Twinsprings Research Institute

Winterizing the RV

Posted on October 31, 2025 by ellen

We have had our 2018 25b for almost five years now. I added several updates to make travel easier with grandkids. I love going on trips in the RV but every year before the temps get cold the water needs to be drained out of the plumbing and special antifreeze used at least in the drains.
A couple of years ago I added a valve to suck antifreeze into the water lines. But I couldn’t get it to work right and didn’t have time to investigate. Those winters I just blew out the lines with an air compressor. I did end up with a leak at a low point drain and a different year I ruined the shower head so air compression alone is not always completely effective.

I begin winterizing by emptying the water tank. There is a valve on the RV floor that opens the tank. Then I isolate the hot water heater from the plumbing.

Water heater bypass access and cold air return for furnace.

There are two hot water bypass valves in this RV. Both are accessed through the cold air return under the stove.

After the heater is bypassed so no more water flows into the heater, I drain it through the drain plug. Actually the floor drain doesn’t shut off properly so I open the water heater. I use a 7/8” socket wrench specifically for this job. Opening the pressure release valve pushes air into the heater so it empties faster and all the way. It can be flushed out with a hose but I didn’t do it this year. Maybe in the spring!

This water heater has an anode rod attached to the plug. If the rod gets crusted it needs to be changed but this one has never crusted.
Next the low point drains are opened to let water out of the pipes. These are a little inconvenient to access in this model because they are located under the large storage drawer where I keep pots and pans. The whole drawer has to be emptied and slid off the roller arms. I’ve gotten pretty good at it after practice. But it’s awkward.
These drains open straight up but they have to be closed to the correct side or they leak. So I have marked them with a Sharpee.

After the water drains the next step is blowing out the pipes with an air compressor. The water has to have someplace to go so I do this first with the drains opened.
I had a jerry rigged air blower with a 3/8” hose at the end of the typical air duster and a clamped on fitting for the 5/8” hose connection. But I got tired of having to use the trigger to release the air. I broke down and bought a part for the purpose. I use quick connections on the air compressor hose too.

It’s much easier to hook up and the valve can be open the entire time. Need to set the air compressor to about 40 lbs of pressure. Then release the air.
The next step is to close the low point drains and open one faucet at a time until the water stops running. And don’t forget the toilet. During this time the water pump is off. They say to open the pump filter to be sure it is clean and drained if not using antifreeze. So I did open it. Helps to keep the cup from freezing onto the pump too.
Finally got to the part that I fixed this year. I just left it at this point the last two years. Many owners say it’s good enough. I had bought and installed the valve and had plenty of pink antifreeze. So I took apart the valve connections to examine it and darned if it wasn’t backwards! It worked fine in flow through mode but blocked off the suction in the winterize mode. Well that was an easy fix. It did not have an arrow or noticeable direction. Had a 50/50 chance of getting it right the first time!

I turned on the pump and pumped each faucet and the toilet until it ran pink. Have to work fast cause it’s sucking up the liquid. It used almost the full gallon.
Next step is to be sure all the drains have pink antifreeze in them. Although there is some from running the faucets I always add a little more. I used the rest of an old bottle and what was left of the gallon!
I’m not sure whether it’s easier to take out the drawer or replace it but the arms have to be in just the right spot before it can slide in.
The next night the temperature dropped to 24° and it felt like I finished just in time!

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, RV Camping | Comments Off

Another Fall Chore

Posted on October 31, 2025 by ellen

Every summer I know I have to recharge the water softener for the dishwasher. We just get too much spotting and the dishes don’t seem clean enough without it. But we don’t have a whole house water softener precisely because of the salt added to the water. As it’s hot in front of the house in the summer it gets pushed down the list until the wonderful cooler days of fall. Then I better do it before it gets cold!
This water softener is made for RV’s and it needs manual recharging. Luckily it does seem to last about a year just on the dishwasher. The tank sits behind the dishwasher which is located in the corner between the kitchen sink and counter. I installed a water shutoff so it is easy to disconnect to drain it. It is charged with regular table salt and it only takes two boxes. But draining it is messy so I do it outside. It’s kind of heavy but I can slide it along the floor and only lift it out the front door.

Had a lovely day to take the time to regenerate it. I have to look at the directions each time which are stored in Books on my Mac. Basically it is turned upside down to drain while the lid is on it. Then it is turned back over and I had to rinse off the mud! I need a large pipe wrench to get the lid off and it’s just a matter of bumping the tank on the walk to settle the media inside. Then both boxes of salt are poured into the tank and the top screwed back on. Then the media has to be rinsed.

