My 15.75 x 30 Jemez Cabin

Started by MountainDon, December 20, 2006, 02:03:09 AM

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phalynx

Quote from: MountainDon on November 09, 2010, 11:44:08 AM


By the end of dinner we were formulating plans to build a bunkhouse.  :o 

Funny how things come along.


I know exactly how you feel..   ;D

MountainDon

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


OlJarhead

Hmmm....was the tree on your property?  We own the rights to our trees on half of our land, the other half is owned by a long gone (and forgotten) timber company :D

MountainDon

The tree that fell on the gate? You owned part of it.  ::)  National Forest tree.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

This was a cold weekend, but there are colder to come.  :D

Cleared some more trees. I hate trees that grow real close together, like 6 to 12 inches. They always have upper limbs that ate intertwined. I left two sawed clear through and still not fallen. I also left a note to myself on the cabin table to be careful. Hopefully todays winds will blow them over.

I made a new mast and raised the TV antenna by seven feet and made a huge improvement in signal strength and gained a channel. The weaker channels went from an iffy 10 - 15% to a very respectable 25+%. We never had an issue before digital over the air. (Took a while to get to this.  ;D  The welder ran fine off the batteries/inverter.  :)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


MountainDon

#1155
Christmas Season has arrived!!



Christmas season has arrived in the form of one 50 lamp string of C6 LED colored lights!



darker photo, after the sun is gone; with flash



They give off a good amount of light for their miserly power consumption. Not sure if we can afford the power use, 4.8 watts.   ;) ;)


Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Redoverfarm

Quote from: MountainDon on November 28, 2010, 09:25:51 PM
This was a cold weekend, but there are colder to come.  :D

Cleared some more trees. I hate trees that grow real close together, like 6 to 12 inches. They always have upper limbs that ate intertwined. I left two sawed clear through and still not fallen. I also left a note to myself on the cabin table to be careful. Hopefully todays winds will blow them over.

I made a new mast and raised the TV antenna by seven feet and made a huge improvement in signal strength and gained a channel. The weaker channels went from an iffy 10 - 15% to a very respectable 25+%. We never had an issue before digital over the air. (Took a while to get to this.  ;D  The welder ran fine off the batteries/inverter.  :)

You always have a few.  Nice to have a "snatch block" and 75' of 1/4" cable lying around the camp.  I am sure the Jeep is up to the task. ;)

BadKarma

Thank you very very much for the photos. They have cleared up a ton of questions I had from the other forum and have also given me a ton of ideas too.

Thanks

Karma

OlJarhead

Better not let my wife see the pic with the Christmas lights!  She will insist we need some ;)


MountainDon

jarhead, maybe better not let her see what we've done next.


I am disappointed though, in that I forgot to take the camera, so all I have is a poor cell phone image. More and better next time.

When it gets dark up there at the cabin it sure gets dark, unless the moon is up and fairly full. Starlight is not bad either some nights, after your eyes get accustomed. However going outside to the shed/toilet at night usually requires a flashlight most of the time. Not too big a deal, we have a couple of the Ryobi swivel head 18V flashlights and a charger that we leave at the cabin. We have a porch light (CFL) as well but it's dark once the corner is turned.

So we bought 5 strings of the 50 LED lights in white/clear. We strung them under the porch roof across the complete end and down the north side (sidewalk side). Then we continued across from the cabin to the shed and a few feet on the shed above the door. (I strung a rope up high between two eye bolts and attached the lights to that.) So for 4.8 x 5 = 24 watts of power (plus inverter loss) that entire distance is very nicely illuminated. They are powered off the porch light fixture; the lamp being replaced with one of those socket adapter plug ins.

We put a sixth string in the shed and plugged it into the light socket there as well. Instant light, almost no power used and for less than $7 per string of 50.  Now we have to see how well/long they last.





Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

OlJarhead

For $7 a string and that low power usage I might have to try them after all -- she would love it too.

Where did you get them?

