Hi friends. I'm a little bummed today.
I've been getting so excited for this weekend because we're planning to install a UV water filtration system. It will make our tap water safe to drink, so we can stop buying bottled water for drinking. We already use it for washing and cooking and have never suffered any ill effects, but it would be nice to be sure, you know? It's a great homesteader/prepper/self-sufficient thing to do.
I wanted to get a head start today by building some of the pipe work needed out in the open, instead of cramped into a cold corner of the basement. I got out all the necessary tools and materials. I was going to do this.
There's just one little problem. I suck at plumbing with copper. ABS? No problem. PVC? Piece of cake. PEX? Could do it in my sleep. But copper? We don't play very well together.
I do keep trying. I also keep failing.
Here I've got my first two pieces all prepped:
Applied my tinning flux as required. Applied plenty of heat. Applied solder.
Oh, hmm, applied a little more solder. It doesnt seem to want to stick to the joint properly.
A little more, little more, any day now it will just slurp right into that joint and seal --
OW
First aid acheivement unlocked. Take plumbing apart, re-clean, re-flux, re-heat, re-solder.
Re-fail.
Third times the charm, right? Maybe I'll start with a fresh piece of copper and a new fitting. Rinse, repeat.
Nope.
Did you hear that loud noise around 4 PM CST?
The sound Inigo's heart made when his father died? Yeah, that was me.
sigh
I carefully put everything away before I caused myself or the smoke alarms any permanent harm and texted my husband that he'd have to do it for me when he got home please. He is magically good at copper pipe plumbing somehow.
So, that was the highlight of my day.
I didn't forget about my sheep pictures! I was helping my Dad for a bit this morning to set up a different feeder for his sheep, and stopped by the bachelor pad to see my rams.
Badger is one majestic dude.
Lam-o looks kinda wimpy without his fleece. I sheared him back in the beginning of October.
That's pretty much my day. My husband tried to do the plumbing I had failed at and had no more luck than I did, so that makes me feel a little better. We don't know if its the flux, the solder, or maybe the torch that's causing our troubles. We'll try again tomorrow no doubt.
Do you have a skill you keep trying to perfect, that continues to let you down? I think the important thing is to get back up and try again when we fail. Let me know in the comments!
Thanks as always for dropping in. See you tomorrow!