What a nice man Elmer is. How sweet he is. I had a daddy like that. He always could fix anything. And he made sure it was fixed right. God bless him. My daddy was the best. I miss him.
Sarah. I hope you read this. I'm 72 and very much like your "Elmer". Trust me on this, he is getting MUCH more satisfaction from helping you two, than you are from him. He REALLY is enjoying being needed, and loved!!!
The electrial box you were showing us is a pressure switch for a water well. When the pressure in your system drops it turns on the well and then shuts it off when you get back to full pressure. You also have a solar batter charger for your car. It will work in the accessory outlet if it is not turned off by your key. The first item is a 22 caliber nail driver for fixing a wood plate to concrete.
Re "Elmer" he is living the dream of retired "jack of all trades" guys. Social opportunities are few, especially if one doesn't want to deal with the dating apps, so trading your home repair skills for some conversation, maybe even a shared meal, is a winner.
The Remington is a powder actuated nail gun. Use for driving nails into concrete and steel. Keep it. Super handy if you ever need it. The Malibu transformer is used mostly for landscape lighting. My guess on the Ducati is that it is a gate control, they use to make them but I think they are now part of Liftmaster. The two arms you have are for automatically swinging a gate (Like driveway) or something similar.
Finding someone like Elmer is a real plus, maybe you can find out what he likes for food and cook or bake him some. Some people just like the feeling that comes from helping people to help themselves. Also don't forget that in you and your sisters case that good things happen to good people.
Rap around covered porches/patio will help a lot by keeping the sun off the walls of the house. Maintain a constant temperature in the house, especially with block walls it’s very hard to drop the temp once it’s hot.
That's a great idea. Add misters, a ceiling fan, and sun blocking shades that can be closed when the sun is on that side of the house and you have great outdoor seating plus the sides of house is shaded and cooled.
Here in Alberta, Canada we removed the vinyl siding off the outside of our house. Then covered the house in styrofoam SM, then covered the house with Tyvac house wrap, then put the new vinyl siding on. It has made a big difference in keeping the house cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter.
Hello. I live as close to Death Valley as you, But I am on the West side. Yes, it does get up to 115 several times a year, and over 105 for 50 days in row sometimes. My swamp cooler will drop the temp 28 degrees unless it is humid, which seldom happens. I cannot help but wonder if you have enough outflow for your cooler. If you do not have updraft vents in your ceiling, you have to open windows at least half open in any room you want to have cooled. The secret of a swamp cooler is to provide an air exchange on the order of 4000 cubic feet a minute, and this will not happen if you don't have somewhere for that air to go. Sorry if this is second nature to most of your viewers, but those of you who have these coolers know what I am saying, and people unfamiliar with evaporative coolers will find this new. Thanks for all your clever videos
The solar panel with the cigarette lighter plug is used to keep your car battery topped up when it's parked for long period. Although this will only work, if your car's cigarette lighter gets constant power, when the ignition is off (no key in the ignition).
Not worth anything, I used one on my truck a while back and the battery still went dead after being parked for a month. It might be interesting for someone who will tinker with it and use it as a small power supply for a cell phone charger
Drill 3/4 inch holes in the top cinderblock along the wall then use a 2 part A/B spray rig and pipe to fill all the blocks with spray foam. Then trim and paint it where it comes out the hole you drilled. Next put a roof 2 feet above the one you have. This provides shade and puts an air gap to let the radiant heat from the top roof blow away. Leaving you living in the shade all the time if you build it out far enough on the south side the sun won't even hit the side of the house making it hotter. Little by little the temp will drop and you can cool it down from there. There are lots of tricks to cool it down. Planting fast growing shade trees with a drip water system is even fairly cheap Hope these help.
You can drill into cinder blocks and shoot in foam insulation. It makes a huge difference, I seen it done on existing buildings, and it's a night and day difference.
@@raymondpeters9186 They use a special low expansion foam to do it, and usually have to drill multiple times at different heights to fill any particular cavity.
If your attic is insulated that will help. If you put a roof vent ( fan ) that spins with the breeze , it will vent the heat from the attic, that is a must . If you shield your southern and west facing walls on the days with intense sun , that will make a difference. A friend of mine has a blind that he has along the outside of a window that faces west on his house that he simply lowers on those hot days . for us in Canada , getting up into the mid 90'F is getting hot , we do see high 90'F to low 100'F a few days of the summer in some areas of southern Saskatchewan. The idea to cover from outside if anything , it prevents the sun from hitting directly on the wall. ensuring the walls are insulated can help too. I hope this helps , I realize this video is 6 months ago . good luck that one item with the black plastic cover and the brass back is a preassure switch for a water preassure system that area you are in there reminds me of the badlands or also referred to the Big Muddy in Southern Saskatchewan ( Canada) Believe me we think of warmer places during the winter when our temps are like -40" F , we have very extreme range of weather could get to high 90's or more during summer and -40"F or colder during winter take care
You need shade . I was raised in a cement block house and we had very large trees that helped summer heat at bay . Since you don't have trees , then the cheapest (at least short term) solution would be to add "Shade Cloth" awnings . The DO work . That first tool is a stud driver for installing fasteners into concrete .
The black electrical thing withe the pipe fitting on the bottom is likely a pressure switch, maybe for an air compressor or an old pressurized we’ll tank, the transformer is a low voltage transformer for landscaping lighting with a on of timer, the motor and long housings are probably electric gate openers , I wonder if the Ducati box is somehow relevant to those with it being like the control for a garage door opener but for he electric gate motors?
I am in a “dismal” town not far away. I typically keep my house 30 degrees cooler in summer with a very large evaporative cooler and “Up-Dux” vents in every room, which channel the cool air from the evaporative cooler into the attic, which helps immensely. Keep the windows closed with Up-Dux. Exterior rigid insulation is the way to go with block wall. The thing with the handle is powder actuated nail gun used to drive nails into concrete. The black box is a pressure switch probably for a well pump or air compressor. The thing with the lighter plug is a solar charger for your car. The two long things are linear actuators, probably used to position an old school satellite dish. You are on your own with the Ducati thing.
My guess is that the "Ducatti" box and the last two things are part of an automatic/remote gate opener. The Ducatti box is the control unit, and those two other ones are the motor arms for opening/closing the gate doors.
A few things to consider: There will be little to no gain trying to insulate the inside of the concrete blocks as the heat transfer through the blocks will still penetrate through the wall. Styrofoam on the outside of the walls would work well on wood framed houses (because you can screw the Styrofoam to the wood) but will be very difficult to connect to your block wall. Any type of construction mastic (adhesive) on blocks will not last because the outside of concrete always decomposes slowly - and the heat and cold extremes will accelerate this. If that was my house, I would build a porch shade cover on the three walls that get the most sun. Plywood on 4X4 posts with asphalt shingle roofing would last quite a while. The cover could extend eight feet from the house, would look beautiful and make the house look bigger. If the sun doesn't hit the wall, the wall will be a lot cooler. It would be awesome to be able to sit in the shade on hot days or under cover on rainy days and enjoy the beautiful scenery. In the desert, shade is king! ... and it wouldn't be any more expensive than insulating the walls, installing Styrofoam and stucco and adding window shades. We love your videos and watch them all the time.
Paint your tile roof with a white sun reflecting paint, attic fan, new attic insulation, new windows and doors that seal tighly and build a ground based solar array to help power your AC's.
Mystery item #1 is a hammer nailer, used to driving special nails into concrete or cinderblock. It's powered by .22 caliber blank and triggered by hitting the end of the handle with a hammer. Could prove useful, especially if you need to attach things to your c-block walls. Unless it is damaged, it's a keeper.
Insulation should go on outside. Even if you fill inside cinderblock, it will continue to act as a thermal mass, retaining a lot of heat. Forget fibreglass insulation. It won't help much out there. Research straw bale insulation on the outside. You use wood bats and stucco on the outside and get hellacious R-Value. You can leave your windows or reframe and set windows flush with new exterior. It's high value, but low tech, and will get you probably the best R-Value/$ spent. And, you can do the bulk of the work yourself with a little guidance, which will save you a large amount of $$.
Have you thought about hanging shades on the two sides of the house that take the most abuse from the sun? A temporary but much easier solution while you figure out what route you want to take regarding insulation. They're lightweight, and you can even attach some kind of reflective material to the outside (first thing that comes to mind is emergency blankets, those thin mylar-type things). My bedroom gets COOKED all summer and just putting up a reflective shade to block out the window helped immensely.
Coolaroo screen shades on the outside of the windows can keep the heat out before it even enters the inside of the glass. And you can still see out when inside shades are up. 5 to 10 % openness. I worked with window treatments for 30 years.
We're in the Valley of the Sun, (Phx) and my daughter just replaced sun facing windows in her home with double paned insulated windows that have made a, seriously, huge difference inside. Before replacing them in the living room, the sun would actually bleach anything that we put in the room, sofa fabric, curtains, wood stain, carpets, etc, and it was unbearably warm all the time. With the new windows the heat is way down and we can even watch movies since the glare is gone.
That's the reason ranch houses have large porches on two or three sides of the house, the sun is the biggest problem. Besides adding roof vents, using the ceiling access panel to exhaust the swamp cooler helps cool the roof. Some even add awnings, solar panels and such to block the sun from the roof. Long a desert dweller thing, now many call it building an earthship. Visit as many neighbors as you can to see what their doing and perhaps even blog it. Also, treat your water well with loving care and know it capacity. You have not really lived in the desert till you have had to haul your water home. I hauled water to my place, 15 miles outside of Casper, for ten years, a not uncommon desert life thing. About the most you can haul with a pickup or suv is 200-300 hundred gallons per trip. Summer aside, the next thing will be how much heat energy you will need in the winter and how to manage that.
