As most regular readers and listeners know, I have been making necessary improvements and repairs to the house I inherited after mom died, up here in Pennsylvania. Last week, we began the installation of new windows, enlarging the rear deck, and trenching to run electricity to/from the outlying sheds.
A week ago, Monday, the window installers arrived. There are twelve regular windows, one large 5-bay window, and a sliding glass door on the first floor and five windows on the second floor. During the course of last week, all of those were replaced EXCEPT the large 5 bay window and the sliding glass door.
It's utterly amazing how you can run into unexpected problems when you undertake something like this. For instance, the original windows were "new construction" windows, which means they had mounting fins on the outer edge, which screwed into the exterior sheathing. Replacement windows DON'T have those mounting fins. So the exterior wood framing for each window had to be modified by adding 1x to the outside, so that the replaced window had a sill that could be "wrapped" in metal covering. That took extra time.
One window came out BUT . . . the lower left wood frame, and some 2 x 4's beneath that frame, were ROTTED by water leakage. There was no hint at all either inside or outside, that the window frame had rotted, and had even rotted some of the exterior sheathing wall! So the rot had to be cut out and new wood installed.
So we get to Friday, and the only two items still remaining, are the sliding glass door and the large, 5-bay window.
I have known since mom died that the sub-floor under the sliding glass door, suffered ROT. We found that out when we saw some of the living room floor sagging, when we put in new carpeting. That rot in the sagging living room floor was fixed, but in front of the inside of the sliding glass door, are slate tiles, NOT carpet. And at the time, I didn't want to rip up those tiles, so we left it for future repair.
When I ordered all the replacement windows, I told the sales guy to add some in for repair of the floor beneath the sliding glass door, because I knew it would have to be done. (Can't install a new sliding glass door over rotted flooring!)
Well, it turned out that the install crew had a vacation planned. So this whole week, no work can be done because the guys are on vacation. As such, NEXT WEEK, the old sliding glass door comes out, the floor beneath it, repaired, and the 5 bay window done as well.
While all this window stuff was going on, I had a deck guy also working to extend the rear deck, and replace the old, sagging, wooden paths in the rear and front of the house. The deck was just too small. So that Deck work is going on, but with all the rain that arrived Friday (and the guy doesn't work weekends) we could only resume that work yesterday. Then Monday (yesterday), SURPRISE. . . get this . . . the contractor called and told me "it's too muddy to work, so we're taking today off to let things dry out, we'll see you tomorrow." Well, it's "tomorrow" and . . . . no contractor. Not here yet. 11:00 AM. No call from him either.
So right now, the deck/walkway guys are not here and the window guys are on vacation. Work is now stalled.
Last Friday, I had to have two narrow trenches, 30" deep, dug in the back yard, one trench to each shed out side the house. This would allow us to put electricity in both sheds, for much needed lighting, and will also allow the use of the emergency electric generator while LEAVING IT INSIDE the shed.
I learned pretty fast that it's a huge hassle hauling that 300 pound generator out, bringing it to the side of the house where the generator inlet exists, and using it out there.
Not only is it exposed to the weather, which is bad, but it is NOISY. That noise will attract attention, and maybe even attract a thief who might try to steal the generator.
So we decided we would trench to the sheds, run electric out to both sheds, and move the generator inlet to the farthest shed. My son came up on Saturday afternoon and began that work.
Well, it was raining all day Saturday so we got less done than we hoped. We did run two lengths of 1" diameter "Liqui-tight" which is the thick, gray, flexible, conduit in which we would run the 6 Gauge wires. There are FOUR wires, 6 gauge each, needed to accommodate a maximum of 50 amps, over this distance.
We used a shop vac to suck pull nylon string through the first 49' section of Liqui-tight. The nylon pull string then got tied to the four, 6 Gauge wires, so we could pull them through the 49' from the foundation of the house, to the shed. What a job pulling those wires!!!!
We even used wire lube to ease the friction, but WOW, did it take a lot of physical effort to pull those wires. In hind-sight, we should have bought 11/4" Liqui-tight, but sadly, we did not. The extra size would have made the pull faster and easier.
So we got the wires to the first shed, and my son installed the junction box and the sub-panel with the circuit breakers. All good. We then laid the second length of liqui-tight to the second shed, but it was raining really hard and we were tired, so we called it a night around 9:00 PM.
On Sunday, we had to pull the other set of four, 6-Gauge wires from shed #1 into Shed #2. It was only about 38', but for some reason, this pull was even harder than the first! Then my son installed the second junction box and second panel with circuit breakers in that second shed, and moved the generator inlet from the side of the house, to the inside of shed two.
The friggin rain Sunday night was ferocious. Everything was soaked and muddy. And every time we had to come into the house, we had to hose off our boots because the mud was so thick. A real pain in the ass.
