Twinsprings Research Institute

Shower Tile Design

Posted on February 10, 2018 by ellen

This was a big week. Two shower designs were laid out and one shower was almost completed. Bill Boyd is our tile guy and also our nephew in law. Unfortunately he lives in California. But he agreed to come out for a week to help us out. We had such a fun week hanging out and talking tile. This guy is amazing and has a solution for every problem. He also loves tile work.

Bill buttering tile

The granite pieces I wanted to use were the end cuts from the vanity in the family room bathroom. It is a very pretty granite but the pieces I had left were too small. I was trying to use two narrow pieces at the back wall. The ledges there were formed by the foundation insulation and a chase for the hot tub wiring. I thought the bump out would make a nice shaving “leg ledge”. But the two levels were awkward and Bill suggested I just look for another piece of granite or granite backsplash for the ledge.

I was able to find a piece of free granite through craigslist in the same dark brown as the tile to use for the ledge and the family room bathroom seat. Since I was getting new granite, Bill filled in the two layer ledge with deck mud for one smooth surface for the ledge. I would not have thought to make that one level but it looks much better than two smaller levels.

I bought lots of dark brown porcelain tile (about 500 square feet) to match the stained concrete floor so there is plenty to use as the field tile. The artistry is in figuring out the cuts and the “feature” tile layout. The feature tile has wood rounds on the ceramic. I liked the idea of a strip of this tile along the plumbing wall. The design is called a waterfall feature.

Shower with feature “waterfall”

Opposite the waterfall, the niches have the same background tile with nicely matched travertine ledges that overhang a little bit so that any water running off them does not leave marks on the tile below.

Niches with feature tile

I tried to study Bill’s technique. He is a master with thin set mortar of course but it is helpful to watch a master work. He applied the mortar to the Kerdi with a 3/8″ notched trowel. For some tiles that needed to be set initially he also back buttered with mortar. But when he had it all lined up and was working on the whole wall, he just mortared the wall. He does two rows at a time and tips the tiles into place from the bottom to the top.

Placing a tile

Using the wedges and his hands he moves the tiles slightly so that they line up and are even across. Then he takes a level and makes sure the tiles are straight and evenly attached to the wall. He said if a tile needs to be pulled out a bit because of unevenness on the wall, he tips it out just a little with his flat trowel or his fingers and the mortar is thick enough to eliminate the indentation without breaking the hold of the mortar.

Finishing the back wall

Bill is used to his own tools but they were too bulky for air travel and he couldn’t risk losing them so we purchased a couple of items and he made the rest. This is a darby float made with a 1 x 4 attached to the handle of an older, smaller notched trowel. It is a special tool for smoothing out the shower pan.

Handmade Darby float

He built the shower pan from deck mud (floor mix) instead of the Schluter foam because he is expert at creating the proper slope for the pan. The handmade shower pan is a better fit for the shower than the foam and Bill is hesitant to tile on foam anyway. Will it hold up for the long haul like traditional shower pans?

Mud bed shower pan slope

Unfortunately the hose connection to the pump on the tile saw cracked off and we could not find a replacement that fit in time to finish cutting and placing the floor tile. The floor is the same feature tile as the waterfall. It has a rough texture and helps wet feet grip the shower floor. The imprint of wood slices on this tile matches the handmade bed in the master bedroom and the log vanity and trim in the family room bathroom. The tile is laid out evenly from side to side and front to back and to maintain simple cuts for the rectangular drain. The full tiles were quartered to make them small enough to follow the slope on the shower pan floor.

Floor tile layout

In order to finish the shower, I have to fix the tile saw pump connection to cut a few more matching tiles. I will mortar the floor tiles into place then use the epoxy grout to finish the shower.

Posted in Bathrooms, Plumbing, Tile, Tools | Comments Off

Solar Thermal Plans

Posted on February 1, 2018 by ellen

I have been wanting to install solar thermal panels to help heat the hot tub water since the hot tub is the major draw on our electrical power. We have prime sunshine and solar hot water heaters were very popular here in Colorado in the 1980’s. I already have two solar panels that I started renovating but have not completed. But I happened to see six more available and thought I could use them. So I arranged to pick them up but they are big, 4 x 8 instead of the 3 x 7 size that I already have. Unfortunately one of the glass panels broke in the truck from the weight of the panels on top! I can recycle the copper in the panel or use it instead of one that has a tear in the casing and switch the glass to the broken one.

Buying used panels is a gamble but an enjoyable one. Nothing like a new project when several others are pending. I now have five Novan 4 x 8 panels, another Novan heat exchanger although a larger size than the first and two 125 gallon tanks that are still to be removed from the basement.

I would like to have a drainback system to prevent both overheating and freezing in the panels. And I want to use the tanks on their sides so as to not block our view from the terrace. I’m planning to mount the panels on the terrace roof and run the hot water down to the storage tanks in front of the patio wall.

The system design is a standard drainback type.

Solar drainback with heat exchanger schematic

I am planning to build an insulated shed for the equipment. It will need doors on top and in front for access since it won’t be tall enough to walk in. I’m thinking it should be about 4′ tall, 8′ wide and 6′ deep. I have lots of Roxul insulation left to use inside. And I have several 4 x 4’s that could be used, but I’m not sure yet about the shed design.

The plan above requires a drawback tank and I have not found a promising commercial source. The best tanks are stainless steel but many people use a small electric water heater. It has to be large enough for double the total amount of fluid in the panels and pipes.

Here are some other stats I found for planning purposes.

Panel array size: determine the optimal percentage of a building’s heating or domestic hot water load based on available unshaded panel area and an economic analysis. Too many panels result in over-capacity during low loads in summer and a longer payback. Typically, solar thermal systems are most cost-e ective when sized to provide approximately 50 percent of peak demand
Storage versus panel square footage: Provide from 1.5 to 2 gallons of storage per square foot (3.75 kL/m3 to 5 kL/ m3) of collector and insulate the storage systems
Pumping flow rate per collector: Provide 1 gpm to 1.25 gpm (0.06 to 0.08 L/s) per panel – based on a typical array of six to eight panels, resulting in flows of 6 gpm (0.38L/s) to 10 gpm (0.63L/s) for each array
Drain-back tank size: Provide approximately 1.35 gallons (5.1 L) per panel – based on calculating water capacity according to roof panel and tubing
Heat exchanger size: Calculate to derive the maximum energy available from panel arrays. Typically, the flow rate into and out of the heat exchanger equals the flow into the panel arrays.

