5/5/11 (Mugwort) I upgraded shower heads (all are new or new-condition water-saving) and the per-shower-head shutoff valves. The latter all drip a little, even the brand new, separate-from-the-head ones, so I guess this is just inherent in the design. Fortunately, the main hot & cold valves close well.
Notes
(Mugwort) I think next time we’d benefit from a smaller-diameter hot line; lots of water sits in the pipe and cools off. Note that the sink is reversed: hot is on the right. We really could use a good sign (or even switching them back)!
Barn
Left dishwashing sinks: June ’11 (Mugwort) faucet replaced with new unit from Grover’s; parts unavailable for old. I wasn’t able to fully tighten the fastener thingy behind the backsplash on the pipe nipple, so this faucet might shift a little until that’s tightened. There are new, brass nipples in the Box, but we didn’t have the thingies needed to hold them firm on the backsplash.
Triple dishwashing sinks: June ’11 (Mugwort) articulated faucet (“pot filler”) was leaking from joints, the unusual black seal is unavailable. (Maybe, maybe someplace like Hardwick’s in Seattle would have it.) But I was able to make a replacement from electrical tape, which doesn’t leak! Garden House has a similar faucet.
Central, small sinks: June ’11 (Mugwort) Left-hand sink’s faucet replaced with new unit from Grover’s; parts unavailable for old. I had to re-tighten the screw on the faucet washer; when loose, faucet “thumps” suddenly between off and fully on.
Drain system: June ’11 (Mugwort) The white drain pipe used to run well up the hillside, where its water spread out and soaked into the soil. Apparently that broke some years back, so now the pipe just runs horizontally to behind the Barn. This is bad because there’s not enough room for all that greywater to soak in; some might run, or get washed by rain, into the creek. The fix is simple: identify size of pipe, cut old pipe near Barn, let dry and glue to new line running as far up the hill as practical. (I’d follow the prior route: cross the edge of the escarpment at the nearby, big tree called “cafe du Pont”, uphill ’til you’re beyond the Maxi-Pad. We used to tee into perforated black pipe, which would be a nice touch.)
Water Tests
Grants Pass Water Laboratory, gpwaterlab.com, 541 476-0733
Date
Where
Coliform
Notes
4 ’93
Barn(H,C), Theresa, GH
neg
8 ’93
other (creek?)
>16
12 ’95
in faucet
neg, pos; then neg <2.2
paid more for quantitative test, which showed not detectable.
10 ’97
GH bath
neg
6 ’99
in faucet
neg
4 ’00
in faucet
neg
Fluoride neg (<0.2mg/L)
4 ’01
well, faucet
neg
Well
According to OR state well water report: new as of 9/19/91. Bore hole 10″ tapers to 4″ down to 85′. Static level 18′ down; water bearing zone 60 to 85′. Yield 6.6 gpm at 65′, 49ºF
Meadow Shower
Log
5/5/11 (Mugwort) I upgraded shower heads (all are new or new-condition water-saving) and the per-shower-head shutoff valves. The latter all drip a little, even the brand new, separate-from-the-head ones, so I guess this is just inherent in the design. Fortunately, the main hot & cold valves close well.
Notes
(Mugwort) I think next time we’d benefit from a smaller-diameter hot line; lots of water sits in the pipe and cools off. Note that the sink is reversed: hot is on the right. We really could use a good sign (or even switching them back)!
Barn
Left dishwashing sinks: June ’11 (Mugwort) faucet replaced with new unit from Grover’s; parts unavailable for old. I wasn’t able to fully tighten the fastener thingy behind the backsplash on the pipe nipple, so this faucet might shift a little until that’s tightened. There are new, brass nipples in the Box, but we didn’t have the thingies needed to hold them firm on the backsplash.
Triple dishwashing sinks: June ’11 (Mugwort) articulated faucet (“pot filler”) was leaking from joints, the unusual black seal is unavailable. (Maybe, maybe someplace like Hardwick’s in Seattle would have it.) But I was able to make a replacement from electrical tape, which doesn’t leak! Garden House has a similar faucet.
Central, small sinks: June ’11 (Mugwort) Left-hand sink’s faucet replaced with new unit from Grover’s; parts unavailable for old. I had to re-tighten the screw on the faucet washer; when loose, faucet “thumps” suddenly between off and fully on.
Drain system: June ’11 (Mugwort) The white drain pipe used to run well up the hillside, where its water spread out and soaked into the soil. Apparently that broke some years back, so now the pipe just runs horizontally to behind the Barn. This is bad because there’s not enough room for all that greywater to soak in; some might run, or get washed by rain, into the creek. The fix is simple: identify size of pipe, cut old pipe near Barn, let dry and glue to new line running as far up the hill as practical. (I’d follow the prior route: cross the edge of the escarpment at the nearby, big tree called “cafe du Pont”, uphill ’til you’re beyond the Maxi-Pad. We used to tee into perforated black pipe, which would be a nice touch.)
Water Tests
Grants Pass Water Laboratory, gpwaterlab.com, 541 476-0733
Well
According to OR state well water report: new as of 9/19/91. Bore hole 10″ tapers to 4″ down to 85′. Static level 18′ down; water bearing zone 60 to 85′. Yield 6.6 gpm at 65′, 49ºF
Last edited by mugwort on May 27, 2012 1:25 am