Alrighty then, don't know how long we have but here it is....
Got home from work on Friday night with a nice dose of the flu, in -19C, to find the wife freaking out because the water pressure was way down. She had the water running to prevent freezing but it was slowly dying.
Put my feet up by the fire? Not a chance!
Off we went on the snowmobile to check it all out.
1st check, powerhouse. The turbine was turning very slowly.
2nd check, the penstock. It's underground for 90% of its run, just under some straw and snow near the intake. It was sounding hollow when I tapped it.
3rd check, the intake. It's a small coanda screen that is fed from a small chute from a weir. It was getting some ice build up from a lack of water volume, because the creek, which usually has great flow, was almost dry!
4th check, the creek. It goes under a road about .5 km up the hill so I got on the sled and went to investigate. When I got up there I was dumbfounded by what I saw. There was an ice dam about 5ft high right across the creek. It had diverted down an old channel. Crap.
Race back down to the house to get an axe and a shovel and go tackle the monster. The water completely stopped at the house by then, turbine down, "honey, where are the candles?" Pull out some hair and fly back up the hill.
At the ice dam, I had to be very careful. While holding a flashlight with my teeth, I climbed up on the ice covered creek and started to swing the axe. Not much traction on that stuff! I hacked at it for a good half hour and was getting soaked in water from the creek and sweat from the workout. There was a part of the thing that was almost inaccessible, I just couldn't get a good place to stand and swing the axe to break it. It didn't help that there was a small tree growing out of the bank right there, with branches trying to take out an eye...
I got a bit of flow going and thought that has to do until I can see what I'm doing in the daylight.
There was a small amount of water flowing to the house manifold but no pressure. It was now 3am New Years day and I was going to bed.
Of course, when I got up around 7:30 the water had stopped again. Oh well, at least I didn't have a hangover!
After a couple of cups of coffee, I went back up to the scene. Sure enough, the ice dam had returned. A lot of the big chunks from the battle last night had plugged the few places where the water was getting through. Now at least I could see though. I hacked at it for a good hour this time, and came down to the source of the problem. I guess the little alder growing out of the bank had some low branches that the spray froze to and it just kept building up until it became the monster ice dam.
Problem solved..... not.
Back down to the house and no water, powerhouse, nada. Up to the intake, (thank God for the sled!) and sure enough the first two feet of my penstock was frozen solid. ARGHHHHHH!
Why does water have to turn to rock when it's cold out!?!
Ok, it's been a long tale. To make it short, I worked all day chipping ice and digging in frozen ground to get at the pipe. I got it out, brought it down to the house, thawed it by the stove and stuck it back together, I finished about an hour ago.
We are slowly building pressure as the flowing water melts the ice and the power is back on, I hope, for the rest of my life!
So what did I learn from this? We need a small genset for emergencies, when the power goes out around here, I call me, and that despite the trouble I wouldn't want it any other way!
Happy New Year everyone! May the Lord bless and keep you all.
Jon