The rhododendrons seem to be saying it never got above freezing up here today. Glad I missed it.
I was out there yesterday in the warm howl with my ears cocked for cracking noises attaching hardware to the wellhead box to get it ready for what was coming. Didn't really give much thought to making the hideous box a work of art yet. That may come in time. Feel free to freely associate suggestions.
Some leftover rigid insulation was added though I need a few more pieces. The glue I was going to use to attach it to the lid and the sides of the frame instructed me not to use said glue unless it was 56 degrees. That will not be happening anytime soon.
It is going to get real cold right now so I went ahead and put the rigid insulation I had inside the box. Glue can come later. In the time it took me to get this set up, the thermometer I put inside went from 24 to 32. Just before dark I looked again and it was at 38.
It is looking like the well head won't freeze even with partial insulation. This does not however mean that water lines in the house and the shower drain won't freeze. That is a separate matter. This diagnosed dip to 15 for down there in the valley could mean it will be below 10 up here. This will be the first real test of the newly insulated shower drain since I did open floor surgery on it last year.
If I get lucky the winds will stop and all that cold air will sink to the bottom. Then it will be warmer up top than down below. That happens quite often.
More wind is not going to get the Black Locust tree moving at this point.
It's stuck. It looks like it is caught by only one small branch there at the top left. This is a testament to the strength of Black Locust. One small branch is supporting the entire trunk and crown of the tree. Dag nab it. It may take several howling winds from several directions to shake the thing loose.
When it stays below freezing for extended periods is when living in a house that was made to flee in the winter gets a little sketchy. The house itself is very snug and airtight and keeps its warmth just fine. It's the water lines that run through the parts of the floor that are above grade that cause trouble. A little less insulation and countless years of tunneling varmints makes a difference when it comes to the penetrating cold.
Poor birds won't be taking a bath anytime soon. I hope I won't have the same trouble.
Posts
6 comments:
You will be glad to move to your cozy cabin which has been carefully protected against such hazards! Just keep telling yourself - get thru this winter and you're home free! (:
bev
I agree with Anonymous. Just one more winter & things will be different.
Good luck. Minus 10! That's hardcore.
Oh my goodness, I do hope your shower withstands this next go around of extreme cold. Good news for the well head box though. Can you build a contraption for the upper house? Once your own place is finished will that be closed up for winter like in the old days? The black locust still looks scary. Maybe the woodpeckers will give you a hand at getting it down, they made short work on Ferngully, but he was just maple. Stay warm and dry, if you can!
Frances
Hi Christopher! I sure hope you are staying warm! BRRRR....I can't remember when the weather has ben like this before this early. I hope that black locust tree gets caught up in the next storm and comes down right where you need it to be.
Sending warm good luck wishes your way! I have the same problem here, but so far, so good. (My wind chill has been -20 for 3 days now, so I'm optimistic.) This year I insulated my crawlspace door some more, and set the milkhouse heater under there a tad higher to prevent the pipe freezing I had last year.
Post a Comment