Two Acre Homestead

Short answer, recommended with caveats. We just cane out of a 'once in a decade' cold snap here in South Carolina. It was 12 degrees the night before filming and the water in the bowl had a thin layer of ice on it, and the water in the main tank was partially frozen. This is a standard Tractor Supply waterer which has a significant air gap between the tank and the heating element. I'm pretty sure a flat bottomed waterer this would not have frozen even at these temps. For regular usage, where it only gets down to about 20 to 25 degrees this will have no issues keeping the water thawed, which is all I need for around here, and this will keep me from chipping ice first thing in the morning. I got the deicer at the local tractor supply for about $60, it can be found elsewhere online a bit cheaper, but I needed it fast and didn't want to wait for shipping. Lowest price was at Chewy.com Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3WsPAcU K&H Pet Products 80-Watt Universal Deicer, Chicken Water Heater 3 X 15.5 Inches If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using the link above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

Why am I wearing a hat? Cuz I have the worst case of hat head ever seen after wearing this all day, and no one wants to see that. Hope y'all are staying safe and warm!

I got the deicer at the local tractor supply for about $60, it can be found elsewhere online a bit cheaper, but I needed it fast and didn't want to wait for shipping. Lowest price was at Chewy.com Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3WsPAcU K&H Pet Products 80-Watt Universal Deicer, Chicken Water Heater 3 X 15.5 Inches If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using the link above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

I got the deicer at the local tractor supply for about $60, it can be found elsewhere online a bit cheaper, but I needed it fast and didn't want to wait for shipping. Lowest price was at Chewy.com Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3WsPAcU K&H Pet Products 80-Watt Universal Deicer, Chicken Water Heater 3 X 15.5 Inches If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using the link above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

Letting the chickens graze for a bit.

Not much else going on, so figured I'd show you what a weeks worth of chicken poop looks like before I do the weekly muck out. This is from my small flock of 5. If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using this link for your next purchase: https://amzn.to/3oyJNnf It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

Not much of interest going on, so just sharing some of the mundane stuff that I have to do around the property. So today I used the Kobalt mower to suck up and mulch a bunch of leaves instead of raking em up. Two birds, one stone. Dumped em in the garden for the chickens to spread around. Also, wanted to post a big Thank You to all the new subscribers as a result of the Died Suddenly reviews. Still pushing to that magic 1000 subscribers. If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using this link for your next purchase: https://amzn.to/3ysJiQQ (Earthwise TC70016 16-Inch 13.5-Amp Corded Electric Tiller) It will cost you nothing extra, and I'll make a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

Update: Found images of the packaging of the recalled toothbrush, and it used AAA standard batteries, not Lithium ones. Video Title changed and now still baffled how this fire started. News link showing packaging of the CBC Exploding Toothbrush. https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/stop-using-these-electric-toothbrushes-they-may-explode-137572 Hear the smoke detector going off, the clothing rack in the bathroom is on fire and spreading, grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen and got the fire put out, then tried to figure out how it started. The fire obviously started from the middle of the rack, nothing hot or electrical anywhere near it. Turns out the cause was likely an old Lithium Battery. My wife bought the toothbrush on sale at CVS about 10 years ago, and kept it in her hanging makeup case ever since. She remembers it being a Colgate Brand. This was the only possible ignition source the clothing rack. The walls and ceiling got a bit scorched but did not catch on fire. Thankfully I had a proper fire extinguisher and was able to quickly put out the fire. If this happened overnight or while we were gone, the house, and possibly us, wouldn't be here. A quick google search found this, and more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/exploding-electric-toothbrushes-recalled-1.992228 If you have one of these toothbrushes hanging around, get rid of it now. This was a Colgate toothbrush as described in the CBC link above. As this is considered a 'medical device' the US Recall was done by the FDA, not the CPSC.

It all starts here: https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1598822959866683394 And this is just the first day. FJB If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using this link for your next purchase: https://amzn.to/3OXGXEz Vitamin D3 Gummies | 10,000IU | 180 Count It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

My original short: https://youtube.com/shorts/vsmHA8TwwSs If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using this link for your next purchase: https://amzn.to/3OXGXEz Vitamin D3 Gummies | 10,000IU | 180 Count It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

just a few seconds of our dogs, Buddy, Nanuk and Akira having some happy spaz time on Thanksgiving.

