One year ago today: July 26,2021, weird food.
Five years ago today: July 26, 2017, I disagree.
Nine years ago today: July 26, 2013, the stupidest kid.
Random years ago today: July 26, 2014, Jackie, R.I.P.
Listen to some guitar and have an extra coffee. Then 2-1/4 hours under the house, half of it from cutting the bathroom floor. I know I said I’d like to bypass the old iron wherever there is a faucet, but with a single coupling. I may be in some luck today. I’ve been mistakenly referring to the American Valve coupling as a Sharkbite™. And, this is the coupling I misremembered. It does work just fine on iron to plastic because I have two of them in operation.
The piping is concentrated under the bathroom floor, but it is a real rat’s nest of crazy pieces. It looks like the original piping did not match up, and iron being inflexible, they put in six or eight joints tfor alignment. This photo shows the quagmire of pipes, but it really is just a hot and cold, the complication is the parallel set of CPVC pipes because there was not always a convenient spot to tap into the old system.
Nearby there should be another view that shows how much the building has settled. In 2019, these joints were tight to the ceiling a wall. They were designed so the pieces would “float” as seen here, so it’s not likely I’ll climb up there to fix it. The outlet is missing a cover plate as I’m planning on wiring in a second unit. This one is operated by a sensor switch that turns on both the radio and oscillating fan, an arrangement that works superbly in this instance. Well, nearly that great, for if you do not move around every little bit, the thing will time out.
If this repair solves the issue today, I’m leaving the floorboards loose again. I examined the new hot water tank and the correct wiring is coiled up under the kitchen floor. The tank has to work off the old electric panel, which is 50A. The flooring stays by gravity alone until I’m satisfied the new installation is 100%.
The new tank is in place, just not roughed in. There is probably a way to install the ambient tank with just two valves, but I’m not so sure that’s wise. I think three is better. The standard cut-off, plus one to direct flow to the ambient pipe or the main tank, because I don’t know if there is any possibility or safety concerns if the water ever runs backward into the unheated tank. For eight bucks, I’ll install the extra valve.
I know rents went crazy just after I moved, as parks (mostly owned by the same religious sect) deliberately forced people out. I saw it coming. They raise the rent so high the occupants cannot pay it or sell the units. The office then repossesses the mobile home in three months for non-payment. Let’s do a quick calculation. Say the rent where I was would have averaged $800 per month since July of 2016. That’s $57,600 in rent alone I did not pay, which handily covers all the sweat and materials I’ve sunk into this place.
Out of curiosity, are there any houses for rent nearby and how much? No listings for here, the nearest is in Bartow. These are nice places and they average $1,900 per month. It’s a little less as you get near Highway 27 and the hood. Something similar to my place, an old cabin, there is one for rent at $895. So for me, it is not worth it. I read the ad anyway and if you are single with one pet, you have to come up with the rent plus $3,215 to move in.
That’s $250 for the pet, plus $30 per month and a $74 application fee. There is a maintenance depositi of $995, and another $995 “service” fee, a $650 leasing fee, a $60 “part;ial activation” fee, and $55 for “government regulations. Including the rent, that’s $4,110 the first month. I also saw this shit coming as a result of people giving away their secrets. If you’ve ever seen a police profile, it contains the same info as people post on Facebook. Right down to your known associates, so even if you kept your business off that site, somebody else has listed you.
So for me, it isn’t worth it to rent. But if I got hungry like some people are going to be, I would consider renting the extra room despite the loss of privacy. The going rate for a room in an apartment is $800, so I’d see about getting $600 for the space. Again, only in a dire situation. I bought what I could afford so I’d never be forced into sharing.
Brown’s Inlet, North Carolina.
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The new line is run in with two questionable joints. It turns out I had the correct Sharkbite for the feed line because I originally mistook both the hot and cold as 1”. Good, saved me $17 but I’m not sure the union seated all the way. It isn’t leaking. Also, where it joins with the main bathroom pipe, the pieces won’t line up because the old iron pipe sprang away when loosened from the house settling. No matter, I know the piece is easy to repair if it misbehaves.
[Author's note: the Sharkbite couplings are removeable by squeezing the small plastic collar at the ends back into the metal housing. This often damages your pipe but it does not seem to make any difference. You can use any suitable tool, there are many how-to videos on-line to accomplisht this.]
I planned to head downtown for a brew but instead it is coffee and a good book. The repair cost me $63, again because I had some of the materials already. I use cash accounting so nothing has accrued. However, I did revamp my books to separate the house itself from the yard and sheds. Where do I stand?
Lumber :$4,880These are the major items and they total just under $15,000. I had predicted $200 per month so that’s in the ball park. The most expensive single item was the laundry deck because it used all new lumber. I’ve got a lot to show for all these materials, but I’ve neglected the yard and a few things that I should know better. Cheer up, no matter how you slice it, I’m up around $40,000 and most of that is equity that makes life easier. (Later, misprint, I'm only up $20,000.)
Plumbing: $2,080
Hardware: $1,760
Electrical: $2,672
Consumables: $933
Flooring: $942
Yard” $1,312
ADDENDUM
It’s with interest I watch the growing number of doctors suing hospitals which terminated or slandered them over COVID disagreements. I’m surprised they did not do so earlier, considering what a hoax the pandemic was. Not the disease, but the government conduct. Two things catch my eye immediately. One is that doctors are suing and I believe they are only the first layer of what’s coming. There were thousands of terminations over vaccine refusals that should be coming next.
Two is the timing of these lawsuits. I have no doubt the radical left was counting on their old formula buffaloing something into place before the public has a chance to react. Similar to fait accompli, but the Internet changes the rules. People become aware of who is suing and how much money they get far faster than before, when the MSM buried the stories. This encourages others to come forward. Just before the mid-terms and just as the libtards have exhausted their war chest bailing out incumbents who are being routed by Trump-approved newcomers.
What I don’t like is the potential that the awards will be paid by taxpayers instead of the individuals who committed the dirty deeds. The leftists have had decades to slowly build up political barriers to protect themselves from personal liability.
