clean

I took a shower today... 81,86,62,0,B

April shower...

Way overdue for a good shower.  Last one I had, I thought my pump was broken and only got a trickle.  Took the pump apart this morning and discovered it was clogged with dead bees.  Now I am fresh and clean for at least another month.  87,94,55,0,B

Underwriters Laboratories

Did another Alpine run this morning in preparation for a weekend rain event.  Got home in plenty of time to rig up the pump in the shower and do a quick test.  Worked as predicted...perfect flow - perfect temperature.  Can you spot the potential code violation?  Yes...I will address that issue.  59,65,34,0,C

Fluid Dynamics

Turns out my low psi on-demand hot water heater is just on the cusp of getting a little too little pressure from the gravity feed on my solar shower tank.  The flow is minimal and the water actually gets too hot even on the low setting.  Although I had already done some research on the matter I thought I would try hosing in two lines from the tank for a little real world experiment that ended up proving the theory.  Thanks to the laws of physics regarding the conservation of energy, and some guy named Daniel Bernoulli - it didn't work.  (I won't hold a grudge against him though because the Bernoulli principle can also be used to calculate the lift force of my paramotor wing.)  As I suspected, doubling the feed in did not double the pressure or increase the flow.  Looks like I will have to add a pump to the mix after all.  Just so happens I have one that I used years ago for a misting system experiment in the greenhouse.  (Note: the inner tube leak on the trike tire is definitely repaired now.)  62,71,37,0,B

hot water

Contemplating a shower upgrade for this winter.  The whole outdoor shower thing has lost its' charm and I still (eventually) plan on moving into one of my shipping containers - although the other part of the plan is to have the shower in the courtyard.  The key to finding the right on demand water heater is pressure.  I would rather not have to add a pump to the mix.  Most need 20-80 psi for the input line. This one might just be the ticket for a gravity feed system.  86,89,61,0,B

cleaned up and showered

Cleaned up the front of the greenhouse where the burros have been visiting lately.  They usually show up around 4AM.  Solar shower temperature finally climbed to comfy so I took advantage late this afternoon.  45,70,27,0,B,.15

barn chickens

Carl and the girls have discovered the wonderful world of the steer pen and barn.  Lots of bugs for them to eat out there.  One of the hens has decided that the barn is a perfect place to lay. I hope Ben and Bud don't get broody.

It was finally time to put the door back on my shower...it blew off on June 6th.  64,78,52,0,B,0

five gallons of heaven...

Felt like crap all last night and most of the day. I reckon I've been inhaling too much in the way of welding fumes lately...happy to give my lungs a break for awhile. Laid low all day walking my property, puttering around and bonding with longhorns. Just taught this big cow how to hand feed this morning. She hung close by all day - wanting to perfect the trick, no doubt. Have yet to come up with a name for my new protege.

Did the GrubShack thing today for a late lunch which kinda perked me up....fried chicken livers. I reckon that has got to be good for me (except for the fried part). Finally started feeling up to snuff by the end of the day so I bumped the good vibe with a nice hot shower. Felt really good to peel off those welding clothes and scrub down. 57,76,29,0

The wait is over...

Another cold morning....this time a 23 degree low just before sunrise. Had a great night's sleep with no overly dramatic dreams to wake me up. Got in 9 1/2 hours of shut eye. For 2 nights in a row, parts of my SHWH system froze up - and still no damage. As I was on the ladder checking the hoses this morning, 2 new longhorns arrived for a breakfast snack. A young mother and weened calf that I have named Beatrice and Guillermo.

Took my time readjusting the hot water manifold and added a longer hose to the tank outlet. I lowered and centered the manifold on the stall and hinged it at the top to it can be tilted to catch more sun as it is tracing higher in the sky each day this time of year. Was just about ready to build the west insulated end for the tank enclosure when I decided to hold off as I figured out that I need to do a slight plumbing adjustment and would need to drain some water. Had a plan for draining some water a bit later in the day. My new bovine visitors showed back up far an early dinner so I served up some range feed and water, pulled up a chair and a beer and joined them as we listened to "All Things Considered" on NPR. I sat next to them for about an hour while we all listened to the radio and they munched away.

The wind picked up again this afternoon, so I hung a tarp over my shower opening and as promised.....I took a shower - a most excellent shower I must say. And this wasn't just any shower....the longest I have ever had here at The Field Lab. A slow/steady/warm flow for 25+ minutes and there was plenty more if I wanted. I'm guessing I used about 6 gallons. I think the new system is going to work out just fine!