Twinsprings Research Institute

Annual Garage Clean Out

Posted on December 16, 2016 by ellen

Mostly cleared car area

We use the garage as a work space during the warmer months and it gets filled with materials and tools. So I took today very late in the fall to clear it out so the car can fit in it for the coldest and snowiest time of the year.

I was able to rearrange most of the materials taking up room in the garage. Had a whole work table of items from building the soffit as well as insulation from the siding project. Some extra interior doors that are not in very good shape so they don’t merit garage storage, and various piping and solar controls that I hope to use some day.

Tools and stuff to clear away

We just bought a new old car at a Colorado State University online auction. I’m signed up for the notices of items for sale and this car seemed like a make and model we know something about. We’ve had our current Impala since new in 2001 and just had to put a sizeable amount of money it in to keep it running. There are still some issues like a slight oil leak and turn signals that sometimes just stop working, a cracked windshield. Plus missing interior lighting and other falling apart stuff that happens as a car reaches 15 or 16 years of age.

The “reused” car is a 2010 Impala that was formerly in the department of environmental science. It is a fleet car so at the bottom of the model line instead of our Impala which was at the top end. But as a university fleet car it had regular maintenance and is in pretty good condition. It has average mileage for a 2010 car at 81,280 at purchase. So hope it lasts at least 10 years.

New old car

I raised the scaffolding to provide some over the hood storage. I had read this idea on rv.net but they may have had a little smaller car.

Storage over hood

Ours just barely fits between the legs of the scaffolding when I pull it in as far as it will go.

Too close for comfort

I’m probably going to move some of the side items to the front to provide a bit more walk around space. There is room under the scaffolding and I could just drive up to it instead of poking the nose between the legs of the structure and still have room to get behind the car at the garage door.

Very tight fit

This means I’m not completely done but good enough until the latest bout of deep freeze temperatures moderate. The next few nights will be below zero and days in the single digits. But like us the car will be cozy and warm in the insulated garage while we bask in our radiant heated house.

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off

Birthday Boy

Posted on December 14, 2016 by ellen

We took a week off to celebrate our grands0n’s first birthday. We had a great time helping to plan and set up the party. Our daughter-in-law is Korean and we had so much fun learning about and implementing the Korean 1st birthday traditions. The celebration is known as Dol and the game the baby plays is the Doljabi. He was challenged to choose an item to represent his future, both from a group of traditional choices and a group of modern ones. He was shy to choose from the first set of items in front of the crowd and finally chose the gavel which represents justice. For the second set they had to hold him back because he zoomed right for the race car.

Second choice was the keyboard.

For this ceremony the family wear traditional Korean dress, called Hanbok. The Dol table is set up to represent the joy of the first birthday and the bounty of the family.

Baby sits at a table of plenty wearing hanbok and gold jewelry.

It is adorned with dol towers that congratulate him on his 1st birthday, have his Korean name, and the symbol of the year of his birth. For last year it was the goat. I made these towers with beans, leftover plastic pipe sections and a hot glue gun. The table is also decorated with authentic Korean silk cloths and tassels and Korean embroidery in a rich design plus towers of fruits to show abundance.

Dol Table

Of course the food table was also laden with delicious Korean delicacies and rice cakes were part of the desert table.

Korean Finger Food

The baby was loaded with love and gifts to celebrate this great birthday in Korean culture. The survival of the first year was truly a milestone in harder times. Another big celebration occurs when a person turns 60 (or in these days sometimes 70) as that is the opposite year from the first and again has the same symbol showing a joyous completion of the life cycle.

The grandmas with the baby

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Fixing Plumbing Inspection Issues

Posted on December 3, 2016 by ellen

The bar sink drain was improved by moving the drain pipe to the middle of the 2 x 6 wall. I raised the drain to the level of the trap and reinstalled the air vent.

Rerouted bar sink drain

The master bath drain just needed to be turned horizonatally to the drain pipe. It was vertical which broke the trap weir rule.

Changed master vanity drain

In the family bathroom, I removed the clean out that was unnecessary and replaced the sanitary tee with an elbow. I moved the drain over a bit to allow more room between the vanity and the shower wall.

Then I had to fix the gas piping. At first I kept the old gas valve and bought another gas valve, an 18″ black pipe and some more yellow gas tape since I could not find the roll I had. I altered the piping as the inspector recommended because there is no other gas valve inside to turn off the gas to the stove while I worked on it. Keeping the old valve allowed me to turn off the gas to the stove to install a new valve in the stove cabinet.

