This is good news as we have been storing furniture for them in our spare rooms and we will soon have visitors pre-Christmas. I helped them install solar panels on the roof today.
This was a big job as the roof is extremely steep and slippery being new metal. Paddy, the owner's father built an M.C. Escher-type scaffolding system that would have been worthy of something I would build. Just as well The Old Girl didn't see me climbing on it - she would have vetoed the idea.
The panels were very heavy taking four of us to carry them up onto the scaffold and to the roof and to hold on to them while getting them positioned, connected and installed. They were built by Paddy (a plumber) who hopes to market them. (I suggested that he looked to using lighter materials). Its a funny feeling when the muscles in your legs spasm through a combination of sustained effort and a cramped position but you cannot release as this would mean that the unit could fall or it could endanger someone else. Slipping and sliding and breaking every OSH rule we finally got all the panels installed after 7 hours. None of us fell off the roof (there were some close calls) and it ended up a job well done. Doing hard manual work with a bit of engineering thrown in (plumbers are really engineers without OCD) gives a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Add in the good feeling from helping a neighbour and it makes for a good day. Note: no Jesus worshippers and god-botherers were in evidence.
5 comments:
"Its a funny feeling when the muscles in your legs spasm through a combination of sustained effort and a cramped position but you cannot release as this would mean that the unit could fall or it could endanger someone else."
Sounds like sex when we were young.
Well done, old fella.
Well done TC. Helping your neighbours is the right thing to do.
Not because of anything the god-botherers say, but becuase you might need their help at another time. Not very altruistic, but practical.
If Paddy's like some other plumbers I know, you'll be back up on that roof within 7 days, to re-install it the right way around.
Thanks Richard (of RBB) and TSB. Yes, Paddy is a bit of a cowboy.
I got back from Auckland this evening and noticed that one of the solar panels was broken. I rang Paddy to see what had happened worrying that he may have fallen on it and hurt himself. Apparently the things are too efficient, heating up very quickly. When Paddy and Craig were installing the water pipes today, just before they had connected the release valve for running off excess hot water and/or running through extra cold water, one of the panels exploded. They were luckily in the roof space at the time. If they had been on the roof next to the panel the force may have knocked them off the roof and most certainly cut them with flying glass.
Yep,
typical plumber. I wonder how long before the roof collapses?
Actually that's a real concern. Roofs up here don't have to be engineered for snow, so they might have a different structural loading. You did say the solar units were very heavy. Will the roof take it?
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