Twinsprings Research Institute

Difficult Offset Toilet Drain Repair

Posted on July 25, 2022 by ellen

When we decided to insulate the knee wall on the east side of the remodel the toilet drain ended up too close to the wall. Unfortunately the type of offset fitting I bought was a ”bowl” type instead of an angled drain.

Slant type offset with stainless steel flange

The problems with this offset were the plastic flange that first cracked and eventually broke off and the huge oval opening that I tried to cover with a new flange.

I had several plastic flanges for some reason and a bigger brass flange that I screwed to the original plastic flange during a previous repair. That one was too large and I couldn’t drill holes in the porcelain tile with my masonry bit. Even after adding mortar at the floor level the gap was still too large to screw down the flange. I did not know how to seal the flange to the pipe below either. The next step had to be removing the old flange fitting.

Old bowl type released more easily than expected

I cut the edge of the flange off completely with the multtool. Then I only had to cut out two sections and the fitting popped out. I cut the sections with both the multitool and the reciprocating saw with fine toothed blades. Then I used a hammer and chisel to split them off the inside pipe.

Once the fitting came out I vacuumed out the debris and prepared for the new fitting. I scrubbed the inside of the pipe with a gray abrasive 3m pad and sanded with wet/dry sand paper. When I placed the new fitting, the gap was still too large to screw into for the new stainless steel ring so I mixed up more mortar.

Not enough to provide underpinning for flange — Not enough surface to provide underpinning for flange

I found that a jar from a medicine I take fit perfectly in the drain hole. I filled in the gap but ran out of mortar before the top level and had to mix more.
It’s tricky to mix just enough mortar. I could have had another scoop to level the top but there is enough here to hold screws.

The trick was to keep the jar loose enough that it will pull out when the mortar is semi-dry. I did this by rotating the jar a little. Eventually I just pulled it out though I had to whack it with a hammer to loosen it from the damp mortar. It was a good decision to remove it because there was not enough space for the slant of the fixture and I had to carve away the front of the filled mortar. It took several fittings to get a close fit and then I leveled the flange and screwed it down. Notice the gold rag sealing out sewer smells while I worked.

I decided not to use a wax seal. They require an accurate placement of the toilet. When the toilet is moved around to contact the bolts the wax squishes unevenly. I ordered a Sani seal foam rubber seal instead. This is the gasket I used on all the toilets but after they are crushed into place over time they also cannot be reused. The last time I fixed this toilet I could not find one so had to use wax. They make such a mess and it was skewed and probably leaking when I removed it.

I had to use shims under the flange because when I glued the fitting it stopped before the flange hit the floor. I must not have carved out enough mortar. It was after 5 when the ring was shimmed and ready for the toilet. The flange was still within a half inch of the floor so I thought the toilet would still sit on the floor.

Even without water in it the toilet is heavy. I half dragged it over to the flange and lifted it on the bolts which were in the right place. I had used a set off washers and nuts to keep them secure while I mounted the toilet.

Unfortunately there was no obvious rag plugging the pipe at this point. I may have pushed it further down the pipe when I vacuumed. The toilet sat higher than I wanted but the floor is really out of level so I leveled the toilet with more shims.

I reconnected the water and flushed and thought, ”Oh no! Did I leave the rag in the pipe?” I looked around and the rag was not in the bathroom.

I notice it’s not a good idea to keep working after 5 when I’m physically and mentally tired. That’s when I cut my thumb on the table saw. It was after 5 with one more task before I wanted to quit. The thumb is healed except for the loss of feeling at the tip. It has a hard area under the scar that should go away in a few months.

I removed the toilet and tried to reach for the rag. Then I unfolded a wire hanger to reach further with no luck. I next tried attaching a fishing pole with a triple hook to hopefully snag the rag. No luck. Then I tried the snake and then the snake with the fishing pole. Still no luck. Should I call the sewer guys back?

Instead I ordered a 50 ft. endoscope. The ones that use wifi to display on the phone are not too expensive. I chose overnight shipping. So the next day I looked down the pipe. I had to tie the camera to the snake to push it far enough into the pipe. It still got hung up at the Y that joins the main pipe. I stopped working on the pipe to take the RV in for an oil change and the air conditioner repair but I realized that I used the same pipe when I took a shower. And Dave had been using main pipe without problems when he used the back bathroom. So if the rag was in there maybe it made its way to the septic tank!

After another day of getting ready for an RV trip I finally got back to the toilet install. I took out the tapcon screws and re-shimmed the flange to get it more even instead of level. Then I dragged the toilet back and lifted it over the bolts with the good as new rubber seal in place and definitely no other rag in the pipe.

After careful shimming to level again front to back and side to side the bolts were tightened. Now there is a reset toilet that is not rocking and leaking sewer gas into the house. And it appears to flush just fine. I still have to caulk it but I ran out of time. The caulk will wait until we get back from our trip.

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Plumbing, Primary Bedroom | Comments Off

Mending Chair Seats

Posted on July 17, 2022 by ellen

Kids can be inadvertently destructive. My grandson jumped hard on the Old Hickory antique couch and one section of the underlying webbing broke. Some of the other webbing was already damaged. I emailed the Old Hickory factory to ask how to repair the couch and they promptly sent me the instructions to mend the webbing. The material is rawhide that needs to be soaked in water to become pliable and dries to a stiff support system to hold the cushions. When wet it is wrapped around the frame in this order.

In addition to the broken section there were other sections missing just a cross piece or two. I wove small sections to make these repairs.