The rinsing is long, 20 minutes at a trickle and another 15 at a stream. At the end of the rinsing the water leaving the tank should not taste salty. That’s it. Just drag it back into the house and hook it back up and slide the dishwasher back into place. It’s amazing the difference that the salt media makes to the clean dishes!

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, Plumbing | Comments Off

Washing Machine Fix

Posted on October 30, 2025 by ellen

The used washing machine stopped draining this week. It’s a 2008 model but purchased in January 2009 and we bought the set used in 2016. Always a pain when something you use all the time stops working. I really didn’t want to have to find a newer set.

I recently ran across a chart that gives an estimate of the working life of appliances. I thought it was rather pessimistic. Perhaps it’s my age.

This means that our teenager washing machine was due for repairs. We actually have a 16 year old grandson but 2009 otherwise doesn’t seem that long ago. But who ever heard of a mailbox only lasting 10 years or for that matter the short lifespan they predict for home essentials or kitchen items? These actually last for generations. At least in our family.

The washing machine has a clean out at the bottom that is luckily also a drain for the water that was still in the machine. All I had to do was direct it to the floor drain with towels.

I have the wonders of the internet to find answers so I looked up all I could find about replacing a water pump on a front loading washing machine. Most of the information was for either top loaders or complicated full cabinet front loaders. I’m not sure why we were so fortunate but our washing machine has a separate panel for the bottom end where the pump is located and I could avoid disconnecting the control panel and removing the whole front of the machine. Just three screws taken out below the panel and it was open.

Otherwise the water pump replacement is relatively simple. Removing the old one with just two power connections, two hoses and two screws and replacing it with a new one. Of course my job was not that simple.

The wires were on plugs that didn’t even have locks so just directly pulled out. And the pipes are connected with squeeze clamps so just need a slip joint pliers to disconnect them and slip off the hoses.

There are several “replacement” pumps for this model on Amazon for far less than the OEM pump. But looking at all of them it was difficult to determine if they were going to be a direct replacement. The actual part was $170 which was a bargain compared to parts sites, but luckily there was a returned pump for only $50. Not much more than the knock offs. So I ordered it and had to wait the two days for delivery.

I had already removed the front panel so I was ready the afternoon the pump was delivered. I disconnected the old pump but discovered that the new one had a broken flange that held the pump to the washing machine. At first I was dismayed but then realized that the actual pump was attached to the drain part and I still had the old drain housing. So I unscrewed the new pump from the defective housing and the old pump from the dirty but functional housing. I washed the old housing as well as I could but there was still some staining on it. That really doesn’t matter as it was stained when that pump was working!

Since I had the identical part moving the working pump motor to the old housing was easy. I was a bit worried it would leak but I added an extra screw from the old assembly and that seemed to draw the pump quite nicely to the housing.

Then it was just a matter of screwing it back to the bottom of the casing and reconnecting the wires and the hoses. The larger hose was not that easy to reconnect. It seemed that the clamp didn’t want to expand enough to go over the hose when it was replaced on the larger pipe. The smaller hose clamp went back on much more easily.

I worked on it for some time wiggling it and moving it up over the pipe. I wasn’t even sure it was well clamped when I gave up and tried it. Luckily it doesn’t leak.

The test was just the rinse and spin cycle and I watched it through the whole cycle. Eureka! The new pump worked and the water drained out just like it was supposed to. Of course after a fix like this you are just waiting for the next thing to go wrong. After I fixed the old dishwasher it wasn’t long before it had a problem that was more serious and would have required a new control board. So I hope that doesn’t happen with the washing machine.

I cleaned and put the bottom panel back on but also ran into a problem. The instructions said to replace the middle screw first and then the edges. But I could not line up that screw. I just screwed the outside edges and then had to get a small wrecking bar out of the garage to prop up the middle of the panel so that the holes lined up and I could replace the screw.

We are happy to have the washer back though. Seems like there is always a lot of laundry even though there are only two of us.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Appliances, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Repainted and Rewired Lantern Light

Posted on October 30, 2025 by ellen

After painting the garage front I was reluctant to remount the lantern light. It was dirty so I took it apart and cleaned it. I took out the glass and scrubbed them and used mineral spirits because they looked like they had paint on them but it didn’t come off. White specks were in the glass itself along with the texture. The original lantern had an odd swinging light socket. I noticed some of the wire was scratched bare so I took the whole wiring apart and removed the socket.

Then I ordered new outdoor sockets that installed on the central screw so were solid instead of loose and swinging. I also matched a paint color to the newer outside lights and chose Aged Copper. The Rustoleum primer/paint spray cans had a poor rating on Amazon for leaking but I disregarded that and ordered anyway. I used these cans before with no issues but I was wrong. The can leaked terribly. But I did manage to put two coats of paint on the lantern. After it dried I put it back together but left out several pieces that were no longer needed with the new socket.
Despite the runny paint it does look much better and I reinstalled it on the garage.