Awnings and really good windows will get you you alot of bang for your buck and an attic fan will be really help. You are spot on about insulation on the outside. We had a 1921 4 square or prairie home and we had to add insulation in the walls by drilling holes between each stud and pumping it in with rental equipment. That really helped. You could drill the block and use one for the expansive foam products. Item# is used to fire nails into concrete with a 22caliber bullet, very useful for framers. Item# 2 is a solar battery tender. Item# 3 is a fuse box. Item# looks like lift actuators. Listen and learn from your older friend. You get to a point in your life when everyone your age are gone and most younger people are not willing or motivated to learn the skills you have. Thank you for another great video. I love coming along on your journey. Safe travels.
Just to add at being 56 I enjoy helping, showing, teaching whatever needed to pass on knowledge to help others to become more self sufficient. Just as long as it's not writing or sentence structure. Thank you for the great content.
@@jimmerrell1688 Jim, that's probably a generalization, don't let that opinion keep you from trying. I have been a receiver and a giver, what I did with it has benefited me, what others do with it is on them.
#1 concrete nail gun, put .22 blank in it, hit it with hammer and drives nail through wood into concrete #2 solar battery charger. plug into cig. lighter in car to maintain the battery. or just a small 12v. solar panel. #3 It's what control's your well pump pressure. It turns on the well when pressure gets low and turns it back off when the pressure gets to the dessired pressure. #4 Transformer/timer for those small yard lights people have around their gardens. Works basically same way as a timer you plug into outlet to control lights in your house. Instead this timer puts out 12 volts instead of the 120 volts. #5 gate opener controller #6 the motors that would actually open and close the gates.
The first device is a Ramset power nailer, it hold a a 22 blank and is used to drive the nail in concrete. Then you have a 12volt solar charger and then my wife calls me and says get off the computer. ok, back the Malibu transformer is for low voltage yard lights and/or a sprinkler system and some what looks like junk parts for and old powered gate opener.
The last 2 items are linear actuators typically for opening and closing main gates to your fenced yard. You can use wireless controls to operate inside your car.
looks like the white box is the motor controller for the linear actuators as stated above. The small black box looks like a key switch for mounting outside of the gate to actuate opening the gates. The small white round things are cable supports for putting the motor cables into that white box.
We live in a 1939 frame house in Central TX. We insulated with foam panels on the outside then covered in new hardiboard sheets (looks like lumber). Exterior insulation is frequently done here. The foam panels come in a variety of R values. We did add insulation to the attic and changed out all the windows for double-pane. Sort of a cumulative approach.
One cheap and easy method to reduce the inside heat would be to paint the outside with reflective white paint. More of the suns energy would be reflected away from the house. Someone told me about this method so it might work. I enjoy watching all your videos and thank you for the effort.
I was stationed at a US Air Force Base, located in the Mojave Desert, in the 1980's where they refurbished several WWII era buildings and hangars exactly as you described. The contractors attached foam panels of various thicknesses to the exterior then coated with pre-colored acrylic stucco, the results looked great. Using this method you could add thicker insulation to your southern exposure, then work your way around the rest of the house one wall at a time. A big thumbs us for the attic ventilator fan, set it up to draw in air form the north and vent to the south.
The Remington is a Ram-set, it shoots nails into concrete. The orange thing is a solar battery charger, you plug it into the car’s cigarette lighter and put the panel in the sun. The next thing is a pressure switch for the compressor. Malibu timer is for low voltage garden and pathway lights.
Yes! Good identification of all that stuff! I would get rid of all of it... except for maybe the solar panel (the orange and black thing), although it is pretty weak and won't provide a heck of a lot of power. It's basically chinese junk
Mystery box after orange solar car maintainer goes on an air compressor. Hose fitting senses air pressure and switch inside shuts electrical power off to motor when tank is full. Likely faulty and should be tossed. Past video's question about keeping hammer drills. They are used to drill into concrete with a special bit for fasteners, like to hold insulation on your exterior. Keep em ! Enjoying your DIY renovations, Very impressed
I am glad I LIKED and Subscribed on all your media platforms long ago. So photogenic and love life from your views. You are appreciated. Mom passed away watched you lots, she was a shut in due to health and then pandemic. Thank you ❤️
I've used styrofoam panels that are screwed on the outside. We then put up siding panels and it made a world of difference. Attic fans are also great. I live in SE Arizona.
Putting the foam insulation on the outside is done up here in Canada. It's an option if you don't want to lose interior space. It's not hard to do. It's the finishing details that are important.
The ideal option would be to have an appropriate contractor drill and fill all the block cavities, THEN applying a layer of closed cell foam panels on the outside. Also, having somebody come in and spray the attic with closed cell foam would also help greatly. Finally, if Sarah still isn't broke, replacing all the windows with Triple pane glass..
Window shades or canopy helped us in Phoenix. The fans for the attic does help. You can put another layer of the dry wall. Spraying the walls of the attic as well. Trees for shade helps too. Thank you.
Hi Sarah, as lots of others have said, shade cloth awnings on the western side of house, then go the whole hog with insulation foam on outside walls with imitation brick sheeting stuck on,then double glaze windows, just a suggestion from experience living in outback oz where summer average temp on a cool day is 41 degrees celcious about 110 f and keep your swampy serviced cheers have fun from downunder
I live in Phoenix and a neighbor of mine insulated the outside brick walls with foam panels held on with chicken wire which he stuccoed over. I remember it didn’t take him that long. You may also be able to have foam injected into your block walls. In Phoenix we have energy audit companies that will inspect your house and recommend what improvements you should do. If possible I’d try to have professional energy audit performed.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of heat transmitted thru the blocks, so filling the blocks is not very effective. Better to go with the external insulation IMHO.
Guys like you are talking about are just wonderful to know. Not only can they fix things for you they can show you how to do it yourself. Just jewels to have as friends.
I live in the SoCal desert and added a solar powered attic fan to my house. Since it is solar powered it doesn't cost me anything to run and it does a good, not great, job of removing heat from the attic which does, theoretically, lower my power bill.
A swamp cooler ain't gonna do much when the outside temps are 110 to 120* I live nearby. She's not going to keep the house cool without spending some money. Insulation, plus A/C and megawatts! My house is comfy but it ain't cheap. $600+ per month and I pay about half per kilowatt hour. Buy a house in California and pay.
there's nothing more satisfying than feeling that someone needs/appreciates you and, in return, beig in a position to help and leave something in a better situation than you first encountered it.
The first thing is a ram set it shoots nails into concrete yes keep it, the second is a solar battery charger for your car the 3rd is a pump pressure switch for turning on and off a pump. Transformer for outside lighting low voltage. The other is a timer for a sprinkler system.
@@johnclark6571 It is powder cartridge powered (looks like a 22 long rifle cartridge, but a blank, no bullet) that shoots a special concrete nail into a slab. It is indeed set off by hitting it with a hammer.
The attic fan will help. Shading the walls that get the direct sun the most will also help. Depending on where your house is (Nevada or CA) and when it was built the voids may or may not be filled.
Insulating the exterior is much more efficient. Having insulation on the outside leaves the concrete block on the inside which becomes what is known as thermal mass. It is the same concept as being in a cave where once you reach a certain depth the temperature remains constant. The more mass (usually concrete in some form) the more consistent the temperature will remain. This is the main concept for passive solar houses. Other concepts such as shading windows in the summer and depending on your orientation maybe have less shading in the winter can also be important.
The orange rimmed gizmo is a solar collector for your vehicle. Just plug it into your cigar lighter & point the panel to toward our star. It provides a stream of electrons to your battery when the sun is blazing. I have the exact model & it's always plugged in my F-350 turbo diesel plow truck's lighter socket, all year long [I live on the MA / NH border in New England.] First, take some steel wool to the plug to clean it up before using it. You are such a lovely, sweet lady Sarah, I'm not surprised you have so many guys wanting to help do / teach you stuff. Knowing you must constantly emote Karen Carpenter's song - "Close to You." 😘
For a gal who supposedly knows nothing about construction, I think you’re spot on about doing the insulation on the outside. Stopping the heat from reaching the CMUs is going to have a greater effect on reducing your cooling bill than insulating on the inside. Other downsides are the reduction in square footage as you noted, the cost of drywall and 2x4 or 2x6 studs and extending all of you outlet wiring. For Exterior insulation
Awesome video. #1 is a concrete nail shooter, i.e. it shoots special nails into concrete. #2 is a solar car battery charger. #3 is a pressure switch, either of an air compressor or water pump. #4 is a timer for low voltage lights used for landscaping, you wire the low voltage lights to the three copper terminals in the back. #5 Not sure, I need more details. #6 Not 100% sure but they look like electric gate openers, they are used on swing driveway doors. Hope this helps. Love all your videos, you are amazing!
Bruce One of the items in your shed is a Malibu transformer for 12 volt lights. I have used these for years for outside lighting of our home. Cheap to run and can be set to turn on and off automatically with the timer at the top of the box. You will find all the parts you would need at Home Depot for a good set up. Hope this helps. Love B
I have the low voltage lights around my whole yard. They are only 2 wired cables they come in 12,14 and 16 gauge and the timer controls the on and off times. Love having them when I let my dog out at night!
