Laureate 2010: Michael Grätzel for Organic Solar Cells

As a result of Hydro One moving to Time of Use (TOU) pricing and the HST that goes into effect July 1, 2010 that will see an additional 8% tax on our electric bill, I have moved up my plan to become totally solar powered.  Going solar is definitely heading in the right direction.  Not only will it eliminate a utility bill, going solar will bring us one major step closer to reducing our carbon footprint.

I have been doing a lot of research on solar energy.  Solar is either passive or active.  For example the solar tube alternate lighting I have on my list of must have solar items is passive as is most electricity producing solar panels.  Active solar is usually found in solar water and air heating where a pump in the case of water heating and a fan in the case of air heating is used.  In most cases the fan or pump is also solar powered. 

The main deterrent for most homeowners looking to go solar is the cost.  Solar panels are expensive.  While it is true there are a number of homemade devices for using solar power to heat water and air, if you want to generate electricity using the sun you need solar panels.  Despite their cost the beauty of setting up any solar system whether partial or entire household is it is a DIY project that is quite flexable and expandable.  The 2010 Millennium Prize Laureate Michael Grätzel is the father of third generation photovoltaic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC).  These cells promise electricity-generating windows and low-cost solar panels.  The cells have just made their debut in consumer products so this is quite exciting news for homeowners.  Just imagine being able to replace your old energy inefficient window panes with these new cells that will turn your windows into electricity producing solar panels.  I am extremely excited about this!  Here is a video of Michael Grätzel explaining his new solar cells:

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Palmetto Bug (Waterbug)

Palmetto Bug

May 25, 2010

On the last day of our vacation I spotted what I thought was a Palmetto bug on the outside of the lanai so snapped a picture to find out what we were dealing with.  Despite the house being empty for a year and a half it was surprisingly free of any signs of insect infestation.  There were a few tiny flies that were dead on some of the windowsills which would be quite normal even if the house had been open.  Other than that the only other bug in the house was again what I thought was a live Palmetto bug in the toilet but I was half awake so didn't think much more about it other than flushing.  When we arrived home I decided to do a bit of research.

The bug in the toilet and outside the lanai were Palmetto bugs.  The Palmetto bug aka Waterbug is also called the American cockroach.  They are frequent house pests in the southern United States.  Palmetto bugs reach a length of about 2 inches.  They can walk across ceilings and fly.  Palmetto bugs will not hurt you unless trapped in something like a shoe then they will bite.  They may fly at your face mistaken you for a tree if trying to get to safety.  Great just what I need!  The solution to Palmetto bugs is much the same as any other insect that invades the house.

• remove all sources of food and water
• block and seal all entry points
• manual removal
• in the case of large infestations do a complete knockdown with a residual pesticide
• clear any encouraging vegetation (habitat) from around the perimeter of the house
• hang damp clothing and towels rather than leave them on the floor

In the case of Palmetto bugs it is advised to keep all drains plugged when not in use.   Since the vacation home will be closed up when we are not there or when rented out keeping the food area meticulously clean won't be a problem.  There won't be any food in the cabinets the bugs could get into either.  I will take the precaution of sealing the toaster in a large sealable bag as well, a trick I learned when dealing with the large black ants here.  We don't have any potted houseplants so that removes that source of water.  On our next trip I will put out a few of the sticky mouse traps.  I don't think it is really necessary but it won't hurt when the house is closed up just in case.  I will also be going around the house to caulk any cracks or openings these bugs could get in. 

Again this is a fairly new house (2007) so this is not going to be a big task and I certainly don't think there is any real infestation but the time to deal with this is the first time the pest is spotted.  I think the area to focus on is the lanai as we know the small gecko can get in.  Geckos will catch and eat Palmetto bugs so the lanai to some degree is protected with out little guy.  From experience if the patio door between the lanai and kitchen is not closed then anything that gets into the lanai can get into the house.  So I will focus on sealing the lanai then check for any other areas that need sealing.



Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Faulty Contract Work

On April 26 of this year we replaced all the satellite rental receivers with purchased ones including a new PVR (personal video recorder). At the time of the installation the technician had to drill two holes for wires through our foundation and he drilled one through the newly installed floor of the one bedroom that was slated to be my craft room.  The technician took some time drilling the holes but before he left he said he had caulked them on the outside.  I took him at his word which I should not have done.  Also during the installation I noticed it said rental on the PVR box so I questioned him about that and he said that was on every box.  He finished up with the installation leaving me quite the mess to cleanup in the bedroom and family room.  I should have taken a walk outside right then and there to inspect what he had done but I didn't otherwise I would have been on the phone right then.

When he left I called Bell Expressvu and asked them about the PVR expressing my concerns we had been given a rental PVR rather than the new one we were paying for.  The customer service representative said that no we had bought that one.  So with the weather and vacation (gone 11 days) it came as quite a shock when the PVR quit working last Saturday.  Essentially we had got at most 2 weeks out of that unit for a supposedly new unit.  My husband called Bell Expressvu who said the PVR was under warranty so they would send us out a new one within 7 to 10 business days.  Yesterday I was doing a bit of yardwork and noticed the first hole.  It was a good quarter inch opening, wide open that had the wire going through but had not been caulked at all.  I went around to the other opening and the hole was large enough a small mouse could have easily have got through!  I quickly got out the caulk gun to correct both holes then told my husband I would be calling Bell Expressvu in the morning which I did.

The problem with the PVR was technically fixed on Saturday with them saying they would send out another unit but that did not clear my mind that the technician had left us with a used PVR in the first place as there is no way a brand new PVR would go the way it did after 2 weeks worth of use.  My suspicions were confirmed that we had indeed been given a used unit even though we were paying for a new one.  The technician should have cleaned up the mess he made and in their rules they must seal any holes they make during an installation job.  I would have caught this had I inspected the job before the technician left.  While I suspected the PVR problem I really had no choice at the time but to take the technician's word that it was a new unit and confirmed by their customer service.  Despite that giving someone used equipment when they arranged to buy new and are expecting new equipment is fraudulent!  All in all I am not happy with this installation that was fraught with faulty contract work.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Bit of A Housing Update

If you recall our house has been on the market since March when we found out about buying the vacation house. At that time we kept the price high while finding the house we wanted then kept it high to give us the time to really hash it out whether or not we actually wanted to sell this house. The problem is this house has a lot of excellent features including location, location, location as it is waterfront property. The second problem is the house we have the conditional offer in will eliminate a lot of driving, is bigger and because it is urban has a lot more conveniences. So both properties have some very great amenities. Depending on the day we lean towards staying here and other days moving is the choice. My personal preference would be to getting an offer then making a decision. I want the bigger kitchen of the new house and the challenge of once again creating a very energy efficient home but at the same time I want the rural area.

We showed the house again today with the new reduced price. Having your house up for sale is always a pain because perspective buyers expect perfection. Keeping a house neat and tidy isn't a problem as long as you aren't living there. Right now everything is up in the air as to whether or not we are moving including my gardens. Do I expand knowing we might be moving or do I not expand because a potential buyer might not like the expansion? Everything is so very much in limbo. At this point I just want a decision either way.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Repairing the Outside Natural Gas Grill

Our outdoor natural gas grill is about 6 years old.  Grills like any other appliance need maintenance from time to time.  Basic maintenance will keep the grill working with few problems but sometimes an actual repair is necessary.  Over the winter we noticed the burner was not heating properly so it was likely starting to go in the fall.  Gas burners take awhile to actually go so at first you might just notice one side isn't burning as hot as it should.  When the burner needs replacing it becomes quite noticeable.  Ideally the burner should be replaced prior to it getting to this point.

Generic (universal) replacement burners are available for most natural gas or propane grills.  There are two very important things to know when replacing a grill burner: the shape and the size.  Grill burners come in a couple of different styles.  Our burner is an H shape as opposed to the I shape.  The next important thing to know is the size.  In our case we needed a 19.5" (50 cm) universal H shape burner.  We found one at Home Hardware by Grillpro for $49.99. This burner is stainless steel so will greatly reduce any later rusting problems.  This was a very easy to do DIY repair that will keep our grill operational for a few more years until we decide we want to replace it.