The light had an old wasp nest in it so I asked Dave to cut an acrylic bottom for it at his makerspace. The new light yellow bottom sits on the rim and should keep out wasps in the future.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Electrical, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Garage Siding Paint/Stain

Posted on October 11, 2025 by ellen

For some reason the former owners tried to paint part of the cedar siding. They chose the front of the garage and ran out of paint before it was finished. So since late 2011 when we acquired this place we have had a partially painted garage front.

A year or two ago I researched the best coating for the siding given that it was partially painted. I thought an acrylic tinted stain would provide the best coverage but I had trouble finding a stain with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) locally for the job.

After some research I found an eco friendly opaque stain for wood trim and siding from Vermont Natural Coatings. I ordered a gallon online as it is rated to cover 250 to 350 square ft. So a gallon should be enough.

The reason the can is so drippy is that it needed quite a bit of mixing because I had stored it for too long. The bonding agent settled to the bottom and I had to scrape it up and mix it back in. I used a stout stick to scrape it and a drill and paint mixer to mix it. It was not easy but the white heavy whey based bonding agent redissolved into the stain.
The interesting fact about these coatings is that they use dairy based whey as the bonding agent. Similar to Elmer’s glue which was originally made with dairy casein.
From the website describing this sustainable product. “Our formulations use whey protein as the bonding agent. Whey is a renewable resource and a natural by-product of the dairy industry. This use of a natural product in our professional finishes translates to low VOCs, and better indoor air quality.”

I had hoped the color I chose would be closer to the existing gray. Mostly I wanted the old paint covered completely. This color is much lighter than the trick of website colors led me to believe.

It does seem to be doing a good job of covering the old gray though. As evidenced by the paint can drips it appears that the dried color is a bit darker. This is the finished first coat still mostly wet.

The next day I went out to paint on an equally glorious painting day with full cloud cover and 65°. I worked again in the morning and finished a bit less than 3/4. The second coat went on faster and I took a break for lunch.

Another morning’s work. Garage door open so I wouldn’t splatter paint on it.

The rest was the pre-painted side and the coating went on smoothly. So I finished about 2 hours earlier than the day before.

After two coats the painted siding was completed and the masking tape removed. Unfortunately about an hour after I finished we got a light rain and the instructions said not to apply it if rain was expected for 24 hours. Here in Colorado rain is very spotty so it’s hard to predict a scattered shower. The wall is under the overhang and probably reasonably protected.
I’m not sure what I think of the results. It’s nice to have a durable sustainable low VOC coating on the wood. But cedar really shouldn’t need it. The rest of our cedar is not painted. It’s just the natural wood.
I replaced the cedar on the front of the house with James Hardee stucco look panels. They are an adobe white so don’t match the rest of the tan stucco. Just the lower level was resided when the new windows and doors were installed, but in the clerestory above Dave just patched the cedar with some of the recycled boards.
I have about a quarter of the gallon of paint left so one gallon was plenty. After only twelve years it feels like another annoying feature has been corrected. Unfortunately more of our trim needs serious scraping and repriming and paint. We have been dismayed by the terrible paint job that came on our fancy doors. Despite a repaint by the vendor the door trim quickly began to deteriorate again. I thought we might just replace the outside door trim but so far we have not found an ideal substitute. Eventually we will take on that project.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Finishes, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Reused Solar Panels

Posted on October 10, 2025 by ellen

Way back In 2018 after speaking with solar vendors at the international solar home competition in Denver we decided to have solar panels installed on our garage roof. After comparing the panel specifications and the battery backup systems we used Solar City/Tesla and had 3.9 kw installed just on the south facing garage.

In 2021 we replaced these panels with a Tesla Solar Roof. We had been on the waiting list since 2016. We offered the used panels to my son but he did not have time to install them himself and he could not find an installer willing to put them on his roof. So this summer we decided to put them to use.
We already have all the equipment so we had to decide how to mount them. My first thought was a rack in the backyard. But I called installers and the quotes were high. I looked at the racking types on NAZ my favorite DIY supplier and the equipment was expensive. Plus I would have to sink posts and probably get an engineering report and new permit.
So I looked into ballast boxes that sit on the ground. They seemed plausible for only $75 to $85 a piece plus shipping. But I have 12 panels and they are 5’ long. So we were looking at 60 ft of ballast boxes to fill with rock. Instead we decided to mount them as a solar overhang. The frame was existing and very strong because it is tied into the interior rafters of the house. All we needed was aluminum stands that sell for about $40 a pair. I also bought extra stainless washers and bolts but they came with all the necessary hardware. I reinforced the front cross pieces on the overhand with 3” screws. They were originally nailed. Then we mounted the panels.