So my son finishes up the wiring, brings out his meter to test it all, and it is all fine.
Now, I had to "un-bond" the neutral wire on the generator. It __has__ to be un-bonded because like all homes, the electric system is already bonded in the electrical panel. If you use a generator which has it's neutral bonded, to power your house, which is already neutral bonded, what you create is a situation where you have constant current on the neutral AND ON THE GROUND. What this means is that you can get shocked if you touch the generator while it is running and powering your house!!!!
All generator manufacturers show, in the owner's manual, which wire to remove from its alternator, to "un-bond" the neutral. So I did that. It all works fine.
Now, I want to add a better muffler to that generator, and add a thru-wall exhaust pipe to vent the exhaust gasses when the generator is running. Getting those gasses outside the shed will also help manage the heat the generator gives off. While the shed is vented very well, getting rid of the gasses and the heat can't hurt.
Remember I told you the rain on Sunday was "ferocious?" It really was. On Monday morning when we went outside, the creek that runs through my property had risen NINE FEET overnight! NINE FEET ! ! ! ! It was exactly at "flood stage."
According to the USGS, which has river water height sensors in almost every waterway of substance in the country, the creek, which is normally at 2.27 feet depth, had risen to 11.02 feet in eight hours. Flood stage is 11 feet. So the water was literally at the top of the creek bank, and starting to intrude onto the lower level of my property.
So, just in case, I had to go down and move some stuff down there, in case the creek flowed over the entire lower level. Thankfully, that did NOT happen, so I didn't need to move the stuff, but I was glad I moved it anyway, just in case.
MORE
About a month ago, my wife was up here and we were talking about her coming up and ---- God Forbid -- what happens if war comes, and we all have to evacuate from our home three miles due west of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. Maybe it's war, maybe it's economic collapse.
Whatever the reason, I spoke with her about us having to live up here. She's a Jersey City girl and the country is NOT where she wants to live. But . . . much to my delight, she said "Well, if we have to live here, I need a new stove. THAT stove is just no good."
Well, well, well, there __is__ hope!
So I started looking at new stoves. I thought to myself, you know, if the banks are all going under - and they might-- or if the Dollar fails and becomes worthless -- and it might -- why not use my lines of credit so that I get actual stuff I can USE, while the banks are left with paper?
So I did. I bought new appliances. ALL new appliances; Stove, microwave, dishwasher, and Refrigerator. LG Brand. Nice stuff. $5500. On the credit card.
They delivered yesterday morning.
Oh my gosh, we had to take the front door OFF ITS HINGES to fit the refrigerator in. Everything else was easy.
Now, I have a nearby neighbor whose refrigerator is not too good. When I told him, last month, that I ordered new stuff, he asked if he could have the old stuff. I agreed.
So when the new stuff came yesterday, I called and he came down with his pick up truck to take the old stuff.
Well, we had to take the front door off the hinges, again, to get the old refrigerator out, and when it went out, and dropped down the step onto the porch, it sliced open my right index finger. I had no idea at all I was cut, until I saw this gooey red stuff appearing on the side of the refrigerator as we brought it out to his truck. I was bleeding like a stuck pig! Never even felt it!
As most of you know, I had a myocardial infarction heart attack in April of 2019, and got open heart surgery and four by-passes. Then, 17 months later on October 24, 2020, I had a SECOND heart attack because two of the four by-passes, clogged with blood clots.
Since then, I have had to take PLAVIX to prevent blood clots. Well, I can tell you, it works. That finger bled, and bled, and bled . . . . Oh man.
It finally stopped bleeding. I wondered if I needed a stitch or two, because the gash is just deep enough where I MIGHT have needed stitches, but for now it is closed up, so we'll see.
I swapped out all the food from the old refrigerator to the new. Found some veggies that had gone bad, and a slew of jars and other stuff that I had no idea at all why we even had. So I got rid of a lot.
The new refrigerator is in, stocked, and running fine. Even the ice maker is working.
Today, I have to do the microwave.
Tomorrow, the local gas company is coming to install the adapter kit, to convert the new oven from natural gas to propane, and once that's done, it will be installed and working.
When you live out in the country, there are no gas pipelines in the ground. You have to buy gas and have tanks on the property to store it, so as to run your gas appliances: Furnace, hot water heater, stove. But the pressure of city natural gas lines is a lot less than the pressure from propane tanks. So there are kits to convert from natural gas to propane. Those kits reduce the propane pressure so it can fire the appliances safely.
Anyway, if all goes well, the microwave will be in today, the stove in tomorrow, and the frig is already in, so that leaves the dishwasher, which should be an easy install . . . maybe tomorrow.
Having said all that, if I seem a little remiss on updating this site, now you know why. I'm doing real work.