The 2021 Spec Series M&P 2.0 had an FDE Slide and a Black Slide Cover (or Back Plate). For about $15 at: https://www.ndzperformance.com/sw-custom-mp-2-0-slide-cover-plate-hard-coat-fde-p/sw-mp-rp-hcfde.htm You can swap out the stock black plastic back plate for an aluminum one in FDE, and even add a custom logo. I also picked up a thread protector with O-ring, just to cross over the free shipping threshold. https://www.ndzperformance.com/NDZ-Alum-Thread-Protector-V1-1-2x28-O-Ring-BLK-p/ndz-tp-v1-blk-12x28.htm and it looks a bit better than the steel one that came with the pistol. This is purely a cosmetic modification and does nothing to improve performance, but for about $23 for both parts, and a few minutes to install, it might be something you find worth the effort. As usual, everything was paid for with my own money, and no one is paying me to promote their stuff. I earn no commission from the links above. However, if you shop on Amazon anyways, and use this link for your next purchase: https://amzn.to/3glRHjo As an Amazon Associate I'll earn a small commission, even if you buy something else. Thanks for watching, and please consider hitting that Subscribe Button.

I had a request in the comments on the Klimaire DIY Mini Split install video to get a closer look at the Disconnect Box, so here we are. The cover and protective plate were removed before I started filming. The 24000 BTU unit pulls 14 amps, so it is wired up to a 20 Amp Double Pole Breaker using 12 AWG Outdoor Rated Romex. (UV/UB). Wiring is basic. You have L1, L2 and Ground in the unit, plus a quick connect for the control wires. Put the ground on ground, and one of your hot wires on each of the L1 and L2 connections, doesn't matter which one gets the black or white wires. Disconnect box wiring is also simple, put the two blacks on one side, the two whites on the other, and the ground wires to the ground lug. I've had this system up and running for almost a year now with no issues, breaker has never tripped, and the electric bills are a lot lower than before. Hope this helps, and please consider hitting that Subscribe button. Product Links: Disconnect Box: https://amzn.to/3X7S95d About $25 Klimaire 24000 BTU DIY Mini Split shown in the video: https://amzn.to/3hHmkA1 About $1600 This one has pre-charged line sets, no vacuum needed. Found this one while pulling the link for the Disconnect box... Klimaire 24000 BTU Mini Split Will require vacuum pump for install, and the line sets are a bit shorter. https://amzn.to/3ObakTu About $1175 If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using any of the links above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

So the chickens were not quite bright enough to figure out how to hit the yellow nub to release the water on the first set of cups, so they were replaced with Lil Clucker gravity feed cups which seem to be working a lot better. Full project video: https://youtu.be/1Z3NZxO3LDY New Cups: $20 for 5 pieces https://amzn.to/3DwTA4l Original Water Cups: $10 for 15 pieces https://amzn.to/3Vjfccj If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using any of the links above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

New Cups: https://amzn.to/3DwTA4l

New Pistol, New Holster and its getting nippy out, so time to practice drawing from IWB while wearing a coat. This video is more so I can see what my technique is and work to improve it and I figured I'd take you along for the ride. Lesson learned, don't assume you can draw from under a coat unless you've practiced it. Product Links: Holster: BladeTech TOTAL ECLIPSE 2.0 OWB / IWB HOLSTER https://blade-tech.com/products/total-eclipse-2-modular-holster?variant=39588872781914 Mantis Laser Academy: https://amzn.to/3TOTR9r Video Review of the S&W M&P 2.0 2021 Spec Series Optic Ready pistol: https://youtu.be/xOioUkUJR-M If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using the Amazon link above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

Just a short video of the chickens occupying all the nesting boxes this morning. Not sure if they are laying or just avoiding the chill this morning. https://amzn.to/3DUJ9ZT (Nesting Pads, MADE IN USA) If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using any of the links above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.

Short video to help a viewer who is having install issues. Any questions about this system, just ask and I'll do the best I can to help out. Product Links: Klimaire DIY 24k BTU Minisplit: https://amzn.to/3DV3yL2 If you found this video helpful, and buy stuff on Amazon anyways, then I'd appreciate you using any of the links above for your next purchase. It will cost you nothing extra, and as an Amazon Associate, I'll earn a few cents as a commission on your purchase, even if you buy something else.