There is a lot more engineering to do but I have a record of heat use in the hot tub from the Efergy electricity monitor. The spa is heating approximately 12% of the time. It runs 24/7 or 8760 hours a year, so it is heating about 1051 hours a year. There are two 7.5 watt heaters in the spa. The highest use of electricity recorded is 12.38 KW. On that day it appears that the spa used about 56KW of electricity to heat water for about 10 hours. That is about 190,000 Btu’s.

Each panel is capable of about 12,000 Btu’s/hour in moderate sunshine to raise the heated liquid temperature 90 degrees. 22,000 Btu’s are possible if the temperature only needs to be raised 30 degrees.

Novan Panel Specs

Five panels on a reasonably sunny day would produce about 60,000 Btu’s of heat per hour or about 17.5 KW. But some would be lost in transfer and storage. The pump for the panels would be capable of about 6 gpm. I am hoping to use a DC pump powered by a solar panel. The pump for the storage water is a Taco 06 on the heat exchanger system. There would be a total of 240 gallons of storage in two tanks. That water would circulate through the heat exchanger to transfer the panels heat to storage.

The pump in the spa is 5 HP. That is a very strong pump. On high it uses 14 amps at 230 volts or about 3 KW. High is only used for the jets while in the tub. Low uses 1.2 amps or 276 watts. That is the speed that pushes the water through the heaters and filter. It is likely the system uses about 15 psi although it does not have a pressure gauge. My first thought was to connect the storage water to the spa piping in between the return and the heater. It may work best to have a separate pump and a heat exchanger on the spa too though.

So the system is just in the planning stages and there will be many design changes and issues to resolve before it is installed. I still have to get the solar tanks out of the sellers basement and it does not look like an easy job.

Posted in Plumbing, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Solar, Spa | Comments Off

Shower Schluter

Posted on January 20, 2018 by ellen

I applied the Kerdi membrane to the large family room bathroom shower. Getting these showers tiled is a big job that will be done quickly due to having my nephew-in-law visit to do the job. Then we will be able to call for our final inspection this February. If we pass, the remodeling permit will be finalized just about five years from the date of issue.

In 2012, our first year, we had permits for the slab demolition and for the under slab drain plumbing that were already approved. We were able to keep the remodeling permit for so long because we steadily worked on the project being sure to have an inspection every six months.

We have to really thank the inspectors who were so helpful and caring. Arvada’s building department is very busy because there is a building boom in Colorado but the inspectors were never too busy to help us reach our goal. We have a safe, operational, and comfortable home due to their help and intervention.

By the end of the Kerdi application I was getting pretty good at mixing the mortar to the right consistency to apply it to the wall. I always applied half way up the wall first then held the membrane with boards while applying the upper half.

I used a 7 inch rubber putty knife (from Amazon) to smooth out the membrane and drive air pockets to the edges. It worked better than a metal roller.

Rubber putty knife

The membrane overlaps by about 4″ and the tile is applied over the top of the membrane. This is a waterproof layer that prevents moisture from seeping into the DensShield behind the membrane.

Scluter Kerdi applied to rear shower wall

Schluter Kerdi applied to rear shower wall

DensShield uses fiberglass instead of paper to manufacture the gypsum boards. That makes it very resistant to water damage. Paperless backer board is required by LEED as a durability factor for bath and shower areas. This requirement is a bit annoying because the shower in the unremodeled bathroom is tile on drywall assuming it is the same as the other bathrooms that we demoed and it has held up fine these thirty years or so. I don’t mind using paperless in the remodeled bathrooms but I would sure like to qualify for LEED without having to remodel another bathroom!

I seemed to have the most trouble this time with accurately cutting the membrane to fit the spots. I had a few mistakes where I had to patch the membrane to fill in where I had measured or cut incorrectly.

Patching the membrane

I patched quite a bit around the shower head wall. Some places had three layers of membrane in order to overlap and to wrap the membrane around the edges.

Shower head wall

The pipe seals were next. I had to take off the end cap on the hand shower pipe to slip on the pipe seal. Then to fit the valve seal over the valve box, I had to cut part of the extended protective rubber to get the membrane seal to fit agains the wall. I was not going to use the valve seal in the master bedroom shower but just caulk around the valve itself, until I remembered the valves have stops (they turn off water at the valve) and the opening has to be big enough to slip in a screwdriver to operate them. The valve seal finally fit after I cut most of the rear protrusion away.

Shower valve seal

Despite all the patching around the shower head wall I was able to finish on the third day of mixing mortar and putting up membrane. I was lucky to take advantage of a warm spell in January, we’ve had a few days of 60 degree sunny weather, but it is supposed to snow tomorrow.

Posted in Bathrooms, Plumbing, Tile | Comments Off

It’s a Shower Bench

Posted on January 16, 2018 by ellen

The shower in the family room bathroom is large. It takes up the whole side of the room about seven feet. There is plenty of room for a shower bench on one side. I want to use a leftover piece of granite for the bench top that is only 11 inches wide. It is also a bit shorter than the full width of the shower.

I considered buying a Schluter bench which is made of foam. Another idea was to build a concrete block bench. But I had several pieces of steel studs and track left over from building the ventilation duct. So I built the bench from galvanized steel studs. The Schluter membrane will water proof all of it.

Bench from steel studs

The recessed area for the shower floor was made with an old door so it is only 80 inches long. The bench had to step down from the floor level to be against the shower wall. I bent the track to fit the two levels and cut the corners to put in screws to keep it square.