Solar panels mounted on adjustable legs.

Our solar roof faces mostly north so we lose a lot of solar in the winter. We mounted the front panels at the steepest angle possible to collect better winter solar.
It took us about a month to get them all mounted. We only had room for ten but we used the remaining two to power a direct from solar mini split on the east side of the house.
Unfortunately the summer has flown by with Green Homes events and travel and visitors. So the wiring is not finished. But some decisions have been made for wiring and this fall we should complete this task. In the meantime the panels are helping with the fall sun as they now shade the overhang later into the hot season.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Solar | Comments Off

EG4 Solar Powered Mini Split

Posted on August 25, 2025 by ellen

It’s been awhile since I got excited and motivated to install an upgrade to the house.
We are in the process of adding solar to the front overhang because we had stored 12 panels from our original solar installation that my son thought he might use but didn’t. I looked into having them installed in the back yard on a rack but the cost was prohibitive. Almost as much as our original roof install. Instead I decided to bolt them to our south overhang. While hooking them up to the inverter is not finished, we could only fit 10 panels across the front of the house. So 2 panels were left over. I tested one in full sun and it was delivering 65 volts.

I had heard of the EG4 solar powered mini splits so I looked up the cost. Originally they were over $2000 but must not be selling well. Signature Solar carries them and the 12,000 btu 115 volt version was on sale for $1499 plus shipping. It took some email communication before the order went through. Shipping is quoted separately.

I bought the 12,000 Btu unit that came as a kit with DIY hoses. We needed extra cooling in the back hallway. And the crawlspace fan included a convenient chase for the refrigerant hoses and signal cable. The chase access is in the master bedroom closet just behind the rear hallway.

Vent pipe opening in closet allowed chase for mini split hoses and signal cable — Vent pipe opening in closet allowed a chase for mini split hoses and signal cable

I just had to descend into the crawlspace and drill a hole through the outside perimeter joist. I had to cut it from both sides to penetrate the whole board.

I was worried that the refrigerant hoses would not be long enough but they just made the distance.

The electrical hookup is direct from the panels to the compressor. I read that in order to be safe I should cover the panels.

The panels are wired in series and connect to a 20 amp circuit breaker. The EG4 needs at least 90 volts to run so two panels can provide at least that much. The minisplit also has 110 volt backup power that I connected to an outside outlet without other feeds.

The AC wire is in conduit but the DC is exposed. They are connected through waterproof lugs at the emergency shutoff and the compressor. The panels are also grounded with an 8 ft grounding pole. Sinking that pole was a challenge. We used the trickle of water method. At one point I rented a power hammer but the size that I could handle didn’t work well.

The refrigerant hose connections were made and tested with a digital gas detection meter. These are DIY hoses with valves trapping the refrigerant until they are screwed in fully.

Unfortunately even though there was a template for the hole in the wall for the pipes, the pipes could not be stuffed under the evaporator inside unit. I think if I lower the unit just a bit the pipes will fit completely.

Drilled hole is a bit too high. — Drilled hole is a bit too low.

The IOS software app is pretty robust. I spent some time analyzing some of the program settings. I’m impressed by how “smart” the system settings are. The unit has available settings but the app’s general settings also allows variables such as weather and solar input to control how the each connected unit performs. I can set it to turn on if solar input is a certain amount or turn off if the weather report is cloudy. It can be programmed to limit the amount of AC power used and to reset this feature every time it turns on following a schedule. I have it set to run from 11 to 5 when the sun is strongest and the temps are highest. It will not try to if there is not enough solar or if the regional weather says it’s cloudy.
Although the evaporator is hung a little too high. I have yet to bother with lowering it.

The unit has been working about a month and it keeps the rear bedrooms about 78 degrees mostly with sunshine. I set it at 78° as that just takes the edge off 100° days.
I had to extend the back stair to protect the hoses. I built them on the first cloudy 80 degree day after a stretch of really hot sunny weather when working outside was too miserable.

The first level is higher than the old step and fastened to 2×4’s like the original back step.

The second layer is secured to two heavy post ends that have been near the back door for some time. The refrigerant hoses, cable and drain are off to the side and protected.

We are enjoying one cool spot in the house since our Mr Cool minisplit stopped cooling at about the same time as this upgrade. This hybrid approach seems to be a wonderful way to keep cool!

