I dunno. I think he's proud, independent and resourceful enough to stick it out and try to make it work.
Chit Chat in VOLTVILLE Thread #2 :)
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I dunno. I think he's proud, independent and resourceful enough to stick it out and try to make it work.
The basics are all the same with electrical work. He'll still have to install outlets and switches throughout the house, and wire them to a circuit breaker. The only main difference is between the power source and the circuit breaker - it'll either be a generator/converter of some kind, or the grid. Think of the circuit breaker as a toaster with a fat cord, and the power source as an outlet. It's not like he'll have to rip out walls and start all over if his plan doesn't work, and it would be easy enough to reroute that main line if he needs to, so if it were me, I'd probably give it a try too. Even if it only ends up partly working, it's still better than being 100% on the grid, right? So no worries, rave. Plus, he could always get a monkey.
Oh, I agree with all of the above. The only problem is that he doesn't plan to put any duct work in because he doesn't plan to have a furnace. That would require some major overhauling if he finds that doesn't work out.
I agree that you can heat a house with wood. I did it all last winter until I got some electrical heaters. But what happens if you want to go somewhere for the weekend in the winter? How will you keep your pipes from freezing up? I dunno. I'm just hoping that he has plans for all of this. Plans other than me going over there and keeping his home fires burning! Not gonna happen. Just sayin'.
He could add heating after the fact by installing in the crawl space and either using baseboard hydronic or floor vents for forced air. Keeping the pipes warm is a key element though.
Super tight envelope and insulate the heck out of everything, and it wouldn't take very much to heat. I have an aversion to forced air, so if I were building a house for myself, I would have to look for alternatives too. But then, I wouldn't be living in your kind of winter either, so hmmm... Is he doing radiant floors, geothermal, anything like that, or just wood?Oh, I agree with all of the above. The only problem is that he doesn't plan to put any duct work in because he doesn't plan to have a furnace. That would require some major overhauling if he finds that doesn't work out.
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Oh, I agree with all of the above. The only problem is that he doesn't plan to put any duct work in because he doesn't plan to have a furnace. That would require some major overhauling if he finds that doesn't work out.
I had some relatives who had a ski house in the Poconos. I used it for a week in winter for a few years. I don't remember just how it worked, but they had the water turned off so no pipes would freeze, and when you arrived at the house, you had to turn everything on. They did have a heater that needed to be turned on, too, but when no one was there, somehow, they managed to keep the pipes from freezing. So there is a way to do it, should they want to go away somewhere during the winter and just let the place get really cold. Like I said, I forget what steps I went through to turn it all on, but it wasn't incredibly complicated. Even I could do it with very few mishaps. I did manage to burn out a minor part (thermocoupler? I think) in the heater when I turned things on in the wrong order some times, but after making that mistake a few times and buying a new part for a few bucks, I learned how to do it without destroying anything. So the process was simple enough that even I could learn how to do it! Did I ever mention that I am totally not mechanically inclined?
It can be done by draining all the pipes of water, tricky to do since they all need to be sloped, and don't forget about the sink traps. Another way is to pump a mix of PG and water through them. PG is used for something besides vaping you know.
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When we left, we had to do whatever it was so the pipes didn't freeze. I guess we drained them, but it wasn't terribly complicated, from what I remember. I think the problems I had were all that part for the furnace when turning everything on, if I forgot a step and didn't turn things on in the proper order.
I have no idea. Didn't quiz him on it because the designs change too often.
Yup - so did I. And, she's more than just a tad right on that count. I want my home back!!
That's how some of the homes that I checked out for Terry were done, I believe. But it's really rough on the plumbing seals. You wouldn't want to do that just to leave for a weekend or to go on a short vacation anyhow.
I have no idea. Didn't quiz him on it because the designs change too often.
Yup - so did I. And, she's more than just a tad right on that count. I want my home back!!
That's how some of the homes that I checked out for Terry were done, I believe. But it's really rough on the plumbing seals. You wouldn't want to do that just to leave for a weekend or to go on a short vacation anyhow.
The people I knew did it several times a winter at the ski house. I used it for a week, they used it at some point at least once in the winter, and I think sometimes others used it, too. So this procedure of turning the water on and off happened a lot every winter. I don't know how hard it was on their plumbing, but if you really want info on it, I am still in touch with the relative who had the house, and I could ask him. They eventually sold it. I'm not sure why, but maybe it cost a lot to keep and they didn't use it enough to be worth it. I never heard that there was a problem with the plumbing, but they may not have mentioned that to me.
