Back to the RV cover and the comparison between the PVC and lumber.

lumber pvc
2×4x10 treated = $4.49 1 1/2″x 3″ sch. 40 (thick wall)= $4.29
4×4x10 treated = $9.97 3″ x 4″ sch. 40 (thick wall)= $9.21

The pvc primer and glue total less than $13.00.

You can do the same comparison between the lumber hardware and the pvc connectors.

The horizonal cross section pipes are running in a higher, then lower
order due to the price difference between 3″ 4-way connectors (>= $10.50),
and 3″ T’s 3-way connectors ($3.47). 2 almost 3 of the T’s for the price
of one 4-way.

All the prices are from Lowes.

VALUABLE TIP: Lowes will match PLUS take 10% off if you find a lower price at any other store. So, call around, believe me, we got our material lower (sometimes substantially) than the prices listed above.

Ok kids, that’s all the news that is the news for now. More as we progress.

C U L8R

Lights out!

Tonight, the world will be participating in a 1 hour
lights out campaign. During that 1 hour of lights out,
everyone is urged to replace their light bulbs with
the new bulbs.

Big cities all over the world are turning the lights
out in their downtown areas which will not only conserve
energy but show people that they are concerned about
the climate change that is happening now.

Are you going to participate? YES! I believe you will…

New project

The free sunshine that we are given everyday causes
us a wee bit of a problem. It causes the rv to heat
up very quickly…and stay that way from mid April thru
September. The poor little rv air conditioner starts
panting and foaming at the mouth around the 1st of June.

So, we have decided the rv needs a cover. What to use?
chop down some trees or do something unique. We chose
unique. Even tho we live in a rural area, on a dirt road, deep in
east Texas, we do NOT like the rustic look!

We decided on a curved top with round pvc pipes. Instead of the
typical ‘A’ frame top with the typical 4×4 square post. The top
will be 26 gauge steel 3′ x 17′ with a natural curve that works
to our advantage. Total overall length will be 40′.

Have you ever heard of a RV cover using pvc pipe for poles and
making trusses out of pvc? Well, apparently NOBODY else has either.
Because when we were first mulling over this idea, we approached
construction / carpenter types about this concept. Once the
convulsive laughter dies down and the “have you lost your
cotton-pickin’ minds?”, “can’t wait to see a 40 ft. kite!”,
or “it’s all gonna fall down and kill ya’ll!” comments
started flying, we shut up.

But, decided to do it anyway.

Having no guidelines to go by, the initial plans we drew have
changed during the build. For instance, with a pole height of 16 ft we
originally called for 8ft. of 3″ into 8 ft of 1 1\2″ pvc (thick wall).
But for the past 3 weeks we have had sustained winds of 20 – 25+ mph.
All that free energy, gone with the wind – pardon the pun.
So now, the vertical poles are 13′ of 3″ into 3′ of 1 1/2″ pvc.

We are painting the pipes for uv protection and the appeal. It’s
advisable to get some pvc cleaner to remove the lettering on the
pipes as it does tend to bleed through.

We researched long and hard for the cheapest and best paint for pvc.
All that research resulted in only one, Krylon Fusion. It’s not cheap,
and it only comes in spray cans but, it’s good.

Let’s end it here for today so I can gather some of my comparison data
between pvc and wood for yall.

Later

It starts out ever so quietly, more a sensation, it starts to grow, is my engine’s timing
slipping? Nope, getting too intense. Concerned, I turn down the stereo. Is it the start of an
earthquake?! Can’t be. This is East Texas, doesn’t happen (that we’re aware of anyway).
Whatever it is, the epicenter is heading right for me.

To make sure I’m not in the middle of an Irwin Allen made for TV disaster movie, I quickly scan
the sky for a crippled aircraft determined to utilize me to soften their crash landing. Nope,
all quiet on the sky front. OH GOD, IT MUST BE BEHIND ME! While bracing for impact, my eyes dart
to the rear view mirror, fully expecting to see a tanker truck, on fire, flipping end over end
towards me! But noooo, still a good quarter mile behind me a bouncing monster
woofer masquerading as a sports car. Lord, even the wheels are speakers!

In a matter of seconds I’ve gone from peacefully waiting on the light to trying
to calm my racing heart rate from a preconceived near death experience!

Then starts the gamut of emotions.

Humiliation – whiplash from checking to see if anyone caught the panic attack:

Anger – from this not being the first time, nor the 500th time!:

Concern – not for the damage this type of pollution can cause the planet which is none,
unless you count the animals. But, the damage for our future generations. Everyone will be deaf.
Mother Nature will make everybody’s ears just fall off.

I felt obligated to do something. I couldn’t just ignore it and drive off as I had always done
before.

As a mature adult, my concern for the welfare of the younger generations, and wisdom deemed one
course of action: Stereo War you lil’ Piss-Ant!!

