The temps are dropping for the season and we love staying in the cabin at now (as opposed to the tipi), so after our last night at the a-frame we decided to move forward on a heating solution. We settled on the Dyna Glo 20,000 btu propane space heater. We believe it will be more than enough to heat up the cabin, once we get it up and running.
Once again venturing into unknown territory, we did our YouTube research and bought a few parts that we thought we should use to get the propane flowing. Although we are clearly amateurs here, I guess I should not discount our experience with the one-pound propane green things, and Perriee did hook up our gas grill this summer. But this time is all about indoor gas in a house. We really don’t have a lot of room for error!
What we noticed upon our research was that most people kind of half-assed their installations. I mean, they did not have propane spewing out of their hoses or anything, but their processes were pretty far off of the manufacturer’s recommended instructions. There was one kick ass family though, who rocked it out! Really, the whole video is awesome from start to finish. The guy gave a great supplies list demo, his partner (a bad ass woman) threaded it all together with their beautiful baby on her hip, and ultimately, did the final walkthrough to make sure he did it all right. Ok, I don’t know these people, and I am making a lot of assumptions, but damn…
Per usual, we found our sweet spot somewhere in the middle of doing it “by the book” and doing it half assed! We chose to hook up the propane hose that connects to the propane tank to a flexible gas pipe which connects to the heater. Once we figure out for sure where the pipes need to be routed to, we will re-run some the gas lines with solid pipes. For now, however, we can just push the propane hose through the roof and connect it to the pipe inside.
When we went through this process, it sort of worked, but when we tested the leaks before firing the heater up (the ole dish soap and water trick). We quickly found our line was not sealed. Perriee turned the gas on from the outside and I immediately heard the hissing of the gas on the inside. We soon came to understand that we were lacking a fitting and it would require a trip to the hardware store. Being about 6:00 pm, I was miffed. It was already dark and the temp was dropping.
For some reason, I was not feeling like sitting in the tipi for the night to keep warm by the wood stove that already had a nice fire burning within it. I jumped into bed and covered myself up. Pouting, you may say. Luckily we had stopped back home in the city before heading to the cabin for “Big Blue”, the blanket. Big Blue is this super heavy comforter that is what I imagine a weighted blanket to be like. It is both warm and heavy. So, I knew we werent going to be cold, but I was mad that we were stuck without a ready solution. Perriee suggested that we make a fire outside and enjoy the evening. That was the tall glass of lemonade that I needed.
I drug myself out of the bedand we collected some sticks and branches from around the homestead and made a beautiful fire. The best part of it all was this video I took once the coyotes started howling in the night. They sounded a little too close, but it was spectacular to be witness to.
In the morning, when I finally poked my head out from the cover of “Big Blue” , we huddled back up in the tipi for coffee and cast iron oatmeal. It is so funny how we are able to tolerate extremes when we need to. I can’t wait until we get the heater going and have a warm space at the push of a button. That is fact. What I am worried about, is that once we experience the cabin with those comforts of heat-on-demand, we will feel like we can’t be comfortable in there anymore if we don’t have it.
Enjoy the Best and the Worst
Totally digressing here, but it reminds me of the time that a friend of ours tried to fix our bathroom tub faucet. He cranked it so hard that it broke the pipe. This all happened during the height of the recession- I think it was 2010 or so, and Perriee and I were consequently also super broke at the time. To shut off the flow to that water, we had to shut off the water to the whole house. We had no money for a plumber and therefore no water.
It was also really rainy at the time, so we started catching water in containers outside to supplement with bathing and such since it was there and plentiful. We were like, “We don’t need water! We can just collect it all!” Once we finally saved enough money to call a plumber, fearing the cost would be out of our range of affordability, the water was back on. It was awesome, and I cannot imagine collecting it all again to service the house. How quickly we adapt. I guess it is good that we are fast to adapt to either end of that spectrum of comfort.
Homework: Women Can Build Shit Too!
Expose girls to the home improvement projects, new construction, landscaping, D.I.Y. world from birth. I truly hope you watch the looks of wonderment from the baby in the gas line video. She was soaking it all in and watching her mom hold her while she threaded the gas pipe moved me. It was the best example of model parenting i may have ever witnessed.
I am convinced that women should be exposed to all of the things that men are in order to form the baseline connections needed to utilize those brain cells, if needed, in the future. I am not criticizing my upbringing by any means. I do remember my grandpa letting me hang out in his workshop and I watched him make some cool things, but I wish i had more knowledge to inform the things I am doing today. I feel like it would all come a bit faster than it is. Yes, sillly, do the same for boys. Reinforce their desires to nurture and coddle like you do with the girls. Give everyone a fighting chance to be their best. Don’t limit children to those roles of, “boys do yardwork and fix things while girls wash dishes and clean the house”.
I understand that I am likely preaching to the choir here. Lets face it- gender is a shaky construct getting ready to collapse. THANK GODDESSES!! Lets just scrap all of those dumb buckets of his and hers and just teach all people to be their best. It will be a simplified curriculum and so much more powerful for everyone.
And remember: Women can build shit too!
Making Time for Tipi 