Sarah, you are doing a great job in listening to others opinions and questioning the validity of what they say based on your own thinking. It is a very important skill that needs to be used more often.
The last two things are linear motors used for hospital beds and anything that requires a none hydraulic ram. Basically it’s a motor that converts rotary motion into linear motion. Hope this helps.
Our house in Lake Havasu City has Styrofoam panels with wire and stucco over it. This has been the best insulated home I have ever owned. You can put Styrofoam pop outs around the windows and make your exterior look great. I cook at home a lot and use a Induction range it cuts down on residual heat you get from standard electric ranges. Induction ranges are expensive, however you can get an induction hot plate on Amazon and try it out. Our weather here is similar to yours and there is a lot of building going on. Take a day trip and see what the contractors are doing. As a full time desert dweller we learn to adapt to our surroundings.
First is a gun to shoot studs into cement. second is a solar panel, 3rd is a pressure switch (keep) 3rd is a transformer and timer for low voltage landscaping lights.
Hello, the mystery items are, the remington thing is to shoot nails into concrete. It uses .22 cal. cartridges. The Malibu box is for low voltage lighting for sidewalk lighting etc. they have been replaced by solar lights, The orange thing is to keep yor car battery charged if you park it for a long time. The tan thing with a key is used to spray bug spray or air freshener in short timed bursts, like in a bathroom. They use them in restaurants and casinos etc. The two long things look like leveling stands for a camper. Hope that helps! Zogley
1. ram set nails into concrete uses .22 shells 2. solar 12v battery maintainer for dash 3. control box for air compressor 4. Malibu light power supply- add wire and lights for swank 5. automatic gate controller 6. linear actuators to open a gate perhaps
The orange Remington item is a nail gun. It takes special nails and fires .22 blanks. It's a single shot. Good for firing nails into concrete. Handy tool for installing 2x4's. It's a keeper.
Hey Sarah, we lived in Phoenix for 30 years we applied a radiant barrier to the walls and the roof ,it looks like the window shades you put in your car ,it really works look it up,good luck with your projects.
It's a great idea except that it's a tile roof and you're going to have to be very careful with it. And as far as maintanence of the panels is concerned, like cleaning and such, again you are going to have to know how to walk on those tiles without breaking them. If you were going to put panels up I would put them up on a ground stand. Then just install a vent blower in the attic and maybe another layer of insulation. You can also blow in mylar strips.
@@mobiltec My neighborhood in LV, NV is all high profile Spanish tile and 50% already have standard professionally installed panels. However, I agree that a ground level installation would be far easier to install and maintain, since she obviously has the space and yes, I forgot about all the dust where she is.
We put giant sun canopy over our grandparents mobile home in Arizona. Used in summer, removed in winter. Worked great. Extremely cost effective, no permanent building was required.
Yes, outside! Cover the entire exterior with 2" foam panels. Stucco over it. "AIFS" Architectural Insulating Foam Stucco. Very effective. Very common in Florida.
Good afternoon from Virginia! I wanted to help with some of the items you held up and wanted help to identify. 1) The Remington Tool is a nail driver. It takes a 22 cal cartridge and you hit the large end with a hammer to fire it. I've always used them to drive nails or fittings into concrete or block. 2) Its a solar battery "top off" charger. 3) It looks like a pressure switch for a water pump from a well. 4) it looks like a timer. Since it says something about swimming pools, its probably for the pool pump and filter. Hope that helps. Love the videos!
Great to see that Elmer is a nice man! You are so lucky to have met him and he is probably so happy to be helpful.. Cheers to him and you! Best wishes for a great life in the new home! Stay safe and awesome! Looking forward to the new vlog. Best wishes! 😀🧧🤙
Perhaps others have suggested shade cloth walls a meter or so from your heat facing walls to reduce the amount of sun that gets to create thermal mass. Shade screens over windows to keep heat out. Here in Oz hotter areas build wide verandahs to keep sun off walls. Long term think solar panels and storage battery to power air conditioners and reduce your power bills. Here in Oz we have feed back tarriffs where your solar panels feed back to the grid to reduce your bill. Love your vids Sarah, take care.
The wrap-around porch patio mentioned below is a very good idea too. In fact installing the windows in an existing wall then installing the wrap-around patio is very good idea.
Absolutely a whole house fan will make a huge difference in the evenings and nights. You really want to get the super heated air out of your attic so the house can cool off at night.
1- Remington powder actuated nail gun, uses a special .22 caliber blank to shoot a nail into masonry or concrete(sometimes steel) to fasten wood or brackets. 2- A solar battery maintainer that plugs into a cigarette lighter or service port. 3- A pressure switch used for either an air compressor and/or water pump pressure tank. 4- Intermatic low voltage transformer/timer for landscape lighting. 5- Ducati electric gate swing operator with transformer, bell and safety light. Used to operate #6. 6- Screw drive operators (rams)used to open and close automatic gates, doors and fences. Same ones used at Elvis Presley’s Graceland front driveway gate. Save those, the kit is about $500 new.
Old insulation " batts in the attic" are close to useless. Add blown-in cellulose. Adding a fan is a good idea, but costly, Routing the wiring, cutting the hole etc., so save that as a last resort. Insulating the exterior walls is not simple, but I would look into drilling holes and pumping expanding foam into the walls as the least complicated method. I noticed another comment recommending the same. Thanks for the vids from an old guy with decades of experience remodeling and solving old house issues. Best of luck.
1st item is something I bought 40 years ago. Threw it out 20 years ago. It uses .22 caliber blanks to shoot nails into concrete when you hit the end with a hammer. It's very inconsistent in how well it works. Now days, I use Tapcon screws and a hammer drill to attach things to masonry; much better. Your cement block house is a liability now because it takes up heat all day and radiates it into the interior all night. If it was mine, I'd put 3 inch thick foam on the outside using mastic glue and Tapcons, then either stucco or plywood siding over that. Stucco will last longer than plywood. Doing this will turn that cement block liability into an asset as it's now protected from the heat by the foam on the outside. So, it won't absorb so much heat, and if you cool it from the inside it can absorb heat from the house. An attic fan will help. If your tile roof and attic is 140 degrees that heat will radiate down into the house. A white roof and maximum attic insulation will help. Foamboard types can be expanded styrofoam (little beads pressed together), extruded styrofoam (monolithic), urethane (non-combustable), and polyiso. They all work about the same. Where I live there are people who sell factory second foamboard via online classified ads that's much cheaper the 1st quality and works the same. If it was my house I'd punch holes in the walls for the coolers so they don't occupy a window. I have a roof mounted swamp cooler now and when it dies, I'll punch a hole in wall. I hate going on the roof to service it. Also, you can get cooler air by putting in a double thickness of pads and a second water pump and distribution tubes. More water on the pads makes for more potential cooling.
While Elmer is available have him check out your electric water heater. As much scale as you had on the pipes outdoors the hot water tank may need flushing. Also check the temperature setting. I flush mine every year and this helps improve the efficiency saving electricity.
Back in the 80's I use to retrofit houses with weather solutions for both cold and hot. Here are some suggestions. The attic fan will help. Open your windows at night and turn the fan on to remove the hot air. Close the windows an have heavy curtains over them. The best thing to do is install a quality window film. In the attic, install what is called Radiant barrier. You can order rolls of it online. Since you are in a hot region, you will apply it to the bottom of the trusses along the roof line. It is craft paper (what is used on batt insulation) that has a aluminum layer sprayed on both sides. There is three kinds of heat. Convection is the hot air. Radiant is the what the sun sends through your roof to heat up the attic and house (or cooks you food in reflective camping stoves). There is conductive which is what the materials transfer heat (i.e. the cinder block walls and roof trusses). The radiant barrier will stop the sun's affect on the house. For the cinder block walls, yes, applying foam panels to a house before putting siding or stucco on is a mainstream building practice here in the US for the past two decades. You can get the panels at Home Depot, remove the current stucco and attach the panels with contractors cement. You can look for panels that have the reflective coating on it that acts like radiant barrier and solve both radiant and convection with one application. For winter, wrap the house in Tyvek. It will keep the air from entering your home through any small cracks. Then put the stucco back on or go with a cement board siding so you will never have to touch it again except for painting. You will need to add some wood strips to nail the cement board . Lastly, look into a heat pump. The air might be 100+ deg, but 6 feet or so below the surface is in the 50s. I hope this helps. Nathan
You can easily blow rock wool insulation in the attic and gain some good R value. You could also add fiberglass batts in the attic. In cold parts of the Idaho insulated stucco is very common. I see many houses being built right now that use it. I would add the outside insulation stucco to your house. A good insulation board with a foil reflector would gain you a lot of R value.
I helped wrap the outside of a house with insulation board with the foil reflector. We used scrap 1"x3" or 1x4 wood strips attached vertically every 2' or so to secure the panels, and composite siding was put over that.. We used a nail gun attaching the wood strips directly onto the wood sheathing. I don't know the best way to anchor the insulation board onto the concrete wall. I would not rely on an adhesive alone though. We used foil tape to seal the seams vertically in between foam panels, and we attached composite siding on top of that. A cheap way to lessen the heat would be to paint the south side white to reflect heat. What about using papercrete which is like stucco? Ask the handyman about making your own whitewash(?) paint.
I wouldn't bother with Rockwool - get somebody who can spray closed cell foam to do the attic, AND drill and fill the walls. The downside is cost. It can easily run her 20 grand or more to do...
