tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post6891321841434618854..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: Around The HomesteadLeighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-37087593804173034142011-09-02T07:10:37.699-04:002011-09-02T07:10:37.699-04:00We have two tanks like yours, which we bought in 2...We have two tanks like yours, which we bought in 2000 when extending our house. They are heavy to move, even empty, so make sure you build a good strong base for them. The breeze blocks we used have sunk, the wood underneath has rotted, and we could do with emptying ours and re-positioning them. We had to replace some fittings this year, and used hose-pipe system parts, which we found easy to install.mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15394151626833055415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-88258279741434687082011-08-28T08:56:07.732-04:002011-08-28T08:56:07.732-04:00Andrew I'm just getting back online (after ins...Andrew I'm just getting back online (after installing a new network card) and wanted to thank you for your comments and the information. Very helpful, both about the rain water and the wood preservatives. <br /><br />Dan's hoping to get started on our water recycling system after we finish the kitchen (which may take awhile :). <br /><br />I appreciate the wood preservative links too. This is another area of need and concern.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-46676037084074143292011-08-24T11:28:17.424-04:002011-08-24T11:28:17.424-04:00Well, I had looked into home methods of pressure t...Well, I had looked into home methods of pressure treatment. I learned that they supposedly stopped using the real toxic stuff in commercial pressure treated wood back in 2006. A lot of the home solutions seemed to involve soaking the wood in a solution of some sort of salt for several days and letting the wood soak it up. The forest products people at VT had a link to this presentation: http://www.forestprod.org/Freeman.pdf<br />The problem is that any sort of soluble compound that you might soak your wood in will leach out of wood in any application that frequently gets wet (your siding). <br />I found mention earlier this year about applying heat to the surface of the wood after it had soaked up a certain solution. Not really charring it but getting it up high enough that the compound in the solution actually chemically bonded and formed a non-water soluble boundary that would greatly reduce leaching. I think it is the equivalent of taking an iron and ironing the wood. I can't find that article at all now. Sorry. But that's the concept. <br /><br />More documentation identifying home wood preservation is here: http://www.ehow.com/way_5669529_homemade-wood-preservatives.html<br />Boric acid (borax) seems to be a common theme in wood preservation of earlier centuries and its fairly non-toxic to us. As noted though, it is alkaline and if used in garden boxes might change your pH as it leaches.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12323957337215626238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-37089793691211901172011-08-24T11:00:31.314-04:002011-08-24T11:00:31.314-04:00Yeah, the rainwater tanks are turning out critical...Yeah, the rainwater tanks are turning out critical this year. This spring I installed a 330 gallon tank from gototanks.com http://www.gototanks.com/Fresh-Water-Tanks.aspx. They were the only place I could find that had the green plastic kind and would ship to Virginia. Had to pick it up from Old Domion Freight in Wytheville. I was concerned the white plastic wouldn't last quite as long to UV exposure and it would be a little more subtle than white sitting on top of the hill. I would have gone for the kind you got if I had run into them first. By the way, were did you find those? For some reason I end up with a lot of dust in my rainwater. One poor mouse crawled the wrong way down the inlet pipe and drowned. I'm only using it for garden watering so far, would definitely put a good filter on it if I were going to drink it. Mine didn't come with hardware to neck the lower outlet pipe down to a 3/4" garden hose so I had to go to Lowe's and get a 2" to 3/4" pvc adapter and a brass ball-type boiler drain. I like those better because a 1/4 turn opens the valve all the way. The standard hose knob takes a while to unscrew to full open and I have a problem with the one of that kind on the house leaking. It's been good enough to keep a few green beans and tomatoes going. The western end of Grayson has missed EVERY chance of rain for over a month now. The river and Carroll and Smythe all get it. And now a hurricane has drifted out of reach.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12323957337215626238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-9188564979740540172011-08-24T09:31:56.337-04:002011-08-24T09:31:56.337-04:00Badgerpendous, thanks! I finally figured out I nee...Badgerpendous, thanks! I finally figured out I need a new network card. That, hopefully Friday!<br /><br />Melissa, so good to hear from you! Sounds like your life has been very busy indeed. Hope things get back to "normal" for you soon!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-75417466182158896122011-08-23T22:47:10.540-04:002011-08-23T22:47:10.540-04:00I love the update. The chickens are beautiful! Sor...I love the update. The chickens are beautiful! Sorry about Kinder. I am glad you are recovering from the storm. We know the drill. I am trying to make up for lost time with my blogging buddies. Now that home school routines are starting I am in front of the computer more and will try to comment and post more often. We have traveled and had family move in with us. So, I am seeking repentance. I hope all is well with you all, MelissaKids and Canning Jarshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794388845414644018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-61328130558682059532011-08-22T16:37:17.267-04:002011-08-22T16:37:17.267-04:00Glad to hear that most of the damage from the stor...Glad to hear that most of the damage from the storm is minor. Hope you're back up and internetting soon!badgerpendoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02540038174008061800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-36336385037570774512011-08-22T13:34:48.784-04:002011-08-22T13:34:48.784-04:00Tami, LOL. Sideways is good, right? ;)
