pboehmer.com

2012.01.18

Since the basement floor is done, the builder put a temporary water pump in the new sump tank which hooks up to a garden hose and drains out next to a storm sewer. The problem with the pump is that it does not have a float switch, so I have to turn the pump on manually. I can't put in a true sump pump until the framing is done because of the low temperatures and plumbing, so I broke down and rigged up an APC MasterSwitch (think of a networked powerstrip w/controllable outlets) and a webcam so I could watch and control the pump from work.

We have had a lot of rain over the past two weeks without any problems, that is, until yesterday. We had received just under 2in of rain and when I went to check on the pump from work, the camera was pointed away, so I had no idea if the pump was running dry or not. At the risk of burning up the pump (which again was loaned to me), I just blindly turned the pump on and off yesterday in intervals thinking I was at least keeping up with the water. When I got home last night, I bee lined for the back and found that I had grossly miscalculated the GPM of the pump. The new section of basement had filled with over 8in of water and came within 1/2in of coming into my existing basement. Here is a picture of the 4x4 pad that leads out to the new section and sits about 4in below the existing basement floor. This was the level after pumping for 2 hours. The picture next to it is the outdoor webcam shot from this morning after 4 more hours of pumping.

I ran the pump from the time I got home until around 2am which I scripted the unit to turn off. The next morning, there was still 6in of water in the new section. To add insult to injury, the temperatures nose dived last night and part of the hose froze up, reducing the water flow from the pump to a dribble. So here I am, 6am in the morning (still pitch black) with a flashlight and a rubber mallet breaking up the frozen sections of the hose. Fortunately, I was able to get thing flowing again without running late for work.

I got the parts in to fix the HIDs and fog lights on the 300. I hope to have a dry weekend sometime this year to put them in. Along with the relays, I ended up buying a 100pc super bright LED kit, so in my spare time, I may end up replacing the existing LEDs in the fog lights with the newer brighter ones.

2012.01.05

Hope everyone had a great Holiday and a happy New Years. Between work and family obligations, there hasn't been much time to update the blog. Here's the latest...

Got the garage pad and basement floor poured on December 23rd. The only concrete work left is the tie in to the existing driveway, which sounds like that will be done closer to the spring. The framing is being held up with prior commitments of the builder which was due to the weather. I am hoping to start seeing lumber put up hopefully next week. In the mean time, I have started replacing old wire (hook/knob), bad junction work, and plumbing in the existing basement so that it will be ready to tie into the addition. Learning a lot along the way.

Haven't had much to say about the 300 for a while. My HID fog lights decided to stop working sometime between Christmas and New Years along with one of the fog light LED halos. The weather was barely nice enough to pull the front clip off of the car and determine that problem was due to a faulty relay (water seepage). I wired the fog lights back into the factory harness until I get a new relay. Since the one halo was bad, I went ahead and just got a new set of projector fog lights as well. At least these new ones will be less exposed to the elements than my "engineered" ones. I ordered the parts today, so I should get everything by next week.

2011.12.20

Once again, the addition work is being held up by rain. All that is left on the concrete work is the basement floor, outside stairs, garage pad, and the driveway. Despite my concerns with the cold weather, temperatures have thankfully been pretty mild for the concrete work.. Here are some pictures of the finished foundation and walls.

The contractor is only doing the completed outside shell of the addition, so I'll be mainly responsible for the inside work. I feel pretty comfortable working on electrical outside of the sub-panel tie in and drywall work doesn't bother me too much. One thing that I wasn't prepared for is the addition of a sump pump. The current plan is just to dump the water out onto the driveway (that will be pitched away from the house), but I can see this being a potential big mess in freezing weather. Summer project may be putting in a new drainage line out to the street.

I have temporarily diverted my attention away from Power Block TV and Speed Channel and have been watching way too much DIY network. I'm a huge fan of the Holmes on Homes show. The problem is that most of the shows on DIY, while focusing on correct procedure, fail to show any financial constraint on their projects. An example is when a simple wall patch would suffice, they end up tearing down the entire wall and rebuilding from scratch.

2011.12.13

If I compared the house addition to a roller coaster, the first couple of months up until two weeks ago would be the slow climb up the big hill, and since, has been the vertical plunge back to earth. Since my last post, the basement and footers have been dug and the foundation has been poured. Sounds like the floors and garage pad will be done by the end of the week. In other words, this project has gone from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds flat. Here are some pictures of the work so far...

Got the winter wheels on the 300 over the weekend and determined that it was time for new tires. I was thinking about getting snow tires instead of all-season, but with my work commute, it made more financial sense to go with the all-season tires. My tire guy recommended the same tire that I already had on the winter wheels, Michelin Primacy MXV4.

2011.12.07

Finally getting a break in the rain and if all stays dry, we should be breaking ground for the foundation by the end of the week. I have talked to several people about the concrete company doing the foundation, pads, and driveway and found out that they are highly regarded in Indiana and so far, I have not heard a negative thing about them. I have been asked about pictures of the progress. Since its dark when I leave and get back from home, I have not been able to take any. Fortunately, my wife has been documenting the progress, I just haven't had time to post them, hopefully soon.

I finished Rage last night. I can honestly say that this is probably one of the worst games I have played in a long time. Fighting lockups and glitches throughout the game, having to purchase a new video card to fix graphics issues, disjointed game play, and the most disappointing ending ever conceived. I would have gotten more satisfaction being robbed for 60 bucks. In fact, this left such a bad taste in my mouth, that I think I will put off getting Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 until next year and concentrate on home improvements this winter.

2011.11.29

Hope everyone had a great turkey day last week. As usual, I had too much food and too much rest (is that possible?), but at least I managed to get the Christmas tree and outside decorations put up (with some help with the family). Also good news is that my builder has finished the porch demolition today. Now I am waiting on the foundation work to start, which is scheduled for sometime next week. I am a bit nervous, as the temperatures are looking like highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s which from what I understand, is just on the edge for concrete work. Like I said before, I'll have to talk with the concrete guy and see what he says.

I received my Nvidia GTX 560 from NewEgg last week and I finally had some time over the holiday weekend to play (with some mild enjoyment) Rage without any major issues. There is some very minor tearing, but compared to the ATI card I had in, its hardly noticeable. I'm a bit over half way through the game, and so far I would rate the game, at the best, 5 out of 10. Visually, its pretty nice (with the right video card), but just as all other id Software games of late, its just predictable. Even with the inclusion of RPG elements, it just feels like a prettier version of Far Cry 2 (with shorter vehicle drive time).