Went to town this morning for the regular Monday morning water run. Came back with much liquid refreshment…
And then it was time to work.
We cut and assembled the parts for the downspout, that didn’t take much time. Lazy Joel wanted to knock off right there, because the next part was going to be one of my least favorite things…
The trench from the downspout to the drainage ditch is very short, very shallow, and would have been no concern at all except I happen to know that it runs through really rocky ground. Getting that part right there well done was going to be pretty much exhausting. This is the reason that an essential tool for life in the boonies is a neighbor with a backhoe. Failing that, you really do need a good mattock. Fortunately, after suffering along borrowing Landlady’s crappy mattock for a few years, back about six years ago I went out and bought a good one. And I keep it carefully in the powershed with the rest of my long tools, so I don’t have to buy one again.
I’m able to recycle some of that old 4″ ABS sewer pipe I dug up last February, but I didn’t have a 4″ elbow. That (along with drinking water and gasoline and beer) was my only reason for wanting to go to town this morning. Had I known it was going to cost 9 bucks, I’d have scrounged harder. I do have a length of 3″ pipe with an elbow and was tempted by it, but I’m not confident that won’t back the water up in one of our gullywasher Monsoon storms.
When I saw what downspout clamps are made of, though, I couldn’t see spending the money on them.
I’m currently rich in rolled flashing, so I just went home and made my own damned clamps.
Once I had the trench dug and graded and the downspout on the wall, I got to wondering how people go about cementing the downspout to the drain pipe without just filling the whole thing up with cement. I’ve never really seen it done.
Not exactly sure this is the approved way, but I figure if I mix the Quickcrete thick enough this hardware cloth should keep it where I want it till it sets up.
And that’s as far as I got before being interrupted by afternoon chores. In the morning while it’s still cool I’ll mix the Quickcrete and fill in the trench, and the gutter will be officially done except for paint.
You can also make downspout clamps from slices of scrap downspout.
Joel . . . incoming email!
Have you ever tried breaking the ground with small black powder charges? Loosening up the crust might make it easier to dig. Plus blowing sh…tuff up is fun!
Here’s a question related to the question above: Anybody know where a guy can buy some cannon fuse?
Here’s what Dixie Gunworks has. I seem to recall they had cannon fuse back in the 80’s. I’m guessing this is what they can get these days.
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/product/product_id/8405/category_id/542/product_name/FS0203+Chinese+Safety+Fuse
That’s what I’m looking for, but it’s not important enough to pay a $30 hazmat fee on a $13 item. Yikes!
Why is the rainwater being funneled into the drainage ditch rather than into some sort of catchment for later use?
Cannon Fuse: Find a civil war reenacting forum and talk to some artillery folks. In the group I was in, the ones with the big guns would often make their own fuses.
Water Run: Looking at the label on the box next to the water jugs, you could have stuck with the water label instead of liquid refreshment 🙂
Why do you need to cement the downspout to the drainpipe? Seems like gravity would work well enough.
What Commander Zero said. Now that you have gutters and downspouts you have an opportunity (with assistance from that backhoe) to store rainwater to grow fruit trees and vegetables. Or for washing or cooking with a bit of filtering. Rainwater is wonderful stuff. I’d think everyone in the Gulch would have rainwater storage.
Jay Bee has a good point. We need to send Joel some *real* beer! I vote for Shiner Bock, though Blue Moon is an acceptable alternative.
But how to ensure that it arrives intact?
Well, as to cannon fuse, maybe try a local hobby shop that deals with model rockets and stuff like that. (I know, local to me means a lot different than local to you.)
The, ahem, Estes electric igniters, ahem, ah, work well for remote detonating black powder items that look a lot like home-made pipe bombs or such. Not that (cough, cough) I would know about anything like making my own black powder, corning it and using it’s properties to make objects rapidly disassemble. Nope. Never ever done that. Know nothing about that at all…
Oh, you can also make some quick-fuse by using kitchen twine, wetting it slightly, rolling it through loose gunpowder until the cord is impregnated, and letting it dry. Could be a ‘fun’ long-term project for you to play with.