Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[glenn-k]

For extended use I will probably kick on the generator to charge the batteries while running off the inverters, but I would estimate that 15 minutes to 1/2 hour at a time should be OK on the inverters.  I have a total of 35 amps 220 available.  In the summer I run the pump 15 minutes at a time 4 times per day pulling 10 amps without the generator assist, and solar panels are not optimized.  Just laying on the roof.  I will probably build the system up more to keep from having to run the generator often.  The big lathe has a 7 horsepower motor but I don't think I use much of it most of the time.  I guess it would be wise to take some running power readings before I decide whether to move it or not.  It also has some mechanical problem - probably not too serious though.

[glenn-k]

Rude awakening time --- I tried to start the Ironworker and it just wants to buzz --- pulled the motor cover off and found a 7.5 HP single phase motor in there.  I have enough power for it running but not enough to start it yet.  Working on a solution.  I was thinking of a kick starter. (Kidding there.) :-/

[peg_688]

 


I tried to start the Ironworker and it just wants to buzz ---

 

That's typical of all steel / iron workers I know ,  they just make a bunch of noise        HEEEHHEEE

[glenn-k]

PEG, you are much too humorous sometimes.

Why do you think they call us men of steel?

[peg_688]

Cuz yer crooked :-?     ,,Steal  

[glenn-k]

Careful PEG - if your mind gets any sharper you'll be bleeding. :-/

[peg_688]

I was wondering  where that blood was coming from  :-? Gad nite Glennbob  

[glenn-k]

Salt will coagulate that.  G'nite PEG.

[desdawg]

I suppose you could run the genny to get er going then switch it over.

[glenn-k]

Usually when I have something big going I kick the generator on to keep from pulling the batteries down anyway.  

A few bucks work of diesel or gas will keep it running a long time.


OK - here's what I got.  Fooled with the pump - disconnected it at the Lovejoy coupler.  Motor would start unloaded if I kick in the magnetic safety a bit extra manually.  OK - I can do that.  Twisted the pump by hand and noted that it built up a fair amount of back pressure going through the electric control valve, so from the conversation with my buddy, Al last night, I decided a bypass for starting was in order.

$25 and some tinkering later, the bypass is a success.  I have my 7 !/2HP  Ironworker motor up and running off of a 10KW welder generator.  It is a bit short on power on heavy stuff -  3 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 3/8 angle chokes it - kicks out the magnetic switch as voltage drops.  5/8" x 6" steel bar and 1/4 x1/4 x 4 angle  shears off just fine though.  I think it will do about 75% of what I want to do now so I will have time to aquire a bigger generator at my leisure.  Cheaper that way.  My network spies are looking also.

[benevolance]

network spies?

are they in cahoots with the black helicopter pilots?

[glenn-k]

Naw - these are my redneck buddies  - I mention that I want something - word goes out - soon it appears at a reasonable price.  Legitimate of course.  My buddy, Al is always on the lookout for things I need.  In turn I supply him with things he needs, old diesel truck, equipment,  the occasional decent job or whatever.  We just lookout for our own up here in the mountains.  He tried to get me up here for years - I thought he was crazy until I got here.  Now everyone knows I am crazy. :-/

[desdawg]

Glenn, I thought you were normal and the rest of the world was kind of well, you know, screwed up.  

[glenn-k]

WE are normal, desdawg.

[benevolance]

No

The world is screwed up...And who is to say what is normal....I am different I see it everyday when I talk to people and they all look at me like I have three heads

It is okay to be different....The problem is that society and government tells us that we cannot be different...That we have to drive a SUV like our neighbors and have debt....and live in a gated community etc.....

This is a homebuilding site....So they tell us we have to buy our logs back from the mill...paying them exorbent taes....We have to get certified tradesmen to do everything....We cannot design, work on or use anything of our own....

Everything is regulated to maximize taxation....Everything is regulated to ensure that we stay in debt for decades

And when one of us tries to break free from these Manacles....Then they use the smoke and mirror scre tactics on us telling us we are in violation and they will revoke our permits etc.... The problem is that we have allowed this nonsense to go on so long that people think they need a permit to build a dog house for the pets or a tree house for the kids

Sadly we are not normal....We used to be....So few of us have a single solitary original thought that when one of us decides to do something for ourselves, by ourselves we are seen as a crazy eccentric odd ball that has gone off his rocker....

