gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
....keep the women and children away as they might have their hearing and sensibilities disturbed....
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Tom's Neighborhood Workshop
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
jbmatth
Well-known member
New U-bolts and new spring retention pins on hand? I'll be by for a few to see how it went, or join in on the fun.
JB
JB
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Yep, he's got those in the kit. I'm fully prepared for the original pins to be rusted solid and for the u-bolts to need cutting.New U-bolts and new spring retention pins on hand? I'll be by for a few to see how it went, or join in on the fun.
JB
I ain't messing around with this sum'*****.
jbmatth
Well-known member
Probably time ahead if you just cut the U bolts to begin with, maybe have the C clamps already on the leaf pack in case the pin gives while cutting them out, may be more excitement than you bargained for.
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Well folks, last weekend we completed the rear end of Project Rusty Nissan. Things honestly went as well as they could have. We had only one minor hiccup, but that was largely taken care of without issue. I felt spoiled this time around!
My buddy drove in on Saturday morning and we got the truck in the shop and up in the air.
Here's what we're dealing with. Believe it or not, the spring hardware that we needed to mess with was pretty clean and unmolested. The brake dust shields were the consistency of Pringles though. No matter, we're not messing with them for now!
Step one of this job is to free the ABS sensors and brake lines from their mounts on the axle, which allows you to drop it further. Then It's a simple matter of pulling the U-bolts, disconnecting the lower shock bolts, and messing with the leaf pack a bit. I was ready for the U-bolts to need to be cut off, but the impact zipped the nuts out with ease.
Full of an unreasonable level of confidence, I inspected the area under the bump stop. My heart hit the floor as I saw what we were dealing with next.
At this point, I got up, hosed the nut with Liquid Wrench, and walked away for a few minutes to prep my torch and big-assed breaker bar. Before I got too Western on it though, I tried turning it with a 3/8 standard ratchet.
I'll be damned. It worked!
Using an impact and a pair of vise grips, I removed the nut and spring pin, then took out the leaf band bolt to drop the overload leaf. With that on the floor, I lowered the diff enough for full access to add the extra leaf in. Scout approves of the work this far.
In the reassembly phase now, I applied a little bit of ceramic brake grease to the wear pads on the add-a-leaf and cleaned off the spring pack. Using the overload leaf and the new spring pin, I lined up the add-a-leaf with the existing pack and clamped it all together before tightening the spring pin.
Moving the clamps to the rear, I got the band lined up and put the bolt back through.
With the pack reassembled, It's a simple matter to finish everything: Trim the new spring pin with a grinder, reinstall bump stop with new U-bolts, and reattach brake lines, ABS lines, and the lower shock mount. Done. Rinse and repeat on the other side.
Except it didn't quite work that way.
That band that holds the springs together at the rear uses a 6mm Allen head screw at the top. The right side came apart without issue, but the left side moved about half a turn before seizing up and rounding out the fastener. A few moments of thinking, a little rummaging in my bolt bin, and a little fiddling later, we now have a solution!
I welded a nut on it. It's especially ugly with flux-core wire, but it's strong enough to hold up to the torque I applied to get it loose and then reassemble it. No worries!
Everything else went together on that side quickly and easily. Then it was a simple matter of trimming the U-bolts with a grinder and torqueing them to spec.
Wheels went back on and we were done! Unlike the last time, this mission only took a few hours. It was even fun comparatively. Scout found it all quite relaxing.
Not long after we finished up, @jbmatth came by for some beers and BS'ing out in the shop. Had a great time JB, hope your trip home is well! Like I said, I'll let you know when we get down to OK next!
Turns out this wasn't the end of the story for the Rusty Nissan.
Two days after returning the 240 miles home, Graham texted me asking about a grinding noise from the left rear wheel. I suggested it was probably a chunk of rust stuck in his caliper or something to that effect. He ended up taking the wheel off and couldn't see any issues, so he took it to a shop. They removed the rotor and found that the parking brake assembly had self-destructed. Whoa.
The best part? They told him the whole rear end needed to be rebuilt to the tune of $6,000!
You've got to be shitting me.
I told him he was being fleeced. He called around and a different shop quoted him $2,000 for the work. The truck got towed there the next day. I'm guessing they're going to find out things aren't as bad and it'll be even cheaper.
Poor Graham. If he didn't have bad luck, he'd have no luck at all.
My buddy drove in on Saturday morning and we got the truck in the shop and up in the air.
Here's what we're dealing with. Believe it or not, the spring hardware that we needed to mess with was pretty clean and unmolested. The brake dust shields were the consistency of Pringles though. No matter, we're not messing with them for now!
Step one of this job is to free the ABS sensors and brake lines from their mounts on the axle, which allows you to drop it further. Then It's a simple matter of pulling the U-bolts, disconnecting the lower shock bolts, and messing with the leaf pack a bit. I was ready for the U-bolts to need to be cut off, but the impact zipped the nuts out with ease.
Full of an unreasonable level of confidence, I inspected the area under the bump stop. My heart hit the floor as I saw what we were dealing with next.
At this point, I got up, hosed the nut with Liquid Wrench, and walked away for a few minutes to prep my torch and big-assed breaker bar. Before I got too Western on it though, I tried turning it with a 3/8 standard ratchet.
I'll be damned. It worked!
Using an impact and a pair of vise grips, I removed the nut and spring pin, then took out the leaf band bolt to drop the overload leaf. With that on the floor, I lowered the diff enough for full access to add the extra leaf in. Scout approves of the work this far.
In the reassembly phase now, I applied a little bit of ceramic brake grease to the wear pads on the add-a-leaf and cleaned off the spring pack. Using the overload leaf and the new spring pin, I lined up the add-a-leaf with the existing pack and clamped it all together before tightening the spring pin.
Moving the clamps to the rear, I got the band lined up and put the bolt back through.
With the pack reassembled, It's a simple matter to finish everything: Trim the new spring pin with a grinder, reinstall bump stop with new U-bolts, and reattach brake lines, ABS lines, and the lower shock mount. Done. Rinse and repeat on the other side.
Except it didn't quite work that way.
