Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Valentine’s day was here. I wanted to wash the car and have it nice and clean, so my lady and I could drive down to Foxwoods in style. It was pretty dirty and needed a good wash.
On my way back from tennis yesterday morning, I dreaded the idea of going downstairs, turning the water valve to “on” and then going back outside to hook up the hose on the water spigot at the front of the house. I think the part I hate the most is hooking up the hose outside and then having to unhook it to put it back in the garage. The reason I would have to go downstairs to turn the valve on is because of freezing in the winter. No valve downstairs, frozen and broken water spigot upstairs come spring.
I had a great idea. Why not install a water spigot inside the garage? This way, I can keep a hose hooked up all the time and not have to worry about the spigot freezing over the winter. I could use the spigots that are outside for watering and things like that over the summer, but for washing the car and things like that, I could use the inside one. I thought it would be very handy.
Since the area I wanted the spigot located in the garage was right on the other side of the washing machine hookups down in the basement, I figured it would be a pretty easy job. Somehow, I would just tap into the cold water feed for the washing machine. I really look forward to these types of projects because I have to get imaginative. I enjoy standing in the pluming aisle at Home Depot trying to figure things out. I really do.
Before I left for the Depot to get all the parts, I decided to drill a hole through the 2×10 that the floor was resting on. This 2×10 is up in the ceiling of the laundry room and down towards knee level in the garage. I would drill a 7/8 inch hole to see what I would find.
I drilled the hole from the basement and saw daylight. Lucky me. I went upstairs to the garage and saw a hole right where I wanted the spigot to be. Really lucky me. I started getting my thoughts together and made a little list. Then, I hopped in the car and drove over to Home Depot.
I am not going to give you the list of parts I bought here because I forget what they are. Hopefully you can see them in the pictures I will show you. As I post the pics, I will probably remember what they were. Take a look at the finished product.
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Water hose splitter and on-off switch on cold water laundry feed
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125 psi hose going through 2×10 from laundry room to the garage upstairs
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Water spigot mounted to 2×4s in garage
Let me do a little explaining. I know the proper way to do this is with copper piping. I may change that some day. For this application, I used hose. Since I am aware that this is not a permanent thing, I put an on/off valve down near the splitter in the laundry room. I saw the hose in the store and couldn’t pass it up. When I am not using the spigot, I can just go downstairs to turn the valve off.
Also, the reason the spigot is mounted to 2×4s is because I wanted it really solid on the wall. I am probably going to tug on the hose as I pull it outside and I didn’t feel like having the spigot tear off the wall. It’s not the prettiest thing, but you should try to give it a wiggle. Nope. I know there is a 2×10 on the other side of the sheetrock, but the hole I drilled was a bit too big and the mounting screws weren’t sitting right.
After everything was all set up, I hooked up a nice brand new no-kink garden hose I bought last autumn to the spigot in the garage. I went downstairs to turn on the easily accessible on/off valve and then came back upstairs to drag the hose out into the driveway. I turned the spigot on and…well, that’s for the next post.
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Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
Throughout this winter, I have been putting together a short mental list of things I am going to tackle once the good weather arrives. I thought I might share that list with you, partly to entertain you and partly to remind me what in the world I had on my mental list once I have the urge to do some of these things.
EXTERIOR:
1. Order tons of pine trees from ArborDay.org and plant them all over the place.
2. Get the lawn in order.
3. Begin work on Laura’s garden. Need fencing and shrubs.
4. Clean out under porch. Take nails out of 2×4s and stack somewhere else so they are hidden. Throw out vinyl lattice (unless of course you want it).
5. Order more pellets to restock basement for next year.
6. Repair driveway again from this winter’s damage.
7. Admire mailbox.
8. Order 30 yards of mulch.
9. Mulch front garden and top off last year’s mulch.
10. Enlarge garden in front to include those 3 large rocks. Mulch that too.
INTERIOR:
1. Finish painting upstairs bedroom.
2. Remove carpet and tile from downstairs (main floor) and install tile over the whole area.
3. Paint downstairs (main floor).
4. Continue wondering how difficult it would be to replace suspended ceiling in basement with sheetrock.
5. Continue fantasizing about turning the laundry room into a giant bathroom with a giant bathtub and a giant shower.
6. Finish painting upstairs.
Wow, that’s quite a list. Am I going to get all these things done this spring? Heck no. I think I might be able to get those pine trees though. I am getting tired just looking at that list.