People will say things like.....That fool built his house underground.....Or that idiot thinks he can live debt free.... They want to build their house themselves

And these things are said with the tone and intent which would lead others listening to think we were criminals or completely insane

We are just lucky that a few places like this exist so that a few of us can find each other out, gather and share information and experiences.

There are a lot of great members here and a lot of stories and info get shared every day....It might be plausible to think we are normal when surrounded by others who think like us somewhat....But we are a fastly fleeting minority.

It is not because people do not like to work outside in their own yards with their own hands...It is not because people no longer relish the feeling of accomplishment when they do something themselves....No

We are a fleeting minority because society, government , banks have brought up entire generations telling them that they have to do things a certian way...Making people totally dependant upon the bank, their job, the system for income, pension, retirement...

They tell them they offer security and the trade off is they have to live their entire lives in debt

Glenn started to touch on it when he said something about pavlovs dog and the school bells....

think about this scary fact....Kids used to be raised at home...By the mother...And the father was home at a decent hour and spent the evening with his kids... week-ends too....

Now the kids get dumped at daycare when they are a couple months old...You pick them up at suppertime or later and they go to bed when they get home....When they are 4 they go to Pre-School....And from the time they are 5 until they are 25 they go to school (counting university)

That child has been brainwashed since before they could crawl on their own....They are told from the time they could understand that they needed to go to school....Listen to a teacher at at any age and they all say you need to go to university... They preach more schooling...

Kind of like a scientist will almost always say in their study that more research is needed immediately (pretty self serving and unscientific)

The system is serving itself here....A self contained monster that is feeding on our young and is out of control.

So our kids are being raised by someone else...And we have no control or input on what is hammered into their brains...These kids grow up thinking that this go to school 33% of your lifetime pay debt for 90% of your lifetime live where they tell you in a house that they pick out for you...Is the only way to succeed.

Somewhere in the shuffle/ brainswashing...A generation has been raised where people think that they have the right to look over the fence onto others property and into their business....they not only think it is acceptable.. but their god given right

And that is why we hate our neighbors....that is why we have nasty threatening signs and that is why we hate everyone

It is funny...I try as hard as I can to learn how to do things...But I am half the man my Grandfather was....He was amazing...and I am sure that most people here on this board can look back and see people in their lives from a generation or two ago and realize that they could do anything with their hands....

I loved my grandpa was a good man...But like most people back then he had to do for himself or he did without.... And that likely was why he made boards with an axe splitting it lengthwise...I think it is called clapping? He showed me how to do this when I was 6....I saw him do it...I cannot do it....But my point is that his generation made their shingles for roofing...They dug their own wells by hand....If they wanted something they could have it...They just needed to work for it and go do it....

Today you just try to do something for yourself and you have half a dozen enighbors calling to complain or to rat you out to the county.... Today they tie you down with thousands of dollars in permits and fees to build something....or just say you are not allowed...

[glenn-k]

Thats pretty well it, Peter

Children of the state, raised to the whims of the state and trained to jump when the whistle blows and run to the next state mandated choice of class.  

Parents are kept too busy making a living to be able to do the job they would like to do to properly raise their kids.  

Who's kids are they?  Who can be thrown in jail or fined for the kid missing school or missing a school/parent conference.  They even tried to force me to sign a contract to send my son to school when he was sick and had a cop in the room with his hand on his gun to impress me.  Sorry dude - you just as well pull the trigger - I'd rather die a martyr than be scared or impressed by you - you big overweight donut eater.  I walked out and told them to sign contract themselves as it wasn't a contract if I was forced to sign it.  I also told them that my son would be in school as much as possible as always.

Sorry but I will continue to think for myself - even if it's wrong.

[benevolance]

I sold a truck to a really nice guy, who was also a cop last week...He invited me to go fishing on his dad's 1000 acre pine tree farm in south Georgia...

But yes Glenn half the cops out there think they are tough because they have a gun....

