Day: June 15, 2015

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Outbuilding Organization Progress

I worked all morning and then sent the client what I had for review (non-transcription project). I vegged out for a couple of hours since I had nothing else to do until the comments came in and I was bone tired. It was not nice out anyway. I did go out around 1:00 to see if I had mail (no).

Mid-afternoon, it was getting very warm in the RV since I have the dehumidifier running to dry out the under sink area and I was getting antsy, so I decided to go do some work on the sheds.

I started by demolishing the grain chute in the cabin, something I wish I had done last year, since it was very messy! I was surprised by how much bigger the cabin felt after!

After that, I just focused on that half of the cabin, moving things to the shed and garbage pile as needed. I set up a pallet in the corner and stacked storage bins on it, then set up the table between the pallet and the washing machine.

The storage needs for the shed are becoming clear as I start to move ‘stuff’ into it.

The big stuff that has to go in and out needs to be parked at the front by the door, not at the back like this. I need overhead storage for wood.

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I really need a proper workbench and, in fact, I found a design for something that I can easily and cheaply build myself. It will go in the corner where the wood is right now. The wall where I set up the board and sawhorses will have a window, so I’m thinking low shelves on the bottom for storing bits and bobs or even a low dresser or cabinet. I’ll keep my eye open at the thrift stores.

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Garden tools can fill the north wall (where the wheelbarrow is presently) with hooks or some other system to hang them.

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As for the cabin, the east side is a complete disaster, but I’ve carved out a really nice little laundry area on the west side. I haven’t decided yet where I’m putting the dryer, probably on the east side since I don’t use it much.

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I screwed a couple of wine crates to the studs for instant storage.

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A bucket under the sink will catch water until I find a hose that I could run outside.

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I intend for the cabin to be an extension of my home until it is converted into a home. So I want to use it for domestic stuff only, not dirty things. I would really like to get some exercise equipment, especially a treadmill and a bench press, in it. It also needs a light source, but the shed light fixture wouldn’t be enough for this space

While I didn’t care much for living in RV parks, I did miss having other spaces I could retreat to, be they a laundry room, a gym, or a place to spread out a craft project. That’s what I’m getting here at Haven. Some people will scratch their heads and wonder why I don’t get a big house instead. I dunno. I just like this better. 🙂

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Scalding Hot Water

Since I have no intention of going to town this week, I wanted to come up with a temporary fix to isolate the hot water from the cold to not only get me through the week, but also confirm that my planned fix would work. My temporary fix was very simple: I just took some self sealing tape and put it over the open ends of the pipes and then reinstalled the hose.

This worked like a charm! So now, I know I can get some PVC caps and glue and permanently seal the two pipe ends. This will be pretty much non-reversible, but it will be a permanent fix that I’ll never again have to worry about.

My water heater is behaving well, so it’s really lovely to be able to leave the pump on all day and have hot water at the flick of a tap. I haven’t had that luxury in a long time except for my stays in the U.S. in May, of course. In Mexico, I got just warmish water in the kitchen and bathroom after running the tap a while, although I couldn’t complain about the water temperature in the shower! I had complete control over the heat setting on the water heater and was paying for propane, but to get hot water in the kitchen meant dangerously hot water in the shower, so it was a bit of a compromise.

I was asked why I live off my holding tank rather than being hooked up to city water. Good question!

Water in the hamlet is gravity fed from a stream uphill. The hydrant I tap into is nearly at the end of the water distribution line. There is therefore very little water pressure right at the hydrant. Then, I have to run about 300′ of garden hose from the hydrant to my RV. End result, no water pressure to speak of. I get a trickle out of the kitchen and bathroom sink taps and just drips in the shower, not even a steady stream.

Most of my neighbours have some sort of accumulator and/or pump system to improve their water pressure. This is something I will investigate when I get water in on site. So for now, filling the holding tank each day and running the water pump is my best option. I have tons of pressure that way and so my showers are much more enjoyable. I leave my hose hooked up, so once a day, I go turn on the hydrant, set a timer for 40 minutes, and when the time is up, go turn it off again. It’s really not a huge deal.

Another reason I prefer to use the holding tank is that it gives me an immediate means of turning off the water in the case of a leak. I had a bit of a hard time getting the hose back on the pipe over the tape yesterday and one of the connections blew off about a half dozen times over the course of the day before I finally got it good and tight. Had I been on city water, I would have had to run out side and down the block to turn off the water (as that would have been faster than trying to unscrew a hose to disconnect it!).

Now that the plumbing situation is under control, it’s time to focus on work. It’s going to be a grey day and so perfect for that. I am quite tired after the busy last few days, so it’s going to be nice to sit here with a pot of coffee and just tap away.