More on the infrastructure

More on the infrastructure. I have been getting the power system working better. And I have been redesigning the trailer, so its cheaper to keep warm and improved living convince. A 75 foot long trailer is a pain, its tough to heat a long narrow space with the walls in-between. My heating is with a wood-stove and a propane space heater as back-up when the wood burns-out.

The trailer house is a 2 bd one bath. The kitchen is at the front then a bed room then the bath and the last bed room. With the kitchen and bath at nearly opposite ends frozen pipes during winter is a constant problem. Also a long trailer is annoying, every-time I need something its always at the other end of the house. I've logged many miles walking back and forth.

So to remedy the above problems I am down sizing the house to half the living space. In the end it will be a 16 by 40 one room house (the bath will be a separated room). Eventually I will remove the unused half of the house and build an insulated exterior wall. I have knocked out all the interior walls in the back half of the house. I moved the bath room and plumbing to the very back and the wall is up. The cistern is buried under the back half of the house. So that makes it more practical to limit the living area to the rear. I'm in the process now of moving the water heater to the space under the house. This will make room for the sink and counter in the main space, being the kitchen and bed room.With the kitchen and bath near plumbing lines will be shorter and less problems for freezing will occur since the space for accommodation and heating is smaller.

I have a dug-out area under the house large enough to stand in. Yesterday I was cutting the axles from under the house to make a larger area to increase the dug-out. I reached to the floor to toss a rotten board out,and I heard a steady hissing rattle sound. At first I thought I was hearing a gas leak, but the propane was off. I was pinned between the tank and wall with the hissing in the way of me and the exit. It was to dark to see clearly but by this time I had deduced the noise was from a rattle snake. The other way out was behind me through the outside crawl space.I had set the rotten ply wood in that exit, now knowing of the snake I was worried I had uncovered a snakes den and I feared baby snakes my have somehow stayed on the board.

I crawled over the water tank and in-to the house. I reached my trusty 10/22. Then went back down and killed the snake.It seams odd a large rattler would have chosen the dark and muddy conditions to perhaps hibernate, but who knows what goes on in the mind of a snake.

This is the crawl space from the house. I am cutting the axle with a blow torch. I had to cut them in half to lug them out from the top. The sides of the house are burred with 3 feet of dirt.

I ran out of oxygen so the remaining axles will have to remain for now. I have the plumbing to keep me occupied for a while.