Posted in -Recent Posts, Mini Split Air Conditioner, Solar | Comments Off

Victron RV Upgrades

Posted on March 28, 2025 by ellen

I have been using Victron solar and battery meter equipment in the RV since we installed solar. The Victron Cerbo allows access to the equipment through WiFi.
The WiFi access is available through phone apps. But it’s not easy to set up from the iPhone and some equipment can’t be configured. So for Christmas I asked for and received the GX-50 monitor. This I installed in the entry under the inverter remote. This is a wired remote so there was an extra hole to drill inside the refrigerator compartment and wire to snake through where others run.
Our black water tank sensor no longer reads its contents so I was intrigued that I could set up a Bluetooth tank sensor that the Cerbo can read. It’s a Mopeka Pro. This is the newer version that can be read by the Cerbo

It was just a matter of cleaning the black tank surface well and applying the ring that holds the device. No wiring required. The device does use a coin battery. This device can be set to be read from the Cerbo or from its own app. But it’s Bluetooth so have to be close to it to read it on the app. I tested it on a trip to the sand dunes last week and the cerbo read it as 100% full while the Bluetooth app read it as 20% full. So I have to remeasure it for size and set it up again in the Cerbo.
Much more difficult was the install of the AC energy meter also from Victron. I found a good photo of an RV installation and tried to copy it. But I had a difficult time finding the components. The meter requires a circuit breaker and .5 amp fuse. But the photo recommended a full size fuse holder. This larger fuse in .5 amp format was almost impossible to find. Plenty of 1 and 10 amp options. I finally found a package of five on Amazon and I believe they shipped directly from China because acquiring them took a month. (Fast Blow Ceramic Fuse 10x38mm Fuse 500V 0.5A)
I mounted the new meter on a short rail as on the photo but then I had no wall in the water compartment to mount it to. I tried screwing it into the compartment frame but it broke off the power connection to the cerbo when the screen house bumped it. I then had to figure out what connection was being used to plug it in. Luckily I was able to pull out the broken part and reinsert the new one.

Sample wiring for energy meter with .5 ma fuse and circuit breaker — Sample wiring for energy meter with .5 amp fuse and circuit breaker

Energy meter, fuse, circuit breaker, Cerbo

I decided the best place to connect the energy meter for all AC power was in the transfer switch. I had used romex to wire the Electrical Management system to the transfer switch but apparently in an RV I should have used flexible marine wire. So to start this project wiring I had to go all the way back to the EMS wiring and switch the romex to transfer switch wiring to flexible wire.

Progressive Industries Electrical Management System

The next error in the transfer switch was the use of twist nuts to secure the wires. Also not recommended for RV’s although I have them elsewhere I decided to fix these. The switch came with Wago connectors and I took out all the twist connectors and installed Wagos. The first order was wrong and for much tinier wire. They come in more than one size. So I returned them and bought larger wire sizes. I also bought both 2 and 3 wire versions so I could eliminate the jumper wires.

I was finally ready to install the new meter. I used the Canbus on the Cerbo (the other possibility is through a Ethernet switch) which is connected to the Cerbo with RJ 45 wire and end connectors. This is very similar to the old Apple network devices. I have several old RJ 45 cables but when I was having issues connecting to the Cerbo I bought a special Victron cable. That wasn’t the problem but that’s what I’m using.

Victron Cerbo and new Energy meter wired

The small green plug on the far right of the second photo is the one I had to replace. This is a Phoenix Type Connector 3.5mm 2Pin that I ordered from Digi Key and also found on Amazon.

I notice that here the end connector for the Canbus is not yet installed. The directions say insert the end connector but does not mention both sides. I had to realize that was necessary on my own. But I quickly understood it. The small black wire goes to the wire clamp on the AC feed to the breaker box. The meter came with three clamps in case it’s used on 3 phase wiring. I broke two of them before I successfully used the remaining one. The latches are very delicate.
Finally the energy meter showed up on the GX device. This is why the GX is superior to the WiFi. It has more information in easier to read screens and more configuration capability.

Energy meter discovered VM-3P75VT-above the blue highlight

I had one final problem though. I had set the meter to read AC load as that is what I wanted to display. I could not figure out why it wasn’t showing the AC loads on the display page. So I turned to my wonderful vendor where I bought the meter. It turns out the meter will only read grid usage. That is actually the same measurement because I have it installed to read all AC going through the transfer switch whether inverter or generator or shore power. The technician from NAZ Solar and Wind logged in for me and found the issue and reset the configuration to read grid power instead of AC load. This is the kind of vendor support that makes using a specialty company worthwhile.