That band that holds the springs together at the rear uses a 6mm Allen head screw at the top. The right side came apart without issue, but the left side moved about half a turn before seizing up and rounding out the fastener. A few moments of thinking, a little rummaging in my bolt bin, and a little fiddling later, we now have a solution!
I welded a nut on it. It's especially ugly with flux-core wire, but it's strong enough to hold up to the torque I applied to get it loose and then reassemble it. No worries!
Everything else went together on that side quickly and easily. Then it was a simple matter of trimming the U-bolts with a grinder and torqueing them to spec.
Wheels went back on and we were done! Unlike the last time, this mission only took a few hours. It was even fun comparatively. Scout found it all quite relaxing.
Not long after we finished up, @jbmatth came by for some beers and BS'ing out in the shop. Had a great time JB, hope your trip home is well! Like I said, I'll let you know when we get down to OK next!
Turns out this wasn't the end of the story for the Rusty Nissan.
Two days after returning the 240 miles home, Graham texted me asking about a grinding noise from the left rear wheel. I suggested it was probably a chunk of rust stuck in his caliper or something to that effect. He ended up taking the wheel off and couldn't see any issues, so he took it to a shop. They removed the rotor and found that the parking brake assembly had self-destructed. Whoa.
The best part? They told him the whole rear end needed to be rebuilt to the tune of $6,000!
You've got to be shitting me.
I told him he was being fleeced. He called around and a different shop quoted him $2,000 for the work. The truck got towed there the next day. I'm guessing they're going to find out things aren't as bad and it'll be even cheaper.
Poor Graham. If he didn't have bad luck, he'd have no luck at all.
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
My newest source of misery is my sprinkler system. Everything was working just fine in the fall when the sprinklers were blown out. No real issues other than one head that seemed to not be getting any water pressure at all. Okay, sounds like I have a line break to deal with. Not the end of the world since that head waters the small section of my backyard. I'll just manually water it until I feel the need to fix it.
Except back at the end of April I went through the process of getting the system restarted. Everything seemed to be working except for the one zone that did not want to shut off. Okay, probably just some debris in the valve. No worries, I'll try to clean them out. Cleaned them out as best I could, didn't seem to solve the problem. Okay, maybe there's a different valve issue. Bought new diaphragm kits to make sure I didn't have something fouled somewhere. Installed those no problem, except now my running zone has moved to the front yard.
Okay, I'll do some adjusting with the valves. The water stops. Hooray!
Go downstairs to test the controller and make sure all zones are operating as they should. Open zone 1, water flows. Turn it off, and the zone in my back yard is now flowing nonstop again. Okay, what the hell? I tried opening each zone individually, then setting each zone to off. Still have leaky sprinklers in the front and back. Turn the valves and they don't seem to turn on or off any of the sprinklers except the one zones that won't shut off.
Okay, gotta be the controller, right? I try cycling through everything again and it definitely is functioning as it should in that regard. Maybe there's something hinky with it still. Okay, unplug the controller. Nope, no change. Swapped some solenoids around to see if my problem moves. It doesn't. What the ****?
I've been fighting with this sprinkler system for literally a month now. All six valves have been rebuilt. All the solenoids have been cleaned. All parts of the system appear to be getting water. But I've got three sprinklers in the back yard that are constantly on, at about 50% power. There are a few in the front that are dribbling as well. Something weird is going on with this system.
Also, I have six valves, but as far as I can work out only four operable zones. The small back yard section, the main back yard section, the front yard, and the back yard near the tree. Weirdly enough, the sprinklers that are leaking continuously in the back appear to come on with both zones 1 AND 2. WHAT?
I'm developing an irrational hatred for this sprinkler system. I'm having fantasies about dropping a stick of dynamite in with the valve assemblies and watching as they explode, cackling with maddened laughter. I'm daydreaming about playing whack-a-mole with the sprinkler heads and a John Henry-sized sledgehammer.
I did call a bunch of yard service/sprinkler repair people today but of course everyone is out for Memorial Day. I did get one company on the phone and got on their list, but they're booked out until the end of June. I'll call a few more places tomorrow to see if anyone is available earlier.
Does anybody have any bright ideas? Because I'm at my wit's end with this.
Goddamn sprinkler system. F*** you, Rain Bird.
Except back at the end of April I went through the process of getting the system restarted. Everything seemed to be working except for the one zone that did not want to shut off. Okay, probably just some debris in the valve. No worries, I'll try to clean them out. Cleaned them out as best I could, didn't seem to solve the problem. Okay, maybe there's a different valve issue. Bought new diaphragm kits to make sure I didn't have something fouled somewhere. Installed those no problem, except now my running zone has moved to the front yard.
Okay, I'll do some adjusting with the valves. The water stops. Hooray!
Go downstairs to test the controller and make sure all zones are operating as they should. Open zone 1, water flows. Turn it off, and the zone in my back yard is now flowing nonstop again. Okay, what the hell? I tried opening each zone individually, then setting each zone to off. Still have leaky sprinklers in the front and back. Turn the valves and they don't seem to turn on or off any of the sprinklers except the one zones that won't shut off.
Okay, gotta be the controller, right? I try cycling through everything again and it definitely is functioning as it should in that regard. Maybe there's something hinky with it still. Okay, unplug the controller. Nope, no change. Swapped some solenoids around to see if my problem moves. It doesn't. What the ****?
I've been fighting with this sprinkler system for literally a month now. All six valves have been rebuilt. All the solenoids have been cleaned. All parts of the system appear to be getting water. But I've got three sprinklers in the back yard that are constantly on, at about 50% power. There are a few in the front that are dribbling as well. Something weird is going on with this system.
Also, I have six valves, but as far as I can work out only four operable zones. The small back yard section, the main back yard section, the front yard, and the back yard near the tree. Weirdly enough, the sprinklers that are leaking continuously in the back appear to come on with both zones 1 AND 2. WHAT?
I'm developing an irrational hatred for this sprinkler system. I'm having fantasies about dropping a stick of dynamite in with the valve assemblies and watching as they explode, cackling with maddened laughter. I'm daydreaming about playing whack-a-mole with the sprinkler heads and a John Henry-sized sledgehammer.
