Roselea

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  • Trial Run in Working with our Slate Tiles

    We constructed a small test rig, to reflect the design and placement of the two layers of the wooden battens to be on our roof and then played with a dozen slate tiles.

    Trial Run in Working with our Slate Tiles

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    Trial Run in Working with our Slate Tiles

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    The first row of any roof has to have two tiles (the lower tile is cut down in height) to ensure that the rainwater will be directed down the slate and not drip through onto the battens and the breathable membrane. We tested using the copper nails (through two holes) to see how they work, and tested using the hook nails (a bent rod of metal running underneath and hooks on the bottom edge)
    Trial Run in Working with our Slate Tiles

    Roof-slating-test-3


    It is quite obvious that there is a need for a “filler” to be inserted on the first batten, to take the place of the missing third tile, so we will fold up our gutter metal mesh guard several times to the required thickness and when that is nailed on the first batten row, that will provide the extra height needed.
    The overhang distance of the bottom edge of the slate tiles will be about 55mm so we will position the first line of battens so that the tiles will hang over the gutters by 25mm, and the rainwater drips nicely in.

  • Six Days on Water Filter Cabinet, Almost There!

    This is a combined report showing our progress of creating our rain water filtration module. It has been a very fiddly work, constrained by the slow “drying” time of the polyester resin substance, but also having to take time and care to prepare, tidy-up and adjust the glass-fibre surfaces after each application of the resin. It is a slow job.
    But we can report that we are nearly there now, with the completion of all the “lids”, the swimming lane Return channel unit and much of the main cabinet, all coated in the final top-coat light grey coating.

    Six Days on Water Filter Cabinet, Almost There!

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    Six Days on Water Filter Cabinet, Almost There!

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    Today, we started designing and producing two filters, the first one designed (in a box like shape) to tackle the initial very dirty flush of rain water collected off the roofs and the second one, being a long flat slope for providing a final filter to ensure minimal particles of “rubbish” doesn’t get into our rainwater storage tank.
    Six Days on Water Filter Cabinet, Almost There!

    Mesh-to-support-Clean-water-filter

    Six Days on Water Filter Cabinet, Almost There!

    Dirtywater-filter-basket



    These are made from heavy-duty weld mesh, supporting some geotextile fabric, mounted with a reinforced metal rim and the rim coated in protective resin.
    We needed to make these filters now so we could confirm that everything fits into place, so we will achieve the correct flow of the water and that we could successfully remove and put back them via the proper entrance (the top of the cabinet). Just in case we needed to make further adjustments to the internal layout, as we did exactly this the other day (the long sloping filter didn’t come down low enough and would have held quite a bit of rainwater back in the pipes running from the buildings), before we applied the final light grey top-coat.. Also, it is only sensible to make sure that we design and make these filters and baffles here and now (in the workshop) so we can test the created products before we close up the filter and make it much harder to test things.

    So on Monday and Tuesday, we will complete these final bits and pieces and then tackle the next problem of transporting this heavy unit and installing it into our flooded hole in the ground – We had lots of rain these last few days!! But the next week look drier so the hole should hopefully dry up!

  • The Last Four Pallets of Slates Arrive

    Sometime during the afternoon, we had the delivery of the remaining four pallets of our slates and they were unloaded alongside our Loke, following the line as we intended, but alas, one of the pallets was dumped on top of two others!

    The Last Four Pallets of Slates Arrive

    Last-of-slates-delivered


    We did not want this, as we wanted to be able to take a handful of tiles out from each crate in turn so the roof would get a more random pattern, just in case, one crate would be loaded in the quarry from one spot in the slate mine and by the eleventh crate, could be using another part of the mine with slightly different colouration and texture. Hence, as recommended by experts, to take a few tiles from every crate, to mix it up a bit, and get a more balanced finished on our roof.

  • Fixed Small Patches of Damage on Store Room Roof

    This morning, under the bright hot sun, we went on the roof of our Store Room to locate the leaks we had yesterday during a day of heavy rain. We found them and applied pieces of flashing tape, by using a hot air gun to dry the roofing felt and also warmed up the flashing tape too and rolled it hard into the surface.

    Fixed Small Patches of Damage on Store Room Roof

    Store-room-roof-patching-Oct-2018-1

    Fixed Small Patches of Damage on Store Room Roof

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    We did several more patches on other parts of the roof, one definite hole but several were potentials so they got patched too.
    Now we wait until the next rain storm and see if we have found all the sources of our leaks!

  • First Batch of Slates Arrive

    We had a delivery of the remaining timber battens, 720 metres of 38mm by 25mm sized lengths, but actually, we only got 714 metres so they short-changed us by 6 metres (but we did get extra of the larger battens) !

    First Batch of Slates Arrive

    The-smaller-roofing-battens-have-arrived


    We now have all our wooden battens, ready for our roof.

    We also had the first batch of our Slates , seven pallets, in total, containing over eleven thousand standard sized and 750 extra wide ones.

    First Batch of Slates Arrive

    Slates-being-delivered

    First Batch of Slates Arrive

    First-7-Pallets-of-slates



    Each pallet has over 1800 slates in 3 layers. We are expecting a further four more pallets of standard size in a few days.