MountainDon

Kmart.  The colored ones on black friday preview sale for $5, $6.74 for the white a few days later. Regular was $9 - 10.  We want a couple more for the gazebo.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

Update with a picture taken by a real camera not a phone



I added 2 strings of white lights on the gazebo. Now with them all turned on we can walk from gazebo to cabin to shed and where we park without needing a flashlight.  :)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

John Raabe

Nifty... This is the year of the LED lights.

Someday it will seem strange to burn a wire to make light.
None of us are as smart as all of us.


MountainDon

A while back I posted my idea for keeping food non frozen in the cabin overwinter. I have modified the plan. The power steering cooler turned out to be a tad small for the job. With a pump to circulate the water it showed good performance, but that used power and I didn't really want that. So I upped the unit to a small hayden transmission cooler, the basic starter size.

I also added a couple inches of foam board insulation under the countertop and an inch on the back wall and cabinet ends. On top of that I added some Reflectix aluminum foil and air bubble insulation to the foam in most places. The cabinet doors have a triple layed of Refelctix added. I also made a foam plug for the sink to slow heat loss through the S/S sink.









My temperature monitoring devices reveal the following.
Lowest exterior temperature so far this season: 6 F
Lowest cabin interior temperature: 30F
Lowest undersink temperature: 46 F

So this past week we spent some time up at Pine Ridge. There's was finally a snowfall! Twelve inches of wet sticky stuff all over a couple of days. We poked the Jeeps nose up the forest road far enough to see that yes it had snow as much up there as it had a mile back. Since I really have concerns about one spot in particular we turned around and parked at our friends place. Then we snow shoed up the old logging road to inersect with our road. We save nearly three miles with the shortcut compared to following the roads. It was hard slogging through the wet snow.

Once there we built a fire and got the cabin warming. We set fire to some of the prepared slash piles then had lunch and a nap. Over the next few days we burned many more piles. I think we hit 12 - 15, but I never counted. I never took a single burn picture either! I believe that is a first. Read a book, watched a movie, and relaxed. Did n't even have to split any wood; already done and I have way too much by the looks of it.

We baked some bread and ate mostly from the stockpile of canned and dry foods. I carried up some margarine, grated cheese, a cucumber, some broccoli, zucchini and onion.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

Some may be interested in my tool for removing the hot ash tray from the VC Aspen wood stove. I used to simply wear heavy leather gloves. But mostly I now use some Vise Grip sheet metal jawed pliers.  Works nice.



Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

rick91351

That is so neat that your under sink food pantry works so well.  Dang you are crafty.......
[cool] or warm  [waiting] [noidea'
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

John Raabe

That's a great little stove Don.

I had an uncertified version of a similar box stove for many years. It worked great and burned even less than well seasoned wood.

My new Lopi stove looks better and has a bigger firebox, but is not as efficient and is much fussier about the wood that it will burn. The home owner insurance company likes it better though. It is on the right list!
None of us are as smart as all of us.

MountainDon

Always better to be on the right list.   :)

I like the Aspen. It, like many (all?) EPA approved stoves are a little more tempermental than older stoves. (We had an older pre EPA, pre 1990, VC stove back home. It "got going" faster than this one. But the Aspen does keep us warm and it does seem to emit less visible smkoe than the oldie, which is what the specs state should be so.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

I also find the pliers handy when carrying the ash pan out the door to dump ashed in the metal bucket.

Keeps the cabin interior less dusty.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


MountainDon



We watched these two and four others (1 buck) make their way through the foot deep snow across the clearing north of the cabin. Four of them took their time, one step at a time. Two including the buck bounced across as if on springs. We are pretty sure we've seen this group around here before.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

OlJarhead

Quote from: MountainDon on December 23, 2010, 05:52:31 PM
I also find the pliers handy when carrying the ash pan out the door to dump ashed in the metal bucket.

Keeps the cabin interior less dusty.

I bought a small galvanized can with a lid at Ranch and Home and now use that.  I just bring it in, dump the ashes in (using welders gloves) and cover it up -- it then goes on the porch.

