It's the last of October and the 2 big horse showes of the year are over. I'm both sad and at the same time glad to be home. Being gone for 20 days in a 5 week streach is a little much and things have gotten behind.
The pool dome is still not conpleated although I think I'm about half through. I had to redesign it as it was going to be too tall and I felt that I would loose a lot of the heat gain. I think the new design will only be about 8 or 9 feet when compleated.
I built and installed a passive solar heater on west side of the house day before yesterday and was getting some heat into the house with it. We were not home today and the temp in the heater with the window closed so no heat came into the house was 118 deg F. I don' have any controls on this heater is will only be used when I am here to open the window and allow the heat traped in the heater into the room. I feel that we are saveing even when no heat is being transfered into the house as the cold air is futher insulated from the windows.
I have a recording thermometer and so far the low tem in the heater section has been 50 deg and the high 118 we have had lows of 42 outside so the temp next to the window has been warmer than the outside temp at night. I realise that this also means that the old windows on this house are drafty. Eighty year old house with original weight in the wall windows go figure, they loose a lot of heat even with the cheep storm windows that someone installed some time in the 70's. That is why I have been sealing all of them for the last week. My daughter who is a carpenter keeps promising to come help me repace all the windows but I'm not holding my breath and husban will have a fit when we start. I swear that the man has no faith in my carpentry skills.
I have foud a flaw in the wall heater design and will take it down and fix it as soon as I have time I built this as large as possiable to take advantage of the most heat gain I could. But I built it too tall and most of the hottest air is higher up than the opening in the window. I had thought to pipe it down with a fan when I built this but now I think the best thing would be go for the smaller area and have the top level with the window.
Super was cooked in the solar oven today while were out and ready when we got home. All this progress and 3 of the horses got their feet trimmed today and a new training jump built. WOW I'm on a roll. Only 17 more hoses to Trim and I get to start all over again. OOooh my aching back!
Jan
