Author: Daniel

In my previous residence, I had what’s called a WiFi Mesh Network. This is when there are multiple access points but unlike most “extenders”, they present as one unified network. Furthermore, they will automatically configure themselves for maximum performance – all I have to do is make sure any given device is within range of … Continue reading Making a Mesh of Things (and some random stuff)

When I was inspecting the flue (inside and out) after the smoke ingress incident, I did notice some things which now collectively shed some light on how smoke and creosote could have been coming out the way they were. First, the “string of pearls” by the flue collar. That had nothing to do with any … Continue reading Fire & Ice, Smoke Analysis, and Unrelated Wiring

While very pleased at how well the tiny wood stove has been keeping my tiny house cozy these past few days where it has been so very cold (today’s low was -2F and the high was +9F), I was not at all pleased to find smoke streaming out of the flue this evening! I mean, … Continue reading Zero Degrees And Smoky

It sure seems like it’s taking a long time to get the power system operational. And it is, but only because before anything may be done, something else must first be done, and it turns out that recursive dependency goes on for quite a while. I’m close, though! Really. For routine wiring operations, I don’t … Continue reading Office Power – Are We There Yet?

14 degrees Fahrenheit and falling. Inside the house, with the wood stove going, it’s a very cozy 74 (measured in a loft out of the direct path of radiance from the stove – a few degrees colder on the living level) and rising very slowly. The walls aren’t cold. There are no cold drafts (indeed, … Continue reading Baby, It’s Cold Outside

You know what takes a long time? Drywall joint compound drying when it’s chilly. I heated the space to about 60F (which was the best my little electric heater could do under the circumstances) and that helped, but since I was running that on generator and didn’t want to leave the thing on overnight, that … Continue reading Office Wallboard, Painting, Posts, and Power

Things are moving along in the office partition, though by “moving along” I mean “wow, drywall joint compound takes quite a long time to dry when it’s cold”. And by “cold” I mean “what, 60F isn’t hot enough? That’s the best I can do with my electric heater”. Even slow, the office is starting to … Continue reading W.O.G. Wallboard, Notes to Future Self, and a Big Game of Parking Lot

…and in my tiny house, not a creature was stirring, though I found a dead mouse! Actually, the dead mouse was in the W.O.G., the second of two mices I have seen there recently. The first I found in the bottom of a plastic tub a day ago, probably terrified and hungry, but at least … Continue reading Twas The Night Before Christmas

For fun, I did plug in a dehumidifier through a Kill-a-Watt energy meter, to see how it went. The unit took water out of the air, definitely, but also took 500W out of the wall, which totally blows my energy budget, no question. If it ran for four hours, it would use half the energy … Continue reading Water & W.O.G. Update

What is it with this little house and water where it shouldn’t be? First it was rain coming in through the vent for the water heater. I fixed that. Then there was water coming in through a defect in the flashing around the skylight (remember Demon Cat?). I fixed that. Then there was water coming … Continue reading More Water