Dogtrot at Hightop

Redoverfarm · May 30, 2011, 08:06:56 AM

Yes Whit I have been busy as a one arm paper hanger. Hopefully once this rush slows down I can get back on Dogtrot. My Well driller dropped off my well pump yesterday. Had some trouble locating the particular one that I wanted. Grundfos quit making the particular one that I wanted (1/2 HP) and I had to settle for a 3/4 HP 230V instead. Of course with anything new and improved $$$. But it still has the same slow start feature as the original.

Yes it has been an odd winter (Where did spring go). Rained here for the majority of the last two weeks. The fields are soaked to the point that no one can get into them to spread fertilyzer or mow hay. They are predicting hot clear weather for the next 4-5 days so maybe that will dry things up.

I guess you have moved into your place. The last I heard you were in a rush to meet a deadline.

Well off to split wood.

Whitlock · May 31, 2011, 08:05:51 PM

Haven't moved yet John got a lease until next June.
I have been busy on the place.
But I just ran out of cash so until I get more it will be on hold.

Talk soon,W

June 08, 2011, 07:07:46 PM

Well I guess it is the season. I had went to my friends cabin on top of the mountain to remove a battery from his generator that had frozen during the winter. This is what I found on his front stoop as I went to the front door. I am sure glad that I saw it first. Can you imagine walking out your front door to this in the early morning hours. Apparently it wasn't socialable and slithered off.

A quick check on Dogtrot on the way off the mountain and everything looked the same as I had left it with the exception of the feebies which had flown the coop.

ben2go · June 08, 2011, 07:59:00 PM

Something to play with.Grab him by his head and shake his tail.

duncanshannon · June 09, 2011, 08:16:54 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on June 08, 2011, 07:07:46 PM
Apparently it wasn't socialable and slithered off.

YUK!!

June 11, 2011, 02:04:36 PM

Well I gave him a fighting chance but he refused to give up. I returned to my friends cabin to work on his generator again this morning. The snake was there again to meet me at the front door. No mercy this time as it was apparent he was not leaving. Come to find out that another neighbor had just killed a yellow ratler so I would imagine it was the mate. Maybe my son can make a belt out of this one. He might have to fight his sister for it though.

muldoon · June 11, 2011, 02:34:57 PM

Too bad he was stubborn.

Anyway, if you take a rattlersnake like that, skin him, and cut him into 2-3" pieces, they skewer nicely. I like a butter and rosemary with seasalt and fresh coarse black pepper treatment. over red/white mesquite or oak or pecan coals. takes about 10 minutes a side at 400ish.

I think they are delicious.

Texas Tornado · June 11, 2011, 03:34:42 PM

Quote from: muldoon on June 11, 2011, 02:34:57 PM
Too bad he was stubborn.

Anyway, if you take a rattlersnake like that, skin him, and cut him into 2-3" pieces, they skewer nicely. I like a butter and rosemary with seasalt and fresh coarse black pepper treatment. over red/white mesquite or oak or pecan coals. takes about 10 minutes a side at 400ish.

I think they are delicious.

Can we say internal parasites

ben2go · June 12, 2011, 11:56:03 AM

We have been having snake issues around here this year.We rarely see one and so far I have run over 7 or 8 within a few minutes of my house.Scary thing is they were around neighbor hoods with children.

June 12, 2011, 12:44:12 PM

Quote from: ben2go on June 12, 2011, 11:56:03 AM
We have been having snake issues around here this year.We rarely see one and so far I have run over 7 or 8 within a few minutes of my house.Scary thing is they were around neighbor hoods with children.

Yep plenty of black snakes lying on the road. Maybe going for water as this week has been dry. The ratler was using the concrete to warm up I guess as the nights on the mountain top are a lot cooler than in the valley. The owner is coming up this coming weekend and probably bringing the grandkids so I figure it was time.

PEG688 · June 12, 2011, 01:16:17 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on June 08, 2011, 07:07:46 PM

I wonder whats been using that dryer vent without the flappers on it for a entrance to the place??

