or the squarish type, with the visible WC. I get it about the different models having different discharge distances (some fixed, some adjustable) but ... Is one toilet bowl brand better than another ?? As long as it doesn't break under me (or my guests), it should be alright ? And I saw price ranges from $200+ upwards - so what is a reasonable price to pay for a middle-of-the-road type ? Thx 4 any help !

i suggest for the next mover u engage, u interview them first, i.e. ask them in detail how they're going to move ur bed, sofa, whether they're going to lay protective covering etc...

wah, like that also can ah, i would have thot this would be standard... ummm, KC Dat guys definitely removed their shoes, and no smelly feet...hee

wah...luckily i checked RT - my mom was going to replace her kitchen door with theirs, based on them being featured on tv somewhere... i actually went to their showroom in balestier - frankly hor, the doors on display there all look a bit cheap leh and not worth the price tag... so i'm not so keen now, am planning to look for alternatives for my own kitchen door (and my mom's)...

yes...need to think hard hard... thx v much, mike !

actually, i've also owned a vax vacuum cleaner which is the water-based type. the main thing that discourages me from using it more often is the drying of that small plastic tubing that brings water to from the reservoir to the nozzle. if u dun allow it to dry thoroughly, it will become smelly and/or mouldy - so that takes a few days, in which case i will always have the tubing drying somewhere in the house. if u use it every week, i guess it's ok... the cleaning performed by this vacuum cleaner is definitely superior to the normal type - the floor feels squeaky clean afterwards.

Umm, just my 2 cents worth on bagless vacuum. I used to have one and I thought, great, no need to worry if they no longer make the bags anymore ! Ummm, then reality strikes - sooner or later, you gotta clean out that dusty, yucky compartment which stores all that...stuff. If yours comes with a HEPA filter, then that one needs to be cleaned too - whether under the tap etc. Errr...my next vacuum cleaner, if possible, I will go for a bagged one and if it's not possible, I'm going to make the salesperson show me how to clean that compartment before I decide to buy.

actually hor, the flat i'm buying was completed in 2005, so about 7 years old. kitchen floor and wall tiles were from HDB. the whole footprint is very light - the former owners confessed they've never cooked in the kitchen before ! so that's why i and scratch head...and the whole reason why i gotta chg the floor tiles is cos of fengshui - the colour is wrong. and i'm not planning on the kitchen wall tiles ! btw 1.5K that i saw in quotations probably didn't include the tile costs rite ?

yep, totally agree...good tip about the extra 20%, thx a lot !

Takashimaya has really good deals on WMF pot sets etc, but my mom says no good cos of the heating of the handles, as what other ppl have pointed out. My other frens have them and they give the same feedback. The Taka sales guy was quite honest - told me that if i cook over gas, it will be very hot. If I use induction, it will be fine. Friend told me that WMF is more for European cooking, i.e. for meats, they will sear on the stove and then dump the whole pot into the oven to complete the cooking. This is why WMF is fully stainless steel so that you can go from stove to oven without changing pots.

hey mike, thx for ur reply. yeah, i'm worried about the popping bit as well, so that's y i'm seriously considering hacking, even though it costs more. do u (or anyone else for that matter) have a rough feel of how much more expensive it is ? I looked at some of the quotations posted by some of the other forum ppl and e.g. hacking the kitchen itself is in the hundreds - which is not that bad, considering tiling the same area is in the 1.5K range. paying that few hundreds is probably worth it, from a peace of mind perspective ? unless the numbers posted are way off ?

I've currently bought a 4R resale and want to replace the tiles in the living room and kitchen. Currently considering whether to hack and replace or just overlay. Since I'm a noob, would value and appreciate any opinions on whether I should hack or not ? Thx v much !

Hi, I'm interested in the interior of your WIW configuration...do u mind sharing what your final configuration looked like ? I was going through the thread and didn't see any clear pictures of them, only side shots... I'm looking for ideas and also referring to Ikea's PAX wardrobe. Thx a lot !

I like KC Dat ever since they did my relocation from SG to BJ 2 years ago. Very professional, punctual and most importantly, good packing. My stuff arrived in BJ after a 6 week sea+land journey in tip-top condition. They will give you boxes and tissue paper and/or bubble wrap for you to do some of your own packing beforehand. On the day itself, a team will come down and swarm all over your designated areas to pack everything. Just keep out of their way. They will unpack for you at your place, if you want them to. I used Crown Logistics from BJ to SG. Their packing materials are not as good (their boxes are not so sturdy, their tissue paper is the lousy type). And they don't have a covered truck in Singapore ! After my experiences, I think it's very important the movers have a real, covered truck to transport your boxes, especially in SG's wet weather. A lorry with a tarpaulin (as what Crown Logistics had) just doesn't cut it. On my delivery day in SG, true enough, it was raining. I had to wait for the rain to stop before the boxes could be moved into my place and during that time, worry about whether my boxes were going to get wet. Luckily, they didn't. I will use KC Dat on my move end of this year, they're probably more expensive but I guess peace of mind is more important for me.

typically, it is advised to place it facing the outside, e.g. facing a window or door. but u should get someone to advise u on the optimal location for you, in ur current house.