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After three mini-floods in six months, we decided it was time to set up a flood detection system. We had the big drain problem in the beginning of the year, and -serendipitously- the supply to the same toilet spring a leak this summer during the two days I was working on the window below it! We caught it right away. When our condensate pump stopped pumping though, we were not so lucky. With our HVAC air handler far from the floor drain, the pump removes the water from the indoor unit so it doesn't leak onto the floor. Without the pump... the air handler dripped condensate everywhere probably for a few days. Not so ironically, the condensate pump was the first major problem we had with this house, since the one that came with the house failed nearly 8 years to the day before this one. This pump is only a few years old as it was installed with our HVAC 3 years ago. It's working now, and along with adding vinegar to the pump when I change the filter we finally installed a system to warn us if it ever quits again. 
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So far, we've been surprisingly happy with our all-in-one laundry machine. After a year of use, there is a lot of good to say about it, but there are a few quirks that have come out in the past year that make it a little more than a throw-in-and-go machine. But the benefit of it being an all-in-one, is that you trade forgetting clothes in the washing machine for a bit of extra maintenance. There are a few tweaks that I'd make as GE improves its product design, and we'll get to those! Overall, I give this a 93% satisfaction rating on my end. This update is pretty meaty, as I'll go over some of the general maintenance and basic troubleshooting from what we've seen after our first year. For more on my initial impressions, how the technology works, and a little bit about the startup app, check out what I wrote last year.  We did it! It's been two years since we went gas-free, a month since our meter removal, and now it's been a year since we installed and fully integrated our solar system into the network. Overall, I'm very happy with the results of these choices. The first year we went gas-free, our regional gas prices increased by 40%. Since I wasn't on gas any longer, that didn't touch us. Electricity prices increased as well, but not as dramatically. Now, we are paying the loan on our solar system, and we have eliminated much of our financial dependance on the energy we purchase by selling back most of our energy in the summer.  While it may not seem connected to the library expansion... old house work is a little bit of a cross between a domino rally and "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." I have a gas pipe that used to feed the boiler WAY back when this house still had radiators (far before my time). It's been capped and not causing any issues... Except it runs right where the bookshelves need to be. So, I set out to remove it. Since it's a pipe without a separate valve and only the main service valve remaining, it wasn't something I felt comfortable messing with. Nor did the fellow facilities folks in my circle: we all seem to share the same two-valve-rule when working with things that can explode. In hindsight, I could've asked the plumbers to remove it back when we did the water heater or the HVAC, but I didn't.  One of the big things we did when we put in the basement bathroom back in 2022 was to add a little nook for laundry machines at the back of the space. The layout of the bathroom space was particularly tricky… since it was a storage/laundry room that also housed the electrical panel. Since an electrical panel can’t be in the bathroom, we split the room in half and created a little nook for a stackable washer and dryer. Planning for the bathroom project can be found here and the reveal can be found here! As progress went on, the laundry hall got some attention here. Even though that was a while ago… we waited for the right machines to come along, and it turns out that’s just one laundry machine.  |
Katie SwansonI am a parent, creative spirit, and old house lover. My big passions are sustainable design and preservation. Bringing these together is key to moving existing homes into the future. * By subscribing to the monthly newsletter, you consent to receive links this month's blog posts and other relevant blog updates, a round up of things I love, and as a throwback to my DIY days, I may toss in an exclusive knit or crochet pattern of mine. Archives
July 2025
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