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2 episodes with 70f
Numerous wildfires are burning in the Carolinas, including a fire near Myrtle Beach prompting the evacuation of residents in Carolina Forest in Horry County. Other fires are burning near Tryon, North Carolina and across the region.Latest high-resolution ensemble guidance continues to suggest a large area of elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions in the lee of the Appalachians and across the Southeast this afternoon. A very dry airmass has settled across the region in the wake of a dry cold front, with current surface observations indicating dewpoints between 25-35F. Highs near 70F today will support several hours of critical minimum RH values near 20-30% amidst receptive fuels and breezy downslope west/southwesterly surface winds. At this time, the best overlap of stronger surface winds (sustained winds near 20 mph and wind gusts 20-30 mph) and critical fuels appears to be across portions of western North and South Carolina, where a Critical fire weather area has been introduced. The Elevated area was also expanded farther across portions of the Northeast, along the Appalachians, and across the Southeast.
Welcome to Season 2 of the Orthobullets Podcast. This episode will feature doctors Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo, Robert Gillespie, Vani Sabesan, & Eric Wagner. They will discuss the case titled Periprosthetic Humeral Shaft Fracture Nonunion in 70F. Today's episode will be sponsored by Arthrex. Follow Orthobullets on Social Media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
Thank goodness for gameplay-less game trailers or I'd never get through them all! No timestamps this week as I spend the entire episode talking about the various video game trailers that caught my eye. If you missed Saturday's live broadcast of Molehill Mountain, you can watch the video replay on YouTube. Alternatively, you can catch audio versions of the show on iTunes. Molehill Mountain streams live at 7p PST every Saturday night! Credits: Molehill Mountain is hosted by Andrew Eisen. Music in the show includes “Albino” by Brian Boyko. It is in the public domain and free to use. Molehill Mountain logo by Scott Hepting. Chat Transcript: 7:01 PMJared Kniselyvideo with stupid humor 7:01 PMSheekagoHey Adrew 7:01 PMJared Kniselyi did watch that 7:02 PMOrianaHey, what day do you upload the reaction to The Code? 7:03 PMOrianawait, your beard grew...
Doug is back from 777 simulator training and Drew continues Winter Ops training in 70F temps. We discuss:We get confirmation that our prediction about Jetblue and Alaska merging was and is a possibility Fedex tells pilots “go work for American"Spirit leaving Denver United expects record breaking Thanksgiving holiday travel period We finish the episode previewing Doug's trip to New Zealand that evening and Drew's trip to Europe the next day.Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
In this episode of Coin Flips & Controversies, we present the case of Periprosthetic Humeral Shaft Fracture Nonunion in 70F and feature expert faculty from the upcoming 2023 Critical Concepts in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery Course: Drs. Sanchez-Sotelo, Gillespie, Sabesan and Wagner. Important Links- Vote on Case: https://www.orthobullets.com/Site/Cases/View/0066844a-f5e7-44e5-a8a5-4b06122bd9c0 Full Video: https://www.orthobullets.com/video/view?id=106751 Critical Concepts in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery Meeting: https://www.orthobullets.com/Site/Meetings/ViewMeeting?meetingId=8756 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/orthobullets/message
Dive deep into the intricacies of health services human resource management with our special guest, LTC Bethany Wagner. She'll be shedding light on the expansive role of the 70F AOC, which advises commanders and staff on a broad spectrum of matters:✨ The intricacies of directing personnel systems that address the comprehensive personnel management life cycle functions. We're talking strength accounting, promotions, casualty reporting, awards, and more! And for those of you on the job hunt or looking for new opportunities, we'll also be discussing some of the current AIM Marketplace Jobs that are open for applications. So, whether you're in the field or just curious about what goes on behind the scenes in health services HRM, this is one episode you won't want to miss!LTC Wagner commissioned in the U.S. Army in 2006 as a Medical Service Corps Officer. She is a graduate of Washington State University where she achieved her Bachelor of Arts in English, Professional and Technical Writing. After completing her Officer's Basic Training located at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), Texas, she proceeded to her first assignment as the Medical Supply OIC with 86th Combat Support Hospital (CSH), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She has deployed in support of Operational Iraqi Freedom with 86th CSH and 526 Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne/Air Assault Division as a Company XO and Battalion (BN) S1. Other positions she has served include BN S1, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Carson, CO; Company