Doing any maintenance repair on gas grills is not difficult but it is dirty and messy!  Make sure you wear work clothes to do this repair.  My husband removed all of the grates and the flame spreader then disconnected the old burner.  The light brown blur to the left of the picture is the stick he was using to push all the burn ash on the bottom of the grill through the holes.  It's surprising how much this ash does build up but in most cases you leave it until the end of the season because it helps add a bit of flavour to your grilled foods. 

It is important to keep both the interior and exterior of the gas grill in good condition.  If you notice we do have a bit of pealing paint on the grill frame.  I will be posting about that repair as well in a later post. 

The old burner was total scrap!  Burners go on gas grills for a couple of reasons.  First and foremost rubs and sauces used on the grill contain salt.  Salt is a corrosive that will eventually cause your burner to rust out.  If you want your burner to last then don't use salt.  If you want your food to taste good use the salt knowing at some point you will need to replace the burner.  At the same time your grill is exposed to the elements and while rain should not get into your grill humidity will further helping the effects of salt.  In addition to salt and moisture the simple fact that the metal is subjected to high heat on multiple times will eventually cause the metal fail resulting in a bit of slight buckling and warping. 

Once the new burner was in place and secured it was time to test the burner.  It was difficult to get a good picture of testing the burner because natural gas when burning properly should be blue with very little to no orange flame.  This doesn't make the flame very photogenic in daylight hours.  Suffice to say the burner worked perfectly.  My husband then re-assembled the gas grill and fired it up to clean off the inside.  It was then ready to use again.  My husband did the final test of grilling T-bone steaks the following day.  The burner worked as it should with nice even heat so we were able to enjoy a perfectly grilled steak!




Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Vacation Home Lanai (Sunporch)

Lanai

May 24, 2010

There is a lanai (sunporch) on the front of our vacation home.  I'm not sure why it is called a lanai but lanai is the Hawaiian term for sunporch or verranda so likely lanai sounds a bit more tropical.  We are not new to sunporches as the turn of the century home we renovated had a small all season sunporch on the main level and this house has a 3 season sunporch spanning the width of the house on the upper level.  The house we are planning on moving to if we sell this house also has a large 3 season sunporch. 

Sunporches are usually designed as all season or 3 season with most 3 season being convertable to all season by installing windows in front of the screens and providing some type of heat.  They are light, bright and airy shielding from the heat of the sun but with lots of light for growing a multitude of plants.  Screening keeps them for the most part pest free but insects can and do get inside unless they are well sealed.  In northern regions such as our permanent home in Ontario, Canada a sunporch can double as a heat sink in the wintertime.  As the sunporch warms on sunny days it can heat up enough to provide passive solar heating for your home.

The vacation home lanai is off of the kitchen with the only entrance being through the kitchen.  This is the one room where we will be doing the most work.  The previous owner left an artificial fig tree, a small plant stand and a patio set.  The chairs were in such rough shape we discarded them.  The new chairs are black while the table is a faded olive green that I will likely paint black during our next trip.  There was indoor/outdoor carpeting on the cement pad.  We pulled it up simply because we thought it looked awful and since we only have screens both rain and dust can get it making the carpet a horrid dirt trap.  We had the inside of the lanai power washed when the outside of the house was done.  Since we are not there all the time I will keep the plants to artificial ones that can be brought in while we are gone.  Any decorations will also be brought in as we already had a taste of how violent some storms can be there.  Here's what we have planned for the lanai so watch for all these projects as we get to them:

• install ceiling fan
• paint floor
• install windows to make it all season
• install window treatment to shade afternoon sun
• basic, low maintenance decorating

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Coming Down From Vacation Mode

My gosh!  We have been home almost a week and I still am in vacation mode even though we did a massive amount of garage clean-up on the weekend.  The weather is hot and humid but with the house still up for sale we have to keep on top of things.  We made the executive decision to reduce the price of our house in the hopes of getting out of limbo mode as to whether we are moving or not.  In the meantime we keep plugging along a normal as possible the best we can.  The gardens are going in and we're focusing on the outside that needs the power washer to make the windows and trim sparkle.  We have our own power washer so won't be hiring this job out.  My husband is fixing our natural gas outdoor grill and I'm looking for a few summer projects to work on once planting is finished.  So watch for all of those homemaking tips, projects and repairs coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010