Is it time to update your title and brief description?

[gypsy]

HELP I need a 32 word title!
Now:
Tiny Tiki Retro Hideaway 1 hour from Los Aangeles

[JamJerrupSunset]

The answer to the question: “In Boston how do I get from A to that B?” is always “Ya caant get tha from hah”.

[JamJerrupSunset]

Tiny Tiki Hideaway 1hr from LA!!

[Lynick4442]

@HostAirbnbVRBO

Candidly, if I were a prospective guest my motivation in not being in Boston would likely be the less expensive daily rates. On the other hand if I thought that the town I was staying in had real appeal, like a ‘restaurant row’ or charming shops or public green areas that would be very appealing if the commute to Boston were short, ideally under 30 minutes. I understand that the commute time might vary by time of day; information about the commute would be valuable to me. If the town did not have such attractions then my main two considerations would be cost savings and time to commute.

But that’s me and I don’t know that I’m representative; I just use one towel a week.

Your description fits my city - 7 miles north of Boston. You can get to downtown on the T in 20 minutes and drive in 20 minutes if no rush hour or storms.

We have a great downtown with about 7 really good restaurants and 3 supermarkets. It’s just hard to write it all but I’ll add that info to the longer descriptions about our downtown and hiking trails.

[JJD]

@JamJerrupSunset

“Ya caant get tha from hah”.

You left out the most important part:

“Bro,Ya caant get tha from hah Bro”.

[HostAirbnbVRBO]

We use Airbnb’s guidebook feature to list restaurants, hiking trails and such.

I think I understand your comment on the solar heat and H20. For our pool we have a system that pumps water to the roof, where it is heated by the sun, and then the water is pumped back into the pool. Maybe that’s what you’re referring to – something like that? If so, then you have hydronic/solar heating, which I think is a selling point because it’s quiet heating and very uniform heating. As an aside, with such a system it is often relatively inexpensive to add heated towel bars, which is very nice in winter.

[Vandyne]

@KKC

It’s like the rules about no text in pictures: unevenly enforce and sometimes very stupid. Like if I have a picture that has my Beto sign in the front yard is it going to flag it?

I didn’t realize you couldn’t have text in pictures. We have a Florida room that isn’t climate controlled and we close it during the winter. It’s way too cold in Michigan during the winter to be out there, and guests kept smoking in it which is against our rules. Even though it’s stated in the listing this room is closed some guests didn’t read and were upset. I decided to add the text “closed during the winter” to the photos and this last winter had no guests asking why the room was closed. I guess I’ll just keep it how it is now and see if I hear anything from airbnb.

[JamJerrupSunset]

I was there in 1993 in the pre Bro era. Unless Bro is short for Brookline.

[JJD]

@JamJerrupSunset

I was there in 1993 in the pre Bro era.

My OH is sitting here and he’s from the Cape originally, but it’s next door and he was driving a cab (y’know, like a caw) in Boston in 1983 and he says that if you think that the Bro thing didn’t come until 10 years later in 1993 that you “must’ve been hanging out with the wrong people bro, probably tourists bro, sorry bro”.

[JamJerrupSunset]

It sounds like a Southie thing.

[JJD]

@JamJerrupSunset

sounds like a Southie thing.

You’ve watched too many movies, bro.

[Lynick4442]

@HostAirbnbVRBO

We use Airbnb’s guidebook feature to list restaurants, hiking trails and such.

I think I understand your comment on the solar heat and H20. For our pool we have a system that pumps water to the roof, where it is heated by the sun, and then the water is pumped back into the pool. Maybe that’s what you’re referring to – something like that? If so, then you have hydronic/solar heating, which I think is a selling point because it’s quiet heating and very uniform heating. As an aside, with such a system it is often relatively inexpensive to add heated towel bars, which is very nice in winter.

Nope. About 15-20 years ago we converted a boiler that was called a snowman (coal burning converted to oil and wrapped in asbestos. Did a great job of heating the basement We hired a contractor who was trying to sell this system but it was too labor intensive but for use, we got a rebate. We converted to a high efficiency gas boiler who’s heating coils sit in a traditional solar hot water tank. The collectors heat the hot water tank (about twice the size of a normal hot water tank). Then sun heats the collectors and raises the temperature of the water to about 135 degrees F so we have free hot water if you time it right and then the boiler only needs an additional 40 degrees to heat our home. My heat and hot water bills in New England run me about $600 a year. The actual system costs us with rebates about $17,000 (It would have been less but we had to hire a hazmat team to remove the old a asbestos boiler.). It paid for itself in less than 7 years.

Now it’s still going strong but if there’s an issue there’s really only one person that can fix it and he’s old school, doesn’t answer emails, doesn’t text and calls you at 7 pm after you have called him 4 times. I’m testing a new company that can service both the boiler and solar but so far they have not met my expectations.

[HostAirbnbVRBO]

Wow. What an amazing and fuel- and cost- efficient system! You were really years ahead of the times to put this in when you did.

So the collectors are on the roof, right?

I’m curious on what the maintenance challenge is. Is it the high efficiency gas boiler? I’m guessing that that technology is simple and well understood. I would think that the collectors and pump related to the solar heating is not high tech but might spring a leak now and then, though I’m supposing that there is a sensor that knows the temperature of the water in the tank, another sensor on the roof, and then sends water back to the roof to be heated when that’s sensible. So something could go wrong with the sensors or the circuit board that controls that.

That’s the kind of system we have for our pool. [I’m not a handyman type, so I might be making stupid comments here. My non-handyman comments are of course always spot on.]

[Lynick4442]

The collectors are on two roof lines. (I have a flat roof, pitched roof and a pitched roof on a porch.

The hot water tank did spring a link about 5 days after warranty but the company honored it.

As for the solar, we bought a case of extra tubes so the only think we have really had to do, it replace tubes that crack.

As for the high efficiency boiler, many companies do know how to work them but last year I did not get good service and need to have it serviced again. It’s making a rattling noise.

Honestly it’s been pretty easy to maintain.

[HostAirbnbVRBO]

I’m curious whether you use CPVC pipes, which are rated for 200F, or Schedule 40 PVC, which is rated for 130F, or another kind of PVC pipe. A higher rated pipe is less likely to crack in the heat.

[Lynick4442]

I don’t know the rating of the PCV pipe but all the venting does use PCV piping. I haven’t had any issues and for us cold is more of a problem.

One thing that did happen was when my leaf cleanup happened last year a bunch of leaves got caught in the PVC air intake and shut the system down. The company that should have been able to figure it out, couldn’t but my plumber did.

[muddy]

@Lynick4442

don’t know the rating of the PCV pipe but all the venting does use PCV piping

CPVC isn’t a rating, it’s a different type of material that withstands higher temperatures.

When you say solar H20, I was also confused, as that would mean solar water, not solar hot water. I.e. the solar could run a water pump.

[Lynick4442]

@muddy

When you say solar H20, I was also confused, as that would mean solar water, not solar hot water. I.e. the solar could run a water pump.

Honestly, I just wanted to have a catchy title. Guests always ask me about the collectors and really it’s more about a solar heating system.

[zillacop]

Just checked out my area to see if Air had added titles back to listings. So far, they have the generic in bold then under that the rental title in lighter type. You almost don’t notice the title.

[JJD]

@zillacop

see if Air had added titles back to listings.

I am seeing titles now too, on the website but not on the app. Do you see the titles on the app?

I’m glad that they kept the “Apartment” on there too because that’s what I have and “entire place” is just too vague.