Commander, Evans Army Community Hospital (EACH), Fort Carson, CO; Brigade S1, 16th Military Police Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC; Human Resource Intern, AMEDD Personnel Proponent Directorate, JBSA; Chief Human Resource Officer, EACH, Fort Carson, CO; Medical Service Corps Career Manager, Human Resource Command, Fort Knox, KY; Operations and Plans Officer, Readiness and Strength Branch, Human Resource Command, Fort Knox, KY. LTC Wagner's awards and decorations include Combat Action Badge, Meritorious Service Medals, Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, and Air Assault Badge. LTC Wagner's military education includes Basic Officer Leader Course I and II, Captain's Career Course, Command and General Staff College, How the Army Runs, Human Resources Mangers Course. She is also Combatives Level 1 and 2 certified. LTC Wagner earned her Master's in Human Resource Management, Health Services in 2015 from Keller Graduate School of Management and has since obtained a certificate in Strategic Human Resource Leadership and Compensation Studies from Cornell University. She is the recipient of the Army's LTC Karen Wagner Leadership Award and has been recognized by distinguished Army leaders for her professionalism, integrity, leadership, and competency throughout the years.Links to references: FM 1-0https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN33331-FM_1-0-000-WEB-1.pdfMore on 70F: https://www.cool.osd.mil/army/moc/index.html?moc=aoc_70f&tab=overview Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are the guests and host's alone and do not reflect the official position of the Medical Service Corps, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. All information discussed is unclassified approved for public release and found on open cleared sources.For more episodes listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube @ Be All You Can Be MSC For more information, suggestions, or questions please contact: beallyoucanbemsc@gmail.com
Pilots Syndie and David never expected their flight between Oahu and the Big Island to take a frightening turn. On July 15, 2016, both engines of their plane went out, leaving them with only minutes before impact into the ocean. Little did they know what would lie ahead: an epic 21-hour swim towards shore after a plane crash with temperatures below 70F. The journey was filled with unexpected obstacles. A deflated life vest left David struggling for hours, and encounters with jellyfish and a swim-by from a shark further tested their will and determination. But the thoughts of family and friends back home kept them going during this difficult journey. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kaycee-mcintosh/support
If only the weather could last longer as it is... Highs near 70F, lows nice and cool enough to sleep with the windows open and needing a bit of blanket..Geese and goat kids are growing, garden is putting out asparagus. Apple trees got a pruning so Blind Hog can ride the new mower under the branches and not lose his hat.Zero turn mower is certainly the way to go! If only it could cut 8" tall out in the fields!
When I started the walk it had just topped 70F. It was 80 by the time I got back. I really didn’t need the extra hoodie today. I talked about Working Class, Ark Survival, and then ranted about authors who … Continue reading →
How to Bottle Cider at Home is Part 6 and the final episode of the Cidermaker Series "Oh September" for 2020 Learn How to Make Cider at Home in Part 1 of this Cidermaking Series. Part 5 To Rack or Not To Rack is a must listen too because it brings you through the conditioning of your cider before bottling. Now lets get into the basic of bottling cider at home! When to bottle When the Specific Gravity is at least 1.000 or lower. What is Specific Gravity (SG)? Specific Gravity is always discussed as a measurement of “relative density” between the water in solution and all else. Apple juice is primarily water and the rest I consider luscious apple sugars. Fermentation is the process of yeast converting the sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Tap water has a SG of 1.000. Apple Juice, on average, before fermentation has begun has a SG of 1.040 to 1.065. Apple Juice SG will vary depending upon the growing season that year, was it dry or wet year, are the apples fully ripe, the age of the apple tree, and the apple variety are some of the key factors affecting Specific Gravity. You might not see the airlock bubbling away, but your cider may still be fermenting. To be safe and avoid bottling cider that is still off gassing CO2 - Check the SG! How to measure SG? Measure Specific Gravity with a Hydrometer. The Hydrometer typically comes with a plastic tube that can be filled at least 3/4 of the way with fresh pressed apple juice. Make sure that the temperature of the juice is no cooler than 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 degrees Celsius and no hotter than 70F or 21C. What happens if I bottle my cider while it is still fermenting? The bottle of cider can explode. Bottle bombs are very dangerous and can inflict serious injury to anyone nearby. When in doubt - check the SG. During Bottling you get to choose whether you want: Still Bubbly Dry Semi Sweet Sweet How to make Still and/or Dry Cider? Siphon the cider directly into your clean and sanitize bottles and cap! How to make your cider “Bubbly” in the bottle is called Bottle Conditioning. Options 1,2,3 In order of ease. 1. For beginner makers starting out, the safest and most tried and true method is to add both yeast and priming sugar at the time of bottling. SG needs to be at or below 1.000 2. Pet Nat is bottling the cider before it has completely fermented and the yeast are still active, but not over active. Priming Sugar then added at the time of bottling helps reboot the remaining yeast and thus create delightful bubbles. Pet Nat best done after you have made a couple batches of cider and have the gist of bottling. 