Rainy weekend. Plumbing mostly done, but not enough time as usual.

Saturday was wet and rainy as the remnants of Phillippe came through.  I did get out in the morning and do the now (mercifully) weekly upkeep on the hot tub.  I got it rebalanced.  The bromine and PH were a little low.  The bromine was largely because I didn't realize that the tablet dispenser had run out of tablets.  Oops.  And I had apparently used up all the bromine that was in the tub (using the tub is the fastest way to drop the bromine levels).

I pulled the filter to clean it (I have been using the tub quite a bit), and decided to just replace it.  The filters are only a couple of bucks.  It is the one on top.  I also took the rake and cleaned all the pine needles and whatnot out of it.  Excess organic materials use up the bromine a lot quicker.

While I was working on it, I took a quick peek at its power consumption.  Since Monday night, it has used 42.16kWh of power, which isn't much at all.  Using a power cost of 28¢ per kWh (I think mine is a little less than that now), it is $11.80.  It hasn't been warm either; daytime highs in the low 70s, night time lows in the 50s or low 60s.  It's winter consumption might be a bit scary (I won't be running it this winter, but will in the future), but its summer consumption will be much less.  I will take a final reading tonight so I have a definitive week.  I will be curious to see the difference, since the last few days have been cold (highs in the 50s, lows in the 30s).

I also took a look at the ditch in the back.  It still had water in it, and this was before the rain.  Sigh.

The other thing I did on Saturday trying to dodge the rain was get my truck emptied.  I ended up using the tractor as a wheelbarrow.

I got everything I need for the drainage ditch down by the leech field laid out.  This one is ready to install should it ever dry out.  

I put the rest of the gravel in the backyard.  I don't think this is enough, so I will be getting another load of gravel today (hopefully less overloading of the truck though).  I plan to fill the first ten or so feet of pipe with only gravel.  Since I plan on putting the hot tub and possibly a pool on the deck, when I go to drain them (or if I put in an outdoor shower) I can just build a little gutter system to run it off directly into the drainage.  While I am pretty sure draining a pool would overwhelm it (that is >1000 gallons in a hurry), it is better than dumping it all into the backyard, especially since it would be chlorinated/treated water which won't play nice with the grass.

Unfortunately I bumped the truck at one point with the tractor.  The sheet metal on trucks has gotten really thin over the years apparently and it tore the tailgate like a piece of paper.  At least I made it a year before I damaged the truck.  Sigh...

I got most of it pounded out.  The bedliner clip is sheared off though.  It should be flat enough that the cap will still fit though.  I didn't hear any whistling or anything driving in to work today.

While my tailgate isn't removable courtesy of the wires in the middle, they still used classic hinges for it so I can at least wiggle it enough to get the rocks out of the seam.

But I got the truck for the most part emptied, and it is ready for round two.

At that point, the rain started and my arms and back were tired so I called it a day (especially after an impromptu nap on the couch).  Sunday started off wet.  I started by cleaning the shower base.  It had gotten pretty bad.  You can see the front corner where I ran out of cleaner.  The shower base was pretty much completely covered in mineral deposits.  I think I might add the whole house filter to the list of winter projects.

I then went and did the first pass at the plumbing upgrade.  

It was a dismal failure.  I had to angle the sanitary tee back because otherwise the laundry box pex lines wouldn't fit.  The problem with that though is that I couldn't get the pex on this.  I tried to get it to bend enough, but no luck.  3/4" pex doesn't bend as nicely as its 1/2" brethren.  So I ended up making another run to Home Depot.

Before I took off, I had a visitor.  Dan stopped by and dropped off my power painter.  He was visiting Stefan and lives nearby, so he dropped it off on his way back home.  I was planning to use it to finish painting the cabinet doors.

After round two at Home Depot (and some pizza, in case it wasn't clear by the box I used to protect the counter), I tried round two.  I cut the number of fittings down to a single adapter and sanitary tee.  It takes the 1.5" from the laundry directly, and the 1.5" tee has an adapter that goes directly to 1" threaded, which there is a pex fitting for.  And it sits on top of the 2" pipe.  A nice and useful part that to be honest I am surprised Home Depot carried.

Because this sits well below where the 1.5" to 2" adapter was, I was able to put it in directly horizontal and just bend the pex for the laundry around it.  This is much better in many ways.

