Groundhog Day Projects

In honor of the groundhog (totem animal of all real Vermonters), I completed a couple of home improvement projects this week. I figured if we have 6 more weeks of this then I certainly have the time.

The first project is some under-cabinet lights in the kitchen. Wiring was installed when I had the house built but I never had the lights installed. I picked these up at Lowes. They have three different light frequencies. I like the soft white the best. I probably should have decluttered before i snapped! : )

The second project was to install an accumulator tank in the water system. We have spring water and naturally get 35-40 psi. This was fine for me but I had the plumber install the modest jet pump when I had the place built just in case. The pump has hardly any room for air so the pump cycles on and off too much. Diane and my son, Justin (both of whom have thick hair unlike me) complained that the water pressure was too low. So, I installed this 36 gallon tank and connected it to the pump. This was my first foray into copper pipe soldering. I’ve seen it done many times over the years. Then I turned to the trusty You Tube for instructions. — What an era we live in where you can get information like this at your fingertips – at the job site! —

I ran into two problems.

First I had the wrong solder. The melting temperature was so high that it wouldn’t flow. Finally got the right stuff and had no real problems after that. When it is your first time doing something you can usually assume that the problem is you. But, I eventually figured it out.
The second problem is that the 1 1/4 inch galvanized bushing that screws into the pump had deformed threads. I didn’t recognize this until the system failed the pressure test : (

So, I got it together last night and had a small leak. Luckily the floor drain is about 3 feet away (just off the picture to the right). I left everything connected with the leak overnight and replaced it this morning.

Feels good to get these little projects done. – All part of being a homeowner and nest building.

Going to read a little then get ready to go out for dinner.

Namaste