Item#1 Remington power driver, uses like 22 caliber blanks to drive Remington specific nails and studs into wood concrete and sometimes iron. Commonly sold at hardware store. Item#2 Solar battery charger/maintainer , very little output but will maintain a batteries charge on a vehicle that's left sitting for long periods. Item#3 Old water well pressure switch. Could be good or bad ? Item#4 Appears to be an timer and power supply for low voltage yard lights. On the back side you screw the wire to it. Item#5 Appears to be a sprinkler system box. Item#6 Maybe old truck camper jacks to help lift camper off truck. Just a guess.
One of the things that was done on old Adobe structures was to have the roof overhang the wall by a relatively large margin. The primary reason for that was to try to better protect the Adobe bricks from the rain. But it also limited the amount of sun hitting the walls directly and thus helped keep the building cool.
I was a brick mason for 25 years. I live in Jacksonville Florida right now and if you don't have any shade then you will have the morning sun until you bake in the afternoon. You need a billboard erected next to your house for that evening sun. Also have your roof painted white for the reflection. I have a solar attic fan.
Plant trees to shade the house from the sun. Mulberry has incredible heat resistance, and you can attract wildlife by planting fruiting mulberries. Or go with native trees such as mesquite.
Plant some Desert Willows around the house on the sunny sides. These trees are native to the Mojave Desert, require very little water and are deciduous. That means they have leaves in the summer to shade the house and then loose the leaves in winter, the sun warms the house. Some varieties have very pretty flowers, others have ones that just OK. A good choice for your location... Trust me on this, I did plant studies in the East Mojave a few years ago....
Trees near a house IMO will spell disaster eventually. It's just a matter of time as to when they will collapse. And hopefully when they do, they won't destroy the house on the way down.
When I lived in Arizona, we put a canopy over the whole house. Basically a roof over the roof, mounted on poles. Not a tarp mind you, but trusses and shingles. Cool as a cucumber.
Thanks for sharing this Wonderhussy. Though I watch and give a thumbs-up, I seldom comment. Thank you for reminding us there really are some good people out there.👏🥰
A thermal management techniques I have heard of that work well are: 1) and insulation to the outside of the block walls because they act as a thermal mass that transfers heat into the house even after the sun goes down. 2) about 6 inches from the existing walls add a shade wall with the bottom about 6 inches above the ground and a louvered vent at the top of the shade wall. This will keep most of the heat off the building with a chimney effect of cool air between the house and the shade wall.
I think it's very appropriate that you called him "Elmer." I used to have a ham radio license, and in the amateur radio world, hams that would mentor newer licensees were called "Elmers".
It's probably all outdated and if it were me I would just throw it all away because if you ever need it you're probably going to buy new,,, Breeze from New Mexico
@@RobertSmith-tq6mf Did I miss something. A Vibraplex is a keyer for sending Morse Code I think it could be worth some money to a collector if is. Your dad would have known code for sure. Are you a Ham just wondering cuz a lot of kids take it up from their parents. I am a General Class trying to study for Extra. No more Morse Code requirements but I learned it for my General because it was a requirement at the time. 73
1 remmington single shot rim fire nail gun for concrete penetration 2 don't know 3 shut off switch control for water pump or air compressor 4timer like for lights to tie into 5 Ducati is a gate control for opening gates solar power ,6 don't know hope that helps . On your insulation yes good size job , adding to outside you will have lots of issues with surfaces matching up correctly . Inside easier but does eat up space . You can drill access holes in block and prob to see if empty then fill with insulation ( contract) . Hope that helps Sarah . I'm an electrician
Rip 2x lumber to 2" wide. Install vertically 2' on center(adhesive & cement nail) fill cavity between studs with 2" polyiso board(available in HD) ripped to width. Attach sheathing of choice to vertical studs. Sarah can do this all herself, admittedly it won't be cheap, quick, or simple.
You are a smart cookie. I think you are on the right track regarding insulation (outside). I say you are smart because (among other things) you recognize your CMU's are 'mass'. The sun heats them during the day and then continues to keep the house warm at night. Being hollow actually helps you as air is really the 'insulation' in insulation. One other thing to consider in insulation is a moisture barrier to prevent moisture accumulating in your insulation that could freeze and crack in the winter. I also can guess what most of those things were but I have already probably gone too long. You are a treasure (with your projects) to old guys like me and Elmer. We love being relevant (in our minds at least).
Hey Sara...down here in Aus they used to build high roofs and porches all around the side with at least 5ft overhang...theory was heat rises and the higher the ceiling the cooler down the bottom and the overhang was to keep the sun from hitting the rock or brick sides thus stopping it from heating up..they often had blinds on the sunny sides too...
Take your "old friends" advice about the attic exhaust fan! costs very little and helps a lot. If your room is 100 degrees, your attic is at least 130!! First thing is a nailset gun for nails into concrete, don't know, d k , Ducati looks like a watering system controller. Cinder blocks are usually set up for walls without the owner knowing there is no insulation. Then , after the first year of HEAT, a different contractor will bid on blowing insulation into all the hollow portions of the block ( through holes drilled in the walls)!!! Welcome to your favorite desert!!!
Item 3 is a pressure switch off of an air compressor. When the tank gets to a preset pressure it turns off the compressor and when pressure drops it turns it back on
Item 4 is a Malibu low voltage light timer and transformer. Turns 110 volt ac current to low voltage dc current. It’s for the lights that people put to illuminate a pathway. The timer turns them on and off for whenever you set them to.
Item 1 is a "ramset". It takes a .22 caliber blank to shoot a concrete nail. You load it, place it where you want the nail, pushing down to activate the safety interlock, and fire it by holding it very firmly and firmly banging the top with a hammer. the solar panel is used to trickle charge a car battery via the cigarette lighter socket. Panel can be used for other purposes, where 12V, 5 watt max will dp. The two long items you noted as having a hole at the end, appear to be some sort of actuator, a screw type. There should be a helical screw type rod on the inside going the length of the items, if that is correct. On the swamp cooler / AC issue: Keep the swamp cooler. Have small opening in windows of side rooms, have the main pathway of air going to the far ends of the house, but small openings only. Also, creating shade with an air gap between shade and house will help immensely. I'd consider having a large tent like awning over the house during the summer. Avoid AC. It may be necessary for certain hours during the summer. Confine AC to certain areas where you will be during heat of day, during siesta.
Those long things are automatic gate openers, worth about $600.00 each if they work, and the transformer is for low voltage lighting. Love you channel.
Hello Wonderhussy great video again sweetie 😉 those 2 equal aluminum rods with black ends and wire are high low motors for a bed for sick people 😉 have a nice evening and a good night and stay safe love and kiss from the Netherlands Chiel ☕😍😘😘😘
Be sure to give two thumbs up to Elmer for me. People like him are few and far between. We need more like him.
What a nice man Elmer is. How sweet he is. I had a daddy like that. He always could fix anything. And he made sure it was fixed right. God bless him. My daddy was the best. I miss him.
I'm retired and old but if I had the skill set to hang around Wonderhussy and help her out I would be a happy camper .
Sarah. I hope you read this. I'm 72 and very much like your "Elmer". Trust me on this, he is getting MUCH more satisfaction from helping you two, than you are from him. He REALLY is enjoying being needed, and loved!!!
The electrial box you were showing us is a pressure switch for a water well. When the pressure in your system drops it turns on the well and then shuts it off when you get back to full pressure. You also have a solar batter charger for your car. It will work in the accessory outlet if it is not turned off by your key. The first item is a 22 caliber nail driver for fixing a wood plate to concrete.
Re "Elmer" he is living the dream of retired "jack of all trades" guys. Social opportunities are few, especially if one doesn't want to deal with the dating apps, so trading your home repair skills for some conversation, maybe even a shared meal, is a winner.
The Remington is a powder actuated nail gun. Use for driving nails into concrete and steel. Keep it. Super handy if you ever need it.
The Malibu transformer is used mostly for landscape lighting.
My guess on the Ducati is that it is a gate control, they use to make them but I think they are now part of Liftmaster. The two arms you have are for automatically swinging a gate (Like driveway) or something similar.
A good idea when coupled with vegetation to absorb the sun rays and ground reflection.
The item at 10:12 appears to be a pressure switch for an air compressor.
What JR said. 👍🏻
Or for the well
@@machinist7230 thats a water pump pressure switch
Finding someone like Elmer is a real plus, maybe you can find out what he likes for food and cook or bake him some. Some people just like the feeling that comes from helping people to help themselves. Also don't forget that in you and your sisters case that good things happen to good people.
Rap around covered porches/patio will help a lot by keeping the sun off the walls of the house. Maintain a constant temperature in the house, especially with block walls it’s very hard to drop the temp once it’s hot.
She went to a rock house that was still cool.
I just went to a motel during July, August and part of September. Hell with an A/C vs. just hell where I live. 125°.
finding a way to add shade will help a lot. Just think how much cooler it is to camp under some trees or in the open.
Your idea of the Wrap-Around Porch is by far her best bet. I keep thinking they are called Sun-Rooms. Either way that's the best way to my knowledge.
That's a great idea. Add misters, a ceiling fan, and sun blocking shades that can be closed when the sun is on that side of the house and you have great outdoor seating plus the sides of house is shaded and cooled.
Here in Alberta, Canada we removed the vinyl siding off the outside of our house. Then covered the house in styrofoam SM, then covered the house with Tyvac house wrap, then put the new vinyl siding on. It has made a big difference in keeping the house cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter.
Never heard of this but sounds FASCINATING dahling. And effective.