It wasn't all smooth sailing after that though.  I ended up with an unplanned zig-zag to get it behind the vent pipe.  It isn't a problem, but it means I no longer had enough elbows to finish the job.  And by the time I was doing this, Home Depot had already closed.  I still got as much dry fitted as possible though, I haven't clamped this together yet.  I put this in so I knew where it would come through the wall in the closet.  

I ran a small screw (that wasn't long enough to damage the PVC drain for the hot water heater should it have hit) so I knew roughly where it would all come through.  

The drywall that they used is pretty cheap, so my spade bits went through it like butter, and didn't even tear the paper all that much.

I got it all dryfitted to the main drain line, though for the purposes of dry fitting, I had to use my tee as an elbow.  But it should (in theory, reality is often different) be all smooth sailing after this.  I think I am going to use the tee to remove one of the couplers that the plumber installed.  He used 2' chunks of pex and couplers for all the pex work he did, which I don't understand.  I think it is extremely wasteful (connectors and rings cost a lot more than just buying longer pieces of pex) and it puts a lot of joints where there really doesn't need to be.

On a side note, I swapped the sheets from the bamboo set to the cotton set.  While the bamboo set I got was roughly the same price as the cotton sheets I got (I got the bamboo sheets online, whereas I got the cotton ones at Walmart which is a little more expensive but I got to feel them before I bought them), I am guessing I will only use them in the summer.  The oils that they shipped them in stained it (there are a few spots that look like you spilled motor oil on a t-shirt which doesn't wash out), and since they wash differently than everything else (cold wash) they have to be washed separately.  They are legitimately cooler (which I don't need this time of year as you might have guessed by the blanket on the bed) but don't feel much nicer.  They are supposed to be more smooth, whereas the cotton are softer.  But at the higher thread counts on cotton, they are just as smooth.

The rest of Sunday was spent on trip stuff.  I kind of need to run laundry, so I will hopefully be finishing up the plumbing upgrade tonight, probably after I unload the next load of gravel.  I think it is time to face reality though, especially since it is supposed to rain for the third weekend in a row this coming weekend (the last weekend before the weddings begin).  There is at best a slim chance (and slim has a ticket on a runaway train) the drainage ditch will complete.  Next week is supposed to be all rain as well.  This really does put a damper on things.  This also begs the question of do I finish the driveway with the next load of gravel, since that is a short task and I might have to snowblow when I get home.  The problem is I need to finish the stuff for the drainage ditch so I can complete the mortgage (the final grade is one of the line items on the mortgage).  I should also note that the snowblower is still sitting down by the tiny home and I haven't yet verified that my tractor will lift it.  

Current To-do:

• Before winter:
• Move carport
• Fix carport
• Final grade - get gravel and drainage pipe.
• Buy a real bed and living room furniture.
• Get a gun cabinet/safe.
• Fix driveway.
• Install drainage in the backyard.  
• Remove the backflush hose.
• Get heat pump installed.
• Get a snowblower for the tractor.
• Build a platform for the steps.
• Insulate the water lines
• Winter projects: 
• All the cabinet upgrades (bathroom, pantry, and kitchen)
• Design deck
• Build armoire
• Build dresser
• Install whole house filter
• Shelving upgrades in master closet.
• Access panel upgrades in master closet
• 2024 Projects:
• Deck
• Entertainment center
• Storm doors

My truck got turned into a low rider.

I haven't done too much the last couple of days.  I worked a bit late on Wednesday since I lost a lot of time because of the bike failure, and just did some errands last night, picking up a  few parts and stuff, including the insulation for the water lines.  I haven't gotten around to doing the plumbing work yet.  

I have called three guys trying to get some gravel delivered, since I need some to fix the driveway and finish up the drainage ditches, but they have either not returned my call or said they were too busy.  So today I decided to just get some myself.  I need a lot more than I wanted to haul with my truck, but I also didn't want to wait anymore.  Unfortunately for me, I can't get rock the same way in this truck as I did the Tundra.  In the Tundra, as soon as I could see rocks in the rear view mirror, I knew to tell him to stop.  This truck though, I stopped before I could see anything in the rear view mirror because I could feel I had already flattened out the suspension.  Sure enough, when I got back to work, my truck is definitely riding low.  Really low.  Even the front end is low.