Because the drain was too close to the wall where the pipe ran, the pipe was going to need to be boxed in. An extra step and a pain for drywalling.

Black gas pipe into stove cabinet

I kept smelling gas while working on the new piping so I decided to get rid of the old valve and run the pipe on the other side of the drain so that it would not stick out past the 2 x 4’s. I bought another gas valve and turned off the gas outside to install it at the beginning of the pipe run to the stove. I realized I could clear the drain pipe in the wall by raising the gas supply to the bottom of the air vent and running it on the other side of the drain.

Valve and gas supply to stove

I put in the valve and then a 24″ vertical pipe that clears the washing machine supply. At the stove, the pipe descends again 18″ and I used a 12″ pipe to attach the gas valve and flex piping inside the cabinet.

Gas pipe to stove

Next I had to install the new chrome back flow preventer on the tub faucet hand shower.

Backflow preventer

And finally to protect the pipe from nails or screws in the 2 x 4’s I installed metal plates on both sides of the studs over the places where the pipes went through the wall.

Metal plates to protect water pipes

While I had the walls and pipes exposed, I also installed the box for the icemaker’s water supply. The pipe now goes to a valve in the wall and can be shut off there as well as at the supply in the corner of the kitchen.

Icemaker water supply box for drywall installation

These tasks were all the inspector noted. So I think I can call him back to check the work and hopefully pass the rough plumbing inspection.

UPDATE: Everything fixed, everything passed! Check the rough plumbing inspection off the list.

Posted in Inspections, Plumbing | Comments Off

One Afternoon, One Siding Piece

Posted on November 26, 2016 by ellen

My brother couldn’t finish the siding on the lower house because we ran out of siding. So we tried to order more, just the unpainted stucco version, but it ended up being backordered so it didn’t arrive until this week. Unfortunately when I went to pick it up, they informed me that four of the five sheets I ordered were pretty severely damaged. So I just took one and returned the others as damaged.

I brought the piece home yesterday and today after the grandkids went home from their fun overnight at about noon, we took it out of the truck and I measured to cut it for the inner part of the master bedroom doorway. Even though the height of the section was a bit taller than a sheet of siding, I had to cut an angle in the top in order to slide it into place under the porch overhang. Unfortunately as soon as I took the nippers to the board, a big chunk fell out of the corner. So I had to trim the board by about 2 inches for the inside corner. Once that was done, Dave lifted it into place and I drew the line for the other edge. We cut the board and sighed with relief when it didn’t break.

Newly cut piece of siding

We tried nails to find the center of the box for the outside light, then I drilled a hole in the box and started a long screw. I thought some wet paint on the screw head would make a mark at the center of the box on the siding but if it did, it was impossible to see. Instead we measured from the top, bottom and side and drilled a pilot hole big enough to peep through. It was over the hole for the box so I made the hole bigger and tried to determine where the center of the box was located with a screwdriver poked through the hole. Eventually I had a circle on the panel to cut out with a grinder and some tile nippers. After trying it again up on the wall, I had to make the hole larger at the bottom but it turned out the opening was over the hole for the box which was fortunate.

I didn’t get the panel screwed on, just a couple of nails, not nailed in all the way are holding it up, along with a couple of boards leaning against the panel. Tomorrow will get out there and get it screwed in and painted. Since this is the unpainted and therefore cheaper version of the panels, I’m going to use some of the extra edge paint to have the whole panel match, until I get around to changing the outside color to better match the existing stucco.

I hope the pieces left of the siding are enough to cover the rear entry door area. That would mean all the torn off siding from last year gets replaced before deep winter arrives.

Siding to Master Porch

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Construction | Comments Off

The Great Unwind

Posted on November 24, 2016 by ellen

For a couple of years we have been using my family’s 60’s silver Christmas tree. It is definitely a classic and with a new rotating light, fascinated the grandkids.

Antique Silver Tree

But this year I thought I would like to try one of those tall skinny fake trees. I want to use our traditional ornaments again and they are too heavy for the silver tree. I’ve been looking for a tree for a few months on craigslist but the sellers were either too far away or I was not as motivated as I am now. The sellers are smart to wait for the holidays to get the best price. I bought the tree from a family who pick them up at garage sales etc. all year and refurbish them if they can. They were decorating their house when I arrived to buy the tree, the kids were on the roof, and invited me back to see it at night. Last year they won a prize and their entire December electric bill was paid for them! This one had been prelit and they could not fix the lights. But I decided to take the lights off the tree.