Hello. I live as close to Death Valley as you, But I am on the West side. Yes, it does get up to 115 several times a year, and over 105 for 50 days in row sometimes. My swamp cooler will drop the temp 28 degrees unless it is humid, which seldom happens. I cannot help but wonder if you have enough outflow for your cooler. If you do not have updraft vents in your ceiling, you have to open windows at least half open in any room you want to have cooled. The secret of a swamp cooler is to provide an air exchange on the order of 4000 cubic feet a minute, and this will not happen if you don't have somewhere for that air to go. Sorry if this is second nature to most of your viewers, but those of you who have these coolers know what I am saying, and people unfamiliar with evaporative
coolers will find this new. Thanks for all your clever videos
Grow creeping ivy on the walls. You will have relief of -15 degrees F in the summer. Plant them NOW and at least 300 plants around the home!
The solar panel with the cigarette lighter plug is used to keep your car battery topped up when it's parked for long period. Although this will only work, if your car's cigarette lighter gets constant power, when the ignition is off (no key in the ignition).
Yes a trickle charger. Don’t throw it away you can use it Sarah
As far as I know the 12 volt plugs in Toyotas shut off with the key. I added a separate plug straight from the battery for charging phones and such.
I use a 7A Harbor Freight Solar charge regulator hooked up to a 7W solar panel directly to the car battery for a trickle charge.
Not worth anything, I used one on my truck a while back and the battery still went dead after being parked for a month. It might be interesting for someone who will tinker with it and use it as a small power supply for a cell phone charger
@@timothyearp631 Our experience too; if it worked long term it would be great, but they don't seem to last.
Drill 3/4 inch holes in the top cinderblock along the wall then use a 2 part A/B spray rig and pipe to fill all the blocks with spray foam. Then trim and paint it where it comes out the hole you drilled. Next put a roof 2 feet above the one you have. This provides shade and puts an air gap to let the radiant heat from the top roof blow away. Leaving you living in the shade all the time if you build it out far enough on the south side the sun won't even hit the side of the house making it hotter. Little by little the temp will drop and you can cool it down from there. There are lots of tricks to cool it down. Planting fast growing shade trees with a drip water system is even fairly cheap Hope these help.
You can drill into cinder blocks and shoot in foam insulation. It makes a huge difference, I seen it done on existing buildings, and it's a night and day difference.
You will notice the cooler difference with the foam
Drilling into the block is a bad idea if the foam expands too much it will Crack the block old block is very brittle
@@raymondpeters9186 They use a special low expansion foam to do it, and usually have to drill multiple times at different heights to fill any particular cavity.
If your attic is insulated that will help. If you put a roof vent ( fan ) that spins with the breeze , it will vent the heat from the attic, that is a must . If you shield your southern and west facing walls on the days with intense sun , that will make a difference. A friend of mine has a blind that he has along the outside of a window that faces west on his house that he simply lowers on those hot days .
for us in Canada , getting up into the mid 90'F is getting hot , we do see high 90'F to low 100'F a few days of the summer in some areas of southern Saskatchewan. The idea to cover from outside if anything , it prevents the sun from hitting directly on the wall. ensuring the walls are insulated can help too.
I hope this helps , I realize this video is 6 months ago . good luck
that one item with the black plastic cover and the brass back is a preassure switch for a water preassure system
that area you are in there reminds me of the badlands or also referred to the Big Muddy in Southern Saskatchewan ( Canada)
Believe me we think of warmer places during the winter when our temps are like -40" F , we have very extreme range of weather could get to high 90's or more during summer and -40"F or colder during winter
take care
You need shade . I was raised in a cement block house and we had very large trees that helped summer heat at bay . Since you don't have trees , then the cheapest (at least short term) solution would be to add "Shade Cloth" awnings . The DO work .
That first tool is a stud driver for installing fasteners into concrete .
The black electrical thing withe the pipe fitting on the bottom is likely a pressure switch, maybe for an air compressor or an old pressurized we’ll tank, the transformer is a low voltage transformer for landscaping lighting with a on of timer, the motor and long housings are probably electric gate openers , I wonder if the Ducati box is somehow relevant to those with it being like the control for a garage door opener but for he electric gate motors?
I am in a “dismal” town not far away. I typically keep my house 30 degrees cooler in summer with a very large evaporative cooler and “Up-Dux” vents in every room, which channel the cool air from the evaporative cooler into the attic, which helps immensely. Keep the windows closed with Up-Dux. Exterior rigid insulation is the way to go with block wall. The thing with the handle is powder actuated nail gun used to drive nails into concrete. The black box is a pressure switch probably for a well pump or air compressor. The thing with the lighter plug is a solar charger for your car. The two long things are linear actuators, probably used to position an old school satellite dish. You are on your own with the Ducati thing.
Elmer, what a true blessing, a man who wants to teach you how to fix things. Your sister must be in DIY heaven!
Elmer sounds like an angel. Hope you bless him. Enjoy your vids!! Thank you for all the work and sharing your life.
My guess is that the "Ducatti" box and the last two things are part of an automatic/remote gate opener. The Ducatti box is the control unit, and those two other ones are the motor arms for opening/closing the gate doors.
My super handy husband thinks this, too!
A few things to consider:
There will be little to no gain trying to insulate the inside of the concrete blocks as the heat transfer through the blocks will still penetrate through the wall. Styrofoam on the outside of the walls would work well on wood framed houses (because you can screw the Styrofoam to the wood) but will be very difficult to connect to your block wall. Any type of construction mastic (adhesive) on blocks will not last because the outside of concrete always decomposes slowly - and the heat and cold extremes will accelerate this.
If that was my house, I would build a porch shade cover on the three walls that get the most sun. Plywood on 4X4 posts with asphalt shingle roofing would last quite a while. The cover could extend eight feet from the house, would look beautiful and make the house look bigger. If the sun doesn't hit the wall, the wall will be a lot cooler. It would be awesome to be able to sit in the shade on hot days or under cover on rainy days and enjoy the beautiful scenery. In the desert, shade is king! ... and it wouldn't be any more expensive than insulating the walls, installing Styrofoam and stucco and adding window shades.
We love your videos and watch them all the time.
Paint your tile roof with a white sun reflecting paint, attic fan, new attic insulation, new windows and doors that seal tighly and build a ground based solar array to help power your AC's.
Yes white roof makes a big difference, I lived in Arizona and had to replace some roofing went with white.
The panel is to charge a car battery up when not in use, long term storage when parked. Back box is for low voltage outside lights like on a walk way.
Mystery item #1 is a hammer nailer, used to driving special nails into concrete or cinderblock. It's powered by .22 caliber blank and triggered by hitting the end of the handle with a hammer. Could prove useful, especially if you need to attach things to your c-block walls. Unless it is damaged, it's a keeper.
Insulation should go on outside. Even if you fill inside cinderblock, it will continue to act as a thermal mass, retaining a lot of heat.
Forget fibreglass insulation. It won't help much out there.
Research straw bale insulation on the outside. You use wood bats and stucco on the outside and get hellacious R-Value. You can leave your windows or reframe and set windows flush with new exterior. It's high value, but low tech, and will get you probably the best R-Value/$ spent. And, you can do the bulk of the work yourself with a little guidance, which will save you a large amount of $$.
@@MrZeissOne That solar panel car battery charger is a great idea! especially for remote areas!
Have you thought about hanging shades on the two sides of the house that take the most abuse from the sun? A temporary but much easier solution while you figure out what route you want to take regarding insulation. They're lightweight, and you can even attach some kind of reflective material to the outside (first thing that comes to mind is emergency blankets, those thin mylar-type things). My bedroom gets COOKED all summer and just putting up a reflective shade to block out the window helped immensely.
Coolaroo screen shades on the outside of the windows can keep the heat out before it even enters the inside of the glass. And you can still see out when inside shades are up. 5 to 10 % openness. I worked with window treatments for 30 years.
We're in the Valley of the Sun, (Phx) and my daughter just replaced sun facing windows in her home with double paned insulated windows that have made a, seriously, huge difference inside. Before replacing them in the living room, the sun would actually bleach anything that we put in the room, sofa fabric, curtains, wood stain, carpets, etc, and it was unbearably warm all the time. With the new windows the heat is way down and we can even watch movies since the glare is gone.
That's the reason ranch houses have large porches on two or three sides of the house, the sun is the biggest problem. Besides adding roof vents, using the ceiling access panel to exhaust the swamp cooler helps cool the roof. Some even add awnings, solar panels and such to block the sun from the roof. Long a desert dweller thing, now many call it building an earthship. Visit as many neighbors as you can to see what their doing and perhaps even blog it. Also, treat your water well with loving care and know it capacity. You have not really lived in the desert till you have had to haul your water home. I hauled water to my place, 15 miles outside of Casper, for ten years, a not uncommon desert life thing. About the most you can haul with a pickup or suv is 200-300 hundred gallons per trip. Summer aside, the next thing will be how much heat energy you will need in the winter and how to manage that.
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Have you considered limo window tint
Awnings and really good windows will get you you alot of bang for your buck and an attic fan will be really help. You are spot on about insulation on the outside. We had a 1921 4 square or prairie home and we had to add insulation in the walls by drilling holes between each stud and pumping it in with rental equipment. That really helped. You could drill the block and use one for the expansive foam products. Item# is used to fire nails into concrete with a 22caliber bullet, very useful for framers. Item# 2 is a solar battery tender. Item# 3 is a fuse box. Item# looks like lift actuators. Listen and learn from your older friend. You get to a point in your life when everyone your age are gone and most younger people are not willing or motivated to learn the skills you have. Thank you for another great video. I love coming along on your journey. Safe travels.
