Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Thinking and Plumbing etc.

I've put on a few random photos of things going on, and they are in no special order. We have a fair bit of snow, and it has been pretty chilly. I have seen alot colder, but it has been hanging in the area of about -20 to -27 Celcius/ roughly about -6 to -16 on the Farenheit scale. I even had to finally fire up the old John Deere and do some serious snow plowing as the pickup was starting to push snow in places. The snow is still hanging on the north side of the house, but it did let go on the sunny side. (no pic.)

As usual, I did'nt physically accomplish as much as I would have liked to, but I did get the loft floor all glued and nailed down with some ring shank nails.


I have been spending alot of time with plumbing. There's the heater, burning 20 lbs of propane in about 6 hours time. Costly, but I do like to take the chill off.



This is just a glance from the loft looking down to the living room.




From the basement looking up.





There is the main plumbing stack. First I had to frame in a wall against the stairs or it would have been hard to do later. Yes, the main stack is crooked, and it's probably going to stay that way, I hope that does'nt matter. The cement used to glue this stuff together sets real quick, and when I was putting that one elbow on the top of the stack, I could'nt seem to find my mark until it was to late. It was'nt off by much, but enough to show a bit of a lean from this angle anyway. The three inch line running coming from the toilet will flex up enough to have the right flow angle. I think. lol. Most of the plumbing is done, but there are a few little touch ups, such as some of the lines that come off the main stack and goes to the sinks etc. I have to shoot the stack out the roof yet, but I think I will wait until that snow comes off first. It would need to be a bit warmer of a day anyway.


Before I got real serious about this plumbing, I had the permit guy come out and get me set straight on a few things so that I would get it done right the first time. I THINK I have it right. Anyway, he is the same guy that does the heating inspections. I kinda threw my idea at him about what I wanted to do about a heat system, but I'm not real sure if my plans are going to be totally acceptable. He has mentioned things like HRV (heat recovery ventilators), which I think I am slowly learning that is mandatory in a new house. Also, energy efficient heating source, such as a furnace. I was'nt really prepared to get any answers on things at the time. When I first started to study these things, it made me laugh a bit. How can something that uses so much electical power be classed as energy efficient? They're easy on the gas, but the solar system might take a bit of beating. I have been doing alot of research on this stuff, and also research on wiring lately. I am going to get an electrical permit soon, but I just don't want to sound like too much of a dummy about things when I do go there. I am now wondering if my inverter and all that is going to be up to code on all this stuff. Might have to bite the bullet and get me a more modern system, but I'm not real sure at this time.


A forced air furnace could actually be a good thing in my little house. I really don't think the fan should have to run all that much to keep up to things. It would be a nice touch for the summer when you need a little heat in the evenings and cooler days. I still don't think the genny would have to be used all that much. But in the winter, it is going to mean a larger battery bank, and possibly even an automatic starting generator system, which would be quite do-able, I guess. I'm thinking just a small 3000 watt honda or something should handle it all maybe, and should beable to be set up for autostart with the right inverter. But I better not get too far ahead of myself here just yet. I guess I'll get prepared for a little chat with my friend the inspector guy. Who, by the way has been very helpful to me so far. Boy, if Tony(Did It My Way) were still with us, I could just hear him right about now. lol. He never was very fond of the permitting process. And if I lived somewhere, where it did'nt matter, I would'nt be either. (Future plans possibly).
Anyway. Seasons greetings to all. Hope you all have a real good one.

Disclaimer--IMPORTANT


This is a personal blog, mainly for my own use. I am building a house with my own two hands, but I am learning alot of things as I go. I do not claim to know what I am doing, or if anything I do is even close to being done correctly or safely. So please, if you are planning on using any of my ideas or methods for your own use, please get professional advice before actually following through with your actions. I will not be held responsible for any injuries or damages of any kind caused by information or comments from this blog.
 

14 comments:

  1. Hello from Texas! Nice photos and your place is coming along so beautifully. You should stop today and give yourself a giant pat on the back.

    Although I have a goal to one year spend a full year in a "four-season" place or maybe a year in a very cold, snowy place, I can't imagine ongoing temps in the -6F category with snow that doesn't melt after a few days. My hat's off to you. 20 pounds of propane in six hours is crazy!

    I am saddened to learn that Tony is no longer with us. I was a follower of his blog for a good while. Then, during the summer, I got wrapped up in full-time work + the addition of summer school + the ending of the grant I worked for + the start of a new one, so I quit reading most blogs that I followed. I just didn't make the time. I hope his family is getting through, especially during this first holiday season with their Tony.

    Looking forward to future updates on your blog.

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  2. And of course, I meant to say "without their Tony" in my comment above. Maybe it's a bit prophetic and he is with them...

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  3. Certainly looking good to me, Mark! What a long way you've come in this past year!

    I hope that you have a great and merry Christmas and a safe holiday season!

    Take care, buddy!

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  4. Hermit,
    Im so happy for you and all that you have accomplished throughout the year. You rock! ~Jen

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  5. Won't all the heat go to the top?? Are there going to be doors to section off what you want to heat?

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  6. Thanks Jeanie. I hope you have a real good Christmas.

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  7. Thanks Gwen. I gave myself a good pat on the back. I'll probably be looking at this snow for a long time. April maybe? That propane probably has about 4-6 pounds left in the bottle when it pretends to be empty, so I'm probably using more like 15 pounds in 6 hours or so, but it just seems to quit putting out in the colder temps, unless you keep shaking the tank every few minutes. Propane actually kinda sucks sometimes. I knew what ya meant about Tony, I hope his family is coping good also.

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  8. Thanks a bunch Jim. Sure does look alot different than it did this time last year. You have a Merry Christmas too Jim.

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  9. Thanks Jen. YOU rock. Hope you have a very merry Christmas.

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  10. Hey Frann. I'll be doing a lot of experimenting. One of the reasons that I built it small and tall was because heat does rise. If the heat source is in the basement, I think the basement would hold a good portion of it, but release it slowly to the upper floors. I'll have a ceiling fan and I will have other fans etc. I think the trick might be to keep the air moving, which would be easy if I'm there looking after things, but if not, a heat source in the basement should definately keep the important things from freezing for sure. I am kinda learning as I go though. I know when I had my propane heater in the the basement, it was nice an cozy down there. But when I run it on the main floor, it does warm me up, but not quite like the basement.

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  11. Well it looks great and your going to have a very nice house.

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  12. Thanks Frann. So far, I think you're right, but it's just a little too early to tell for sure.

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  13. are you getting folds up there

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