Rave, let me know if you want me to ask what the setup at that house was. But I don't want to ask unless your son wants the info. If he's sure he's got it all figured out, then he's unlikely to listen.
Good morning! I love the smell of burned electrical installations in the morning 
Well, your conversation guys is guite interesting, let me add a few too.
Since you have pipe freezing problems you can get low voltage wire heaters (special silicone wire) that keeps a constant temp. Wrap it around pipes and use the solar thingy to keep it working. That is if you don't have problems with a solar installation.
Geothermal energy is a very good idea, heat from the earth can be usefull for the pipes and even the house just raising the temps a bit.
Right now there are thousands of people around the world trying to invent or simply produce inexpensive or free power, some with amazing degrees. Unfortunatelly there are laws on the universe that are unbreakable.
Roland he raises some interesting points in a funny way, check his channel, he is quite funny.
Well, your conversation guys is guite interesting, let me add a few too.
Since you have pipe freezing problems you can get low voltage wire heaters (special silicone wire) that keeps a constant temp. Wrap it around pipes and use the solar thingy to keep it working. That is if you don't have problems with a solar installation.
Geothermal energy is a very good idea, heat from the earth can be usefull for the pipes and even the house just raising the temps a bit.
Right now there are thousands of people around the world trying to invent or simply produce inexpensive or free power, some with amazing degrees. Unfortunatelly there are laws on the universe that are unbreakable.
Roland he raises some interesting points in a funny way, check his channel, he is quite funny.
Good morning Voltville. Hope everybody has a bodacious Tuesday. It's a pleasant 74 degrees here in the center of the universe and getting some much needed rain for about a week now.
Thank you for the offer, Sandy. At this point, he "knows exactly what he's doing" and will not be open to input. Hopefully, I won't need to ask you for the info somewhere down the road.
Good morning! I love the smell of burned electrical installations in the morning
Well, your conversation guys is guite interesting, let me add a few too.
Since you have pipe freezing problems you can get low voltage wire heaters (special silicone wire) that keeps a constant temp. Wrap it around pipes and use the solar thingy to keep it working. That is if you don't have problems with a solar installation.
Geothermal energy is a very good idea, heat from the earth can be usefull for the pipes and even the house just raising the temps a bit.
Right now there are thousands of people around the world trying to invent or simply produce inexpensive or free power, some with amazing degrees. Unfortunatelly there are laws on the universe that are unbreakable.
Tritium, would those silicone wire heaters working on PVC plumbing or only metal? The vast majority of his plumbing will be PVC. I'm sure that he's looked into geothermal, but I don't have any idea whether or not he'll be using it. I seriously wish that he'd opted to study physics. That would be so helpful to him right now. He may not even know it when he's trying to break the laws of physics. But, he doesn't have a whole lot of respect for laws anyhow.
The heating tape will work on PVC as well as copper/steel, just not as efficiently since PVC doesn't conduct heat as efficiently. It would take a closer wrap, closer spaced coil, to have a little insurance that things won't go wrong.
Geothermal may be a good alternative but he'd need to pump water from that into tubing wrapped around the water pipes to keep them from freezing. A heck of a lot of trouble, piping and connections to do and keep leak free plus the constant need to power a pump to circulate the "antifreeze" water.
It might be simpler just to leave the faucets at a drip to prevent freezing..
Geothermal may be a good alternative but he'd need to pump water from that into tubing wrapped around the water pipes to keep them from freezing. A heck of a lot of trouble, piping and connections to do and keep leak free plus the constant need to power a pump to circulate the "antifreeze" water.
It might be simpler just to leave the faucets at a drip to prevent freezing..
Thank you for the offer, Sandy. At this point, he "knows exactly what he's doing" and will not be open to input. Hopefully, I won't need to ask you for the info somewhere down the road.
Tritium, would those silicone wire heaters working on PVC plumbing or only metal? The vast majority of his plumbing will be PVC. I'm sure that he's looked into geothermal, but I don't have any idea whether or not he'll be using it. I seriously wish that he'd opted to study physics. That would be so helpful to him right now. He may not even know it when he's trying to break the laws of physics. But, he doesn't have a whole lot of respect for laws anyhow.