I did call a bunch of yard service/sprinkler repair people today but of course everyone is out for Memorial Day. I did get one company on the phone and got on their list, but they're booked out until the end of June. I'll call a few more places tomorrow to see if anyone is available earlier.
Does anybody have any bright ideas? Because I'm at my wit's end with this.
Goddamn sprinkler system. F*** you, Rain Bird.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Sounds like no fun, but thanks for the humor in your pain!
Can't be of help to you, the man upstairs takes care of watering my 3 acres...July/Aug it gets pretty dry looking...
Can't be of help to you, the man upstairs takes care of watering my 3 acres...July/Aug it gets pretty dry looking...
jbrentd
Well-known member
I was going to suggest maybe one of the modules went bad at the control box, but it sounds like you tried swapping them around without success. When I had a zone that would run when any other zone was on, a new module fixed it.
Sounds to me like your control wires are shorting to one another. Maybe your control wire was nicked somewhere and the wires are touching? If you have a wire trace tool, you might be able to confirm. If not, you could disconnect the wires at the control box and check for continuity between each of them. If you get continuity, you'll know they are touching somewhere.
Sounds to me like your control wires are shorting to one another. Maybe your control wire was nicked somewhere and the wires are touching? If you have a wire trace tool, you might be able to confirm. If not, you could disconnect the wires at the control box and check for continuity between each of them. If you get continuity, you'll know they are touching somewhere.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Tom, I feel your pain. My next door neighbor had a Rain Bird controller on his system and I tried to diagnose/fix a problem with his. I had to give up in frustration. I installed the same (scaled down to 1-inch) system as I have on our house.
I have had reasonably good luck with a rather crude electro-mechanical sprinkler system in both our first Florida home and our current one. The system was all 1.25" piping but I ended up putting 1.5" valves when it was what Home Depot had in stock. The controller is a 120/24v Intermatic 14-day timer that is installed inside the garage.
The outside stuff includes a K-Rain 24v solenoid valve , a vacuum break valve and a 6-zone Fimco indexing valve.
I have had issues with the system but it's dumb enough for me to figure out.
I have had reasonably good luck with a rather crude electro-mechanical sprinkler system in both our first Florida home and our current one. The system was all 1.25" piping but I ended up putting 1.5" valves when it was what Home Depot had in stock. The controller is a 120/24v Intermatic 14-day timer that is installed inside the garage.
The outside stuff includes a K-Rain 24v solenoid valve , a vacuum break valve and a 6-zone Fimco indexing valve.
I have had issues with the system but it's dumb enough for me to figure out.
Vette60
Well-known member
Man that ***** about your sprinkler woes. I have been blowing out and winterizing mine since I finally got a compressor that I can use and dreaded handed over dinero to the local "guy". Seeing what he did and what he was getting paid was just too much.
This was the first year that I had any real problems. I always removed the backflow valve after blowing things out and then capped stuff off.
This year, of my 6 zones, 1 zone was "on" all of the time when the system was running. I got to the zone box and saw there was a ton of water in the box. Hmm...the google machine pointed me to junk in the valve and that's luckily where my woes ended. Once I popped the valve open and cleaned **** off, everything has been running fine since.
It is so, so just aggravating when you think you are on the path to a solution and what you are doing just doesn't get you to the finish line. Good luck!
Randy
This was the first year that I had any real problems. I always removed the backflow valve after blowing things out and then capped stuff off.
This year, of my 6 zones, 1 zone was "on" all of the time when the system was running. I got to the zone box and saw there was a ton of water in the box. Hmm...the google machine pointed me to junk in the valve and that's luckily where my woes ended. Once I popped the valve open and cleaned **** off, everything has been running fine since.
It is so, so just aggravating when you think you are on the path to a solution and what you are doing just doesn't get you to the finish line. Good luck!
Randy
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
I'm starting to wonder if it's a solenoid problem. Rebuilding all the valves would point that direction as the next set of parts to throw at it. But you make a good point, I can check the lines for continuity and see if there's a short. I would have thought unplugging the controller would rule that out though? No power going to the solenoids = no solenoids opening. In theory.
That would point to a valve problem, unless one or two solenoids are stuck open fully/partially. Since I've rebuilt the valves and disconnected the controller, I'd lean that direction.
That being said, I've never messed with a sprinkler system before, so my opinion is less than useless.
It does seem the simpler you can make your system, the better. I'm just working off what was left to me, which seems to be a decent system when it's all working. I don't think it's an old system either. I'm okay handing it off to a pro at this point too because the PITA factor is so high that it's just not worth my time and frustration.Tom, I feel your pain. My next door neighbor had a Rain Bird controller on his system and I tried to diagnose/fix a problem with his. I had to give up in frustration. I installed the same (scaled down to 1-inch) system as I have on our house.
I have had reasonably good luck with a rather crude electro-mechanical sprinkler system in both our first Florida home and our current one. The system was all 1.25" piping but I ended up putting 1.5" valves when it was what Home Depot had in stock. The controller is a 120/24v Intermatic 14-day timer that is installed inside the garage.
The outside stuff includes a K-Rain 24v solenoid valve , a vacuum break valve and a 6-zone Fimco indexing valve.
I have had issues with the system but it's dumb enough for me to figure out.
I'd much rather be playing with my new smoker and chasing my kids around the yard. Maybe tinkering in the workshop too.
Randy, thanks for chiming in!
Like I said to Bob, it might be an easy job to fix whatever is wrong, but I'm frankly too pissed off and frustrated to deal with it anymore. Working on it more and not fixing it would only make the situation worse. I have better things to do.
You're right, feeling like you're close to a solution and then finding out nothing has changed is just maddening. I'm at my limit with it and have no problem throwing in the towel.
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Well, made some calls yesterday and discovered that it is impossible to get one of the landscaping/sprinkler/yard care guys on the phone right now. Not a single person I called actually answered the phone.
ONE called me back. From the sound of his voice, he's a sprinkler rain man (no pun intended). Zero social skills and an incredibly monotonous voice but he seems to know exactly what he's talking about when it comes to sprinklers. Good news is he can fit me in on the 13th, so I made an appointment with him for that morning. With any luck my problems will be solved there.
