Twinsprings Research Institute

New Switch for Tile Saw

Posted on March 8, 2018 by ellen

I bought a Husky bridge style wet tile saw for a bathroom remodel tile project in our Tempe house in 2007.

Tempe Bath Vanity Area Tile

That was the first really creative tile layout that I designed and it turned out pretty well I thought.

Tempe Bath Vanity

It helped to have a wet saw to make the cuts and I did several tile projects in Tempe. We also used the saw on my son’s condo and my daughter and son-in-law’s tile projects and of course in this house.
After over ten years of use though the saw is beginning to wear out.

Tile Saw Label

Last year we replaced the hose between the pump and the blade. The splash guard completely rotted and I tore it off. A pin broke on the cord cover and it needs to be taped to hold it together. The pump connector cracked off during the tiling of the master bath shower and I had to order a part and replace the hose connection with a brass fitting. It is frustrating to be delayed when the tool is broken.
Last week while finishing the shower floor tile I noticed that the switch sometimes had to be turned on more than once for the saw to start and it wasn’t long before the switch stopped operating completely. This is a common problem with these switches, especially with an older tool. I found a replacement that was rated the same 120/20A and 240/12A and ordered it.

Safety Rocker Switch

But when it arrived I took the switch out of the frame it came in and I ended up taking it apart. Then the tabs inside fell out and I had to reassemble the switch.

It was a difficult job to disassemble the power box. It is accessible but the wires inside are tight and I had to remove several clamps to get enough slack in the box to reach the connections and remove the old switch.

Wet Saw Power Box Opened and Unclamped

Unfortunately after the switch was installed and when I started to put the box back together I tested the switch first and it didn’t work! The switch was not engaging and I thought it could be due to a broken circuit breaker that was attached to the switch. So I ordered a new circuit breaker but when it came today and I installed it the switch still didn’t work. So I had to take the switch out of the housing and figure out why not.

I opened the switch and one of the rocker plates that makes the contact was skewed. I placed it correctly and closed the switch and then checked for continuity with a multimeter and it seemed OK. So I tested it outside the power box enclosure and it turned on the saw. Then I had to disconnect it and insert it into the housing again and fiddle around getting all the wire clamps back in place and the the housing cover didn’t want to line up with the screw towers and a screw to reassemble was missing so I just used a trusty drywall screw.
When it was back together I tried to reinstall the rubber boot and holder for over the switch but they didn’t have enough clearance for this new switch so I had to leave them off.
Finally the saw is back together and working, just in time for a bathroom redo at my daughter and son-in-law’s house and to finish the master bath floor. Whew, I hope it doesn’t break again for awhile.

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Tile, Tools | Leave a comment

Master Bath Shower Grout

Posted on March 4, 2018 by ellen

The work on the shower in the master bath has been slow but steady. Bill recommended sealing the rough tile before grouting so the epoxy would not stick to the tile faces. I couldn’t find our concrete floor sealer to use on the shower tile and Bill said some sealers will leave a white residue which I knew the soy based stuff would if put on too thick. So an easy solution was to buy a bottle of spray on sealer from Home Depot. Bill recommended TileLab Grout and Tile Sealer.

Tile and grout sealer

This just sprays on and wipes off. The instructions recommend two coats and not letting the sealer dry on the tile without wiping it. The sealer worked great at keeping the grout from working its way into the rough surface of the feature tile.
I had one more batch of the SpectraLock epoxy grout that I divided last summer. I used it to start grouting the shower. The mixing went well with the yellow part A and white part B mixed first.

Clipping corner of solution bag

The edge of the baggie is clipped and the whole bag squeezed out.

Squeezing white part B into yellow part A

When thoroughly mixed it is time to pour in the sand. The portion is weighed at 2.25 lbs. About 75% to 90% is added all at once and mixed in.

Mixing in colored fine sand

Then slightly more is added until the grout is the right consistency. Sometimes the whole bag is used and sometimes not.

Peanut butter grout consistency

Starting at the top of the shower, each batch of grout completed about three rows of tile all the way around the shower. I only did one batch of grout a day to keep from wearing myself out and getting sloppy.

Grout on tile feature

I used a narrow plastic scraper to spread the grout in the shower which worked well. It was flexible but firm enough to press the grout into the joints. I left enough on to spread with the rubber trowel to pack it firmly into the crevices. Then I rinsed the wall with a special solution and a microfiber cloth, next another rinse with another solution and a white 3M scrubby. The third rinse is with clear vinegar water and a large grout sponge.

Shower walls and floor grouted

I had to divide another pro package of grout into four mini sections. I used two more to get from the top to the bottom of the shower and part of the floor. Each mini mix takes about an hour to spread. That is the recommended time for a batch before it needs to be rinsed. Rinsing takes about another hour of work.
I have another two pro packages to divide. I’m hoping I was pretty close in estimating the total amount of epoxy grout the tiling will need. There is a bit more tile in front of the shower that needs to be installed and grouted. Then the master bath will just need doors to be complete.

