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een Building project in Colorado Twinsprings Research Institute The story of our Do It Yourself Platinum LEED for Homes-Net Zero Green Building project in ColoradoHome 10 Year Report 5 Year Report About LEED Docs V3 LEED Docs V4.1 Other Projects DIY Greenhouse Greenhouse spreadsheet explained Preparing the foundation Constructing the frame for the glass Attaching the roof joists Bracing the roof joists Installing back wall frame Attach bay to its neighbor Install Glass Holders and Glass Pane From Here Photos 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 After Move Before Move Resources Construction Odds and Ends Crawlspace Conditioning Exercise Spa Gas Hot Water Boiler Systems Hot Water Recirculation Insulation and Air Barrier Metro Denver Green Homes Tour Signs 2017 and 2022 Monitoring Radiant Heating and Cooling Radon Slab Technical Information Trombe Wall WaffleMat Water Supply Windows and Doors Wood Hot Water Boiler Systems ← Older posts Major RV Roof Leak During Hail Storm Posted on May 7, 2024 by ellen It was actually the vent not the roof. We were camping overnight with the grandkids to break up the weekend when their parents were taking a birthday trip to New York City. The campground was also a shorter drive to their Saturday Korean school than from our house. Chatfield Farms treehouse Non-honey bee hotel We visited Chatfield Farms, a second site for the Denver Botanic Garden. These gardens have a more rural influence and they grow vegetables and have an orchard there. The treehouse was a kid favorite and the non-honey bee hotel was built by a girl scout troop. We also talked about Ben Franklin and lightning rods and the kids liked the flooded creek. Lightning rod on roof Flooded creek The Chatfield Lake State Park is near the gardens and we camped overnight. It was amazing to see the weather shift from gorgeous in the afternoon to cold and cloudy at dinnertime. Campground playground Blue skies Then it grew really stormy with thunder and lightning and it began to hail heavily. I caught it on video. It was hard to hear the movie! Loud hail storm Pretty soon the hail was piling up like snow. And the roof vent over the rear bed began to leak badly. Hail piling up We quickly moved the bedding and put a bucket under the leak. I tried to dry it out but it was coming in fast. I went outside in the terrible weather and climbed to the roof to see that the hail had dammed up around the vent sides. I had a rag that I used to sweep the hail off around the vent. By later that evening the leak subsided although it was too damp to use that bed. After we got home I found the problem. One of the bolts holding the vent cover on over the lid had fallen out leaving a 1/8″ hole in the side of the vent. The damming of the hail held water against the vent and allowed it to flow through the hole. The leaking hole in the vent New vent lid and caulked cover connections The vent lid was old, yellowed and cracked anyway and I had a replacement I had been planning to install. The new vent lid was a little difficult to put on because I could not lay it flat due to the solar panel installation. But I got it to attach. Then I reinstalled the connectors for the vent cover and made sure to caulk all the bolts well. I bolted the vent cover on and noticed the front grill had some chips from the hail. But I checked the rest of the roof and there did not appear to be more damage, especially to the solar panels. The area benefitted from a good cleaning too. Reinstalled Cover Solar Panels Not Damaged Posted in -Recent Posts , Maintenance and Repair , RV Camping | Leave a comment New Tesla Y Long Range EV Posted on March 22, 2024 by ellen Unfortunately I backed into my son’s brand new EV in our driveway. My rear fender was dislocated and my son’s aluminum trunk was bent. Broken 2014 Volt Son’s crumpled trunk I called to get an estimate then I called to find out what a trade in would pay me. Then I looked at a new Tesla! With the February special and the self referral because I am an existing customer I asked for a trade in. That was $1000 more than other offers and sealed the deal. I really liked the Volt but it was getting old and a perfect trade in with less than 50000 miles and the Tesla came with the $7500 federal tax rebate. 2024 Tesla Model Y Long Range Set mirrors to fold as I get to the house There are many settings for the car. It unlocks and drives using the paired app on my iPhone. Its range is 300 miles at full charge but of course that completely depends on driving conditions. I am using the 24 amp Juice Box charger we had for the Volt. Charge time on screen To charge from about 60% to 80% took over three hours. But I will install a 48 amp Tesla charger. I traded a 9000 point bonus to have one shipped to us. It will charge that in about two hours. I’ve only driven the car just over 100 miles. Mostly to the dealer and back to pick up the garage door opener we left in the Volt. But it’s a fun car to learn. The accelerator controls both speeding up and slowing down. Don’t even have to use the brake unless going too fast at a stop. The car also dings when a stoplight turns green. Eventually I’ll discover more of its capability. In the meantime another use for our solar system! Posted in -Recent Posts , Electrical , Solar , Vehicles | Comments Off on New Tesla Y Long Range EV RV Pressure Tank Posted on March 22, 2024 by ellen I installed a pressure tank during the camping season last year. In the fall I didn’t winterize for the first cold snap but ran electric heaters and the furnace as backup. When I got around to winterizing I used the low point drains and blew out the pipes with a compressor. But when I tried to suck rv antifeeeze into the system the pump would not run. I just left it winterized like that. My son and his family asked to borrow the RV for a spring break trip. I had brought the water pump inside for the winter intending to test it with my 12 volt trolling motor battery pack . I set up a water transfer bowl and empty milk jug to run it. Pump worked! Since the pump worked I suspected a leak near the low point drains. I saw a bit of water near there when I drained it. Suspected leak I connected the pipes without the pump or pressure tank installed. Then ran water through the system with the city water connection. I could not find a leak. Next step was to reinstall the pump. The way this pump is set up the water input is on the right or outer side and the output is on the left. The pink rv antifreeze valve is on the pipe going into the pump and the tee that held the pressure tank is on the left side of the pump. I had decided to move the pressure tank from the tee through a side hose. It does not matter where the pressure tank is on the water system and I saw examples where the tank was installed off to the side. To make the new placement of the tee work I had to cut back the existing pex and install an exact amount of pipe connection to make it leak proof. I had to try several combinations but finally got a leak proof connection. New in line tee position Unfortunately the next day I realized the hose I used to link the pressure tank was leaking so I replaced it with a stainless hose I ran to the store for the morning that the kids were borrowing the RV. Disconnecting the tank creates a heavy spurt of water so I also bought a ball valve so the tank can be removed without spraying all over. Pressure Tank reinstalled The RV antifreeze valve is also reinstalled and I hope next time I need to, it will suck the antifreeze out and into the plumbing to avoid all chances of freezing. Brass bypass valve I was fortunate that there were no other leaks in the plumbing system! Posted in -Recent Posts , Maintenance and Repair , RV Camping | Comments Off on RV Pressure Tank Pool Shelter Kite Posted on March 10, 2024 by ellen Unfortunately we found that once the ground thawed the stakes no longer held tight in the ground and we woke up the other morning to see the pool...