Bending track to fit the floor

The front edge of the bench is 1/4″ lower than the rear edge so that water will run off into the shower. When the bench was installed I used the Ramjet again to drive nails into the floor. I used 3/4″ nails and didn’t even think about the pex tubing in the floor. Luckily either the nails were too short or the pex was not in the area I nailed.

Bench power nailed to the two level floor

The rest of the bench was screwed into the 2 x 4’s in the rear wall. The metal was easier to fit in the space than other materials like wood or blocks especially since the walls are not exactly square.

Bench fits edge of shower

I had some leftover Denshield cut from the wall for the niches so I used a piece for the bench top. For the side and front I used 1/4″ cement board because I had some on hand for the living room post. (Which will be covered with manufactured stone.) I didn’t plan for the added width of the sheathing to the full measurement of the bench so 1/4″ is a good backer without adding too much width.

Bench top with tools

I was able to quickly cut the sheathing boards with the great PacTool cement board shears that I bought for cutting the siding. I had to shape the pieces a bit to get them to fit correctly. I used 1 inch drywall nails to screw the boards onto the metal frame. It feels quite sturdy and ready for the Schluter membrane. The granite is a bit too small for the seat, but with a bit of clever piecing it will probably work out OK.

Finished bench with granite pieces

I have to get the membrane on this shower this week because my nephew-in-law, a fantastic tile guy, is coming out to tile the showers! We are so lucky that he is finding time in his busy schedule to do the work for us. He is a true artist with tile. Bill Boyd Tile: Work you will recommend!

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile, Tools | Comments Off

Remodeling a Tent for Cold Weather Camping

Posted on January 12, 2018 by ellen

The last couple of weeks have definitely been a distraction. The family made reservations to camp at the Grand Canyon in March and although we will take the RV, the kids will all stay in tents. I thought a family tent that could be heated would be an excellent overflow space for the RV. I had been planning to put together a tent like this for some time. Now just seemed to be the right time.
I shopped for different tents that could fit a family of four in style and my favorite was the Browning Big Horn and the Field and Stream Forest Ridge 8 person as these two tents have oxford nylon floors instead of the plastic most large tents feature.

Browning Big Horn Tent

Forest Ridge 8 Person

I actually bought the Field and Stream for my son and family when they needed a larger tent. But the ceilings are all mesh which is not great for cold weather. I’m not sure when ventilation became so important in tents that whole ceilings are now made of mesh. We camped for years in tents that were nylon with nylon rain flys and never experienced excessive moisture even in humid Indiana. I suspect it is mostly a cost saving feature.
Years ago I purchased a clearance set of walls for a 10 x 10 instant canopy. Now I learned that there are tents made for these canopies that are meant to hang underneath. I decided that the two walled approach would yield a warmer tent. I really planned to buy the Standing Room Tent but even though the older model’s price had been reduced to $99, I could not find information about the tent floor. It appears it is a “tarp” which would mean plastic. It does have a solid ceiling and two large doors and windows.

Standing-Room-Tent-2 Door

For $129 I bought the Ozark Trail Connect tent and an Ozark Trail 10 x 10 frame with canopy.

This tent also has the plastic floor and it is not a tub style but the seam is at ground level. It only has one door and a mesh roof. All things I do not prefer. So I set about improving the tent. It occurred to me that I’m actually remodeling a tent instead of the house.
Since we are planning for cold nights, between 20 and 40 degrees, I decided the mesh roof had to be covered. I had purchased several tarps in the summer for my son’s tent footprint but he never sent me the actual measurements and is using a 10 x 10 footprint that I bought with the tent which seems to be working fine. So I had three extra 9×7′ flys. I cut two of them in half diagonally along a seam and sewed the triangles together. I heat treated the raw edges to keep them from unraveling. At the edges of this interior roof. I sewed velcro and also to the edges of the inside of the tent. The tent has a lantern loop in the center of the ceiling and the interior “roof” hangs from that with an S hook.

Sewing velcro on roof tarp

I hung the set of Ozark Trails walls that I had bought on clearance years ago and only used once as an extra tarp. They fit around the tent perfectly but in order to tie the inside tent to the frame, I sewed button holes where the tie loops came through. I also added some velcro to the upper edge and the tarp to keep the sides from sagging.

Tent door with walls

Connect Tent with Walls

For the floor I purchased two 4’x 10′ pieces of Reflectix and placed those under the outdoor RV mat that we have and seldom use.

Reflectix and RV mat on floor

Then I bought a Mr. Heater Buddy propane heater and a carbon monoxide alarm just to be safe. I tried it out with a small propane tank but I also bought the hose to use it with the larger tank. I’m using the roll up aluminum table to set the heater on and was able to get the tent 15 degrees warmer than outside within 30 minutes with the heater on low. There was no wind for the test but it seems that the tent will be cozy with all its upgrades.

Mr. Heater Buddy Propane with CO alarm

Tent Thermometer

Posted in Diversions, Sewing | Comments Off

Airlock Entry Interior Door

Posted on December 29, 2017 by ellen

As the cold weather descends and as I set the thermostats a little lower to cut back our electricity use (I’m studying our use to figure out where we use too much electricity) I decided it was time to isolate the entry. On sunny days we are toasty but cloud cover means the house doesn’t warm up as much during the day. When I feel cold I just want to snuggle up in bed and read a book and I have projects that need to get done! So I’m hoping the airlock keeps the house warmer by shutting off the doors we use to the outside and the garage.

The entry door was another Craigslist find and it appears the door is slightly warped. Or it could be that our wall is slightly out of plumb. I put together the door jamb from pine door framing lumber. I had not purchased an extra piece for the header so I used an old piece of pallet lumber that happened to be 4 1/2″ wide. I leveled the door frame in the rough opening on both sides and across the top. But the edges don’t seem to match up perfectly.

Door closes unevenly

The bottom of the door and the hinge side both line up fine. So my guess is that the whole wall is a bit out of plumb. The stops were taken out and moved to align with the door on the inside. I hope the trim just hides this reveal on the airlock side. Thicker log trim would help hide this.

