Good thread on Poly vs. PVC. When I first installed my water lines I considered poly, but figured it to be a 2nd class solution as it was cheaper... Now 22 years later I'm having underground leaks from the 1' sched_40 PVC breaking. This is in the Pacific NW, not real cold but very occational quakes. The problems don't seem to corellate with quakes though... When doing mods/repairs, found the PVC has become brittle as compared with when it was new. I guessed at the time the glued and threaded fittings to be more reliable with PVC, but are the really? I'm ready to replace the 22 year old PVC. The ease of installation of black poly would be great as I too have rocks/stumps to go around. BUT BUT BUT can't help be suspicius of those brass barbed fitting held only in place with a SS hose clamp. Are there any tips/tricks to installing the larger (~1'+) black poly to make the connections as reliable as PVC or make the job go easier? Any situations to avoid with black poly? (I've got to go ~200' through-the-woods from pump house to the area needing water) cheers Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Web

Karyn- Thought I would share my latest experiment. Bottle rooting. Since I have bags of plastic water bottles waiting to recycle, I took some and drilled holes in the bottoms, cut off the tops, planted and then put into large pots. With smaller water bottles I could put 3 in a one gallon. So far they look like they are starting fine. Time will tell. The good thing is when they need to be transplanted I can just split the bottle and then recycle it. I have heard that the tubes are hard to get the plants and soil out. Bill Here are some pics. planted in a plastic water bottle: An overview of one cutting in a bottle: Nine large cuttings in one large plastic container: Three smaller cuttings in smaller bottles in a one gallon

A week or so ago in NorCal, we had temperatures in the 80's for a few days. We had some disposable income. Wife decided to buy herself another new bag (purse) and some shoes she doesn't need.. I tried to get even and treated myself to a Milwaukee Laser Temperature Gun Infrared Thermometer (Model # 2266-20). Around $89 at Home Depot. Testing out my new "toy," I pointed that thing at everything. My arm = 91 F Visiting sister's little dog = 92 F Bedroom wall = 77 F Toilet Bowl = 72 F Toilet Water = 69 F Brick structure in the garden = ~ 119 F Ground soil/pepper bed = ~ 80 F Leaves on pepper plants = ~ 83 F #15-Gal Black pot with a Lemon Tree in it = ~ 147 F !!!! Wow. That was very surprising. Multiple measurements were always around mid 140 F. My skin temperature = 91 F. Then back to the black pot = around 147 F! Anyway, my lemon tree is doing fine (I think). The leaves look good and there are lots of baby lemons on it. This post was edited by 0x0is0 on Thu, Jul 11, 13 at 15:35

You're in CA, home of earthquakes and fires which means old home or not you have a whole different set of problems to deal with than the rest of the country. If I recall correctly once you open the door to an a remodel you have to bring that house up to code. You need to check with your RA and city code officers on that. Try finding someone in your area that specializes in old houses. NOT a general contractor. GC's are the kings of rip it out and start over. It's faster and easier for them than actually having to build to spec. A good electrician should be able to run wires without destroying your walls. Asbestos is fine as long as it is intack. A flat roof can be a difficult fix but it isn't impossible. What it boils down to is how deep are your pockets and how good are you at dealing with multiple problems over a fairly long period of time. It's been my experience whatever the experts tell you its going to take dollar wise double it. Same with what ever they tell you time wise. Old houses can be a joy and a great source of pride BUT it's a lot of work getting there and keeping things up. Not everyone is cut out for the old house experience.