The Old Folks Home

[MrsMistyReal]

We have a melt off right now so tons of ice, spread wood ashes driveway and parking area. Spent yesterday shoveling off our lower roofs cause it was getting heavy. New metal roofs on top side, all snow slides down on two low pitch back rooms and front porch still shingles. Have a roof rake but it's aluminum, wish I bought a plastic one. It has plastic wheels but would not help with the metal roofs, sure it would scrape to paint off the house roof and galvanizing on garage roof on the ridges.
So I usually have to climb on garage low pitch roof addition and shovel it off, super slippery galvanized roof. So I spent a couple hrs yesterday making a plastic end/rake to connect. Used a 55gal plastic barrel for the part, circular saw and sawzall to cut, drilled holes to attach, had to dig for different bolts cause it was thicker. Had to cut, bend tabs to attach the pole. The barrel plastic softens with a torch nicely then hardens great when cooled. Worked great and saved myself some $$.
View attachment 1262777 View attachment 1262778

Very creative but please be careful

 

[bruceha2000]

Good job Beer. Makes your life easier and keeps you in one piece out of the hospital!

 

[chickisoup]

We have a melt off right now so tons of ice, spread wood ashes driveway and parking area. Spent yesterday shoveling off our lower roofs cause it was getting heavy. New metal roofs on top side, all snow slides down on two low pitch back rooms and front porch still shingles. Have a roof rake but it's aluminum, wish I bought a plastic one. It has plastic wheels but would not help with the metal roofs, sure it would scrape the paint off the house roof and galvanizing on garage roof on the ridges.
So I usually have to climb on garage low pitch roof addition and shovel it off, super slippery galvanized roof. So I spent a couple hrs yesterday making a plastic end/rake to connect. Used a 55gal plastic barrel for the part, circular saw and sawzall to cut, drilled holes to attach, had to dig for different bolts cause it was thicker. Had to cut, bend tabs to attach the pole. The barrel plastic softens with a torch nicely then hardens great when cooled. Worked great and saved myself some $$.
View attachment 1262777 View attachment 1262778

We were concerned about that too so DH's solution was to split a piece of rubber hose lengthwise and secure it over the bottom of the rake. Works great! He likes your idea too should the "shovel" give up on one of our rakes (notice the "one of"? We have his and hers. Mine has the brush head on most of the time for use on the clear poly roof panels on my greenhouse, coop breezeway and workshop/sunshed)

 

[microchick]

Congratulations a job well done, take a bow

I would but I'm so tired, I'd probably fall over.

I'm still tired this morning so I don't imagine I'll be getting much done today except resting my brain, LOL.

Thanks everyone for the congratulations. Yes, it was hard work but a very sweet victory.

You really should check into the program. I took a tutoring program on Youtube. The manual is 35 chapters of pure hades but a guy that goes by the name The HAM Whisperer compresses it and delivers a synopsis using study questions that he explains one by one. Makes it a lot easier. I would knock off a chapter or two a day then went to a self testing site that gave you a sample of questions from the pool of 400 questions that they use. It was amazing to track my progress with the tests, starting out at an abysmal 47 and winding up with 100%. The whole process cost me 35 dollars. 20$ for the manual on Kindle and 15$ for the test. Right now we are using hand held radios that DH found for 25$ each on Banggood.com to use until he gets his big receiver and transmitter going. They work okay but are kind of limited. It's not a cheap hobby but considering the public services they do it's well worth the expense.

DH was trained in radio electronics when he was in the Army and repaired tape recorders for the agency so he's well prepared to do a rebuild on a receiver that he bought 10 years ago. We still have to figure out a tower or antenna to use. Right now the challenge is where to put it and how to ground it so it doesn't turn the house with it's metal roof and siding into a huge lightening rod.

 

[chickisoup]

PEANUT BUTTER!!!!! My multi-quote didn't work, again

Ok, here goes.
Perchie-great news on the progress. A little prayer that all is just as good with what's ahead
Beercan-I too am "aware" of the EMP possibility. I actually keep a thing or two stored in a Faraday box.
Misty-Congratulations on the teaching job! Haven't put my biblical training to use for many years (no opportunities up here ) and I really kind of miss it.
Microchick-CONGRATS!!!! GOOD JOB!!!! Boy, if the "big one" ever hits the fan, I can easily see a qualified skilled nurse on a Ham radio could be an absolute gift from God for so many! In the meantime, Ham operating can just be a bunch of fun! (Even when you are helping local emergency services)

 

[Beer can]

Good job Beer. Makes your life easier and keeps you in one piece out of the hospital!

