[AT] fuel gelling and water line repair

[Cecil Bearden]

Spent 7 hours on Friday getting the E110B Cat excavator running.   Our 
15degree nights and 30 degree days were too much for the summer blend 
fuel..   After setting a 500K BTU torch under the engine for 2 minutes 
it fired up and run.   Gasoline was the best starting fluid as ether was 
too hot for it....  We had a water line leak in a place that was nearly 
inaccessible due to machinery, etc.  Tree roots are taking a toll on the 
35yr old glue joint PVC pipe.  Noticed water leaking on Tuesday when we 
were trying to get shale spread to take care of the worst mud and wet 
spell ever.  Finally cut the water off on Wednesday it was just too 
much.  Thursday was 20deg and 40mph wind so could not do a thing.  
Friday was the excavator problem.  Saturday we dug out each end of the 
line at the valve and where it had been repaired last summer due to tree 
roots.  The house was shut off because of the way the lines were set 
up.  still had sheep pen water, and water to Dad's old double wide, but 
not to my home.   I checked the distance on Google Earth and it showed 
275 ft.  I decided to cut each end and feed a 3/4 inch Pex inside the 
1inch PVC 200psi. It had 1/4 inch difference.  Saturday I had to quit 
due to exhaustion when I got the lines exposed and reconnected valves to 
serve the house and separate the lines to the cattle water.  Had water 
in the House now.  Sun morning, We ( me and my wife) tried to such a 
baler twine thru the pipe with the shop vac after sucking 10 gallons of 
water out.  The line would no quite go thru.  Fired up the old Ingersoll 
D250 compressor with the 4-53 Detroit.  It nearly  had fuel gelling, but 
I had filled it before starting and the fuel tank now had some Howe's 
conditioner in it. Blew the remaining twine to the end  of the line!!  
Victory!! Then we pulled a 1/4 inch nylon rope thru the pipe.   I 
drilled 2 sets of holes thru the Pex  pipe perpendicular and used some 
baling wire to make 2 loops to hook the rope in.  Then I taped the Pex 
and rope with duct tape to make a tapered end.   We pulled the pipe thru 
with the 4 wheeler while trying to keep the 300 ft roll of Pex from 
wrapping itself into a knot.  Almost did it.  Had to stop and Untangle 
once.  How it wrapped around itself 3 times I don't know.  Got pipe 
pulled in with about 6 ft to spare.  About 4pm had water to the cattle 
tanks.  Now we still have a day of back filling and installing access 
manholes to the valves.

Somehow, the cattle knocked the floats on the tanks and water is all 
over the corrals this morning!!!   Life on the farm!!

Cecil



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