Life with Jane

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

That's right as rain.

Today was a comedy or errors that wan't funny at all. Basically a street L elbow had buggered threads right out of the pack that destroyed the threads on the new valve in the toilet. It was one of those deals where I was going in blind installing the elbow, behind toilet where only a mirror would have given me eyeballs on what was going on. I stopped when I felt something wasn't right, rigid brass and soft plastic intermarriage is a sensitive subject easily understood by an almost mechanic. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will locate a new valve assembly and we'll be back to where we were this morning, love it.

Sometimes that "sh*t" will just make you want to scream. I learned not to throw the wrench towards anything that can break and if you are going to throw a golf club always throw it towards the hole and not towards the tee box you just left!!

[Wroughtnharv]

August 11 is my lucky/unlucky day. I call it my lucky day because I didn't die or end up permanently crippled. It's my unlucky day because I came awful close to being killed or permanently disabled.

As for the one step forward two step backwards thing, been there, done that. I don't have many of those because I have developed the attitude that we learn from everything, by now I should be pretty smart, I'm not.

I can only recall twice breaking something out of pure frustration. One was a golf club, didn't touch them for 25 years after that. It was something I took entirely too serious and for me at that time, not worth the frustration. The other was a fishing reel, I worked and worked on it and it kept messing up. I went and found a two pound hammer, it became pieces. Now I try to figure it out and will drive everyone around me crazy because I won't let it go until I do. It always boils down to "it's something simple". Yesterday was a perfect example. I didn't check a brand new in package brass street elbow for burrs on the threads. The burr caused a cross thread that I couldn't see or even really feel because of the position I was in doing the install. That cross thread destroyed the fitting molded into the soft plastic material.

The good thing is I learned a valuable lesson. I could have saved the money for fittings and irritation of everything being just so using Pex and instead could have used vinyl tubing, so much easier. The situation involved layers, or a group of players one might say. There was the position and mounting bolts of the toilet, one nut and washer is completely out of sight and inside the back of the toilet. The other fastener can only be accessed by having someone step on the flushing mechanism to allow access behind said mechanism. Then there is the panel best thing about me just reupholstered, it has to be in place before the toilet because it can't be installed after the toilet. That panel accentuates the access issue at the back of the toilet. It also hides the plumbing and makes access to the valve for hooking up the plumbing almost impossible, causing the perfect storm when a blurred street elbow gets involved. Then there's the leaking thing, one doesn't walk away from the job without being totally positive there isn't a leak because that's a lot harder to fix later.

This all started with changing out the carpet for the vinyl. When I pulled the toilet I found there was an existing small leak that had been there for sometime. And since the poly butyl plumbing is a known issue I replace it with Pex when I can. And the existing water supply line had a kink in it, for sure potential issue if I let it be. One has to keep in mind that motorhomes are made in layers using preassembled sections of tubing and wiring that are laid down and modified for different models. For instance the water supply lines to the sink were too long and had an elbow at the faucet. Evidently some models need the elbow, ours didn't. But it was easier to use the assembly and stuff the extra tubing in the area under the sink and force the elbows to work when a straight couple would have worked best. Another thing is if you find a source for Sharkbite adaptors for 3/8" poly butyl to Pex grab a handful. They are expensive but they allow you to change out the butyl where it's convenient and not at the connection which is always in the most difficult place possible for access.

One of the cues for autism is the fascination with information that others find irrational in some people. I know this is one of my personality quirks, the guy who can elaborate on the details no one in their right mind would want to know in a conversation. What is funny about this is the limp mode issue. So here I am learning stuff and finding it fascinating. And I will forget it all within a week. The best thing about it is the learning is fun even if the knowing isn't.

[Wroughtnharv]

I grabbed a new toilet valve kit at Camping World yesterday morning, about $20.00 cheaper than McCains. Bathroom was finished immediately, well, there was the issue with needing help, first best thing about me had to step on flush mechanism for me to get access to bolt securing toilet to the floor. I might be a man amongst men but I couldn't hold it down with one hand and reach back behind the lever to spin on the nut with the other, just not the man I used to be. Then I had her help me with the install of the hamper drawer, once again, laying down on my side and holding it in place with one hand and then reaching back to start the screws was just more than I could do. With her help it went back in like it was the plan.

Later in the afternoon when I got to get back to the wiring around the dash I had a limp mode moment. It's kind of funny now that I look back on it. Basically when I terminated the toggle and power plug assembly I used power cords. I fed them across the dash up out of the way to where I'm installing the fuse panel. I had marked the cords with white tape and magic marker, my own code.

I'm now installing the fuse panel. It would be done by now but just as I started we had a storm blow through, 1 1/2" in forty minutes or so, then sprinkles for an hour more. Jane has a driver's access door and it has been my way to get under the dash in the most comfortable way possible. I was under the dash on my back with heavy rain outside when I tackled the cords coming in from the power plugs and rocker switches. It was a total what the heck moment, about five of them, the moments. It made no sense to me. As I studied the black marks on the white tape in confusion I knew I was going to have to pull the assembly to see what was what. That was the beneath the radio, which is below the a/c controls, I almost got sick. Then I studied it some more and started laughing.