Real time WiFi connection to RV power system

I don’t get all the possible data because I did not invest in one critical piece of equipment that provides it. The Victron multiplus inverter/ charger is a much larger piece of equipment and much more expensive than I wanted to invest. I’m happy I can read all AC power use whether from shore, inverter or generator although not each one separately.
As is often the case this project turned out to be much more involved than I expected. But I’m glad it’s done and done better than I had connected the switch originally. I still don’t have a place to mount this equipment but the bar keeps it all together in the water tank compartment. For now it’s working.

Posted in -Recent Posts, RV Camping | Comments Off

New Well Pump

Posted on March 5, 2025 by ellen

We bought the house with an existing well pump system that had been installed in June of 2000. It was still working fine in February of 2025. However we had plugged in the circuit breaker incorrectly so that it was only on one 120v leg. Since I had power at the well circuit box, I thought it was just fine for power but we had no water pressure and I could not get the lever on the pressure switch to restore water to the pressure tank. So we called the number on the well tank and asked for service.

The company that had originally installed the system had been bought by another but luckily the phone number still contacted a well company in Boulder/Longmont. After some preliminary diagnosis they found the misinstalled circuit breaker and moved it. But they confirmed that the well pump had been installed in 2000 and it had never been replaced according to the state records. I asked if we should replace it before it wore out and they offered a new type of system run by a Grundfos pump.

I did some research on the new system and read about constant pressure systems. It is more efficient that the old variable pressure systems. “Grundfos SQE constant pressure pump is uniquely designed with an intelligent built-in variable speed motor which can speed up or slow down depending upon the amount of water consumed. As more water is required, the pump will increase its speed and likewise as less water is required, will slow down. This allows the home owner to comfortably use for example, the shower, washing machine and irrigation sprinklers all at the same time, and unlike conventional pumps, there will be no loss of water pressure.”

This new system is the same horsepower but runs constantly when the water is running. The pressure tank is constantly refilled instead of filling to a certain pressure and then using the stored water until the pressure drops as in the old system. The benefit of the large tank was that if the power went off the pressure in the tank would hold for some use before we were out of water. That is not true of the new system. However, having solar battery backup should help with any power outages we experience.

As usual watching the installation was interesting. The truck they brought had a large crane extension that allowed them to pull the pvc well pipe out in full 20 foot sections. The pipe runs the entire 300 ft down the well. They just used two large pipe wrenches to separate the pipe sections. After the first pipe was pulled the second and third were stained brown with the iron and manganese in our well water. That staining shows how well our filter system works.

The inside installation just consisted of a new shut off switch, a new controller, and the small pressure tank. The rest of our system was hooked to that. They also installed a new well cap, redid the wire all the way to the pump and added a new outdoor spigot. Our old spigot stopped working about a year ago so having outdoor water again will be great.

Indoors we added space to the utility room but not enough space to add another big tank if we needed one for a different hot water heating system. That was kind of a disappointment. But one of the installers said we could always use the garage. I guess if we could figure out how the pipe from the tank would get to the utility room that would be true. From the old well pipe to the new pressure tank, they used 1″ Pex with an expansion type of connector. The water is routed to the MangOx filter, then to the whole house filter, then to the pressure tank and on to our house systems. The new pressure is quite a bit higher than we had in the house with the old system. We are surprised by how the faucets deliver water now, especially the shower. Wow!

Old well pipe to new 1" Pex — Old well pipe to new 1″ Pex

Although we gained space, the old space seemed to store just as much stuff as the new! I set up a new shelf system and bought wire baskets for the new and the old shelving systems. I just had to take down the old shoe storage for cleaning supplies and move them to the new shelves. It really does look organized now though.

Posted in -Recent Posts | Comments Off

Nuisance GFCI

Posted on March 5, 2025 by ellen

Today I replaced a GFCI breaker with a regular breaker. After our rewiring in 2016 we had all GFCI outlets installed in the bathrooms but the GFCI breakers were not replaced in the panel. One tripped in the middle of the night. I tried to turn it back on and it sparked and turned off. So I thought no big deal we have circuits left over from some they removed. So I proceeded to disconnect the GFCI to replace it.
The Emporia Vue Energy system that I installed to monitor our electrical use made a mess of our power box. I can’t fit the cover on. But it helps to monitor the electricity us of the 16 circuits it covers. Other circuits are monitored by the Efergy system.

The leftover regular 20 amp circuit was an easy install. I just had to extract the two white and one black GFCI wires from this tangle and replace with just one black and white.

Unfortunately the circuit breaker was difficult for me to plug back into the box. As I was doing it another breaker popped out. That one happened to be the well 220 circuit. I had to call Dave to plug them back in for me because no matter how much I tried I could not get them to plug in.

