![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
samvara posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandom_jointsTechnically I'm supposed to be writing my final assignment this weekend.
I thought this was going to be just a gardening weekend but while A. was mucking around with the reticulation controller I climbed on the roof to look down the chimney (it seemed to be blocked last time we tried to light a fire) and it turns out no blockage but no rain hat either.
Note for next time: Carry a torch with fresh batteries on the first trip up the ladder and wear pants with pockets big enough to fit said torch. I lie about my pain, I askedchaosmanor fetch and pass things up to me. She also took the photos :)
This was an easy fix as the little metal things that hold the hat in place were still there. I took the whole thing to a hardware store and bought a new one that fitted - a quick climb and some slightly precarious sliding and it was done. Phew, just in time for the April rains to come in.
*grins* A. also accidentally cracked a tile while we were crawling about on the roof so we replaced it with one of the spares before coming back down. This was a bit of a two person job as the tile has a sort of Tetris-y hook shape on one end that means it's a lot easier if one person holds up the two tiles above while the other person slides the new tile up and sideways into the adjacent one. I now know this because the last time we had cracked tiles the lovely person who fixed them got me some spares - this was my first experiment with doing it myself.
The reticulation was pretty simple, we disconnected the old poly piping and put about 20m of new piping in. Then it was just a matter of putting in the plants and putting in sprinklers at the appropriate intervals - I initially went for 360 degree sprinklers but switched some out for 180 degree ones when I saw where the water was going.
Right now it's manual, a task for next week is to find out if the old solenoid valve is still functional and if I can wire in a timer and never have to think about when to water again. The internet says I am allowed to water the garden in my suburb on Sat. and Wed. for 15 mins after 6pm.
Reticulation 'bits' used.
The hardest bit was putting the sprinklers into the poly pipe - my hands aren't strong enough to just push it in so I ended up grabbing an old awl and punching a small hole first (it's harder to put them in once you've done a test water too - the water pressure of the water in the pipe pushes back)
...and results! Kenobi the woofer is performing an inspection. I feel this should look more dramatic than it does.chaosmanor and maharetr provided the extra energy to get some mulch and lay it around the plants for which I am very grateful.
I thought this was going to be just a gardening weekend but while A. was mucking around with the reticulation controller I climbed on the roof to look down the chimney (it seemed to be blocked last time we tried to light a fire) and it turns out no blockage but no rain hat either.
Note for next time: Carry a torch with fresh batteries on the first trip up the ladder and wear pants with pockets big enough to fit said torch. I lie about my pain, I asked
chaosmanor fetch and pass things up to me. She also took the photos :)This was an easy fix as the little metal things that hold the hat in place were still there. I took the whole thing to a hardware store and bought a new one that fitted - a quick climb and some slightly precarious sliding and it was done. Phew, just in time for the April rains to come in.
*grins* A. also accidentally cracked a tile while we were crawling about on the roof so we replaced it with one of the spares before coming back down. This was a bit of a two person job as the tile has a sort of Tetris-y hook shape on one end that means it's a lot easier if one person holds up the two tiles above while the other person slides the new tile up and sideways into the adjacent one. I now know this because the last time we had cracked tiles the lovely person who fixed them got me some spares - this was my first experiment with doing it myself.
The reticulation was pretty simple, we disconnected the old poly piping and put about 20m of new piping in. Then it was just a matter of putting in the plants and putting in sprinklers at the appropriate intervals - I initially went for 360 degree sprinklers but switched some out for 180 degree ones when I saw where the water was going.
Right now it's manual, a task for next week is to find out if the old solenoid valve is still functional and if I can wire in a timer and never have to think about when to water again. The internet says I am allowed to water the garden in my suburb on Sat. and Wed. for 15 mins after 6pm.
Reticulation 'bits' used.
- The coiled piping with the green head (tiny tap) is a trickle feed line I'm considering using on some of the bigger plants.
- Blue & black sprinkler head (180 degree water spray) also with a teeny tiny tap
- Blue, red & black sprinkler head (360 degree water spray) also with a teeny tiny tap
- Vertical black pipe is the sprinkler 'riser' - has a tiny pointy hollow double-ended screw on the end to go into the poly pipe
- Wooden thing is an awl (bonus tool from my main kit, you can get special one for reticulation)
- Ring is the clamp you use to hold the poly pipe to the 'T' or 'L' joiners
- 'T' is a poly pipe joiner, they come in T, L, X or 'ends' for plugs - I learned they are much easier to put in if you wiggle rather than push
- Horizontal pipe is the 19mm poly pipe that goes under the ground
The hardest bit was putting the sprinklers into the poly pipe - my hands aren't strong enough to just push it in so I ended up grabbing an old awl and punching a small hole first (it's harder to put them in once you've done a test water too - the water pressure of the water in the pipe pushes back)
...and results! Kenobi the woofer is performing an inspection. I feel this should look more dramatic than it does.
chaosmanor and maharetr provided the extra energy to get some mulch and lay it around the plants for which I am very grateful.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-09 02:44 pm (UTC)I've seen but never worked with tile roofs, so that's really interesting to me! I really really like having photos so I can see what you're talking about!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-10 12:21 am (UTC)It was my first time doing anything with tiles and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. I think the fiddly bits near the roof cap and around the chimney could be difficult but switching out a single tile was like Lego. I'm down to one spare though, the repairer said they can be found reasonably easily second hand and if I wasn't planning on selling I'd be getting some more and stashing them.
Yay photos!