Douglas Alpenstock

John Weiland wrote:[ On a lark, I had angled grinder in use that day and ground off the rust on the fork to reveal the problem.  There indeed was a pin through the head, but the pin heads had been fused so cleanly with the fork head metal (welded?) that planning a removal procedure looked daunting.  I was able to drill out one side of the pin, but the non-drilled side is well afixed....even after pounding the drilled side with a punch.  Any suggestions for completing this job would be welcomed....Thanks!

Well, I faced this yesterday. And despite the complex methods I suggested in my earlier post, I was in a hurry. So I took a battery angle grinder with a cutting blade and zapped off the rivet head in 30 seconds. The "welded" rivet shaft fell out with two taps of a hammer. So much for finesse.

This year we are reliant on native bees. Our Bumblebees and two varieties of native/mason bees are busy on our apple trees and I assume on the native saskatoon bushes. Perfect.

However: We have seen many years where the cycle of flowering and the availability of native pollinators was out of sync. Tame honeybees can get into operation much earlier in the season or when there's a surprise cold snap.

Native bees plus honeybees is a belt-and-suspenders method of keeping your pants up and ensuring plentiful harvests. My 2c.

M Ljin wrote:Bump! Nettle soup is very tasty and good to have around. I’ve been having it with nettles, ramps, garlic leaves, dame’s rocket, wild sweet-cicely, miso, and beans.

Nettles are a wildly invasive species here. Ten years of hand-to-hand combat. Still I'm willing to don my Viking helmet and welding gloves in a good cause.

But you can't just tell me "soup is nice." I need to know the recipe that will make mortal combat with nettles worthy of the risk. Eat the enemy!

John Weiland wrote:[ On a lark, I had angled grinder in use that day and ground off the rust on the fork to reveal the problem.  There indeed was a pin through the head, but the pin heads had been fused so cleanly with the fork head metal (welded?) that planning a removal procedure looked daunting.  I was able to drill out one side of the pin, but the non-drilled side is well afixed....even after pounding the drilled side with a punch.  Any suggestions for completing this job would be welcomed....Thanks!

The first option is to heat the rivet head with a small propane torch (a plumber's torch) to try to break the rust weld by expansion and contraction.

The other option is to turn the rivet head into a crude bolt head that you can grab with a big vise-grip. I'd use an angle grinder and cold chisel. Then you can twist and pull on the rivet head.

Jon Bee wrote:EDIT:  I just backed the pressure switch down and the pressure went from 20 PSI to 40 PSI.  The breaker still trips every time it reaches 40 PSI.  It seems like no matter what the range is set at, the pump will run fine for 10-20 seconds, then get to top of range and the breaker trips.  Maybe I should replace the pressure switch?

Actually that's a useful troubleshooting step. I think it eliminates the pressure switch as the source of the problem.

Now we know that the current draw of the pump hits a critical high point in 10-20 seconds, no matter what. That tells us the pump is working extra hard, either due to an inadequate air cushion in the pressure tank or clogging at the pump.

Jon Bee wrote:I don't know how to do this ---> "Empty the pressure tank. Check and adjust the base pressure to ensure a proper air cushion."

What should the base pressure of the pressure tank be?

When I started pump for the first time this year, the water that came out of the pressure tank was full of sediment, very thick.  So emptying it and flushing is a good idea.  If I knew how.  Will Google it.

At this stage, all that needs to be done is to open a low tap in your water system and take of all pressure in the tank.

If it's a modern tank, there will be an automotive-style valve stem sticking out the top of the tank. It looks just like the valve stem on a tire, and works the same way. A modern tank has an air bladder at the top that acts like a spring and should have roughly 30 psi in it (ideally it's about 2 psi below the cut-in pressure of the pressure switch). Use an automotive tire gauge to see how much pressure is in the air bladder.

Add or remove air pressure as needed, based on the pressure switch setting. Then power up the well pump and see what happens.

Jon Bee wrote:
"Biofouling in the pump itself could partially reduce water flow. "   I was hoping this was the main issue since the pump works for about 20 seconds getting pressure up to about 58 PSI before tripping.  So maybe just so gunked up it is labouring, drawing more current so finally trips.  But don't have help today so may not be able to get pump out of lake yet.  And it is still very cold in the lake.

This is looking like the most likely culprit. If the pressure tank's air bladder has roughly the right pressure and the breaker still trips, I think pulling up and cleaning the pump is next on the list.

(Pardon my disjointed post. Editing on a phone touchscreen is enough to drive one to murther.)

I'm looking at this from a whole system perspective -- what could be causing the high current draw near the end of the pumping cycle? Some thoughts:

-- Offhand I would guess the wire size is adequate for the length of the run. But at 115v there would be a voltage drop. An intermittent short is possible due to chafing or vibration.

--If the base pressure in the pressure tank is too low (the ~30 psi air cushion acts as a spring) the pump is basically pushing hard against a brick wall before the pressure switch shuts it off.

--Biofouling in the pump itself could partially reduce water flow. That flow provides some of the cooling for the pump motor. If the motor windings are running a lot hotter than they are supposed to, the resistance increases.

Possible solutions:
-- First, the simplest option:  adjust the pressure switch to operate in a 40 - 55 psi range, which is not unreasonable for a country water system.

-- Empty the pressure tank. Check and adjust the base pressure to ensure a proper air cushion.

--  Right after the breaker  kicks off, use a multimeter to test the resistance of the pump circuit. Zero resistance indicates a short circuit somewhere.

-- If possible, backflow the pump to try to clear out any bio-fouling. There will be a check valve somewhere in the system that would need to be bypassed, and depending on its location this could be a challenge.

Hm. That's annoying.

Voltage drop -- how long is the wire run to the pump? What gauge wire is being used?

Kevin Olson wrote:Save the old broken handles - they're good for all sorts of stuff, ...

Agreed! Even small chunks can still be split and whittled into wedges to secure other tool heads.

M Ljin wrote:This gives me an idea. Maybe use screws instead of pins so that they can be removed when needed?

When replacing handles on hoes/shovels I usually use standard wood screws. Not those ridiculous slot (flathead) types, but a Phillips or Robertson (Square) that is easy to drive in, tighten, or remove. If it's a really nice handle I'll drill a small pilot hole so the screw doesn't crack the wood.

I often use an old drill bit to drill out a bunch of the wood so it's a bit looser and easier to remove. Jay's idea of screwing in a big screw is also effective.

A full-length rivet is a bit of a pain to remove. I'll cut it with a portable angle grinder (cutting wheel) if I can reach it. Otherwise it gets cut from the outside and tapped out with a punch.

Has anyone noticed the cost of replacement handles at hardware stores? Holy smokes! Highway robbery! I scrounge and collect all sorts of handles from free tools at the recycling centre or dumpster so I have a ready supply on hand. The old handles are often much better quality (tight, full length grain) than new ones. I think this has saved me a lot of money over the years.

M Ljin wrote:For the longest time I had a broken handled hoe and didn’t know how to replace it. Then the other day, someone told me to build a fire and burn the handle off in. I tried and it worked!  

Personally I wouldn't do that to tools I care about. Good quality digging tools are made of tempered steel, which is why they will take an edge. Heating them in a fire would potentially ruin the temper, making the tool steel much softer. (Though some of the offshore tools are already so soft you'd hardly notice the difference.)