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Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
I can officially call it winter now that it’s the 22nd. It feels like just a few weeks ago that I had sweat dripping off my face from working outside. Now, sweat is just a distant memory.
When I woke up this morning, I noticed a blue sky peeking through the little half circle window above the closed shades in the bedroom. I was pretty happy because every time it’s sunny during these “dark” months, you pretty much have to take advantage of it. Being trapped inside a house during a very snowy weekend can get on your nerves. Not that it isn’t beautiful outside, it’s just that seeing the same walls over and over again can take its toll.
I decided that today would be a great day to take Holly down into the woods to go for a walk. Since Holly is a Nordic dog, I figured that she would jump at the chance to bounce around in the deep snow. The plan was to hike down the hill behind the house, cross the walking trail, climb over the rock wall and continue down to the river. Maybe Holly could get a quick drink while we were there and then we would figure out a way to get back up that steep, snowy hill. That was the plan.
I went downstairs to get Holly, who was asleep on the warm basement floor. I said, “C’mon Holly…c’mon,” while slapping my hand against my leg. She kind of just lifted her head to look at me. Then, I started jumping around so she would get the message. Holly isn’t the best listener, so it takes a bit of theatrics to get her to do anything. Finally, she got up and followed me up the basement stairs and out the garage door, where I clipped her to her leash. I think she was starting to wake up, because she had a little pep in her step once we hit the driveway pavement.
To get Holly warmed up for the snow hike, I walked her up the driveway to the mailbox and back down to the edge of the woods. Once we were all set to enter the woods, I gave her a tug and jumped in myself. She followed me, but once her paws hit the snow and her body sank about a foot into it, she looked a bit discouraged. She glanced up at me with those, “No way, man” eyes. I wasn’t having that, so I started to tug on her leash a little more. We got about 50 feet into the woods and she stopped. She just stopped. Her head kept on leading back to the driveway. I stood there in utter disappointment. What had this dog turned into? Oh well, today is her birthday and she did just turn 14. I’ll give her a break.
We started heading back up the driveway and she began hopping in the snow. “Oh, so there’s all that energy,” I said. She was saving it to make sure she would make it back to that warm basement floor. She might need it to fall asleep again. Oh well. I brought her back inside and headed down into the woods myself.
Good thing I had my big boots and snow pants on. If I tried to hike around in anything else, I would have been totally covered in snow. We must have over a foot, because the white stuff was well past my shins and right below my kneecaps. It’s not fun when it hits the skin and starts to melt. Winter is all about dressing the right way. I figured that out a long time ago. Believe it or not, the second time I went skiing, I attempted to go down Mt. Snow in jeans. What an idiot. I’ll chalk that up to being an inexperienced youth.
I had my camera in my pocket and was ready to take some really beautiful shots of the New England woods after a snowstorm. I made it a bit down the hill to the treehouse. I figured I would take a few pictures of it to show you. I mentioned to Laura this morning that we should make a point of fixing it up this summer, just in case we ever wanted to sit up there and watch the woods. It’s situated in a nice little cluster of Hemlocks.
Treehouse in Hemlock trees
Treehouse in Hemlock trees
The treehouse is built very well and quite sturdy, so I don’t think we’ll have any problems maintaining it. Laura already climbed up there over the summer to peek out the window. I got about half way up and turned around. I few years ago, I would have been jumping up and down on top of the roof. What the heck happened to me?
I continued down the hill, across the hiking trail, all the way to the river. It’s really not that far, but when you are lifting your knees to your chest, trying to walk, it seems a lot further than it really is.
I made it to the river and took a few photos. This one was the best.
