Ye Old Garage

[sublime68charger]

so working on the Wood Boiler install and getting the trench lines dug,

Got the little tractor/backhoe from my brother-in-law, bent the dipper cylinder rod trying to root out a stump that was a $350 lesson,

then bent the same cylinder again digging threw some rocky ground!@#!@#$@#$@. went with a bigger rod in the reworked cylinder that was a $680 lesson.

but I have the trench dug for the most part getting a mini ex tomorrow with jackhammer to finish out the last 20' of rock that I need to get out.

some Pics of how things are going.

Boiler to House

Garage to Studio,

 

[bunks-tj]

it hurts my bank account just reading that!!

looks great though

 

[sublime68charger]

it hurts my bank account just reading that!!

looks great though

yea it wasn't cheap and the mine Ex wont be cheap either, Nothing on this project is gonna be cheap. Its one of them that due it right the first time or pay 3x as much later to go back over and correct the half done job.

though the little tractor backhoe has been going great since I got the upgraded dipper cylinder for it.

I'm probably doing more with it than I should.

I had the tractor just at idle and there Is a PTO pump to run the backhoe and still made that dipper cylinder give up 2 times.

though its better than the backhoe braking in half. My brother-in-law has only had the little backhoe for 1 year. It had been sitting outside for 5+ years when he got it. Made a new wiring harness and new Hydro hose and some cylinder seals and he used it a little bit and all it did was sit in his shed in his way so he let me use it for this.

 

[xtremek]

it hurts my bank account just reading that!!

At my age, I'd rather hurt my bank account, than my back. Still, that has to hurt a little.

 

[sublime68charger]

its not cheap to have for a day roughly $800,
break down is
$400 for the Mini Ex for 8 hours of use,
$200 for the jack hammer attachment,
$200 for delivery and pick up.

Plus fuel, $8.50

but the Mini Ex made quick work of the rest of the trenching that I needed done!

Plus I got to run it for 8 hours!
that was fun and was in a cab and was a light rain most of the day and I stayed pretty dry.

did make a mess of some of the yard.

made quick work across the driveway,

then a pick of it out in front of the garage

still have 2 spots to hand dig out from spoils I could not clean up with the mini ex, but that is all loose fill and pretty easy to get done and still have 3' to go to enter the house but I need to finalize where I will be coming out of the house exactly. Have to clean out that basement corner take down the rough in dry wall and make a hole to the outside then finish the last bit to the house and the little tractor backhoe can get that done.

 

[shopnut]

That's quite a digging project you have there. Sorry to hear about the troubles with the backhoe cylinder... maybe the system relief pressure was set too high to protect the original cylinder

The mini Ex looks like it would be fun to play with. Good luck on the rest of the project.

 

[xtremek]

I have a silly question. Why so far away? I would think you'd want the shortest run possible. I can see that chimney height is part of the equation, needing a good draw and all that. Still?

 

[sublime68charger]

That's quite a digging project you have there. Sorry to hear about the troubles with the backhoe cylinder... maybe the system relief pressure was set too high to protect the original cylinder

The mini Ex looks like it would be fun to play with. Good luck on the rest of the project.

tractor was running at just a idle so its not like the system has alot of power behind it.

for the 2 times I bent it the first on the stump I was running the dipper in to get the buck under a root then curl to get the lift and the cylinder bent down.
would run the dipper in till it stop the hydro would click so let off and then use bucket curl.

2nd time was digging threw rock ground and after my first dipper cylinder repair I no longer forced the dipper till it stopped and then bucket curl with dipper under pressure. but I did a bucket curl under a rock and the cylinder bent up. the dipper cylinder was out a fairly long and when the curl tried to pull down on the backhoe that is where the pressure was applied and it bent.

thinking that dipper long cylinder rod takes the brunt of the abuse when the bucket is being curled.

maybe I need to be a better backhoe operator as well.

live and learn. with the new bigger rod I had no problems.

 

[sublime68charger]

I have a silly question. Why so far away? I would think you'd want the shortest run possible. I can see that chimney height is part of the equation, needing a good draw and all that. Still?

I'm heating 3 buildings from the 1 boiler. for the House the entrance is in this corner as its the utility room that is only rough drywall finished. other rooms in the basement are finished off so didn't want to enter there.

If I wanted to heat both House and little workshop and studio and I had to run lines to all 3 places. Wood Boiler has 2 output lines. so 1 line to house, 1 line runs to garage then on down to little workshop. The little workshop will be heated as it has water lines.

Didn't want the boiler close to the house which will include the messy woodpile and all of that as well.

The Family Camper is stored in a tarp shed and I have a Pathway in/out and a 3 point turn around in the yard that I make with it as well that I could not place the boiler in that pathway.

this is close to the garage and then that links to the little workshop and then the run to the house is on its own.

I only had to cross over the Electric for the house. all other runs was free and clear.
cept the Phone Lan Line took a beating and will need to be repaired if I want a Lan Line some day.

I called the diggers hotline and nobody ever showed up to mark it. since I dont use the Lan Line I wasnt to worried about it.

 

[sublime68charger]

working out in the garage today trying to make things go easy for when I put in the Thermopex piping and I have moved this sign at least 3 times now so up on the wall it goes!


Wife got it for me on her girls weekend retreat last year!

also any body wanna guess the years of the Car/John Deere/Honda

 

[sublime68charger]

That's quite a digging project you have there. Sorry to hear about the troubles with the backhoe cylinder... maybe the system relief pressure was set too high to protect the original cylinder

The mini Ex looks like it would be fun to play with. Good luck on the rest of the project.

Mini ex was a blast to use!

It was fun and if I had to due this again I might have just rented the ex and went to town.

But it would have taken me 3 days to dig it all! I think.

The little tractor backhoe was slower but it was better at close to building digging and digging out in the garage as well!

 

[sublime68charger]

more trench work getting done this weekend,

trench running up from Garage to boiler location with the boiler lines and then 1 conduit for Power to the wood boiler and then another Conduit with a Line so that I can put some lights and a outlet in my Wood Shed location.

My Dad is helping out by doing most of the backfilling work for me,

Fill the trench up 1/2 to 3/4 with sand then push some topsoil back on top of that and should all be okay to go or that is the hope at any rate.

using the extra rocky dirt left over to level off where My wood shed is gonna be at.

 

[sublime68charger]

so that was the Saturday work

Sunday was work on the input side in the garage,

Had to due some get the Boiler lined to make a 90 turn to go up the wall, this stuff does not like to bend at all.

so got a wood beam and then the rear tire of the car is bracing 1 end and screw down a 2 foot section of 1x10 left over scrap interior wood board add a 2x4 for a tail and some strength and then use the ATV and Plow Blade and push that Boiler line up tight to the wall and then add a 2x6 to the bottom where I had built out bumpers from the wall.

hope that all makes sense it worked out pretty well and here[s a Pic of the boiler line being held up in place before I put the 2x6 at the bottom to hold it in place

 

[xtremek]

Some crazy cribbing to make it work.

 

[shopnut]

Ingenuity at work... to get the job done!!

 

[sublime68charger]

Some crazy cribbing to make it work.

Ingenuity at work... to get the job done!!

its the first time the car has helped out with the garage build project!

Well the car is the main reason for the garage build as you gotta have a nice place to keep your Mopar!

Car has provide plenty of inspiration to keep working on the garage build!
just go out to the garage and look at the car for a few minutes and then yep I need to get to work to give you a better place to hang out in!

Xtremek, cribbing was tested in little steps with the main focus being this better not go wrong and spring up and put i dent in the car!

it all worked out!

 

[sublime68charger]

been a while since I have updated,

Have been busy with the Outdoor Boiler install,

Boiler in the yard and Then the heavy muscle to lift of of the trailer.

was pretty much at its lifting limits but got the Job done!

 

[sublime68charger]

Picture of the Cement pad where the boiler is going,

Access hatch for the Pex Lines,

Boiler sitting on its Cement Pad

 

[sublime68charger]

So on to the Studio/ATV Workshop and getting the Pex Braced up there took some thinking as this stuff doesn't flex well at all.

got the job done though.

just took some time and tighten 1 mini binder reset other mini binder and pull in tight rinse repeat just hope that the Screws hold in the wood that I was using as a anchor to pull from.

and got it boxed in and point up and then built a shelf for the heater to sit up on top. I may have over built my corner shelf but I find stuff to store/stack up there I sure.

 

[xtremek]

How much more do you have to do to get it finished?

 

[sublime68charger]

How much more do you have to do to get it finished?

1 day more and I'll be ready to fill with water and light the fire.
Ran pex lines in house and garage this week.

All work now is inside.

Still need to fill wood shed as well and put lights up in wood shed.

 

[M-technik-3]

Is this going to burn hot enough to have the smoke rise and drift away or it will it be like many others I see that the yard is cloaked in smoke?

I was debating about using one of them at my previous house but it had a oversized wood furnace that used the forced hot air ducts for heat distribution.

 

[sublime68charger]

Is this going to burn hot enough to have the smoke rise and drift away or it will it be like many others I see that the yard is cloaked in smoke?

I was debating about using one of them at my previous house but it had a oversized wood furnace that used the forced hot air ducts for heat distribution.

it should and the 2 prevailing wind directions are North blows smoke behind the house and west with blows smoke away from the house.

In the past I have run a wood stove in the corner of the garage and this stove is 40' from where that smoke stack was located at and should work out just fine. Plus its 10' higher up the hill from where the garage exit was located.

time will tell in all things.

there is always a breeze at the house it sits with a open view to the west on top of a hill.

 

[sublime68charger]

pic stove location looking to the west.

so i'm 80' from the house and the garage is 30' to the right in this pic just off screen

house points toward the west the Porch entry points to the north.

more or less

 

[sublime68charger]

so more progress being made.

leveling up a spot to set up my wood storage shed/area.

some more rock wall work its quick and fast sort of.

made lane big enough that truck and trailer will fit through.

The Stove pipe and stand in the garage will be going away.

I gave me 6 years of heat for working in the garage though so I can't complain about that.

 

[xtremek]

What on earth are you going to do with all of that new floor and wall space?

 

[sublime68charger]

What on earth are you going to do with all of that new floor and wall space?

are you talking about where the stove and wood pile has been for the last 6 years?

the Car is sitting up there now, Behind the Car is Kids ATV and 1 of the John Deere 140's The space gets taken up quickly that is for sure.

 

[sublime68charger]

so I was working on the shelf in the garage and had the little JD tractor and my Allis Chalmers Orange Wagon helping me out. It hauled around the wood scraps for building the shelf from

I just think they look pretty sharp together.


Wagon was built by a Allis Chalmers Dealer Owner "Story I got from the guy who sold it to me he was the son-in-law" back in the 70's or 80's so its kinda time period correct with the 74 John Deere.

and then the shelf in the garage for the garage heater.

 

[sublime68charger]

so Im up to Tuesday of this week Pex install day a fun day!

up the wall on the boiler side, across the ceiling and down the wall to studio/workshop run, Back from workshop will go threw Heater on wall in garage then back to the Boiler.

Pex does not like to flex well at all and this was out in the garage where I had wide open spaces to route things the Hose basement was another story.

though the ATV Log Arch did kinda make a ad hoc unspool stand for the pex.

heater is pex roughed in. Ill come out from the heater with black pipe and get the Pex ran to that to make the connections that I want.

 

[xtremek]

Looks like fun...............not.

 

[sublime68charger]

I got the job done but it did take some brute force of things.

Basement pull was alot more fun per say than garage.

You'll have to follow along on this
Rope tied to shelf tied to bungee cord

bungee cord to 2nd rope provide tension pulling power,

2nd rope tied to Conduit Leading pipe of 6' to give me a straight arrow like stick to point the pex where I wanted it to go.

conduit tape to pex it slid inside the pex to make this part work out pretty neat.

pex roll on the floor with chain around it to make it unroll as I needed it to.
other wise it would want to pull sideways off of roll

fun times but I got the job done!

 

[captain14]

What on earth are you going to do with all of that new floor and wall space?

If he doesn’t provide full time security for the area, it could get the dreaded FSD!
(Flat surface disease)

 

[sublime68charger]

If he doesn’t provide full time security for the area, it could get the dreaded FSD!
(Flat surface disease)

that wont happen here at all. When I was running Pex in the garage I did a quick look for some board to put on the wheel barrow to give me a flat spot to stage stuff, I didn't find any so stuff just got put in the wheel barrow helter skelter and fished out when I needed to get it. wasn't ideal but I only worked in the garage for 4 hours on the pex runs.

 

[sublime68charger]

made some more progress,

The old Stove has been sold.

Good Bye Hearth Stone Fire place,

You have served me well!

From when I was just a wee lad back in 1976 and a major ice storm knocked out power for days and you provided Heat and warmth and cooked soup to feed me or so I am told as I wasn't quite yet 1 year in age.

to these last 6 years where you have been the heat source out in the garage when I wanted to work out there in the cold winter day's.

Best of luck in your new endeavors!

 

[xtremek]

Welcome to a new world.

 

[xtremek]

Happy Turkey day.

 

[sublime68charger]

Happy Turkey day.

same to you Xtremek Hope you had a great turkey day as well!

 

[sublime68charger]

so I have the wood boiler up and running now.

I'm on the 2nd week of having wood heat in the garage/atv shop and house.

Have had some bumps in the road on first start up but all going nice and smooth at the moment.

Pic of the corner heater in the ATV shop. Have the temp set to 65 degrees out there and my connecting rooms stay at 60 which is the goal since they are the rooms with running water that I need to keep from freezing.

I need to clean up the Electric wires and due a better job of that but for now this will work. I can due the wiring when its super cold outside and I want to work inside.

 

[sublime68charger]

some pictures of the wood boiler and the wood shed to provide wood for said boiler for the year.

I can at least get my wheel barrow full of wood for the stove each morning and night and be out of the wind and rain if needed.

wood shed is nothing special but I did put up lattice on the inside to keep the wood pile from shifting and ripping threw the sides of the shed.
lattice is from a old fence I had to take out at the mother-in-law house in town this summer so it was a free just had to trim a little to fit.

 

[shopnut]

It looks like you are ready for the cold weather! Looking good!