After the couch was repaired I had lots of leftover rawhide that I’m assuming I can soak again to reuse.

The kitchen chairs were also in various stages of disrepair. The kids like to pick at loose weaving and a couple of the chairs could no longer hold an adult. I tore off the worst seats before I thought to take a photo. The third seat was not as badly damaged but I replaced it anyway. After tearing off the seat which was stuffed with old Denver Posts, I cut 11/32 in plywood for new seat cushions. I tacked it on the wood rails with the trim nail gun.

A few years ago I bought a roll of outdoor material from a Craigslist ad. I used it to sew a new curtain in the old RV. It is light brown, my go-to color for decorating, and it has a nice heavy weight for upholstery.

On top of the plywood I used foam from a bed topper. I found that this high density foam was the same density as chair cushion foam so the bed topper was less expensive and I have most of it left over. On top of the chair foam there is a thick layer of poly batting. I purchased the batting at JoAnne’s. I used spray adhesive to attach the foam to the plywood and the batting to the foam. This is recommended in the instructional videos posted by Sailrite, the manufacturer of my walking foot heavy duty sewing machine. The material is stretched across the bottom and one staple is placed in the middle of each side. Then the corners were cut out to fold over and reach around the corner posts in the chair. After the corners are stretched and in place, the rest of the material is stretched tightly and stapled.

Stretching and stapling the batting and material

Somewhere I read that weed block material is a good substitute for the black material used to finish the underside of upholstery. I had some left from another project. The hard part was ironing out the wrinkles. The material is plastic and needs a cool iron and it holds the moisture from the steam. Most of the wrinkles came out anyway.

There are six Old Hickory chairs in the dining room. Four are this style and two have a different back. One of these had been newly re-woven when I bought them. I could not bring myself to tear off the good seat even though one piece had been picked away. My grandchildren cannot help themselves if there is a loose end. So I only recovered three chairs. The two with different backs have intact seats although old weaving.

I ordered Scotchguard for outdoor furniture and applied it to the seats. The material darkened a little bit but spills should bead up and not stain the new covers. I’m tempted to reupholster the backs too. Or maybe I’ll weave new backs someday.

Posted in Furniture, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Tesla Solar Roof Data September-June

Posted on July 14, 2022 by ellen

The solar roof was installed at the end of last August so its first month of production was September, 2021. The solar performed well in September but after the equinox production dropped dramatically.

Energy sent to the grid dropped to zero and that low performance lasted until the spring equinox.

Part of the low performance in January and February was due to snow cover on the roof. Our north facing roof slopes to the ground so the snow that slides off has no place to go. The Tesla team realized the abnormally low performance was due to snow and ice covering the roof collectors.

The roof performance for the first half of the year will probably mirror the performance for the second half which puts us at zero energy. Most of this year our most expensive electrical use has been broken. Our spa is an energy hog. So if I do get it operational this summer it will be interesting to see how much of the excess it uses.

Although the former 3.9 kw of solar panels helped offset our energy use, only the new solar roof has gained more energy than we have been using.

I called Tesla and asked if the roof was now producing as expected and they said it is. On a good full sun day in summer I should expect about 74 kW of production. Notice peak production at 9.7 kw is about 60% of the installed 16 kW.

The downloaded data from the Tesla app shows the quantity of solar production in Megawatts and the amount of Megawatts returned to the grid.

Another way to look at the data is the percentage of produced energy used from and returned to the grid. Only 12% of power these six months of use including snow covered months came from the grid. The difference in power coming from the grid (2.32 MWh) and going to the grid is the total net zero energy use. Here the difference is 1.06 MWh.

I hope we stay ahead of usage every year. Sometimes I use appliances that are heavy energy users, especially heaters in the RV if it has not been winterized and we get a cold snap. And as mentioned the 11 kW spa water heater is a huge draw. I want to eventually set up thermal water heat for the spa.

Posted in Monitoring, Roofing, Solar | Comments Off

Net Zero Home Energy Rating (HERS)

Posted on July 3, 2022 by ellen

What is a HERS score? An organization of mortgage lenders was formed in the 80’s to study the value of home energy efficiency. Their efforts became RESNET in 1995. They were hoping to add value to homes that would save the owner utility bills. In 2002 the first HERS index was introduced. It developed standards based on a complicated formula to quantify energy efficiency and estimate value in terms of walls and foundations, insulation, air leakage, heating and cooling, installed appliances and lighting. These standards were used to qualify homes for Energy mortgages, a reduced interest rate based on the home’s energy efficiency. The equation used in this process is figured by software after the home information has been entered.

Homes are rated against the 2006 energy building code standards. A house built to that standard would rate 100. Most existing homes were built 30% less efficient than that for a score of 130. Energy Star, a federal program to help homes become more energy efficient developed standards that typically resulted in a score of 70 or 30% more efficient. More particulars about how a HERS index is determined and applied to an Energy Mortgage.

The LEED qualifications require a meeting at the beginning of the project to determine the scope and points that are being pursued. I had hoped for a HERS rating of about 40 which was the low end of LEED for Homes typical scores. My evaluator told me that was unlikely without adding energy production. At the time I did not want to consider solar panels. Most of our roof faces north so it seemed an unlikely plan. The prediction based on early modeling was a score in the 60’s. That would have been good for a LEED home. If we had only met Energy Star requirements our home would have scored about 77.

Some homes are so energy efficient they generate more clean energy than they draw from the grid. A negative rating represents the additional clean energy the home is putting back into the grid, based on the scale of 100 for what a standard new home uses. Each negative point (-1, -2, -3, etc.) represents 1% of what a normal new home would use being returned to the grid. A score of -43 indicates that our home has the capacity to return 43% of that energy back to the grid. Some of that is by not needing it at all.