I need to order a gas bottle for my welder so I can get some more done on Sandy. Maybe I'll even get it done before the summer is over.
Probably not.
ONE called me back. From the sound of his voice, he's a sprinkler rain man (no pun intended). Zero social skills and an incredibly monotonous voice but he seems to know exactly what he's talking about when it comes to sprinklers. Good news is he can fit me in on the 13th, so I made an appointment with him for that morning. With any luck my problems will be solved there.
I need to order a gas bottle for my welder so I can get some more done on Sandy. Maybe I'll even get it done before the summer is over.
Probably not.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Well not with that attitude !
Glad you've got some hope on the sprinkler system.
!Glad you've got some hope on the sprinkler system.
gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Here's my prediction.....
-he's going to find something simple that you will kick yourself for missing. Takes him 5 minutes to diagnose and fix.
How do I know? I had a problem with my gas dryer. It wasn't heating up. Replace 2 or 3 items relatively inexpensively myself. Still wouldn't work. Threw in towel, called the serviceman out. $65 and five minutes later, he found the connector I forgot/missed reconnecting... Talk about feeling like a dumb ***!
-he's going to find something simple that you will kick yourself for missing. Takes him 5 minutes to diagnose and fix.
How do I know? I had a problem with my gas dryer. It wasn't heating up. Replace 2 or 3 items relatively inexpensively myself. Still wouldn't work. Threw in towel, called the serviceman out. $65 and five minutes later, he found the connector I forgot/missed reconnecting...
Talk about feeling like a dumb ***!
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Anybody got some good landscaping ideas for around/under pine trees? I hate river rock and would really like to do something different. Trying to come up with a cohesive look for our front and back yard. Not that it matters much at the moment because most of that won't take place until next year. Still, kicking ideas around.
Not a lot going on shop-wise at the moment. I'm getting the parts gathered for a 100k mile service on my wife's Subaru Crosstrek. It's getting some goodies as well as the general service.
I ordered and received a 75/25 welding gas bottle from Amazon believe it or not. About $100 cheaper than I could in town at $285 delivered. It's an 80cuft bottle, so a good size for my needs. I need to pick up some sheet metal so I can make a little more progress on Sandy, but I'm hoping to get a little done this weekend. Finishing off the welding/grinding that I have on my plate is probably where I'll get, but we'll see how it all shakes out. Fingers crossed.
For fun, I'm also thinking about building a ******** set.
Oh! I forgot! My mom & dad dropped off an old oversized dresser for us last weekend. It needs some paint and hardware I think, so I'll be messing with that soon too.
Onward!
Not a lot going on shop-wise at the moment. I'm getting the parts gathered for a 100k mile service on my wife's Subaru Crosstrek. It's getting some goodies as well as the general service.
I ordered and received a 75/25 welding gas bottle from Amazon believe it or not. About $100 cheaper than I could in town at $285 delivered. It's an 80cuft bottle, so a good size for my needs. I need to pick up some sheet metal so I can make a little more progress on Sandy, but I'm hoping to get a little done this weekend. Finishing off the welding/grinding that I have on my plate is probably where I'll get, but we'll see how it all shakes out. Fingers crossed.
For fun, I'm also thinking about building a ******** set.
Oh! I forgot! My mom & dad dropped off an old oversized dresser for us last weekend. It needs some paint and hardware I think, so I'll be messing with that soon too.
Onward!
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Tree ring and fill it with lawn gnomes
I've been considering building a custom ******** set also. My nephew has one a friend built for him with the lighted holes, pretty cool.
I've been considering building a custom ******** set also. My nephew has one a friend built for him with the lighted holes, pretty cool.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
I keep my pine needles under my pine tree.
jbrentd
Well-known member
Honestly, this was going to be my suggestion. We don't have pine trees on my place, but if you plant fescue up to a clean edge and transition to pine needles, I think it looks really good.
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Well ****. I hadn't considered lights on it.Tree ring and fill it with lawn gnomes
I've been considering building a custom ******** set also. My nephew has one a friend built for him with the lighted holes, pretty cool.
Damn you Marc!
Ha, you guys make a good point. I'm coming to one of three ideas though:
1. There's a number of plants that grow really well underneath pines. Some flowering, others not. The great thing about these plants is they're shade and drought resistant, so therefore low maintenance. I think several offerings look pretty good too. Add in edging and it looks even better.
2. Smaller river rock. This sounds funny but I don't mind small river rock (4" diam or less). I hate larger river rock. I dunno why, just a preference. Anyway, a house in my neighborhood has smaller river rock under his pines with a continuous concrete edge around it. I think it looks pretty good.
3. Build a deck. This is obviously the most labor-intensive and expensive route, but I think it would be kind of neat. It would actually work great in my front yard, but it'd be a little more awkward in the back due to the location of the concrete patio.
Hmmmm.
Oh! The sprinkler saga is over!
The guy showed up and turned out to be just as much of a savant as I had hoped. He diagnosed my problems quickly and discovered a few line breakages that needed to be addressed. Turns out I had a dead solenoid on one valve, and he replaced the whole valve assembly on another. Also this:
The sprinkler system was definitely added before the shop and new back fence, and when the fence was put in, they drove a post straight into a line. Snapped it clean. Quick fix there. Another break was located not too far away, and another one not far from that on a different zone. We opted to retire one of the zones and place a new sprinkler head on the second break. Now the system makes sense and all the yard breaks were taken care of.
We also found a break right next to the valve box, which was an easy fix.
After two hours and about $350, the system is working as it should again. Could I have done it myself? Yeah, probably. But this way was easier on me and less stressful, so I'll deal with it. I'm not even really irritated by the price or anything. The guy was prompt, capable, and willing to work with me. I'd definitely use him again. Thanks to him everything is working as it should.
I got the sprinklers ready to roll just in time for the city to issue an order to stop watering lawns.
To be continued...
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
For those that don't know, Montana is going through the worst flooding it's had in over 100 years. We had a number of heavy late-winter snowfalls in the mountains, coupled with easily the wettest spring I've ever seen in my life. Add all that to warmer temperatures and the rivers are overwhelmed with runoff water. The first places to get hit were actually in and around Yellowstone National Park, just three hours from my front door. The northern entrance road from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs has been washed out severely in a number of places.
