Good morning!!!!

[Eric Salop]

Good morning, power flickered here at work yesterday 3 time before 2 fuses blew at the pole and took out the main feeder wire into our transformers. That was at 9am, got power restored at and left work at 1 am. I didn't do much of the work but my battery was dead on the phone after I got done talking to the people you did a great job getting the power restored. 3 different companies worked to test the transformers, replace the wire from transformers to the pole and the utility company to reconnect the lines at pole. about 20 different contractors in all through the day.

All too easy to take industrial electrical supplies for granted until something like that happens and everything comes to a halt. You did well to get the right people there to repair it so quickly. :thumbsup:

 

[rswyan]

79.4F and sunny @ 09:45 ... headed up to a high of 85F today with a chance of thunderstorms. Supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow (79F for the high) ... so I'll wait until then to mow the front lawns.

Baited the live trap last night for the first time in more than a week and this morning had another raccoon. That makes 4 so far since I've started trapping them this year. Need to swap out the regular bucket for the shrub bucket here in a bit so I can bury this one after the swimming lesson.

Both bluebird houses have been taken over by winged rats (house sparrows) so will probably order some traps for the nest boxes so I can capture the males and kill them, as once they've made a nest box their's, they will never give it up. Still see bluebirds flying around though ... so maybe they've found somewhere else to nest. Need to remove the HOSP nests and the eggs today ... so they don't hatch and fledge and add to the population.

Going to pick up some cedar boards today, along with 1/2" EMT and 6" stove pipe so I can build and place another couple of nest boxes. Will probably build Gilwood Slot Boxes, and see if they keep the winged rats from taking them over ... they aren't supposed to like them due to the design.

Also have to swing by the LWS and pick up another roll of wire while I'm out.

Friend is picking up a 2-ton Samsung mini-split today for his polebarn ... might have to swing by there and check that out when he gets it installed and running.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable and productive day.

 

[Eric Salop]

Good afternoon, I'm out of sync with tbn again, having visitors has proved a great excuse to take time out and go see some of the local attractions. We walked around a relatively new one, a working blacksmith's shop that is turning out sculptures in iron and steel, with many of them set out in the surrounding grounds. I wish I had taken pictures of the metal deer that were frozen in the act of leaping the driveway fence, they were superb. Not sure what the market is like for 12' spiders, but going on the numbers many people obviously desire a pink elephant for their lawn.




I walked around for quite a while before I noticed this up on the roof.

 

[bakerg]

All too easy to take industrial electrical supplies for granted until something like that happens and everything comes to a halt. You did well to get the right people there to repair it so quickly. :thumbsup:

Was really surprised how things clicked and worked out. My boss usually does these things but he is on vacation for 2 weeks and his phone is off. Flying by the seat of my pants and everything went smooth.

 

[hawkeye08]

Awesome day shaping up, sunny with partial clouds, low 70s for start, mid 80s for high, chance of thunder showers. We are driving tonight to attend a family reunion on the wife's side of the family on Saturday, back home Sunday. Should be some fun, what with the family dramas always happening. We generally don't go to reunions (either side of family) since we have enough drama in our own lives...

Glad to see folks still getting things done, even with the heat and humidity.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Good morning, power flickered here at work yesterday 3 time before 2 fuses blew at the pole and took out the main feeder wire into our transformers. That was at 9am, got power restored at and left work at 1 am. I didn't do much of the work but my battery was dead on the phone after I got done talking to the people you did a great job getting the power restored. 3 different companies worked to test the transformers, replace the wire from transformers to the pole and the utility company to reconnect the lines at pole. about 20 different contractors in all through the day.

sounds really complicated, why so many contractors?

Made it into town for errands, stopping by the mechanic's where we discussed the head machining I did. Last time 'round he used a wood router bit and template in a drill press to carve out a complicated shape on the side of the combustion chamber, which he'd somehow forgotten to mention. So I'll try to emulate what he did on the mill. At least we know where the thin spots are, as I'd sectioned a scrap head and had that along to show him. There is a water passage just under the location of this new butchery, so I'm gonna have to plan the work carefully.

View attachment 474614

TGIF!

RNG, I'm surprised that engine has 4 valve heads. What year model is it? It looks to have about 3/8" thickness behind the dome from what I could see. What are you trying to accomplish? Better flow? Change compression? Will you be porting the intake and exhaust much?

 

[bakerg]

sounds really complicated, why so many contractors?

3 came from 1 company and checked and tested the transformers and switches for proper operation.
5 from another to pull out old wire and install and terminate new plus their supervisor.
3 different utility crews of 2 at different time throughout the day plus their field supervisors
I guess that is only about 16 contractors for that job but I also had other contactors to deal with a water leak issue on our cooling tower, 8" line started leaking from pumps starting and stopping from power outages..

 

[mostly_gas]

Good morning all. 74F and light rain this morning. .2 in the rain gauge after the rain ended, looks like much more fell between here and Dallas to the south. Forecast is for clearing light winds and 95F, should be in 100's next week but they keep putting it off, which just breaks my heart Slow start again today, but roads are now almost dry enough for today's ride. Also will do some consulting in the hot part of the day and work on no spark on the tiller motor.

