11/10/2019

I finished installing the outdoor shower today. It’s awesome! I wired in the lights, a couple 12 volt LED license plate lights with a waterproof button. I had to make another copper button mount from a blank I have laying around, punched, then filed larger as the biggest punch isn’t enough to fit. Screwed to the wall, perfect. I found some 14 gauge wire to attach it all with wire nuts all pointed up to avoid water damage. I’ll E tape it next. I had to get new fittings for the L5 on demand heater, installed, not cheap as I needed to double up the gas in line to get it to fit the 5/16th fitting. It’s all installed with 3/8″ water lines and the 5/16 gas inlet. I used the yellow Teflon sealing tape required for gas. I found an empty Blue Rhino tank in the garage. Meanwhile, I borrowed a tank from the vardo to test the system. It works perfect. I took a shower after adjusting the heat, 4 gallons of water for a continuous shower. You have to be careful when it runs out as the heater ejects a steam after a few seconds. But it’s fantastic, a hot shower without PG&E, totally battery power solar charged. Off the grid. Perfect.

11/2/2019

Fun day. Saturday, yea. I went to Healdsburg town late, caught the farmers market. Good to see folks, reduced size displays with the fires aftermath. Picked up some guavas (yum), carrots, Dunkin’s mushrooms and a small melon from Reenie. Planning on a pasta fagioli, but things happened. When I got home, I found a new package in my mailbox. It’s a shower head, excellent. It needs an adapter to fit the 3/8 hose I have on the 12 volt pump I bought. Dollar store oil needed in the car. Back to town for the adapter and some crimp rings to fit the deep cell battery. On to Home Depot for a cheap reed wall package. I’m planning on hot shower without PG&E power. I’ll use the deep cell 12 volt battery, small solar cell with the regulator and 12 volt pump. I found the perfect adapter to fit the shower head to 3/8 hose size and rings to fit the battery. Back home, I fit things together, found an aluminum tube to fit the stretched hose cut to 24 inches. This fits into a bucket or pot of water. I strung it from the open garage door with a bucket of water and connected the pump to the battery. Bingo, we have a shower, cold at the moment, but fully functional. Where to set it up, hmm, next to the garage on the northwest side would work well as it’s right next to the solar battery charger. I cleared out the area and clipped back the brush. Shortly my neighbor John showed up. I asked him if I could get some pallets he has, they cost him money to get rid of them, go for it. Score, I grabbed one, set up, maybe a couple more later. This is going to work great if I hook up the outdoor on demand water heater, a propane tank and a 5 gallon jug of water. With the reed fence shield and a chair in place it will be wonderful.
I also received a generator today, it’s only 1200 watts, but enough to run my refrigerator and computer. I’m getting ready if PG& E shuts us down again. We’ll have a community shower for the neighborhood. Excellent.