Our New High Tech Door, Worth The Money

When we renovated our kitchen last summer, we also decided to change the door going to the mirpeset, balcony/terrace.

It was wood with a glass window, and after over thirty years being exposed to the worst of the wind, rain and strong sun, the time had come to replace it. Draughts and rain snuck through, and if I tried to clean the window panes, it was clear that they were very loose.

A few years ago, when I had first been concerned that the lower section was about to separate forever, my son-in-law insisted he could fix/replace that part. That repair didn't solve all the problems, just one. But when the door became so warped that the lock mechanism was misaligned, and keys broke, I lost all patience with it.

The time had arrived to get a new door, something that would upgrade our home. My daughter highly recommended in internal blind, inside the double panes of special insulating glass. Considering how much we were spending on the kitchen, I didn't think it was wise to go "cheap" on the door.

For years I'd been drooling over a door of new, modern materials, neither wood nor aluminum. I wanted top notch insulation. It has always been important to me. I had planned and built the house according to the principles of passive solar heating, and it is as well insulated as was possible to build at that time.

Basically, we had a choice between ordering from an American company via a friend of ours, who is their agent here, or buying from a more local company headquartered in nearby Sha'ar Binyamin. And we know the owners of that company, also. The deciding point was that the American company didn't have a possibility for internal blinds. So, I called Chaim Briskin of Hi-Tech Windows in Sha'ar Binyamin, 02-656-5575, email info@pvcwindows.co.il.

I chose what I wanted when visiting their showroom factory, and then later on, they came to my house to measure and take a look at the doorway. Not only did we get a door with a large glass window that has the inner blinds, but we also ordered a simple screen door. By having a screen door, we figured that we can save money in the summer, especially in the evenings, by being able to keep the door open and the screen closed. That way we wouldn't need to use the airconditioner for cooling all that much.


Since the door didn't arrive until the weather had cooled, we can't say how much it will help in the summer. But we're overjoyed at how the door is increasing our winter quality of life. No longer are we suffering from the cold draughts that had plagued our dining area.

It's also a great savings in heating costs. The heater goes off frequently, since heat isn't being lost. During the previous winter, the heater never seemed to go off.

When we built the house, custom designed and built, we ordered double windows. The inner window frames are wood, and the outer ones are aluminum. The planning was rather primitive by today's standards, but despite the numerous imperfections cold stays out.

I firmly believe that it's worth investing in the best possible insulated doors and windows, and today you can get top notch doors and windows from Hi-Tech Windows. I recommend them for all of your window and door needs. You'll save on heating and cooling, especially if you don't skimp on screens. They work all over the country, not just around here.

Damaged Screen

I hope this photo is clear enough on your screen to see. The other day when I got a ride to the "gas station" on the way to Tel Zion/Psagot/Kochav Yaakov I looked up to see when a bus was expected. All I needed was to go just over a kilometer to Sha'ar Binyamin, but since there's no sidewalk along the road, it's not very safe to walk. I wouldn't want to tempt a terrorist to run into me or be the victim of a driver paying more attention to his phone or whatever, so I needed a bus or a ride.

The cracked screen looked like it had been hit by some rocks; its pole seemed undamaged. These screens give, or are supposed to give, information about which bus is coming when, but that's in theory.  Not all the buses get listed. In Shiloh we have two bus lines, but only one line is shown on our screens. And frequently the only message is:

Out of Order

Even at stops like the one in Sha'ar Binyamin, which do show lots of bus lines, I've found that not all the buses show up on the screen. Actually, that is sometimes very good news. Quite a few times when waiting for a bus to Jerusalem, I see that none is expected for at least twenty minutes, and then "surprise," there's a bus.

I'm sure you're itching to tell me to download the "bus app" which will let me know what buses are coming when. Yes, I did have it, but as I've written before, Craving a New, Better and Smarter Smartphone my phone doesn't have enough memory, so I'm down to bare minimum when it comes to apps. And since many of the bus stops do have the screen with that information, it was an unnecessary app for me.

I wonder how long it will take for the screen to get fixed....

Ye Olde Computer Fading

Yes, those are tweezers and emery boards here for those times when I'm waiting for the slow computer to activate. 

Bli eyin haraa, to prevent the "evil eye," I must say that the computer PC I use is quite a few years old. I don't really remember when we got it, but some parts are much older than the tower which is the newest part. And I think we got that about six years ago. The mouse and keyboard are much, much older if I'm not mistaken, and a friend brought us this old boxy screen that had been dumped by someone who had bought a "fancy" screen, also at least about six years ago when our previous one needed to be replaced, or something like that.

I know that it looks disgusting, but the equipment wouldn't survive a soaping.

B"H, it seems that I'm pretty gentle with appliances, machinery and stuff lasts longer than for many others. I like to credit it to the fact that I don't clean them much. Cleaning, soap, water etc damage stuff. I don't take apart anything that is more complicated than my percolator or French Press. When cleaning for Passover, if a shelf doesn't easily slip out, it stays in. I don't need a screwdriver for cleaning. I don't use the screws as plates or forks.

But nothing lasts forever, and I keep getting these nasty notices on the screen, when it's working, that I don't have enough memory in my computer. Yes, for the modern world my computer is a sprightly dinosaur. What I've been doing is to go through the pictures and delete what seems unnecessary to save. That placates it for a bit until the nudge nudges again.

All of the keys on the keyboard are whole, bli eyin haraa, though the more frequently used ones, lie "e" and "t" are low like someone shrunk and short from osteoporosis.

For the past few weeks, or months already, the screen begins to convulse, like some minor epileptic fit. Even worse, periodically the screen goes black. I finally discovered that some well-placed taps or slaps can wake it up, but no doubt pretty soon it will just die and need to be replaced.

I guess the time has come to contact the neighbor who set this one up. He hasn't had to make a house call all the years since we've had it, so I should be happy, and I am. For many years we had a very nice computer maven named Bram, but he passed away and we were forced to find someone new. Nobody and nothing can live forever and that includes computers and the experts who care for them.

The really big problem as I remember is that the minute you replace one thing with even a slightly upgraded one, you suddenly have to upgrade, that means buy and replace lots of other parts to the computer. So, we're not talking just one small purchase/change. It's as if by doing a hip transplant you find your elbows, knees etc being switched, too.

PS I didn't plan this post as a "Baile Rochel," but it has the same rhythm, so I guess it is one.