Water above, water below
Oct. 11th, 2020 14:07![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillToday's weather started all right, then went from bad to worse.
Fortunately, I went out and dealt with the waterbox around midday, so by the time the wind picked up I was safely inside. It had been steadily drizzling all morning, which I didn't really mind; sure, my pants legs got soaked from hiking through the ferns, and my coat got damp, but it was still warm. And my boots are still waterproof up to the laces.
I went up with the cordless drill, a hole saw (newly replaced, because the set I bought in March grew legs), a small piece of hardware cloth, a paint mixer wand, and the usual screwdriver to undo hose clamps. I came back down midway through to fetch a fresh battery. Because it turns out that the plastic that water screen is made out of is tough. Not your typical PVC. I don't have to worry about breaking that screen by accident, or having it crushed by rocks in a flood...
A battery and a half later, I had cut a 3" hole in the top of the screen near the outflow end, and I stuck the wand in by hand. Just stirring it around made a difference. When I hooked it up to the drill, I was able to clear out an 18" space in front of the outflow in minutes. It was absolutely the right thing to do.
After I was done, I attached the 1/2" hardware cloth to the hole using two fresh maple twigs, which should stay strong as long as they're immersed (if the screen isn't always immersed, we have bigger problems). As a bonus, the outflow seemed more powerful with the new hole; I had hoped it would be, rather than stealing current, but I couldn't be sure. So this should be a long-term fix and maintenance port.
While I was packing up, a 3" crayfish came out to root around in the mud I had disturbed. I told it there were a bunch of stoneflies if it was hungry, and at least a couple of caddisflies.
The water level was high enough that I had to use several diversions on the dam to get it down to the point where I felt comfortable using the hole saw in the drill. But even though I had to climb around to activate the diversions and then close them up again, I did not drop the drill in the water, nor myself. I stuck around long enough to see the overflow at full bore -- I don't think it will overwhelm the outflow pipe -- and went back home.
Where the water pressure was still close to nil. I flipped the lever on the sediment filter to "bypass" and the faucet fired right up, so I unscrewed the housing and pulled out the cartridge. It hadn't looked too soiled from the outside, but that was deceptive; apparently the intake is on the inside, and there was a definite skin of mud there. One fresh cartridge later, we have better water pressure than we've had since the plumbers re-piped under the house -- I suspect they stirred up a bunch of sediment in the lines, and it got sucked right up by the filter. Thank goodness the replaceable cartridge took that bullet rather than the water heater, even if it did cut the cartridge's life down to a quarter of its usual expectancy.
I put on dry socks (luxury) and changed my clothes, and by the time I'd had lunch it was pretty clear I was done for the day. The wind kicked up while I was having lunch, and Jenny mentioned that there's a reason loggers won't go into the woods during high wind -- that's what brings on widowmakers. Especially after the ground got a soaking yesterday. When she found out I was in house socks she offered to go close up the chickens, and I took a scraper to the newly painted door light on the back porch instead. So at least that's neatened up.
I turned on the heater in my bedroom so that the fan drying the last of my laundry doesn't freeze me to death. It smells a little like wet boots in here, but it's pretty comfortable.
I should go grab my dinner out of the oven; I decided that heating up the leftovers of the lovely potato chowder I made last night seemed just the thing for a cold, blustery day.
Fortunately, I went out and dealt with the waterbox around midday, so by the time the wind picked up I was safely inside. It had been steadily drizzling all morning, which I didn't really mind; sure, my pants legs got soaked from hiking through the ferns, and my coat got damp, but it was still warm. And my boots are still waterproof up to the laces.
I went up with the cordless drill, a hole saw (newly replaced, because the set I bought in March grew legs), a small piece of hardware cloth, a paint mixer wand, and the usual screwdriver to undo hose clamps. I came back down midway through to fetch a fresh battery. Because it turns out that the plastic that water screen is made out of is tough. Not your typical PVC. I don't have to worry about breaking that screen by accident, or having it crushed by rocks in a flood...
A battery and a half later, I had cut a 3" hole in the top of the screen near the outflow end, and I stuck the wand in by hand. Just stirring it around made a difference. When I hooked it up to the drill, I was able to clear out an 18" space in front of the outflow in minutes. It was absolutely the right thing to do.
After I was done, I attached the 1/2" hardware cloth to the hole using two fresh maple twigs, which should stay strong as long as they're immersed (if the screen isn't always immersed, we have bigger problems). As a bonus, the outflow seemed more powerful with the new hole; I had hoped it would be, rather than stealing current, but I couldn't be sure. So this should be a long-term fix and maintenance port.
While I was packing up, a 3" crayfish came out to root around in the mud I had disturbed. I told it there were a bunch of stoneflies if it was hungry, and at least a couple of caddisflies.
The water level was high enough that I had to use several diversions on the dam to get it down to the point where I felt comfortable using the hole saw in the drill. But even though I had to climb around to activate the diversions and then close them up again, I did not drop the drill in the water, nor myself. I stuck around long enough to see the overflow at full bore -- I don't think it will overwhelm the outflow pipe -- and went back home.
Where the water pressure was still close to nil. I flipped the lever on the sediment filter to "bypass" and the faucet fired right up, so I unscrewed the housing and pulled out the cartridge. It hadn't looked too soiled from the outside, but that was deceptive; apparently the intake is on the inside, and there was a definite skin of mud there. One fresh cartridge later, we have better water pressure than we've had since the plumbers re-piped under the house -- I suspect they stirred up a bunch of sediment in the lines, and it got sucked right up by the filter. Thank goodness the replaceable cartridge took that bullet rather than the water heater, even if it did cut the cartridge's life down to a quarter of its usual expectancy.
I put on dry socks (luxury) and changed my clothes, and by the time I'd had lunch it was pretty clear I was done for the day. The wind kicked up while I was having lunch, and Jenny mentioned that there's a reason loggers won't go into the woods during high wind -- that's what brings on widowmakers. Especially after the ground got a soaking yesterday. When she found out I was in house socks she offered to go close up the chickens, and I took a scraper to the newly painted door light on the back porch instead. So at least that's neatened up.
I turned on the heater in my bedroom so that the fan drying the last of my laundry doesn't freeze me to death. It smells a little like wet boots in here, but it's pretty comfortable.
I should go grab my dinner out of the oven; I decided that heating up the leftovers of the lovely potato chowder I made last night seemed just the thing for a cold, blustery day.
