Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

[rick91351]

OJ most likely the cold weather blues having their effect and their way with your XJ.  Nothing to do with the Jeeps lights but those of us who try and keep up with your build.  Remember to run some fuel additive now or gas line antifreeze.  And those of us who do diesel and if you are in the great white north anti-jel in every tank.  Especially if you are down south where they do not add it at the bulk plant and planing a trip up to the great white north.  Save yourself some headache.     

[MountainDon]

XJ Headlights:   Been there done that as have a few friends. Sometimes it is the switch on the steering wheel stalk (I had that go) and other times it is the dash switch (have seen that a few times).  We ran a vehicle "sandwich" down the highway a couple of times when one XJ or another had lights crap out while on a trail run.  G/L

[rick91351]

XJ Headlights:   Been there done that as have a few friends. Sometimes it is the switch on the steering wheel stalk (I had that go) and other times it is the dash switch (have seen that a few times).  We ran a vehicle "sandwich" down the highway a couple of times when one XJ or another had lights crap out while on a trail run.  G/L

Sort of same issue only a motorcycle.  We had been working up at the ranch and going down after dark.  I / we did that a lot because of driving into the setting sun and the shadow blind spots on the windshield in a very bad area.  And it is easier to drive at night when all the tourists, fishermen and rafters and such are out of the way.   So it was dark or a black night going out.  I caught a shape in the middle in the road.  I slowed down it sped up when I caught up to it it was a motorcycle without any headlights.  I stayed a comfortable speed behind him and was his head lights for about 10 miles till he got to his hauler which was over the worst part of the road.       

[OlJarhead]

I suspect the switch but can't be certain as the lights started working as I came down my road (which is much like a jeep trail with associated bumps, rocks, dips etc).  Went by a shop to discuss but as they were working nothing can be done really, so I opted to wait and see what happens and plan to install a set of offraod aux lights in the meantime (since I need them anyway).

Could well be the cold too though as the switch is original and might have been effected by the cold -- or not.  I'll find out!

This old XJ is definately taking it's lumps these days as the suspension is getting noisy (replaced about  5 or 6 years ago) and the doors are loose....guess that's what you get with over 260k on the clock!

[MountainDon]

That is exactly the way mine and my friends acted. Sometimes okay, others not. The steering column switch is a PITA to change. And not cheap either. I doubt the cold had anything to do with it. The failures I know about all happened in warm to hot weather. But who knows for certain.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks MD -- I replaced that switch a couple years ago so am loath to do it again even if paying someone else to do so.

I'll have to wait and see what gives...meanwhiule aux offroad lights will have to do.

Luckily I only drive the jeep a couple times a week as the rest of the time I'm in my company rig.

[OlJarhead]

Cabin Life:  Temperature is in the single digits outside which I can tell because the porch was 19 degrees when I went out and checked the battery bank and it is usually 10-12 degrees warmer then the outside temp, so the weather man might just have been right.  The WSDOT weather station down in the valley is reporting 7 degrees right now too.  SO I KNOW it's cold out there!

Inside?  74 degrees   My little experiment gave me 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep and while I could have slept one more hour and likely had enough hot coals remaining to get the fire going again, I decided to get up at 4am and pt a log, some kindling and a smaller split into the firebox to get it going again.  Then went back to bed as the flames lit up the cabin   It was 71 degrees inside.

Biggest issue I face today is the back room losing heat at a rapid pace!  It did fine when temps were just below freezing but now it's losing heat at a rapid pace!  The heater runs and gets it up to as much as 74 degrees (which is higher then when I originally set it at 60 so I need to check it out) after work today) and then kicks off only to come back on 10 or 15 minutes later because the temp has dropped to below whatever the threshold is (usually 10 degrees below the high).  I find it strange that it's changed what temp it runs at but then I don't even have it fully on so perhaps having it only partially on has something to do with that.