Craigslist 9 ft. tree

Instead of just cutting them off though, like most of the examples on other blogs, I just unwound them from branch to branch. I actually think this was easier, because every other branch had a twig wrapped completely around the light and it would have been difficult to find them all and unwrap them. But I was rewarded with tons of needles falling onto the floor and to me. I think this tree is pretty old! But it serves the purpose for this year.

Unwinding the lights

As it was it took me about five hours to unwrap all the lights. There are more blackened bulbs than clear ones so it was probably a power surge that killed these lights.

Broken light pile

I’m not sure if these strings of lights have enough value to save for another project. There are several fused plugs and it is always good to have extra plugs around but they are only rated for 3 amps. They are all white lights.
I’m thinking of ordering sets of LED bulbs to replace them with. Some say the LED’s are too bright but I have some that are not very bright. Just a bit large for the tree. I like the look of this tall skinny tree though. I had to rearrange all the living room furniture to fit it into the room.

New Christmas Tree

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Family Affair Soffit

Posted on November 20, 2016 by ellen

Both my brother and my sister helped install the soffit for the ventilation ductwork. We finished two ten foot sections.

John Installs the Soffit

John recommended building it with the metal studs and he showed me how to use them. Jean was very helpful as ladder holder and getting tools and screws.

Jean Holds the Ladder

The duct will exit the attic into the metal soffit or shaft.

Soffit for Ventilation Duct

Under the windows, I will install corian as light shelves. These will reflect the sunlight up to the ceiling and allow it to penetrate the room more fully.

Soffit Under Window

We think this area might need quarter inch drywall to stabilize the studs without being too heavy. With the soffit in place, I can install the ducts and the ventilation system.

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Back to the Siding

Posted on November 11, 2016 by ellen

My brother generously offered to visit and help with the house construction. It is sort of a vacation for him and he likes house building projects almost as much as I do. He is much more of a perfectionist though, which can’t be a bad thing when cutting and hanging panel siding!

One of the big chores for the siding was to replace the insulation over the trombe wall areas. There is a gap behind the upper siding and the interior block wall that is inaccessible from inside the house. We first noticed this area when the original drywall was torn off.

Block wall is thick but does not hold up the rafters

Another photo of the inaccessible area from the master bedroom stoop when the siding was taken off. There is a gap between the block and the surface of the trombe wall.

Left side interior, Right side behind slag block wall

Left side interior, Right side behind slump block wall

The only way to get into the gap area was to tear off the outside siding and polyiso sheathing around the trombe wall glazing area. Then we removed and discarded all the old insulation.

Gap Over Trombe Glazing

Tearing off the siding and removing all the nails, sheathing and insulation was time consuming.

Tearing Out Old PolyIso and Fiberglass Insulation

There was a gap of about 12 inches or the width of the outer trombe masonry.

Size of the Gap

Then the gap was refilled with Roxul rock wool insulation.

Filling Gap with Roxul Insulation

The Roxul insulation was cut to fit behind the outer wall that is over the block masonry wall and up into the rafters.

Insulation Going In Above Window

After resheathing with foil backed polyiso the drip edges were installed above the siding. Then the sheathing was covered with Siga exterior membrane, layered with the rain screen, and lined with steel wool above and below to keep out insects and mice. Finally the siding could be cut and fit over the wall assembly.

Applying the Siding

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Rough Plumbing Inspection #2

Posted on November 8, 2016 by ellen

Failed again!

Plumbing Inspection Report

I was disappointed to find that there were several errors in the plumbing that I have been working so hard to get to the inspection stage. I broke a couple of rules, one that I knew about and another that I didn’t know.

First one of the most common errors that I KNEW about is using a sanitary tee for a horizontal drain. In my quest to include a stupid cleanout behind the family room bathroom sink, I ended up extending the pipe with a sanitary tee. Just not thinking I guess.

New Sink Plumbing

So I’m just going to eliminate the cleanout and use a sweep elbow for the drain.

The second error was not something I was aware of or understood. The water in the trap may not be above the opening to the vent. They call the normal water level in the trap the water weir.

Rules for fixture venting

Some additional illustrations of the trap weir rule.