River leading into wetlands
The water wasn’t as active as it was a few days ago, after that huge rainfall we had. It was pretty calm today, but I’m sure we’ll see a change after the rain and warm weather that’s predicted for the next few days.
From there, I stopped to smell the figurative roses. It’s not every day I am able to stand, once again, in silence. It was really nice. There were no footprints anywhere, so I knew I was alone. I took a look around to see what I could take pictures of. It was kind of challenging, because there wasn’t a lot of substance. It’s hard to explain, but in the summer months, there are leaves, trees, flowers, animals, etc…to take pictures of. During winter, there is snow and wood. I did find a few things though…
Looking into the sun
Small branch with ice on it
Tree branches in winter
Dried leaf with snow on it
Small tree in winter woods
At that point, I figured that I had enough pictures. Trust me, there were many more than what I am showing you, but so many didn’t come out the way I wanted them to. With many of them, I was experimenting with the various settings on the camera.
When my fingers started getting cold, I turned around to head up the hill.
If you have never seen this hill, I’ll tell you that it’s somewhat difficult walking up when there is no snow on the ground. When there is snow, it’s all the more fun. I made it about half way back up when I stopped at the treehouse again. I saw a few low hanging Hemlock branches, so I pulled the camera back to see what I could do with them.
Close up Hemlock branches
That was fun because the Hemlock is my all-time favorite tree.
As I rounded the crest of the hill and got closer to civilization, I felt the cold air against my face. I was using a lot of energy, but not sweating in the least. I continued to walk and thought to myself how beautiful winter and snow can really be. I spend so much of my time complaining about how I can’t go outside and plant things, that I overlook much of what this time of year has to offer. Today was a great day to get outside and remind me of that.
The last picture I took was of one of the Rhodedenrums out in front. It looked to good against the blue sky, I just couldn’t help myself.
Rhodedenrum against blue sky in winter
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Monday, November 24th, 2008
As I mentioned earlier in the season, we had a St. Croix Prescott EXL pellet stove installed in the basement.
Before the Winter season really began, I had my doubts on whether or not the pellet stove would heat the entire house. I was worried that it’s location would hinder the airflow to all the rooms upstairs. Well, I am happy to inform you that the stove does heat the entire house. I mean, if we keep the master bedroom door shut, it does. The master bedroom is over the garage and the furthest room from the stove. It’s also the coldest room, which is why we keep the door shut. When the time hits 10:30PM, the new digital thermostat cranks the heat in that room up to 65 degrees. That’s good enough for me.
We have had some nights already where the temperature has been in the 20s. I think that’s Winter and enough to tell me that the heating situation is going to be okay. I did try burning a fire in the regular fireplace a few times while running the pellet stove. The fireplace actually made things worse. It sucked so much air out of the house, all the rooms dropped a few degrees. Fireplaces are remarkably inefficient and really shouldn’t be used, in my humble opinion. If you want to run something in your fireplace, run a free standing wood stove or a wood stove insert. Even burning a fireplace for aesthetics on a cold day will freeze out the rest of your house. Nuff said.
Okay, we are having a little issue with the pellet stove.
A few nights ago, I tried to start it up. The start up procedure really isn’t very difficult on the Prescott. It basically consists of pushing the “on” button. Once the “on” button is pushed, the room blower turns on for about 10 seconds and the auger turns until the burn pot is approximately half way full of pellets. As the auger is turning, the ignitor kicks on and the pellets light up. It’s fun to watch and I sit there almost every time I light the stove doing just that. I smile when I see that flame dancing around inside that pellet stove.
Back to a few nights ago…when I tried to light the stove this particular time, I pushed the button. The fan turned on for about 10 seconds and then the stove just shut off. I am not sure if the auger ever turned to drop pellets into the burn pot.
I tried to light the stove a few more times when I noticed the #2 light blinking on the control board. I thought this was a little strange, since I had never seen that light blink before. I pulled out the owner’s manual and looked up that error code. Apparently, a lack of negative pressure causes the stove not to light and the #2 light to blink.
