Buckets Be Gone!

Now that the rain barrel on the water tower is connected to the plumbing inside, wouldn't it be nice to  have a pump to fill that rain barrel?

Here's a link to our latest acquisition:

http://honda.ca/HPower/Models/ModelOverview?L=E&Type=WaterPumps&Series=Transfer&Model=WX10K1C

This Honda water pump is lightweight and compact, so we can easily transport it home between visits to the lake.   I just set it up on the dock, connect the intake hose on one side and a 100 foot garden hose on the discharge side and water flows right into the rain barrel.  It worked very well the first try and has lots of power to spare.  It could fill the barrel in about 5 minutes or less.  Before filling the rain barrel, I connected the pump's hose directly to the cottage water intake pipe, hoping the higher water pressure would bleed any remaining air out of the pipes thus increasing the pressure when the cottage water lines are connected to the rain barrel. Also, I shortened the length of the hose that runs from the rain barrel to the cottage intake pipe from 15 to 7 feet and installed a new fitting on the severed end.  It was longer than needed and the extra length caused unnecessary friction, reducing water pressure in the house. These two efforts made a small difference.  The flow from the faucets is more than it was, but still not quite adequate. And water does flow into the toilet tank after flushing, only it doesn't fill it all the way so you have to top it up.  Either the water pressure isn't strong enough to fill the tank or the toilet mechanism needs adjusting.  I tried adjusting the settings on the mechanism in the tank but it still wasn't enough. Either way, I am now going to explore adding a pressure pump in the basement, powered by a battery, with an inverter and a solar panel.  But that will probably take place in the spring. I have other projects for this fall, including insulating the floor so we can stay over in the winter.  The alternative would be to build a higher tower, but my rough calculations tell me it would have to be much much higher before I obtained adequate water pressure.

Pictures will be posted at a later date.

Mother Nature Sings Roll Out the Barrel...

..and I never liked that song.


The next trip to the cottage followed a huge rainstorm and pulling into the lot I could see the rain barrel wasn't on the tower where it should be. Like a pop can crushed by the heel of mother nature, it lay on the ground, severely dented on two sides. About 10 metres away we found the lid. Evidently, the weight of the rain collecting in the barrel sheared the screws holding the platform to one of the posts.  Then I remembered that when I built the platform I only had deck screws and I had made a mental note that before filling the barrrel, I would have to reinforce the platform with strong bolts. Well, it seems I missplaced that mental note. But now I found it!

At times like this Barb is very happy with my decision to NOT build the cottage myself

So we spent a good part of the day first trying to return the barrel to its normal shape and then rebuilding the platform, this time with stronger screws. I also connected the toilet using a flex hose, and installed a shut off valve where the intake hose enters the house. Barb also replaced a screen on the basement window.  The week before a mouse chewed through the vinyl screen. Tim and I removed the beast from the cottage.  I read that mice can't chew through aluminum screen so that's we used. All this was a hard day's work so not much relaxation on this visit.

Here's the rebuilt tower....

12 years later, Tim and Neil return to their campsite

Those of you who remember the history of the cottage know that Tim first brought me to this lake on a canoe portage from the Picanoc River in 1998 (not 1996 as stated in the last blog). Last Thursday, August 12, we returned to the lake for the first time together since that trip. We had two great days. We paddled just about the entire lake, from the covered bridge in the south to the North beach, into the weedy bay and then up the narrows to the beaver dam that separates the lake from Ross lake. Yes, we stopped on the island where we camped 12 years ago. I have paddled past it many times of course and pointed it out to others. However, this was the first time I actually set foot on the island in 12 years. The view from that island is one of the best of the lake. It is kidney shapped, narrowing in the middle. Standing on that narrow band, about 30 feet accross, allows you a view looking north and looking south. We brought our camping chairs and settled in for lunch and drinks, and were able to recall a lot of details of our camping trip. The weather was perfect and with the water level low we had more of a beach in the bay on the island then last time we stayed there.

The view that first captivated me in 1998

The man responsible for everything returns to what is henceforth to be called "Tim's Island"

Aside from hours in the canoe, we also cooled off in the water, sawed more logs - replacing the pile Tom chopped last week - and cleaned up the campfire area. Evening was spent jammin' with guitar and harmonica by the campfire and watching shooting stars.