As bouncy boy came hoppity, skippity, to a stop beside me, I ejected ABBA from the CD (oh, bite me!),
popped in Led Zepplen’s Physical Graffitti, punched up Kasmir, and cranked that puppy up to 10 on the
volume. I jumped and bounced as high, then higher than that kid. I was smiling and talking smack,
(don’t know what, I couldn’t hear me), then my nose started bleeding. But he never even looked in my
direction.

When the light turned green, he casually drove thru the intersection. I was some what deflatted, but
maybe it was already too late for the poor kid. As I started to pull away I turned down the volume
and thought I heard a squawk…like from a patrol car…it was.

One of the tissues I had stuffed in my nostrils to stop the bleeding fell on the officers clip-board
while I signed for “Anticipating” the signal ticket (vibrating over the stop line), and violation of
the noise ordinance. I quickly flicked the tissue onto the floor board then sheepishly handed him the
clipboard. He was apparently talking to me, I just nodded my head (with my one bloody tissue flapping
in my left nostril),like I heard every word. I did manage to lip read something about “way past time”
and “should grow up”.

Our decision to go underground with the electrical was two fold:

1 – safety – nestled underground, no dangling wires for tree limbs, the wind, storms,
or nitwits to knock down. Just need to record the location, (nitwits are uncanny!)

2 – the view – one more time, – the view. All those who can’t wait for the day
that every stinking over-head wire goes underground, please raise your hands.

Going underground is by no means cheap. The power company will gladly do it for you, but,
get ready to give up your first born and a higher education for the rest.

Since we don’t have kids, this is the way we got around the expense:

We bought a “temp” pole for around $175. It comes with the weather head, meter box, and a large
circuit breaker box with double 100 amp main breakers, all installed. These are used for
mobile homes and new home construction sites (hense the name “temp” poles). We set the pole
in the NE corner of our property near the power pole with our transformer. So from main box
to RV breaker box is nearly a 100 foot run.

We dug a trench 2 feet deep to lay the electrical line. Paid $300 for 100 feet of 6 gauge
copper and that was cheap as they were out of 8 gauge. Threaded it through 1 inch pvc.
This was a rushed process, afraid to take a bathroom break, or God forbid, let dark catch
you half done. Because as sure as the sun will rise, that whole run would be unzipped and
nothing left but air in the trench. I can just imagine the little jerk, waiting in front of
the metal recycling place, sitting on my copper wire, sipping a hot cup of coffee, grinning!
Copper is so high now I swear they can smell it.

The whole time we were laying this expensive copper to hook up to an expensive power grid
the free wind was blowing the hats off of our heads and the free sunshine was still making
us squint through our sunglasses. We vowed to ourselves that if we ever get to the point
of getting the everyday necessities accomplished that we were going to build that wind-turbine.
That non-polluting energy generator and if we can ever find cheap solar panels, no roof on
this acre will be safe!

We vowed to get off of the grid or the grid will be paying us. Put that in your coal
burning power plants and smoke it.

Being forced into early retirement cause your job went to India along
with elderly parents needing your caring presence not to mention coming back
to a rural area where they live which is so out of touch with technology
(set your watches back 100 years).

So, here we sit with an RV, one clear acre with no amenities (i.e. electric,
water or sewer) and the opportunity to implement all those neat green
ideas that you don’t get in a city setting.

With this in mind along with monetary restraints we now have installed a
septic system, a water line (no water well, yes!) and electrical path.

We started with the septic system so we would not have to travel 23 miles
to an rv park to dump every week. Check for County restrictions and permits.

We rented a small backhoe (fun! fun! fun!) and dug a hole for the tank and
then went 4 feet down for the 2 field lines that went 100 feet long. While
you are at it, go ahead and dig the lines for the water and electric if
you know where they are going to save time.

You’ll need gravel, 4 inch pvc sched 40 pipe, 4 inch field pipe (holes in it)
and a roll of felt used for roofing. Once the hole is dug, place the tank in
it and line up the openings to the trenches. Hook solid pipe to the
tank and then hook up the field pipe. Then put gravel in the trenches
at least 1/2 foot deep. Lay the field pipe with a downgrade. Put the roofing
felt over the top of the pipes and put more gravel on top of that. Before
we covered, we had county come out and inspect.

Saved over $5,000 by doing this ourselves. Oh by the way, we fixed
mom and dad’s cheap septic system at the same time cause dad ran over it atleast
400 times with his tractor. Another $5000 saved! ChaChing!

Forced Green can be translated in a variety of ways. Are you green enough for the planet?

Are you green enough with your dollars? Or is your life being viewed as green with envy?

Everyone has a different view or has a different journey in life that sooner or later, green is an integral part.

Let’s take are you green enough for the planet. The planet is suffering at this point in time with pollution of every kind from air, water, land and space. We have been shown how humans activity has affected the planet from melting ice bergs, to the climate heating up, along with the landfills creating so much methane we should be figuring out a way to use it.

More and more people are doing just that….

Figuring out ways to “go green”. From using the sun in a variety of ways such as solar panels. Or cleaning up the water for drinking purposes. Or making refinery’s clean up their act by enforcing the clean air act.

Either way, we are all in the process of greening ourselves in an effort to co-habitate with this planet we call Earth.