Month: December 2007

Plumbing, Day Two

Yes, the water is on, and all is well. We have water, both hot and cold, to all fixtures except in the guest bathroom. That the new year’s day project. Installation went quickly, and we only needed two trips to the store today, and one was merely a miscommunication issue. I’ll write more later, but I’m tired.

Addendum

Ok, better rested now, but most of my body is tired. We have hot water this morning, though it starts out a little rusty. I think I shouldn’t have let the hot water line drain back into the heater when shutting of the system. One example of the half-dozen lessons I learned from this project. No major flaws (yet) but several “next time” lessons. I only had to sweat 6 joints since we were able to tie in to the 2nd story bathroom’s newer copper plumbing, though one of the joints was particularly difficult and resulted in me bouncing hot solder off my hand and steaming my wrist. Nothing bad, but it really reinforced how easy working with Wirsbo is. I wish there was more to do. I suppose there is – I still have the guest bathroom.

Oh, and there are some pictures.

Plumbing, Day One

Yesterday we shut off the water to the house. We’re replumbing the house with Wirsbo Aquapex. “Pex” is cross-linked polyethelyne, basically a slightly modified version of the same HDPE you get in Nalgene bottles so it is flexible, inert, and can expand to 3x it’s diameter when frozen. Our plan changed a little yesterday because we were going to a) surface mount the replacement pex and b) install next to the existing plumbing and switch over once it’s ready. Neither actually happened.

Instead, we turned the water off and started demolishing the old plumbing and drilling holes for the new, so we really haven’t gotten too far with the new plumbing except for replacing the main and running one length of pex. Plus, we got to rock out to some great tunes. Sadly, the plumbers involved in the construction of the home figured a 1/2″ main would be sufficient. 1″ or 3/4″ is fairly standard, so our pressure will never be great. We’ll have to drill a new main at some point in the future, but don’t want to drop the two grand yet.

Anyway, it’s time to get back to work and actually do some plumbing and some more rocking out. Today’s playlist will include some Don Cab, Tool, Oxes, and Shellac.

Painting Ego Shattered

Paint SpillI spilled my first can of paint on Monday night between Blackboard outages. I was at home with Ella, who was finally napping, and so I decided to put a quick coat of paint on the last window we installed. It was quick, but the server had to go down during finals. I set the can on the window’s ledge to go answer the phone and get the server going, then came back and bumped the can. It fell. Turned over completely and managed to land opening down. Luckily. There was spill and splatter from the fall, but I was able to flip the can back over with the newspaper holding 90% of the paint in the can. I was mortified. I’ve gotten so cocky about painting that I hadn’t even changed clothes. Normally I don’t even bother to put down any drop cloth, but did this time because the paint had been acting finicky.

Finally, a good reason to use latex enamel.

Bruce Lee lives

I finally found my first sidewalk decoration of interest in the new neighborhood. I’ve been looking, but haven’t been able to find any misspellings, and judging from how few concrete stamps there are, most of the neighborhood must have been done by the same contractor. Anyway, this gem is a few blocks my my place, and I took it back when it was light in the morning. The age of the cement suggests that was drawn in at the master’s height, if not shortly thereafter.

Bruce Lee

I can almost picture the scenerio in my head. Some kid just finished watching Enter the Dragon and was outside playing with his nun-chucks and saw wet cement. The clouds probably even parted and a ray of sunlight lit up the sidewalk, calling out to young Billy. Luckily, Billy knew who to immortalize. Good choice, Billy.

Big shoes to fill

Ella has a preoccupation with shoes which I put sole blame for with my wife, Michellda Marcos. Lately, Ella insists on wearing whomever’s shoes have been left by the front door and looping around the room in them. Here she is in Michelle’s clogs.

Nice save near the end, huh? Shortly after this, she tried the same in my shoes, which is just absurd. She looked kind of like a nordic ski jumper, and moved with the graces of one… walking around the living room.