New Roof Washer Filters

After four years of living here, our roof washer filters really needed changing. The roof washers wash all of the water that comes off of the roof when it rains. There are two fiberglass chambers in our front yard that the water flows into. As the chambers fill up with water, debris like leaf parts, bugs, and dirt stay on one side of the filters and the water flows through to the center of the filter, into a pipe and down into the cistern for storage.

I had previously taken the filters out twice, they’re like a cotton material, and washed them. I tried getting new ones last year, and through circumstances didn’t successfully get new ones until this year.

I’m very glad the new filters came with new mesh screens inside and out. The screens give the filters their circular shape. The old screens were rusting out. To install, I simply took off the top caps and threw out the old filters, and inserted the new fluffy white ones.

I’m still waiting to get an invoice for the filters, but I don’t imagine they cost too much.

Elsewhere not much is going on. In the 90 degree heat this past weekend I cut the grass and finally spread a few bags of mulch I had purchased in June; spreading them around some of our smaller younger plants we planted in the meadows. The mulch will help them get some breathing room from encroaching meadow grasses and golden rod.

 

We ordered three new filters for the roof washers. Fortunately they came with new metal wire forms inside and out. The old forms had rusted away quite a bit.

Working on installing the new roof washer filters.

The old filters, over four years old and cleaned twice, desperately needed replacing.

Fluffy new filters installed in the roof washer.

The one smaller roof washer contains only one filter. Here is the filter with it’s fiberglass top cap in place.

Hive No. 1 on a warm August day.

I don’t know what kind of hydrangea this is but it flowered this year. I placed a circle of mulch around its base and stomped down the tall meadow grass around it.

The hazelnut bushes are doing well. I cleared out the weeds around them and laid down some mulch.

 

For a link to one time when I cleaned the roof washers click here.

August 2016 Bee Check

It’s been a busy, exhausting summer for us. Thus not too much desire or time to write on my part. But I will fancy you with an update on our bees, whom we haven’t checked in on in a few weeks.

Both hives are doing surprisingly well. Hive No. 3 is very strong with lots of eggs, larvae, and capped brood. Their honey stores are looking good. There are two boxes above the queen excluder that are filling up with honey, but nothing is capped enough for us to extract so we’re leaving them be.

Hive No. 1 is bouncing back slowly from it’s fight with the mites. It’s a dark vacant feeling hive, but there are enough bees and honey for them to rally in late summer. And there are brood and eggs so there’s still a queen in there. This is the hive that tried to kill us. In a way it’s sad to see them so tame and “knocked down” so to speak. We won’t take any honey from them this year.

Look at all of the capped brood on this frame from hive No. 3. Beautiful.

This summer has been great weather wise. Another sunny day in late August, looking from the driveway.

Examining frames from hive No. 3

Capped brood on hive No. 1

Bees on hive No. 3

Looking into hive No. 1