Month: October 2011

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One Down, Twenty-Five To Go

I have been living in The Apartment for a full week now and definitely back to as normal a routine as exists for me.  While I am pretty much settled in, I still need to get my really cold weather gear out of Miranda’s basement and figure out how to plug in the rig. The Apartment is surprisingly cozy and looks much better than I would have expected. It’s amazing how I was able to get everything to reasonably coordinate! My colourful bedspread is definitely making a huge difference:

The biggest advantage to living here is that I have so much more time now. Yes, I did stop delivering the fliers, but I’ve also gained the hour I spent commuting every day. The best part of living here is being able to walk to the services, especially the grocery store. I needed English muffins and fresh fruit for the week, so I just ambled on over the Safeway and took in a lovely crisp October afternoon. Coming home, one of my tenants/friends was on her deck, so I stopped for a chat, the first chance we’ve had to talk where I was really off the clock.

Yesterday afternoon, a tenant saw me come out of Miranda as he went to throw garbage in the dumpster and he came to ask me about a non-urgent maintenance matter. I firmly told him that I will see him on Tuesday morning, refusing to even go into the office and write down his query. I have to draw that line right now because word will get out very quickly that, hey, the manager’s living on site and available for the asking! Nope!

 


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Winterizing My RV Water System

Today’s goal was to winterize my RV water system. I decided to walk over to Safeway for a few things, then come back to get the car so I could drive across town to Canadian Tire to get RV plumbing antifreeze.

On the way to Safeway, while standing at the light to cross Scenic Drive, I happened to glance south and jumped back in shock. Look at what I could see:

Surely that Canadian Tire is a mirage…

WHAT?! There’s a Canadian Tire directly across the road from my apartment complex?! Getting there is a bit roundabout, but it still only took about 10 minutes. What a find!

Anyway, I decided to forgo the groceries and get straight to winterizing. I had an absolutely painless shopping trip (!!! for CDN Tire!) and picked up:

-3 gallons of RV antifreeze (the instructions said I needed to pour 2 into the fresh water tank, so I figured I’d need extra for the P-traps)

-a funnel that I was thrilled to discover exists:

funnel with flexible spout

and a few other sundries not related to this post.

I got back to the rig and reread the instructions:

part of the winterizing instructions

The following winterizing instructions are taken from my 1997 Glendale Royal Classic owner’s manual and may not apply to your RV. Always check your own manual. RV tech Les Doll has a good RV winterization manual.

1) Drain your fresh water system

Done.

2) Clean out your holding tanks

Done. Not as well as I would have liked, especially for the black tank, but I would have needed to go to a FHU RV park to do the job properly.

3) Drain the water lines by opening the lowest outlet in the system (in my case, that’s the outdoor shower). Drain the water heater by opening water heater drain cock and pressure relief valve.

Done. And this is why you should occasionally flush your water heater with vinegar (something I did last spring in Blaine):

calcification on water heater drain cock

4) Remove the output line at the water pump…

I omitted this step because I couldn’t figure out why to do it. The RV has been winterized a few times before me and I could tell this step was never done.

It’s in this step that they mention water heater bypass kits. If your RV does not have one, you will have to completely fill the water heater with antifreeze. I have what is apparently an unusually large water heater, 10 gallons, so that’s a lot of antifreeze!

Thankfully, I also have a higher end rig:

water heater bypass diagram

water heater bypass valves

So before the next step, I made sure to turn the valves as directed to bypass the water heater.

6) Pour 2 gallons of antifreeze into the fresh water tank.

Done.

note to self, that’s what two gallons of liquid in the fresh water tank looks like

7) Turn on water pump.

Done.

8 ) Open each faucet until a change of water colour is noted.

Done. And I knew I had all the water out of the lines because I got bright pink immediately at all faucets:

-Dressing room sink hot and cold
-Indoor shower hot and cold
-Outdoor shower hot and cold
-Kitchen sink hot and cold
-Toilet

antifreeze in the dressing room sink

9) Run the toilet…

Done.

