The Bathroom . . .

Well our bathroom is finished.  We retained the tile floor and the bath with jets but completely redid the shower (it needed it too) and Judie has always wanted granite tops for the two sinks.  We also replaced the toilet with a taller one (we had no idea that there were different heights for toilets until a discussion with a neighbor).

The old toilet had a loose bolt and it kind of wobbled on the floor.  It never leaked except when I had to replace the filler assembly.  Filler assemblies are plastic and tend to break down with time.  The new toilet has 1.2 gallon tank and swift flush function.  It really works and is very fast.  The old toilet had a 1.5 gallon tank the flush chain had a float in the middle of it.  So when you flushed, it you held the handle down you got a full shot of water.  If you had just urinated, a quick handle movement and the water was exchanged and not the whole tank was emptied.   The new toilet is so much faster to empty and refill.  We really did not care about that but we did want a taller unit.

That quick flush did not always work.  But great idea.  The new toilet does not have that but uses some much less water it is not necessary or a benefit.  All the holes for water discharge from the tank are twice the size as the old tank on the old toilet and that leads to fast rapid flow.  Uses less water to flush and less time to flush.

We had to buy the toilet and the contractor's plumber installed the new toilet.  He reinstalled the old fixtures on both sinks and the shower head.  We did not get new ones and we like of the old ones anyway.  That ended up with a couple of leaks but since it was a Delta fixture, Delta are warranted the fixtures for life.  So the contractor ordered up a new one and we got it pretty quick.  So it all is functional now in good working order.

We had the entire room repainted.  It had several places that needed touch up.  It takes a beating from the cleaning lady, not intentional but did a little damage here and there.  So we had it completely repainted including the ceiling.  The molding had some age cracks from drying out and the painters filled those cracks in with spackling and the new paint did a great job.

Judie picked out the granite.  And it is almost three quarters of an inch thick, so it is quite heavy.  Once installed it ain't gonna go no where.  They measure precisely.  The granite was also used in the shower.  It is a lighter color, not dark granite so it does not darken the place at all.

We had the old synthetic plastic surfaces removed.  We had a nice new tile installed, large squares were used.  We had the stool in the corner of the shower expanded to a bench.  And we had four niches added that were at least a foot high (shampoo and other bottles are getting taller now days).  The bottoms of the niches had the same granite and the bench across the back of the shower had the same granite in the seat.  And the door floor jam is also the same granite.  The niches had small oblong tiles in the back of each one.  The floor is small squares of matching tile and new drain that one can remove to clean down below floor level if one wants to do that.  They also reworked the floor so it had a definite slope and drained toward the new drain cover.

Lastly we had the shower light replace with a new low wattage high out put light.  We are no longer taking showers in an dark corner.  It is well lit now.

The tile, granite, and paint job look great.  The new paint makes the place look all new.  It all makes Judie happy and the old shower was an eye sore.

Working on the System . . .

Yeah, the irrigation system.  Maybe is should be the "irritating" system.  The control valve on circuit number 2 has begun leaking.  Along with the leak in the control container, a sprinkler is also leaking.  That sprinkler is the low point in circuit 2.  Not a giant leak, just seeping and keeping the driveway wet.  The driveway has a slight grade to one side and the sprinkler is located on the high side, so it becomes a large wide spot.

I got my plastic cup out and started bailing out the control box.  I had to go shut off the well pump and open a faucet to drain the pressure tank.  I got out an old seat pad for the outside chairs and plopped it on the ground by the control box and began bailing out the standing water.  I finally had to result in using a coffee cup to get the water level down low enough to get at the control valve.

First one removes the solenoid that opens and closes the valve.  Simple, just unscrew it and set it on the side on the ground.  It has two wires going to it and one has to be careful not to disturb them or you will have to work on that too.  The top of the valve unscrews, it has a large ring that holds the parts of the valve in place.  In this case it was loose, and that was a big part of its problem.  I took the top of the valve off and removed the spring that holds the diaphragm down.  Then I removed the diaphragm and the top was indeed cover with fine sand.

The well produces the sand, and there is not much you can do about it.  I had a separator for awhile that removed the sand but it developed a hole in the side.  I patched it once.  But it developed another hold that was beyond patching.  So it just took it out of the system.  The sand is microscopic and forms a sort of build up on the diaphragm causing it to malfunction.

I had replaced a number of control valves with so called "dirty valves" that are designed to handle the sand but I did not replace all the control valves, just those that gave me problems.  And the system ran for about 10 years with out a problem.  Last year we lowered the pump almost 30 feet to avoid over drafting the well.  Well that meant more sand and I have had to open up and clean out several clean  water control valves.  Just something you have to do.

I borrowed a new diaphragm off one of the old replaced valves.  Yes, I kept them around and now glad that I did.  The old diaphragm was not bad, I just decided to change it.

I reassembled the valve and screwed the top back on.  It had a little arm to manually operate the valve and it kept the control solenoid from doing its job.  So I removed the arm and reinstalled the solenoid.  Then I trotted out back, turned on the well and came back.  Yep, that fixed the problem.  Just to make sure I turned on #2 at the control box to runs the valves and yes, it worked as advertised.

