40,000 gallons later
Was taking it easy again today as I said in yesterdays post, when close to noon there is a knock at the door. I answer and there is a guy from the water department who tells me that we has a leak. Wonderful says I. How much so far? Over 40,000 gallons says he. 😯 Shit! says I. Yea says he. We looked and see nothing but the last two times this has happened it has all gone underground so this makes 3 times. I shut the water off at the meter and he leaves. I get the shovel and dig the area out around the valve to the qhut and upon cutting it off there the meter stops turning. So it’s between the qhut and the drive and that’s only about 15 feet. No water inside the valve hole so must be in that area. I clear the crap away in the middle of the area and finally remember the place I patched back in May or June of last year that I was supposed to get a fitting and repair properly. You can guess where this is going, right? Yea, that connector had broken in the freeze last week but the patch I had put on it had kept it from doing more than spraying a bit, so we didn’t notice a drop in pressure. And there must be a hell of a sink hole right there cause the water was within 5 inches of the top of the hole but not overflowing anywhere, just soaking in, all 40,000 gallons. Went to Jacksonville to Warren Ace Hardware and got a connector and returned and put it on after cutting the old connector out. Tightened it up with pliers and tis done. Now to dread the bill… 😥
Tomorrow I got to cut wood. Think we are about a week from out but even standing dead wood needs to air dry a bit before trying to burn it. There is a 10 year dead oak on top of the hill that I can get a truck load out of that I need to finish cutting. Just so big at this point I have to cut through one side and then go around and cut the other. And then splitting it is a real pain at that size. Several standing dead I am gonna get soon. Just need a couple of truck loads for the next two or three weeks.
Still procrastinating about the heater move/mod. And have failed to produce a drawing as well as not built anything. Will try to get to the building supply and see what is available in ceramic flue liners. If they have tees I’m gonna start with two. Depending on the price. May be cheaper to build it all in brick.
Think I am gonna sit by the fire and read a bit and call it an early night. Firewood awaits in the am… 🙄 😉
Themocracy
40,000 gallons? Eeek! “Now that’s a leak!” Well, actually, that’s a swimming pool Is that the same leak that I was over there when you got the water bill for $100.00 and started looking for? I was wondering, because I remember it as being a rather cold day, not like May or June, but my rememberer could be wrong, or it might be another incident. I agree about the sinkhole, there must be SOMETHING there soaking up all the water. Just hope it doesn’t eat the barn, or the qhut sometime…it makes me think of what happened to the shop office on 6th street. Of course, that was runoff, and rather more energetic, I would think, but still…
Here is a weird idea that hit me while I was editing this: why not bury a microphone next to the water line somewhere, rig up a digital recorder (in other words, an old computer running Audacity) and check the waveforms you capture every so often? I would think that the sound of running water would have a distinct signature, and if it starts showing up continuously, it might give you a hint that something is wrong. Just a weird, sudden, first-cup-of-coffee-type idea, thought I would throw it out…a device like that, with some software to recognize the signature waveform of flowing water, might be just the ticket for a vacation home-connected to a remotely operated valve, and with an e-mail alert, it could shut down the water supply and alert the absent owner that somthing was amiss when somebody breaks in and steals all the copper pipes…
Careful with the “widow-makers”. It’s a bitch cutting wood, but there is something about tossing another piece of wood on the fire that is satisfying at a primitive level. Of course, since it has been many a year since I cut wood and tossed it on a fire, the romance may be gone for someone like you who has to do it at a regular interval. I guess familiarity DOES breed contempt. 🙂
I think you were over here come to think of it. Don’t really remember the date. Bill and Cat both thought early summer/late spring but I ain’t sure even what year it were… 🙄
Last night, sitting here writing the post, I got to thinking about some kind of “simple” warning device. They (whoever they may be) make a burst pipe cutoff unit that works on flow. If you have a sustained flow for more than a certain time (adjustable if I recall correctly) that is put in the water line as it either comes out of the meter or into the house. In my case as the leaks tend to be in that 200 foot run from the road to the ell going to the qhut it would need to be at the meter. Don’t remember whether the unit needs power or not. Will see if I can find them again, but I think what I am gonna do is put a pressure gauge on the line in either the kitchen or bathroom. Somewhere (like by the toilet) that any time you are settin n thinkin you’ll (I’ll) take a glance and see what the pressure is. Then if it’s low can go and take a look at the lil pointer thingie in the meter to see ifn its movin.
Also been thinking about replacing the pipe. Seems to be getting so once a year we have problems. Pipe has been here since early 80’s so is about time for the plastic crap to have crapped out. Yep 25+ years old now so about time to put in new anyway. Not that that makes the thought of digging another ditch in that rocky ground any more enticing, but it does need to be done soon.
Cutting the wood isn’t too bad. Just needs a good saw and sharp chain. Splitting it is another story. Don’t mind the small stuff but the rounds over 12 inches are starting to get to be a problem. The old 12 pound monster maul was ok for a truckload of medium stuff but the newer 15 pound one takes me out quicker though it splits quicker. Don’t seem like the extra 3 pounds should make that much difference. But it sure does. Then again it may be all the extra years I got on me now… 🙁
Gotta get off here and go fix breakfast so I can go sharpen the chain and get to cutting wood. Later.
Pressure gauge…hmm, I don’t have any experience in monitoring the pressure in our water system at home, so I’m not sure if the pressure fluctuates much or not. The other morning, the pressure was WAY down when I showered, but after doing some checking (and listening for the whine of a leak) I came to the conclusion that they must be working on the line, the drop was just too much. And, on the way to the high school, we passed where they had just replaced (from what I could tell) a large supply line on Broadwell Mill Road, so I guess that’s where the pressure loss came from. The pressure had started coming up right before we left, and that’s about the time they finished. So, I’m not sure if the pressure gauge would help, out our way. The pressure seems to fluctuate a good bit as it is. I might put a mike on a pipe, and see what happens…going to take a long cable, I guess. Have to think about this, it piques my interest, and I have spent a lot of time on my back under the old double-wide working on plumbing, sometimes DAYS after it had gone out, it’s nice to know sooner.
Replacing the supply pipe is one of those things that is very worthwhile, and a total b***h. The last section I had to replace I had to do the digging under the double-wide with an entrenching tool (nothing else would fit) and I really, really, REALLY came to a GOOD appreciation of just how tough elm roots are. It was nice to see the dozer take that elm down when they started clearing for the house.
Yeah, splitting is fun, if you are young and built like Arnold, the Governator. Otherwise, it gets old real quick. And it’s not just that extra 3 pounds, it’s that extra 3 pounds at the end of a 2 1/2 foot or so handle, moving a X mph. The leverage makes it a LOT more than just 3 extra pounds, which is, of course the reason it works better and wears you out quicker. TANSTAAFL.
Two things:
1. When you get your water bill, if they add a drought penalty for using so much, call them up and (politely!) talk with them about the fact that as soon as the man let you know about the problem, that you went and had it fixed within a few hours. You weren’t wasting water per se, you were screwed by the fickle finger of fate.
2. Have you ever heard a hard drive squeal? I mean, it sounds like a red-tailed hawk going “Kee-yeeeaaar!” Yes, I know the thing is shot (it just refuses to read data–wonder why?) but the sound is amazing! Bearings binding, maybe? Wild…