Photo Blog

I was away for two days and returned last evening to an unexpectedly chilly house. I heat with wood when I’m home, but I have a propane heater on a thermostat set for about 50F to keep the house from getting too cold when I’m away, so this was definitely unexpected. I took a look … Continue reading Frozen

Until recently, I’d been using a butane aim-n-flame lighter to start fires in my wood stove. I didn’t like all the waste they embody: plastic, metal, chemical fuel – so I got a package of old fashioned fireplace matches, thinking that was a more responsible choice. What surprised me, though, was the memory they invoked. … Continue reading Phantom Nairot

As expected, the generator hookup for the W.O.G. worked perfectly the first time. It’s also not the first time. I’ve installed two of these before and they’re not complicated in the slightest. The only hard part, it turns out, is finding a good place on metal siding to mount it! One of the nice things … Continue reading Odds & Ends

Just over three months of residence and here’s what I know about all the things. Living in a 162sf house is no problem. Living a modest life on solar power and well water, also no problem. Living where I can go days without seeing other humans – unless I want to – is no problem. … Continue reading First Quarter, Ice, Faces, and Saw Power

GDO = Garage Door Opener. I decided to just go for it and installed the electric for the door opener before even testing it under power. The fact that the ceiling is mostly air means some slight shenanigans are required for running a cable across it. Conveniently, there were already these angle struts mounted for … Continue reading GDO, OV, IRC, WL, Smoboke, EMWTTT, RB, and Quiche

Now, that at long last the W.O.G. has power and the office (that’s the O in W.O.G.) is sufficiently built that I can actually use it as an office, I’ve been using it as an office! It has increased my daily commute considerably. Previously, I did not actually leave the house and while a couple … Continue reading Sixty Steps and Frigid Floor / Opener for Garage Door

Remember that bus bar board? Yeah, I decided it was worth the trouble to re-do it side-by-side rather than top/bottom. The thing is, the wall anchors are already in place for the other (more narrow) configuration. Not really a problem, but I sure know better than to just measure them and drill in the new … Continue reading Power To The W.O.G.

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