Dave got it right away but made a small error. That led to a much bigger project!

Posted in -Recent Posts | Comments Off

Challenges and Successes in 2024

Posted on February 20, 2025 by ellen

In a year so many things are created and break and have to be fixed! My big hobby this year was using the Cricut cutter to make several projects. I ran into a Cricut guru on the Internet that I really liked and followed along with the inspired projects. Here are some of the Cricut creations.

Updated the New Energy Colorado shelter cover — Sublimation mug by Wolfy

For Christmas I received a new printer to convert to sublimation using Hippo ink. I set it up and have a new hobby to add to the Cricut designs. Sublimation transfers the ink to a polyester material–also anything treated with sublimation spray or underlying iron on vinyl. Can transfer detailed photos instead of shapes like iron on vinyl.

New hobby--sublimation printer — New hobby–sublimation printer

The RV had several updates and issues.

RV water valve connections leaking — RV water valve connections repaired

Valve for winterization doesn't work — Valve for winterization doesn’t work

Plumbing repair in RV didn't work--still leaking — Plumbing repair in RV didn’t work–still leaking

Broken compartment screwed back in and taped

Since the RV is winterized I cannot tell if the repairs to the plumbing near the valves will work. I also repaired the broken latches using large stainless steel washers and new latches. No idea why the winterization valve doesn’t work!

Other broken stuff:

Pole and shelf fell down--repaired — Pole and shelf fell down–repaired

Mini split issue with draining — Mini split issue with drain pump–doesn’t work!

Hot tub repair stops leaking on high jets

Cannot keep radon below 4 in winter–No solution yet.

High dissolved solids (TDS) Time to change the water. Company for this sensor replaced the unit electronics. Even included shipping from France!

Heater is a pizza warmer with an inexpensive hamper inside. Using two food warmers to provide heat. Takes awhile to heat up the towels and ponchos but they do feel good when it’s really cold out and time to get out of the hot tub.

More repairs and upgrades to come. Also more crafts.

Posted in -Recent Posts | Comments Off

A New Year- 2025

Posted on January 7, 2025 by ellen

We are slowing way down on adding improvements to our passive solar home. Some projects have ended in utter failure and some just can’t find an installer or building to further our dreams. But its a new year and maybe there will be more action!

2024 in retrospect was about travel.

In March we visited my brother and cousin in Florida and with our grandson who was staying with us at the time, we all went to San Marcos Island and visited the Everglades National Park.

In April we enjoyed Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs and visited the beautiful Garden of the Gods with our son’s in-laws.

We had the privilege of joining the Baek family for a wedding in Seoul South Korea. We visited several famous sites in the city, then we traveled to Jeju Island for a weeks’ vacation.

We bought a Tesla Y Long Range and decided to take it to Indiana to join some friends there for their 50th anniversary party. We visited friends along the way and back and set up the Tesla for camping.

We returned to Indiana in late summer in our RV on our way to visit our son and his wife in Virginia stopping at Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Falling Water house and on our return visiting Dave’s brother and wife and my brother and cousin and then camping out at the Indiana Dunes with a reunion get-together with my high school friends.

In November I went to California to visit my sister and my nieces.

Finally in December we were blessed with visits from my son’s in-laws Cheung-Baek and were happy to join the family to open presents and enjoy Christmas dinner together. I used the Cricut machine and transfer vinyl to create get-together t-shirts for all fourteen of us. We celebrated the New Year together. Then everyone left and 2025 began.

The tree at my son's house — The tree at my son’s house

Family together--with crafted t-shirts — Family together–with crafted t-shirts

T-Shirts image is a mountain with snow and a stream and the saying is “Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Family is Here, Happy New Year!

Posted in -Recent Posts | Comments Off

Birthday Camping

Posted on January 3, 2025 by ellen

I like to go camping with the family for my birthday weekend every year. This year we tried Eleven Mile State Park for the first time. There is a small reservoir and a marina and a few electric sites for RVs but lots of tent sites in several campgrounds.

We had reasonably good weather for mid May at 8500 ft. elevation. It was cool and sunny and stormed in the afternoon and overnight. There was a lot of wind and times and the gusts threatened to blow away our shelter but it stakes out very well from the middle hubs.

It was a typical idyllic camping weekend in Colorado.

We had the grandkids with us and my son and his wife drove up for an overnight. They tried sleeping in the Tesla but didn’t inflate the mattress so were really uncomfortable. I should have helped them!

The kids love the fire and roasting marshmallows and of course s’mores which have to be part of at least one night of a camping trip. The kids always find something to do.

The elevation was a bit high for the older folks at over 10,000 ft. So we spent some time relaxing inside the RV. Driving to see the reservoir was lovely too.

