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Post by Beerwiser on Sept 15, 2021 23:31:29 GMT -6
A few thoughts on this now that I am in a better mood lol. When I say wire it like a house, that was a bit excessive. Mine is all household wiring with a breaker panel. Lights are all led, one inside, one outside. I believe there is 3 plug ins on the bottom and I added another one for the kitchen. You would be surprised to see how nice it is to walk in, flip a regular switch and have light. Stupid things like making breakfast, propane camp stove for bacon and eggs and a toaster that plugs into the wall. I tell you it is awesome to have that convivence. I also have a convection toaster oven down there that we use for making pizza in winter while the cabin heats up. Makes awesome pizza. Everything is run off 2 - 100 watt or 150 watt panels(I will check) and a 1500 watt Canadian tire inverter and 2 deep cycle rv batteries from Rocky Mountain. I do have to switch out inverters though, I have a 3000w in the freightshaker that will get swapped out. I don't know why I put the 3000 in there, but I did. Used it once for a skill saw lol. As it sits now the wife and I can stay up all night, lights on, tunes playing and still have juice to make toast in the morning. The toaster oven requires generator right now, but that is why I want to swap inverters, curious to see if the batteries have enough to cook a pizza.
Design wise, I don't know what kind of terrain you are planning to move on. Steel skids seem like a good idea from what I can tell. Easy enough to jack up and throw wheels under if going any distance. From the amount of people you want to accommodate, the cabin is going to be much bigger than you said to be comfortable. Remember, there is usually refreshments and kielbasa with a extra helping of garlic. Safety first, don't need to hear about people dying from H2S poisoning in your cabin. Which leads me to the loft part. I love lofts, cool to look at and be in. Never will I sleep in one again. Always hot and nasty up there with any amount of people. Personally I would consider a guest/kids bunk house that is seperate from the main cabin. Kids will like it when they get to the right age around 10ish in my experience. Also easier to move two smaller building than one big one.
Last thought of the night on this. Moving around in general. I think you are wasting time even considering this. You have posted some pictures and they all look like great places to set up. I honestly think it is not worth the effort to move around, but of course I have not seen it first hand. The reason I say this is, just on my home quarter there are some other nice spots that I would like to have my cabin. The wife and I will sit there on the quads and think it would be nice to have it here. Then I start to think of all the work involved. No, not going to happen. Now it is not just the building, but things like the gazebo, fire pit, fire wood, etc that we have to do. Pick a spot that you all enjoy and build something that you show up and everything is ready to go.
Oh, still looking at a good crapper setup. Way too much info on compost toilets Jaymo lol. Not sure if I like the idea of them yet. Backhoe and a hole seem like a better idea than having to carry pails of crap. 2,4-D is a great air freshener lol. Still looking into them though.
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jaymo
Full Member
Posts: 202
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Post by jaymo on Sept 16, 2021 9:40:20 GMT -6
My brother is planning a hybrid battery/solar/generator setup. Apparently there is some really slick controller setups that you can wire your cabin with that will automatically transfer between solar charging and generator. Can even have your generator auto-start when battery voltage drops etc.
I've seen the "crapper pail" and you can fit alot of craps in there and you would never know with sawdust! HAHA
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Post by Beerwiser on Oct 24, 2021 23:58:43 GMT -6
Gas Fitter required lol.
So is there anyone here that is or has knowledge of gas fitting, particularly of old propane setups? I got a old honeywell gas valve. Pilot light and output to the burner which is controlled by a separate valve to regulate heat output. I changed the thermocouple last fall and it worked good all last winter. Pilot light seems to be weak or stupidly high, no in between. Pulled the valve body apart again and it is clean which leads me to believe it is the pilot circuit. Particularly the mechanism that controls the pilot light.
So how the f*ck does the thermocouple actually work? It seems to me that it just transfers heat to the pilot circuit which in the valve body has basically a wax thermostat like in a vehicle. If that is the case where can I get replacement parts? I don't want to buy the whole valve body. I replumbed it with a Chinese setup, but I don't trust Chinese stuff for this. I am too good looking to die this early lol. Also the grease in there that acts as a seal needs to be replaced, is it special stuff?
Any advice is appreciated.
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Post by northernfarmer on Oct 25, 2021 6:21:12 GMT -6
Does the gas flow to the main burner when you demand heat ( turn up the thermostat ) because if it does then that would show the thermocouple is doing its job. I am the blind leading the blind here but a thermocouple creates a low voltage by way of that constant pilot flame and the voltage is run through a magnetic coil I am told to hold open a flap valve in the main valve body. So when the pilot light goes out for any reason that valve closes so no gas can flow to the burner for the obvious safety issues. I had the valve crap out in the furnace years back and I had no clue what was going on, had no parts and it was winter time so called the local guy and he messed around with a new thermocouple and that didn't work ether as it was the coil system getting weak so the pilot would not stay lit once the button was released as the flap would close internally as the button being pressed over rides that flap. But in your case if you are getting gas going through to the main burner, to me it does sound like a possible pilot circuit issue but it also sounds strange that its able to have a weak pilot and then an intense one that the very small pilot jet should never allow. I wonder if there is something else going on such as the upstream regulator malfunctioning and causing low/high pressure. The problem with a pilot circuit from what I have seen on another old furnace in a shop is that the jet hole is so darned small that its impossible to mechanically clean, air compressor won't do anything either if its plugged. The trick was to find a product that would soften the fluff crap that can build up on that small jet. But that goes back to if your pilot does have bouts of too intense a flame, it can't be a plugged jet.
