Author Archives: ellen
Toilet Drain Adjustment
No wonder I feel bogged down. Installing the offset toilet drain took me several hours across two days. Not predicting well how much standing drain pipe I needed, I cut a little bit of pipe at a time using a … Continue reading
Bogged Down in the Bathroom
Sometimes I just feel totally bogged down. While Dave has been busy spreading composted manure he got from a local horse farm and potting/topsoil from a marijuana growing operation–they deliver it for free–on the gardens and flower beds, I have … Continue reading
Ultra High Efficiency Toilet
Our next inspection will be the plumbing rough in so I’m working on the master bathroom. I had purchased all the faucets and fixtures except for the toilet. When I was at the Sustainability Fair in Fort Collins, I heard … Continue reading
Friends Visit and Suggestions
We had a wonderful time visiting with some old friends from Indiana for the weekend. I talked their ears off about the house projects. It was so nice to have someone knowledgeable to get their reactions and suggestions. Steve has … Continue reading
Concrete Bricks as Thermal Mass
While painting the kitchen block wall I started wondering what kind of block is our inner south wall made of anyway? At one point I heard this type of block called “slag block” and in Arizona where there are many … Continue reading
One Thing Leads to Another
When I woke up this morning I had no idea I was going to be painting a wall. But I cleared the dining room floor for scrubbing and sealing and decided I better wash the block wall before I put … Continue reading
Winter List for 2016
I updated the to-do list a couple of weeks ago. But lists are getting tiresome–too many items repeat from season to season. Here is what I hoped to get accomplished this winter. Finish membrane on ceiling Install battens on ceiling … Continue reading
Resealing the Stained Concrete Floor
As a preparation for installing walls, and to just make the spaces more pleasant, I decided to clean and reseal the concrete floor. This project is also on the winter to do list. I hauled in the SoyCrete stain and … Continue reading
Compare Energy Star 2008 to Energy Star 2016
So I know you are wondering, how efficient is an eight year old Energy Star appliance– especially compared to today’s standards? I wondered myself. Energy Star minimums have decreased over time. I happened to have downloaded the clothes washer excel … Continue reading
Energy Star Washer and Gas Dryer
I noticed that our older washing machine was leaking every time we did a load. The leak seemed to increase in volume and I had wanted to replace this older washer with a more energy efficient one for our LEED … Continue reading
Tweaking the Pump Wiring Again
As part of the pump install I changed the wiring again. In the past I had trouble with the primary and secondary pumps working independently. I thought that was one of the things that wore out the Taco 011 pump … Continue reading
Heat is Back On
I left the heat off until the days stopped being sunny. During that time the house temperature didn’t go below 64 degrees. Even when it got down to 20 degrees outside at night. We woke up to a steady 64 … Continue reading
Over-sized Pump vs. Undersized
How did I end up with a Taco 011 pump for the secondary system anyway? The project spreadsheet has the original calculations. Pressure Loss Zone Length Delta T 20 degrees Loss @ 20 Rear Bedrooms 1 50 0.03 1.50 Family … Continue reading
Ach Phooey! Taco Pump Siezed
Since we returned from a trip to see our newest grandson about a week ago, I’d been noticing that the floor was not warm but the radiators in the back were. I thought since I had turned the heat down … Continue reading
Another Flaw in Boiler Piping Redesigned
The placement of the Taco iSeries mixing valve is designed to temper the water going into the stove, however, that valve also limits the flow of water returning from the storage loop. I realized this in the middle of the … Continue reading
Fireplace Boiler System Re-design
During our first fire in the fireplace boiler the hot water was not getting out of the stove. I took some thermal photos to try to capture where the heat was going. The photo appears to show that the hot … Continue reading
Fixing a Printer
I purchase a lot of supplies online, and occasionally an error is made in ordering or shipping and I have to return an item. It has always been a hassle to get the return slips printed. Either at our daughter’s … Continue reading
Craigslist Vanity and Doors
I sometimes wonder how the things I like will come together in one coherent style. I have called the kitchen post industrial rustic. I think the new master bathroom vanity fits that description. I know I like a tall vanity … Continue reading
Fireplace Boiler in Action
On Christmas Eve it was cold outside and we finally made a fire in the fireplace boiler. The fireplace outside air draft worked perfectly, and the glass door makes a spectacular fire show. The fireplace water got very hot but … Continue reading
Plumbing Inspiration!
My guilty pleasure is watching home improvement shows on TV. I usually watch one each evening. I mix it up with a different series each night so they are not too repetitive. I have Netflix and lately they have been … Continue reading