Posted in -Recent Posts | Comments Off

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, RV Camping | Comments Off

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I was fortunate that there were no other leaks in the plumbing system!

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, RV Camping | Comments Off

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 shelter completely blown over.

Depending how you look at this accident the shelter was in surprisingly good shape. Several bent poles and one big tear in a window side but seems like it could have been worse. The steps were also knocked over but they did not break.

The weather was luckily balmy the next day so I was able to detach the roof and sides and roll them up and put them in storage. Then I disassembled the pipe frame.

Then I separated the bent poles from the undamaged poles. Seven bent poles is not too bad.

The connecting poles are the same width as 1 1/4 EMT conduit. So replacing 7 poles with 4 ten footers would cost about $120. A new shelter with no time spent in repairs would cost about $300. I’ll think about it.

Now that it’s spring we don’t need the shelter to enjoy the spa.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, Spa | Comments Off

Spa Pipe Weakness

Posted on March 9, 2024 by ellen

I repaired a leak in the hot tub pipes just last month. Because I used several Fernco connectors when I initially replaced the cracked jet body last fall, a weakness in this repair keeps happening.

Since the repair we were reluctant to turn the high jets back on but today with my grandson we could not resist. Just like last time the Fernco let loose and started to leak. This time I didn’t wait to look at it and retighten it. The problem seems to be that these two pipes have separated enough the the connector no longer sits completely on the bottom pipe. I loosen both clamps and slide it down and retighten and that works but water streams out while I’m doing it. I had to add water again and run the heater. Even heating a partial refill took a lot of power.

I downloaded the total spa use of electricity today and it’s a shocking 98.97 kWh!

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, Spa | Comments Off

Not Again! Spa Leak!

Posted on March 9, 2024 by ellen

We have used the spa a lot this winter. The kids love going out with me to swim and jump in.
My granddaughter and I were enjoying the high jets in the spa. The jets on high create a strong current to exercise against. But all of a sudden the tub turned off. I thought the jet just needed to rest but the next day the water had obviously been leaking.
I opened the equipment side and saw the culprit was a clamped Fernco connector that had loosened. It seemed as if the pipes had also separated a bit and by the time I opened the clamp and made sure it was snug on the bottom pipe and then retightened it about half the water had leaked out of the spa.

I had been disappointed that the water was so cloudy and no treatment seemed to be clearing it up. So I decided since the weather would be in the 40’s the next few days to drain it all the way. I used a sump pump to drain most of the water.

It is connected to a garden hose and runs a steady stream of water out onto the nearby shrubs and tree.

After the tub was emptied it had to be scrubbed clean again.

It took a full day and night to heat the water back up again. I used a lot of electricity. But the sparkling new water was worth it.

We were able to get right back to enjoying the tub in winter.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Spa | Comments Off

New TV in the RV

Posted on February 11, 2024 by ellen

The TV in the front of our RV was damaged when we bought the RV.
It had a DC transformer that no longer worked and a streak of damaged pixels.

We just didn’t use it and instead I installed a 24” 12 volt TV and DVD combination in the back bed area. That worked great until the grandkids started getting big and the older grandkids visited and the bed couldn’t hold all of us. So I decided to replace the front tv.

The TV is handy in bad weather or for a movie just before bedtime. But the family likes to watch together. That called for a new TV in the front.
The old TV was 32” but I measured and decided a 40” TV would fit. (Actual 35.5” wide) the first TV I ordered was 22” tall though and it didn’t fit with the top mattress we use on the cab bed. I returned it and looked for a shorter version. The Impecca TV is “frameless” and only 20” tall. It has the advantage of being a low power user too. It is a “smart” TV but the settings are limited. So I installed a Fire TV stick I already had.

The tv arm mount that came in the RV is not long enough to pull the TV all the way out over the bed to display to those sitting in the lounge area. I bought a longer arm but it did not spread the weight across the wall and seemed way too heavy for the RV. Instead I reinstalled the original arm and bought a lightweight arm to bolt on and extend it. Unfortunately the arm was not quite long enough so I used a small tilt mount to extend it a few more inches. That tilt mount was pulled down by the heavy extended arm so I had to bolt it to keep it upright.

Together the arms are long enough to face the dinette and couch below and the tv will tilt enough for comfortable viewing. The larger screen is nice and it fits fine against the wall although folding all the arm segments is tricky.
I have to install a new DVD player and extend the hdmi cable and RCA cables to reach the extended arm. But that’s for another day. This double arm swings out over the edge of the bed and tilts to the correct angle.

Posted in -Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, RV Camping | Comments Off