Tom, that&...Tami, LOL. Sideways is good, right? ;)<br /><br />Tom, that's an excellent suggestion. Thanks! I'll pass that on to Dan. Wood preservative is something else we're trying to figure out. <br /><br />Mrs. Trixi, thanks. It helps to look at the positive, doesn't it?<br /><br />Donna, you too? And you're so far from us! Still, I hope all is well with you and yours. <br /><br />Susan, I'm sorry to hear about your sheep! Try as hard as we might, but some things still can't be figured out, can they?<br /><br />Crustyrusty, good point. Likely we will end up painting the tanks. Very exciting about your 10 acres!<br /><br />Candace thanks. I'll send you some of our cooler weather. Of course we still get up to the upper 80s or 90, but it's cooler than it has been!<br /><br />Renee, we had the same idea about craigslist, but will have to wait until the home computer gets fixed. :(<br /><br />BRF, so glad to hear you didn't get any storm damage. My ethernet problem is likely the card itself, not the software like Dell tells me. Will know for sure soon, thanks to Ubuntu Forums. <br /><br />CA Grammy, thanks. Yes, that guy was very amazing. More amazing, he didn't get that we didn't think it was fair to just give it to him to sell and keep all the profit. His response to that was that it cost something to pump it out. Maybe he would have to rent the pump. :0Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-55631034075863912672011-08-22T12:03:26.472-04:002011-08-22T12:03:26.472-04:00So sorry about losing Chipper— that's never ea...So sorry about losing Chipper— that's never easy.<br /><br />I'm amazed that the guy is perfectly willing to pump out your oil for free so he can make some money, but refuses to help you get the tank out. Now that's just not a fair trade at all. Unvelievable!CaliforniaGrammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05137556336315915924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-25540032843193810362011-08-22T10:58:12.382-04:002011-08-22T10:58:12.382-04:00Sorry to hear about Chipper...it is never easy to ...Sorry to hear about Chipper...it is never easy to lose one. I am glad that you made it through that storm "relatively" unscathed. Hopefully you will be able to solve your ethernet problems and be back online soon!BrokenRoadFarmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09009162969006682361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-22848394725001856312011-08-22T10:41:24.784-04:002011-08-22T10:41:24.784-04:00So sorry to hear about Chipper. :(
Perhaps you ...So sorry to hear about Chipper. :( <br /><br />Perhaps you can sell the oil and find someone who wants to take the tank on Craigslist? Funny how that guy really wants your oil though...sounds like it's really worth more than just a buck per gallon.<br /><br />I hope you're back online soon!Renee Nefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08167893445846427824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-69281810354727086242011-08-22T08:46:38.906-04:002011-08-22T08:46:38.906-04:00A lot going on and a lot to handle for sure. We w...A lot going on and a lot to handle for sure. We would like some cooler drier weather. So sorry about Chipper.Cat Eye Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02858322427127791100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-91244295977178465312011-08-22T06:29:47.373-04:002011-08-22T06:29:47.373-04:00Be careful with your water catchment; the transluc...Be careful with your water catchment; the translucent plastic lets in sunlight and can contribute to algae growth.<br /><br />Nice blog, BTW. Lord willing, Momma and I will be trying the same thing on 10 acres pretty soon :-)Crustyrustyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09478587825608882510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-55911675477193483412011-08-22T01:10:43.237-04:002011-08-22T01:10:43.237-04:00Sorry about the loss of Chipper. It's always h...Sorry about the loss of Chipper. It's always hard to loose beasties, especially when you can't find an easy explanation. I know - in the last month I've lost several, from what we call DSS (dead sheep syndrome - no real symptoms except for an animal that is no longer alive).<br /><br />The chicks look great! I'm getting eggs from about half of the chicks I got back in April. Nothing like fresh eggs, is there?<br /><br />Hope you get your internet problems figured out soon!Susanhttp://www.majorasue.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-90860425657985670222011-08-21T19:36:58.692-04:002011-08-21T19:36:58.692-04:00The hen is too funny walking in the water :) We...The hen is too funny walking in the water :) We've had horrible storms lately too - haven't been able to get online, one thunderstorm after another. Sorry about the tree on the fence, not the best part about storms. I enjoyed going around the farm and catching up on what's going on:)luckybunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17663313808544386765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-31740756164470926592011-08-21T18:56:13.117-04:002011-08-21T18:56:13.117-04:00Wow, things are progressing nicely around your hom...Wow, things are progressing nicely around your homestead. I am sorry about the loss of Chipper. Sometimes farm life is so hard.Trixihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196019426959996853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-15332685701421187432011-08-21T18:26:43.881-04:002011-08-21T18:26:43.881-04:00Leigh'
I have a sugestion for the oil. This i...Leigh' <br />I have a sugestion for the oil. This idea comes from "Scroungeman" and sounds like a good way to recycle oil.<br />Take 1 gallon of oil, 1 gallon of water and 1/4 cup of "Dawn" dish sope. Pour into a sprayer and mix (do not shake, you do not want suddes!) The "Dawn will allow the oil and water to emulcifY (SP?). What do you do with it, use it as a wood preserviter! The "Dawn and oil will penitrate the wood and the water will evaporate.<br />Scroungeman swears by this and will use it on hay wagons, farm trailers ECT.<br />Give it a try, It just might work!Tom Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08617525385016644041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-28326092731380456372011-08-21T17:23:24.060-04:002011-08-21T17:23:24.060-04:00Glad to hear that the homestead is doing well, all...Glad to hear that the homestead is doing well, all in all. Sometimes up, sometimes down...usually sideways though...&;)Tamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06597093453934852571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80829995940414029712011-08-21T16:26:28.496-04:002011-08-21T16:26:28.496-04:00Thanks Angie. Yes, the size difference of the chic...Thanks Angie. Yes, the size difference of the chicks is camera angle.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-27698187683003015812011-08-21T16:15:18.032-04:002011-08-21T16:15:18.032-04:00I hope you achieve connectivity at home soon. Ele...I hope you achieve connectivity at home soon. Electronics trouble-shooting is always a time sink for me. I'm sorry to read about Chipper but agree with your viewpoint. <br /><br />Are the little black chicks growing larger than the yellow or was that a camera angle trick? (Sorry for not recalling the breed names)Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00294194276144436244noreply@blogger.com