On a better note, my water was working this morning   I was a little worried that single digit weather might be enough to cause me problems since I don't have all the backfill over the main coming into the cabin yet.  I need about 12-16 inches in one area still and that could pose a problem though I have insulation over the pipe.  My guess is the insulation is doing its job   So, if the water doesn't freeze, the drains don't freeze and if the heater keeps up while the stove assists and I don't run out of propane then I'll be fine this winter!  hahahaha 

Ahhhh Life at the cabin in the woods at 3200 feet in the Okanogan and near the Great White Northern Border.

[OlJarhead]

Cabin Life:  Another night that I only got up once (and probably didn't need to but old habits die hard).  I tend to wake up a few times in the night and being no exception I woke up last night a few times, one of which was 1:30am and being awake, although begrudgingly, I rolled out of bed and walked over to the stove which I saw was down to coals.  I added a round and a split and crawled back into bed.  The cabin never dropped below 70 and this morning I was met with the remainder of those pieces of wood and some good coals so two kindling sticks (dry pine) and a split went into the stove and I opened the damper.  The flames sprouted as if by magic and I had to smile   It's good to have fire in the wood stove when it's 3 degrees outside!

The cold will reek havoc on my battery bank and I am guessing I'm down to about 50% or less capacity, however the generator did not come on last night (making this day three) so I'll increase the start voltage to 24v and let it come on and run this morning to give me a nice full charge before I return.

I'm finding I use less TV time by recording shows I want on the DVR with it 'off' and the TV off.  Instead I get my internet time in.  Which reminds me, everything I read about the HughesNet modem said that it used 74watts of power (which is LOT) however the TriMetric Battery Monitor tells me that it's really only using 24watts so I'm pretty happy about that .

So there ya go, another day in the life of a cabin dweller   Maybe this weekend I'll even get some pics for you.

[OlJarhead]

On a side note, and being the 3rd day without generator running, I checked the bank and saw it reading 82% and 24.0v (which we now know is under a load and not at rest for over 6 hours) and at 20 degrees F so I adjusted the Magnum switch to 24v and waited to see if the generator would do it's thing which I am happy to report that even at 3 degrees F outside the generator kicked on and the transfer switch switched to generator power.

I've been watching the bank and seeing that each day it gets a little less charge.  Once the generator finishes today the charge controller will be able to float the batteries for a couple hours off the sun and the bank will be at 100%.  Then tomorrow, if typical, the sun won't quite give me 100% charge...maybe 95%....and the next day 90% (I'm just using these numbers as an example of what's happening since I do not know for sure)..then on the 3rd day the bank is low enough to draw down to 80% and the generator will kick on.

I love this thing!   I also realize it's unlikely I'll see it run much in the summer!

[OlJarhead]

Weatherman was wrong...I should have known when I saw the porch temp was about 25 degrees....when I went outside and looked at the thermometer it read 14.  Now he's saying 7 degrees tonight.  We'll see but either way it's cold, just not 3 degrees cold

[OlJarhead]

Must admit I'm a little excited to have the boys back at the cabin tonight.  One thing it means is company!  The other is that we'll get more work done this weekend   I can finally get that heater installed and maybe even some roofing done.  Then, if time allows we'll cut and split firewood.

Can't wait!

[UK4X4]

We saw a similar thing in the winter on our batteries in the trailer even if I ran the geny for 8 hours we never saw 100% on them by the third week we often had to jump start the trailer in the morning

Even took the batteries back to the supplier- of course they tested OK

We did'nt have panels just the generator but getting that float charge was dificult

Not sure if its the cold - my batts were in a front locker unheated

The generators big enough for 2 AC units and the whole trailer...not a small one but it just seemed we lost a bit of power everyday

[OlJarhead]

I can get them back to 100% by running the gen, it's only when they don't get past absorb on the MPPT controller that I have that problem.  Basically I can go about 3 days and then have to run the generator for 4-5 hours to get past absorb into float, then I know the bank is 100% of current cap.

