Getting Power
The current project:
This view is taken from about 60 feet from the garage, facing the street.
On the left of the driveway, I have started the trench for the electric
and phone service. The top 1 foot was easy... the next 2 feet are ledge
The weekend before the blasting was planned, the transmission in the
tractor failed. I adjusted one of the transmission bands to allow the
tractor to roll, as it is in park otherwise. The backhoe can be used to
push, pull and turn the tractor now. This is a major inconvenience,
but I can still dig. Link to follow the repair story: Tractor
A view of the 200 Amp transfer switch (for the generator) and 20 breaker panel.
This will be inside the garage when we build it. The vertical conduit below the breaker
box brings the power into the basement.
The 40 breaker panel in the basement.
Drilling 23 holes 8 feet deep, 6 feet apart, for blasting the utilities trench.
The charges were timed 25mS apart.
After the fun part. (Fire in the hole!) We now have *lots* of "small" rocks that
the backhoe can handle, and very little damage to the driveway.
I still had to use the breaker to get the cracked rock loose.
(technically this picture is in back of the house.)
I could then switch back to the bucket and load the rocks into the dump truck.
Things went fine until the reverse gear in the dump truck failed...
In the front yard - in the way...
With a full load of rocks...
I had only one direction to go in forward, so that is where I went.
And proceeded to get stuck.
We dug a ramp for the rear wheel, and managed to move a whole inch forward.
I got the tractor, and pulled most of the rocks off with the backhoe.
Then used the hoe to push the truck and drove it up the path.
It is parked for now on a hill so that it will roll backwards.
Anyways, the rest of the rocks are piled along the opposite side of the trench.
The worst thing about this is the frozen pile of earth now blocking the front yard
where I usually park.
The blasting made an extensive underground network for water to flow through,
so there is a lot of water flowing through the trench.
I found a couple of places where the force of the blasting traveled through softer
parts of the rock, leaving un broken pieces, so the blasting crew had to come back
to tenderise them some more.
Another 2 rounds of the breaker and digging and the trench is finally ready.
By now the un-conventional method of tractor locomotion has totally messed
up the driveway. Can you say bumpy?
For the price of repairing 2 broken hydraulic lines, I have borrowed an excavator.
It is a small excavator. It works very nice. I used the dozer blade to smooth
the driveway. I also got rid of the piles of earth that were in front of the house
using the excavator and the 970 Bobcat.
Vinny also generously loaned us the bobcat. We have bought most of the gravel
and fill from him.
We have installed Aquadrain to help control the water.
This is a veiw of the utilites trench looking towards the street,
with the two 2 inch conduit runs and the power cable in place.
Close up of same, The places covered with sand about 6 inches deep,
just to keep things in place until we can get more. The weather has been
very cold, and this does not help.
A view from the front door, looking where the driveway widens in front of the garage.
The trench is all filled, and we are waiting for the power company to switch us on.
We have power!The main panel in the basement, all wired up.
The 1942 3KW 3 phase generator that we used for power to build the house.
It still seems wierd to have lights on switches, and not hear the low purr of the generator.
