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Along with the standard water, electric and / or gas meter, I propose that every home should have a scale for determining the weight of its contents.
This could be fairly easily implemented in new construction, and retrofitted at a cost, using strain gauges / load cells. Vertical apartments could
subtract the weight of apartments above them.
Simply a gauge/meter which displays the home's actual weight above the foundation. Could be logged by a PC, or just displayed on a readout in the home. Alarms could be triggered when you have accumulated too much stuff!
Why? You might ask? - Possibly to see if your family has simply gained a bit of weight, need to restock the freezer, or have a severe need to hold a garage / rumble / jumble / rummage sale! (Conceivably could be designed to measure each room / appliance separately. Suitable sensor placement / software could show separate areas / sum to a total.)
(Inspired by my elderly Mom, who suffers with a form of packratitis, i.e. OCD. Symptoms evidenced by accumulating random stuff/junk from floor to ceiling.)
Load Cell background info
http://www.omega.co...info/loadcells.html Means to measure weight electrically [csea, Jul 17 2007]
How Much Does a House Weigh?
http://forums.jlcon...wthread.php?t=24928 discussion and estimate of 60lbs per square foot of fioor space [csea, Jul 17 2007]
Calculate House Weight
http://www.foretruss.com/WTMAT.pdf Reference table for doing your own calculation [csea, Jul 17 2007]
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Anyone have a notion of the weight of an typical house / apartment / flat ? I'm too tired research that tonight! |
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Similar techniques could be used on vehicles, storage units, and practically anywhere stuff collects! |
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my home contents insurance is due - I'm wondering if this would affect the cost. also, worrying that my council tax might be inflated by the amount of stuff I have acquired over the years. |
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It would be a very dedicated insurance company that attempted to calculate the value of your belongings against how much a thief could carry or pack into a van. |
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I once proposed this as a method for
determining if cars had been booby
trapped... ie fit them with weight
monitoring devices. It was at a time
when under car booby-trap bombs were
being used frequently to kill members
of the security forces where I live. |
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I like the idea of fitting this to a house...
I think I have the packratitis that inflicts
your mother [csea]. I envision a large
calibrated meter recording yet more
plastic, fake miniature meals foolishly
acquired at the Dollar Tree store when
recently in Chelsea, Massachusetts
(maybe they are everywhere in US) + |
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for [xenzag]---yes the Dollar Trees are coming to a town near you, but you were in Chelsea, Ma and didn't call me? I'm an hour or so away from there! |
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Just think.... we could have fought
over who would get the last Chuck E.
Cheese's Play Food Set, currently tipping
the scales into overload in my studio
room. |
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Why didn't I think of this! I suffer from packratitis that my parent's both have (my mom's case is more severe). |
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okay, I was tired last night. [+] to this idea becasue it would intresting to know exactly how much your house weighed. I imagine looking at the numerical readout when I have a party, and seeing how many people are there. |
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"Hey I need at least 300 lbs of you guys to leave right now!, And who left 2 lbs in the bathroom?" |
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I suppose there should be a "tare" function, in order to subtract out the current weight, and just display the difference since you last measured. |
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Added a couple of [links]. |
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My sympathies, [csea], my mother has a similar affliction. Oh, and she collects stray dogs as well. |
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