Project time

May 16, 2008
Broad Brook, CT

Well, the days are flying by and we've finished our first set of projects, with several to go.

Since we're planning to be here for a longer duration than in the past, the first things I needed to tackle dealt with making it easy to stay in one place. We've had the spot to park the coach for several years, with the needed 50 amp circuit in place, but "water in and water out" have been makeshift affairs. Over the last few days, we've added an outside hose bib and an extension to the house waste water system so we can easily dump the holding tanks.

The fresh water line was relatively easy since there was already a separate branch line for a hose bib in the garage. It was relatively straightforward to "tee" off that line with a straight run through a control/drain valve to the outside faucet. I say "relatively" since the existing shut-off valve for that section wouldn't shut off completely and the new line had to be run over a mass of wiring and heating ductwork that made sweating the copper pipe joints a bit of a challenge. I ended up having to replace the existing valve and re-work the connections to get a tight seal, but everything fell into place. All this plumbing work was done in the crawl space under the dining room (a 8' x 12' section adjacent to the otherwise full-height basement), so I had lots of opportunities for crawling and contortion. I'm none the worse for wear, and the time I spent as a teenager working summers with a plumber has left some handy skills.

The waste water line was more straightforward, with 3/4" PVC running along the inside of the garage, through the wall into the crawl space, and connecting to a used piece of 3/4" heavy rubber hose that was snaked through the basement ceiling to the main waste pipe. With a reducing "wye" and a few couplers, a solid connection was made. Everything was tested successfully yesterday. Fabulous!

Otherwise, things have been quiet, or at least normal, around here. Britt's feeling better, "the girls" had a good time in Atlantic City and were happy to be home, Alicia's finished with school, and everyone's back at work. We're starting to get organized and are now looking forward to the next few weeks, including the Memorial Day weekend and Britt's High School graduation a few weeks later.

We're still struggling with getting used to the weather, since it's generally been cool and cloudy with rain, or the threat thereof, most days. We've got several outside projects planned (oil/filters/lube on the coach, stain the deck, install fencing around the garden) that will require at least a day or two of clear weather, and it looks like it'll be well into next week before that happens. I've ordered cooling fans for the DirecTV boxes and they should arrive early next week, so at least I'll have some "inside work" to do, along with installing a new bathroom fan/light fixture for Pat. We'll keep busy!