This National Park Service home fell into the river yesterday and ended up slamming into a bridge farther downstream. Luckily everyone got out,. but they lost most of their belongings in the process.
The town of Red Lodge, outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone, flooded almost completely. Farther down the river, Absarokee, Fromberg, and Bridger flooded. Gardiner, Cooke City, Silver Gate, and Nye were cut off by road thanks to the floods, with Gardiner even seeing the only road out washed away in several places. Even further out, a large chunk of the city of Livingston, including the hospital, was evacuated before the streets filled with water.
Meanwhile, the northwest corner of Montana is getting hit just as hard. Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, and West Glacier are experiencing flooding. National Park Service employees living in the vicinity of Glacier National Park are currently at risk of losing their only road out.
The National Guard has been mobilized, and many dramatic rescue stories are coming out. Campers stranded, people nearly getting washed away, a few homes being taken by the rivers. I've seen more US Army Blackhawks flying today than I have in my life, ever. A local firefighting outfit, Billings Flying Service, has been using their decommissioned Chinook helicopters to aid in the rescue efforts as well. Luckily, not one life has been lost so far.
Despite all the tragedy, Montanans are coming together in ways you rarely see anymore. A few local food truck operators have loaded up supplies and headed out for towns affected by the floods, pledging to help by feeding everyone, for free. Huge numbers of residents not hit by the floods have been driving to areas that are, bringing tools, shovels, trailers, ATVs, everything they may need. I just dropped off a load of food to be delivered to Red Lodge this morning, and if I have the opportunity to aid the town this weekend, I will go. The floodwaters have not even fully receded and yet we're already rebuilding. Montanans are a hardy lot.
Which brings us to the current situation in Billings. The flooding has reached our city as well, but to a much lesser extent. The Yellowstone has surged up over 16 feet as of this morning. My wife and I went to see it ourselves yesterday.
The good news here is that there's almost zero homes in this part of the Yellowstone Valley that are within reach of the river, even at this amount of flooding. There would have to be a biblical-level event in order for much of Billings to be affected. My house, for example, is 3250ft above sea level. The Yellowstone is, normally, 3150ft above sea level. So things would have to go real bad. Almost none of our critical infrastructure is within reach of flooding. Almost.
The bad news is one piece of the puzzle is: our water treatment plant. So far, the floods are a foot above the maximum allowable water in order for the plant to keep running. They shut it down late last night, and will have to spend time cleaning it to get it up and running again once the water recedes. The estimates are we have about a day's worth of city water left. Luckily we have a pretty sizeable supply of bottled water in the basement, but we're being careful and sparing with our water. Hence, I cannot water my lawn. Given the circumstances, I don't even care. I'm much more concerned about the people I know all around the state who have lost belongings or even their homes.
We're already off to a wild summer.
This National Park Service home fell into the river yesterday and ended up slamming into a bridge farther downstream. Luckily everyone got out,. but they lost most of their belongings in the process.
The town of Red Lodge, outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone, flooded almost completely. Farther down the river, Absarokee, Fromberg, and Bridger flooded. Gardiner, Cooke City, Silver Gate, and Nye were cut off by road thanks to the floods, with Gardiner even seeing the only road out washed away in several places. Even further out, a large chunk of the city of Livingston, including the hospital, was evacuated before the streets filled with water.
Meanwhile, the northwest corner of Montana is getting hit just as hard. Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, and West Glacier are experiencing flooding. National Park Service employees living in the vicinity of Glacier National Park are currently at risk of losing their only road out.
The National Guard has been mobilized, and many dramatic rescue stories are coming out. Campers stranded, people nearly getting washed away, a few homes being taken by the rivers. I've seen more US Army Blackhawks flying today than I have in my life, ever. A local firefighting outfit, Billings Flying Service, has been using their decommissioned Chinook helicopters to aid in the rescue efforts as well. Luckily, not one life has been lost so far.
Despite all the tragedy, Montanans are coming together in ways you rarely see anymore. A few local food truck operators have loaded up supplies and headed out for towns affected by the floods, pledging to help by feeding everyone, for free. Huge numbers of residents not hit by the floods have been driving to areas that are, bringing tools, shovels, trailers, ATVs, everything they may need. I just dropped off a load of food to be delivered to Red Lodge this morning, and if I have the opportunity to aid the town this weekend, I will go. The floodwaters have not even fully receded and yet we're already rebuilding. Montanans are a hardy lot.
Which brings us to the current situation in Billings. The flooding has reached our city as well, but to a much lesser extent. The Yellowstone has surged up over 16 feet as of this morning. My wife and I went to see it ourselves yesterday.
The good news here is that there's almost zero homes in this part of the Yellowstone Valley that are within reach of the river, even at this amount of flooding. There would have to be a biblical-level event in order for much of Billings to be affected. My house, for example, is 3250ft above sea level. The Yellowstone is, normally, 3150ft above sea level. So things would have to go real bad. Almost none of our critical infrastructure is within reach of flooding. Almost.
The bad news is one piece of the puzzle is: our water treatment plant. So far, the floods are a foot above the maximum allowable water in order for the plant to keep running. They shut it down late last night, and will have to spend time cleaning it to get it up and running again once the water recedes. The estimates are we have about a day's worth of city water left. Luckily we have a pretty sizeable supply of bottled water in the basement, but we're being careful and sparing with our water. Hence, I cannot water my lawn. Given the circumstances, I don't even care. I'm much more concerned about the people I know all around the state who have lost belongings or even their homes.
We're already off to a wild summer.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Keep your socks dry Tom, good luck out there. Hopefully you can help those who need it this weekend and stay safe yourself along the way.
As for your pine problem.........all of those options look great, but what happens to the constant onslaught of pine debris? Are you planning on a new leaf blower purchase and 10min set aside each day to blow off a deck, keep the river rock clean, or separate pine from mulch or gravel or whatever? The neighbor's rock is nice but the needles mixed in everywhere just ruins it for me personally.