Went out and checked and found another sprinkler not working.  That usually means the little filler is clogged up.  I took it apart and back washed the filter and reassembled the sprinkler.  Turn on the circuit, #6 circuit, and it still did not work.  I took the sprinkler head off and ran a wired down the tube and it was blocked by something.  So I had to take it apart again, and remove the tube also.

I tapped the tube inverted and a couple of same stones came out.  That is the last sprinkler in the circuit so I figured the water had gradually move that debris to the last point.  I reassembled and it still did not work, so I have more work to do to clean it out.

Like I said, the irrigation system is constant maintenance.  Just when you think it is all okay something new crops up.

Fritzes . . .

I had written earlier about the absence of any of the fence lizards.  We call all of those lizards Fritz or plural Fritzes.

Well, the weather has heated up and cold blooded animals are out and about.  Fritzes fall into that category.  Also along with the Fritzes are their arch enemies, snakes.  All I have seen of snakes is one little one when I was repairing a sprinkler control valve leak.  He was in the control box enclosure.  He died of a severe case of shovel breaking his back.

I was walking along the sidewalk along the North side of the house,  Judie had piled up some branches from the oak trees out front.  I reached down to pick them up and spied a full grown Fritz looking up at me.  I picked up the sticks and he then took off into the bushes.

Later I saw another Fritz run up one of our oak tree in the front yard.  They tend to do that to pick various insects that reside in the trees.  It is also spot for them to cool off and their coloring blends in with the bark of the tree.  So it is sort of a defensive maneuver for them.

Since then I have seen several of the lizards in various sizes so they have not left us.  They have just come out of hiding and the warm air provokes their activity.

It is good to see they are abundant and living around us.  We also see an occasional Chameleon lizard roaming around.  But they are not as common as our Fritzes.   And the Fritzes love crickets and keep those little pests under control.

Seeing Fritzes running about tells me summer has really arrived.

Glued Again . . .

I hope the glue gets into the joint this time.  It is difficult to get to and I can not get any glue into the joint, I can get it on the pipe that goes into the joint.  I have very little clearance and the joint faces down, so no help from gravity.

I made a wedge and pushed that under the pipe to hold joint together.  And I used a different brand of glue.  I have had experiences in the past where some glues do not work, or stick so to speak.  That was bad can of glue and I have had to chase down other joints that failed.  Most of the joints are tight and can not expand, thus stay in place doing the job.  Some have pushed apart.  The system will generate a little over 60 pounds of pressure and in the hydraulic world that is a significant amount of push depending on the surface area affected.

I will test it out again this afternoon.  I want the soil in and around the valve to dry out so it is not slippery and allow my wedge to fail.  I also made a little dip in the wedge so that it will hold itself in place.  No end to jerry-rigging some of this stuff to keep it going.  I have left behind some unusual repairs on the houses I have owned.  I am sure I am not alone in such behavior, and other homeowners do much the same keeping their abodes functioning.

We had to put a new control board in the washing machine.  It is basically a motor start board with several large capacitors on it.  I have had a similar problem with the water well and replaced starter capacitors out there on the well.  There is no reason for the capacitors to fail except poor manufacture of the units.  Capacitors that are electrolytic have a reason as the electrolyte breaks down with time.  Solid state capacitors should not fail but they do.  All it takes is a pin hole failure the material that separates the two plates and that is the end of the capacitor.

At any rate the washing machine is back working again.

And I am waiting for the glue to dry and the soil to dry and see what I get this go round.

I Thought I had It Fixed . . .

Went to work on the irrigation problem.  I found the leak, applied new glue and got the joint re-glued.  I had let it sit over night.  I had even fabricated a little wedge to make sure the joint stayed put while the glue dried.

I tried it out this morning, turning on the well and turning on zone 1.  And it worked - for a while.  I had it running about four minutes and then shut it off.  Went and checked one last make sure time and water was spewing out and filling the control box container with well water very rapidly.

I ran back and shut the well off.  And then I bailed out the control box.  No new leak locations so I am back to the original leak.  I noted my fix was still in place, so now I have to figure out where this leak is originating from.  I suspect the same place but have to dig things out again.

First I am going to let things dry out until tomorrow and tackle it again.  It should not be to hard to find.  Fixing it is another matter altogether.  I hope I do not have a broken pipe.  If that is the case, it will be a more serious job to repair.

Irrigation systems are always a pain in the butt.  They are, in my mind, a constant maintenance project keeping them going.

At least I go the little snake killed off.  He was living in the control box.

That is the price one pays for a green yard, maintaining the irrigation system.

It Happens In Threes . . .

While in the USAF we were very superstitious of accidents.  It seemed to us that those accidents happened in a series of three events.  I am sure some of that thinking was kind of conjured up to support the theory of threes but it also seemed it did occur more often than not.   Another of Murphy's Laws.

My series of threes just happened.  We started the redecorating or modernizing the main bathroom.  We had a couple of things we wanted to do and two we really needed to do in the bathroom.  The home builder had used modern plasticized surfaces both the sinks and the shower.  He also had some about the tub but we rarely use the tub and just let it stand as it was.  The grand kids like to use it when come because it has jets in it.  But otherwise the tub collects dust.  But we wanted to change the shower and the sinks.

