Journal DG's Journal: Random Thoughts of a New Homeowner 1
As detailed earlier, we bought our first house, and I am dealing with all the trials and tribulations of being a new homeowner.
Firstly, I'm astounded how we can move out of a 2-bedroom apartment into a full-on house, with 2-car garage, and yet somehow we don't seem to have enough room to put everything. I mean, what the hell - was the apartment some sort of space warp?
Unpacking and putting things away threatens to last well into 2008 at the current rate.
Secondly, we got the race car moved to the new place, but it had to be winched out of the underground parking and flatbedded over because the motor seized up and it wouldn't start. That's what I get for not starting it periodically I guess - although how leaving a car alone for a year results in it locking up is beyong me to understand. At least now I have room to pull the motor out and rebuild it.
My pro racing days may be gone, but I'm thinking it might make a good occasional drag racer....
Thirdly, the house has a nice in-ground pool, roughly 35" x 20" and 5" deep, that is great for lapping. I've been getting in roughly 5 swims a week, and I ramp up the distance I cover each session. I'm up to 18 there-and-backs, and it meakes for great exercise - I get a workout without getting all nasty, and it's low-impact so I don't get hurt. I've also discovered that I have a suprising tolerance for cold water, as long as I keep moving; I've swam in the pool with it as cold as 64F and I'm OK.
It has a natural gas heater, 250,000 BTU, but that much volume of water heats slowly, and much depends on the environmental conditions as fars as rate of temperature increase goes. I'm working on setting up a weather station (with a floating temp sensor) to log the pool environment, and see if I can't come up with some way to predict rate of temperature increase programmatically. Automate that into the pool heater control with Mr House, and I should be able to arrange to have the pool temp at any desired time automated.
The pool takes a suprising amount of maintainence. It's just a big tank of water, with a circulating pump consisting of the inlet, pump, filter, chlorinator, heater, and outlets, so you'd think it'd be maintainance-light, but it has to be swept every day, vaccumed every couple of days, the skimmer strainer has to be emptied twice daily (it gets full of leaves, snails, worms, milipedes, spiders, crickets, slugs, and the occasional mouse)... it's not a huge volume of work, but it needs daily attention.
Water chemistry also proves to be a constant challenge. According to the test strips, I'm high on chlorine, total alkilinity, and PH, but nothing I do can change it. I've dropped in close to 15kg of PH- and, although the water got noticeably clearer, PH and alkalinity never budged. I started doubting the test strips (especially when normal tap water tested as no chlorine, high alkilinity, high PH) but a test with vinegar reacted as expected.. so I dunno.
But late-night swims in your own pool sure 'nuff makes up for it....
DG
Unpacking rule... (Score:2)