There is a lot more rock in the bed than I thought when I called the loader guy off.

According to the receipt, I got 3000lbs.  In a half-ton truck.  Oops.  Even despite being massively overloaded though, the truck seemed to handle it fine.  I could feel the tires rolling going around the roundabouts, but otherwise it handled it fine.  No funky steering or abnormal noises.  It handles being loaded a ton better than the Tundra did (pun intended).  I usually started feeling steering problems in the Tundra around 1200lbs, and would load it to 1200-1500lbs.

Sadly I haven't really gone out looking at foliage this fall, it has been a pretty good one.  Just my normal driving thus far this year, and given the time constraints I don't think I will get out this year.

While I don't think getting gravels marks anything in progress, it unblocks the drainage and the driveway.  I will probably do the drainage first, since absolutely worst case I can do the driveway after I get back.  It just means if I have to clear snow when I get back it will be annoying.  Packing and filling in the trenches with frozen ground is a lot more of a pain, especially without an excavator.  Something that isn't on the list that needs to be done soon is  to test the truck cap, and build the back window for it.  because of the funky lip on my tailgate, I wanted to put the cap on the truck before I built the back window for it, so I can ensure that it opens and closes properly with the tailgate up.  As time runs out though, I might just build it full size and deal with it next year.  

Current To-do:

• Before winter:
• Move carport
• Fix carport
• Final grade - get gravel and drainage pipe.
• Buy a real bed and living room furniture.
• Get a gun cabinet/safe.
• Fix driveway.
• Install drainage in the backyard.  
• Remove the backflush hose.
• Get heat pump installed.
• Get a snowblower for the tractor.
• Build a platform for the steps.
• Insulate the water lines
• Winter projects: 
• All the cabinet upgrades (bathroom, pantry, and kitchen)
• Design deck
• Build armoire
• Build dresser
• Shelving upgrades in master closet.
• Access panel upgrades in master closet
• 2024 Projects:
• Deck
• Entertainment center
• Storm doors

Well, the e-bike has gone from extremely disappointing but still marginally useful to full on failure.

The ride home yesterday was disappointing.  The motor cut out twice.  The first time was because the cord for the motor unplugged.   They used the wrong type of connector; one that close to the chain and pedals really ought to have a latch, not just be friction fit.  I can fix that with some electrical tape though.  The second time it cut out was about 1/4 of the way up the steep hill.  I assume the motor overheated even though it was only in the low 70s since the motor was warm to the touch when it died, but there is no indication on the controller what happened.  Considering that hill is the reason I bought the e-bike, that was extremely disappointing.  Despite all that and the fact that I had to walk the bike up the hill, I still got home in an hour, which isn't bad.  The battery still had two bars in it, though that was likely due to it not working for the most grueling part.  So while it was extremely disappointing, it was still acceptable for use as a commuter.  And to be fair to the bike, that hill is really steep, like greater than 30 degrees in spots, and with my backpack on I am at the upper end of the weight limits that they advertise.

Then I rode it in again today.  My synopsis now is full on failure.  The motor cut out again on the way in, the same plug as yesterday, but I had another issue.  The pedal came apart.  Thankfully I was close to work and just throttled it and coasted the rest of the way in.  I will have to go see if I can find the pedal at lunch.  Looking at the crank though, it looks pretty torn up, so I am not sure I can just reinstall it.  I will have to look at whether I am still in the return window, since I did order it months ago at this point.  Otherwise I might just JB weld the damn pedal in.

Otherwise I didn't do too much last night.  I thought about cutting the PVC and getting the new sanitary tee in, but I got lazy.  I went in the hot tub instead.  I didn't stay in the hot tub long though because of bugs.  There was a really enormous (between 2-3" long) bee/wasp/hornet/black and yellow thing with stinger flying around the front.  

I hosed him down twice with bee spray, and he seemed to be immune to it.  I ended up stomping on him.

The other bug (that convinced me to get out of the hot tub and find said black and yellow thing with stinger) was apparently I had a spider in the hot tub.  The chemicals did their job, and he was dead though.  Fortunately when I bought the pool I found a skimmer on closeout next to it, so he got unceremoniously flung.  By the time the bug ordeal was over with though, my bubble cycle was nearly finished and it was nearly time for bed.