As for your pine problem.........all of those options look great, but what happens to the constant onslaught of pine debris? Are you planning on a new leaf blower purchase and 10min set aside each day to blow off a deck, keep the river rock clean, or separate pine from mulch or gravel or whatever? The neighbor's rock is nice but the needles mixed in everywhere just ruins it for me personally.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Pretty crazy stuff, and be been following it in the news.
Glad you got the sprinklers fixed even if they aren't to be used.
I'm with XJ, no matter what you'll be removing pine needles. Not sure which would be the lesser of the evils?
Stay safe and hope everything gets remedied with your water plant in short order!
Glad you got the sprinklers fixed even if they aren't to be used.
I'm with XJ, no matter what you'll be removing pine needles. Not sure which would be the lesser of the evils?
Stay safe and hope everything gets remedied with your water plant in short order!
Glad to hear you're fairly safe from flooding so far... well minus the water plant shutting down! That road at Mammoth in the canyon was my parents favorite part of the park to visit and are very disappointed its likely gone forever...I haven't been to Yellowstone yet but it's on the list!
I happen to have a sprinkler appt tomorrow for an estimate on the required mods due to the fence... hopefully it's not too painful! I've been prepped for about $100 an hour.... but need to get it done as the fence gets stained next month.
And yes to ******** boards... don't forget drink holders in them!
Hadn't thought about a light kit....****....
I happen to have a sprinkler appt tomorrow for an estimate on the required mods due to the fence... hopefully it's not too painful! I've been prepped for about $100 an hour.... but need to get it done as the fence gets stained next month.
And yes to ******** boards... don't forget drink holders in them!
Hadn't thought about a light kit....****....
gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Tom,
Glad to hear you're not biblically affected by the floods.
Pine needles are a pain in the A**. You don't want to plant anything under them that need water as the Pines will steal all of the available water under them. Deep roots from the pine trees drink much of the water, making other plants compete for root space and water. Pine trees' shadow also may make it difficult for many other plants to grow around the base of pine trees.
@loganb nice ******** sets!
Glad to hear you're not biblically affected by the floods.
Pine needles are a pain in the A**. You don't want to plant anything under them that need water as the Pines will steal all of the available water under them. Deep roots from the pine trees drink much of the water, making other plants compete for root space and water. Pine trees' shadow also may make it difficult for many other plants to grow around the base of pine trees.
@loganb nice ******** sets!
jbrentd
Well-known member
I'd keep that sprinkler guy's number handy...he sounds like a keeper. I have a similar guy that moonlights, but my repairs after my shop build were too much for him to take on.
Stay safe out there.
Stay safe out there.
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Thanks XJ.
You make a good point, but I'd definitely be willing to deal with a little extra cleanup. If it were mulch or rock, I'd largely ignore it because I don't mind the needles in that stuff too much. The deck would be the most work-intensive for sure, which is why it's lower on the idea list. I'm leaning more heavily towards some mulch with some plants underneath it. The plants hide most of the needle fall. Wife likes that idea too.
Thanks Marc.
Luckily everything is back to normal now, they got the plant back up in short order and we're off restrictions. I'm just worried about my favorite little mountain towns getting all cleaned up and back in business now. They rely 100% on tourism, so if they're all shut down people are going to go broke.
I wouldn't worry too much about cleaning up needles unless I did the deck idea. As such, it's not my favorite plan.
Nice to have the sprinklers up and running again, definitely.
DRINK HOLDERS! Genius!Glad to hear you're fairly safe from flooding so far... well minus the water plant shutting down! That road at Mammoth in the canyon was my parents favorite part of the park to visit and are very disappointed its likely gone forever...I haven't been to Yellowstone yet but it's on the list!
I happen to have a sprinkler appt tomorrow for an estimate on the required mods due to the fence... hopefully it's not too painful! I've been prepped for about $100 an hour.... but need to get it done as the fence gets stained next month.
And yes to ******** boards... don't forget drink holders in them!
Hadn't thought about a light kit....****....
Hopefully your appointment doesn't hurt too much. Luckily repairing breaks and altering the line runs seems to be a pretty straightforward job. Good luck!
The road to Mammoth will be rebuilt for sure. It's the only northern exit to the park, and easily the oldest and most famous. Without it, the town of Gardiner would die. They'll rebuild. It may look very different, but it'll be back.
Thanks Mark. Things are calming down out here now.
Yep, I've been doing a lot of research on what I can grow under them. Some of my neighbors have managed to grow grass right up to the trunk, so I might look into that. But the key is finding drought-resistant plants that don't mind shade. Of course, my pine trees have all of the branches below 8 feet cut off, so the sun does get down there, but by 10 AM it's shady. I'm still doing research, and we won't be doing any landscaping until next year, but just trying to come up with a plan of attack.
Yeah, he was great. Awkward, but great.
nicholam77
Well-known member
Wow, that flooding is wild!
Nice work on the Nissan. You should definitely build some ******** boards.
Woah never seen the drink holders, great idea but to they get splashy when the bags hit?
Nice work on the Nissan. You should definitely build some ******** boards.
Woah never seen the drink holders, great idea but to they get splashy when the bags hit?
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Yeah, it's been a crazy couple of days for sure. Now we've got blazing hot weather coming.
Thanks for the encouragement!
jbmatth
Well-known member
I was out last week and missed most of the info on the flooding but have heard more about it now that I'm back around civilization. I'm sorry to hear about all the damage, and to those effected by it. Crazy to think I was on a few of those road just over a month ago and they are now gone.
I'd probably go the mulch/plant idea with a boarder of some kind if you can keep the plants alive with your sprinkler system it should work great and no need to clean the needles out of them. I should have loaded up on river rock before coming home, I really like the look of it and we just don't have that here.
JB
I'd probably go the mulch/plant idea with a boarder of some kind if you can keep the plants alive with your sprinkler system it should work great and no need to clean the needles out of them. I should have loaded up on river rock before coming home, I really like the look of it and we just don't have that here.
JB
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Yeah, the destruction that flooding caused was absolutely nuts. Some of the areas I spend a lot of time in are now permanently changed or inaccessible. Going to be a weird summer.
I'm leaning hard towards the mulch/plants idea too. It'll look nice and not need tons of upkeep to keep it that way.
