House stuffs
I've been trying to make some headway into the various upgrades and fixes I had sidelined due to health issues. Trying to do the various stuff according to the weather and available time has been a fun juggling session. For instance, I recently completed work in the attic to relocate some wiring that would be in the way of installing two skylights in the living room. This was done as part of some structural fixes, where I needed to tie two sets of 16-inch beams (!) that settled variably and caused cracking of ceiling drywall which would never stay patched. I added a floor that covered a 12x48 foot area up there as well, along with some shelves for seasonal stuff that is stored in the attic as well. I had a limited timeframe to do this, since that attic gets unbearably hot to work in even during early spring weather. So, that is all taken care of, a task I had wanted to tackle for 20 years. This will give me some working space to add a pair of 2ft by 4ft skylights in the living room as well as a 'sun tunnel' light shaft in the one bathroom in the middle of the house devoid of windows. Now I just need to coordinate with whomever I subcontract to re-shingle the roofs so I can replace some bad roof decking and install the skylights before they do their thing.
Since this is my short working week, I will change hats again from carpenter and electrician to become a plumber and replace my aging, yet still serviceable water heater before it lets go. In the interest of energy savings as well as creative side benefits, I am replacing my 66-gallon A. O. Smith electric heater with a 50-gallon General Electric "GeoSpring" heat-pump water heater.
This high-tech piece should cost a little more than a third to operate compared to the current one. Since the unit uses a heat pump to heat the water, the side benefit is the system throws off cool air, much like an air conditioner, when it's heating water. This will take the place of (or supplement, during peak summertime use) the dehumidifier that I usually run in the basement as well, cutting back on even more energy usage. At least, this is what I am hoping for in the long run. While layin' pipe I will also add a utility sink in the workshop area, as well as replace two outside frostproof sillcocks (stop giggling!). Finally, technology has caught up to something I have wanted to have outside, which is hot and cold water from a freeze-resistant faucet:
This will make washing cars, pets and whatever else a much more pleasurable experience, and can be done year-round. While a means to have hot and cold water from an outside faucet was doable before, I was only able to find a very clumsy (and very expensive) industrial/institutional wall "hydrant" to do the trick. Moen has come up with a simple, single-knob unit that installs easily and does not look out of place on the side of a house. Once I do all of these installations I will give them a workout by washing all the vehicles as well as the house itself. Maybe Kodi and Jeff will get a nice warm shower outside too. I promise I won't use the pressure washer. :o)
Since this is my short working week, I will change hats again from carpenter and electrician to become a plumber and replace my aging, yet still serviceable water heater before it lets go. In the interest of energy savings as well as creative side benefits, I am replacing my 66-gallon A. O. Smith electric heater with a 50-gallon General Electric "GeoSpring" heat-pump water heater.
This high-tech piece should cost a little more than a third to operate compared to the current one. Since the unit uses a heat pump to heat the water, the side benefit is the system throws off cool air, much like an air conditioner, when it's heating water. This will take the place of (or supplement, during peak summertime use) the dehumidifier that I usually run in the basement as well, cutting back on even more energy usage. At least, this is what I am hoping for in the long run. While layin' pipe I will also add a utility sink in the workshop area, as well as replace two outside frostproof sillcocks (stop giggling!). Finally, technology has caught up to something I have wanted to have outside, which is hot and cold water from a freeze-resistant faucet:
This will make washing cars, pets and whatever else a much more pleasurable experience, and can be done year-round. While a means to have hot and cold water from an outside faucet was doable before, I was only able to find a very clumsy (and very expensive) industrial/institutional wall "hydrant" to do the trick. Moen has come up with a simple, single-knob unit that installs easily and does not look out of place on the side of a house. Once I do all of these installations I will give them a workout by washing all the vehicles as well as the house itself. Maybe Kodi and Jeff will get a nice warm shower outside too. I promise I won't use the pressure washer. :o)