3R Home and Barn Project

[3RRL]

Rob, have you noticed how many views of this thread? WOW

Yeah, it is cool!
It's really neat that so many still check it out after all this time.
Oh, I've got some photos of the fencing work on Loretta's garden. You know those first fence stakes we put up fell down after the recent heavy rains. That's why I decided to put real chain link fence posts with concrete to hold the new fence up. We used her Jinma with the Leinbach Post Hole Digger to dig all the holes.



While we were at it, we enlarged the fenced in area too. Put in a nice gate that opens for either a man door or a 6 foot wide gate. She could still drive her Jinma in there (through the large opening) if she needs to till or dig more.
That's what I've been doing in between working on the engine re-build on my tractor.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Looking good Rob, what is the wood pole for?

 

[3RRL]

Another thing that is a continuous chore is keeping after the solar batteries.
Besides having to monitor them ... we check them every month. Loretta checks the specific gravity and adds distilled water when they are low. That may not seem like a big deal, but there are 16 of those giant Surette batteries and each has 6 fill caps on them. So that's 96 places to check and/or fill each month.

Each cell has those Hydrogen recapture caps on them.
You have to be sure to "click" them completely shut every time. Sometime they click on the front, but the back is still up. So you have to double check they are completely closed. She keeps a log on how much each battery takes. It's interesting to see that during the Summer it takes way more water. Not only that, but some cells in the same battery take more than others.

This month (yesterday) she cleaned all the corrosion (after 3 years) off each battery terminal and cable. Then she turned all cables downwards (first photo below). They were looped up (2nd photo below). So it would be easier to get to the cells in the back. Man, we've been avoiding those upwards loops for 3 dang years! We constantly knocked our hands or elbows when checking/filling in the past. Of course we spilled a lot.
Now there's plenty of room and no obstacles.



She cleaned the corrosion off with baking soda first.
The she got the Makita with a small wire brush and cleaned (super good) both the battery terminals and all the cable ends. She borrowed my socket set and tightened them metal to metal for a really good connection. Then she sprayed them with a Sealer she got from Napa.
They are really sano now!

 

[dcyrilc]

Yeah, it is cool!
It's really neat that so many still check it out after all this time.
Oh, I've got some photos of the fencing work on Loretta's garden. You know those first fence stakes we put up fell down after the recent heavy rains. That's why I decided to put real chain link fence posts with concrete to hold the new fence up. We used her Jinma with the Leinbach Post Hole Digger to dig all the holes.



While we were at it, we enlarged the fenced in area too. Put in a nice gate that opens for either a man door or a 6 foot wide gate. She could still drive her Jinma in there (through the large opening) if she needs to till or dig more.
That's what I've been doing in between working on the engine re-build on my tractor.

Are you goint to stay with the T-posts inbetween the corner posts or are you going to do a full chain link with top rail and tension wire?

 

[3RRL]

Cyril,
We are going to stay with the T-posts in between.
LOL ... we are way over budget this month with this happening as is. We really didn't plan on doing it. Plus it's Christmas so it's a tight month.

Brian,
Those wooden poles are for solar lights.
I will run electricity to that area next year. We are also planning on building a garden shed next year. It will be situated so one side of it sits between the chain link fence. There will be a roll up door to the outside and a man door to the inside (to the garden).
Now to get back to that engine rebuild. It's 31F this morning.

 

[PAGUY]

Gee Rob I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that fence (the height) isn't going to keep a hungry deer out of Loretta's garden. They can jump a six foot fence with ease. I guess you can wait and see if I'm right but don't be surprised as you heard it hear first.

PAGUY

 

[3RRL]

Ham yeah I know.
But it's a slight deterrent. When we had the crummy fence up, it actually kept them out. We saw where the pushed down some of the chicken wire that was around the small trees, but did not jump into the garden.
That doesn't mean that they won't jump it of course!
Just not yet.

 

[dcyrilc]

Hope everyone's haveing a better evening than we are...

...Our furnace was acting up and not properly heating. I went out in the garage to check on it just in time to watch some of the control wiring catch fire. Shut the breaker off and made sure the wiring had stopped burning, but no heat for now. It's about 58 in the house and 31 outside currently. Better pull out some warm blankets tonight.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Hope everyone's haveing a better evening than we are...

...Our furnace was acting up and not properly heating. I went out in the garage to check on it just in time to watch some of the control wiring catch fire. Shut the breaker off and made sure the wiring had stopped burning, but no heat for now. It's about 58 in the house and 31 outside currently. Better pull out some warm blankets tonight.

I would say that you are having a darn good evening, you caught it before you had a big problem.

Good luck , hope that it is a quick and inexpensive repair.

 

[dave1949]

Hope everyone's haveing a better evening than we are...

...Our furnace was acting up and not properly heating. I went out in the garage to check on it just in time to watch some of the control wiring catch fire. Shut the breaker off and made sure the wiring had stopped burning, but no heat for now. It's about 58 in the house and 31 outside currently. Better pull out some warm blankets tonight.

Yikes! Wonder what caused that. Sure glad you were at home to cut the power to it before a fire got going.
Dave.