Going on three days now the levels in the hot tub are all still stable and in the OK range, so I think I am good.  The bromine is still high, and I think it will remain that way until I drain it.  I put enough granular bromine in for a 750 gallon tub.

None of this is on the checklist, and it looks like I will be either getting a ride home or going to the bike shop at lunch. Maybe try to find the pedal too.  Sigh.  After last night though, I will definitely be looking at bug netting for the back deck.  That won't stop spiders, but should keep the bees and whatnot out.  

Current To-do:

• Before winter:
• Move carport
• Fix carport
• Final grade - get gravel and drainage pipe.
• Buy a real bed and living room furniture.
• Get a gun cabinet/safe.
• Fix driveway.
• Install drainage in the backyard.  
• Remove the backflush hose.
• Get heat pump installed.
• Get a snowblower for the tractor.
• Build a platform for the steps.
• Insulate the water lines
• Winter projects: 
• All the cabinet upgrades (bathroom, pantry, and kitchen)
• Design deck
• Build armoire
• Build dresser
• Shelving upgrades in master closet.
• Access panel upgrades in master closet
• 2024 Projects:
• Deck
• Entertainment center
• Storm doors

Nothing motivates like a deadline.

Even though I got home a little late last night, I decided to start working on the plumbing, even though I hate PVC (in case you had forgotten).  While I didn't particularly want to, I really needed to.  Turns out the drywall over the washer is only screwed in through the trim pieces, which I suspected.  Given that the laundry trap is there, access is needed.  

I have to admit, this is the first time I have ever seen PEX used as conduit.  I expect that isn't to code...  Though to be fair, I don't think conduit is even required here.  My guess is that it is only being used to keep the wire and PVC from rubbing.

This is my plan.  It isn't clear in the video, but I plan on having shut off valves on both sides, so I can select which path the water will take. 

I had some stuff I needed for it, but not everything.  I didn't have a lot of leftover 3/4" PEX parts.  So I made a run to Home Depot and got what was missing.

To placate my lack of desire, I went in the hot tub afterwards.  Even though I hadn't used it in two days, the bromine levels are still high.  And I took this after using it (the fastest way to drop the Bromine in a well-balanced tub is to use the tub).  I will keep an eye on it and I might reduce the tablet dispenser's rate.  But at least it appears that my hot tub is now balanced properly.  On a side note, the bubbles felt nice on the back, but just soaking in the water afterwards stretching out my calf that I pulled over the weekend also felt really nice.

I also finally got around to plugging in the power meter.  Considering the heater and the pump were running, I was surprised to see it only drawing around 700W.  Hopefully the kill-a-watt survives being outside in a wet environment.  They aren't rated for it. I do have a cover over it, which should help.

A couple of notes from this morning.  Apparently I got really angry and flailed around while I was asleep last night.  I have some patch, but I really don't know how it happened.  I guess this is why people have headboards?

I rode my e-bike into work this morning.  A couple of comments: I find it odd that the speedometer tops out at 37mph considering it assists up to 30mph, though I haven't actually checked its accuracy yet.  It did okay on the way in, which is mostly downhill.  My trip in was only around a half hour, which is acceptable.  The ride in is more important than the ride home because of time constraints (I have a daily meeting at 8:15AM).  That said, even having fixed the rubbing on the back tire, it has a very disappointing lack of power.  We shall see how it does on the way home tonight, but I expect I will be sad.

We are not quite at peak foliage yet, but there is plenty of color to see.  Here is some from my run to the dump yesterday.

Here is some from my ride in this morning during sunrise.  

I should hopefully be able to finish up the plumbing this week, despite how much I hate PVC.  Especially considering I can't use the washer until it is done, and could conceivably have to turn off the water to finish it.  I have debated putting in hammer arrestors while I have the panel off, but thus far they haven't seemed to be necessary.  While I was at Home Depot, I did pick up a bunch of pipe insulation as well.  

Current To-do:

• Before winter:
• Move carport
• Fix carport
• Final grade - get gravel and drainage pipe.
• Buy a real bed and living room furniture.
• Get a gun cabinet/safe.
• Fix driveway.
• Install drainage in the backyard.  
• Remove the backflush hose.
• Get heat pump installed.
• Get a snowblower for the tractor.
• Build a platform for the steps.
• Insulate the water lines
• Winter projects: 
• All the cabinet upgrades (bathroom, pantry, and kitchen)
• Design deck
• Build armoire
• Build dresser
• Shelving upgrades in master closet.
• Access panel upgrades in master closet
• 2024 Projects:
• Deck
• Entertainment center
• Storm doors

Carport is ready to fill up.