 

[sodamo]

71°F and .94 inches rain last 24 hours

Be safe
Have a great day.

 

[daugen]

Friend is picking up a 2-ton Samsung mini-split today for his polebarn ... might have to swing by there and check that out when he gets it installed and running.

I'm jealous; my portable ac in the barn woodshop is struggling to get down to 77 when it's in high 90's here. The small room is insulated but the whole setup is inefficient.
That mini split is the cat's meow, and if Samsung makes them as well as they do their tv's, I'd buy one.
Maybe next year...after I get a few more high electric bills on the barn meter. Will give me an idea what kind of ROI I'd get. But since I didn't spring for the fancy guy's garage, maybe I could cool the woodshop better. Large floor fan works fine most of the time where I'm working inside the barn. But sometimes you just get tired of the sweat running down your nose and you are overheated and it for sure is time to cool off. And 77 feels great. For a while...
And I also am going to want heat in there in the winter, when I build birdhouses during the slow times. So RS,
was the guy satisfied?

That electric company must have been awfully slow that day and everyone came out for a look.
And one wonders why electricity costs so much...
I'm about to get motivated like David/Sodamo to put in solar panels. I have the room and the orientation.
I'm at the end of the line for the City of Washington. Lose power all the time. Good exercise for my backup gen but
pain in neck to reset flashing clocks.
When I put my hot tub in I was feeling like a bit of an energy hog. Would like to offset that unit, 4000 watt heater, big
inverter needed, David, to feed intermittent 4000 watt use, how many square feet (WAG) of solar panels would I need to power
that energy user? battery bank size of course unknown but I could also hook this rig into at least one home hot water heater also.
My hot water heaters, hot tub and I wonder about my a/c..., are all on some r/f control by utility where I get reduced rates for their
ability to turn me off in peak periods. I figure if it gets too bad, and I'm running out of hot water, well turn them off and turn my gen on for awhile.
figured I had nothing to lose since I had whole house backup. Still, I get large electric/propane bills during summer and winter and I've always wondered
if solar made economic sense. It certainly makes ecological sense.

David, are your generators now happily running?

 

[daugen]

friend sent pics of "tractor art" in Amana
Home - Amana Convention and Vistors Bureau

I wonder if the poor old tractor was allowed to smoke a little...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I'm upgrading my computer to a solid state drive. My old drive gave up the ghost. I hope I got most everything from it.

What a pain. I have Vista, which isn't supported by chrome anymore.

after booting up with the Vista disk, I had to install a driver for my wifi adapter to work, and then the updates began....3 hours and many, many reboots later, It finally says I'm all updated. Loaded Firefox, but still want Chrome due to my Android/google email and such. Contemplating updating my OS....Or just buy a newer refurbished Dell with Win7 already on it.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Just watched our resident road runner walk by the window. Grasshoppers are on the menu. I'm loving this bird so far.

My daughter and I covered the garden with clear plastic last week. Attempting to "Solarize" the soil. Want to kill seeds, weeds, and start over.

 

[txdon]

RNG, try canned cat food.
Eric, looks like Texas.
Kyle, how high a soil temperature do you achieve with the plastic?

Tractor mowed for 4 hours calling it a day.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

RNG, try canned cat food.
Eric, looks like Texas.
Kyle, how high a soil temperature do you achieve with the plastic?

Tractor mowed for 4 hours calling it a day.

Up to 125F hopefully. 12" deep
Soil Solarization - Kill and Prevent Weeds

 

[txdon]

Up to 125F hopefully. 12" deep
Soil Solarization - Kill and Prevent Weeds

Where did you get the plastic from? I need to do this also.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Where did you get the plastic from? I need to do this also.

I bought it years ago at Home Depot as contractors grade. It is 6 mil thick.

Here's a Lowes link
Shop 2-ft x 1-ft x 6-mil Clear Consumer Sheeting at Lowes.com

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I know the link says not to use thick plastic but it's what I had on hand.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Awesome day shaping up, sunny with partial clouds, low 70s for start, mid 80s for high, chance of thunder showers. We are driving tonight to attend a family reunion on the wife's side of the family on Saturday, back home Sunday. Should be some fun, what with the family dramas always happening. We generally don't go to reunions (either side of family) since we have enough drama in our own lives...

Glad to see folks still getting things done, even with the heat and humidity.

Drive safe, are you in Iowa?

 

[Larro Darro]

I'm upgrading my computer to a solid state drive. My old drive gave up the ghost. I hope I got most everything from it.

What a pain. I have Vista, which isn't supported by chrome anymore.

after booting up with the Vista disk, I had to install a driver for my wifi adapter to work, and then the updates began....3 hours and many, many reboots later, It finally says I'm all updated. Loaded Firefox, but still want Chrome due to my Android/google email and such. Contemplating updating my OS....Or just buy a newer refurbished Dell with Win7 already on it.

My bedroom laptop is an old Toshiba with Vista. Chrome no longer supports it, but other than taking longer to upload, I haven't seen any changes. And I bought a refurbished HP Pavilion with Win7 for something like $180 from newegg.com. Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More - Newegg.com It had a couple of quirks, but it's still working a couple three years later.