ADJUSTING TO THE SEASON

Maple syrup is over, the days are getting longer and the sun tracks higher in the sky these days.

We added a freezer and two small electric water heaters to our system this year and these are placing a greater demand on our off grid system.

Fortunately we can easily adjust the tilt of our panels thus gaining about 20% improvement in our solar gain for the day. On the left is the winter position of our panels to track the sun much lower on the horizon; on the right the summer position.

Sean made the adjustments when he was here last weekend. It is a simple task of removing one bolt, pulling the panels into their new position and replacing the bolt into the new hole.

Our panels in the summer position as seen from the chicken coop.

Thanks for your help Sean. Hope you can be here when we go back to the winter position in November.

So that's it folks, repositioned and ready for summer. 

This morning the sun is shining so it will be an outdoor work day up here.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the sunshine.

Another Busy Week

Today construction starts and we are delighted. It has been a busy week up here in the north country.

Even the chickens have been working extra hard. Look at the size of the egg Paul brought over to show us, WOW!

Steve arrived on Monday to pull stumps and clear our building site.

Yes, sometimes a little manual labour is needed. These short logs we will use as firewood this winter.

Even on a busy day we need time to relax and it was wonderful to have Sharon and Doug up for a few days.

Nothing so refreshing as a swim in the lake after working in the bush all day.

Doug is the water baby in the family. He was in before breakfast.

Today we stake out the house and Monday we start to lay the footings. If the weather co-operates, we should be closed in by November. Check back next week for more progress reports.

We Have a Date

Construction starts August 22. Our excavator will come on the 15th to pull stumps, level the area and extend our driveway so all of the building supplies can be delivered safely.

I'm amazed how quickly Steve can get the job done. He can make the excavator move like a dance partner, every movement is ballet.

Some trees we will turn into lumber for trim around the windows and doors, other trees will keep us warm during the winter.

Steve begins to clear the house site. Last year he tested the soil to see how close we are to bedrock.

We've removed more trees since this picture was taken. As Steve pulls out the roots I will use the "bobcat" to move them off site.

As we progress into the building of our off grid passive solar home I will post more pictures and try to answer any questions you may have.