Door latch side

The hingers were unfortunately on the wrong side of the door, so I had to cut the hinge mortises across and hang the hinges on the opposite side of the door. I used the multitool to cut the notches and slice off the narrow piece of wood to set the hinges. Not the neatest job but I don’t have a router setup to do this more cleanly.

Hinge mortise

The door was up on a spacer when I figured where the hinges would be set but I didn’t account for any variation in the floor height. Unfortunately the floor swells a bit in the door pass so the weather stripping on the bottom scrapes against the floor. I suppose I will have to remove it. I didn’t have room to hang the door higher or it would have to be trimmed at the top. So for now it opens and closes just needs to be pushed over the higher area of the floor.
I really like the full glass and the heft of the wooden door. I just have to get it cleaned up and put away some tools.

Airlock entry door

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope | Comments Off

The Seasonal List Update

Posted on December 26, 2017 by ellen

This is the list we started with in the fall. Some of these seem to have been accomplished ages ago. Some keep getting put off. Notice I had several crossed off by the time I published the list. There are X’s by the items that were completed sometime this fall after the list was published.

~~Electrical covers in family room closet and others~~
~~Add track lights.~~
~~Clean out garage and rearrange tools for winter.~~
~~Install ERV vent covers and returns.~~
Vacuum ERV vent shaft
Clean beam
~~Fix track lights in living room, family room, dining room~~
~~Move furniture etc into house~~
~~Unpack boxes moved into house.~~
X Install fire alarms
X Put Kerdi in master bath shower. Rear wall 9ft.
X Hang storage box/shelves over tub
Grout tile over tub
Install tile on perimeter of house floor
Fix kitchen sink drain
~~Install new spa pump and motor.~~
X Close hot tub siding
X Tile entry to family room bath
X Install coffee bar sink and faucet in dining room
X Hang pot ladder in kitchen
X Install shower light in family bathroom shower
X Install niche in family bathroom shower
Install bench in family bathroom shower
X Cut granite for shower ledge/bench
X Install radon cover on sump tank

I had some additional items that I put on the list that also got done.

Fix/replace backflow preventer on tub spray
Install Haiku Fan control
Put toilet bars in bathrooms
Paint trim on front door
Install 18″ closet doors
Install additional Wemo and Effergy meters to track electricity use

So the winter list is next. These have to be moved to winter.

Vacuum ERV vent shaft (replace vacuum bag)
Clean beam
Grout tile over tub
Install tile on perimeter of house floor
Fix kitchen sink drain
Install bench in family bathroom shower

I could just stop there and maybe finish the whole list! But I want more to get done.

Wire thermostat and dimmer switch to ERV
Schluter in family room bathroom shower
Level shower floors
Get showers tiled
Install airlock entry door
Hang doors in the master bathroom and bedroom closet
Install corian on top of vent shaft
Make corian tub tray for master bathroom
Get final inspection
Foam gap at floor in storage closet
Replace filters on house water system.
Install new calcium filter on boiler supply
Install new TDS monitor on water supply

Posted in Planning | Comments Off

Not Much but Bath Bars

Posted on December 19, 2017 by ellen

I wasn’t going to work on the house at all this week and just prepare for Christmas. But my mom is coming over to celebrate and I had a safety bar to put in the master bath and I had just ordered one for the family room bath and it arrived today.

The master bath bar had to go into the cement brick wall. That was a real pain. None of my masonry drill bits wanted to drill through the brick. I could drill in the mortar though that was difficult too.

Finally I tried nailing the plate to the wall with the concrete ramset .22 caliber powder hammer. I bought this to attach flashing to the concrete foundation. I got the model with a trigger instead of the hammer activated one.

MasterShot Ramset

There are different power .22 shots to control the power and different sized nails. I tried a 2″ nail for concrete and a 22 power shot and it was far too strong. It sent the nail most of the way in but it also bent the metal plate. Then I tried a 15 power shot and a 2″ nail and the nail was only half in. The second time I tried a 22 shot the nail was in the brick and also only went half way in. So I drilled around the nails which was a little easier than drilling without the nail inserted. Then I removed the nails and drilled the holes a little larger to put hollow anchors in their place. I finally tried a 15 power shot and 3/4″ nails and that worked pretty well, although it also chipped the brick on one side. The chip is hard to see because it is under the bar but it appears the bar is sturdily installed into the wall. For each side there are two anchors cut short to fit in shallower holes and one ramset nail.

Master bath safety bar

This bar did not have a decorative cover for the attachment plates but I also bought it at the Restore for $5 so I’m happy with it.
The new bar is not as wide as the older one. I ordered it from Amazon in the antique brass color. I checked out the 2 x 4’s in the bathroom wall using old photos of the wall and determined a 20″ bar would span the studs and attach firmly to the wood. The light switch is spaced away from the door with 2×4’s.

Bathroom wall studs

The size was exactly right. Both ends screwed securely to wood. The extensions for the light switch were long enough to put the bar at 40″ high. I leveled it and drilled holes for each screw. I had trouble with one screw and had to replace it with a trusty drywall screw. Many screws that come from China are very weak and easily drill out the phillips head.

Brass safety bar

This bar has decorative plates that screw onto the anchor plate which gives a cleaner look. We now have safety bars in both bathrooms for the toilets. Mom is in a wheelchair and I have been helping her stand and turn but the bars will make it easier for her. Merry Christmas!

Posted in Bathrooms | Comments Off

Solar Install Scheduled!

Posted on December 14, 2017 by ellen

Our Solar City/Tesla installation has been scheduled for mid March! I was surprised it would take that long to get a crew and materials together to do the installation but at least we are now on the schedule. I asked for a newer install date if at all possible and they will give us a call if there is a cancellation. Probably not but that is a possibility.
The current federal government majority is not very supportive of alternative energy so they have proposed to cut out the tax incentive we were counting on for this install. The last information I read (today) is that these credits will stay until they phase out themselves in 2020.
The progress on our install has been interesting. The initial plan was very short on information. This was all, a diagram and list of types of equipment and where located. No details!