What can cause a lack of negative pressure? Well, a really windy day can do it, an open pellet stove door, a fireplace burning upstairs perhaps, a clogged air feed pipe or a clogged exhaust vent pipe. I am sure there are others, but these are the ones I remember.
Since I had a fire already going upstairs in the fireplace, I chalked the whole thing up to that. I got the pellet stove going in this instance by pulling the rubber tube off the vacuum switch and lightly sucking on it. When I heard a little “click,” I pushed the on button again. From here, things were fine. I held the crimped hose for a few minutes and then I hooked it back up the proper way.
Well, I tried to light the stove again the next night. The same thing happened. Since we had no fire going in the fireplace, I thought perhaps there was a clogged area in the stove somewhere that is causing the lack of vacuum, or negative pressure.
Let’s make a really long and boring story a bit shorter and to the point.
I cleaned out the entire stove about 10 times and nothing has changed. Every night, I suck on that hose to get the stove up and running. I have been reading the owner’s manual as well as some websites that deal with this kind of situation, but nothing has helped. One website said that a clogged exhaust vent is the sure-fire problem. I got excited and took off the clean-out cap. A little pile of ashed dropped out, but nothing changed.
This afternoon, I called the pellet stove dealer. I told them that I had pretty much narrowed the problem down to a faulty pellet stove vacuum switch and that I would need the tech to come out and take a look. Before we swap out the switch, I want him to hook up a vacuum gauge to see if there is proper negative pressure. If there is, we can replace the switch…if not, we have to do a bit more digging.
I keep going downstairs to investigate this issue. It is in my blood that I try to diagnose this problem myself. The only things I don’t have are a vacuum gauge or a new vacuum switch. I guess I need those things to solve the problem.
If you have ever experienced something like this with your pellet stove, please let me know. I am racing against time here. I want to beat the repair guy and figure this out myself.
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Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
The pellets were delivered yesterday, all four tons of them. That’s 8,000 pounds.
What did I do with all 8,000 pounds of pellets? I moved all 8,000 pounds of pellets downstairs, alone. I did that all by myself in about an hour and a half. I don’t mean to brag about my feats of strength, I really don’t.
This feat was really nothing for me, moving all 8,000 pounds of pellets, I mean. It was annoying, because the wheelbarrow had a tire that was half flat and it was dark outside, but otherwise, everything was OK. I also had to navigate through the little doggy land mines, but I mostly made it.
Wood pellets by the ton
I put between 7 and 8 bags of pellets in each wheelbarrow load. At times, things got a little hairy going down the slight hill into the backyard, but again, this was but a minor challenge. When you have as much training in this type of thing as I do, it’s really simple.
Can someone please pat me on the back?
Of course I had to get a fire going in the pellet stove last night. The stove works really great, but I have to seal up the pipes again, just like the old stove. They leak slightly, which kind of stinks. I’ll get it.
The cool part is that when I am standing on the stairs between the basement and the main floor, I can feel a breeze going down, when I put my hand down towards the stairs and a breeze going up, when I put my hand up near the ceiling.
I think it’s going to work out just fine.
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Saturday, September 20th, 2008
I know it’s hard to believe, but sometimes, I sit here and think of stuff to write and come up short.
I hear this a lot with blogs…writer’s block. I never thought I would have it. I’m not sure I do, I am really just not in the mood sometimes. I don’t think life is any more boring right now, but it just doesn’t seem like there is anything to talk about. I guess I will just talk about current events.
Ok, I have been playing a lot of tennis. I went to another clinic today and had a good time. The last clinic I went to didn’t go over so well. I think I was hitting too softly. Today, I really nailed the ball good and had a good time. I don’t know what I like more, the game of tennis or striking something really hard. Either way, it’s good exercise and my body is ripped and buff. My aches and pains are even going away. All my strokes are coming along nicely. All I have to do is get my serve semi-consistent and I think I am going to get more involved with playing real matches.
I did win a game today. I lost two right before it, but I did win.