I was surprised that the Net Zero rating was -43. That is quite a bit lower than zero and the lowest score example I could find online was -58 in 2017. The house is in Florida in Port Charlotte designed and built by Anthony Fiore Construction.

It was rated Net Zero Ready by Energy Star which is a different rating from HERS that calculates the home before energy production is included. There are several different rating and certification programs to prove buildings are energy efficient. LEED is one of the most famous and a large part of the point system depends on the HERS score. Passive House does not use HERS but its own modeling equations. It is a more stringent standard for the home’s thermal envelope but does not include as many healthy living indicators as LEED does. Some other standards are in this graphic.

One of the reasons I was surprised is that an important test for energy efficiency is the amount of air leakage into the house from various small holes and cracks in the building envelope. We worked very hard to seal everything from the studs out. But we still had a large leakage issue from areas of the house that I had not been able to check under blower door pressure. So the Air Changes per Hour at 50 pascals of air pressure (ACH50) were higher than desired for a LEED Platinum home.

I looked for data that would explain the low HERS score with higher air leakage. I found a 2019 report from Ekotrope one of the major vendors for HERS software. They studied the characteristics of HERS rated homes using their software. Our ACH/50 was a little under 5. ACH/50 is the CFM/50 divided by the home’s volume.

HERS score by ACH50 — HERS index by ACH50

The lowest HERS scores had ACH50 ratings below 5. But some homes around the 5 rating were below net zero. Adherence to the other factors such as building core, appliances, and lighting helped make up for the higher ACH50 score. I also wondered how much the solar roof added to our final score.

HERS score by Solar KW — HERS index by Solar KW

Although it is clear solar was helpful, a score of -40 even with over 15KW of solar is an outlier. That means that the solar helped but the other factors were just as important.

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Energy Efficiency, LEED Project | Comments Off

RV AC

Posted on July 1, 2022 by ellen

The last time we camped the air conditioner would not start. It moaned a bit but didn’t kick in. A complication to the air conditioner breakdown is that I bought repair insurance for the first year of ownership because I did not inspect the RV at all when I bought it. I didn’t even test drive it. I just looked in the cabinets and overhead area and checked for obvious water leaks or delamination and said I’ll buy it. An extra $700 plus $500 deductible seemed like a good idea.

The major cost the first year was a rear brake job but it was maintenance and not covered by the policy. I was not annoyed because that made sense to me. The caveat of the policy is that work on it has to be done by pros. And maintenance records must be kept. That meant that all of my electrical upgrades and solar were no longer covered. I did the work, I could fix it if something broke.

The problem with professional repair of the air conditioner was that every shop in our area was booked solid all summer. Also there are a couple of things I could try for way less than the $500 deductible. I was advised on rv.net to replace the “start” capacitor. Some Coleman Mach air conditioners have three capacitors, run, fan, and start. But when I opened ours, I found only a run and fan capacitor.

I replaced both and the fan ran on low and the compressor ran the AC at that fan speed. But the high speed fan didn’t run and neither did the compressor on high fan. I tried to figure out that issue thinking that in Indiana we may need high level air conditioning.

I removed the thermostat and tested the wiring from the equipment. When I applied power to the high fan speed wire it sparked instead of turning on like the others. It seemed that connection had a fault. I could not tell whether the fault was in the wire or at the control board. But after all this experimentation I re-installed the thermostat and the compressor no longer ran on either low or high.

At first I could not find the correct model of Coleman air conditioner on the Airxcel website. I was not using the search function well. My model is a Mach 15 but there are multiple types of the Mach 15 model. Once I found the correct information I had to determine what applied to this model.

I tried ordering a fan selector switch listed in the parts information, although I didn’t know what it looked like or where it was located. I had read a tip about restoring fan levels with this part.

I figured if I actually had the part I could find where it was located in the AC. Of course the fan selector switch is for an older model so there was no location for it. Instead the fan is connected directly to the control board.

No selector switch direct wired — No selector switch, it’s direct wired

I thought that the digital thermostat may have been compromised so I removed it and wired in the old analog thermostat but the result was the same. Now I am waiting for a new run capacitor.

I also found out that the air compressor is one speed only. Just the fan has two speeds. So running the air conditioner on just low fan speed probably works about as well as high. Also the impeller on our unit has a crack in one of the blades but it does turn freely and the fan motor seems to be OK.

I have a diagnostic appointment on July 19th. I started calling in May! This date is before we leave for our next trip but if they can’t get to the job, hopefully another new run capacitor will fix the issue for our trip. I won’t wire the high fan because the surge from the sparking wire may have broken the new run capacitor. If repair facilities are not available for months the repair insurance is probably not worth the cost. I’ve been reasonably successful repairing the equipment myself.

Update: The Camping Workd techs found that the thermostat was incorrectly wired and that had froed the electronics for high cool which was wited to the neutral they said. I was waiting for the replacement thermostat that was supposed to arrive before our trip but didn’t. I called and they ran over to another site to pick one up and installed it. We had air conditioning on our trip but unfortunately it was the wrong midel thermostat so I called and I’m trying to get it replaced again.

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, RV Camping | Comments Off

LEED Platinum!

Posted on June 28, 2022 by ellen

I got confirmation today from our evaluator at Energy Logic who emailed that the USGBC has agreed with their evaluation and will award our house the Platinum LEED level! This is an exciting end to our quest for LEED certification. We began this journey ten years ago with our goal being the highest level of LEED.

