OP
It's situational awareness on an automotive front.
I finally bought a house in Cave Country! W00T!!!
- Thread starter The Chairman
- Start date
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OP
I've always loved a garden. Unfortunately, my current back issues prevent me from dealing with a full garden even though I have plenty of room. A few years ago, I built a raised bed/cart for my sister, and my dear cousin gave me another for my birthday. I'm also going to try bagging my veggies, especially root veggies, like potatoes. Here's my first potato sprouts coming up. I'll be planting some reds in a day or so, and then every three weeks so I'll always have taters. Reaping will be easy as I'll dump the bag over a grate on my wheelbarrow.
OP
Time passes. Things break. Some things get fixed. Time still passes.
If you missed it, I had major back surgery this past summer. My back surgery... I continue to heal and the good days way outnumber the bad ones. I was in the shop most of today. I recently repowered my mower, and will post more on it later. Alas, the right side transmission is failing, much as the left side did a few years ago. I'll be rebuilding them both this weekend. I'll post pics of the repower along with those.
Today was all about getting ready for that task. I upgraded my compressor last year. From 3 to 5hp and a much faster compressor with far more volume. Unfortunately, the pressure regulator crapped out again, so I replaced it and upgraded the compressor at the same time. I added a smart main relay, an electric main air valve, and an drain solenoid. The first has been set up, and is working flawlessly. I just tell Alexa "Shop Air On", and off she goes. I still need to program the 110V smart switches for the main air valve as well as to program/install the drain solenoid. It's also time for it's oil change, and I hope to do that tomorrow with synthetic oil. While I have some Ryobi electric impacts and ratchets, as a former mechanic, I have an abundance of air tools. My grandnephew is amazed at how fast a quality DA removes material. He hasn't even tried the air file yet.
The thought is to have the main valve open automatically when the compressor starts in the morning and then drain the water for a couple of minutes after the compressor is shut down for the day.
The black box to the right of the compressor regulator hods the main relay.
The blue box to the right of the compressor is the Main Air Valve.
You can barely see the triple filter set behind it. The last is filled with dessicant.
220V smart main relay.
110V Main air valve.
110V Drain solenoid.
If you missed it, I had major back surgery this past summer. My back surgery... I continue to heal and the good days way outnumber the bad ones. I was in the shop most of today. I recently repowered my mower, and will post more on it later. Alas, the right side transmission is failing, much as the left side did a few years ago. I'll be rebuilding them both this weekend. I'll post pics of the repower along with those.
Today was all about getting ready for that task. I upgraded my compressor last year. From 3 to 5hp and a much faster compressor with far more volume. Unfortunately, the pressure regulator crapped out again, so I replaced it and upgraded the compressor at the same time. I added a smart main relay, an electric main air valve, and an drain solenoid. The first has been set up, and is working flawlessly. I just tell Alexa "Shop Air On", and off she goes. I still need to program the 110V smart switches for the main air valve as well as to program/install the drain solenoid. It's also time for it's oil change, and I hope to do that tomorrow with synthetic oil. While I have some Ryobi electric impacts and ratchets, as a former mechanic, I have an abundance of air tools. My grandnephew is amazed at how fast a quality DA removes material. He hasn't even tried the air file yet.
The thought is to have the main valve open automatically when the compressor starts in the morning and then drain the water for a couple of minutes after the compressor is shut down for the day.
The black box to the right of the compressor regulator hods the main relay.
The blue box to the right of the compressor is the Main Air Valve.
You can barely see the triple filter set behind it. The last is filled with dessicant.
220V smart main relay.
110V Main air valve.
110V Drain solenoid.
OP
I really thought it would take an hour or two to finish the compressor. It took six. Six. It started with the two Alexa switches. Sigh. I had to go the manual route. Then, it was finding the right wire. The wire on the drain was 14AWG by measurement. No specs on that to be found. The two-prong plug was finicky, and I didn't seem to have the right gauge connectors for the power poles. Simple delays kept adding up.
Draining the compressor oil was dead assed slow. There was no good way to drain it, either. I had to hold the pan in place the whole time. The 1/4" pipe I put in to stop it from draining down the side of the compressor and pressure tank really slowed it, as well. I was well over an hour, just for that, and I didn't add in the 20-minute break I took towards the end. I replaced it with synthetic compressor oil.
With everything plugged in and tested, I gave it the smoke test. Then the compressor wouldn't cut off. I checked to be sure I hadn't re-installed the old one. Nope. There were no directions on how to adjust it, so I turned off the compressor when it pegged out the gauge. 170ish. It was nice to tell Alexa to do that. After a prodigious search, I finally found someone who had the answer. It worked. I also added another gauge inside the shop. It will be easier to keep tabs on it this way. Looking at the picture, I see I have some cobwebs to deal with. 
Tomorrow I install the rafter winch and hopefully start on those transmissions.
Draining the compressor oil was dead assed slow. There was no good way to drain it, either. I had to hold the pan in place the whole time. The 1/4" pipe I put in to stop it from draining down the side of the compressor and pressure tank really slowed it, as well. I was well over an hour, just for that, and I didn't add in the 20-minute break I took towards the end. I replaced it with synthetic compressor oil.
With everything plugged in and tested, I gave it the smoke test. Then the compressor wouldn't cut off. I checked to be sure I hadn't re-installed the old one. Nope. There were no directions on how to adjust it, so I turned off the compressor when it pegged out the gauge. 170ish. It was nice to tell Alexa to do that.
After a prodigious search, I finally found someone who had the answer. It worked. I also added another gauge inside the shop. It will be easier to keep tabs on it this way. Looking at the picture, I see I have some cobwebs to deal with. Tomorrow I install the rafter winch and hopefully start on those transmissions.
OP
Oh yeah, I labled everything with P-Touch.
And, I found a few other pressure switches and compressor cut-outs. I created a home for them and labled that too!
And I organized a bit more.
And, I found a few other pressure switches and compressor cut-outs. I created a home for them and labled that too!
And I organized a bit more.
I feel your pain. Every "quick" project I have around the house takes 5-10 times as long as expected for some dumb, annoying reason. I live 10 minutes from Lowe's and Home Depot and 15 from Grainger. It seems I end up going one of those places 2-3 times a project for something I didn't think I needed. If I lived in Cave Country I'd really be screwed with the longer drives for doo-dads and thingamabobs
OP
Amazon is my go-to. Home Depot/Lowes is only 20 minutes up the road in Lake City. Ace is 10 or 12. When I needed wire today, I had it on hand. It wasn't tinned (marine), but it was the right AWG and will do just fine. When I needed a 1/4" NPT street ell to mount the drain, I found it in my "Brass" tub. I've got a lot of hardware on hand. I've just got to find it. That's why I keep organizing. Forrest Gump's mom always talked about boxes of chocolate. Mine was "a place for everything and everything in its place". I'm also into fixing, recycling, repurposing, and so on. If something fails and I can't fix it, I'll usually strip it of any useful parts and sort them into labeled bins.
That's not bad. I incorrectly assumed they'd be a bit further away
OP
There's another Lowes about 40 minutes away in Live Oak, one about 50 minutes away in Alachua, and more of both in Gainesville about an hour away. Amazon is not overnight here. Usually, it takes 2 to 3 days, and they'll get it to you. More importantly, fiber is being installed!!! I won't have to use carrier pigeons to post anymore!
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