Solar City Engineering Plan

I don’t think this drawing is very true to the building elevation though as this is the architect’s drawing of the same roof area. But I suppose it is close enough. The central third of the house is about three degrees from true south so the garage roof is a bit east of south.

Dibble Res Roof

I suppose most consumers are not that interested in the details. I contacted the sales rep and he took some time to put together a complete list of components for the system! I was very impressed with the service.

Solar City Parts List

About the same time as I received this list, the building permit plans had been submitted and approved. They were posted for my address at the city building department and had much more detail. In addition to the site plan there is a side elevation.

Tesla SOLAR PLAN Side View

Another page has the electrical diagram.

Tesla SOLAR PLAN Electrical Diagram

A whole page of electrical calculations is included in this plan for the building permit.

Tesla SOLAR PLAN Calculations

Plus there are product sheets for the Delta Inverter, the Tesla solar panels, the ZS rail system, the Powerwall, and the Millbank power connectors. The building permit document is a much more satisfying proposal but it took me a month to realize it was posted and approved. Another document is a seven page engineering report with figures on the roof load due to the addition of the PV modules and tie down system. Nice to see this work from the Tesla engineers.

I noticed the permit had been issued as of November 9th, and a couple of emails from the product rep were not specific about the date of the install. I called the company directly and they noted that the paperwork was in order but had been delayed by extra information requested internally and the job could now be scheduled. So I’m glad that I went ahead and called since we still have to wait three months for the install.

After installation, the inspector has to give his stamp of approval and then the power company can take up to six weeks to basically turn on the system. Then Tesla will walk us through turning it on from our end. What a long process!

Posted in Planning, Solar | Comments Off

Happy 2nd Birthday Grandson!

Posted on December 12, 2017 by ellen

We visited Oakland, California for a big birthday bash for our grandson. We were excited about decorating for his theme of “Cars and Trucks and Things that Go”. My sister and brother came to the party too. My brother all the way from the Chicago area.
These were all the decorations we brought with us!

Preparation for big birthday bash

My sister in California also made fancy banners to say Happy Birthday and to hang around the room.

Happy Birthday Banners

And my son made a cool race track for the kids out of pool noodles.

Pool noodle race track

The Lowly Worms were great party favors and the goldbug hunt was quite successful too.

Lowly Worms in favor bags

All the extra characters for the Brio wooden train set were a big hit. Several kids stopped by this table to play with it.

Busytown Train

We drew goldbugs on the toddlers hands with non-toxic white board markers and yellow body paint.

Body paint goldbugs

We had as much fun as the kids! They had a ride-on vehicle race and it was so silly! The little ones hardly knew to go around the track. But they were so cute. They were awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes of Busytown plush characters.
I’m so glad we could celebrate this amazing birthday for our sweet grandson with the family.

Posted in Diversions, Grandkids | Comments Off

Foundation Insulation

Posted on December 8, 2017 by ellen

We had some warm December weather and Dave thought he could do another outdoor project so he started digging the trench to repair and replace the foundation insulation.

Digging the trench

Although we thought the white insulation was EPS with its lower insulating value, it turned out the insulation is blue XPS, just faded to white where it was exposed. That means instead of an exterior foundation R value of about 12 it is closer to an R-20. Combined with the R-15 interior XPS the total foundation protection is R-35 or about the same as the walls.
After the trench was dug to the level of undamaged insulation, or about 10 inches deep, I cut out the broken and chewed away insulation and replaced it with new XPS. I also extended the insulation to the top of the foundation for the full 4″ of XPS at that level.

Applying pink XPS insulation

After fixing the insulation against the foundation with liquid nails, it was covered with the fiberglass packing corners from Repurposed Materials. I had to cut away the edge of the wooden sill under the block wall to fit the corners and to cut away any rotted wood. Then I treated the remaining wood with preservative.

Applying fiberglass corners

I was able to use power cement nails to fasten the fiberglass to the concrete sill in some places but in others the concrete crumbled so I used pieces of rebar as I did under the french door sills to hold the fiberglass against the foundation. Then the cracks between fiberglass pieces were filled with dark brown caulk.

Fiberglass covered insulation

We were able to get the job done just in time for much colder weather. We just have to fill in the trench when we return from our grandson’s second birthday party!

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope | Comments Off

Schluter Kerdi Shower

Posted on December 2, 2017 by ellen

Schluter Kerdi is a thin waterprrof membrane that feels like a thick paper with a fleece side that gets embedded in mortar and what must be a polymer infused side that is waterproof. The directions say to make the mortar thinner than usual but still able to hold a notch. I had pretty soupy mortar but it did hold a light ridge when spread.

Soupy mortar mix

On day one I had enough mortar for two shower walls. The shower is eight feet tall and will have a small ledge against the back where the insulation at the foundation wall is a bit wider than the outside 2 x 6 walls.
I cut full size sheets for the walls. Mortaring the bottom half first and installing the sheet and then holding that up with 2 x 4’s while I mortared the top half. That way the mortar did not get too dry for the membrane to hold.

Half wall with upper half mortared

I was supposed to use a 1/4″ notched trowel to spread the mortar but I have misplaced my tiling tools so I just used a new drywall paste spreader. It turned out the fleece absorbed the mortar with spaces between globs of mortar so it didn’t seem to be a problem. I smoothed out the membrane with the same rubber knife that I used to spread the epoxy bar coating on the cabinets. It really worked well to remove any bubbles under the membrane.

Membrane smoothed with rubber putty knife

I installed the rear wall first with the membrane centered on the wall. The membrane was unwieldy and it went on a bit crooked but not enough to worry about. I will draw level lines to lay the tile. I had to cut a longer piece to cover the ledges from the foundation insulation. It is all in one piece though so no need to overlap.

Rear wall installed

The membrane was installed right over the two wall niches. Later it was cut away to the edges of the niches.

