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The box includes the outdoor air conditioner, plenum parts, filters, and all screws and brackets required for installation. Some models also include a remote or wall controller as optional accessories. What comes with a ducted air conditioning unit? The ducted air conditioning system comes with the outdoor unit, plenum assembly, filters, and all the hardware needed for installation. Optional accessories like a remote or wall controller may also be included depending on the setup. Ducted Air-Conditioning System Installation Parts List Main parts: BELAIRE air-conditioner outdoor unit ×1 Outlet gasket ×1(In A3501/A3800 modes, the outlet gasket is fixed to the outdoor unit) Air flow separation baffle ×1 Plenum mounting bracket ×1 Return air filters ×2 Plenum assembly ×1 M8 × 180mm hex head bolts ×4 Metal clamping bars ×4 Large M8 washers ×4 Plenum screw – ST4.2×19 pan head screws ×4 Countersunk head self-tapping screw – ST4.2×16 ×6 Remote controller ×1 (Optional accessory) Wall pad controller ×1 (Optional accessory) Corky Lorenz November 4, 2025

Inside the box you’ll find the outdoor air conditioner unit, the interior plenum, and all required hardware, filters, and gaskets. It’s a complete installation kit with nothing extra needed. What comes in the box with an AC heat pump unit? The box includes the main outdoor air-conditioning unit, the plenum assembly for inside the RV, and all necessary mounting hardware and filters. Everything needed for a standard installation, bolts, brackets, gaskets, and screws, is included. Standard System Installation Parts List Main parts: BELAIRE air-conditioner outdoor unit ×1 Outlet gasket ×1(In A3501/A3800 modes, the outlet gasket is fixed to the outdoor unit) Outlet air duct ×1 Plenum mounting bracket ×1 Return air filters ×2 Plenum assembly ×1 M8 × 120mm hex head bolts ×4 (T3500)M8 × 180mm hex head bolts ×4 (A3501/A3800) Metal clamping bars ×4 Large M8 washers ×4 Truss head tapping screws ST4×10 ×8 Plenum screw – ST4.2×19 pan head screws ×4 Countersunk head self tapping screws ST4.2×16 ×6 Corky Lorenz November 4, 2025

A young hognose snake mistakes a paper towel for food. Here’s how vinegar helped it release the bite safely. What happens if a baby hognose snake bites a paper towel? It might try to eat it. A little vinegar on a q-tip can help the snake let go without harm. When I was visiting my friend and asking about his hognose snakes, which are about five months old now, he got one of them out to show me how voracious these baby snakes are. Now that they're fully in the routine of eating well, he was opening the container and showing me how they're basically ready to eat every time he gets them out. They're posturing as though they're going to strike, and anything in their way they're interpreting as a meal. He was holding a paper towel above the container, and this baby snake struck the paper towel and tried to eat it as though it were a mouse. He wanted to get the paper towel out of the snake's mouth without just pulling on it, because he didn't want the snake to rip off pieces and end up swallowing it. To do that, he used a q-tip soaked in vinegar and pushed it near the corners of the snake's mouth. His goal was that a really smelly or repulsive scent or taste would make the snake want to give up on the item and not try to eat it. That's how he got his snake to let go in the past when it bit his hand. He just slowly kept dipping the q-tip into the vinegar and then back onto the paper towel, and eventually the snake let go and didn’t consume it. It took several minutes, but he was patient, not trying to pull it out of the snake’s mouth, just using the disgusting taste of vinegar to get the snake to abandon the perceived meal. It was interesting to watch the way the snake was trying to envenomate the paper towel. I could see it moving its jaw side to side as if it was trying to make its jaw bigger to accommodate the whole paper towel. It was trying to eat that entire thing, ratcheting it in farther, and it just makes it seem like snakes will take on something way bigger than they can handle. It’s amazing what they can actually swallow because their anatomy will expand to accommodate a meal that’s bigger than their head. So if your snake tries to eat something that it shouldn’t, don’t panic. See if you can find something that’s safe but repulsive to help them let go of the item. Corky Lorenz October 31, 2025

A small patch of stuck shed on a hognose snake’s head or eyes is common and usually clears up on its own. A simple moist hide with damp moss helps loosen it safely. What should you do if your hognose snake has stuck shed on its head? Sometimes a hognose snake will finish shedding its body but still have old skin left on the head or eyes. This is normal and usually clears up on its own once the snake has access to a little extra humidity. In the main image, you can see that the snake has some shed sticking up on its head. The rest of its body had already finished shedding cleanly. My friend said the only other spot that can sometimes hold onto shed is the very tip of the tail, but this snake just had it over the eyes and forehead area. When a snake has a bit of stuck shed, my friend said he’ll just put some moist sphagnum moss under a hide in their enclosure. The snake can go in and out as it wants, and that extra humidity helps loosen the shed naturally. It’s not something you really need to worry about. Just make sure they have a humidity option so they can take care of it themselves. Corky Lorenz November 2, 2025