I think what Trit is referring to is heat tape. They use it a lot in horse barns to keep the water hydrant from freezing. I'm not sure whether you can use it on PVC, but I bet you can. Google heat tape and I bet there'll be info on it. I've never really had to deal with it since I board Penny, and whoever the barn owner is at the time deals with this kind of thing.
Morning Volties. I couldn't get back to sleep so here I am before the .... crack of dawn in the dark. 
Heat tape is what I used on my PVC pipes in the camping trailer I lived in in Colorado. It worked great.
Amazon.com : Easy Heat AHB-019 Cold Weather Valve and Pipe Heating Cable, 9 feet : Rv Insulated Water Hose : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Heat tape is what I used on my PVC pipes in the camping trailer I lived in in Colorado. It worked great.
Amazon.com : Easy Heat AHB-019 Cold Weather Valve and Pipe Heating Cable, 9 feet : Rv Insulated Water Hose : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Good morning, Voltanians.
So far, we have never had our pipes inside the house freeze. We did have a pipe inside the well housing freeze once. We put a couple of old sleeping bags on top of the board that covers the well housing and haven't had a problem since. I call them well cozies.
I've read quite a few books lately. I think the Amazon Unlimited book subscription is paying off. For $10 a month I have found quite a few books that interest me.
I get a book notification from BookBub daily and I always check to see if a book from their list that I am interested in is free with Amazon Unlimited. A lot of the BookBub books are for a discounted price but I don't want to spend the money so I definitely like to check to see if a book is available on Amazon Unlimited. Usually not but worth checking since I have gotten some freebies that way.
If a book is available for free then I "buy" it so I can read at my leisure but if it isn't free then I use the Amazon Unlimited option to "rent" it. You can only have ten books out at a time so I have a number of books on my wish list. That way, I can go through, see if they are still available on Amazon Unlimited when I finish a couple of books I have on "loan".
I need to bake some bread this morning and go to the neighbor's house for a bit of socializing.
Weeding is at the top of my list. The tumbleweeds took over the yard and I want to get them out of here before they drop their seeds. I've been throwing them over the fence on the street side to burn in mid-October when the burn permits become available. I hope the neighbors aren't thinking I am a slob who is sending tumbleweeds down the road for them to clean up
So far, we have never had our pipes inside the house freeze. We did have a pipe inside the well housing freeze once. We put a couple of old sleeping bags on top of the board that covers the well housing and haven't had a problem since. I call them well cozies.
I've read quite a few books lately. I think the Amazon Unlimited book subscription is paying off. For $10 a month I have found quite a few books that interest me.
I get a book notification from BookBub daily and I always check to see if a book from their list that I am interested in is free with Amazon Unlimited. A lot of the BookBub books are for a discounted price but I don't want to spend the money so I definitely like to check to see if a book is available on Amazon Unlimited. Usually not but worth checking since I have gotten some freebies that way.
If a book is available for free then I "buy" it so I can read at my leisure but if it isn't free then I use the Amazon Unlimited option to "rent" it. You can only have ten books out at a time so I have a number of books on my wish list. That way, I can go through, see if they are still available on Amazon Unlimited when I finish a couple of books I have on "loan".
I need to bake some bread this morning and go to the neighbor's house for a bit of socializing.
Weeding is at the top of my list. The tumbleweeds took over the yard and I want to get them out of here before they drop their seeds. I've been throwing them over the fence on the street side to burn in mid-October when the burn permits become available. I hope the neighbors aren't thinking I am a slob who is sending tumbleweeds down the road for them to clean up
Thanks everyone! Sure hope he knows about that stuff ...
I built our house side by side with my husband, but I never messed with the plumbing or electrical. All that I did was framing and finishing (tile work, staining and painting, etc.) So ... I'm kinda clueless.
I built our house side by side with my husband, but I never messed with the plumbing or electrical. All that I did was framing and finishing (tile work, staining and painting, etc.) So ... I'm kinda clueless.
Thanks lizzie!
That lake is Blue Lake, up in the northern Cascade Mts. That's the lake I hiked to and spent a week living only on trout so yes, there's lots of trout in that lake.- Status
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