Trap weir not higher than vent

I broke this rule both at the master bathroom sink by raising the drain at the end of the pipe run, and the bar sink.

Master Bath Sink Drain

Bar Sink Drain

In the master bath the solution is to turn the upturned pipe towards the sink, and for the bar sink I will have to raise the air vent tee.
I also have to install nail plates on both sides of the studs where the water pipes run. He said they had to have clearance of 1.5 inches from the stud edge. And a back flow valve on the hand held shower in the master bath to prevent water from entering the supply if the shower is dropped into the tub.

Besides looking at the plumbing, the inspector looked at the gas line to the stove and said it has to be black pipe all the way into the cabinet, not flex pipe. He also looked at the wood boiler, and said he needed the installation instructions to be sure it was installed correctly. So I sent him the manual and the data on the pressure relief valves and an explanation of our installation.

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Don’t Think Twice

Posted on November 3, 2016 by ellen

The plumbing for the garage sink originally went through the garage wall and ran to the sink on the garage side. I was advised to bring that plumbing into the house to protect it from freezing and to install freeze proof spigots for the supply on the garage side.

I worked with what I had at first. Took a full afternoon to drill holes in the drywall and install the outdoor spigots and connect to the existing drain pipe. I had used the back plates that came with the spigots and just bolted them to the drywall.

Spigots Bolted to Drywall

They seemed firm enough but upon reflextion there was nothing I could do to stabilize them if the drywall cracked from the pressure of turning them on and off. I had also created a huge turn around to the existing drain that just looked weird.

Drain Connection to Existing Pipes

So I decided to take apart what I did one day and do it again the next. I installed a board to back up the faucets and support the drain pipe too.

Installed Support Board

I drilled holes through this board for the faucets and the drain rests on top of the board.
Then I cut out all of the drain I had assembled and realigned the drain pipe with a new cleanout and a new tee fitting that faced the right direction.

Redoing Drain Position

New Tee and New Cleanout

The new drain looks more normal and should function better too.

New Drain

The faucets are now screwed through the drywall into the board making them much more sturdy.

Spigots Screwed to Support Board

Finally I completed the supply connections and the rough in was done.

Completed Rough In

I guess I’m glad I did think twice about this install.

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Drains

Posted on November 1, 2016 by ellen

The master bath shower drain is just a regular clamp drain. But my brother was really happy with the Schluter shower system when he installed it so I bought the sloped foam underlayment for the showers. In the master I am using a linear drain so I will have to try to duplicate the Schluter linear drain construction with the Kerdi liner. But I splurged on the family room shower and bought the Schluter drain system.

Yesterday I installed the drain body and I used the power hammer to break up the concrete around the drain pipe. As with the master bathroom shower, that took most of the day. Then I had to measure down the exact amount to cut the standing pipe the right height to glue on the drain body and keep the drain level and high enough to sit on the foam spacers.

Schluter Kerdi Drain

The sloped foam floor will fit under the drain body and there is another piece that fits inside for the drain plate.

Schlüter drain design

The brushed brass finish on the aluminum plate will match the Delta faucets in this bathroom.

Schlüter Brass Drain Cover

I had just enough time left to also rough in the sink drain in the master bathroom.

UPDATE: This piping is wrong! See Fix Plumbing Inspection Issues.

Master Bath Sink Drain

Only a few items left on the rough plumbing list. The bar sink off the kitchen, the garage sink and the header over the shower in the family room bath. Plus a few cross pieces to support the pipes.

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Family Room Shower Plumbing

Posted on October 26, 2016 by ellen

The shower in the family room bathroom is long and narrow. The faucets are all Delta Water Sense and I chose the champagne bronze color for this bathroom. The color is similar to brass which I thought would give it a more rustic appearance. It was not easy finding discounts on all the parts for the shower and sink but I was able to order everything from Amazon or Ebay at reduced cost. Thank goodness as faucets are ridiculously expensive. As it is the most expensive part of the bathroom was this hardware.

The shower valve is generic Delta and can work with most of the trim packages that are sold separately. My son-in-law pointed out how handy it is to have Delta shower faucets because they have separate controls for the temperature and the flow. The temperature can stay set from shower to shower. With a temp controlled valve like the one I bought for the master shower (17T), the temp is automatically regulated to stay the same even if the hot and cold ratio changes, but I have less expensive pressure controlled valve (17) in this shower which makes the pressure of hot and cold balance but not the temperature. The rough in valve was installed about the same height as in the master bath, or about 44 inches from the finished shower floor.