It's great to have friends who like to work, so we tried another test of the water system, installing proper fittings and connecting the hose from the water tower to the intake hose on the house. The guidance from my friend Christoff at the Home Depot worked perfectly, with the new fittings not leaking. We filled the barrel by hauling buckets from the lake. The results were what I would describe as mixed. Water was flowing into the house. And we did get a trickle out of the taps after exhaustive syphoning, only possible as a result of our training for this playing the harmonica. But we discovered that the toilet wasn't connected to the water pipe coming up through the floor. The builder used a rigid pipe. Not sure why, but it wouldn't quite align with the valve on the floor and so it appeared to be connected but it wasn't at the floor. We discovered this when water was pooling on the floor when we turned the water on. I had to buy a flex hose to properly connect it before my next trip up on Tuesday - but more on that trip later.

2010 a great summer for the cottage

First, thanks to the many readers who have been asking about updates and checking in from time to time. Thanks to you we're getting this blog back on track.

We left off last summer just after the flooring in the main room was installed.

I continued to work my way through the bedrooms in the fall and just finished the last bedroom last month. We're very happy with the result. I just have to find flooring solution for the closets, one of which has the trap door to the basement where we can't use laminate. We now have beds for six people, thanks to Helene for the bunk bed with the double bed on the bottom.  We're also debating what flooring to install in the screened porch. We think cushion floor is the right choice but the seams in the plywood floor might require a sub floor and floor leveller for that option. But we need something easy to sweep and clean that will also resist water.

Here's a look at the three bedrooms with the flooring installed:

This has been a great year for the cottage in many ways. The bugs were not nearly as bad as last year. And the early spring and heat wave of early July has meant that the water has been warm for swimming.

Our first overnight visit of the year was the May long weekend. Greg and Laura accompanied us.We boated to a nearby island and some of us found the water bearable enough for swimming. Since then we have been swimming many times.

A first time visitor this year was our niece Melissa. My brother Mark, Melissa and Laura and I spent a couple of very nice days together in mid July. Melissa had her first experience kayaking and paddled all the way to the peninsula!

The other main project this year has been the construction of the "water tower". The plan is to acquire a Honda gas powered water pump, fill the raised rain barrel, and let gravity do the work to supply water to the toilet and sinks inside. This will mean no more hauling buckets for the toilet. It's good exercise, but not that much fun. And it leaves users feeling guilty about using the toilet.

The tower, made of posts from cedar trees, is adjacent to the cottage and supports a 220 litre barrel which sits just under the eaves. This way it will also collect rainwater off the roof, reducing the need to run the gas pump. I am not sure this height will be enough to provide the pressure needed. If it isn't, I'll have to build a higher platform and forgo the collection of rainwater off the roof.   Last weekend, while Tom and Joy were up, we attempted a test by hauling buckets of water up the ladder to pour into the rain barrel. We found the connections leaked both outside and inside the basement where I had connected the hose and pipe. I guess that's why you do a test.

We had a really nice weekend with Tom and Joy. They were able to get out in their tandem kayak several times, including Saturday evening when the lake was calm and clear. This was a major improvement over their visit last year when the weather kept us from more than a single cursory paddle. We also played games, had campfires, and ate a lot of good food. Tom and I chopped a good pile of wood and everyone helped Laura stack it under the porch. Oh, yes, we also had a few beers. It was an awesome weekend.

Tom hard at work

Joy and Laura 

On Monday I returned to Home Depot where I had been assured I had everything I needed to make the water system work properly. I explained to a different sales representative in plumbing, Christoff, what I was attempting to do. Before I could finish explaining he exclaimed "what you are doing is wrong" in his heavy accent, reminiscent of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I asked him to let me finish explaining what I had done and what parts I used, which only prompted a more assertive "whatever you are doing is wrong!" He then showed me some different fittings and explained what specialized tools I would have needed to follow the instructions I had been given by his colleague last week.


Tomorrow, I'm headed up with Tim, who first brought me to the lake in 1996 (see the post about the history of July 2008).

I'll try Christoff's advice and let you know how the water system works out.