We had no idea what the path would be or how long it would take.

Our House Leed Platium Certificate — Our Target

We almost lost heart a few times as the rules for a gut remodel seemed to be beyond our reach. But we kept going, agreeing to any stipulations that would allow us to qualify. The two back bedrooms, were not demoed to the studs. But we were able to increase the insulation by having it blown in tightly to eliminate any gaps.

Qualifying as a gut remodel was the biggest obstacle along with eliminating air intrusion. For the rest we always chose the most energy efficient and technically advanced products we found. We were dedicated to reuse and recycling building materials. I studied building science and learned as much as I could about the energy and water conservation and healthy environment principles that LEED required and recommended.

We decided to add a Tesla solar roof as an upgrade to our garage roof solar panels. That 16.2 Kw of power is what put us over the top as a net zero house and earned the maximum number of points in energy and atmosphere. I’m keeping track and analyzing data from our systems so that the house will have records of performance.

Throughout this blog I’ve shared our efforts, our ups and downs, advances and delays. There are currently 670 posts and several pages of documentation. I enjoy telling the tale so the blog will continue. We don’t intend to stop improving the energy efficiency of the house and the development of homestead projects. We also have interior finishing to complete and of course ongoing maintenance and repair. I have been branching out to other projects and family times which I labeled distractions. But now they will become more central to this blog. This is the time to celebrate how far we have come in fulfilling this dream.

Until we get the actual certificate this revision of our original target certificate will have to do.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, LEED Project | Comments Off

Front Trombe Wall Trim

Posted on June 25, 2022 by ellen

I put up the rest of the logs for the front window trim. I noticed some of the pvc lattice trim tends to bow in the heat so I just shot several more nails into it to hold it down. Then I used the 3M tape to close the gap at the top between the edges of the trim that hold the glass frame with a strip of more plastic lattice.

The logs for the large trombe wall expanse were already cut so I only had to drill the screw holes and screw them in. I didn’t have any nine foot long logs so two logs overlap at 45 degree angles in the middle.

I used the same method for closing the gap on the Alpen window as I did on the east facing south wall. White 1/4” PVC quarter round cut to fill the gap between the window and the exposed edge of the siding. The rainscreen siding assembly was so thick at the window frames that the siding edge was revealed. Someday I’ll paint it so it’s not so obvious.

I had to cut a couple of remaining half logs to length for over the Alpen window and the single pane side of the wall. I had enough half logs though. I still have a few round logs if I need them.

Holding the logs up while drilling and screwing was a muscle challenge. But my sore thumb was not needed.

The front trim installation is now finished though perhaps all the white pvc could be painted. And I have not decided how to enclose the sides of the solar panel. But finally this is a completed Trombe wall.

Posted in Construction, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Trim, Trombe Wall | Comments Off

Closet Shelves

Posted on June 18, 2022 by ellen

The family room closet has been used as a catch all with no organization or room for storage. I have an urgent need for more storage in that room so I checked off one of my summer to do list items and built shelves.

The closet is 30 inches deep so I wanted to put in wide shelves. The top shelves needed to be narrow enough to put items above the door frame. I had saved the sides and back of a large pine cabinet that I bought for its curved top for over the stove.

The cabinet doors and sides had large panels in thick frames. The panels were the perfect size for the shelves. Although thin they are real pine boards so very strong.

Panel for shelf. Routed side installed down

I located the studs with an iphone stud finder app. I have lots of leftover trim pieces from the window sill install. These pieces were perfect for nailing in shelf supports.

The lower shelves are wider. I used 21” panels and just took off a little from each side.

I completed the shelves but it was the end of the work day. I wanted to put one more shelf in the second family room closet. This one was an odd shape. I was tired by then and the shelf I chose had a lip on it. I had to turn it over to cut through the lip and unfortunately also cut into my thumb. Ouch!

There is a first time for everything. Thought I was more careful than this. The cut will slow down progress on other projects for awhile!

Posted in Family Room, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off

Spa Trouble

Posted on June 18, 2022 by ellen

Every couple of years there is a major expensive problem with the exercise spa. And another chance for me to make mistakes. I was happy to finally get the new spa cover and we unpacked it and installed it. Dave cut apart the old broken cover and discarded it piece by piece in the trash. Then I started to fill the spa with water. It seemed to be taking a long time to fill and I found that it was leaking at the pump connection. Once I fixed that it started to fill again but still taking a long time.

Then overnight it leaked below the jet that had been leaking last year. I tried a new type of pipe goop and wrapped it with silicone tape. I took the jet out and sealed it again with silicone. I thought the seam in the pipe might be leaking. But it probably isn’t.

In the meantime the spa had filled at least temporarily and I tried to start the pump system. It started only briefly and then blew the circuit breaker. I went and checked the equipment and it all seemed hooked up OK but I tried it again and it instantly shut off. Then I could hear water running out somewhere. I took apart the whole front side and removed the wet insulation. There I saw the water was streaming from the spa pack itself.

I tried to close the gate valves as I took the spa pack out but the water poured out anyway. The rear of the heater container had burned right through. I can’t understand how that happened with just a few second of power. My guess is that the 50 amp fuse got turned on by accident while the spa was empty and the heater burned through. I should have disconnected the control. Next time.

I had the old spa heater from the last time the heater burned out the control board. I didn’t know if the old heater worked but I figured the new heater did since it seemed to burn the container. So I put the newer heater into the old container and put the spa pack back together. Then I installed it and of course had to fill the spa with water to test it.