Not much risk of falling, not much pitch but I've ended up on my side on the roof before I know it with cracking back more than once lol.

We were concerned about that too so DH's solution was to split a piece of rubber hose lengthwise and secure it over the bottom of the rake. Works great!

Never thought of doing that
I bought it when we first moved here just to clean the edges of the 2nd story when it was shingles to prevent ice backup. Never was smart enough to use it to clean the entire back roofs of the house either, always climbed up and shoveled. Shoveling I could put it where i wanted it, make a igloo for the kids out of the pile. Pulling it down with the rake it all ends up where we park, not a biggie though just snow blowed it away. Had to blow it twice though cause it was so wet and heavy didn't blow very far LOL.
After pulling the snow off with the rake on the house I was like dang I wish I didn't have to climb on the garage, wish it was plastic. Would have saved a couple hrs fabricating the plastic rake if I just put a rubber hose guard on the aluminum one lol. Well I have a plastic one now.

 

[chickisoup]

We had 2 days rain, now really cold 28 high maybe 48. I'm just going to hide till summer

We were below zero, again, this morning, sigh. I would love to just hibernate until spring but my chickens would get REALLLLLLY mad at me!

 

[chickisoup]

Not much risk of falling, not much pitch but I've ended up on my side on the roof before I know it with cracking back more than once lol.

Never thought of doing that
I bought it when we first moved here just to clean the edges of the 2nd story when it was shingles to prevent ice backup. Never was smart enough to use it to clean the entire back roofs of the house either, always climbed up and shoveled. Shoveling I could put it where i wanted it, make a igloo for the kids out of the pile. Pulling it down with the rake it all ends up where we park, not a biggie though just snow blowed it away. Had to blow it twice though cause it was so wet and heavy didn't blow very far LOL.
After pulling the snow off with the rake on the house I was like dang I wish I didn't have to climb on the garage, wish it was plastic. Would have saved a couple hrs fabricating the plastic rake if I just put a rubber hose guard on the aluminum one lol. Well I have a plastic one now.

I'm thinking of having the DH make me a plastic one for use on my clear panel roofs for next year. Sometimes the snow is too heavy for my brush head but the last time DH decided to be nice and do my roofs for me (and not listen ) he used his with the aluminum head in below zero temps and severely cracked one of my roof panels (which he now gets to replace in the spring) Fortunately it was one that I had installed over the existing greenhouse roof so another gorilla tape save for now .
BTW-we have the same problem with our back porch roof. We put on a steel roof on the house a few years ago and there was already one on the porch, BUT, the pitch is almost non exsistant on the porch so we have the same problem. The rake works but DH still has to get up on a ladder because of there is a drop off in front of the porch. Fortunately we have one of those big metal warehouse stairs with the railings on wheels (a gift from a friend) so at least it's a lot safer than a ladder.

 

[Beer can]

I would like to get just a shortwave radio again, at least you can listen in to all sorts of stuff world wide, and listen to ham.
Had a old military one yrs ago before the internet and cell phones keeping me occupied on boring nights. Pretty neat listening to other countries news broadcasts. Not sure how many of these still operate though with everything going to the web. Heard something about the BBC not broadcasting in some areas anymore.

 

[chickisoup]

I would like to get just a shortwave radio again, at least you can listen in to all sorts of stuff world wide, and listen to ham.
Had a old military one yrs ago before the internet and cell phones keeping me occupied on boring nights. Pretty neat listening to other countries news broadcasts. Not sure how many of these still operate though with everything going to the web. Heard something about the BBC not broadcasting in some areas anymore.

WOW! I had completely forgotten about those! My dad used to have a big old wooden one sitting on a stand when I was a kid. I was the only one that fooled with it but I used to love sitting in front of it so much seeing how far away I could reach he rigged up a big antenna for for me.