The weather is changing in the Northeast. It has been getting chilly at night and I haven’t been sweating bullets during the day. I even mowed the lawn today and didn’t sweat a drop. I won’t mention that I was on the ride-on lawnmower. I won’t mention that. I am going to start taking the camera out more to get some nice Autumn shots. Also, we can drive places again now that the humidity is gone. See, there are some photo opportunities right there.
The neighbor from up the road stopped by today to introduce herself and give us a big bouquet of Mums. I thought this was very nice. It was a really classy thing to do.
I have had the fireplace going for the past three nights. It doesn’t really do anything, besides look good. To get any heat out of it, I think I really have to pile the logs on. That might happen further in the season when the weather is cold during the day, but not yet.
I tried the pellet stove out today just for kicks. It works great. I went to the top of the basement stairs to see if I would feel the heat rising, and I felt a breeze. I actually felt a breeze, which means that the air was moving all by itself and I don’t need a fan to do it. That’s a good thing. I am curious how the pellet stove is going to heat the house. I am not expecting to have the whole house heated, but a few big rooms would be nice.
Also, after I finished playing tennis this morning, I went over to the pellet stove store and scheduled the delivery of pellets. They are going to drop off all four tons on Monday. Anyone want to come over and help me move four tons of pellets? Yeah, that should be a riot. Ah, it’s only 200 bags. That’s nothing. You bet I am going to be taking pictures of that one.
Still using the Bowflex and am stronger than ever. I think my stomach had gotten flatter. I like that because sitting in a computer chair all day doesn’t work wonders for the body.
Ummm, what else? I don’t know. September just seems kind of slow, doesn’t it? I mean, there is a lot of stuff going on, but the wheels of commerce don’t seem to be turning as fast this month. I wonder if this is the way it’s going to be until December. I keep trying to think back to the way it was last year. I thought things picked up in September, but maybe not.
I have been working a lot, trying to get things to launch in a big way. I have a little goal that is, well, not so little. I am laying the groundwork for the whole thing right now. It’s a bit difficult because there are so many options for things and so much to learn. If I could just get past a few hurdles, I could really move things forward. We’ll see what happens.
Ok, enough of this “not writing.” I guess I did have something to write about after all. The only problem is that there were no pictures. Sorry Mom.
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Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
The town inspector came by today to inspect the freshly installed pellet stove. It passed, but with a little story.
When the inspector was reading through the manufacturer’s installation manual, he couldn’t find the part that said exhaust vent clearances only need to be 9″ from windows and doors if a fresh air vent is used. The reason he couldn’t find it is because it wasn’t in there. When I realized this, I began to sweat. Then, I remembered that the updated version of the installation manual was online…that’s where I got those clearances from. I quickly went upstairs to print out the pages I kept telling him about. I ran back downstairs and gave him the paperwork. He approved the install with no more issues.
I really like this installation because we don’t need a protective layer between the stove and the floor, since it’s on the new basement tile. That’s pretty cool, as well as a money saver. Also, we used hardly any exhaust pipe. That’s another money saver.
After the inspection, I called the pellet stove place to complete the order for four tons of pellets. I wanted to make sure the stove would be operable before finishing and paying for the order. They will get delivered in mid September.
I also called the insurance company to inform them of the new appliance. They liked this and added $11 to the homeowner’s policy. Not bad…
On the way home from Home Depot today, I saw a sign that offered a cord of wood for $200. Boy, prices have gone up. Even pellets were about $2.50 a bag a few years ago. Now, they are averaging about $5 per bag. If you were ever thinking about getting into a new business, alternative energy is it. This stuff is HOT right now.
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Sunday, August 10th, 2008
When we first looked at this house when it was on the market, we noticed a home gym in the basement. I liked that idea. First, because both Laura and I work from home and second, because we need to exercise.
The room that the gym was in downstairs is the perfect size for it. I am not sure what type of home gym it was, but it fit well. The room doesn’t have all that many uses, besides perhaps a nice table and chair set to drink your morning coffee.