The spa pack did nothing. It did not come on for even a few seconds. It was getting 240 volts to the contactor but nothing on the other side. I had replaced the contractor once before on the old pack when the issue actually was the board. But I ordered a new contractor anyway and of course the new one made no difference. I could have ordered a heater like last time and then found out that the board was bad and return that to buy a whole new spa pack. So even though the pack is just two years old, I just ordered a new spa pack.

Unfortunately despite sending the old specifications to the company and them giving me the quote, I had to fill out the order page and I made a mistake. I didn’t change the electrical connection type from L1, L2, Ground to L1, L2 Neutral, Ground. So when it came I asked why it was missing the neutral and they pointed out that is what I had ordered. Darn!

I did have it right in the written order but wrong in the actual order. So I had to pack up the new pack and send it back for repair before I even used it. At my expense and pay for the repair and return shipping. That is another $150 extra for the system for shipping both ways and the repair.

In the meantime I thought the remaining water needed to be circulated through a filter to keep it from turning green. I had shocked it with chlorine but that is never enough. So I hooked up the filter pump from the old pool. Not the sand filter but a cartridge filter that came with the pool but was too small to actually filter it. Of course it took me some time to put together the adapters and connectors required for this feat. I used the side pipes that send water through the purifier. They came with two 3/4″ outlets and the purifier only uses one. I will use these pipes to attach the thermal solar water system that I hope to set up one day.

The day after I refilled the spa even with my pipe repair the water leaked out to below the jet. So I took the jet apart again and tried a pool putty on the jet body where it meets the fiberglass both inside and on the outside. Then I tried to screw the jet back in and it would not go back in. I used a pipe wrench and the jet went in crooked and I could not straighten it. So I just took it back out and have contacted a company that sells spa parts and hope they can match the jet I need to replace.

Of course it is not a common type of spa jet. So far the closest I have seen is a Balboa, HydroAir assembly. I may have to change the entire piping system to install a new jet. I sent photos of the jet as they offer the service of trying to match older equipment. So I am waiting to hear from them.

Balboa/Hydrojet jet assembly — Balboa/HydroAir jet assembly

The next day the temporary pump stopped working. It had rained overnight and that triggered the GFCI in the outlet but apparently it broke the GFCI on the pump cord. I was able to order a new plug GFCI from Lowes and change the plugs. That repair worked so the pump started running again.

I am also running the fans in the spa cover. The water that is left in the spa has increased in temperature from 55 degrees to 71. But the days have been very hot too. It’s been over 90 for three days and almost 90 today. There is not enough water in the spa to have the cover thermostat in the water so it seems to run as long as there is heat from the sunshine on the cover. One problem with the spa cover though, the rubber button that is pressed to adjust the amount of heat going to the spa fell off and I can’t seem to get it reconnected. That is a disappointment. I should call the company tomorrow and ask about it.

In the meantime I just have to wait for parts and the repaired spa pack and hope the spa stays clean.

Posted in Electrical, Maintenance and Repair, Solar, Spa | Comments Off

New Spa Cover

Posted on June 14, 2022 by ellen

Five years ago at the 2017 ASES Conference in Boulder, I heard a presentation about a new type of spa cover. The company, Modern Spa Covers, manufactures the covers in my own town of Arvada. I was determined to buy one when the time came. I followed the web page at the time and contacted the supposed distributor in the area but I never heard back from them.

Last fall our spa cover had completely worn out. The vinyl was cracking, the styrofoam was waterlogged, and the top was bent from kids sitting on it. So I contacted the company directly and they were taking online orders. The covers are custom built and they are not covered in vinyl or filled with regular styrofoam. Instead they have a steel and polycarbonate frame insulated with polyisocyanurate insulation. They have small fans inside that transfer the heat from the sun hitting the dark material into the water of the spa. The cover is an outdoor canvas like sunbrella. It is just an additional heat source and not meant to heat the entire spa. The small fans can be run by solar panels but my order had the 110v transformer instead. I can always add a small panel sometime in the future.

Not only is the construction unusual, the cover is more highly insulated than normal. I also included the higher weight bearing option since I never know when kids are going to climb up there to sit!

The company sent a diagram of the proposed cover and I made a few changes. I only have one open side on the spa. One side is against the decking wall, one has the ladder and the opposite side has the access to the equipment so I had to have the fold orient the length of the spa instead of the width. I also requested that the plug for the fans be close to the electric cord I use but that was probably unnecessary since the cord it came with is so long.

Modern Spa Covers DrawingA — Modern Spa Covers Drawing A

Modern Spa Covers DrawingB — Modern Spa Covers Drawing B

While I was creating the order for this spa cover we had the vendor show for the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour. We invited Modern Spas to exhibit and there was some interest in this new design. Later this year I hope our home will be on the tour and the company representative will be here to explain the design of our cover.

Posted in Solar, Spa | Comments Off

Camping with Grandkids

Posted on June 11, 2022 by ellen

The kids are going to Korea for most of the summer to visit their aunt and other friends. We are hoping they become more fluent in Korean because they will be immersed. But before they leave we took them for a summer campout at the Sterling Reservoir about three hours north of us.

We chose the campground that was closer to the lake but further from the beach so we parked near the beach a couple of times. It is nice having the facilities with us wherever we go. We had fun inside and outside during the trip. It rained and was windy part of the time but there is lots to do anyway.

We spent some time at the lakeside just below our campground but there was not much sand. Made a fishing pole with some line found on the path and a rock for bait. It was fun and we caught about as many fish as we do with better equipment.