Just to add at being 56 I enjoy helping, showing, teaching whatever needed to pass on knowledge to help others to become more self sufficient. Just as long as it's not writing or sentence structure. Thank you for the great content.
These generations aren't interested in knowledge. They're interested in people doing the work for them. And others oblige bc they're lonely.
@@jimmerrell1688 Jim, that's probably a generalization, don't let that opinion keep you from trying. I have been a receiver and a giver, what I did with it has benefited me, what others do with it is on them.
@@jimmerrell1688 she's a "304" what do you expect ? be well.
#1 concrete nail gun, put .22 blank in it, hit it with hammer and drives nail through wood into concrete
#2 solar battery charger. plug into cig. lighter in car to maintain the battery. or just a small 12v. solar panel.
#3 It's what control's your well pump pressure. It turns on the well when pressure gets low and turns it back off when the pressure gets to the dessired pressure.
#4 Transformer/timer for those small yard lights people have around their gardens. Works basically same way as a timer you plug into outlet to control lights in your house. Instead this timer puts out 12 volts instead of the 120 volts.
#5 gate opener controller
#6 the motors that would actually open and close the gates.
The first device is a Ramset power nailer, it hold a a 22 blank and is used to drive the nail in concrete. Then you have a 12volt solar charger and then my wife calls me and says get off the computer. ok, back the Malibu transformer is for low voltage yard lights and/or a sprinkler system and some what looks like junk parts for and old powered gate opener.
That was pretty sharp. You related to Elmer?
The electric actuators could be for your electric gate
It's a Remington. I don't believe they make that anymore. My dad owned the same nail gun.
that is what they are
More likely water well
The last 2 items are linear actuators typically for opening and closing main gates to your fenced yard. You can use wireless controls to operate inside your car.
looks like the white box is the motor controller for the linear actuators as stated above. The small black box looks like a key switch for mounting outside of the gate to actuate opening the gates. The small white round things are cable supports for putting the motor cables into that white box.
We live in a 1939 frame house in Central TX. We insulated with foam panels on the outside then covered in new hardiboard sheets (looks like lumber). Exterior insulation is frequently done here. The foam panels come in a variety of R values. We did add insulation to the attic and changed out all the windows for double-pane. Sort of a cumulative approach.
For the installation center block drill a hole and blow in installation.
It is a low voltage for lights
Good idea
One cheap and easy method to reduce the inside heat would be to paint the outside with reflective white paint. More of the suns energy would be reflected away from the house. Someone told me about this method so it might work. I enjoy watching all your videos and thank you for the effort.
I was stationed at a US Air Force Base, located in the Mojave Desert, in the 1980's where they refurbished several WWII era buildings and hangars exactly as you described. The contractors attached foam panels of various thicknesses to the exterior then coated with pre-colored acrylic stucco, the results looked great. Using this method you could add thicker insulation to your southern exposure, then work your way around the rest of the house one wall at a time. A big thumbs us for the attic ventilator fan, set it up to draw in air form the north and vent to the south.
I think this is the best idea, what R value do you think is good for the walls and ceiling?
No idea on the R value. I imagine any competent HAVC contractor would know the best option.
Cheers to you Lady’s for always taken care of our beautiful Earth. Doing your part ❤️
The Remington is a Ram-set, it shoots nails into concrete.
The orange thing is a solar battery charger, you plug it into the car’s cigarette lighter and put the panel in the sun.
The next thing is a pressure switch for the compressor.
Malibu timer is for low voltage garden and pathway lights.
Next item I think is a pump motor controller, and I think the last items are anti-freeze water warmers.
Yes! Good identification of all that stuff! I would get rid of all of it... except for maybe the solar panel (the orange and black thing), although it is pretty weak and won't provide a heck of a lot of power. It's basically chinese junk
You nailed it 100%
you stole my thunder JH.......
@@davidetcheverry944 you gotta be quick! Ha ha!
Mystery box after orange solar car maintainer goes on an air compressor. Hose fitting senses air pressure and switch inside shuts electrical power off to motor when tank is full. Likely faulty and should be tossed. Past video's question about keeping hammer drills. They are used to drill into concrete with a special bit for fasteners, like to hold insulation on your exterior. Keep em ! Enjoying your DIY renovations, Very impressed
I am glad I LIKED and Subscribed on all your media platforms long ago. So photogenic and love life from your views. You are appreciated. Mom passed away watched you lots, she was a shut in due to health and then pandemic. Thank you ❤️
I've used styrofoam panels that are screwed on the outside. We then put up siding panels and it made a world of difference. Attic fans are also great. I live in SE Arizona.
Putting the foam insulation on the outside is done up here in Canada. It's an option if you don't want to lose interior space. It's not hard to do. It's the finishing details that are important.
That's what I'd recommend to you don't want to add insulation inside you want to keep the heat out before it gets inside your walls.
The ideal option would be to have an appropriate contractor drill and fill all the block cavities, THEN applying a layer of closed cell foam panels on the outside. Also, having somebody come in and spray the attic with closed cell foam would also help greatly. Finally, if Sarah still isn't broke, replacing all the windows with Triple pane glass..
Window shades or canopy helped us in Phoenix. The fans for the attic does help. You can put another layer of the dry wall. Spraying the walls of the attic as well. Trees for shade helps too. Thank you.
To your friend that helped y’all out. Respect.
Hi Sarah, as lots of others have said, shade cloth awnings on the western side of house, then go the whole hog with insulation foam on outside walls with imitation brick sheeting stuck on,then double glaze windows, just a suggestion from experience living in outback oz where summer average temp on a cool day is 41 degrees celcious about 110 f and keep your swampy serviced cheers have fun from downunder
I live in Phoenix and a neighbor of mine insulated the outside brick walls with foam panels held on with chicken wire which he stuccoed over. I remember it didn’t take him that long. You may also be able to have foam injected into your block walls. In Phoenix we have energy audit companies that will inspect your house and recommend what improvements you should do. If possible I’d try to have professional energy audit performed.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of heat transmitted thru the blocks, so filling the blocks is not very effective. Better to go with the external insulation IMHO.
No audit company is driving hours to do an audit in the middle of nowhere.
Guys like you are talking about are just wonderful to know. Not only can they fix things for you they can show you how to do it yourself. Just jewels to have as friends.
I live in the SoCal desert and added a solar powered attic fan to my house. Since it is solar powered it doesn't cost me anything to run and it does a good, not great, job of removing heat from the attic which does, theoretically, lower my power bill.
A swamp cooler ain't gonna do much when the outside temps are 110 to 120*
I live nearby. She's not going to keep the house cool without spending some money. Insulation, plus A/C and megawatts!
My house is comfy but it ain't cheap. $600+ per month and I pay about half per kilowatt hour.
Buy a house in California and pay.
there's nothing more satisfying than feeling that someone needs/appreciates you and, in return, beig in a position to help and leave something in a better situation than you first encountered it.
The first thing is a ram set it shoots nails into concrete yes keep it, the second is a solar battery charger for your car the 3rd is a pump pressure switch for turning on and off a pump. Transformer for outside lighting low voltage. The other is a timer for a sprinkler system.
A Ram Set tool! Now I remember. Doesn't it come with a power source or is this the whack it with a hammer model?
@@johnclark6571 It is powder cartridge powered (looks like a 22 long rifle cartridge, but a blank, no bullet) that shoots a special concrete nail into a slab. It is indeed set off by
hitting it with a hammer.
My middle school gym coach committed suicide with a ramset tool. He wasn't successful until his third attempt.
@@lstplce oh my
The attic fan will help. Shading the walls that get the direct sun the most will also help. Depending on where your house is (Nevada or CA) and when it was built the voids may or may not be filled.
Insulating the exterior is much more efficient. Having insulation on the outside leaves the concrete block on the inside which becomes what is known as thermal mass. It is the same concept as being in a cave where once you reach a certain depth the temperature remains constant. The more mass (usually concrete in some form) the more consistent the temperature will remain. This is the main concept for passive solar houses. Other concepts such as shading windows in the summer and depending on your orientation maybe have less shading in the winter can also be important.
The orange rimmed gizmo is a solar collector for your vehicle. Just plug it into your cigar lighter & point the panel to toward our star. It provides a stream of electrons to your battery when the sun is blazing. I have the exact model & it's always plugged in my F-350 turbo diesel plow truck's lighter socket, all year long [I live on the MA / NH border in New England.] First, take some steel wool to the plug to clean it up before using it. You are such a lovely, sweet lady Sarah, I'm not surprised you have so many guys wanting to help do / teach you stuff. Knowing you must constantly emote Karen Carpenter's song - "Close to You." 😘
New double or triple pained windows and new doors are a must -- and yes do the install when you insulate the outside
For a gal who supposedly knows nothing about construction, I think you’re spot on about doing the insulation on the outside. Stopping the heat from reaching the CMUs is going to have a greater effect on reducing your cooling bill than insulating on the inside. Other downsides are the reduction in square footage as you noted, the cost of drywall and 2x4 or 2x6 studs and extending all of you outlet wiring. For Exterior insulation
Elmer reminds me of my dad. He knew so much about everything. He fixed for all his neighbors,(no charge). And I relied on him so much. I miss him.