  • Exterior of Filter Module Coated in Glass-Fibre and Cleaning up Other Pieces

    We resumed the task of coating the filtration unit in the structural layer of glass-fibre, in doing the exterior of our large filter box.

    Exterior of Filter Module Coated in Glass-Fibre and Cleaning up Other Pieces

    Filter-Fibreglassing-Day-3


    Then the rest of the day was spent cleaning up all the other pieces, trimming excess glass-fibre sticking out and sanding down rough patches and edges. We did one small experiment to find out how we can coat the final exposed edges, by using four layers of glass-fibre tissue cut into strips and then painted onto the flat top and bending it around and down the two sides. It seemed to have worked but we will inspect tomorrow or Monday.

    We are nearly finished doing this stage of work and all is left to do is to apply the top “finishing” coat to provide the smooth glossy surface inside and out. Then we just need to chuck it into the hole in the ground, connect up the pipes .. and hey presto – that is that – grin!

  • Fibre-glassing the Filter Day 2

    We continued to apply the Resin and Fibreglass layers to the Filter Parts. We completed all of the insides with their two layers as well as the two layers on the insides of the lids and side panel. The outsides of the filter will have a single layer of resin and fibre-glass as they will not be submersed permanently in water so need less protection. The outside of the swimming lane return channel was coated last thing today.

    Fibre-glassing the Filter Day 2

    Filter-Fibreglassing-Day-2-1

    Fibre-glassing the Filter Day 2

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    Fibre-glassing the Filter Day 2

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  • Glass Fibre + Resin Treatment Starts

    We started today with the mammoth task of applying the protective waterproof layer and to provide the high strength structural element for our rain filter module. This is achieved by using layers of glass-fibre, coated in polyester resin, on all surfaces. The inside surfaces will have two layers of 450g glass matting (per square metre) and the outside will have a single layer. The whole thing will have a final top coat finishing layer to smooth off everything.
    We sorted out the workshop and placed our large cabinet on our medium flatbed trolley with two support arms (using 2inch by 6inch planks) and the main workbench (covered in tarpaulin) has all the other bits and pieces. The large side panel had two more pieces glued on to the edge (the cover to the dirty water channel and the side panel to the equipment box at the top) and we glued in the overflow chute we made yesterday, into the back of the cabinet.
    Then we ripped up a roll of the glass fibre matting into smaller pieces, ready to be applied inside the filter cabinet. The other flat objects had large strips cut to cover the surface and got them ready too.
    After lunch, we tackled the flat objects first so we can learn the quantity and method of applying the resin and we got the them done quite well.
    Then it was the return channel next, which has a tight three sided interior surfaces to coat and finally we started inside the main cabinet.

    Glass Fibre + Resin Treatment Starts

    Filter-Fibreglassing-Day-1-1

    Glass Fibre + Resin Treatment Starts

    Filter-Fibreglassing-Day-1-2

    Glass Fibre + Resin Treatment Starts

    Filter-Fibreglassing-Day-1-3



    All the finished articles had the excess glass-fibre (sticking out bits) trimmed using a sharp knife around all their edges, and turned over ready for the next layers of the resin plus glass fibre, this time two layers (this side is the interior surface), all this being done tomorrow and Saturday.

  • Second Final Day of Preparation of Filtration Unit

    We started the day off with the task of rubbing all the places where we had put the filler. But we discovered that we needed more wooden triangular battens in various places we missed the first time around.
    But we also prepared the side panel “lid” with two more plastic pipes that got glued through the cement panel, one being the 110mm pipe connection from the garage roof and the second one is the 40mm white pipe that will connect to the underground rainwater storage tank underneath the garage.
    We wanted to get on with doing the fibre-glass coatings but we kept finding other jobs to do like making the real “lids” to the top of the cabinet when it is fully installed in the ground and attached to the end of the swimming lane.
    So by the time we got that done, sanded more edges and then did a major clean up operation to remove all the dust and dirt, it was already near the end of the day again!!
    But we decided to overrun because we needed to make a slim wide slot, using a chunk of polystyrene foam block, to act as a mould to wrap glass-fibre around it and then put the first coat of polyester resin on it and allow to set properly overnight.
    Tomorrow, we WILL get on with the marathon task of putting two layers glass-fibre all over the whole filtration unit, both inside and out, all the lids and other parts .. at long last!!

  • Last of the Preparation Tasks On Rain Filtration Module

    Today, we finished off putting wooden battens, some of them triangular shapes around in various locations, for example, the dirty water filter support rim and the support bar across the top of the module to hold the lid on.
    Then after that lot, we went around with several tubs of plaster filler to fill in gaps, holes and round off corners and edges to aid the laying down of the glass fibre matting, which cannot turn sharp corners very well.
    Finally, we inserted three plastic 110mm drain pipe small segments (two next to each other for the rain water coming off the main house’s roof and the third one being a connection to the soak-away downpipe.

    Last of the Preparation Tasks On Rain Filtration Module

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    Last of the Preparation Tasks On Rain Filtration Module

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    Tomorrow, we will rub down all the surfaces and clean everything and start the process of coating everything with the polyester resin and glass fibre layers, both inside and out.