Tightening up the house.

For whatever reason I got today off this year.  I would rather have the extra floating holiday though personally.  

It was already sleeting when I got up this morning so I decided to do some inside work instead.  Since this winter has been colder than average (or at least Jan and Feb have been) I decided to start with improving some of my ceiling panels that had started to sag a little.  This should help minimize the heat loss through the ceiling.  While I was putting in a few more staples, I had a rather unusual jam.  

The ceiling panels are all flush again though, so no more heat pump blowing directly into the attic insulation.  I never did put the trim pieces over the seams, and probably won't bother at this point.  

I did notice however as I was doing this that my air compressor is more sick than normal.  The RPM of the motor consistently drops after it starts.  I have been saying I need a new one for a couple of years now though, so I am not too surprised.

I also got a more proper tube sand thing to reduce the draft under the door.  I took a little closer look; it isn't the silicone that is the problem from the door insulation, it is the sweeper/gasket on the door itself that is the problem.  Large chunks of it have dried up and crumbled apart.  Couple that with the fact that door has shifted since it was installed is what is causing the draft around the door.  If I were going to stay in the tiny home for more than another year or two, I would probably replace the door and beef up the framing around the door.

After discovering that, I recalled that I had some foam insulation that I had picked up a couple of years ago.  I put a couple of layers of that in the door frame to help it fit more tightly.  I put some on the sides too, as well as along the sill plate.

Since the gym at work has been closed for almost a year (and I really need the exercise), and even the ones in town aren't fully reopened yet, I picked up a little elliptical last week.  Unlike a normal elliptical, the motions don't feel completely natural, but it is still a low impact machine.  It bends the ankle a lot more than feels natural because of its very short motion range, but it doesn't put pressure on it, so while it feels weird, it isn't a problem.  It is intended to be used under a desk while you are working at it.  The unit has magnetic resistance, which I found disappointing even on max, but is understandable for how it is intended to be used.  It isn't meant to be the foundation of a workout, but it is all I can fit in my limited space so it doesn't have a choice.  When I first unboxed it, I tried it sitting on the ottoman, which was a mistake.  The ottoman was not stable enough, I felt like I was going to fall over when I used it.  It isn't bad from the deacon's chair that I built though.  I can even turn the setup sideways if I wanted to watch my TV while using it.

It fits in my closet kinda.  It is only 25 lbs, which I can easily manhandle around, but still heavy enough that it doesn't slide around in use.  The weight is actually one of the common complaints with the unit I bought, but I think it is perfect.  Personally I think the people complaining need to be lifting weights if they can't move 25lbs.  I am considering getting some resistance bands so I can do an arm workout at the same time.