3. Méthode Champenoise is the classical way of adding bubbles and is a 2-step process. I recommend listening to my chat with Chuck Shelton of Albemarle Ciderworks in Virginia as he explained this technique quite well. Forced Carbonation is done when kegging cider to make it bubbly. Making Semi Sweet or Sweet Cider requires adding a bit of sugar to the cider, which is called “Back Sweetening “ Back Sweetening is done right before you bottle. You get to chose how sweet you want your cider, by adding sugar and tasting! Tons of fun!!! Any sugar will work. It is really a about your personal preferences, be it honey, store bought priming sugar, raw sugar, maple syrup. Experimenting and finding the right fit is part of the joy of Cidermaking. How racking affects the amount of yeast in cider. I usually rack my cider 3 times over the course of 7 months and then a day or two before bottling if I see Fine Lees on the bottom of the carboy. If you are bottling 3 months after primary fermentation has ended, chance are there will still be some yeast cells in the cider. Those cells will get kicked started when you add sugar to the cider right before you bottle. The key is to add the right amount of sugar so that you get s one bubbles, but not so much the cider froths over when you open a month later. Equipment Needed to Bottle Cider - go to Shop tab and find links to purchase items below. 2 cases of cleaned and sanitized 12 ounce bottles Hydrometer Sanitizing solution Racking Siphon, Tubbing and bottle filler 26 mm Bottle Caps Bottle Capper for 26mm caps Mentions in this Chat Finger Lakes Ciderweek Oct 2-oct 11, 2020 Cider Summit Portland Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube
In this episode, we get to know Lisa a bit more, and hear a slice of her story. Ten Things Other People Like but Lisa Doesn't Wearing sneakers Jogging (and not because of sneakers) Saying “It is what it is” Mustard Pedicures Wedding receptions Fruit pies Being licked by a dog Caffeine Getting/having a tan (tough as a Floridian!) BONUS: cold weather (defined as anything below 70F!) Click here to see the picture from the one time Melissa has seen Lisa wear sneakers. Lisa shares from the time she had to muster up the most courage: allowing herself to be fully seen by others as her first marriage was falling apart. Unfortunately many of us have been through the pain of a broken relationship, and our hope is by hearing someone else's story, how courage was cultivated even in excruciating circumstances, that you will be encouraged as you face hard things, and can learn how to go gently with yourself as you reflect back on these kinds of painful situations. Being a human is hard...the cost is so much courage! Connect with Lisa: www.lisakbaker.com IG: @drlisakbaker
In het nieuwe boek van Ionica Smeets, Superlogisch, geeft de wiskundige een les getallen waardoor alles logisch wordt. In het dagelijks leven regent het getallen, maar wat zit er achter die getallen? Wat is de logica achter een BH-maat als 70F en hoe kun je een miljoenennota van 284.500.000.000 euro begrijpen? Van grote vragen tot praktische tips. Presentatie: Jellie Brouwer
Please take our survey! http://survey.libsyn.com/debtproofliving 0:13, 0:38 Liz Tarditi, a professional personal chef 1:01 Conquer the bacteria, salmonella 1:53 Make it Yourself: One gallon of 70F (cool) water plus one teaspoon of liquid bleach. 3:08 Sanitize Liberally 3:25 Proper Prep 3:40 Fresh vs. Frozen? 5:06 No Thawing Shortcuts 5:50 Early Thaw? No Worries 6:10 Rethink stuffing. 7:55 Easy does it. The easiest way to roast a turkey is to set the oven to 325F. Place the turkey in a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and put it in uncovered. It will take about 3 hours for a 6-pound turkey; add 10-12 minutes for each additional pound, up to 6 hours total for a 25-pound bird. It’s done when it reads 165o F. Let the bird rest for 20 minutes before carving for juicier and more flavorful meat. 8:59 Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! 9:04 Thank you! You've been listening to Debt-Proof Living with Mary Hunt. Debt-Proof Living with Mary Hunt was created and hosted by Mary Hunt, produced by Julie Emerson, with Harold Hunt, Executive Producer. 9:17 Save time. Save money. Every day. Make it easy on yourself! Just subscribe at www.everydaycheapskate.com. That's where you will find all the ways to follow Mary, Everyday Cheapskate, and Debt-Proof Living. Thanks for listening!