10) While water system is pressurized, depress the city pressure inlet one way valve so that antifreeze flows outside the unit.

Done.

11) Get a little antifreeze into the water heater and through water heater drain cock.

Done (thank you flexible spout funnel).

12) Finally, be sure that antifreeze has circulated through the entire water system and that antifreeze is in all P-traps.

Done. I poured the last gallon of antifreeze down all the drains:

-kitchen sink x 2
-dressing room sink
-shower
-toilet

Not counting draining the rig (most done at Jody and Gary’s), this was a very, very quick and easy process.

I ended up not blowing the water lines due to the lack of power outlet for running the compressor. The instructions really make this step out to be optional, so I feel okay with having skipped it. We shall see how the rig fares in the spring… Les feels that blowing out the lines isn’t a good idea.

Next project, figure out how to hook myself up to a power outlet 150′ away…

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I Love Leftovers

I just got in from having Thanksgiving lunch with Gary and Jody. I now know that not only is Gary an awesome cook, he’s also an awesome leftover packer!

This is the container he sent me home with:

Even though he taped the lid shut, I just had to see what I can look forward to as soon as I can eat again, in a day or two:

Starting at 12 o’clock, there’s stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, deep fried turkey, sweet potato fries, and mashed potatoes.

Isn’t his compartmentalized method of leftover packing inspiring?

I just want a nap now, but instead I am going over to the rig to read up on how to get Miranda winterized.

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Fragrant Memories, Redux

Three years ago, I posted about the fragrant memories brought on by the purchase of tea in Edmonton.

That tea is long gone, but I haven’t given up on using tea as a souvenir. This very wet and dreary Lethbridge afternoon, I am enjoying a cup of the last of the tea I bought in Inuvik:

Arctic blend tea

I had bought an assortment of teas, so they’ve all been different. This one smells divine! It’s a sweet spicy blend that tastes like the tundra. I can’t describe it any better than that.

In unrelated news, could you resist rubbing this tummy?

I love the expression on Neelix’s face!

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Trolling the Classifieds Pays Off!

The flooring issue in the apartment has been vexing. Even if the carpet wasn’t completely gross, I wouldn’t want to leave it exposed because of the cats. All it would take would be one accident and I’d have to pay for new carpeting! So, I bought a plastic drop cloth and laid it over the floor. Worked, but I couldn’t imagine walking on a drop cloth all winter and my idea of laying down runners to make paths sounded positively dismal.

I decided that I had to bite the bullet and buy some proper flooring to put over the drop cloth in the main part of the room and that it would probably be a carpet. I needed something about 8’x10′, which doesn’t come cheap! There was no way I was going to invest in this place, so today I decided to check the classifieds. I scored, big time:

This hideous monstrosity (I’m not a fan of Aztec patterns!) couldn’t have been better coloured for this place. The burgundy, beige, and dark green can be found in my comforter and the pale teal matches the tiling in the kitchen and bathroom! It’s ugly, but it fits right in and in doing so is almost attractive! The guy was asking for $35 but I offered $20. He replied “If you can be here tonight, you can have it.” I got in the car immediately and drove clear across town, making it there just as darkness fell. For $20, whatever happens this winter happens. Tabitha can claw it to bits and Neelix can puke on it all he wants (readers go “EW!!!”) and it will have been worth my twenty bucks!

The carpet felt pretty clean (and smelled great, surprisingly enough), but I still had some cleaning solution in the carpet cleaner, so I gave it a spritz.

Here’s my living room area looking towards the bed, with the lovely chair and ottoman Gary pulled out of storage for me:

And here’s the room looking towards the desk:

I put the carpet flush against the bed so that I could fit a plastic runner around the desk since it will be a high chair traffic area. I consider the apartment setup to be DONE. Now, I just need to figure out what else needs to be brought in based on the potential of damage due to low temperatures.