I'm told the ash is the best 'non-skid' stuff you can have and putting it on icy patches of road etc will help a bunch, and I believe it can be used to improve the compost too.

Oh and since I got smart with the Aspen I really like that little stove :)  Even with little insulation and no interior walls (mostly) we stay warm once the cabin is up to temp.

Also nice to see the food warmer is working :)  I'm planning a major overhaul of the compost unit this spring to include some serious insulation!  I also plan to heat trace the sewage pipe and increase the insulation on it since I had some issues this winter already.  In fact, we have to stop using the toilet until I can thaw out the pipe :(  Just a case of not insulating it before the weather got COLD (like -26 cold) and someone didn't notice a blockage....which then froze solid.

No cracks noticed but it's back to the luggable Lew for now -- which can be frozen by simply placing outside.

Anyway, great stuff Don!  Always like to see what you are up to :) and plan to get some stuff from Bailey's soon -- one of which will be the drip tool you mentioned for burning slash -- I have a ton to burn and hate to pass up a winter burning season.

considerations

Hi Mountain Don. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a Housewarmer LP direct vent heater. 

I think the 18K btu unit should do the trick, and I know you have a Housewarmer as well.  Do you happen to know the btu rating on your model? 

I think that, from your reports about it getting your place warmed up, that whatever size it is, the same model would work well in my place, where the winters are generally milder.

Thanks in advance.

MountainDon

Ours is the 18K. We like it a lot. It can be used with or without the blower. Warm up is likely quicker with the blower; that's my theory anyhow. It's not as pretty as some others but the price is good.



Because of our altitude it is down rated to more or less 13.5K (smaller orifice; which I got for free from the mfg)
Anything propane or nat gas gets downrated for altitude, usually starting around 3500 - 4000 feet. Just like for baking.  ::)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

#1174
Even the best made plans are subject to Fate.  

The water heater in the cabin has been in use since summer 2009 and never missed a beat. The same model water heater in the RV never once gave any troubles. Sometime after December 23 the pilot flame in the water heater burner ceased to flame. I have no idea what happened for sure; but when we snow shoed in I found the burner unlit. The control was still in the "on" position but nothing was on.  :(

The food under the sink was not frozen, but food stuffs don't freeze as readily as water. Water was frozen in some of the PEX tubing and in the under the counter supply tank. Also frozen in the water heater. After re-lighting the burner and placing a 1500 watt el; electric heater )generator driven) under the counter the pipes all thawed. No fittings or valves were damaged. Adding water from the cistern to the tank helped thaw the large ice cube that it was. The water heater did not leak. I must be lucky. :D

I believe the pilot went out weeks ago, judging by the weight of the propane supply cylinder.

I thought perhaps some high gusty winds may have blown out the pilot. ??? But that's not expected. After all we've travelled up and down the highways with the RV for years and never once had the water heater or refrigerator flames blow out. Not even when meeting large truck trailer units at 60 mph, on two lane highways, with crosswinds. Strange. So I knocked together a windshield from a scrap of 3/8" plywood that was lying under the cabin looking for something to do. Installed that yesterday with a 3  1/2 inch space between it and the heater face. Got up this morning and the pilot was out, the water in the tank cool.  19 F overnight low  Dang!


So rather than trust Fate to back off and let things work and simultaneously tempt Fate to crack the water heater and other things I drained the system. We moved the canned food that remains into the refrigerator. Water jugs that have been left in there never freeze hard solid like jugs left on the cabin floor in the shower. We also placed a couple 3/4 full jugs of nice warm, almost hot water inthere with the canned goods. Maybe that'll help'

The one thing I did not do to the water heater that maybe I should have, was to install the high altitude orifice. Everything else propane up there has been set up for the 8800 foot altitude. I didn't do the heater as the mfg made the orifice a permanent portion of another part and the whole works was $40. Maybe that would solve it. Or maybe it's just the cold temperature? maybe the control valve doesn't work as well when down to xero and colder (Temp dropped to -5F sometimes in the past month.)

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.