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This week has been challenging, though not as challenging as the one before. The water pipes froze twice, on Friday and Saturday. Friday at 5:45 am I was out under the house in -35 temperatures thawing out the water pipe that feeds the house. Saturday I did the same thing, only with the added complication of thawing out the pumphouse feed from the well before I could thaw out the house supply.
When I first moved here, I encountered this problem and didn't know what to do other than call the local well company, who dispatched 3 men in a truck with a steam wand. One held the wand, the other 2 watched. It took them about 45 minutes to thaw out the pipes, and they charged me $300, which was $100 per man per hour. I got savvy to this and now it takes me the same amount of time, though I perform the miracle with a pistol shaped hair dryer set to "high" and if necessary an infrared bulb borrowed from the chickens. So far I've saved myself about $1500. plus tax.
I've noticed that the pipes will freeze when it is calm and below -29, though they can also freeze if only the windchill brings it down to -30, which means the actual temperature might be only minus 20. Snow can blow into the smallest crevice, and the cold makes it extra difficult to deal with weatherproofing, as it snaps plastic like potato chips and renders the stickiest tape useless. I have made attempts to prevent the freezing, however, systems fail, heat tape fails, insulation gets moved by what lives under the house, light bulbs burn out, contingencies happen. So it's best to be prepared to cope.
Living so close to the elements, where your water supply is at the mercy of nature, is a good lesson in perspective. When I lived in the City, I was sheltered from the elements to a large degree. In retrospect, life seemed very artificial there, all too contrived. The country life teaches you humility and perspective, both useful for the independent life. I always imagine how the people who lived here centuries ago coped with only wood, leather and metal, no gas, no pipes, no insulated buildings. That knowledge is lost to the urban dweller.
The horses and llamas are coping well. It is surprising how much heat they generate in the barn -- as long as they are together and out of the wind, they seem quite comfortable. They all have snow on their backs, which means that their coats are well insulated, since their body heat doesn't melt the snow. The hens are comfy in their coop, with their infrared bulb and heater. The mastiffs and cats are all homebound, and loving it.
We all hope the weather warms up soon so we can resume our walks in the pastures and the woods.
I'm re-reading the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. On the needles are a pair of socks and a soft black pullover I am making up as I go along, out of a soft scrumptious alpaca blend.
When I first moved here, I encountered this problem and didn't know what to do other than call the local well company, who dispatched 3 men in a truck with a steam wand. One held the wand, the other 2 watched. It took them about 45 minutes to thaw out the pipes, and they charged me $300, which was $100 per man per hour. I got savvy to this and now it takes me the same amount of time, though I perform the miracle with a pistol shaped hair dryer set to "high" and if necessary an infrared bulb borrowed from the chickens. So far I've saved myself about $1500. plus tax.
I've noticed that the pipes will freeze when it is calm and below -29, though they can also freeze if only the windchill brings it down to -30, which means the actual temperature might be only minus 20. Snow can blow into the smallest crevice, and the cold makes it extra difficult to deal with weatherproofing, as it snaps plastic like potato chips and renders the stickiest tape useless. I have made attempts to prevent the freezing, however, systems fail, heat tape fails, insulation gets moved by what lives under the house, light bulbs burn out, contingencies happen. So it's best to be prepared to cope.
Living so close to the elements, where your water supply is at the mercy of nature, is a good lesson in perspective. When I lived in the City, I was sheltered from the elements to a large degree. In retrospect, life seemed very artificial there, all too contrived. The country life teaches you humility and perspective, both useful for the independent life. I always imagine how the people who lived here centuries ago coped with only wood, leather and metal, no gas, no pipes, no insulated buildings. That knowledge is lost to the urban dweller.
The horses and llamas are coping well. It is surprising how much heat they generate in the barn -- as long as they are together and out of the wind, they seem quite comfortable. They all have snow on their backs, which means that their coats are well insulated, since their body heat doesn't melt the snow. The hens are comfy in their coop, with their infrared bulb and heater. The mastiffs and cats are all homebound, and loving it.
We all hope the weather warms up soon so we can resume our walks in the pastures and the woods.
I'm re-reading the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. On the needles are a pair of socks and a soft black pullover I am making up as I go along, out of a soft scrumptious alpaca blend.
1 comment:
Great writing Roberta-funny stuff
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