ChuckinVa · June 12, 2011, 07:35:03 PM

I wondered what you had been up too. Now I know, rattle snake rustling !

Redoverfarm · June 13, 2011, 06:24:13 AM

Yes Peg you are correct. It is a dryer vent. The louvers had fell out at some point. They have been replaced. But that was just a minor fix in comparison to the gas refrigerator that quit working at some point since last winter as well as the water pump. The contents were

. Well all of that is cleaned up now. Am waiting for a battery for the generator which is on order and hopefully it will arrive before the owner does. If not I will be making a trip every 10 hours to refill and start or come up with a replacement battery to temporarily to use since the owner is in failing health conditions and it is doubtful that he will be able to start it. As you can see the winters are a little brutal there with the snow taking down the gutters. Well that is another day.

On an added note. The owner is off grid and has set up some batteries & inverter to assist in his power. I had no idea how this or the water was set up. So I was pretty much working in the dark

. The water was drained last fall. I believe that anyone who has a seasonal dwelling should write down and post the directions on how things are set up or function. Who knows when you may be unable to actually to do what is necessary to open a place back up after it has been dormant for a period of time.

Don_P · June 13, 2011, 07:40:23 PM

Good point on instruction for others... and yourself. I open up for several of our summer folk and went up to the top of the hill last week to get a friends house and spring ready. It's within strong hollering distance but takes about 20 minutes each way. I took the saw and weedwhacker and cleared the winter's damage down to the spring by the old civil war veteran's jenny lind. The line silts in every year and a quick shot from below with a tank of air gets her going again. Darn if I didn't forget the air tank for the second year in a row

. Then you have to hold your mouth just right while manually pressing the pressure switch to get the pump to cycle and get the water back up to the tank, after that it's good for the summer. If someone goes in there cold they'd drive themselves buggy for a few hours. I need to write up a set of directions, keep one in the computer here and paste a set to the inside of a cabinet door. Then there's the folks with the radiant system that looks like the engine room in a nuclear sub

. They've all forgotten how their various systems work and I imagine it'll be sooner than I want when I've forgotten too.

June 13, 2011, 09:57:02 PM

It might rain a bit here in Western Washington but it's the first place I have lived (not counting NZ) that has no rattlesnakes!

Glad you took care of the snake without any real problem. I'd rather not have to kill them, but if they won't get out of your way you don't have much choice. Should make a nice belts or hat bands... but for Steven wouldn't a banjo strap be more appropriate?

Redoverfarm · June 14, 2011, 05:10:14 AM

Never thought of that

. I will mention it to him but I am afraid that it may lack the length needed. From what I am told they will shrink some after tanning. Good idea PC.

pmichelsen · June 14, 2011, 12:00:24 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on June 13, 2011, 06:24:13 AM
I believe that anyone who has a seasonal dwelling should write down and post the directions on how things are set up or function. Who knows when you may be unable to actually to do what is necessary to open a place back up after it has been dormant for a period of time.

This is a good call, the electrician in our group did a good job of drawing schematics for everything, laminating them, and storing them with the equipment (water pumps, electric gate, etc) but we are lacking start up procedures. And a few weeks back when I had to rebuild the water system it took me a minute to remember the correct start up procedure. I can't imagine what one of the others that weren't familiar with the system at all would have done.

Redoverfarm · July 06, 2011, 09:43:55 PM

Hooray!!! I now have my well pump installed. A temporary electrical connection yielded 6-1/2 GPM from a 5 GPM pump @ 207 feet. My installer ( friend ) was also impressed by the little 7-1/2 # Grundfos 3" diam, 3/4HP pump . He has installed hundreds of both residential and commercial pumps and was excited to get it installed and see just how efficient it was. The total cost of the pump, pipe , wire and other components came in around $1K. Installation was the biggie at one six pack of Coors Light.

Although I am probably a month or two away from becoming habitable we decided to rush things a bit last Saturday. We lit a fire in the outside fireplace, roasted hot dogs and was entertained by Steven on his Banjo accompanied by a couple other musician friends. A good evening under the stars a sippin.

