In the continuing saga of trying to find a better way of getting water into my house, I made another stop with parts at the Arizona homestead. The connections I had in mind (and hand) did not work. I am determined to use a flex hose and a removable connection in the pumphouse. I am tired of making the same repair to frozen pipes over and over again. Since my latest solution failed, I decided to take the hose and connections with me this time, so that I can browse the options with parts in hand. I also managed to break the shut off valve, so I will have to replace that, as well. At least the water was turned off!
In the meantime, I still have a 2500 gallon water tank with a brand new hose bib. So I hooked it up to the transfer pump to move water into the trailer. Luckily we are traveling with our mobile homestead, so we can still have all the comforts of home. I did have to cement one of the connections, so that it would withstand the pressure of the transfer pump. Here is the setup: white hose from the big tank to the transfer pump, gray hose from the pump to the travel trailer. Unseen is the water filter between the hose and travel trailer.
Another step I took toward more independence and less expense, was to have the 200 gallon propane tank removed. We just don’t use that much propane anymore, and I don’t need to be paying for tank rental, either. We haven’t used the forced-air heater for over 10 years, since we installed the wood stove. I’ve been wanting to do away with the gas dryer, as I like to hang my laundry in the sun or in front of the wood stove. I am looking at other options for hot water, so I turned the gas water heater off and drained it. Lastly, the gas range/oven can run on a small 25# tank for quite a while, without having to keep the pilots and gas on all the time.
The electric grid will probably be the last thing I switch over at the Homestead. We love our electricity, our gadgets and our internet! But that is only costing us $30 a month and is very reliable, so I can put that on the back burner for now and concentrate on other homesteadifications.
Until next time … I hope you will visit my website, Mrs. D’s Traveling Homestead, for more updates on our mobile homesteading, roadschooling and simple living adventures. Please also check out my book: The Working Parent’s Guide To Homeschooling.