The RV roof must support 88 lbs and stay level. Reinforce the 14 ¾-inch opening with ¾-inch wood framing to prevent crushing and keep air from leaking into the ceiling. What are the RV load bearing requirements an AC unit? The RV roof must be strong enough to hold 88 pounds and remain level without collecting water. Around the 14 ¾-inch opening, wood framing at least ¾ inch thick should be added to support the air conditioner and prevent roof crush. Preparing the Roof Before installing the air conditioner, confirm that your RV roof can safely support the unit’s weight and remains flat enough to prevent water pooling. If the installation hole is not already cut, contact your RV manufacturer for guidance on how to properly create a 360 × 360 mm (14 ¾ × 14 ¾ in) opening. Reinforcing the Opening Frame the opening with wooden blocks at least 20 mm (¾ in) thick.This reinforcement prevents the roof from compressing under the mounting bolts and helps stop conditioned air from leaking into the ceiling space. Roof Thickness by Model T3500 model: roof must be 25–85 mm (1–3 3/8 in) thick. A3501 or A3800 non-ducted: roof must be 25–145 mm (1–5 5/8 in) thick. A3501 or A3800 ducted: roof must be 75–150 mm (3–6 in) thick. If your roof is thicker than the maximum listed for your model, a Thick Roof Bolt Kit can be purchased from Houghton or your local distributor. Corky Lorenz November 4, 2025

Fernwood Botanical Gardens features two charming model train displays, one indoors near the fern conservatory and one outside among the trees. A fun stop for families, kids, and train enthusiasts. Model trains at Fernwood Botanical Gardens There are two different train displays at Fernwood. One is inside, in the building where you buy your tickets. The other is a short walk from the entrance, on the trail. When planning my visit to Fernwood Botanical Gardens, I somehow missed the fact that they would have trains on display, not just in one place but in two! Inside the Fern Conservatory room, there are train tracks weaving in and out of the different fern displays in the visitor center that you walk through when you first arrive. Then, outside, there are even more trains, which was such a fun surprise to discover. I would have gone to Fernwood just to see the trains if I had known about them, so it was really exciting to stumble upon them. I loved the way the trains were weaving through the trees, like they were meant to be there. It didn’t feel like an artificial or commercialized setup. The whole thing looked carefully crafted with materials you would actually find in the forest. The tracks worked perfectly for the trains, but nothing felt copied or mass produced. It is the kind of display that a true train lover would appreciate, and any young kids who are train obsessed would absolutely love. I am not sure how long they run into the wintertime since snow could make things tricky, but when I visited on November 1st, the trains were still running. Leaves were falling, the air was chilly, and it was such a cozy scene. You will find the outdoor train display not too far from the main building where you check in. There is also a children’s exploration area nearby with a slide, open space to run, and plenty of trees and foliage to enjoy. Corky Lorenz November 2, 2025

Bamboo fleece makes a soft and absorbent topper for cloth pads. Use either side of the fabric, enjoy vibrant dye results, and repurpose scraps for pad cores. Can you use bamboo fleece as a topper for cloth pads? Yes. Bamboo fleece is soft, absorbent, and works beautifully as a cloth pad topper, whether you use the fuzzy side or the smooth knit side facing up. Lots of people really love using bamboo fleece as a topper for sewing cloth pads , because it is very soft and very absorbent. Usually when they are using it as a topper, they’re using the 300 or 400 gsm fabric weight. Often, people are getting the fabric from Nature’s Fabrics , Kinderel or Wazoodle. There are lots of other places I’m sure you could get it, but those are some of the common sources I knew of when I was most frequently buying fabrics for cloth pads. A lot of people who like using bamboo fleece as a topper think that the fuzzy side is really cute, and they like to have that as the side that faces out and is visible. When you think of a sweatshirt, the fuzzy fleece side is usually on the inside, but in the context of cloth pads and diapers, the quality of the fleece is better, and the fuzzy side is actually nice and desirable to be seen and felt. Some people still like to have the smooth knit side towards the body because it’s their preference and they want the fabric for its absorbent capabilities, but it can be used either way. The really nice perk about bamboo fleece or bamboo terry is that it takes dye very well. The colors are quite vibrant, and it’s a nice instant gratification activity if you want to have some beautiful, colorful pads. If you end up having scraps that are dyed and not big enough to sew a whole pad, you can just use them to bulk up the core section of the pad. Even if it’s dyed, it doesn’t matter, you can use it on the inside of the pad. Corky Lorenz October 22, 2025

Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens brought a stunning selection of Hoyas, variegated tropicals, and carnivorous plants to the October 2025 Tinley Park Reptile Expo, offering rare varieties like Thai Constellation Monstera at unbeatable prices. Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens is a returning favorite at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo, known for rare tropicals and affordable Hoyas. Their displays always stand out, colorful, vertical, and packed with hard to find plants. One of the main things I look forward to when I go to a reptile expo is hunting down the plants, particularly the Hoyas. At the Tinley Park Reptile Expo in October 2025, I found the vendor Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens. This was the third time seeing them, if I remember correctly, and they have had an impressive display every time. This year, they had a large variety of variegated plants that were previously considered rare and hard to get, at prices that were mind blowing. There were Thai Constellations in 4 inch pots with leaves already developing fenestrations for 25 dollars. On the second day, you can usually get good sales on plants because vendors prefer not to take them all home. If I remember right, there was a buy two, get the third free deal. They also had carnivorous plants and small species meant for terrariums, plants that grow in humid, closed environments. But most of the collection seemed aimed at people who collect houseplants and tropicals as a separate hobby from providing enrichment in reptile enclosures. This vendor sets up their displays in a way that is actually fun to browse, with stands that make use of vertical space instead of just tables. It is visually commanding, you can spot them across the room. I would say they are a staple vendor at the Tinley NARBC Reptile Expo, and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. Corky Lorenz October 23, 2025

Learn what hognose snakes eat from hatchling to adult. Includes feeding tips for new owners, starting with chicken hearts and pinkies as they grow. What do hognose snakes eat? When they are first hatched, and are very small, they can eat cut chicken hearts. As they get bigger, they transition to eating pinkies. Feed a hognose like most other pet snakes. Hognose snake diet In the wild, hognose snakes can eat toads and amphibians. As pets, hognose snakes are not unique in what they eat. Hognose snakes are unique in the way that they evolved alongside their poisonous meals so that they're not affected the way other snakes might be. As a pet, feed them like you would feed any other common snake. Pinkie mice: newborn mice (usually frozen/thawed). This is the standard feeder for most pet hognoses once they’re big enough. Fuzzy mice: slightly older/larger mice, used as the snake grows; they’re the next step up from pinkies. Chicken hearts or pieces: often used for newly hatched or picky eaters before they transition to rodents. Feeder size The challenge when they are first hatched, is that they are quite small. You can cut up chicken hearts to give them appropriately sized food. They also might be timid without good skills for hunting their meal with confidence. Over time, baby snakes seem to get the hang of your feeding pattern. When they notice the signs of what usually happens before you feed them, they'll start ramping up behaviors that indicate they're ready for a meal. Chicken hearts as feeders You can get chicken hearts from the meat section in grocery stores. This is convenient in a pinch if you run out of frozen feeders. It's also helpful for picky eaters, since they can be more attracted to the scent. Common frozen feeder As they get bigger, you can store frozen pinkies and thaw them when you need to feed your hungry little hisser. You can often find these feeder mice at reptile expose, in person, so that you can actually see the size of them to get a feel for what your snake might be capable of eating. Consider interacting with your hognose with and without food, so they don't just associate your company exclusively with food. They might confuse you for a snack. Young and shy eaters If you have a very young hognose snake, who is shy about eating, it's possible that they might do better if their food is offered to them under hide or in a part of the enclosure where they feel safe. This five month old hognose snake was not aggressive, like the rest of its siblings and took a while to warm up to the idea of eating. But the pinky was left outside the opening of the black hide and after smelling it for about 20 seconds it then ate the meal. Corky Lorenz October 11, 2025

Even after peak flower season, Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Niles, Michigan is worth visiting for its fall leaves, late blooms, and scenic walking trails. A quiet, colorful place for anyone who enjoys trees and seasonal change. Is it worth visiting Fernwood after the flowers are done blooming, in the fall? Even after the flowers fade, Fernwood Botanical Gardens stays alive with color. The trails are lined with bright leaves, textured bark, and a few late blooms that prove how well the gardens are cared for. Surprisingly, for November 1st, there were still a few flowers in bloom at Fernwood Botanical Gardens which is a testament to how well they maintain the foliage and gardens. Plants don’t last long if they’re dehydrated or neglected, so having anything blooming right now is incredible. But mostly, what you go for this time of year are the fall leaves and changing colors. It’s genuinely enjoyable to walk the trails and see the variety of tree species, noticing how each one changes differently. Some leaves go from green to yellow to orange to red, while others stay green longer. The shapes and colors make it feel like a living field guide to trees. If you enjoy trees, this is a great time to visit. The few flowers that remain are just a bonus. There are also other attractions like the train displays, art exhibits, and indoor collections, more than enough to fill a visit even when the main blooms are gone. Corky Lorenz November 2, 2025