Membrane over niche openings

Day two had the plumbing wall piece installed. The sides of the shower were narrow enough that the membrane was able to tuck into the corners and overlap the back wall membrane by the required two inches. Once the walls were covered and the niches trimmed with a razor knife, it was time to install the plumbing gaskets. The 3/4″ pipe gasket fit perfectly but the gasket for the shower control was too large for the valve opening so the alternative was to cut an extra piece of membrane with a hole to cover the piping. Later it will be caulked with the special Schluter caulk.

Membrane shower pipe gasket

Handmade shower control gasket

The Kerdi in the shower went in over Denshield fiberglass drywall although the specifications say that regular drywall can be used the paperless drywall is required by LEED. The space between the sheets were not taped and some of the screws were a bit crooked but the mortar covered these imperfections and the sides of the shower are very smooth and should be easier to tile than cement board with treated seams.

Membrane finished

I played around the plan for the tile layout. I’m used tan 6 x 6 tiles for trim on each end of the shower and they will go around the niches to make a finished edge. The bottom of the niches will be the dark brown trim tiles and I think the rear of the niches will be the wood round tiles. The floor will be the wood rounds and I would like to tile a strip of them up the plumbing wall. My niece says it is called a waterfall design. The rest will be the dark brown tile and the ledge is cut from the leftover family room bathroom granite.

Posted in Bathrooms, Construction, Plumbing | Comments Off

Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 30, 2017 by ellen

Oven Use on Thanksgiving

We roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving and I had the Effergy monitor on the oven electrical line and found that it uses up to 4KW during use.

Turkey 2017

My sister visited and set a beautiful table with my mother’s fancy china and silverware.

Thanksgiving Table

My granddaughter colored all the place settings with a little of my sister’s help. They were lovely. They told the ancient lore about acorns leading to long life and tiny acorns were attached to them.

Place setting

I spent most of my sister’s visit working on crafts for my grandson’s second birthday party in December. His theme is Cars and Trucks and Things that Go, which is his favorite book. I sewed Richard Scarry Lowly Worms out of 100% merino wool felt and stuffed with organic cotton. These are for California kids whose parents care about this kind of thing.

Partial Lowly Worms

It was also much nicer working with quality materials. I made several patterns and had to make my Lowlies kind of short and fat to get them turned out.

Lowly samples

My sister and daughter helped stuff and stitch them up and stitch on the hats. I made the tassels out of yellow yarn and embroidered the mouths. The eyes are childproof too.

Finished Lowlies

I also made a few stuffed goldbugs out of left over yellow jersey from sewing a Little Prince costume.

Stuffed Goldbug

We had the idea to find Lowly throughout the party set up like he appears in the pages of the Richard Scarry books. There was a sample of a wooden Lowly online and I thought it was cute. For little ones they had to be rather sizable so I bought 3″ wooden pegs. Then painted them with non-toxic tempera paint.

Painted peg Lowlies

They are decorated with non-toxic expo whiteboard markers and finished with cutting board wax. These are all natural materials and therefore not dangerous for little ones. My grandson will be two and his guests are about the same age and older.

The Lowly Worm troops are finished with the cutting board wax and ready for the party.

Goldbugs ready to party

Posted in Diversions, Monitoring | Comments Off

Exterior Door Trim

Posted on November 23, 2017 by ellen

I finally let the trim on the front door get so badly peeled and chipped that I had to paint it before winter set in. The sad truth is that something went terribly wrong when we had these doors painted by the Alpen company. We paid about $600 per door for the matching paint job and they were chipping and peeling from the start. When I complained they required that I prep for siding, finish overhangs and the patio before correcting it. The doors were re-painted six months later by another duo of spray painters who were supposed to sand them and then paint again. But their sanding job was minimal and it was not long before the new coat of paint was peeling off too.

Front Door Trim Paint

I knew I wanted to repaint but we were working on other tasks so it was put off for two years. First it was important to get down to bare wood as there was something really wrong with the primer coat that seemed to be creating the peeling. For that task I used a rubber toothed scrubber attachment for the grinder to quickly chip off the paint. Using it on the trim for one door wore out the tips.

Rubber toothed paint stripper

Then I sanded it all with my multitool with the sanding attachment and 60 grit sandpaper. That took off the extra paint reasonable quickly.

Sanded door trim

I had a gallon of brown low VOC Diamond Vogel exterior paint that I bought from a craigslist seller for $5 and when I finally got around to painting this door I had to buy some exterior primer as what was left from the house was interior only. After priming, I painted two coats of exterior brown. The paint was an excellent match.

Exterior brown door trim

This door trim was painted just in time for Thanksgiving guests.

Posted in Construction, Maintenance and Repair, Trim | Comments Off

Koffee Korner

Posted on November 19, 2017 by ellen

We kept the plumbing location from the old kitchen sink even though we had moved the wall. Originally I thought we might install an outdoor sink near this water supply. But as the house progressed I thought a bar sink would be fun on this short dining room wall.

Dining Wall Plumbing

I really like copper accents and I made the bar sink out of a copper tray that I had purchased at Target some years ago. It is a unique shape and fits on a tall plant stand I also had in Arizona. In order to make the tray into a sink, I had to be sure it held water, then cut a 1 3/4″ hole in the middle of the bottom. I measured the diagonals to get the center point and used a punch to mark the center of the circle. Then I used a diamond covered hole saw that I bought to make holes in granite. First I tried a regular hole saw and it didn’t work, in fact skipped around and scratched the surface. I had the sink clamped to a few 2×4’s and plywood to hold up the center as I cut.

The copper faucet is from our Arizona house. It was replaced under warranty because it rusted inside. I cleaned out the rust and some of the interior metal broke out with it, but the rusted part was a brace that was around the copper internal pipes and I am still able to use the faucet. Moen charged a hefty shipping charge to replace the faucet, it was about $60. So I don’t feel too guilty in keeping and reusing the original faucet.

I wanted to recess the faucet into the wall and for that I found that the second oak medicine cabinet from the demolish was a nice fit. So I drilled a hole for the faucet into the bottom of the oak box and cut the drywall to fit. Just like the Schluter shower niches, I installed side pieces of wood to the interior 2 x 4’s to nail the box to and fit it into the wall.

