Bruce's Journal

[Ridgetop]

No stock tanks. The heat would cook whatever was planted in them. If I was going for raised beds, they would be cinder blocks with caps. I don't want raised beds.

I wonder if that was what happened to some f our raised stock tank beds that didn't do so well!

 

[Ridgetop]

hat I don't know, and why one does need a real electrician, is if it is possible to have a switch between the batteries and the grid for that panel such that one could choose grid or battery but the batteries wouldn't be chargeable from the grid.

Yes you can have a switch installed. I am not sure if it would prevent charging from the grid, but you can have another switch installed to cut off grid power to that. I only know that much because DH had a switch installed in both our old camper and our 5th wheel to stop the solar panels from charging and burning out the batteries when the 2 vehicles were parked.

The rebuilt one is all new wiring done by electricians - who didn't understand that I wanted a box on the wall at the top of the stairs for a wall sconce (which I had purchased). They put a box there so I figured all was good ... until they put in the hardwired smoke detector

Our hardwired smoke detectors went bad. We replaced them with the new sealed battery 10 year kind. You could install the sconce in the box and just put a battery operated smoke detector next to it. Of course, you probably already did that as soon as you moved in, right? LOL

Electrical problems are no fun. DH is the resident electrical genius. I can change light bulbs. DS1 has also learned from his dad, and can do a lot of household electrical stuff, and of course the other 2 are linemen and anything under 34,500 volts is a laughing matter according to them. I finally figured out how too change out an electrical plug receptacle if I have the instructions in front of me. I got a lot of flack for insisting that the house current be OFF! DH and all my sons do it live. They like to wait until I am in the other room then scream so I come running thinking they electrocuted themselves. Then they all laugh heartily as I stagger to a chair and try to slow my heartbeat down. Very funny guys!

 

[Bruce]

Refresh my memory -- do you cut, split, stack, and burn all of your own wood

Only some of it. I had about 2.5 cords last year but Al had gotten bored and cut some wood even though he said 2 years ago he wasn't going to sell wood anymore. Then this year he asked if I wanted a cord ... yep bored again! I think he's cutting maybe 4 cords now, he used to cut 10. I'm not sure how big that pile of wood I cut and sister-in-law and I split is, I'll find out when we fill the racks. I have enough racks for only 2 & 1/3 cords.

Here is the pad, as level as it is going to get. 14'x20', DD2 helped me. DW told her last night that she's going to get out of her room and do at least 1 hour of useful stuff 5 days a week.


I let the chickens out of the back while we worked

You could install the sconce in the box and just put a battery operated smoke detector next to it.

I could, if I wanted the light on all the time The ORIGINAL plan was to have the light on the intermediate landing and the one on the wall at the top of the stairs on one Two way switch circuit. The way they wired it the only way to get that would be to run a wire along the sloped ceiling from the landing light to the sconce light. There is no attic in that part of the house.

Our hardwired smoke detectors went bad. We replaced them with the new sealed battery 10 year kind. You could install the sconce in the box and just put a battery operated smoke detector next to it. Of course, you probably already did that as soon as you moved in, right? LOL

Mine didn't go bad but they are a royal PITA since you STILL have to replace the batteries twice a year. It makes NO sense to me why one needs hardwired alarms if the batteries are there for backup. 2 of them were up on the 10' wall upstairs, no way to get to them without a ladder and when the batteries decided they wanted to be replaced it was always in the middle of the night (I believe there is a law that makes them do that!). And when they do go off all at the same time you have no idea which one detected (false in our case) the fire so no idea which way to run.

Plus they put the hardwired alarms on the same circuit as ALL the kitchen lights and the short hall and the mudroom and the lights in the bathroom by the mirror. That means when you flip the breaker to shut off the deafening migraine inducing horns it is pitch black.

Yes I removed them, capped the wires together and put a 10 year lithium in their place.

I got a lot of flack for insisting that the house current be OFF! DH and all my sons do it live.

Um, I kinda prefer to have the power off as well though if you are careful you can do it live.

 

[Bruce]

Apparently I had this set up to post yesterday and didn't get it done!!!! I added 2 more full racks today behind the ones shown below.
Some "before" pictures


Pile in the middle moved


Testing placing the racks


Two racks filled and placed

 

[thistlebloom]

Looks like a very successful project.
And that's a mighty fine looking pad too!

 

[chickens really]

I love your place..
Your house is fantastic.. Is that a veranda out front? I always wanted a house with a covered veranda..

 

[Bruce]

If a covered veranda in CA is the same as an enclosed porch in the USA then yes

 

[Bruce]

DD2 and I finished off the split wood, the sixth rack (near left) isn't totally full so something under 2 cords.


I set the other rack so I can take the splitter out tomorrow and deal with the "bits" that were too big even for 2 people to pick up. I couldn't deal with them when sister-in-law and I were splitting because the tractor was getting fixed. I'll put the splitter between the rack and the rounds then load the rounds with the tractor. Each split piece will go directly to the rack. I don't expect this will be dry enough to burn this winter since it isn't yet split but I do have a moisture meter so I can check. If they are dry enough I'll move them to the not full rack.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Mr. Bruce, sir!

That is great that you are getting caught up on all of your wood chopping and splitting. You almost certainly said already, but I can't remember what you said. Do you plan on putting a wood roof over the wood, cover the wood with a tarp, or just leave it out in the open? In the YouTube channels, I think Outdoors with the Morgans has a roofed wood shed, as does GP Outdoors, while Sawing with Sandy uses IBC totes and covers each tote with a tarp.

Thank you for providing all of the pictures of the work you are doing. It helps me get a better idea of all of what you do.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

Mike Morgan built a woodshed with purchased PT 4x4s and pine siding he cut and milled. There is no wood in the shed, it is filled with equipment!

I will probably make individual metal covers that can sit on top of the wood when it is stored and cover that with a tarp of some sort to keep the snow off and make it easier to get the rack uncovered. I made a slanted roof that I put on each rack when it is sitting on the porch landing. It keeps the rain and snow from pouring off the roof into the wood. Didn't want to make one for every rack. That roof is on the ground in front of the first rack on the right in the picture above.

I had some pieces that were still too long that I hadn't dealt with yet. I cut those down, none needed splitting. That filled the rest of the rack we did yesterday. Today DD and I split those big pieces, it takes some guessing and trial and error to split wood that is far too big for the splitter and oddly shaped to boot. That filled up about 1/4 of the last rack. That wood is definitely too wet to be used this winter.