Man, I would have given you an entire truckload! You could've taken it all for free. That's the tough part about river rock up here. It's really common and really cheap, thus really hard to get rid of.
jbmatth
Well-known member
I don't think my truck would have been too happy being loaded down with a full bed, but I'd have taken some for sure. I'll keep that in mind for my next trip. Can you just take the river rock back to the river or is that frowned upon?
JB
JB
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
I'm sure one could do that, but it's more of a pain than it's worth. Load it up, get it as close to the river as possible (made more difficult now by the flood cleanup) and then haul it the however-many yards to the river.
Or pile it out front and put an ad on FB Marketplace saying "River rock, free for the taking."
Option 2 is made even better if you find some high school kids willing to do the work for cheap.
jbmatth
Well-known member
Well the river is closer now than it has ever been. I'd suggest using your child labor but they may be a bit small for the heavy lifting.
JB
I'd suggest using your child labor but they may be a bit small for the heavy lifting.JB
Thanks! I made sets for groomsman gifts for my wedding.... and felt it was wrong to not make a set for myself at the same time!
We normally have cans in them an 0 issues. Red solo cups haven't had any issues yet, I was worried that bags may slide off and dump into an open cup but haven't had that issue.
gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
No one is trying hard enough. Bonus points if the bag makes it in your opponents cup!
cros13
Well-known member
Hi Tom
I like the river rock garden bed idea, I'm actually leaning that way for my lawn too!
It seems its flooding everywhere at the moment. Its flooding down here too, which is nothing out of the ordinary. This week we have had 1 and a half months worth of rain in the last 5 days, and all the usual spots are flooding out.
Way out west on the edge of Sydney, Winsor, and surrounding suburbs of Riverstone and Schofields have always been lowlands that regularly flood. All the Run off from the Blue mountains feeds into the Nepean river from the southwest, and the Hawksbury river runs down from the north and it all ends in the Hawksbury- Nepean Basin... which is.... a flood plain (shocker I know)
Well they have developed the whole area.... and are starting to put residential suburbs there now, as there is just no where else to fit them in Sydney, despite the many protests from everyone in the local area.
Anyway..... this is the original bridge over the Nepean river, which flooded every year, its been there for 150 years:
Because they were so sick and tired of the Bridge flooding every year they decided to build a new bridge that was flood proof, costing $100 million dollars:
.
Here it is from the waterline, it sits nearly 10m high:
And here it is, a few months after its grand opening.... LOL
The New bridge is flood proof..... it sits 10m above the water line... once every 5 to 10 years the river peaks at 12 to 14 meters above the waterline......
The largest flood on record was the 1867 flood, a "one in 100 year flood" were the river peaked at 20m above normal height...
Residential development is planning to double the population in the area to 600,000 over the next decade.... If the river peaked at the 100 year record level, a area of 175 square miles would be underwater....
Go Sydney planning and development!
Just your average rainy day:
Rudi.
I like the river rock garden bed idea, I'm actually leaning that way for my lawn too!
It seems its flooding everywhere at the moment. Its flooding down here too, which is nothing out of the ordinary. This week we have had 1 and a half months worth of rain in the last 5 days, and all the usual spots are flooding out.
Way out west on the edge of Sydney, Winsor, and surrounding suburbs of Riverstone and Schofields have always been lowlands that regularly flood. All the Run off from the Blue mountains feeds into the Nepean river from the southwest, and the Hawksbury river runs down from the north and it all ends in the Hawksbury- Nepean Basin... which is.... a flood plain (shocker I know)
Well they have developed the whole area.... and are starting to put residential suburbs there now, as there is just no where else to fit them in Sydney, despite the many protests from everyone in the local area.
Anyway..... this is the original bridge over the Nepean river, which flooded every year, its been there for 150 years:
Because they were so sick and tired of the Bridge flooding every year they decided to build a new bridge that was flood proof, costing $100 million dollars:
.Here it is from the waterline, it sits nearly 10m high:
And here it is, a few months after its grand opening.... LOL
The New bridge is flood proof..... it sits 10m above the water line... once every 5 to 10 years the river peaks at 12 to 14 meters above the waterline......
The largest flood on record was the 1867 flood, a "one in 100 year flood" were the river peaked at 20m above normal height...
Residential development is planning to double the population in the area to 600,000 over the next decade.... If the river peaked at the 100 year record level, a area of 175 square miles would be underwater....
Go Sydney planning and development!
Just your average rainy day:
Rudi.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Rudi, I remember seeing all the high water flood markers in the Hunter Valley in the rainy summer of 1990. I suspect they've all been replaced.
There is very little coverage of the flooding down under, unlike the fires in 2019-2020. Surprising because we love disasters and you would think storms like the ones you are having would warrant a word or two about the surf....
There is very little coverage of the flooding down under, unlike the fires in 2019-2020. Surprising because we love disasters and you would think storms like the ones you are having would warrant a word or two about the surf....
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Whoa.Hi Tom
I like the river rock garden bed idea, I'm actually leaning that way for my lawn too!
It seems its flooding everywhere at the moment. Its flooding down here too, which is nothing out of the ordinary. This week we have had 1 and a half months worth of rain in the last 5 days, and all the usual spots are flooding out.
Way out west on the edge of Sydney, Winsor, and surrounding suburbs of Riverstone and Schofields have always been lowlands that regularly flood. All the Run off from the Blue mountains feeds into the Nepean river from the southwest, and the Hawksbury river runs down from the north and it all ends in the Hawksbury- Nepean Basin... which is.... a flood plain (shocker I know)
Well they have developed the whole area.... and are starting to put residential suburbs there now, as there is just no where else to fit them in Sydney, despite the many protests from everyone in the local area.
Anyway..... this is the original bridge over the Nepean river, which flooded every year, its been there for 150 years:
Because they were so sick and tired of the Bridge flooding every year they decided to build a new bridge that was flood proof, costing $100 million dollars:
Here it is from the waterline, it sits nearly 10m high:
And here it is, a few months after its grand opening.... LOL
The New bridge is flood proof..... it sits 10m above the water line... once every 5 to 10 years the river peaks at 12 to 14 meters above the waterline......
The largest flood on record was the 1867 flood, a "one in 100 year flood" were the river peaked at 20m above normal height...
