Had A Blowout Then Problems Getting Wired.

Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada. 

Both Kathy and I were in bed before 11:30 last night and both managed to sleep fairly sound until I was abruptly awakened. There was no noise or nature calls the problem was that I had a Blowout. Both Kathy and I have Sleep Apnea and we each use a CPAP Machine to help us breathe through the night. Our CPAP Masks however are very different and the mask that I use separated at the membrane causing the compressed air to blow out the side. The escaping air sounded like a small air horn going off. After a number of tries I was able to patch the problem allowing me to sleep until this morning. 

While we were having breakfast I brought the incident up with Kathy. She apparently was sleeping so soundly that she never heard a thing. We also discussed our plans about what we’d be doing to get things ready for our departure in two weeks. As soon as we finished our morning reading we were both off taking care of different things. 

Kathy always likes to plan our travels and actually gives our children an Itinerary of places we’ll be and approximately when we’ll be there. That way if something were to happen to anyone including ourselves they know how to get a hold of us or can confirm to authorities where we should be. Since we made a sudden change of plans to the start of our southern trip this year she needs to research our routes and where we’ll be staying. 

The first thing I did was locate the new Plastic Junction Box that I planned to install on the roof of our trailer from the Garden Shed.  This will be a connecting point when we install our Solar Panels. Since I’d stored the Power Separator Blocks inside the Junction Box the first thing I did was to mount one inside. 

Our basement with the rear wall removed.

My next chore was to empty the rear side of the basement so that I could remove the wall. Not only did that expose lots of wiring and plumbing that had been installed in the factory when our trailer was built but it showed where I’d be running the cables to the roof. Since our Avalanche had a Refrigerator Roof Vent it was a simple job to run the cables inside the refrigerator cabinet. Due to our present fridge being mounted on a slide the only alternative is to run the cables in the wall where the Waste Tank Vent Pipes are located. 

The hole I cut to access the wall cavity.

Feeling around the Vent Pipes with my fingers it was determined there was no space for the cables. There was however a space between the two vents that appeared to be like a box. Determining this to be a practical spot to run the cables I had to cut a rectangular opening so when I dropped the Wire Pullers down from the roof they could be reached. 

I had just gathered what I needed to bring up to the roof when Kathy called me for lunch. She’d made Vegetable Beef Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Lunch tasted delicious and it felt good to sit for a while. 

As soon as lunch was over I hauled the tools, parts and Dicor Sealer onto the roof. Making certain the holes would be at the right spot and centering the box, it didn’t take long to drill holes through the roof. When I went to drop the Wire Puller through the hole I discovered that there was a cross member blocking my path about a foot below the roof line.  

First I drove to the McGregor Home Hardware to see if they had large diameter long drill bits in stock. All they had were long bits that were too small in diameter. I called to let Kathy know I was on my way to our son Kevin’s home in Amherstburg. He was busy getting ready to repair his back roof when I arrived. Since my tall tool cabinets are stored there I knew exactly which drawer to go in. After a quick visit I was heading back towards Home. 

Cables pulled from the basement through the wall cavity.

What was making this job a little tricky was having to keep low to the roof because the Wind was gusting to twenty-five MPH and with the forecast for Rain tomorrow afternoon I wanted the sealant to be dry before it did. With the proper tools the holes were made in two minutes and the Wire Pullers easily went down to the basement. Now I was getting my exercise climbing up and down from the roof. It didn’t take long to tie the cables to the Wire Pullers but then I had to go back on the roof to pull them up. With the cables pulled up to the roof I realized I needed to clamp them to the Junction Box. In my tool box I found all kinds of wire clamping devices but not the kind I needed. 

Cables clamped inside the Junction Box.

Back to McGregor Home Hardware I was surprised that they had exactly the kind of wire clamp that I needed. On the roof again I installed the clamps to the Junction Box but when I went to pull the cable through the hole it was no longer attached to the Wire Puller. In the basement again I added extra tape to make certain the cable would not become disconnected again. 

Cables clamped inside the Junction Box and connected to the
Power Separator Block. Dicor Sealant was applied around the cables
under the box as well as all around the box itself.



With both cables well secured to the Junction Box I applied lots of Dicor Sealant around the cables before fastening the box to the roof. Additional Dicor Sealant was applied on the screws, around the base of the Junction Box itself so no water would get under it and I added additional sealant around the vent pipes just so I could finish off that tube.

Cables from the roof pulled through the opening I made.

I was clamping the cables in the basement when Kathy called me for supper. She had sautéed a couple of Salmon Fillets, cooked some Corn and one of the Butternut Squashes that our neighbour had given us. 

Sauteed Salmon, Corn and Butternut Squash.

In the basement I managed to finish tying the cables along the drain-line under the basement ceiling and to mount the second Power Separator Block not far from where the Solar Charge Controller will be installed. Since the temperature actually reached 81 F (27 C) this afternoon it caused my get-up-and-go to get-up-and-leave. I finished packing everything back in the basement before the 6 o’clock News started. 

The cables connected to the Power Separator Block that
will eventually be connected to the Solar Charge Controller.

Tomorrow we’ll probably run a few errands but they all need to be done before we hit the road. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Krackers 

Words of Inspiration 

Love is like war: easy to begin but hard to stop! 

H.I. Menchen, American Essayist