Awesome video. #1 is a concrete nail shooter, i.e. it shoots special nails into concrete. #2 is a solar car battery charger. #3 is a pressure switch, either of an air compressor or water pump. #4 is a timer for low voltage lights used for landscaping, you wire the low voltage lights to the three copper terminals in the back. #5 Not sure, I need more details. #6 Not 100% sure but they look like electric gate openers, they are used on swing driveway doors.
Hope this helps. Love all your videos, you are amazing!
I've seen others say it here; wrap around porch, veranda, roof, etc. Keeping the cement walls cooler will decrease temp in the house. You'd be amazed!
Bruce
One of the items in your shed is a Malibu transformer for 12 volt lights. I have used these for years for outside lighting of our home. Cheap to run and can be set to turn on and off automatically with the timer at the top of the box. You will find all the parts you would need at Home Depot for a good set up. Hope this helps. Love B
The Malibu box is a timer for low voltage outdoor lighting. The wiring connects to the 3 terminals with screws.
I have the low voltage lights around my whole yard. They are only 2 wired cables they come in 12,14 and 16 gauge and the timer controls the on and off times. Love having them when I let my dog out at night!
Could it be for an electric fence
Sarah, you are doing a great job in listening to others opinions and questioning the validity of what they say based on your own thinking. It is a very important skill that needs to be used more often.
The last two things are linear motors used for hospital beds and anything that requires a none hydraulic ram. Basically it’s a motor that converts rotary motion into linear motion. Hope this helps.
They look like they were used to open/close gates
@@apg8396 I agree probably the gates to the compound. the key switch she also found may have been for that as well
The mystery box is the controller for the gate
Yes. They look like power gate actuators and the blue Ducati box may be a gate remote controller.
aka screw rams
Our house in Lake Havasu City has Styrofoam panels with wire and stucco over it. This has been the best insulated home I have ever owned. You can put Styrofoam pop outs around the windows and make your exterior look great. I cook at home a lot and use a Induction range it cuts down on residual heat you get from standard electric ranges. Induction ranges are expensive, however you can get an induction hot plate on Amazon and try it out. Our weather here is similar to yours and there is a lot of building going on. Take a day trip and see what the contractors are doing. As a full time desert dweller we learn to adapt to our surroundings.
First is a gun to shoot studs into cement. second is a solar panel, 3rd is a pressure switch (keep) 3rd is a transformer and timer for low voltage landscaping lights.
Hello, the mystery items are, the remington thing is to shoot nails into concrete. It uses .22 cal. cartridges. The Malibu box is for low voltage lighting for sidewalk lighting etc. they have been replaced by solar lights, The orange thing is to keep yor car battery charged if you park it for a long time. The tan thing with a key is used to spray bug spray or air freshener in short timed bursts, like in a bathroom. They use them in restaurants and casinos etc. The two long things look like leveling stands for a camper. Hope that helps!
Zogley
You are so darn lucky to have Elmer to help you guys!!!😝👍
1. ram set nails into concrete uses .22 shells
2. solar 12v battery maintainer for dash
3. control box for air compressor
4. Malibu light power supply- add wire and lights for swank
5. automatic gate controller
6. linear actuators to open a gate perhaps
The orange Remington item is a nail gun. It takes special nails and fires .22 blanks. It's a single shot. Good for firing nails into concrete. Handy tool for installing 2x4's. It's a keeper.
Hey Sarah, we lived in Phoenix for 30 years we applied a radiant barrier to the walls and the roof ,it looks like the window shades you put in your car ,it really works look it up,good luck with your projects.
Put solar panels on the roof, it can help shade and cool your attic and make electricity for those frequent power outages.
It's a great idea except that it's a tile roof and you're going to have to be very careful with it. And as far as maintanence of the panels is concerned, like cleaning and such, again you are going to have to know how to walk on those tiles without breaking them. If you were going to put panels up I would put them up on a ground stand. Then just install a vent blower in the attic and maybe another layer of insulation. You can also blow in mylar strips.
@@mobiltec My neighborhood in LV, NV is all high profile Spanish tile and 50% already have standard professionally installed panels.
However, I agree that a ground level installation would be far easier to install and maintain, since she obviously has the space and yes, I forgot about all the dust where she is.
We put giant sun canopy over our grandparents mobile home in Arizona. Used in summer, removed in winter. Worked great. Extremely cost effective, no permanent building was required.
Yes, outside! Cover the entire exterior with 2" foam panels. Stucco over it. "AIFS" Architectural Insulating Foam Stucco. Very effective. Very common in Florida.
Good afternoon from Virginia!
I wanted to help with some of the items you held up and wanted help to identify.
1) The Remington Tool is a nail driver. It takes a 22 cal cartridge and you hit the large end with a hammer to fire it. I've always used them to drive nails or fittings into concrete or block.
2) Its a solar battery "top off" charger.
3) It looks like a pressure switch for a water pump from a well.
4) it looks like a timer. Since it says something about swimming pools, its probably for the pool pump and filter.
Hope that helps. Love the videos!
Great to see that Elmer is a nice man! You are so lucky to have met him and he is probably so happy to be helpful.. Cheers to him and you! Best wishes for a great life in the new home! Stay safe and awesome! Looking forward to the new vlog. Best wishes! 😀🧧🤙
Perhaps others have suggested shade cloth walls a meter or so from your heat facing walls to reduce the amount of sun that gets to create thermal mass. Shade screens over windows to keep heat out. Here in Oz hotter areas build wide verandahs to keep sun off walls. Long term think solar panels and storage battery to power air conditioners and reduce your power bills. Here in Oz we have feed back tarriffs where your solar panels feed back to the grid to reduce your bill. Love your vids Sarah, take care.
The wrap-around porch patio mentioned below is a very good idea too. In fact installing the windows in an existing wall then installing the wrap-around patio is very good idea.
Some misters ,Hanging plants for shade and beauty would be real nice and Cozy!!!!
Fathers and grandfathers are gold I learned everything I know from mine I really miss them both.
A whole-house fan in the attic will make a big difference. Dual pane windows will also help. Great start with those.
I'd skip that and go right to triple pane - yes it's more money, but considering what it will cost to get just double pane glass installed..
Absolutely a whole house fan will make a huge difference in the evenings and nights. You really want to get the super heated air out of your attic so the house can cool off at night.
1- Remington powder actuated nail gun, uses a special .22 caliber blank to shoot a nail into masonry or concrete(sometimes steel) to fasten wood or brackets.
2- A solar battery maintainer that plugs into a cigarette lighter or service port.
3- A pressure switch used for either an air compressor and/or water pump pressure tank.
4- Intermatic low voltage transformer/timer for landscape lighting.
5- Ducati electric gate swing operator with transformer, bell and safety light. Used to operate #6.
6- Screw drive operators (rams)used to open and close automatic gates, doors and fences. Same ones used at Elvis Presley’s Graceland front driveway gate. Save those, the kit is about $500 new.
Old insulation " batts in the attic" are close to useless. Add blown-in cellulose. Adding a fan is a good idea, but costly, Routing the wiring, cutting the hole etc., so save that as a last resort. Insulating the exterior walls is not simple, but I would look into drilling holes and pumping expanding foam into the walls as the least complicated method. I noticed another comment recommending the same. Thanks for the vids from an old guy with decades of experience remodeling and solving old house issues. Best of luck.
1st item is something I bought 40 years ago. Threw it out 20 years ago. It uses .22 caliber blanks to shoot nails into concrete when you hit the end with a hammer. It's very inconsistent in how well it works. Now days, I use Tapcon screws and a hammer drill to attach things to masonry; much better. Your cement block house is a liability now because it takes up heat all day and radiates it into the interior all night. If it was mine, I'd put 3 inch thick foam on the outside using mastic glue and Tapcons, then either stucco or plywood siding over that. Stucco will last longer than plywood. Doing this will turn that cement block liability into an asset as it's now protected from the heat by the foam on the outside. So, it won't absorb so much heat, and if you cool it from the inside it can absorb heat from the house. An attic fan will help. If your tile roof and attic is 140 degrees that heat will radiate down into the house. A white roof and maximum attic insulation will help. Foamboard types can be expanded styrofoam (little beads pressed together), extruded styrofoam (monolithic), urethane (non-combustable), and polyiso. They all work about the same. Where I live there are people who sell factory second foamboard via online classified ads that's much cheaper the 1st quality and works the same. If it was my house I'd punch holes in the walls for the coolers so they don't occupy a window. I have a roof mounted swamp cooler now and when it dies, I'll punch a hole in wall. I hate going on the roof to service it. Also, you can get cooler air by putting in a double thickness of pads and a second water pump and distribution tubes. More water on the pads makes for more potential cooling.
While Elmer is available have him check out your electric water heater. As much scale as you had on the pipes outdoors the hot water tank may need flushing. Also check the temperature setting. I flush mine every year and this helps improve the efficiency saving electricity.
Back in the 80's I use to retrofit houses with weather solutions for both cold and hot. Here are some suggestions.
The attic fan will help. Open your windows at night and turn the fan on to remove the hot air. Close the windows an have heavy curtains over them. The best thing to do is install a quality window film.
In the attic, install what is called Radiant barrier. You can order rolls of it online. Since you are in a hot region, you will apply it to the bottom of the trusses along the roof line. It is craft paper (what is used on batt insulation) that has a aluminum layer sprayed on both sides. There is three kinds of heat. Convection is the hot air. Radiant is the what the sun sends through your roof to heat up the attic and house (or cooks you food in reflective camping stoves). There is conductive which is what the materials transfer heat (i.e. the cinder block walls and roof trusses). The radiant barrier will stop the sun's affect on the house.
