Author Archives: ellen

Trim Work Phase Two

Posted on November 30, 2021 by ellen

The next trim project took four days. Scott and Robert worked on the “man” doors to the outside first. It was a bit of a scramble to get all the boards planed as they were needed. I planed the boards … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Construction, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Trim | Leave a comment

Disappointing Blower Door Test

Posted on November 28, 2021 by ellen

Since working with the Metro Green Homes Tour I have met several people who have been active in sustainable and energy efficient housing for years. One of these new friends offered to come over with her equipment and do a … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope | Leave a comment

Hired Help

Posted on November 20, 2021 by ellen

I just could not seem to make progress on the house so we decided to hire some help. I found a recommended handyman service on a neighbors group and called. This was the third time I had tried to hire … Continue reading →

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We Get Green Building Visitors and Boiler Set Points

Posted on November 14, 2021 by ellen

Believe it or not someone read this entire blog. I am amazed because it obviously takes a certain kind of interest to slog through over 630 posts with 9 years of projects. I received a letter from this gentleman and … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Energy Efficiency, Green Building Interests, House Systems | Comments Off on We Get Green Building Visitors and Boiler Set Points

Tesla Roof Performance

Posted on November 14, 2021 by ellen

The Tesla roof was up and running for part of the day on August 28th. It has been operating for almost three months. The app does not have a date to date feature so I downloaded performance for each full … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Energy Efficiency, Solar | Comments Off on Tesla Roof Performance

Niagara Stealth Toilet Maintenance

Posted on November 11, 2021 by ellen

One of the Niagara toilets would not fill but just kept running so Dave took it apart. Dave figured out the problem. He said most internet sites dealing with the tank not filling blame the flow valve. This (fixable) problem … Continue reading →

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RV Inverter Wiring

Posted on November 10, 2021 by ellen

This is a nice drawing of the RV power systems and what they run. It leaves out solar which has its own controller/charger that delivers solar power to the batteries. But it shows the function and position of an inverter. … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Electrical, RV Camping | Comments Off on RV Inverter Wiring

RV Inverter

Posted on November 7, 2021 by ellen

An inverter converts DC battery power to AC power. The RV uses 120 volt power to charge a computer, run small appliances like the microwave or the refrigerator instead of using gas. If the batteries have enough power an inverter … Continue reading →

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RV Solar Wiring

Posted on November 6, 2021 by ellen

Once the rack was finished and the panels installed I had to figure out the wiring from the roof to the equipment inside. One benefit of the Solarland panels is that they use thicker wire. They come with the MC4 … Continue reading →

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RV Solar Install

Posted on November 6, 2021 by ellen

I had always wanted to install solar panels on our old RV but instead we used a portable 50 watt panel to boost the batteries when camping. I had the panel strapped behind the storage box we had at the … Continue reading →

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What is Wrong with the ERV?

Posted on September 22, 2021 by ellen

No air was coming through the vents. I noticed it getting stuffy when we kept the house closed up because of smoke from the huge wildfires in the west. I thought the filters just had to be replaced and the … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Maintenance and Repair, Ventilation | Comments Off on What is Wrong with the ERV?

Radon Fan #2

Posted on August 28, 2021 by ellen

Since the new roof was going on it was time to put the hole in for the second radon fan. All this time the fan was in the garage but I was reluctant to try to cut a hole in … Continue reading →

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Tesla Starts Early

Posted on August 26, 2021 by ellen

The solar roof was originally scheduled to start on Sept 7th but the manager called and asked if they could start earlier and I said, “Sure!”. The first day another company tore off the old roof. I asked if they … Continue reading →

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Recycled Rubber Patio

Posted on August 20, 2021 by ellen

We were preparing for guests. That always helps make a dent in the to do list. The front patio was concrete that was jacked out when the house slab was removed. It had also heaved and settled so that it … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Landscape, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Recycled Rubber Patio

Tesla Called

Posted on August 19, 2021 by ellen

Tesla finally called to schedule the solar roof installation. I was very excited. We have been working with Tesla since April of last year and I have been on the waiting list since June 1, 2017, the day President Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Construction, Roofing, Solar | Comments Off on Tesla Called

Foundation Insulation Repair

Posted on July 11, 2021 by ellen

We finally completed the third section of the foundation insulation on the south “Trombe wall”side of the house. Another project completed due to guests arriving. This was the third section and it was a bit more complicated due to the … Continue reading →

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New Electrical System for the RV

Posted on July 11, 2021 by ellen

I’ve always had trouble with sealed lead acid coach batteries dying after a season or two. The new RV came with two wet lead acid 67 AH marine batteries that were pretty much shot. So I did some research and … Continue reading →

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To Build a Detached Garage

Posted on July 8, 2021 by ellen

We have decided to clean up our property and empty our attached two car garage by building a large RV garage to the side of the house. We thought we had a contractor willing to build it but he changed … Continue reading →

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New RV Cross Country

Posted on May 27, 2021 by ellen

We took the new RV to Indiana in early April to meet the buyers and enjoy our friends and a final work session on the house. The early April weather is very changeable and there was a late snow across … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, RV Camping, Spencer House | Comments Off on New RV Cross Country

All Fun and No Work

Posted on May 24, 2021 by ellen

I’m not sure how to transition the blog from working on the house to working on other projects. I guess not working on the house either means no posts or off topic posts. One step in the LEED certification process … Continue reading →

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