The shower was a continuous problem sealing and resealing the joints.  In the cold weather the seams tended to open up and pull the caulking apart.  I had to re-caulk the tub often and it was really beginning to look bad.  And I was concerned it may be leaking behind the walls of the shower.  So we decided to redo it in tile and at the same time put in granite tops for both of the sinks.  And while we were at it replace the toilet with a "tall one."  The old toilet was pretty low and we did not realize it until we used a neighbors bathroom and found their toilets to be much higher.  And the bolts holding down the toilet had come loose from the floor/foundation.  So while we were at it, we are replacing the toilet.

I am sure the toilet bolts were put in by an idiot.  They were completely loose and the toilet actually moved around.  This promoted leaks from the attaching plumbing.  So while we were doing all the other stuff, get that changed also.

And we are going to get the bathroom repainted.  Same color scheme, just needed it after 15 years of usage.  So all that got wrapped up in one job.  They started Monday.  That was the first of the three events.

Second event, the washing machine crapped out.  Turns out a bad circuit board, like a 20 minute job to get in the guts of the machine and replace a control board.  The board starts the motor up to do the wash job.  Simple job, expensive job - $550 bucks to get it done.  The repair team got it done in two days, the part was available and in stock.  So it was quick.

Third event, circuit number 1 in the irrigation system busted loose.  We had water going all over the place but principally in my neighbors drive way almost flooding his garage.  I had to shut off the well, and start digging it up the control valve.  I has been a problem because it is near the driveway, like 5 inches from the pavement.   And we have a complicated driveway with a distinct curve in it and more than one person has drive off the concrete and over the control box.   The control box transfers the pressure on the plumbing and pulls the glued joints apart.  The result is a humongous water leak and it pours into my neighbors yard.  It is a job I will end up doing, muddy, messy and hard to determine just where the leak is coming from.  Once the source joint is located, them another pain in the butt to fix it.

The cheers of home ownership.  At least we do not have to worry about the bathroom.  And the washing machine is fixed.  The rest is my onus.

Mighty Mississippi River . . .

My home town is New Roads, Louisiana.  My family settled in Louisiana in 1856 when my great grandfather, a steam boat Captain, bought Brunswick Plantation located on the coast of Pointe Coupee.  The mighty river flows west to east from Morganza, Louisiana towards St. Francisville on the other side of the river and then turns abruptly left and south towards Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Our plantation is sort of in the middle between Morganza and St. Francisville.  It is prime sugar cane land.

The river is at flood stage now and is flowing about 1.5 million cubic feet of water per second.  Let's put that in gallons which is much more interesting.  That would be 11.7 gallons of water per second.  Just about Morganza is Old River, a cut off horse shoe shape water structure that rises and falls with the river stages.  There is where the Old River Control Structure is built, a system of locks and flood gates that controls the flow of water out of the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River.  About 30% of the water flowing down the Mississippi is diverted to the Atchafalaya River.

The Atchafalaya is were the Red River flowing out Texas and Oklahoma ends.  So the water of the Red River is mixed in with water from the Mississippi River.  The interesting point to be made is from that structure to the Gulf of Mexico for the Mississippi River it is about 250 or miles of the meandering Mississippi River but the Atchafalaya is fairly straight and it is only about a 100 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.  That means the Atchafalaya flows more than twice as fast as the Mississippi.  It is a mean river and it is trying to capture the Mississippi and leave Baton Rouge south high and dry.  The Army Corps of Engineers has designed the Old River Control Structure to prevent the capture of Mississippi River by the Atchafalaya River.

Below the Old River Control Structure lies the Morganza Spillway, an emergency flood control structure designed to off load excessive water from the Mississippi River.  The fore bay in front of the Morganza Spillway structure is about two miles from the main channel of the Mississippi and is about two miles wide.  There are guide levees that hold the water up against those control gates in the Morganza Structure.

The Morganza Spill way has been opened twice, once in 1973 and again 2011.  It was open about 50 some odd days before it was closed.  Fortunately in 2011 south Louisiana was in a drought and spillway that extends down and parallel to the Atchafalaya River absorbed all the water.  Today there is no drought and in fact the country side has received lots of rain and the land is saturated.  If they open the Morganza Spillway again, this time Morgan City, a town of 11,000, located on the Atchafalaya will get the brunt of the water flow.

But I am worried about upper Pointe Coupee Parish.  It is isolated with the Atchafalaya on the West, Old River on the North and the Morganza guide levees on the east.  It is triangle and there is no way out for the water if there is a crevasse.  In normal conditions water flows south and there is a pumping station lift the water out and over the levee into the Atchafalaya River.

But if there is a crevasse they will all be under water for along time.  In 1927 that is the region where the flood began.  Yes, all up and down the Mississippi flooded but there was a crevasse along the Atchafalaya and flood water reached all the way down to Pierre Part back behind the city of Plaquemine I Iberville Parish.  Even False River fill up from flood waters.  It was very bad.

So we wait and we watch and pray that there are no crevasses in the levees along the rivers.