Shower Valve

Since this is a large shower, it seemed as though a hand held shower would be a big help for both cleaning the shower and for an additional source of spray. I didn’t want the hand held right next to the shower head so I looked for installations that placed it on the opposite or side wall. I decided that the best position would be next to a bench that I hope to install at the opposite end of this shower head. The diverter valve is a bit smaller than the shower valve and with the furring on the wall there was about enough space to install it flush with the eventual finished wall.

Depth for Diverter Valve

I reused the 1/2″ copper from the demolition to install the diverter valve. Copper has a bit wider inside dimension than 1/2″ pex so I thought it would be more likely to deliver a higher volume to the spray. And I had the copper to reuse.

Diverter Installation

The supply pipes I used had originally fed the washer and dryer in the utility room before the demolition. These pipes are connected directly to the cold and hot water sources and don’t go through the water loop. But the proximity to the heater means that there should not be a very long wait for hot water at this connection. Plus the service is 3/4″ copper to the wall that holds the valve. I installed two shutoffs in the utility room that control just this shower.

3/4 inch Shutoffs

The copper connects to 1/2″ pex and to the shower valve in the wall.

Copper to Pex

Since I was running out of elbows, I just bent the pex in a wide arc to fit in the wall and connect to the shower valve.

Pex Shower Connections

The copper feeds the diverter valve and then goes back to the shower head. The valve will allow the shower head to spray, or the sliding hand shower, or both.

Reused Copper to Diverter Valve

I also reused the metal plates that protect the pipes in the furring studs. I had just enough to do this section.
Next I have to put the sink faucet and toilet plumbing into the walls and set up for a wall mount faucet to the sink.

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More Electrical Work

Posted on October 25, 2016 by ellen

The electricians started the rough electrical work on August 5th. Today they may have finished with everything on the original plans. There were some changes that were challenging, like the fact that the ceiling wires had to be enclosed in metal flex conduit to pass inspection. I also had planned an indoor outlet for the mini split but it turned out that had to be an outdoor outlet which ended up being an outside junction box and a service outlet.

Outside Wiring

The setup looks very fancy for a small mini-split air conditioner that runs on only a 15 amp 110 circuit. There is a breaker in this sub panel that I believe is for the service outlet.

Lone circuit breaker in outside box

I am assuming a second breaker would be needed for the actual air conditioner. The electrician put two 20 amp breaker feeds in the new outside breaker box to this box but only one 15 amp in the box. I wish he had just put in the second breaker so the wiring for the air conditioner could be done more easily but I guess the idea is that they don’t put in the breaker unless the device is ready to be hooked up. Same with the wiring for the oven. They didn’t hook it up at all. I tried to find the 220 breakers that were hooked up to the stove and electric dryer electrical boxes and had to ask where they wired them. It turned out they were not hooked up in the breaker box. I told the electrician I needed an outlet for the oven I just bought. He moved the box that would have powered a stove to behind the cabinet where I will put the oven and had to install it higher but he put in the outlet for the oven.

Oven 220 Outlet

But he said he didn’t have an outlet for the dryer box. So I asked him to hook it up in the breaker box and label it anyway. I haven’t checked the box to see if he did this though.
He also finished installing the lights for the closets and the utility room. The two closet lights were wired but didn’t have junction boxes, and the light in the utility room had to be wired. He said he wired it to the washing machine outlet. The switch is next to the washer dryer stack, but there is enough room to use it.

Utility Room Light Switch

The closet lights are above the doors and because the fixtures I bought are LED they only have to be 6 inches from the storage areas instead of the usual 12 so there is plenty of clearance. They originally had issues with code and installing these lights, but I found the code and bought LED’s and asked for the lights over the doors which would have passed even with incandescent lights.

Closet light wiring

The fact that the electrical work has spanned three months seems to indicate that the project is just a slow one overall, and despite doing the work ourselves, we may not be that much slower than the professionals!

UPDATE:
The outside breaker box was installed too low so the electrician returned to put it up on a pole to avoid typical snow levels.

Box on Pole

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Plumbing Progress

Posted on October 22, 2016 by ellen

We’ve been making progress on the rough plumbing install. The corner cabinet framing for the pressure balance valve and plumbing for the master bath tub was completed.

