Taking stock

Summer has ended, and we've already seen temperatures in the low 50's.  I've started keeping the doors to Lindhurst closed and locked for two reasons.  (1) the chemical smell is now gone, even if I keep the doors closed and check at night or during the day; previously keeping the door closed for a few hours would invariably bring the smell back up.  (2) Having removed the door bottom seal, there is considerable ventilation even with the doors closed.  This may be partly responsible for #1.  The side and top seals have long been missing, so even if the wind isn't blowing the stack effect causes an airflow through the cracks around the door.  And since the door is on the east side, getting the strong SE breezes, wind often forces air in through the door anyway.

I plan to restore the door seals incrementally, starting with the top.  That should reduce stack effect ventilation especially of the kind that causes heat loss, which may soon be an issue.  I have an idea that having the bottom seal on the door while not having the side and top seals--as they have been missing since installation--produces negative pressure in the room through the stack effect.  With the bottom gap open, the pressure is either neutral or positive if the wind is blowing.  Positive pressure prevents outgassing from under the floor mouldings.  The negative pressure to date may have been useful in accelerating outgassing.  But actually, since I've mostly had the doors open, the pressure has mostly been neutral.

The disappearance of the chemical smell, at long last, is a big relief for me.  I can now feel that this project is as successful as it looks, and not a Love Canal.

I could start loading Lyndhurst up with the stuff I plan to store in it now, other than I really do need to finish wiping down the walls (and ceiling maybe) and re-clean the floor.  I also need to finish sealing the A/C and set up the heater.

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I continue to be astounded by the transformed yard front and back with irrigation and trees.  It was very good I put in the irrigation at about the time mosquitoes became active.  I would have hated to do my foundation watering outside with mosquitoes around.

It's now been two weeks since the last time I mowed front and back yards.   The last two weekends went like this:  Rain, Trip to Fredricksberg, Concert date, Too Cold To Work Outside.  It needs mowing again especially because of the rain in the last two weeks.  I skipped the Thursday waterings last week, except for watering trees on Friday AM.  The crab grass in the front yard grows up annoyingly fast.  I pulled out one clump of crab grass last weekend.  I've cut the watering time of the front grass section from 30 to 20 minutes.

The trees are all doing great, and proving I did not plant them too early this year, except that the Crepe Myrtle near the gate that was planted above ground still looks too dry, and the nearby Pomegranate has increasing numbers of yellow leaves, mostly on the bottom, but recent a few leaves in the upper branches turning yellow also.  Those two trees suffer in different ways from the very hard clay soil.  The Crepe Myrtle has trouble getting it's roots into the real ground, and the Pomagranate has trouble sending roots into the hard ground that surrounds the rootball.  Both of these trees should have been planted in very wide holes filled with a better draining soil.  Now pretty much all I can do is hope they survive, and I have intentions to move the Crepe Myrtle lower in the soil in November or so.

The last time I mowed, I quickly pulled out most of the solar flood lights.  I have still not put them back.  The nice Frontgate lights near the gate would have been first, but I couldn't find the removable stake that got stuck into the ground for one of the lamps,  I've been avoiding working at night because of mosquitos and cold, and haven't had much time in the daytime.

I broke the wire on on of the Target store lamps.  I plan to fix it by converting it into an all-in-one solar fixture with solar panel and lamp all part of the same assembly.  In most cases, this would work fine, and is much more convenient for mowing.

I now have my mosquito cognito refills and a Dragonfly mosquito trap, but haven't set them up.  In the cold first weekend of October, one of my main accomplishments was replacing the guest bathroom light/fan switch.  Not it needs a slight wall repair also.

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I bought two outdoor floodlights.  I've decided I like the cheaper one better because it actually seems to be more solidly constructed.  Since I took apart the other one, which could have caused some damage, I will be keeping it, or possible sending to Underwriters Laboratory as I don't think it deserves the UL rating it has.  I also have the X10 compatible light switch I plan to use with the new outdoor light.

I also have new fan for the garage, part of my plan to negative pressurize the garage during cooler weather.

I am very much loving having Reverse Osmosis chilled water and ice.