I am not a gun person...I have never owned one...I can shoot...I can hit targets and even hit a duck or goose in the air...

But it seems the guys that have guns think they are tough...Or that theyshould be able to demand respect...

Respect is earned...A gun does not equal respect....That is what people fail to understand...

a 4 year old thinks if they stomp their feet they get respect and get their way.....They hopefully grow up and learn you have to earn it...

And in my experience most cops forget that they still have to earn our respect...

I am lucky I got married...Because I was having a little problem with authority....Challenged a few cops ..who tried that I have a gun routine...Yell at them.. go ahead and shoot me A** hole...I am unarmed.

I get scared when a cop reaches for a gun and my legs are water like...I do not like guns all that much and I do not like having a gun pointed at me....

But I am not going to kiss someone's rear end just because they have a gun...

Don't wanna get shot... but not going to let the A**hole cop know he has intimidated me either...

My wife and I are home schooling our kids....Screw the Schoolboard...I will have my kids working in the yard...Identifying flora and fauna....Telling time by the sun...Predicting weather by the direction of the wind....Stuff I learned on the farm growing up...

Math and science will get learned too...But the whole outside world is as good a classroom as you are ever going to find.

Thing is we as humans survived for ten thousand years+ without modern day universities and daycare...And we turned out pretty well...

This is just another case where they insist there is only ONE WAY to accomplish something

I hope you liked the previous rant Glenn...You sort of inspired it...I read it to my wife and she is starting to come around to my point of view...She still thinks I am paranoid...

At least I got her believing me about all the nasty chemicals in our food...She is going organic with me....No more poisoning ourselves at the dinner table

[glenn-k]

In fairness , I have met some good cops too.  One even helld a flashlight as I fixed a short in my tail light wiring.  I guess my rant above is about the out of control school system. :-/

[benevolance]

i am schooling my kids at home....When they are old enough 16-17 and if they want to go to public school I will let them....But by then if I did my job as a parent the kids will have learned to think for themselves...And be responsible.

20 years from now an outspoken free thinking young adult will likely be called an extremist or terrorist by our government if things keep getting more restrictive

[glenn-k]

Snow today so we pulled my buddies old 1 ton dump bed into the shop and started tearing it apart to make a low cost dump bed trailer for hauling stuff around here - road rock - wood chips - road patch material etc.  This morning it was a working truck - by noon it was almost a trailer.

Also working on getting ready to pour concrete in the next section of the shop requiring walls, shelves and work benches.  The place is a disaster with all of the activity at once and snow and rain to boot.  It should start to get better though.  Note that this is a no cost shop.  All materials are left over from various jobs.  Retaining walls are boat docks.  The back one is 6 feet high as is the earth behind it.  I put the 5 foot steel sheeting above the retaining wall last night  for a total of about 11' high at the back.  So - the shop is part way underground.   :-/

[glenn-k]

The truck is now a trailer - a not quite finished one but one that was good enough to pull out of the shop in preparation for the snow that came last night.

The underground complex is pretty well buried but the fire is still going in the wood stove so things are nice and warm.

[glenn-k]

I noticed I had 2 similar pictures loaded to Photobucket so rather than waste them ---

The difference between a fair picture



and

a good picture by moving about 2 feet and adding near objects into the frame.



Link to the album with more snow pix

https://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/glennkangiser/Snow%20February%2028%202007/

[MountainDon]

Pretty snow... when I don't have to shovel it  

[HaydensMom]

Glenn,
I just want to say your house is amazing. I love it!!! I have always been interesting in alternative building methods. And partically interesting in underground houses, I love everything about your home. I look at your photo album at least once a week when i have access to the net.........is that considered stalking? Keep up the good work.

[glenn-k]

Please stalk all you want.  We cater to stalkers and troglodytes.  This is a learn as you go thing with the safety of engineered log sizes thanks to Mike Oehler's work, so there are a few bugs to work out but all in all it is much more successful than I ever thought it would be.

When I first started it was with the idea that if it didn't work I wasn't out much.   So far we have been here 5 years.  Hey -- that's almost a 10th of my life - that's pretty successful if you ask me.