Both mental and physical health are critical for athletic performance. Environmental conditions also play a crucial role. What happens to your body when you’re exposed to extremes of cold and heat? Can your body adapt to these conditions? It’s important to know what happens to the body during extremes of temperature, what science has taught us about human environmental limits, and ways we can do to safely take out endurance to the next level. WHAT WE COVER: In a word….yes, but, in moderation. First, two terms to review: Hyperthermia and Hypothermia. - Hyperthermia – that’s when the body is too hot and in the extreme, can lead to heatstroke. This happens when there’s an uncontrolled increase in body temp and it exceeds the body’s ability to lose heat. Depending on how it’s measured typically hyperthermia begins when your core body temp is above 100.5F (38C) and extreme hyperthermia is at 104F (40C). Why it’s bad is that key enzymes in the body start to break down. And at about 106F cells start to die. Remember our normal body temp is 98.6F (37C) Now with this, I’m talking about internal or core body temperature obviously the external temp can be much higher. The key, your body’s ability to lose the heat, stay hydrated and maintain your core temperature. Everything is about homeostasis or balance. - Now how about Hypothermia – that’s the opposite extreme. It’s when the body loses more heat than it can absorb. This begins once body core temp goes below 95F and starts with shivering because that’s a way for your body to try and increase body temp. Once internal temps reach about 86F (30C) cellular metabolic processes start to shut down and this makes walking almost impossible. Now that’s the extreme but there’s a lot in between. Most humans can’t withstand internal core temps below 70F. With these temp extremes it’s important to keep in mind that our bodies can adjust and acclimate to some environmental changes gradually. It builds tolerance and resiliency. You know the stories of Joe De Sena, Wim Hof, and others who have pushed, conditioned and trained their bodies to adapt to some pretty extreme situations. Many of the boundaries that describe what a typical human can survive are relatively well established. You may have heard the reference the “rule of threes” that’s air, water, and food. It equal to 3 min, 3 days, and 3 weeks respectively so that’s …3 min without air, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. Yet, we’ve all heard of some that have exceeded those limits and pushed the boundaries of what we thought humanly possible. Training and exposure to extremes of temperature, when done properly, can unlock a form of environmental conditioning and your tolerance can increase. But, as always know your limits, be in tune with your body, and stay hydrated. KEY TERMS & IDEAS: Mental and physical health are critical for athletic performance but environmental factor play a significant role. Hyperthermia: an uncontrolled increase in body temperature that exceeds the body’s ability to lose heat. Begins when core body temp hits approx 100.5F (38C) and extreme hyperthermia is at 104F (40C) Hypothermia: when the body loses more heat than it can absorb. This begins when core body temp dips to below 95F (35C) and your body begins to shiver as a way to produce heat. The human body can adjust to temp extremes and improve tolerance. When done gradually and with proper training you can build resiliency. Each person’s tolerance to environmental extremes can differ. The key is to know your limits and build gradually and safely. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow Nada on LInkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nada-milosavljevic-35b502b9/ Sage Tonic www.sagetonic.com Sage Tonic on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sagetonic/ “Between extremes: health effects of heat and cold” Environ Health Perspect. 2015 Nov; 123(11): A275–A279. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4629728/ “How thermoregulation can give athletes an edge (mission athletecare)” Korey Stringer Institute, Univ of Conn, May 17, 2015. https://ksi.uconn.edu/2015/05/17/how-thermoregulation-can-give-athletes-an-edge-mission-athletecare/# “What doesn’t kill us: how freezing water, extreme altitude, and environmental conditioning will renew our lost evolutionary strength” by Scott Carney Jan 3, 2017. https://www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Environmental-Conditioning/dp/1623366909 SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Writer and Host: Nada Milosavljevic MD, JD © 2018 Spartan