Corner Cabinet

The next step was to connect the tub plumbing. There are shutoffs that will be below the cabinet floor and connections to the pressure balance valve. I turned the supply ells around so the pipes would line up a bit better.

Master Tub Plumbing

I also connected the sink, toilet and shower piping in the master bath.

Shower Plumbing

The supply pipe for the kitchen was moved into the half wall and one of the shutoffs was replaced with a 3/4″ shutoff in the utility room so I would have enough 1/2 inch shutoffs for the master tub.

Kitchen Plumbing

Ready to move on to the guest shower and bath. Here is the assembly for the rear shower wall.

Guest Shower Wall Assembly

And that wall installed. There will need to be a shower ceiling to conceal the dryer vent that runs above the shower. The vent elbow was moved to just below the roof and the angled pipe continues to the dryer vent.

Guest Shower Wall

I had to order more shark bite elbows. Could have gotten them locally for a bit more but decided we could wait. We have visitors so I can’t move the sidewalls out of this bathroom to put the piping in the walls yet. Maybe next week.

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Mang Ox Filter Repair

Posted on October 16, 2016 by ellen

Leaky pipe on iron filter

The chlorine batch connection to the iron filter started leaking few months ago. I didn’t have time or inclination to figure out what was wrong with it after a few quick tries to tighten the connection didn’t work. I was worried that something major was cracked in the Fleck 7000 controller and didn’t want to deal with that. So I reprogrammed the control to leave out the chlorine rinse. This is an optional feature anyway.

But it seemed like the drain for the filter was getting black and there was a sizable amount of iron getting through the filter into the whole house carbon filter that follows it. Also some iron was staining the older toilet, although not the newer one. So I decided to take another look at the chlorine batch system.

I cleaned out the side tank that holds the chlorine rinse water and refilled it with fresh water. Then I took apart the connection and tried over and over to reconnect it without a leak. But no matter how hard I pushed on the pressure connection and the clip, it still leaked.

Batch Hose Connection

So I called the Clean Water Store where I purchased the system. The support person was very knowledgable and recalled working on the systems and having a problem with the batch control valve that pushes into the controller head and to which the hose attaches. So I tried again to push the valve into the system and look for a leak–it still leaked. But I partially broke the clip pushing too hard and I just asked if I could order another one. I was able to buy a whole new valve for about $18 with shipping.

Batch Flow Control

The vendor added the clip which he told me to ask for in the notes. When I got the new valve I connected it with the new clip and it STILL leaked. Back to the drawing board–or the installation instructions.
The instructions showed the order of placing the hose onto the valve by demonstrating the correct layout of the gaskets on the hose. Somehow I had installed them out of order! Of course it worked for the first 2 years like that, or at least I think it did as I don’t remember removing and repositioning the gaskets. But they were upside down and after I turned them over and reconnected the hose, it no longer leaked. Sometimes I wonder how these errors can escape notice for so long.

Batch Hose Gaskets

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Central Vac Piping Revisited

Posted on October 10, 2016 by ellen

I was writing support emails to Aspria about the vac connections before I got sick and today I reviewed the email and repiped the vacuum. Temporarily as they still need to be glued.

Here is the advice sent to me by Aspria.

Suggested Central Vac Connections

Vac Connection Labels

The difference between my plan and this one is that all vacuum connections are above the intake. Then they can descend to connections that start below the intake. I was able to duplicate the suggestion connections almost exactly. So after marking, I’m ready to glue this par.

Vac Connections above the Intake

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How Could I Explain This to a Plumber?

Posted on October 8, 2016 by ellen

The faucet for the roman tub is a freestanding antique style, meant to be exposed and reach over the rim of the tub. But we have a slab so getting the plumbing to the faucet is a bit tricky.
I had scheduled a plumber just after my surgery and it was going to be a couple of weeks before he could get to the job. But in a couple of weeks, I realized that I was going to have a heck of a time trying to have everything the plumber needed and be able to tell him what needed to be done. At about $200 a hour, it was going to be an expensive contract. So I was feeling well enough to get started on the project myself at my own slow pace. It is probably costing me way more time but much less money to get the job done.
The plumbing inspector who visited months ago, told me that because the tub faucet has a shower head spray, it needed to have a pressure balance valve to avoid scalding a bather. I already have a whole system hot water tempering valve so I don’t need one at the faucet. I found a nice Newport Brass pressure balance valve on ebay for a reasonable price. It is all brass and quite sturdy. This valve will balance the hot water with the cold so that if the cold pressure goes down, the hot will also go down so as not to deliver water hot enough to scald a person. Although our hot water heater is only set to 140 degrees and is temperature balanced, the inspector told me it is code to have a pressure balance valve at every shower head. The Delta faucets include pressure balance in the rough in valves, but this faucet did not.

