Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Ambull01]

Best way to beat cabin fever is to get outside. Do anything. Doesn't matter how cold it is.

Sometimes I get irritable with the fam when we are all stuck inside. Even 3300 SF for 7 people isn't enough sometimes LOL. Just going outside to putz in the garage for a half hour or haul some wood brightens the mood.

True. I used to love running outside during cold weather. Loved all the crazy stares people gave me in their warm cars when I ran past them. Always thought it built up my mental toughness lol.

If I stay in the house longer than a day or so I instantly develop Restless Leg Syndrome/Snickers Diva Syndrome.

Apparently it rusted (iron pipe) out at an elbow below ground level. Or something. That's my best guess, I can't get to it, and not enough clearance for being a molerat under there. It's hard to see the water was deep. I'm letting it run away until tomorrow, then cut a hole under the sink for access and look at it again. I might wind up just bypassing the old hot water system and run all new from the hot water tank, up inside the cabin down the baseboards. Maybe, don't know yet. Sucks, I thought I had beat it this year.

Oh that sucks. Guess I should feel relieved I at least have space to crawl around the pipes. I kind of want to gut the whole water line complex/system. Looks like a retarded person put it in. Only one main shutoff valve where the city water comes in. Nothing to stop water from house to outside spigot (it has a frost free type valve but I don't trust it completely).

 

[Pulp]

Yes. they are nuts, go away hibernate, come out, cold spell, hibernate again. It will happen several times before real spring.

Hey Zog, you got to return to Maine. You remember those Peepers ? Tiny thumbnail sized frogs like the guys from Meenisotta said only come out in May...here too.
Anyhow, if you got so many in Georgia all year, they are protein. Camp Irwin (Pensacola) the D.I.'s long long ago made us bite the heads off frogs ( most of us sophisticates lost it ). No
blades allowed.
Try it when you're bored again.

 

[dancan]

Had a scrounging tool dropped off at the shop today .

Not the tire LOL

 

[Ambull01]

Hey Zog, you got to return to Maine. You remember those Peepers ? Tiny thumbnail sized frogs like the guys from Meenisotta said only come out in May...here too.
Anyhow, if you got so many in Georgia all year, they are protein. Camp Irwin (Pensacola) the D.I.'s long long ago made us bite the heads off frogs ( most of us sophisticates lost it ). No
blades allowed.
Try it when you're bored again.

Camp Irwin in FL? Heard of Ft. Irwin in CA (NTC) but nothing like that in Florida. Drill instructors in Florida and biting heads off frogs? Was it SERE school? Always thought Navy boot camp was conducted in Great Lakes

 

[Marshy]

You have to be careful about useing the heat tape because it does fail. They usually have a small red light on the plug end and when it dies the light goes out. No warning when it goes, just frozen or busted pipes if you dont check on it. They work really well when they work though. I dont have to worry about it because my woodstove is in the basement and house is heated by natural flow, bottom up. Some time my cold water comes out hotter than my hot water in my bathroom. Tonights low if -5*F and high of 0*F tomorrow. Might have to dip into the oil a little tomorrow morning unless I wake up every 3-4 hours.

Had a scrounging tool dropped off at the shop today .
...
Not the tire LOL

Nice, how big around is the inside? I assume you plan to make it into a skid cone? The cool thing is you get two cones with one cut.

 

[MustangMike]

You need a better wood stove, the airtight 55 gal drum stove always would go 8-12 hrs of good heat. Feed it before bed time (in the basement) and wake up to a warm floor in the morning!

 

[dancan]

Yup , it's a twofer LOL
It's almost 1/4" thick and tough , about 15" diameter so it'll work for the bulk of where I'm cutting .
I'm gonna send one to my brother for testing .

 

[zogger]

Electric hot water heater. Steel pipe coming in and out, then it goes down below where most of it is apparently buried. What I can see of the cold lines is dismal, pretty rusty. I have two areas where I previously cut the floor out and have screwed in plywood and plank for a floor now, but they don't near reach everyplace.

OK, I think I want to replace what I have under the cabin with all the plumbing inside, bypass the existing hot water lines under the cabin and go to..what? CPVC, pex? I have never worked with pex, are the tools expensive? I have four places to run hot water to, no very far runs at all, this place is very small. No way to get under there and suspend pipes, and not thrilled with letting them lay in the slop, plus warmer inside. The plan is just route down around the baseboards, I don't care if it is visible. And if I make it with the cold through the winter, do that inside as well next summer maybe.

 

[steved]

Camp Irwin in FL? Heard of Ft. Irwin in CA (NTC) but nothing like that in Florida. Drill instructors in Florida and biting heads off frogs? Was it SERE school? Always thought Navy boot camp was conducted in Great Lakes

There are lots of "Camps" that are off the map...

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[Marshy]

You need a better wood stove, the airtight 55 gal drum stove always would go 8-12 hrs of good heat. Feed it before bed time (in the basement) and wake up to a warm floor in the morning!

I do need a bigger woodstove or a better seal around my walkout garage basement overhead door. I thought about buying some 2" foam board and putting it on the outside to block the wind and seal up all the air gaps but I havent yet... Also, Im heating 3600 sqft with a stove thats probably meant to heat 2000...

 

[dancan]

Zog , Pex is cheap , fittings are cheap , the tools are cheap , fast to do , fast to fix a mistake ,,,, but it's no good if you have OCD because you can't make a straight line with it !! LOL

 

[Ambull01]

There are lots of "Camps" that are off the map...

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Perhaps. I've always been able to find them with a web search though. Also, I believe only the Corps calls them D.I. so was wondering why there would be Marine drill instructors in FL. Some type of flight school course?

 

[steved]

Zog , Pex is cheap , fittings are cheap , the tools are cheap , fast to do , fast to fix a mistake ,,,, but it's no good if you have OCD because you can't make a straight line with it !! LOL

I was thinking a coil of soft copper myself...

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[Ambull01]

Zog , Pex is cheap , fittings are cheap , the tools are cheap , fast to do , fast to fix a mistake ,,,, but it's no good if you have OCD because you can't make a straight line with it !! LOL

Had to look pex up. My main water line is pex. What is the advantages of pex vs more traditional material? Anyone know?

 

[MustangMike]

If U need to splice a pressure line, those shark bit things are wonderful. Didn't even know about them till my brother brought one over. Was having trouble reconnecting a line in a hard to access area when I changed the water softener. That thing was a life saver!

 

[Philbert]

Yup , it's a twofer LOL.

What was it before? Buoy?

Philbert

 

[dancan]

Most construction up here has gone to pex .
I think I spent 29$ for the tool that will do 1/2'' and 3/4'' , 6$ for a pex cutter and I can't remember how much the rings were but I have 100 of each , polly 30$ in an assortment of fittings and 25' of line in both sizes in the shed .
Yup , the sharkbites work great as well but as I fix any issues that pop up I convert over to pex .

Philbert , boat bumper at the docks for bigger boats .

 

[MustangMike]

FYI, my lines are copper.

 

[Ambull01]

What was it before? Buoy?

Philbert

Thought it was an old torpedo at first glance.

 

[MustangMike]

Does pex meet code in all areas?