Cabin Use Update - April 2009

We put the cabin to full use this weekend and there are a few things worth sharing:

• Getting in - it is still necessary to park at the crossroads and haul stuff in
• Furnace - the furnace is not working at all. Eric re-wired the thermostat and replaced the batteries in the thermostat plus reset the furnace based on the instruction on the inside panel...but it just won't do anything at all. We will need to have a technician come look at it when the snow melts a bit.
• Getting & keeping the place warm - even though there was no furnace we were still able to keep the cabin warm. We purchased a space heater and had the other 3 running most of the time. Add the fireplace and we were able to get the cabin to a comfortable 65 degrees (it started at 42 degrees). We also purchased 2 new heating blankets.
• Water - Steph and I arrived on Friday afternoon and cleaned buckets for drinking water and toilet water. Eric arrived on Saturday and by Sunday morning it was so warm we decided to try turning the water main on. We got everything running and even turned on the water heater. However, we discovered a leak in the pipe in the place where the ice maker hose is connected. Eric tried to fix it but was unable to get it to stop spraying or dripping. So we ended up turning off the water main just before we left. It will need to be turned on at the water main...for whoever goes up there next.
• Refrigerator - We made an executive decision this Fall to turn off all electricity to the cabin to save money. However, over time all of us have probably left a few things in the fridge. Since it has warmed up there were things in the freezer that melted and leaked and got moldy. There are also things in the fridge that may not be good anymore either. I decided to leave the power on to the fridge as we were leaving. All other electricity is off. There is a bit of a mess in the freezer that we will need to work on when it is easier to clean things (i.e. we are able to use water in all sinks)