Start with Pressure Balance Valve Connections

The pressure balance valve connections are the two exposed chrome water delivery pipes and the water supply pipes. It needs support but also access as it can wear out and may need to be replaced. So the plan is to create a corner shelf unit between the door and the tub with a false floor for access to the plumbing and a shorter shelf outside the cabinet to cover the valve but expose the chrome piping.
I started laying out boards for the floor plates and then cut some 2 x 2’s because the walls of the cabinet need to be shallower than a 4″ wall. The outside step will be a 2 x 6 that is topped with either plywood or cement board and will be tiled over. So access will have to be through the floor of the cabinet.

Establishing the Layout

The next step was to cut the floor plates and arrange them getting the valve and the faucet enough distance from the tub to expose the piping and allow the faucet to be installed level vertically and horizontally.

Corner Cabinet and Tub Faucet Layout

I cut the floor plates to include a 2 x 6 at the front edge of the step platform, and the front board here is placed against the 2 x 6 as an alternative. I’m going back to the cut a 2 x 6 for this corner and will move the front cabinet plate shorter to fit.
The position of the faucet will not be centered at the tub end because the pipes have to connect within the enclosed space. But the tub will be about an inch closer to the wall once the back wall is tiled so the offset will be a bit less than it appears in the photos.

Faucet Position from Rear

I believe this would have been very difficult for the plumber to figure out or even understand if I had had it totally figured out beforehand. This way I can figure it out as I go and end up with a good install with any idiosyncrasies fully explained.
I think this faucet is really beautiful. It came with the tub which was only $100 and I had to buy a matching knob for $98, a set of rubber washers for $10.60, the pressure balance valve for about $45 and two floor flanges that are just galvanized instead of chrome for about $10. Total faucet investment if you agree the tub itself cost $100 was under $175. The faucet of course sells discounted for about $1400 without the risers–sold separately. Kohler still makes them and compared to plastic filled junk, you can tell the difference–not a thousand dollar difference but still a difference.

Faucet Front

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Updated Operation and Training Manual

Posted on October 4, 2016 by ellen

Lots of time goes into the documentation for a LEED certification attempt. I have actually enjoyed the work because it is so centered in research and bringing together expert advice in many different areas of building science. The Operation and Training manual is meant to help occupants of the home understand its unique qualities and to support them with enough information about the home to maintain the energy saving practices and systems.

I have just completed revisions to the manual and posted the new copy. I also created a “home file” which is a set of documentation for the systems in the house that includes any maintenance they might need. It contains documents about all of the following:

The product manufacturers’ manuals for all installed equipment, fixtures, and appliances (home file)
1. Windows and doors
2. Waffle boxes
3. Water filters
4. Challenger boiler
5. Radiant layout
6. Thermostats
7. Wood boiler
8. ERV
9. Radon design and fans
10. Faucets and fixtures
11. Appliances
12. Central vacuum

Some of these documents are also in the LEED verification items but they needed to be duplicated specifically for potential future residents of the home. Of course some documents may change–especially for the appliances, but all the current energy star appliances are included.

The manual will also include LEED certification information, the signed accountability forms, and the completed durability checklist. Could you imagine any builder compiling such a document? I’m not sure I can.

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Powder Coating on Bathroom Sink Stand

Posted on September 25, 2016 by ellen

I first heard about powder coating when I was in college. I was a school librarian in training and we visited a central district media center in Indianapolis. The media specialiast was a mover and shaker who provided all sorts of great services in addition to classroom materials. She ran a centralized copy center and could turn around teacher orders in a day. I was very impressed. She talked about budget and how to cut corners–one idea was to send all the old metal wastepaper baskets and other office accessories out to be powder coated. She said it was not as expensive as we might think and provided a nice bright blue complement to the work spaces and gave the operation a first class appearance.