Bar Sink

I had a leak in the faucet so I took it all apart but the leak was from the hose sprayer spout so I found a rubber washer to install there and it stopped leaking. Then of course I had to put the faucet back in the oak niche. But before nightfall we had an exciting bar sink installed. I’m still working on hiding the plumbing though.

I bought a wrought iron shelf at the ReStore for $5 and i thought it would make a good cup rack. The set of shelves that holds the coffee maker, the filters and coffee grinder was $30 from Amazon. Kokopelli is from Arizona too and he beckons all to enjoy the brew. The finishing touch will be a Coffee sign to post above the shelf.

Coffee Arrow Sign

I hope that the setup is practical enough to use on a regular basis. It is a little tight but clears a lot of counter and shelf space in the kitchen.

Koffee Korner

Posted in Kitchen, Plumbing, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off

First Two Doors

Posted on November 11, 2017 by ellen

We brought in the two small closet doors because they were in the way in the garage. Well, they were in the way in the house too. I found these doors on Craigslist about 18 months ago. They were only $20 each and are brand new hollow core wood veneer prehung doors. It so happened that both the pantry and the vacuum closet in the family room required 18″ doors and we measured and built the openings to fit these doors.
With my 20 watt finish nail gun (Christmas present last year) it was quick work to level the doors in the openings and nail them in.

Dewalt finishing nailer

I fitted a door on the vacuum closet first. I had to remove the plastic braces and bolt holding the door shut and used some spacers to insert it level into the framed space.

Vacuum closet door

Next I tackled the pantry closet door. Unfortunately this one was framed a bit crooked and I nailed in the door without seeing that it was off level. I had to cut the nails with the multitool and then cut the jamb at the bottom to get it to fit level in the framing.

Cut off casing to fit opening

The trim should cover the gap that was needed to level the top of the door.

Uneven framing

And now the pantry door is installed although it does not fit as well as the vacuum closet door, the door wants to pop out of the jamb too easily. I double checked the levelness of the frame and it is true. It appeared that the hinges were not fully set on the door so I took it off and trimmed a bit more wood from the mortises. It is better but still requires firmness in closing.

Pantry door

Ideally we would use door trim something like this cabinet I saw on craigslist. We like the rustic look.

Nice door trim

Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle, Tools, Trim | Comments Off

Fire Alarms

Posted on November 9, 2017 by ellen

I finally got the fire alarms installed after having the item on multiple lists since the electrical was finished. I’m trying to check off all the requirements for our final inspection.

LEED requires that we have a carbon monoxide alarm near the entry from the garage because the garage is attached. I purchased combination fire and carbon monoxide alarms that are interconnected throughout the house so that if one sounds the others do also. There is one in the entry to fulfill this requirement.

Each bedroom needs an alarm according to code. This requirement changed a bit during our project because originally we were told we needed an alarm within 15 ft. of the bedroom entries and one in the master bedroom. So we wired one between the bedroom doors in the hallway. Now that they are required inside the bedrooms, the hall alarm loses its function. However, the alarms in the bedrooms do not have to be wired alarms. I thought I had a couple of battery powered alarms from a previous project but I could only find one. So I ordered a second one today for the other bedroom.

Although we don’t really need the alarm in the hall now, the drywallers covered that fire alarm electrical box. They also covered the box on the dining room ceiling. The electricians didn’t extend the boxes for the depth of the drywall so it was easy to cover them. I will need to find the boxes and cut open the ceiling to install the alarms.

Hall Fire alarm before drywall

Rear Hall Drywalled Ceiling

Someone mentioned that the dining room alarm might be too close to the kitchen and could result in nuisance alarms from cooking. But I think having the covered boxes is actually a fire hazard so I better install the extra alarms. I ordered five alarms and I have installed four but six were wired. Luckily Ebay still has the same model and I can get another one. There is one in the family room, in the master bedroom, in between the living room and the hallway, and in the entry.

I was also worried that perhaps the electricians didn’t include the third wire to connect the fire alarms on the circuit so that they were in sync. I didn’t remember specifying that to them, but they did include the third wire in each box.

Fire alarm box with third wire

The alarms are interconnected so that when one is triggered, the others repeat the same information. The voice announcement helps recognize which alarm is going off.

Voice Fire Alarm

This is a video of the fire alarm sound which echoes from one alarm to the other.
Video of the fire alarm sound

I will need a sixth alarm to finish the project. I think I had not counted on the bedroom hallway alarm when the inspector told me we needed one within fifteen feet of the bedroom doors. But for now it is not obvious that more work needs to be done!

UPDATE: The alarms were delivered and now are installed. With the before and after photos I was able to cut the ceiling quite close to the boxes. Where the cuts went beyond the alarm plate I used painters caulk to fill in the space.

Cut ceiling for alarm box

Patched ceiling at alarm

This was the last of the electrical installs for the final inspection. Although I did get a Sense Me switch for the Haiku fan and installed that too.

Posted in Electrical, LEED Project, Trim | Comments Off

Adding a Shower Light

Posted on November 6, 2017 by ellen

The family room shower is big and it was dark inside. It really needed a light but I didn’t specify one in the electrical drawings so I had to add it as a retrofit.
The light I bought came with an incandescent bulb so I also ordered a GU10 LED bulb for it. The light is really white compared to the bathroom lights.

Shower light and switch

I bought a Globe 4″ recessed chrome light rated for shower use because I could not find a brushed brass fixture. I tried to buy a 4″ antique brass trim that was supposed to fit 4″ can lights but the diameter was already 4″ so it didn’t fit my light. It was a bit too dark in tone anyway.

4 inch pot light for shower

The chrome blends in with the current unpainted ceiling. I cut the hole a bit too big and it took me several tries before I realized I had to push the arms that hold the can out over the drywall from the inside of the can and snap them into place. I finally figured it out though. It looks like the can might have to be lowered for the light to be snug in the can when there is tile between the can and the light baffle and trim.

Chrome shower light

The wiring was not too difficult because we have a junction box for several circuits in the attic area so I just had to fish the wires from the switch to the junction box and from the switch to the light.

Wiring path for shower light wire

As part of this project Dave and I labeled all the circuits in the attic junction box. Now we know what is going through there. I added the wiring to the same circuit that will control the ERV and is the circuit to the Master Bath and the post where the modem is located. It is circuit 17.
It has taken months to accurately label the electric circuits. The electricians only partially labeled them and left me a scribbled list! I think this is the most detailed description of the circuits in both the inside and outside boxes.

Electric Circuits

Posted in Electrical | Comments Off

Radon Proof Sump Cover

Posted on November 6, 2017 by ellen

When we demoed the slab floor we saw that drain pipes were connected from the outside perimeter foundation of the house into the sump tank.

Exterior pipes into sump tank

We seldom saw water in the sump tank so we were not sure the system worked, but we left it as originally designed as we think it supplements the drainage around the foundation perimeter. But the sump cover was loosely laid and the holes in it were raggedly cut and open.

Sump cover and Boiler drainage

Having that hole in the utility room is not good for Radon infiltration. I knew we needed sealed radon cover but the covers made for radon were too large for the space. So I ordered a sealed cover with a few extra fittings for our existing pipes.

Structural Foam Sump Cover

Unlike the photo, the holes in the cover I received were both sized for 2″ pipe with a third hole for the sump pump wire plug. Our sump pump had a one inch pipe but unfortunately when I was working on the system, I discovered that the pump is clogged or broken and does not pump water anymore.
In order to fit the cover over the sump hole, I had to cut the plastic corregated pipe down to the concrete level. I was reluctant to try to bolt the cover directly to the concrete because the cover was so close to the edge of the hole that the concrete would just crumble. So I got the idea of attaching a ring around the tank. I cut the ring from 1/2″ plywood.

Plywood set up to cut round hole

I marked the hole with a nail and a piece of wood and cut both an inside and outside circle.

Inside and outside circle cut with jigsaw

Unfortunately I had cut the inner circle exactly the size of the tank so of course it didn’t fit. Luckily I had cut it wide enough that I could take out a second circle and end up with a ring of the right size.

Second circle cut to fit

I used Liquid Nails again to glue the circle of wood to the concrete around the sump tank. Then I weighted it down with some boxes at hand and waited for the glue to dry.

Plywood ring glued around tank

Then I used concrete caulk to seal the inside and outside of the plywood ring to the concrete.

Tank caulked inside and outside plywood ring

Next I had to prepare the cover. To seal up the larger openings, I ordered a sample kit of neoprene materials in 4″x 4″ size and a couple of plugs for the pipes I have running into the sump. One is the 3/4″ overflow for the boiler, and the other is the 1/2″ condensate drain. Ideally we would have a pump in the hole but I vacuumed out the water that was in the tank and noticed enough silt on the bottom that it may have clogged the sump pump which I bought for clear water only. I just put a neoprene patch between the bolted on hole gasket and the cover.

Neoprene patch over one of the 2″ holes

I decided to try to mount a smaller gasket inside the second 2″ hole. I ordered some 3″ plastic covers and drilled a hole in one to pop in the 3/4″ rubber gasket. I used the adhesive neoprene sample to seal the plastic cover to the hole.

Adhesive neoprene

I used a spade hole bit to cut a hole in the cover and neoprene layer to make a hole for the gasket and then I used extra flat neoprene tape to reinforce the gasket in the hole.

Gasket in plastic lid

The rubber gasket material that came with the cover was stretched around the outside
edge of the bottom of the cover to make a seal when it is screwed on. I also made an extra 1/2″ hole in the cord plug and temporarily plugged the cord hole.

The cover was ready to be fitted to the sump tank. To fit the cover, I made sure the pipes could be inserted before I screwed it down. Without the pump piping, I only had the boiler overflow and the condensate drain to fit into gaskets.

Cover screwed on with condensate and overflow pipes

Until I replace or fix the pump for the tank the tank cover is finished. It is sealed so that any radon gas that gathers in the tank will not be released into the house.

Posted in Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Radon Mitigation | Comments Off

Ladder Pot Hanger Shelf

Posted on November 5, 2017 by ellen

I have two of these old kiva ladders. They are popular in the Southwest and I like the look of them made out of logs and leather straps. I needed to use the 12′ ladder to help hang this ladder for the kitchen shelf and pot rack I had in mind.

Rods installed in the ceiling

I had a bit of trouble deciding how to connect the shelf to the ceiling. We had plenty of wood crosspieces in the ceiling to hang hooks for chain, but I was worried chain would sway too much under use. So I found threaded screw in rod holders and threaded rods that seemed to be more sturdy. I would have used iron pipes and iron pipe flanges but I couldn’t find a suitable angle piece to mount them from the pitched ceiling.

Twelve foot ladder to help hang shelf

I found eye bolts that would hold the iron pipes under each side of the ladder. I used rod connectors to add the eye bolts to the ends of the rods. I cut the taller rods to make them even with the shorter ones. I had figured I wanted the ladder about 65 inches from the ceiling at the tall end and 45″ at the shorter end. With eye bolts all one size I ended up with an uneven ladder. So I exchanged two of the 8″ bolts for two 4″ and the sides were even.

First Hanging

I had the pipes to connect the front and the back pipes. So I threaded them together to create a large rectangle to hold up the ladder and its shelf.

Added side bars

With the side bars I supposed it would be the right height to hang pots from.

Ladder pot hanging shelf

When the metal S hooks arrived to hang the pots, the cast iron pans hung down too low and Dave hit his head on them. I discovered I could use the space between the pipe and the ladder as a rack though. So I used the hooks to hang some utensils that are too large for a drawer.

Pot rack and hooks

I have several misplaced holes in the ceiling that have to be caulked and painted but the pot rack is finished.

Posted in Design Style, Kitchen, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off

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