THe issue with the cold is that it lowers the batteries capacity to deliver power if I understand it currently.  In essence a 210AH batter is about 25% less capacity at 32 degrees or in other words becomes a 155-160AH battery. 

Suddenly the bank has less ability to run those appliances...now take it down to 20 degrees and it's probably 35-40% of capacity:
Trojan says:

for every 15oF below 77oF, capacity is reduced by 1

At that point my bank which is a 630-660AH battery bank at 77 degrees becomes a 400AH bank.....

So I need more sun and or more generator power because I've lost 40% of capacity just because of the cold....

[OlJarhead]

Got the new heater installed in the composter room (actually the boys did that) and found that it could not keep up with the cold!  8000BTU's is not enough for an 80 square foot room that doesn't have a permanent door and isn't fully insulated despite being 2 feet below grade and surrounded in R10 2" foam.

So we stuffed the walls with R19 insulation (I planned to do that anyway) and will stuff the ceiling with R21 today.  The R19 helped out and the heater brought the temp to 43 degrees in the room (at it's highest setting) so I'm hopeful the R21 will let it get above 50.  We also plugged the gaps in the entrance/door to the room a bit better so less heat will be escaping that way.

I'll do a little research as I might need to change the jets for higher altitude and with the added insulation it should be able to handle the cold -- we'll see.

While the boys were getting the heater installed I started bucking up trees that had been fallen previously.  Anything not worth milling into lumber was bucked into firewood and I managed to get the shed organized and the wood stacked nicely (that was already in there) and started chopping what I'd bucked up also. With a couple hours effort today I think we can get the shed packed full of wood again and then I ought tot be god for the winter

We'll roof the compost room too

I did a little reading on propane tanks and cold this week also and learned that just because the tank reads 78% does not mean it has 78% of the potential 500 gallons.  Why?  The cold.  At 32 degrees the tank can read significantly lower because the propane as condensed due to the cold.  So I'm guessing I've got about 400 gallons, probably more, in the tank and should be good for a long time   With the boys here we use a little more but then I'll be gone for most of the next week (going home for Thanksgiving) and when I come back will be alone for at least a week or two and use a LOT less propane and power when I'm alone.

[OlJarhead]

Ruh Roh!

Seems having the boys here is REALLY abusing power!  The generator just kicked on after less then 24 hours! 

I try and try and try to explain the need to conserve but frankly they don't seem to get it.  Perhaps because it isn't their wallet the propane payment comes out of!

[rick91351]

Ruh Roh!

Seems having the boys here is REALLY abusing power!  The generator just kicked on after less then 24 hours! 

I try and try and try to explain the need to conserve but frankly they don't seem to get it.  Perhaps because it isn't their wallet the propane payment comes out of!

True, but they don't have the incentive like you do to conserve and see how well you can make your system work.  And if they were being lounge lizards and wallowing in the power is one thing.  Then if they are working their tails off and then watching a little TV and have all the lights on in the place and using all your internet band width to wind down that is another issue as well.

How warm is you composter  room going to have to get to efficiently work?  All in all it seems as if you are enjoying your new life.   

How are the trees and all doing.  Might check and make sure the guards are tucked in so the rodents will not make a feast of the bark this winter.  I have a whole bunch to make and put around yet.  I am changing over to the hardware cloth type.

[OlJarhead]

Pretty Beat! While the boys worked on the back room and got it pretty well done for now I spent the day cutting, splitting and stacking wood!


THis was after a day or so of cutting, splitting and stacking wood but I got a lot more done....


I actually like splitting wood


Love the smell if FIR being split too!


Getting there


Just about done -- I'd cut own one more dead pine and decided to buck it up and split it before calling it a night.  I was done about 5PM and dark...time for a drink!



Heater vent installed -- just need some siding now!


Still needs siding and a door and some sealer in spots but the boys did a great job getting it this far!

Temp as I type is 53 degrees and slowly climbing - I need the room to stay above 50 degrees.


Got the show plow on the tractor so I'm ready for the snow!

[OlJarhead]

After a week away I've returned to my home in the woods and some cool weather.  It was about 32 when I got home today with expected lows tonight around 10.


My first concern was the temperature inside the cabin since I'd left it for a week in the winter with just the backup heaters working.  Clearly I have nothing to fear now


Next was propane use and generator run time.  Since the fridge was off the entire time (nothing in it) and the freezer wasn't running either the only thing using power besides the inverter was the 12vdc fan and the 24v-12v converter.  The generator did not run at all over the last 8 days (and still has yet to fire up) but the propane was down to about 72% and given the temp I'm thinking that's a 13% drop in a month and a bit.  All in all that's not too bad considering I was running the gen like mad at first and then ran the heaters to hot this past week.


I still need to order the door but least I know the insulation is working and the room is staying warm.  I've even had to turn down the heater and suspect I'll turn it down even more this week.  I only need the composter to stay above 50 degrees to keep working.


I really wanted to tackle the roof (you can see the poles I've added for rafters) but was only able to add a little wood to the shed before getting back to work.

All in all I'm happy with the way the cabin has been weathering the winter and am confident it will make it through ok

[OlJarhead]

Gettin' cold now!  Going to be in the negatives this week and I am now seeing the lack of insulation in a couple spots and it's effect on cabin interior in near sub zero weather.  Last night, for example, the cabin dropped to 65 degrees when normally it would not.

I have just two rafter bays that are not fully insulated and all of them have about 6" that is not insulated where the transition from the new R21 insulation rises to meet the temp R19 I placed at the peak a few years ago to stop warm air from escaping.

Of course, 65 isn't bad, it's just that I have a loss of heat that means $$$ when I am not here as the propane heater will come on more then it should.  Gotta get that fixed!

[OlJarhead]

6F outside now and getting colder. Te back room is now down to 38 degrees and I doubt turning up the heater will matter as it's likely running constantly now That room is WELL insulated (R30 walls, R32 roof, and R10 floor and subgrade walls). Got feeling it's going to be below freezing before long but am hoping it doesn't get that cold in there. Currently it's 32 degrees above outside temp but that would make it drop to 28F if the temp gets to the -4 they are calling for.

Gives me something to ponder anyway.

Did an experiment with my Multimeter which has a temp sensor: Placing the temp sensor near the hottest part of the wood stove shows it above 270 degrees, but just a few feet away it's 65. Back by where the heater is on the back wall (not running) it's 59 degrees and the floor is 39.

Yup, going to be an interesting night!

I should add that the generator came on tonight too which I expected. Just glad it actually started! At least now the batteries will be well charged -- speaking of which, the porch is 26 degrees so that's something

[OlJarhead]

OK it's getting a little serious now.

I went to rinse something out in the sink and the hot water did not run.  I then turned on all the taps and finally the tub started to run, I was happy until I saw the water coming out of the drain pipe onto the FLOOR!  Ooops.  One P Trap frozen solid.

I turned off all the taps and decided I better get back and check the back room out a little closer.

Outside Temp is 2 degrees and the back room was down to 36 so I went out and opened it up (a task since there is no door but rather insulation and plywood etc) and checked to make sure the heater was working, it was but I turned it all the way up (which was too high before) and repositioned the thermometer to a position by the water lines going into the hot water heater (about 3 1/2 feet off the floor).

THe room now reads 29 degrees after dropping to 28 because the 'door' was open for a few minutes.  I'm encouraged to see the temp rising and hoping it will rise above 32.  I repositioned some insulation around the entrance (on the inside) to try to block off heat loss but the 4" composting toilet vent and 2" vent coupled with the 4" hot water heater chimney has to be having a negative effect in there.  My guess is that I'll have to shut those all down in weather where temps drop below 10 degrees.  I'll also have to protect that P Trap a little better (clearly).