So all these years later–really over 40 years–I remembered the idea of powder coating to create a professional looking finish. Originally I was going to sand and spray paint the metal bathroom stand that I bought with the sink and faucet for $50. After the operation though I decided to pick out things that I could have done instead of doing myself. I researched local powder coating businesses and contacted a couple but this local business seemed most interested in my project. Wise Powder Coating Industries in Arvada has a Facebook page to advertise the business. I spoke to Clay who took the sink stand to a separate sand blasting business in Golden and sanded the rough cut opening before powder coating the surface in a bronze color which I had chosen from the color chip catalog.

Bronze powder coated sink stand

A bit more about powder coating. It is a dry paint powdered polymer that is electrostaticly sprayed on a grounded surface. The powder also is collected and reused so there is very little waste. Metal is most often powder coated but plastic and MDF can be coated too. This diagram of an electrostatic gun and more information is at finishing.com

Powdercoat-sprayer

The powder coated item is then baked in an oven at about 320 to 410 degree temperature to melt, gel, and solidify the coating. The coating is scratch and chip resistant and adheres better than liquid paint.

When the dynamic media specialist had her office furniture powder coated, it was a relatively new process introduced in 1967, but since then it has become the finish for most industrial machines and is considered quite durable. Funny how a passing influence can stay with you for decades.

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Patch Concrete Edge

Posted on September 23, 2016 by ellen

There was a large gap between the edge of the new concrete floor and the steps.

Hole in concrete at stairway

I think this gap was caused by the moisture barrier plastic curling up at this edge, keeping the concrete from flowing all the way to the stairs.

Hole in concrete on other side

I had been meaning to put concrete in the gap for some time, however it was just the sort of small job to do while recuperating. Dave is still working on his recycled concrete wall so he was making concrete anyway and brought a bucket of the stuff to me after I cleaned out the hole and chipped off the edge where the cement curled up above the level at the steps.
This is day two of drying.

Patched hole in concrete

I patched the whole concrete edge both deep sides and the smaller area in between.

Patched concrete edge

I have a plastic foam sheet over it to keep it from drying too fast.

Plastic foam to retard drying

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It’s Fall!

Posted on September 23, 2016 by ellen

Fall begins in Arvada

So with the change in seasons as well as my immediate health condition, a new list is proposed.
First look back at the summer list.

Summer 2016 List

~~Finish building walls~~
~~Finish membrane on ceiling~~
~~Move electric box in utility room~~
~~Build pocket door for utility room~~
~~Fix water filter and dishwasher drains~~
~~Fix family room bathroom drain~~
~~Install master bedroom door wall~~
Cut down rustic doors to fit openings
Build fence for pool
Set up pool
Put shade structure over hot tub
~~Set up master bathroom~~
Install radon fan and piping
Build ductwork for ventilation
Install ventilation
~~Research radiant floor cooling~~
~~Set up refrigerated floor system~~
~~Fill in concrete edges and caulk~~
Plan for crawlspace ventilation
Fix crawlspace radon mitigation
Install polyiso in crawlspace
Install tile on slab periphery
Install siding

Actually 10 out of 23. I believe I can count filling in the concrete edges because I just did it yesterday, although not all the caulking. Not too bad I guess. And as is typical, we scotched some items and added others. I posted that I gave up on radiant cooling because I needed more btu’s to chill the thermal mass of the floor than the 1/3 hp chiller could produce. That would mean an expensive heat pump system or large chiller system. We put the evaporative cooler back in one of the living room front doors and the portable in our bedroom and they took care of cooling for the rest of the summer. Also the pool never got set up because we needed the electrician to extend our outdoor electricity and they didn’t get that job done until mid-September. A bit too late to set up a pool. But we got the electricians scheduled and the house remodel wired. Not on the summer list. We always like to start a new list with something x’d out anyway.

Fall 2016 List

~~Schedule electrician to wire remodel~~
Pass electrical inspection
Schedule return of electricians to install outlets and switches
Schedule plumber to install rough plumbing
Pass plumbing inspection
Pass structural inspection
Finish membrane on walls
Build ventilation chase
Install ductwork for ventilation
Schedule drywall
Install radon fan and piping
Install ventilation system and outdoor piping
Plan for crawlspace ventilation
Fix crawlspace radon mitigation
Install polyiso in crawlspace
Install tile on slab periphery
Install siding

Another 23 items. I’ll wait on the doors as that is kind of a finishing step and I really hope to get to the drywall install before the end of this year! Five years of ownership in January of 2017 and it is about time the place is better put together.

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