This episode I will tell you about my recent encounters with Our Country Cottage and as promised In The Beginning, month 20 I will tell you about one of the more trying months of the build. I found out that the month wasn’t all bad though, it just seemed like it. Also, I will talk a bit about back up generators, in particular, ours. On with ITB, In The Beginning, month 20, March. This is where I try to figure out what happened using the pictures, emails, texts and invoices I kept from that month. To give you an idea I received 47 emails and sent 35, just in that one month and just relative to OCC. I also paid 12 visits to OCC including every day from the 25th and a couple of days into the next month. If you remember, from ITB month 19, we have just managed to get water into Our Country Cottage. I had left the utility room in a mess, just dumping the hose and whatever down the hatch and leaving. So the next day, and 1st of the month, I went back to clean up. Upon entering I found the control panel with several errors flashing away. They all seemed to clear, OK. Clean up in the utility room had the hose being much easier to handle, now that it had warmed up a bit. There was a fair amount of water on the floor mixed in with plastic that been used to protect stuff from the fire retardant that was sprayed on the utility room ceiling. Shop towels and rags were used to clean up and I noticed some water dripping from a large nut near the bottom of the pressure tank. I figured, how bad could it be, with the pump turned off. I was now in the habit of building a fire or two every visit and I had graduated from taking the pre-packaged bundles of firewood, that I was buying at the gas station, to the “Winter special” from the company that supplies the gas stations. Same bundles, but, at a lower, quantity discount, cost. While I was picking up the “winter special” I noticed large containers of fire wood at a very much lower price. That would have been great if I could have transported it somehow, but I couldn’t, as the “winter special” was all I had room for. After building the fire I noticed that the boiler was on. An indication that there was a call for heat. It wasn’t obvious which thermostat was the culprit, so I turned them all down a degree or two. Keep in mind that the temp I had set them to wasn’t for comfort, 21C or 70F, but about 12C or 54F, just to stop the place from freezing. The boiler decided to turn off. This would turn out to be the beginning of an investigation into the various zones and intricacies of thermostats, that would last for several months. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I would find the boiler heating some zone for no apparent reason. Anyway… I didn’t go up the next day but my contractor called saying that he had just dropped in to pick up a bit of his equipment (it was Sunday) and found the house without power. The batteries were down to 36%. He started the gen but it quit almost immediately. His second attempt was more successful and he left the gen in manual mode. That means it would run 24/7 until it was manually shut off. I went up to OCC a couple of days later to find the generator running, trickle charging the batteries, which were at 100%. Hmmm trickle charging was probably not the best use of a 20 Kilo Watt generator. Propane was at 39% and the hour count on the gen was 1151.7. I took it off manual and put on auto. On the plus side the lower part of the railing, up to the bedroom, was now in place, but still waiting for the hand rail cap and the dishwasher was in place. In the utility room, there were signs of progress for the back hall radiator. A few days go by and the solar guys were at OCC reporting that the batteries were at 100%, oh joy, and that the radiator, in the back hall, was up and running, supplying some decent heat. Two days pass when I go for my next visit. There were several vehicles parked in front. One of those rare times. Batteries were at 90% and the gen had run about 45 hours in the past 7 days. Lots had been done inside. The hand rail cap was on the lower part of the railing. The fridge was now in place. A bit of a tight fit, but it works. The laundry washer/dryer unit was in place, so all of the major appliances that had been in the garage for the past several months are now in the cottage. In the bathrooms, glass shower surrounds had been installed and looking great. The cheapy ceiling fan, I had picked up locally, had been installed in the sun room. I reasoned that if the fan needed to be turned on in the sun room there would be plenty of sun to run it, so the expensive low power units we had in the living room and bedroom were not necessary. The back hall radiator was indeed working and the control box for it in the utility room had been clearly labelled. While in the utility room, I noticed an alarm had been installed for the septic tank. A couple of visits back I was informed that some glowing embers from the masonry heater, which had fallen from the grate to the ash pit, were getting close to bouncing out of the clean out hole in the crawl space. At the time it was just an opening with no door or hatch on it, until now. A friend of the contractor fabricated a decorative frame with a sliding door and that was installed, too. It’s the middle of the month and I am back at Our Country Cottage. Everything seems to be running OK and a quick check behind the new ash pit door shows very little build up, so not to worry for a while. Getting more confident in the system I let three days pass before my next visit. The batteries were well charged, along with more hours on the gen and less propane in the tank. The sun was shining and the inside was looking great. Clean and tidy. There was one of those net bags of wood leaning against the masonry heater with a label that stated “Traditional Firewood”. The new, heavy duty breaker had been installed in the battery room so having cottage power failure due to that breaker tripping should be a thing of the past. The last remnant of our first site supervisor, the one that had died, was gone. The travel trailer he stayed in while working on OCC had been picked up by his wife with help. One of the problems she had moving the trailer was that the trailer was towed by the vehicle that was demolished in the accident that took her husband. So with everything coming together, and working, and bits of the past moving on, along with the sun shining brightly it looked like Our Country Cottage was turning the corner and heading down the stretch. With great optimism I took a bit of a break and waited a full week before my next visit. I had brought with me, a box of window cranks and the last bit of track and connectors for the loft. Small things, to finish stuff up. Little did I realize that this was the beginning of nine consecutive days of trips to OCC. What I found when I arrived was red lights flashing and the control panel telling me that the batteries were at 4% yes 4 and dropping. The sun was shining and trying to charge them at 5K but the boiler was on and taking 5.2K. I don’t know how there was power in the place because the inverter should have shut down long before. The gen had died about four or five days earlier. It was running but not putting out any power. I called the generator people, at the time, and they told me that they could have another one there by the next day. I turned the boiler off and the batteries started to edge up. They managed to reach 22% by the time I left. I informed my contractor of what had happened and asked him to put off the cleaner as there was very little heat in the place. The next day found the batteries still at 22% with snow on the panels and very little charging. Clearing the snow off of the panels got me from .4K to 1.4K charging. Every little bit helps. And true to their word, the new generator showed up and was installed. Only problem was that they couldn’t get it to run. After several hours of diagnostics and long phone conversations it was determined that a factory tech would have to come out and have a look. By the time I left that day the batteries were at 35% and I had built two fires. The generator factory tech came out the very next day. Turned out to be one wire had a loose push pin and signal wasn’t getting through. OK, the generator is now running and putting out power, but the system is not reading it. With the generator factory tech finished and gone I still didn’t have power charging the batteries even though it should have been. Phone calls and texts to my solar guy had me digging deep into the inverter case taking measurements and such. Bottom line was that there was something wrong within the inverter case, some part of it, that someone from the solar company would have to come out and have a look at. That wouldn’t happen for another six days. The day at Our Country Cottage, ended with the batteries having staggered up to 55%. Thanks to solar power. Fires had been built and the temp inside was passable. Hovering around 10C or 50F or so. The next visit ie the next day and subsequent days till the solar expert could make it up I would go up just to build fires in the masonry heater and make sure the place was warm enough. Another “winter special” of “traditional firewood” was taken up. One day I decided to tackle a problem the ceiling fan in the living room had. It was making a tick-tick noise as it turned. The electrician had told me that it was probably just a connecter under the top cap that had flipped up. The fact that it was 18 feet in the air made it a bit of a challenge, but there was a scaffolding set up in the living room for painting purposes. I just had to overcome my fear of heights, and I did, sort of, and the problem was indeed as described and easily corrected. It was during this dark period that I managed to get the electricians to put a switch in the mud room for me, so that I could turn off the well pump. It was lot easier than going down into the utility room and flipping breakers. It took 5 days from when I found the batteries at 4% to get them back to 100% just by sun alone. And when it got there I turned the boiler on temporarily to add more heat to OCC. The last day of the month was on a week end and my eldest daughter and a friend came up with me to keep me company while I built the fire etc. It was a beautiful sunny day and they took turns using the tractor to clear the parking area of snow. And that will wrap up month 20. Stay tuned for ITB, month 21. Will the solar power system get sorted out? How many more winter specials of green bagged traditional firewood must I go through…? And now an Our Country Cottage update. I have stayed at Our Country Cottage several times since the last episode. Trying to get back into the swing of things. When I arrived on my first visit the batteries were fully charged and when I turned the well pump on it didn’t run. This meant that it had held pressure for over a week. I had supper in a nearby town and picked up some diesel fuel. I have two 20 liter