March 2024 Island Trip – Day 2

It was a people intense day:

A beekeeper that the tenants met came out this morning to see if the property was a good place for one of his hives. It is. This came about some time ago when the tenants went to a seed swap at the grange where they met Scott. I am all about bees and was willing to meet and learn more. It was after my agreement to meet with the beekeeper that I learned about one of the tenant’s bee sting allergy… 😳 Long story short, the bee keeper is not willing to take on the liability. This saved me all sorts of paperwork… I would have had the tenants sign an addendum to the lease absolving me of liability should the bees have moved in. The tenant’s position was there are already bees here (in droves). Scott gently stood firm. I am thankful it’s not going to happen, and bummed all at once.

The new propane provider stopped over to do a walk-through after my morning call to them. Switching providers is going to be much easier than I thought (feared). There is zero coordinating between the two companies. The tenants will let me know when the tanks are at 10-20%. I’ll call the new folks. They will swap out the equipment, leaving the outgoing company’s tanks in a ‘convenient’ place. I call the old company and tell them to get their shit off my property. The out going company bought out one of the Island’s local company’s about 3-4 years ago. People have been fleeing ever since.

My AN came by to discuss the placement of the new trailer, Lady Jane, and trenching for an additional propane tank that we’ll add to the fleet that will service Stella, Lady Jane, a future instant water heater for the lower barn, and eventually a small propane generator for the property. By the time all these things are on board, an additional tank will be required. One step at a time.

As my AN left, my general contractor arrived. We went over the list of items we’d like him to take care of. The best part about this is he’s pretty sure the shower valve at the house needs a new gasket rather than replacement! Replacing the valve means opening the wall up behind the valve… Doable, but what a mess. I have my finger crossed for a gasket. Returning the new valve will also save me $90!

I eyed the fruit trees this afternoon, looking for signs of tent caterpillars, and saw nothing. They’re barely showing signs of leafing out yet, so this isn’t a surprise.

Last night I smelled what I can only describe as a cross between melty plastic and hot brakes in the bathroom. I opened the cabinet below the sink, removed everything, including my improvised insulation, and started looking for a source. All the wires looked and felt good. The underside of the acrylic sink seemed to be the source of the smell. But why? The water heater is in this space. I turned it off, popped the roof vent, closed the door to the bathroom and went to bed. This morning the smell was all but gone. Late this afternoon I turned the the water heater on again (shower was needed) and set about to do other things. Later I walked by the bathroom and the oder was very strong. Once again I opened up the space under the sink, paying a lot more attention to the wiring around the water heater, and found nothing amiss. I took a quick shower, flipped the heater back off, and started doing some research. An article sent me out to Stella’s electrical connection. I opened the box and found that her 30amp cord was not seated 100%. Maybe this is the problem. Next time I need hot water in abundance I’ll turn the heater on and see what I smell 😏. The research certainly helped me figure out all sorts of things that are not causing the smell. I’ll either figure it out quickly, or consult with our Mainland trailer doc. It’s a 25-years old water heater and while I hope this is a transient and discoverable problem, replacing the unit is an option too.