For the cinder block walls, yes, applying foam panels to a house before putting siding or stucco on is a mainstream building practice here in the US for the past two decades. You can get the panels at Home Depot, remove the current stucco and attach the panels with contractors cement. You can look for panels that have the reflective coating on it that acts like radiant barrier and solve both radiant and convection with one application. For winter, wrap the house in Tyvek. It will keep the air from entering your home through any small cracks. Then put the stucco back on or go with a cement board siding so you will never have to touch it again except for painting. You will need to add some wood strips to nail the cement board .
Lastly, look into a heat pump. The air might be 100+ deg, but 6 feet or so below the surface is in the 50s.
I hope this helps.
Nathan
You can easily blow rock wool insulation in the attic and gain some good R value. You could also add fiberglass batts in the attic. In cold parts of the Idaho insulated stucco is very common. I see many houses being built right now that use it. I would add the outside insulation stucco to your house. A good insulation board with a foil reflector would gain you a lot of R value.
I helped wrap the outside of a house with insulation board with the foil reflector. We used scrap 1"x3" or 1x4 wood strips attached vertically every 2' or so to secure the panels, and composite siding was put over that.. We used a nail gun attaching the wood strips directly onto the wood sheathing. I don't know the best way to anchor the insulation board onto the concrete wall. I would not rely on an adhesive alone though. We used foil tape to seal the seams vertically in between foam panels, and we attached composite siding on top of that. A cheap way to lessen the heat would be to paint the south side white to reflect heat.
What about using papercrete which is like stucco? Ask the handyman about making your own whitewash(?) paint.
No reason to mix rockwool with fiber glass…..go 100 pct rockwool…they have all variation or product for each application..
I wouldn't bother with Rockwool - get somebody who can spray closed cell foam to do the attic, AND drill and fill the walls.
The downside is cost. It can easily run her 20 grand or more to do...
Item#1
Remington power driver, uses like 22 caliber blanks to drive Remington specific nails and studs into wood concrete and sometimes iron. Commonly sold at hardware store.
Item#2
Solar battery charger/maintainer , very little output but will maintain a batteries charge on a vehicle that's left sitting for long periods.
Item#3
Old water well pressure switch. Could be good or bad ?
Item#4
Appears to be an timer and power supply for low voltage yard lights. On the back side you screw the wire to it.
Item#5
Appears to be a sprinkler system box.
Item#6
Maybe old truck camper jacks to help lift camper off truck. Just a guess.
One of the things that was done on old Adobe structures was to have the roof overhang the wall by a relatively large margin. The primary reason for that was to try to better protect the Adobe bricks from the rain. But it also limited the amount of sun hitting the walls directly and thus helped keep the building cool.
I was a brick mason for 25 years. I live in Jacksonville Florida right now and if you don't have any shade then you will have the morning sun until you bake in the afternoon. You need a billboard erected next to your house for that evening sun. Also have your roof painted white for the reflection. I have a solar attic fan.
Plant trees to shade the house from the sun. Mulberry has incredible heat resistance, and you can attract wildlife by planting fruiting mulberries. Or go with native trees such as mesquite.
Can you grow trees in Death Valley?
@@teodelfuego Sure. Just need a tree that can stand the heat and a source of water.
Plant some Desert Willows around the house on the sunny sides. These trees are native to the Mojave Desert, require very little water and are deciduous. That means they have leaves in the summer to shade the house and then loose the leaves in winter, the sun warms the house. Some varieties have very pretty flowers, others have ones that just OK. A good choice for your location... Trust me on this, I did plant studies in the East Mojave a few years ago....
Trees near a house IMO will spell disaster eventually. It's just a matter of time as to when they will collapse. And hopefully when they do, they won't destroy the house on the way down.
When I lived in Arizona, we put a canopy over the whole house. Basically a roof over the roof, mounted on poles. Not a tarp mind you, but trusses and shingles. Cool as a cucumber.
Thanks for sharing this Wonderhussy. Though I watch and give a thumbs-up, I seldom comment. Thank you for reminding us there really are some good people out there.👏🥰
A thermal management techniques I have heard of that work well are: 1) and insulation to the outside of the block walls because they act as a thermal mass that transfers heat into the house even after the sun goes down. 2) about 6 inches from the existing walls add a shade wall with the bottom about 6 inches above the ground and a louvered vent at the top of the shade wall. This will keep most of the heat off the building with a chimney effect of cool air between the house and the shade wall.
I think it's very appropriate that you called him "Elmer." I used to have a ham radio license, and in the amateur radio world, hams that would mentor newer licensees were called "Elmers".
It's probably all outdated and if it were me I would just throw it all away because if you ever need it you're probably going to buy new,,, Breeze from New Mexico
My dad was an extra class, he was in the signal corps in ww2 stationed on tarawa. He used a vibraplex.
@@RobertSmith-tq6mf Did I miss something. A Vibraplex is a keyer for sending Morse Code I think it could be worth some money to a collector if is. Your dad would have known code for sure. Are you a Ham just wondering cuz a lot of kids take it up from their parents. I am a General Class trying to study for Extra. No more Morse Code requirements but I learned it for my General because it was a requirement at the time. 73
1 remmington single shot rim fire nail gun for concrete penetration 2 don't know 3 shut off switch control for water pump or air compressor 4timer like for lights to tie into 5 Ducati is a gate control for opening gates solar power ,6 don't know hope that helps . On your insulation yes good size job , adding to outside you will have lots of issues with surfaces matching up correctly . Inside easier but does eat up space . You can drill access holes in block and prob to see if empty then fill with insulation ( contract) . Hope that helps Sarah . I'm an electrician
I agree with the insulation on the outside. Make it modular so it can be rearranged as needed.
Rip 2x lumber to 2" wide. Install vertically 2' on center(adhesive & cement nail) fill cavity between studs with 2" polyiso board(available in HD) ripped to width. Attach sheathing of choice to vertical studs.
Sarah can do this all herself, admittedly it won't be cheap, quick, or simple.
You are a smart cookie. I think you are on the right track regarding insulation (outside). I say you are smart because (among other things) you recognize your CMU's are 'mass'. The sun heats them during the day and then continues to keep the house warm at night. Being hollow actually helps you as air is really the 'insulation' in insulation. One other thing to consider in insulation is a moisture barrier to prevent moisture accumulating in your insulation that could freeze and crack in the winter. I also can guess what most of those things were but I have already probably gone too long. You are a treasure (with your projects) to old guys like me and Elmer. We love being relevant (in our minds at least).
First time I've seen you without the red, white, and blue glasses. lol
Hey Sara...down here in Aus they used to build high roofs and porches all around the side with at least 5ft overhang...theory was heat rises and the higher the ceiling the cooler down the bottom and the overhang was to keep the sun from hitting the rock or brick sides thus stopping it from heating up..they often had blinds on the sunny sides too...
Take your "old friends" advice about the attic exhaust fan! costs very little and helps a lot. If your room is 100 degrees, your attic is at least 130!! First thing is a nailset gun for nails into concrete, don't know, d k , Ducati looks like a watering system controller. Cinder blocks are usually set up for walls without the owner knowing there is no insulation. Then , after the first year of HEAT, a different contractor will bid on blowing insulation into all the hollow portions of the block ( through holes drilled in the walls)!!! Welcome to your favorite desert!!!
Item 2 is a battery tender for a car. Lay on dash and plug into power port. Solar panel keeps battery charged..
Item 3 is a pressure switch off of an air compressor. When the tank gets to a preset pressure it turns off the compressor and when pressure drops it turns it back on
Item 4 is a Malibu low voltage light timer and transformer. Turns 110 volt ac current to low voltage dc current. It’s for the lights that people put to illuminate a pathway. The timer turns them on and off for whenever you set them to.
The last items could be gate openers??
@@billauth1419 Thanks Bill, I was just guessing!
Item 1 is a "ramset". It takes a .22 caliber blank to shoot a concrete nail. You load it, place it where you want the nail, pushing down to activate the safety interlock, and fire it by holding it very firmly and firmly banging the top with a hammer. the solar panel is used to trickle charge a car battery via the cigarette lighter socket. Panel can be used for other purposes, where 12V, 5 watt max will dp. The two long items you noted as having a hole at the end, appear to be some sort of actuator, a screw type. There should be a helical screw type rod on the inside going the length of the items, if that is correct.
On the swamp cooler / AC issue:
Keep the swamp cooler. Have small opening in windows of side rooms, have the main pathway of air going to the far ends of the house, but small openings only. Also, creating shade with an air gap between shade and house will help immensely. I'd consider having a large tent like awning over the house during the summer. Avoid AC. It may be necessary for certain hours during the summer. Confine AC to certain areas where you will be during heat of day, during siesta.
It's called synthetic stucco. The base is Styrofoam they put nylon mesh and then stucco compound and texfure.
Those long things are automatic gate openers, worth about $600.00 each if they work, and the transformer is for low voltage lighting. Love you channel.
Just a suggestion, get some reputable tree company to clean up those palm trees. You don't even wanna know what lives in the dead stuff.
I have mine trimmed once a year. I also have an exterminator spray every month, winter included.
Hello Wonderhussy great video again sweetie 😉 those 2 equal aluminum rods with black ends and wire are high low motors for a bed for sick people 😉 have a nice evening and a good night and stay safe love and kiss from the Netherlands Chiel ☕😍😘😘😘