diesel containers (they are yellow) as both the tractor and the skid steer use it. That night I had a drink of water and thought that it tasted a little, um, musty. I made a mental note to change the water filter first thing in the morning. I did so before breakfast and that cleared up the problem. Since I have started Our Country Cottage up after the shut down there has been a fair bit of sediment coming out of the well. I now have a bit of hose connected to the pressure tank inlet, before the water filter, which lets me run water to clear the sediment before I put it into the cottage water system. Probably only have to do it a couple of more times. The rest of the day had me finishing off mowing the tall stuff and touching up the shorter stuff that had been growing. I fired up my skid steer for the first time this year. No problems, once I found my manual with the lock code etc. I needed it to remove a tree that had fallen across the road a month or so back. At the time I managed to just pull it to the side so I could drive by, but now it was in the way of my mowing. You wouldn’t believe the amount of extra branches and limbs that came down with it but was hiding in the tall grass. Took an hour or so just to pick that stuff up. I then took my brush cutter down to the gate and cut back the vegetation that was getting a bit thick. After that I took my box grader out and reconditioned most of the drive. The box grader has two grader blades at an angle between two vertical sides. It goes on the front of the skid steer and if you get the angle right it churns the gravel on the road, clearing vegetation that tends to grow down the centre and sides of a gravel drive. The angle of the blades tends to push the gravel to one side and, again, if done right puts the crown on the centre of the drive. This is important for drainage. Of course if not done right you can screw up your drive badly. It was a good day. I got to play with most of my toys. The next day I updated the solar controller firmware and all went well, I thought. If you remember that last time I tried to do it my laptop threw a fit and wouldn’t let me copy any files. The laptop is OK now. I had a talk with it, in the city. Anyway, I did some other chores, cleaning etc., then went outside to fix up the turning circle. So, that box grader does a really good job on straight parts of the drive and gentle curves. The turning circle is somewhat more challenging to my present level of skill. I managed to leave various sized piles of gravel here and there on the circle drive. No problem, I thought, I’ll just back blade it with the tractor. So I removed the mower deck and attached the blade to the back of the tractor. Well apparently my present level of back-bladeing leaves something to be desired too. I did smooth it down a bit but left a ridge of gravel on the grass in the centre of the circle. So I took the blade off and the mower deck back on and parked it in the garage. That night I had my first BBQ of the season, Bratts, good stuff. In unrelated news, the upstairs toilet was showing tendencies to run on. Hmmm My last day, of this visit, started with me using a device I do have enough skill to use to clean the gravel off of the grass in the circle, a hand rake. Only took an hour or so. I had just returned inside for a break when a couple of fawns, still with their spots, went booting it cross the mowed area south of the cottage. I was just out there less than 15 minutes ago. Before I left for the city I started to look at the generator. I jiggled some wires and hit the run button. The all too familiar clicking of relays and nothing. Ah, the generator. If you remember it became iffy last winter when I found Our Country Cottage frozen up. Frozen/broken toilet tanks etc. At that point the generator did run when I asked it too, but became less and less reliable until it just stopped after only running for about twelve minutes one day while I was up there cleaning up the those icy toilets. Shortly after I firmly declared that I was kicking that gen to the curb and gave some very valid reasons in an earlier episode of this podcast. Well, time has passed and my attitude towards our old generator has softened a bit. Remember that this is the second gen as mentioned in this episodes’ In The Beginning. The first generator had 1212 hours on it when it was deemed un-repairable and replaced. The present generator has 1141 hours on it. I must say these 1141 hours were a lot kinder hours than the 1212 hours on the previous generator. Our present gen, gen #2, has had much more regular service and upkeep than the previous one, gen#1, had a chance to get. If I remember correctly, gen #1 was over 500 hours before the first oil change. It was also run 24/7 many times. It took the abuse given out by winter time construction. Did I ever mention that construction would have gone a lot easier if it was done in any other months other than the winter months. Gen #1 also took the abuse of system set up, getting the right settings so that the sun would charge the batteries when it could. I can’t count the times, OK, I don’t want to count the times, I showed up on days with beautiful, clear, sunny skies and the gen