Cabin temp is 70 and I just noticed the back room dropped to 28 again -- looks like it's going to be a long night!

[OlJarhead]

Got up this morning to no running water   Temp at the sensor which is right behind where the water enters the hot water heater, reads 22F

Cabin temp dropped to 65 in he night but I kept the stove going (not roaring but still burning slowly) and turned on the aux heater this morning to help warm up the place a little.  I'd like it warmer as it would have a greater chance of warming pipes etc during the day (if it gets warm enough out that is) and is easier to keep warm then it is to get it warm from freezing.

Took out my temp probe and did some readings.  Air in the opening of the window (I cracked a window by the stove this morning to get some air circulating) read 0F inside the screen (can't push the probe out of the screen).  My guess is that it's a little colder then that but not much.  I'll check soon.

So, no running water (I saved some in pots and jars etc last night), a frozen P Trap, composter room needs some insulation work and a heater running 24x7 -- not good.

I'll get the boys to bring me up a 6 gallon jug of tap water and a 7 gallon jug of purified water so at least I'll have those and I can refill them at work until the pipes thaw and I have a bathroom etc at work so at least there is that

I've got some heat tape somewhere around here and I'll take that and run it around the P Trap that's frozen and re-insulate.  I think I also have some of the silver insulation blanket like stuff that I can wrap around the P-Trap and over the Heat Tape, then I'll have to box it all in but I think that would keep it from freezing and I could turn it on only when it's going to drop below about 10 degrees since it did ok down to there.  It was temps that dropped well below that which caused the problem I think.

Now I guess I should check the batteries and porch temp to see where they are at (out of curiosity more then anything else and stoke the fire in the wood stove.  I'd like to leave the place at 70 or close to it today if I can)...heck, maybe I'll come home early today and work from home.  We'll see.

[OlJarhead]

The clouds must have rolled in to save the day   We had dropped to about 2 degrees but a little later it was back up to 5.  Then overnight I noticed the back room was up to 28, then30!  That's almost warm enough to start melting the frozen pipes (specially if we get some fans installed to push the warm air down to them).

Won't last though as the weather man claims it will clear up and be sunny today.  Good for solar production, not so good for keeping things warm as the sunny sky's bring out the colder weather and the prediction is 13 with wind chills down to -17 (note to Kurt and Josh, dress warmly!).

The good news is the tractor radiator test showed it was good to -15 or so and I was able to add a bunch of antifreeze so it should be good to -30/-35 now.  Also the water line to the main valve and frost free is clear and I'm able to get water out of the frost free with good pressure.  SO this tells me the problem is in the cabin, perhaps in the walls or just at the ground level where the water line comes up into the back room (and where it was about 15 degrees the other night). Hopefully today or tomorrow we'll get that sorted and fix the freezing trap under the tub and I'll be able to go back to having showers *crossing fingers*

Life in the woods aint for everyone! lol

[rick91351]

Seriously Erik you are 100% correct Life in the woods aint for everyone.  Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp of what is going on and why.  To me that is most important.  You may have to stumble through this a little this winter.  But come spring and summer I bet you will have things pretty well over hauled by first frost next year even if you do not attempt to stay there next year.

As one of my best friends up here says in a low deep voice.  "Winters up here aint no bed of roses.  And these once a winter warriors that come up here really don't have a clue."   

[OlJarhead]

Amen to that!

I grew up in cold climates so I'm at least no newby to the issues I'm facing but admitedly I'd not worked hard enough to be ready (and winter came on harder then I expected -- but my life up north should have told me to prepare for that).

At the moment the only real inconvenience is the lack of a shower but I'd sure like to resolve that over the next couple day!  Sponge baths just don't cut it! lol

With the boys up helping out though, I should get some real work done.  The only issue I have really is that my job can be demanding of my time and energy so while I'd like to get out early today to start working the problem it's unlikely to happen....good thing the boys are there to get stuff done in my absense!