Failed Parts
With the great weather we’ve decided to open the cottage a week ahead of the traditional May long weekend opening. We had a birthday celebration for Scott with the whole family on Friday and then drove out later that night arriving at a little after 1am. Eric, Dez, and Kellie are out with us as well.
After sleeping in until about 10am, I’m up and thinking that sitting on the dock and enjoying that the first coffee of the day would be a good idea, and it would have been, except for the traditional bug infestation that happen every year at this time. Since they just hang around the water’s edge, I retreat to the gazebo where there are almost no bugs and look out at the lake with my coffee. Very peaceful and enjoyable.
Enough of that, there are things to do and number one on the list every year is to get the water system up and running. Things progress well as the intake line is put back into the lake and primed, but then I notice that the water is pouring out of the foot valve. This is not a good thing. It’s also the first time in 28 years where the foot valve has failed like this and it is only a year old but the O ring is totally shot! That’s the black worm like thing in the photo with all the cracks in it is what’s left of the O ring after one season of use and a winter. They just don’t make things like they used to.
Anyway, this puts getting the pump running on the back burner so I finish up prepping the rest of the water system as breakfast is being made. After breakfast, Eric and I head off to Kenora to get a new O ring and a couple of other parts, one being a new galvanized piece of 1 1/4″ pipe. Last year, the piece in the photo was leaking ever so slightly but this year, after fixing the foot valve, and bringing the system up to pressure, it was doing a nice imitation of a fountain spray, like at the Bellagio.
After draining down the system a bit I was able to replace that piece and the rest of the water system came online with out any further complications. The rest of the day was spent putting winter things away and bringing out the summer stuff, getting deck and dock chairs in place, raking the postage-stamp yard etc. And then of course there is the septic system. Starting it up is ever so much nicer that shutting down. It’s just connecting the various components and putting the air compressor back in place and plugging it in.
Now that the water is running at the hot water tank is up to temperature, a nice shower is the reward for the work of getting the system functional. It’s been a great day, both sunny and warm, and as always any day at the lake is a great day. Looking forward to a BBQ dinner with Shirley, Eric, Dez & Kellie, perhaps followed by a movie.