Sassy · July 06, 2011, 11:55:41 PM

ben2go · July 07, 2011, 04:17:27 PM

Sounds like a blast.

July 14, 2011, 05:18:30 PM

I guess there is something factual about the saying " hindsight is 20/20". Seems I get reminded of this every now and then. I plumbed the well pump into the pressure tank and house plumbing. Now test for leaks. Yeah a few but mostly in the crawlspace where I forgot to glue a elbow and of course it blew off. No problem with this one. A major one required taking part of the ceiling down in the masterbath (2X6 T&G). Thank goodness I anticipated something similar and constructed an access panel. But that only gave me partial access to an elbow in a wall in the loft (drywall). Solution I just moved the toilet supply to penetrate the T&G floor a short distance from it's original location. So a word to the wise is to double check all fittings before closing in. Better yet don't close in until you either pressure test with water or air. Water was not an option and air was a hindsight.

Speeking of plumbing if anyone is using CPVC the manufacturer has changed it's rating for hose bib connection ( sink or toilets hook ups) that the fittings should not be used with hot water.

I always new (or was told) not to use PVC for hot but CPVC was an alternative for hot. Seems they are referring to the fitting and the hot disolving the fittings.

There is light at the end of the tunnel and a ray of sunshine lingered my way today. Last year I met a gentleman that stopped at the cabin while he was letting his squirrel dog get in some training. Well he stopped today and conversation went to wiring up my generator, inverter , batteries and other components to get my power going. His reply was that it shouldn't a problem. He said that he has a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked until he had an accident and lost his leg. He now sells insurance. It didn't take long to realize he wasn't blowing smoke. Best part is that he offered to help me.

ben2go · July 14, 2011, 07:21:32 PM

Sorry to hear about the plumbing issue.I have a house trailer that has sat for almost 10 years.When I remod it,I am planning to use all PEX.Hoping to use a solar collector and hot water heater for the trailer, or an energy efficent tankless whole hose unit.It's good that you had a second pair of eyes fall into your lap,so to speak.LOL You'll be glad you have your friend when wiring in the power.

ScottA · July 17, 2011, 07:30:19 AM

Glad to hear you got the water on, sorry to hear about the leaks. For future reference you can test with air if no water is available. Sounds like you're getting close. Good luck.

Redoverfarm · July 20, 2011, 10:36:40 AM

Nothing like changing the horses in the middle of the stream. I have decided after talking to my electrician that the 12KW generator is not needed at the cabin. I have decided to down size to a 8KW since the only function will be to run the lights and occassionally the well pump. It should be a considerable savings in propane. So this is what I am getting. The 12KW I will move to the house as there is aneed for it during outages. The savings I made on the original purchase of the 12KW will pay for the other generator and I will be killing two birds with one stone so to speak.

http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Generac-Guardian-5882-Standby-Generator/p4792.html

I did run into a little snag with the well pump though. Not sure if I can work it out or whether it is just the nature of the beast. The pump is a slow start model. Although it is friendly with the anticipated battery bank (48 volts) there is a significant drop in water pressure from when the pressure switch engages the pump. I guess that is due to the slow start feature.

On the up side. Finally got the hay fields mowed at the house. Now I can afford to get the gas refrigerator I have ordered.

Redoverfarm · July 28, 2011, 07:01:24 PM

Moving right along. Well after a two day delay finding a busted and clogged sewer line at my parents. 40 degree slope through the woods. Why would anyone use Schedule 20 pipe for sewer is beyond me.

Anyway I got the Dometic (Servell) refrigerator installed. Surprising it only took approximately 5 hours to get cold enough in the freezer to start making ice. I am undecided about whether to build a platform to raise it up off the floor. It is only 64" tall and reaching the bottom shelves is a chore. But the wife loves the lower freezer that she can actually see what is what.

Also got the hot water heater installed in the basement. It is a 40 gallon propane. I am not real satisified with the 6X3 reducer for the exhaust. The clay thimble is 6-1/2" and the reducer is 6". So I had to by a round 1/2" gasket material to make up the difference.