And of course our six year old practiced his rock skipping skills.

While little brother worked to collect dirt and twigs in a bucket.

The beach offered all the usual lakeside fun and an opportunity to play with other kids. A nice layer of sand and lake water that was a bit cold but not too muddy.

Even though the water was chilly the kids spent some time in the floats.

Floating Shark and rider — Floating shark and rider

We left on Monday and returned on Thursday so about three days of camping fun. That was probably enough for grandparents and kids of these ages but it was a wonderful time together. We are going to miss them this summer!

Posted in Grandkids, RV Camping | Comments Off

Energy Logic HERS Rating Below Net Zero!

Posted on June 9, 2022 by ellen

Our Energy Logic rater and project lead finished the final report on our LEED project. I had to log in to USGBC to pay the certification fee. Again nothing is easy and the first several times I submitted my credit card information the site hung up. Since we were camping at a lake it could have been that cell service was too slow. I tried again about 11 pm and the card info went through so they were able to file their report the next day.

I could hardly believe the points awarded for Energy and Atmosphere after the poor blower door test. I had been hoping for a score near zero because of our solar roof and other improvements. Our HERS rating was -43! Design rating for an Energy Star home the size of ours would be 77. (“This is an admirable score. Although this home is 30% more energy efficient than homes built according to the 2006 IECC requirements.”) The -43 rating is quite a bit below zero. (“This home is a Net Zero Energy Home. This means that this home produces as much energy through renewable resources, such as solar panels, as it consumes. Only a Net Zero Energy Home can score 0 on the RESNET HERS Index.”) That’s fantastic!

The LEED energy budget for the house was 174.1 MMBtu/year and our design was rated for -127.4 MMBtu/year. That is 173% lower than the baseline. The HERS score and energy reduction from baseline earn the full 36 points for Energy Efficiency. That is very exciting.
As far as the other points I was a little disappointed in several that I did not earn. I sent a spreadsheet of points I was planning and a few were in question. I thought if some had no questions they were being submitted but some were not.
On the other hand I did not know Regional Priority points were available and the project gained 3 points there.
I decided that the total points did not matter as long as we had enough for Platinum but then I did not realize that USGBC could challenge the report and might not allow points. So I still have to wait and see.

Posted in LEED Project | Comments Off

Plan for the Summer

Posted on June 9, 2022 by ellen

We are taking the grandkids camping this week but then the family is leaving town for the rest of the summer. That gives us some unbroken time to do some finish work on the house. I have not made a planning list in a long time but now that I’m waiting for a decision on LEED I feel the need to make a summer plan. I will just start with this list in no particular order. This is just about every project I’d like to do eventually.

~~Finish outside front trim~~
~~Build shelves in family room closet~~
~~Add handle to family room closet~~
Fix insulation in attic ceiling over ERV
Add xps to rear attic hatch door
Spray insulation on outdoor utility room corner
Spray insulation under middle bedroom sill
Spray at corner of front patio door trim
Spray insulation on crawlspace exposed wall
Seal rear of closet loft
Build insulated box around chimney
Clean,reseal, and polish concrete floor
Sand and glue rear bedroom floor
Clean and paint baseboards
Install baseboards
Install corian shelf
Install siding at back door
~~Fix pergola where tree limb fell~~
Cut back pergola for spa cover
~~Install alternate filter pump on spa~~
~~Fix spa leak at jet~~
~~Install new spa pack~~
Disconnect flashing erv control
Repaint front door trim
Repaint garage
Clear out excess materials in garage.
Finish patio edging
Put up log pergola and install rubber tile floor
Create path to playground

By midsummer only six out of 29 accomplished. I have one week left. The rest of the summer we are traveling.

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Planning | Comments Off

An Induction Cooktop

Posted on June 4, 2022 by ellen

We wete not using the griddle side of the gas cooktop. It was difficult to heat up and the flame tended to go out because the downdraft fan came on high automatically and pulled at the flame. It just became a place to put extra pots and rest lids. I have been reading about reducing gas use to fight carbon in the atmosphere. Some cities have outlawed the use of natural gas in homes. I was blissfully unaware of this when I bought a gas boiler/water heater and installed our used gas cooktop.

I finally decided to try to replace the gas griddle with a two burner induction range. There are many more choices now than a few years ago. Most two burner units are arranged horizontally but there are a few vertical units. Of those I had to find one narrow enough to fit in the burner space. I also did not want to wire another 240 volt electrical breaker so I needed a 110 volt plug in appliance. The new ”hob” arrived the other day. The instructions call it a hob, European for hot plate.

The temperature readings are in Celsius but there is a simple 1-9 level that comes up first. There is also an up to two hour timer function in minutes.

In addition to the small size of our gas range, a full size induction range would cause us to lose the use of a beautiful set of copper pots. Plus we have a few aluminum and copper bottom stainless steel pans that we still use. This limitation made a full induction range undesirable for us. We have several cast iron skillets and a magnetic stainless steel soup pot and we use these often so we can use induction with those pots.

The griddle opening was only 10.5 inches wide and the whole left side of the stove only 12.25 inches wide. Front to back the opening was 18.75 inches wide. That limited the choice of cooktop. After it arrived I had to remove the rubber feet to sink it partially in the opening. I used narrow electric plate screws left protruding instead to brace it within the griddle space. Then a small block of wood behind secures it tightly in the cutout and there is room behind for the cord. It was practically a perfect fit and does not slip around. The gfci outlet is right over the toaster so the installation is convenient even though the cooker is elevated above the level of the stove.