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile | Leave a comment

Gleaning More Materials

Posted on March 3, 2018 by ellen

I’ve used most of the building materials that have been stockpiled in the past; although there is more finish work in the house that needs to be completed. I hope to use the log railings for door and window trim inside. I have some baseboards for the house and rubber patio blocks that need to be installed outside. But I’m also thinking ahead to other projects.

This week I visited Repurposed Materials twice. Thursday to pick up a large galvanized window well that I bought when I was there on Monday for my auction items. I bought 4 drums of rubber infill, which seems to be tires finely ground that I will use instead of sand to lay a base for the rubber patio tile

Four barrels of rubber infill

I also won the bid for a set of metal rollers from a conveyer system that I will use for lumber rollers to support cut timbers too long for the table saw.

The galvanized metal window well is big. About 72″ long and 69 inches wide and about 23″ deep. I’m uncertain whether to use it as the base or the lid for the tank enclosure. I bought two hydraulic bed lifts to allow access to the enclosure.

Selby Bed Lift Installed

I have to insulate the enclosure well and there will be holes in the material used on the side for pipe access. I want it below the deck wall so that it does not interfere with the view.

Window Well

I still had two of the barrels of rubber granules in the truck because they were too heavy to dump. The loaders pulled them to the back for me and loaded the window well on top. The metal originally sat directly over the bed rails but it fell down almost immediately when I left the yard even though it was tied and tightened with bungee cords. At least it didn’t fall off completely. I got out of the truck on the highway ramp to retighten the ropes and bungees keeping it on the truck for the trip home.

Window well in truck

I also picked up just two of these plastic lattice edges because they seemed like they would work for holding the glass in the trombe wall. They might work but they cost $3 each. I don’t have a plan yet to help decide whether they are worth it or how many I would need.

Lattice fence edges

I also bought one of these roof pavers just to see if it would work as a foundation for the tank enclosure. They are $135 for 20 or $6.75 a piece.

Extruded polystyrene and concrete roof pavers

I was dreaming about putting these on our flat roof and building up a green roof on top of them for better insulation up there. But they are not in the best shape and I’m not sure the roof can take the extra weight. The rafters are 2 x 12’s and it is a short span of about 12 ft. so the roof is pretty sturdy. The green roofs I’m researching are shallow systems that use sedum and grasses instead of deep soil. These cement pavers are held on just by perimeter edging and are tongue and groove so the wind won’t lift them. They would add about R15 to the roof.

When I was on the east side of town I also drove to Aurora and bought a small electric water heater to use for a drain back tank for the hot tub solar water system. I had been looking out for a reasonably priced or free non-working small water heater. A 10 gallon one costs about $250 new and I bought this 115 volt model for $50.

19 Gallon Electric Water Heater

I need the tank for the liquid in the thermal heating system. The panels each hold a little over a gallon of liquid and the tank has to hold all the liquid in the panels and piping including the heat exchanger. It is supposed to be about 50% larger than all the liquid so 10 gallons may not have been enough but 19 gallons should be plenty.

This project will take awhile but it will be great to have more solar and save on the electricity used to heat the hot tub.

Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle, Solar, Spa, Trombe Wall | Leave a comment

Tank Troubles

Posted on February 28, 2018 by ellen

I found an ad on craigslist for six solar panels and two storage tanks. It was another Novan system with a heat exchanger. They had a photo of the panels installed on the roof.

Original panel install

There were also photos of the panels on the driveway and the tanks in the basement.

Solar thermal panels

Large solar storage tanks

We picked up the panels in December and went back in January to disassemble the tanks and the heat exchanger and start the move of the tanks. That was when we realized they were too large and too heavy to move like the smaller system I purchased a few years ago.
The storage tanks on this system were big. I looked up the specs on the AO Smith STD 120 gallon solar boost tanks and learned they weigh 300 lbs.

AOSmith Solar Boost Tank Specs

We strapped a tank onto an appliance dolly and tried to get it up the basement stairs and it was too difficult. The seller had plans to be out of town for a few weeks and we planned a week in Arizona. In the meantime I started thinking the whole deal was going to be too difficult for us oldsters. The seller was older too although he and his friend who was helping with the sale were both in great shape as hikers and mountain bikers and mountain climbers. Very impressive backgrounds climbing in Katmandu and Australia!
In early February I arranged for some movers to bring the tanks up from the basement. I also planned to use plywood on the staircase to make a smooth surface to raise the tanks and even brought a winch that was attached to a 2 x 4 that could span the doorway. Unfortunately the movers stood us up at our 10:00 a.m. appointment. They claimed they had a tire blow on the way from Colorado Springs which is two hours away. I can’t imagine what they were doing there but they 100% guaranteed that they would be available at 3:30. At 4:00 I was unable to get ahold of anyone in the company and ended up just going home. After another few weeks of other projects and obligations and attempted arrangement for other movers, I decided we would try to slide them up ourselves or take them apart.
Today when we arrived we tried to take a tank up the stairs without the plywood or winch and couldn’t do it again. So we laid it down and started taking it apart. I left my phone in the truck so I didn’t get any photos of the process.
I had researched the tanks and they were glass lined steels tanks inside a casing of steel and insulation. I watched some youtube videos on scrapping and learned how to take one apart by slicing the outer casing off. So this morning I brought several tools to the worksite. All our pipe wrenches and socket sets, several screwdrivers including our battery powered drills and a grinder to slice off the casing. So when we couldn’t handle the full weight, the disassembly began.

