4/13-15/10 I went up to Camp Serendipity for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at noon and was met by Bert wanting hugs and biscuits. I don’t know where Ernie was. I called Mike right away to tell him I was there but he said he was having a busy afternoon and that he would come tomorrow morning. That was sort of welcome news because I wasn’t quite ready for him and now I would have some extra time.

I installed the first 20 feet of the electrical conduit going from the pump control box to the ground, and then from a sweep out through the trench I had dug. It fit very nicely in the trench in spite of a big rock. Then I studied the pump control box and the circuit diagram trying to understand exactly how it works. The wiring instructions are pretty clear, but I feel a little better if I understand what’s going on. I finally understood the concept although I didn’t figure out exactly how the contactor components worked. Then, just to reassure myself, I ran a hundred foot tape up through the twenty feet of electrical conduit and measured the distance to the dosing tank. I wanted to make absolutely sure that the 85 feet of wire I had bought was going to be long enough. It was.

On Wednesday I began developing a cold, so I took some cold medicine to help with the symptoms. I had already been keeping it at bay with Zicam. After breakfast, I started a fire in the stove and in the process, Bert and Ernie both showed up for hugs and biscuits. Pretty soon, Craig and Wes, the plumbers, showed up in one truck.

We started out by measuring the pressure and flow of the water at various points. They still weren’t sure how a pressure pump would perform given my plumbing configuration. The question was whether a tank would be required instead of simply drawing water from a tee in my one-inch circulating line.

We tested the flow and pressure at the joint between the copper line and the hose on the side hill where Andrew and I have been digging a trench for the next length of copper pipe. This is just about the same elevation as the cabin floor. While we were up there, a pair of gray jays showed up and took peanuts from our hands. This was Craig’s first experience feeding gray jays like that so it was sort of special.

As part of the pressure testing, Craig shut the valve off abruptly causing a water hammer to jolt the pressure up to about 300 PSI. After that, we noticed that a bunch of green filamentous stuff came out of the pipe with the water. It was a little unnerving, but I am sure it was the water hammer jolt that dislodged the stuff from the inside of the pipe. Under normal circumstances, this stuff clings to the pipe walls and the water runs clear. I don’t think it represents a problem.

Next, the three of us went to work installing the vent stack on the outside of the building. Wes and I were up on the scaffolding most of the time while Craig directed us and cut the pipe sections. The pipe makes a short vertical and then a horizontal run over to the Grid C1 RPSL. Then it runs all the way up alongside the RPSL to the ridgepole. Then another 90 and a horizontal run under the ridgepole to the end, and finally another 90 to a vertical section that sticks up above the roof right at the peak. I was very happy that we didn’t have to make a hole in the roof and that the pipe is right at the peak so the snow won’t tear it loose.

About noon, Mike showed up with a mini-bulldozer and three helpers. Craig and Wes continued working on installing a vent pipe for the tub and they started installing the water supply system using pex pipes. I took a couple pictures of them.

Mike’s crew dug the trench for the drain line and installed the pipe. I took a couple pictures of them at work. They also helped me pull the wires through the electrical conduit. Then I connected the wires to the control box. Since the tractor couldn’t get within 30 feet or so of the cabin because of the rock piles, I had them dump a big pile of dirt so that I could shovel and wheel it back later to cover the pipes and conduit.

Wiring up the dosing tank required waterproof wire nuts, which I didn’t have. Mike said he had some and he left to get them. His crew finished up grading the roadway over the pipe. They had gotten the dirt from beyond the privy and in the process had flattened a lot of seedling trees in that area. They will just have to start again.

The plumbers left for home at 4:30 and said they would be back in the morning to finish up. I spent the rest of the day shoveling and wheeling most of that dirt pile covering up the pipes.

On Thursday morning, I started another fire in the stove right away, and as usual, was met by Bert and Ernie. I wired up the dosing tank using standard non-waterproof wire nuts and tested the system by powering on the breakers and manipulating the float switches by hand. I had the switch assembly hanging from a small tree outside the tank. I was very pleased that everything worked properly, including the high-water alarm. I left the tank open so that when Mike came by with the proper wire nuts, we could just replace the other ones. I called Mike to let him know what I had done and he said he would try to get over before I left for the day.

Craig and Wes showed up and resumed working on the water pipes. After some discussion about whether or not a tank was required behind the demand pump, we decided that we could install the system in stages and sort of learn as we go. First, we would supply the plumbing directly from a tee in my current water line. Since I already had a tee installed with a hose bib on it, it would be a simple matter to use that to supply the pex piping. Later, we could install the demand pump there and see if it performs well supplied directly from the tee. If not, we could then install whatever kind of tank or large pipe that might work.

They had already installed the standard plugs on the ends of the supply pipes and a connection between the cold and hot water lines before I realized that I wanted them to change them. I wanted them to install the valves on the pipe ends that I could connect to the risers to the faucets. I also wanted to have them install the fittings necessary for me to connect up the water heater. They obliged by making the changes. These fittings are not typically done until the finish plumbing is done on a normal job, but my project is abnormal in the respect that some of my finish work is done long before the rough work is all ready. My project is not typical.

They did a pressure test and they will send me the certificate saying so. Then we hooked the plumbing up to the water supply and opened the washing machine spigot and the tub and shower to see if it worked. I was ecstatically happy to see the water flowing out of the shower head at just the right pressure that I prefer in a shower. As soon as I hook up the water heater, which is already sitting in the crawl space, and install some shower curtains, I will be able to take a shower up there. That will be wonderful.

Also, I can now install a toilet and I can begin the retirement and closure of the privy. That will be a wonderful, long awaited, and long anticipated, day. I’ll have to take the toilet out some day to install the sheetrock and the flooring, but that will not be a problem. I’ll leave the privy in place to handle that period of time. In the meantime, living up at Camp Serendipity will be much improved.

While Craig and Wes were finishing their work, I finished shoveling the rest of the dirt pile over the pipe run to get the ground to its final grade. Then I took a few pictures of the completed work. I left for home right after they did at about 4:15 feeling elated at the work that was accomplished this week. It sure makes a difference not doing everything myself.