I think I will remove the gas handles and install blank plates to prevent turning on the gas on the induction side. We have never done this with the griddle but just to be safe it seems like a good idea.

Posted in Appliances | Comments Off

Last Push before LEED Rating

Posted on May 23, 2022 by ellen

We returned from our camping trip late Tuesday and I had about two days to finish several projects for the LEED final rating appointment on Friday. It was not easy to prioritize. I found an article that mentioned the 10 biggest issues passing a LEED rating. I had already had a blower door test to find some of the worst air leaks and had applied foam and insulation to the areas we discovered. I also bought extra door weatherstripping but only had applied it to one of the doors! The biggest project before the rating had been installing the glass on the Trombe wall so it would provide more radiant heat to the uninsulated block wall.

1. Manual J Equipment Sizing Calculations. I thought I had this covered. Even though I did the calculations at the start of the project and could not know all the final design details, it came pretty close.

2. Duct Leakage. No HVAC ducts but the ERV ducts were giving me problems. This turned out to take the most time to solve.

3. Air Flow ERV airflow was less than design. I had shortened the pipes to get the fresh air moving.

4. Air Filters Good here, have MERV 12 in the ERV and Radiant heat does not use air filters.

5. Bath and Kitchen Fan Exhaust. Good here too. Great Panasonic Whisper Green fans in two bathrooms, ERV in the other.

6. Ventilation and Exhaust Controls. The bathrooms have the humidstat controls that work wonderfully.

7. Air Sealing. This was a big concern so I did what I could to reduce places I knew about. It wasn’t enough.

8. Insulation. Had additional insulation blown into the rear of the house and had already passed the big insulation inspection.

9. Project Team Communication. The most difficult thing was being sure the vendors followed the requirements and design of a LEED home. But most of that was done years ago.

10. Documents and Submittals. A huge job and one that I have spent hours completing. But I’m pretty sure I can deliver any documentation that is required.

It was obvious to me from the list that my ERV needed the most attention as well as any extra sealing I could do. So I took those last two days to concentrate on improving the ERV ducting and air flow. I had purchased a vent fan that had a speed control and was not high wattage (46w on high). So I was determined to add it to the ducting system.

The long arm of vent on the right side of the layout had been disconnected and that junction is where I installed the fan.

The day was warm and working in a small space in the attic was tight. The pipe on the left is the central vacuum run. Also notice the mini-split refrigerant pipes and the electric junction box. The ERV is on the right side of the radon pipe. Lots of stuff in a small space. I took out the temporary elbow and reinstalled a duct tee so that the air could feed both arms of duct on the right hand side of the diagram.

Had to squeeze between the radon pipe and the wall to connect pipes. — I had to squeeze between the radon pipe and the wall to connect pipes.

It was much easier to take a ladder to the top of the refrigerator to reach the duct there. That is how I installed the duct fan. And I ran the wiring through to the attic space. The fan had a plug and the controller was on the electric cord. It was easy to connect. I’m running the fan on medium. This was another big job that took most of two days.

Easier to reach the duct from the top of the refrigerator

It was still hot when I taped the joints of the solar tube in the rear bathroom attic and relaid the insulation there to get better coverage around the tube. It was miserably hot in the attic but the tasks did not take long.

The next day in late May, the rater was scheduled to arrived and it turned cold and snowed. He came about 2 pm so I had installed the weatherstripping on the doors that morning. The night before I got an email with several questions about points that I was pursuing. I had the documentation and just had to spend time attaching it to the email. I lost three points I had hoped to gain, first because the mudroom shoe storage and bench were not considered permanent. I quickly built the little bench I had planned to build for months over the plumbing in the mud room corner. Then I cleared off a shelf for shoes in the closet but I’m pretty sure I still won’t get that point.

The other point I seem to have lost is EPA certification for the boiler fireplace. It has EU certification and it is an imported stove so I thought that would count. There is a disclaimer for foreign applicants that if the US regulations don’t apply those of the country of origin of similar type would count instead. The EPA did not have a category for wood stove boilers and they were exempted at the time I installed the stove. But the letter of the law is EPA. Rats another point that I needed and tried to gain. Apparently we don’t get a point for planting a tree for shade either because there are already trees? I don’t understand that but our aspen may not have made it this winter anyway.

So the final rating day came at last. Dave bought me a special t-shirt for my birthday that I almost forgot to put on. The rater was far too young to really appreciate the humor, although he had heard of Green Acres.

The rater was very nice and even complimented some of my work. But the blower door test was a big disappointment. Since late November when Nancy did a blower door and got 2700 cfm/50 I had worked to tighten the house in places we found that day. But it wasn’t enough. The rater got a low of 1900 cfm/50. Technically that does not pass Energy Star requirements. But he said a remodel might be different. They are much more difficult to reduce. Our chimney was leaking air at an astonishing rate and despite my application of foam there were still leaks at some windows and doors. The energy audit in 2012 started at 3250 cfm/50. He said that was a huge reduction so I might be OK because of all the other work I have done.

I completed the forms for Energy Star HVAC efficiency and water management and sent them back. So now I wait to hear the verdict. I’m sure it takes a lot of time to enter all the information on the USGBC site. Then the organization needs time to evaluate all of it. I have my fingers crossed and will continue to work on the tightness of the house even though it won’t affect this rating.

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, LEED Project, Maintenance and Repair, Ventilation | Comments Off

Birthday Camping

Posted on May 22, 2022 by ellen

We had a nice vacation taking the grandkids camping at Boyd Lake for my birthday! I had a few things to do on the RV to get ready. Much of the clean up of the mud room was undone when I unloaded several boxes from the wedding trip in February. So it goes.