The grinder did a good job of slicing the tank. There were a lot of sparks and it was rather loud. Roger was kind enough to find us all ear plugs to save what little hearing we have left. We pried off the top and bottom and had to cut around bolts that we could not get a grip on to get off on the bottom. We sliced away a good portion of the insulation around the tank but then decided to try loading it again on the dolly and taking it up the stairs.

It was still too heavy for me to be at the top, then Dave tried it and it was too heavy for him so we put down the plywood and he arranged the winch at the garage door and it was rolled up the plywood. At one point we were not sure how to stand it up at the top of the stairs but then decided to hook the winch onto the bottom of the dolly instead of the handle while Dave winched the two other men stood up the tank.

With a little finagling the tank went around the corner through the garage door and down the step to the trailer and we strapped it on. The scrap metal went in the back of the truck.

Scrap metal in truck

Roger had to leave so we stripped the second tank of its metal shell and will return on Monday to get it up the stairs and onto the trailer.

Stripped tank on trailer

The tanks are pretty rusted at the top and bottom and I hope I can clean them up enough to lay on their sides in an insulated enclosure to store the water from the panels. It was a big job and we were exhausted and hungry when we were finished.

Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle, Solar, Spa | Leave a comment

Pine Log Haul

Posted on February 24, 2018 by ellen

I have a habit of checking craigslist for log items. I want to use pine logs for the trim in the house. I’m hoping to create a Colorado rustic lodge look.
I missed out on some log siding from Evergreen because it was too snowy and I offered less than asking. So when I saw this ad I decided to try for it. I was the first responder and the seller honored that even though it took me a few days to get there to pick it up.

Ad for pine logs

The home it was from was purchased last year for 1.8 million. The new owner was not removing all the trim, just a few extra posts and railings. He replaced the log railings with metal rods and turnbuckles. A more modern and industrial look that was also attractive. It was a huge house. In fact I kidded the owner about whether he thought it was big enough. He said it was too big when it came to doing renovations. Here are some photos from the real estate site. These are the rooms that he pulled logs from.

Log Home Entry

Log Home Living Room Mantel

The ad showed all the log sections for sale. This is what tempted me.

Tall Pine Post	Stair railing sections
Stair railing	Mantel

The weather was in the single digits but clear when I picked up these logs. The roads were still snow covered and so were the pine trees. It was a beautiful morning in the mountains. The owner and a couple of workmen helped load them and even drove my truck out of the steep slippery driveway for me.

Log railings in truck

Log Haul

I’m planning to use the tall posts to build a front porch roof and the smaller stuff for interior door and window trim. I’ll have to figure out where to store the logs.

Posted in Construction, Finishes, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Trim | Leave a comment

Shower Floor

Posted on February 20, 2018 by ellen

On the last day of Bill’s visit the tile saw pump connection broke. It could have frozen as the temperature dropped from the 60’s to below freezing overnight. We couldn’t keep the water line connected so we stopped cutting tiles for the master bath shower and Bill started the layout for the family room bathroom shower.

I worked on the shower floor after the part for the saw arrived. I had to order a 1/2″ MPT to 1/4″ barb fitting online as I could not find one at the box store or at the hardware stores. I visited several! In fact I could hardly believe that I couldn’t find the fitting or even a combination of fittings that would work.

Once I was able to cut tile with the saw again we were blessed with several warm days. I was able to lay out the cuts around the drain and then finish the edges. We started with a square line drawn to the front of the shower. Since the shower was uneven front to back Bill brought the tile line a bit outside the shower entry to trick the eye. The original squared line would have left the side of the drain with a gap because of the wavy tile, so I moved the line over just half an inch to get easier cuts surrounding the drain.

Lined up square to front and drain cuts

Bill advised me to do the floor in two days, first the alignment with the squared line and the drain, and then the perimeter, letting the first tiles dry and be set before installing the rest of them.

Partial installation

I’m using the levels as straight edges to push the tiles into square. Some of the tiles were a bit larger or smaller than ideal so pushing them into place could expand or contract the grout joint. That required a series of adjustments to get the grout joints as level and aligned as possible.
The next day the outlying tiles had to be cut to fit. I cut them all before I started laying them but a few still had to be trimmed. I back buttered all the tiles as I laid them on the 3/8″ notch troweled unmodified mortar. It seemed to be the easiest to then pull them up as Bill had taught me so the top edges aligned. If the mortar was too thick and squished up between the tiles, I cleaned the grout line out with an extra spacer. I didn’t get them all completely aligned but I’m not an expert and I hope the grout makes up for mismatched edges.

Tile laid

The next step is sealing the rough faced tile so that the grout is easier to spread between the tiles and doesn’t stick to them.

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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!

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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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment