Paint & Plumbing

 

PAINTING

   Up until now, I've been usng a brush to paint the house. There's something quieting about brushing. Brushing can be theraputic. However, I'm getting to ares of the house that will be difficult for brushing, so I've gotten an electric paint sprayer.

   I found an inexpensive but usable painter on ebay. A Wagner Power Painter Wide-Shot  spray painter. The painter coomes with a cup that srews into the bottom of the paint gun. There was a hose and accompanying bits and pieces to allow spraying directly from a paint bucket but the hose had a dried  paint clog half way down the tube. I asked for and got a partial refund from the seller. I checked the web and a new hose will cost as much as the kit did. I'm going with the cup since I/'m going to be in some awkward positions when I paint.

PLUMBING

   I ordered and have installed a new 1/2HP water pump. Mysystem seems to be able to handle the load on a sunny day. Use on a cloudy day might drain too much energy from the batteries. I can always use the repaired Harbor Freight Predator 2000 Inverter/Generator. The inverter shhould automatically disconnect when I turn the generator on and connecto to the household system.

   The plumbing system revealed many leaks at the ppump and in the bathtub faucet.. The leaks at the pump were due to having used Sharkbite Pex-A colars which do not fit Uponor fittings. I ordered some Uponor collars and replaced the ones that leaked. In fact, I replaced all of that part of the system.

   The bathtub/shower represented a different problem. The leaks there were in the CPVC fittings that had cracked. Those were the last remaining CPVC fittings after the disaster that hit the plumbing when the fittings and pipe froze and cracked one winter. I got some replacement fittings for the newer Plex plumbing locally. The new fittings are removable without a major rework.


Next: a test for the plumbin, the Rannai on-demand propane water heater and the associated thermastat.


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