Heres a question, when the pilot light seems very weak, will the furnace main burner fire up ? |
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Post by Beerwiser on Oct 25, 2021 7:45:03 GMT -6
When the pilot is weak the main burner will have a bit of fuel going to it, almost like a gas leak. Not enough to really sustain a proper flame, but enough that it will fart and pop if you know what I mean. I should have mentioned, there is no thermostat involved on this valve.
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Post by Albertabuck on Oct 25, 2021 9:04:19 GMT -6
Beer, did you try it with another thermocouple? I find many of the newer ones don't last like the old ones did. Secondly, post some pics. I have some different stuff here, and if nothing else I could ask my brother. He used to deal with a lot of wellsite shacks.
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Post by northernfarmer on Oct 25, 2021 9:54:47 GMT -6
That sounds to me like either the thermocouple or possibly a weakness in the coil causing the flap to hardly open ( or that it doesn't seal completely even when no thermocouple is hooked up ). Like AB said, if you have not tried a thermocouple that would probably be the first test and if it still farts around like that it may mean a new or good used valve. But like I mentioned before just make sure your gas supply is correct and not something blocking or wrong with the regulator ( or that you are almost out of propane if its indeed a propane unit ! )
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Post by kevlar on Oct 25, 2021 21:35:52 GMT -6
Looking like a go ahead for the start of building my cabin this winter. Hoping to at least get the shell done and dried in over winter, can even just use it as a 3 season cabin if I must for a year or two. Sure wish I had built it a few years ago, just the cost for the shell will now be close to what I had estimated it to be completed a couple years ago. I had contemplated tearing down an old barn and using it as it's deteriorating, but some of the family doesn't want to see it go, oh well, likely saving me a lot of work anyway. My brother suggested using an old pintle hitch trailer we have that we used to use for hauling our cat around and for water, as the base, will have to widen it to 12 feet from it's current 8.5 foot width, and make it level off the back over the beaver tails. Will be 12x24 I think, with a loft, mostly because the kids would think it's pretty cool, and I have always liked lofts, just need enough windows to keep it cool. My plan is to find used stuff for sale as cheap as I can, not only because I'm cheap, I like a challenge.
My kids are pretty pumped when I told them about this a week or two ago. Last night my daughter couldn't get to sleep so she came out and we snuggled on the couch, when it's late or they have a hard time getting to sleep, we watch the Fireplace channel, works like a charm. (Honestly, out of 200+ channels, most nights that's the best thing on) When she was sitting on my lap staring at the fake fire, she said "I can't wait until we can do this in our cabin with a real fire". That's all the motivation I need to get my butt in gear.
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Post by kevlar on Nov 9, 2021 21:23:06 GMT -6
Slowly getting this started. Have a trailer, just need to get some mods done to it, have some windows lined up, and a wood cook stove lined up. If all else fails, I can set the stove on the trailer and prop the windows up around me and cook a hot dog! lol
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Post by kevlar on Nov 17, 2021 22:25:27 GMT -6
Not much, but it's a start! Thought I better pick it up today before the prices start going up again. Tried to get some baseboards for my wife, luckily they were all sold out of the style she wants!
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Post by kevlar on Nov 23, 2021 9:08:38 GMT -6
Got a couple hours of work into the trailer yesterday. Started taking off the planks, was hoping they would still be decent enough for use somewhere else, but ended up they were pretty rotten, seemed good and solid until I got them off, oh well, got a good number of good carriage bolts to sit in the shop in hopes of using somewhere someday until 20 years from now I just throw them out! lol
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Post by northernfarmer on Nov 23, 2021 9:49:11 GMT -6
I don't know where you plan on pulling it to and if it will be used all year around but I thought if the door was made in such a size or a double door system and on the end where the ramp of the trailer is and there is enough floor space inside the cabin, conceivably a snowmobile could be pulled up into it if still running but needed repairs in a heated environment. You may not want to be bringing a sled into your living quarters but thought it could be an interesting option to have available. Also for leaving a sled or skimmer in it and locked up so its there to use when you go to the cabin.
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Post by Beerwiser on Nov 23, 2021 22:38:26 GMT -6
I would use the ramps for a flip up deck.
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Post by kevlar on Nov 23, 2021 22:50:39 GMT -6
I don't really want anything with gas inside this thing! It won't be far from home, likely just a couple miles away for the first year or two until the kids get big enough to snowmobile further, then move it about 15 miles away to our other farm by a valley, have several places there I'd like to set it up.
Ramps will be coming off as the trailer will be lengthened a few feet to get it to 24, might put a holding tank for water and sewer later on under the sloped part at the back.
Found a diagram the other day that is pretty much exactly what I'm doing. This diagram isn't correct as it needs a ridge beam and ridge posts instead of just a ridge board. Will be a fun learning experience if anything else.
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Post by northernfarmer on Nov 23, 2021 23:29:51 GMT -6
I understand about the no gas objective as gas stinks everything up and I have to wonder how that works out in those split fifth wheel toy haulers with that stink in the back depending on what one puts back there. So as to your cabin, what would you think of creating a roof line that extends out the back a ways to create a sheltered area from rain or snow. I realize it would have to be fairly strong to withstand the snow aspect but I know cabins that are made with an exaggerated overhang out the front where the door is situated sure can be nice. Even for stacking some fire wood up close at hand or just to have a wooden platform for the entry under some shelter.
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