I think I have mentioned before that we like to walk a lot. We are now up to about 3.6 miles per walk. We found a nice new neighborhood the other day. I think I am going to bring my camera next time because I am getting great landscaping ideas. The only problem with walking is that it doesn’t build up muscle. I have had the same body for the past eight years. After going to the gym every day for the five years previous to that, it’s a little disappointing.
For over a month now, I have been researching different types of Bowflex home gyms. I really like Bowflex and have read about them, watched videos on them and even tried one of them out. The only problem that I find with Bowflex is their infomercials. They don’t help the company any. I thought those infomercials always cheapened the brand.
Recently, I looked on Craigslist for some used Bowflex machines in the Hartford area. I came across a few and emailed the owners. I received responses from two of them. The first response was from an owner of a Bowflex Ultimate 2 machine, which is the best one Bowflex offers. The owner and I went back and forth a few times via email and decided to meet. He offered to bring it to the house.
On Friday, I went up to Manchester to meet him at the storage place to check out the Bowflex. I liked what I saw and we squeezed it into his truck. It weighs quite a bit. We brought it to the house and set it up. I am very happy that it was already assembled, because I have heard stories of 9 hour assembly times. He said that when he put it together, every single nut and bolt needed to be attached. That, to me, is not fun.
Bowflex Ultimate 2 home gym
If you read any reviews online about the Bowflex Ultimate 2 home gym, you will notice many people saying that it is a quality machine. What impressed me was the weight and sturdiness of it. It is very solid. The tubes and pipes are very thick gauge material. Everything seems to be gym grade. Using the machine is ever better. The cables glide very smoothly and the resistance of the power rods is much better than I ever expected.
We already did our first workout on it yesterday and I think we are in some discomfort. Getting off our butts always seems to have that effect. I downloaded the entire owner’s manual that offers all the instructions on how to do each exercise as well as several sample workout routines.
Now, all we have to do is stick to it and in a few weeks I expect to get a call from Bowflex to be in their next commercial.
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Sunday, July 6th, 2008
I have been telling Laura that it just feels better to watch TV down in the basement. I explained that I always felt kind of guilty just sitting around upstairs in the living room. Having everything, “entertainment” downstairs feels much more “right.”
I must say, it’s quite comfortable down there. I set up the dehumidifier in the other room and cut additional vent holes in the wall. I also set up a fan for air circulation. Because it’s a basement, it stays much cooler than everywhere else. That, coupled with dryer air, results in a pleasant experience.
We already set up the small couch (with cover) along with the little end table. I have the lamp and phone nearby. I have the lamp on a timer so it doesn’t get forgetten about at night. I also set up all the electronics down there. We now have four speakers with some bass on the way. I still have some Circuit City gift cards I need to use up. The bass box cable is already run.
Next week, my brother is going to help me carry the large couch down stairs. Actually, we will take the couch outside and back in through the basement door. Once we get an area rug and a coffee table, I think we will be set up. Well, that and the pellet stove, which should be started at the end of this month.
Hmmm…you know, I just realized that this whole project has left a big empty living room that needs to have the floor done and walls painted. Hmmm…weird.
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Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
I am rather impressed with myself. A few weeks ago, I was scratching my chin, wondering what to do with this basement. Now, I am standing on brand new tile throughout the entire thing. I think I might be amazing.
So, after five short days, the tile guys completed the job and left. I thought it would take two…and it may have if I was doing it. I tend to work long hours. These guys liked to work for a few hours a day. I will give them credit for doing a really good installation job though. Installing tile is a little weird. The installer is kind of bound by drying time, so they can only do so much.
Here are some photos of the finished job…
The reason I say they did a good installation is because I watched him place each tile very carefully. He didn’t just slap them down. He put a little extra thin-set on the corners and after the tile was down, he made sure it was solid. I am assuming some tile installers might not do that.
So now, all I need to do is seal the grout, paint the base moulding and put it back on the walls. Then, we are going to bring one couch down there and set up the TV and all the electronics.
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