Friday I went up to the spa place.  They said my water was close to fine (needed a little more calcium) other than the lack of bromine.  They said that the shock I was using was not a good one for bromine, and gave me a different one. 

I tested it when I got home.  It definitely raised the bromine levels more than the other shock did.  It sent the levels higher than my test strips could read.  The shock is supposed to reactivate the spent bromine, and it definitely did so.

I also noticed when I got back from shopping Friday night that I have a new crack in the ceiling.  This reminded me that they never came back to fix the windows.  They didn't fix them last time they came out (when they fixed the floors) because it was raining, and they for obvious reasons didn't want to pull siding and re-set the windows in the rain.  I will have to give them a call this week.

The weekend was a bit warmer; I even opened up the windows.  After the house spent a good chunk of the week below 60, it started warming up quickly.  It was 58 when I woke up, and got up to 60 by about 10AM. 

Saturday morning was set to finish up the carport. I got the remaining braces installed pretty quickly.  

Then it was time to move everything out of it so I could finish moving the carport into place.  

I put the wheels that were digging on boards to move it, which seemed to work pretty good.  Everything was still kind of soupy and soggy because of the couple of inches of rain we got on Thursday and Friday.

I pulled the back over with Barry's winch.

As it sank into the swamp, I realized that my regular jack wouldn't fit underneath the walls.  Fortunately I still had the other one I used to fix the floor in the shed which I used to jack it up enough to get boards under the wheels.  It was slow, but lifted the back without issue.  Considering it is a pretty light duty jack (only 2k lbs), I think the carport isn't as heavy as I thought it was.

I took a quick break from the carport at that point and went to work on the drainage ditch.  I got most of the rest of the side down by the creek done, mostly because I wanted it to start draining.  Not sure if I can weave the pipe through all the rocks though. 

I didn't quite finish up the carport on Saturday, but finished it up Sunday.  I can now walk through here while carrying stuff without issue.  

I didn't quite get it all the way over, but it is within a foot of the rocks, which is plenty good enough for this year.  

In a failed attempt to level it, I put this side up on blocks.  It didn't work well, but it is better than nothing.

After that, it was time to remove the boards from the inside.  I left the ones on the walls since I intend to pull it towards the back of the house at some point and they don't really impact the function of the carport, but that will be next year.

As I removed the boards, you can tell which bolts were the right ones, and which ones were not.  Considering those eye bolts are only rated for 350lbs though (and I pulled the carport using them), I don't think they did too badly.

I got the stuff that has been sitting outside in the yard back in the carport.

I started digging a bit more on the drainage ditch, but I popped something in my calf, and decided to call it a day.  

When I took a short break early in the afternoon I noticed that it finally got back up to 70 in my house.  It was quite warm on Sunday.

While the carport was one of the biggest remaining items, I really need to get cracking on the drainage and the water lines.  At this point I only have three weekends left before I leave on vacation, and one of those will be at a wedding (and this coming weekend looks like rain both days).  I did visit the quarry on Friday while I was running around, and they just got a paving job, so he said he wouldn't have a truck available for delivery for a couple of weeks, so I will need to call some independent guys.  I might end up paying more for the delivery, but the only alternative is to go and make a dozen or so trips in my truck and overload it each time (especially with my truck's apparent wimpy back springs).  Time is definitely short.  I might need to be "sick" a couple of days in the next week or two.

Current To-do:

• Before winter:
• Move carport
• Fix carport
• Final grade - get gravel and drainage pipe.
• Buy a real bed and living room furniture.
• Get a gun cabinet/safe.
• Fix driveway.
• Install drainage in the backyard.  Remove the backflush hose.
• Get heat pump installed.
• Get a snowblower for the tractor.
• Build a platform for the steps.
• Insulate the water lines
• Winter projects: 
• All the cabinet upgrades (bathroom, pantry, and kitchen)
• Design deck
• Build armoire
• Build dresser
• Shelving upgrades in master closet.
• Access panel upgrades in master closet
• 2024 Projects:
• Deck
• Entertainment center
• Storm doors