Sunday Reading - Ouch!!!

 

Winter Preps are almost 100% done so far. The damaged water tanks are repaired and placed under new downspouts and I built a little stairstep arrangement in the larger tank so anything smaller than a goat that falls in can climb back out. I am curious to see if ice heaving will be an issue with these softer and more pliable type rubber tanks. They have always worked well with heaters but I have not tried them yet to see if they can also withstand the layered freezes. I am hoping with the wider bell shaped tops they will heave any ice on the top up rather than bust out the sides.

If these tanks are unable to deal with the constant re-freezes we get than my only option might be the straight sided metal tanks and I have seen them bust as well.

I imagine many people may not fully understand the problem I am attempting to deal with here. Someone who has lived on the Southern side of the great plains will probably understand right off though. We are generally warm enough that often times we can go pretty much all Winter without even needing tank heaters for our live stock. In fact many cattle men around here will rely on flowing creeks and ponds or lakes for a Winter water source. This far South seeing even a medium sized pond totally frozen over for long is a rare thing but those occasional Arctic Blasts (formerly known as Alberta Clippers) are a real pain in the ASS!!  

If needed I could probably keep the tanks open enough just by breaking the ice twice a day for the remaining sheep and Goats BUT that would still leave the re-freezing issue. The tank heaters effectively combat the re-freezing but I would like to eliminate the need for electricity entirely  if I can. Hence my renewed interest in Winter water sourcing. I have seen even 55 gallon drums split apart during a re-freeze when liquid gets trapped between layers of ice. 

 

My second Winter prep for this year is switching over from my long trusty and reliable outside wood furnace to my old stored wood stove. I started this project last week and the above picture will explain why I had to drop it for a few days as my finger healed. I bet I am gonna have that scar with me when I go. I probably should have gotten some stitches and even though the cut went to the knuckle the pain even now when I hit it on something is along the finger tip. 

Oh well I hope spirit chicks dig scars too :)

As soon as I could reasonably get back to work and the wound had healed up I finished installing the flu pipe I elected to go 100% non-electric this time around. The theory is IF we enter a 100% grid down situation I want to be able to keep the heat going with out any outside electrical inputs. Including my solar batteries and/or generator which were always my back up plan for the furnace.  I will still be able to place a fan behind the stove ran off my solar batteries if needed and the stove will also allow us a cooking and water heating station in a worse possible scenario case.

Also I am betting I can run this stove on a fraction of my overall wood consumption costs. I got about a three month reserve of firewood for my furnace but I bet it will last all Winter easy if I switch to the stove. Plus the furnace isn't going anywhere if I am wrong.

Hoses are all up. Tank heaters have been brought out and ready to install tomorrow. I got 12 Tomato clones rooting in jars, Seeds all stocked for early Spring/Late Winter sprouting. I think I am about set.

Still have 1 trellis of beans to pick yet though and I will be damned if I did not notice a roof panel on the barn flapping a bit this afternoon. I may need to get up there after this cold snap they are predicting tomorrow blows over. 

It's always something.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!