I also had to fix the light strip that fell off during that trip. I used 3M tape to put the strip holder back up and found that the strip had broken so only a few of the lights were working. I ordered a replacement strip to put on someday.

I had to dewinterize and fill fresh water. The hot water heater drain valve was open and it took me awhile to find that. Of course it needed a good cleaning as well and all the sheets and comforter duvets were washed and dried. Its fun to get ready to camp though. I repacked with chairs and canopy and new sand toys. We also brought inflatable floats but that was wishful thinking.

Although the weather was warm the lake had not been refilled. So the beach was quite a bit further from the water than I had envisioned. We played in the sand but the beach playground was a big draw. It was about 1/4 mile away from our campsite. Kids liked the wagon ride.

We had a lovely campout and really enjoy taking a break in the RV. The wind was calm so we could even have a campfire! And of course the fireside treat of s’mores.

Posted in Diversions, Grandkids, RV Camping | Comments Off

Last Four Windows are Trimmed

Posted on May 22, 2022 by ellen

It was an exciting day, all the windows and doors in our house have trim! The handymen returned to finish the windows. Each window is slightly askew so measuring and cutting each board had to be precise.
The handymen started at the rear bedroom and worked forwards.

The long window in the rear bedroom was trimmed at the bottom edge with a rougher board because we ran out of longer trim boards. Unfortunately it split on one end and I did not have another 80″ trim piece to replace it with so I tried to glue and renail it. Maybe I will replace it with a purchased trim board eventually. I hate to say I had to buy a board though!

The ”escape” window in the middle bedroom was complicated by the lower area concrete that was a different width. We decided to just eliminate the bottom trim board and used a board that had a bit of a decorative edge.

I also found a shelf board that had a nice natural edge for the bathroom and we decided to make it a bit more of a ledge, but the installers cut it first not thinking about the overhang. So the sides don’t match a lower trim board like on the other windows so they just left it off. I think I’ll have to remove the board and cut it to the same width in order to trim the bottom. The unfinished look of the side trim bothers me.

The last window was in the family room. I could hardly believe the windows were all finally trimmed. Of course there is still so much more to do.

But it’s a milestone! I couldn’t have done it without the handymen. Thanks to Scott and Robert!

Posted in Construction, Trim | Comments Off

New Patio Furniture

Posted on May 10, 2022 by ellen

Last fall we realized that the free wicker furniture I picked up several years ago was getting too fragile to use. This type of furniture was not even meant for outdoor use but we got it from people who used it outside and we continued to use it outside.

I moved the old oak bench out to the patio early this spring when I was trying to organize the garage. So when I looked for new patio furniture I was looking for something that would complement the lines of the bench.

I chose a couple of sets of chairs and a long low couch/daybed in rot resistant mahogany. The brand claimed that the wood was legally harvested. This type of mahogany is considered a sustainable hardwood second only to teak for duribility in outdoor furniture.

I neglected to change the shipping address on my Overstock account so the furniture arrived at my son’s house. I went over and dragged it into their garage and later took the truck over to pick it up.

I was not ready to put it together so I covered it with a tarp and left it there for a few weeks. Finally the weather began to cooperate and I opened a couple of boxes and bolted the seat to the back and put on the legs and arms. I temporarily left the plastic covers on the cushions.

The black circular thing is an outdoor gas fire ring that I need to convert from natural to propane gas. I bought the kit but I have to get some time to figure out the conversion. This fire ring I bought from a craigslist ad and it had never been used.
This morning my grandson enjoyed helping me put the last two chairs together. I got out the old cushions that desperately need to be washed or recovered and we are now ready for guests!

Posted in Grandkids, Patio | Comments Off

Plant Loss and Re-plant

Posted on May 8, 2022 by ellen

Two of the xeriscape plants we planted for the front walk border survived for two years. Just two. That is a sad loss. Probably not enough watering to keep them going in their second year when they were supposed to be established.

What survived? I believe a blue penstemon and a Rocky Mountain Blazing Star which was not even on our receipt and must have been a substitution.

This spring I am trying a different approach. I planted herbs in the border. These are all plants that rabbits are supposed to avoid.

Herbs Planted in Order from Daffodil

Sage Bergerten (2)

Thyme?

English Lavender

Rosemary (2)

Lavender

Purple Sage (2)

Blazing Star native perennial that lived

Lavender

Oregano

Mother of Thyme

Lavender

Mother of Thyme

Lemon Balm

The next day I mulched the plants with real cedar mulch.

In the driveway side bed I also planted four strawberry plants and mulched them but some leaves are turning brown and I don’t know that they will survive. Some of these herbs may overwinter if they are protected. I’ll have to look into that in the fall.

Posted in Landscape, Xeriscape | Comments Off

Original Carpet Recycled

Posted on May 6, 2022 by ellen

Early in the Deconstruction I searched for a way to recycle all the materials we were replacing in the house. Only the family room was carpeted. I was able to find a carpet recycler in Denver to get the large room of carpeting recycled.

I removed the carpet and the tack strips and rolled up the carpet to take it to the recycler.

At the recycler there was carpet in large piles and mine was just added to the pile. The man who worked there showed me that the carpets were shredded and then the shredded fibers were reused in carpet manufacturing.

I searched the blog but apparently in the early days I didn’t write about every step. Turns out this one is an important step to show since carpet is one of the four waste streams that I used.

Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off