Residential development is planning to double the population in the area to 600,000 over the next decade.... If the river peaked at the 100 year record level, a area of 175 square miles would be underwater....
Go Sydney planning and development!
Just your average rainy day:
Rudi.
That's some wild flooding. Building in an area that's really susceptible to flooding like that always makes me shake my head. Has anyone in Sydney read about a little-known place here in the US called New Orleans? Sheesh. It's asking for trouble it seems because you just have no idea when the poo is going to hit the fan, and mother nature has this funny habit of scoffing in the face of mankind's biggest plans. Not unlike that "flood-proof" bridge.
Hope you're keeping your feet dry and your family safe out there.
What makes this event in Montana so crazy is that it never happens here. I've seen high water and swift rivers, but the level of destruction and erosion here is unheard of. Going to be interesting to see how the changes develop as we get closer to being fully rebuilt and repaired. I'd bet things basically just get rebuilt as they were because the odds of anyone seeing that again in our lifetime is not particularly high.
OP
wreckdiver1321
Well-known member
Well team, it's been a minute. I have several updates, so let's get to work!
First up, after the sprinkler repair I knew I needed to cap off a sprinkler that had revealed itself to be in the corner behind my shed. That's not helping anything, so I rounded up my oldest son and got to work.
The aforementioned shed:
I quickly dug up the offending sprinkler head and tried to figure out how to cap it off. My sprinkler guy said it would most likely just unscrew from the pipe as long as I dug around it fully. Well, that turned out not to be the case and for whatever reason I couldn't figure out how to remove the sprinkler itself. I also discovered that it is not, in fact, in line with another sprinkler he thought it would be. It's on it's own, so who knows what it all looks like under there?
Anyway, I just said, "screw it," and just cut the sprinkler off the PVC pipe and pulled it out of the ground. Under supervision, of course.
The DeWalt oscillating tool made this incredibly easy.
After using the transfer pump to remove the water, I cleaned and capped the line with PVC cement. Job done!
I had my oldest bury the pipe after I confirmed that it is holding pressure. He's really getting useful these days!
****
With that done, it was on to the next project, refinishing a dresser.
My mom and dad used this dresser for probably 10 years, then it went up to their new home in Seeley Lake, where it sat in the attic and wasn't used. After Beret and I moved the bed into our room, we felt like the two dressers we were using were taking up too much floor space and we could consolidate into one dresser. Or one big dresser and one rather small one, which is how it kind of ended up.
But anyway, it needed some work first.
For whatever reason, I never got a photo of the front of the dresser, but you'll get the idea. It's a solid wood dresser that started out like this:
I had a vision in my head of different drawer pulls and painting the dresser. Then the idea popped in my head to leave the top just the sealed wood, but paint the remainder. I talked with Beret about it and she loved it, so we picked a color and I started stripping. The dresser, that is.
First up was getting it set up for the new drawer pulls. This was a bit of a challenge as the original drawer pulls were a single post through the drawer front, but the new drawer pulls are held in by two screws, so I had to figure out how to drill the new holes accurately and repeatedly. I started by grabbing a scrap piece of wood and aligning it the the bottom trim of the drawer, then drilling a hole through the scrap. I now had a piece that aligned with the bottom trim of the drawer.
Next, I measured 1.5" on either side of the center hole, then dropped 3/8 of an inch to center the half-moon pulls, and drilled some more holes. Then I ran a screw through the centered hole to align everything. Now I had a jig!
To drill the new holes, I just put the screw through the original pull hole and clamped the jig to the drawer front.
Then just drill the holes and test-fit the new drawer pulls.
Sweet!!!
To be continued...
First up, after the sprinkler repair I knew I needed to cap off a sprinkler that had revealed itself to be in the corner behind my shed. That's not helping anything, so I rounded up my oldest son and got to work.
The aforementioned shed:
I quickly dug up the offending sprinkler head and tried to figure out how to cap it off. My sprinkler guy said it would most likely just unscrew from the pipe as long as I dug around it fully. Well, that turned out not to be the case and for whatever reason I couldn't figure out how to remove the sprinkler itself. I also discovered that it is not, in fact, in line with another sprinkler he thought it would be. It's on it's own, so who knows what it all looks like under there?
Anyway, I just said, "screw it," and just cut the sprinkler off the PVC pipe and pulled it out of the ground. Under supervision, of course.
The DeWalt oscillating tool made this incredibly easy.
After using the transfer pump to remove the water, I cleaned and capped the line with PVC cement. Job done!
I had my oldest bury the pipe after I confirmed that it is holding pressure. He's really getting useful these days!
****
With that done, it was on to the next project, refinishing a dresser.
My mom and dad used this dresser for probably 10 years, then it went up to their new home in Seeley Lake, where it sat in the attic and wasn't used. After Beret and I moved the bed into our room, we felt like the two dressers we were using were taking up too much floor space and we could consolidate into one dresser. Or one big dresser and one rather small one, which is how it kind of ended up.
But anyway, it needed some work first.
For whatever reason, I never got a photo of the front of the dresser, but you'll get the idea. It's a solid wood dresser that started out like this:
I had a vision in my head of different drawer pulls and painting the dresser. Then the idea popped in my head to leave the top just the sealed wood, but paint the remainder. I talked with Beret about it and she loved it, so we picked a color and I started stripping. The dresser, that is.
First up was getting it set up for the new drawer pulls. This was a bit of a challenge as the original drawer pulls were a single post through the drawer front, but the new drawer pulls are held in by two screws, so I had to figure out how to drill the new holes accurately and repeatedly. I started by grabbing a scrap piece of wood and aligning it the the bottom trim of the drawer, then drilling a hole through the scrap. I now had a piece that aligned with the bottom trim of the drawer.
Next, I measured 1.5" on either side of the center hole, then dropped 3/8 of an inch to center the half-moon pulls, and drilled some more holes. Then I ran a screw through the centered hole to align everything. Now I had a jig!
To drill the new holes, I just put the screw through the original pull hole and clamped the jig to the drawer front.
Then just drill the holes and test-fit the new drawer pulls.
Sweet!!!
To be continued...