Author Archives: ellen
Winterizing the RV
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 … Continue reading
Another Fall Chore
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 … Continue reading
Washing Machine Fix
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 … Continue reading
Repainted and Rewired Lantern Light
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 … Continue reading
Garage Siding Paint/Stain
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 … Continue reading
Reused Solar Panels
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 … Continue reading
EG4 Solar Powered Mini Split
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 … Continue reading
Victron RV Upgrades
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 … Continue reading
New Well Pump
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 … Continue reading
Nuisance GFCI
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 … Continue reading
Challenges and Successes in 2024
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 … Continue reading
A New Year- 2025
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 … Continue reading
Birthday Camping
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 … Continue reading
Major RV Roof Leak During Hail Storm
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 … Continue reading
New Tesla Y Long Range EV
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 … Continue reading
RV Pressure Tank
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 … Continue reading
Pool Shelter Kite
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 … Continue reading
Spa Pipe Weakness
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 … Continue reading
Not Again! Spa Leak!
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 … Continue reading
New TV in the RV
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 … Continue reading