Week of Sept 14th

Fairly productive week.  My confidence is never high when there's plumbing involved,  but I moved into doing the parts of the plumbing -- namely the supply system-- that I will do on my own.  The electrician also came at the end of the week,  so that part of what will soon be hidden is coming along.  

Not to sound like a broken record,  but it doesn't lend itself to photos.  Really little of what's going on now does,  but here are a few pics of highlights.  These guys are checking out the roof for the solar hot water unit that they would later bring up to the roof.  

Better them than me is all I can say.  I'd like as few additional trips up onto the now slick roof as possible, for the rest of my life!  

The solar panel feeds a tank in the basement.   It has only one electrical element,  up top.  If the solar is bringing the water fully to temperature,  the element doesn't kick in.  In the rare  =;- 0  instance that skys are cloudy , the element does its work to bring the temp up.  I like the name -- very kinky:  

(It says "Solar Servant") . Installation of the tank (in the basement)  and the pipes that go through the roof and down to the tank was all part of the contract with Solar Assist. How lovely to have them just get the whole thing done!  

As scheduled,  I got the radiant floor control panels all connected,  and after a full weekend under test they are holding 70 PSI of air pressure steady without any loss,  so I'd say we are leak free! Very exciting.   Here's a picture of the panel and the mini boiler to the left.   It's all we'll need to heat the water that will go through the floors.  I didn't build that control board -- a company in Maine that designed my system built it and shipped it to me.  I just had to bring all the red and orange pipes from the various loops in the floor into the panel and connect them in proper sequence.  And that was enough.

With any luck,  all the rest of the in-th-wall (& ceiling) work will be finished next week and I'll we awaiting the sheetrockers -- another part of the job that I am happy NOT to take care of myself.