was running. Adjusting components, like that relay that would trip preventing solar charging. And don’t forget that little yellow heater that was the only thing heating the cottage before the photovoltaic’s were ready. That pressed gen #1 into hard service right out of the box. Now, some of you may be thinking that the hours I keep mentioning don’t seem all that high. 500 before first service etc. So to put some relevance to them I noticed that my average speed driving back to the city was about, 80 to 90 Km/h. The manual suggests oil change every 150 hours. If that was your vehicle averaging say 50 Km/h that would be 7,500 Km and if you were, say, on a cross country trip on highways averaging 100 Km/h that would be 15,000 Km. Given that, Gen #1 went somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 before its first service. Your vehicle would probably be showing some signs of distress if you treated it like that. Yes, my bad, but in my defence all this stuff was new to me. If the generator was the only thing on my plate I might have read the manual and found this stuff out. Back to Gen #2. Like I said, time has passed and I am starting to think a little more rationally towards gen #2. What if it was a small, inexpensive part that had failed? What if it was something easy to fix? I then came up with an amount I would be willing to pay/invest to fix it. Having a service guy come out to have a look, would put cost over the limit right away. With that in mind and the looming, very high cost, of replacement with new upgraded version, I decided to have a closer look myself, to see what I could find. In fact I dedicated the next visit to just that, staying up a couple of nights. The first day had me mowing for three hours straight in order to have a full day to play investigator. I had acquired a service manual online and had been studying it for a while. It became clear to me that the error that was always present on the display could mean many things but primarily it meant that the generator was not turning over when asked to. I verified that the controller was indeed asking it to start and followed the path to the starter. Starter relay OK. A shame, because it was the easiest to change and cheapest as well. Next in line was the starter solenoid and then the starter. This required the generator housing to be removed. Ironically, I was boiling under the direct gaze of the sun in a clear, blue, sky while previously I was freezing in the winter’s wind the last time I peered under the hood. Long story shorter, I identified that the starter solenoid wasn’t functioning. When I bypassed the solenoid with jumpers the starter spun up quickly. The solenoid is mounted to the starter and I came to terms that they both might have to be replaced together. Either way the cost was below my limit. I packed up the starter combo and the gen control unit, just in case, and took them with me. When I got back to the city I spent a lot of time online looking into replacements etc. I had to wait for the first day of business of the week before I could call my gen guy to find out what hell I would have to go through to get a replacement. The week end passed with me formulating plans for various scenarios that might unfold. The day came, and to my surprise, it turned out to be very anti climactic. My generator guy had one and would let me have it, only charging me for it, if I was happy with it. I picked it up within the hour and made plans to go to Our Country Cottage the next day to install it. And the next day I did just that. Leaving out all the cursing and swearing one runs into while performing open generator surgery under the hot windless sun, the unit was installed and…… I pressed the run button and it cranked and started. Not out of the woods yet, but I can see the clearing.. I still have to figure out a way to test the generator under load as the batteries are constantly fully charged these days. I have a couple of ideas. Yet another issue that has to be resolved. Remember I said I updated the solar control panel and I thought all went well. Well it appears that the logging function has stopped working. This is the same logging function that told me the gen only ran 12 minutes the last time etc. It records second by second what is happening to all parts of the system. It is an essential part that I require to figure out what might still be wrong with the gen. I will be looking in to that and more on my next trip to Our Country Cottage. Next podcast, Episode#20 More Gen#2 stuff and ITB Month 21 For pictures and more info, you can visit our website at www.ourcountrycottageanarrative.com If you have any comments, questions or if you would like to be added to the “Friends of OCCaN” Our Country Cottage A Narrative, mailing list, you can email me at John@ourcountrycottageanarrative.com. Members on the mailing list will get website and podcast updates as soon as I do :). The Our Country Cottage a Narrative podcast is on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play so you can subscribe there and get the podcast downloaded automatically when they get released. Till next time have a good one.
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