Best thing about me is almost at wit's end right now. What is left to be done can only be done by me and I'm having to go slow, physically and mentally wore down. She asked me why I was laughing. "Someone was pretty doggone smart here" was my reply.

Today will be a good day. It rained an additional inch last night and it's raining right now. But it will only get up to 95 this afternoon when the rain stops. I suspect it's going to be machete time when it comes to cutting one's way through the humidity later on. The to do list sounds like a lot and wouldn't be if I was in better shape. But it really isn't that bad, just work, and work is what we do.

[ronjhall]

Get-R-Done Harvey!

[Wroughtnharv]

Today was one of those awesomer days. At home in Wylie we only got 2.5 inches of rain out of the storm. At the farm, 15 miles away, 4.5 inches in the rain gauge when we got there. I emptied it when we first got there and we got another 1/4" before it stopped for the day. Just south of the farm this afternoon they got hammered but we were spared.

It's kind of funny how it works. For a couple of days me and the wiring finish up under the dash have been circling like a couple of dogs about to fight. When the rain stopped late morning I jumped on it and everything fell together like dominos. Everything is doing what it was designed to do, Hayden misting system spits water on the radiator, LED lights on the back of the coach light up the day, ought to really work after dark, and the dash area is going back together just fine.

[Wroughtnharv]

Granddaughter's boyfriend's last day at vocational welding school is Thursday and he starts his new job Monday, only one hired by the company out of his class.

He asked if he could weld something up for me if I needed it. We went into the scrap aluminum pile and did a quick "hen scratch" his words. He did super good and that is something I won't have to do tomorrow.

Basically I'm taking the solar system, panels, new 6 volt batteries, controller, etc and I'm going to set it up when we camp, two weeks at one location. I'll run a power strip off of the inverter and we'll plug in the routine 110 volt stuff like microwave, coffeemaker, fans, computer, etc into the power strip as needed. The 12 volt stuff on the coach will work off charged batteries. I'll set up the panels using the new stands. At night I'll either bring them in or tuck them under the coach to keep them legless.

This is getting to be fun.

[Wroughtnharv]

It was another good day.

[Franka548]

Looking good Harvey. Now is time to go enjoy.
Frank

[Gordon Dewald]

Harvey another great set of pictures and text. Looking forward to seeing it this winter. What a change! And we know that pictures only tell half the story.

[Wroughtnharv]

The plan is to be on the road this afternoon. What we have left is small stuff, and we know that is what takes the longest, right? All of the furniture is in place and secured. Best thing about me has got most of her storage projects done etc. And we're ready, for the most part Jane is like a new coach to us.

When we set up off grid we're going on solar for most of our power. I didn't have time to do the roof like I wanted but I did get the portable stands for the solar panels made. I have a hundred foot of wire for them so I should be able to find a place between the trees to set them up pointing south aimed at 30 degrees.

It was after dark last night when I finished up the solar panel stands and I couldn't help myself. I had to test out the lights I'd installed at the back of the coach. I'm going to like them. They give a great circle of light fifty foot in diameter feathering out to about 100 feet. They only thing I don't like about them is they are blinding if you look directly at the lights themselves, four bulbs but my gawd they are bright.

[Wroughtnharv]

I looked back over the latest post and saw the trashy look in the background of the last picture. I hadn't noticed it before and when I saw it my first reaction was similar to seeing a photo of me with the plumber's crack in plain view and need to delete the photo. Then I thought that if that is the way they want to see me, so be it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/naveenj.../#293d8d1f20ff

[Pa Miller]

LOL Harv .... A cluttered shop is a busy shop ... THats my excuse . I'm restoring a 65 chev truck total down to the last bolt all original .. It's all over my shop ..gg My older brother and I grew up in my dads body shops .. He's 61 and restoring a 65 ford truck red in his shop and I'm 60 doing 65 chev truck lt. blue in mine .... My dads been gone for years but I can still here him saying >>> stop and clean up before ya go any farther son !! LOL Looking good Harvy keep it up !!

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by Pa Miller

LOL Harv .... A cluttered shop is a busy shop ... THats my excuse . I'm restoring a 65 chev truck total down to the last bolt all original .. It's all over my shop ..gg My older brother and I grew up in my dads body shops .. He's 61 and restoring a 65 ford truck red in his shop and I'm 60 doing 65 chev truck lt. blue in mine .... My dads been gone for years but I can still here him saying >>> stop and clean up before ya go any farther son !! LOL Looking good Harvy keep it up !!

I try to use what I have at hand, the solar panel stands are all scrap aluminum that I couldn't throw away because some day..........

[Pa Miller]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

I try to use what I have at hand, the solar panel stands are all scrap aluminum that I couldn't throw away because some day..........

Yep scrap is scrap till you need it... I keep a lot (all) of it!