{"id":8018,"date":"2017-11-07T22:04:01","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T21:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.marjoleininhetklein.com\/?p=8018"},"modified":"2018-02-28T19:29:56","modified_gmt":"2018-02-28T18:29:56","slug":"winter-is-coming-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.marjoleininhetklein.com\/en\/2017\/11\/07\/winter-is-coming-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter is coming, again!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve had the first night-frost tonight! I bought a thermometer recently and it was 15\u00b0C in the house when I got out of bed this morning. That was at 6 a.m., I\u2019m an early bird.\u00a0 ;)<\/em><\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

This is going to be the second winter in my Tiny House, hence the title of this blog. Last year I experienced some issues with a frozen water pipe, despite isolating it well – or so I thought.\u00a0 So I wanted to do things differently this year and considered using thermolint, but this would mean a heavy burden on my already limited power capacity in the winter. We\u2019ve come up with an alternative: building a wooden case around the exposed water pipe, which will be filled up with straw. Kenneth would build the case for me. Jan Assies, Alkmaars famous mushroom man, would grow fungus in it to provide extra insulation. But then I thought about leaving Alkmaar, and it didn\u2019t make sense anymore. In the meantime a lot has happened and so I\u2019m staying! I\u2019m sorry, but that\u2019s all I can say about it for now. I will fill you in later, I promise!<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

I haven\u2019t gotten around to isolating the water pipe yet, and there it was\u2026the first night frost. Luckily it wasn\u2019t that severe, so my water pipe hasn\u2019t frozen yet. The pump just started up and I still have water in the house. I\u2019ve set a time switch on my water pump so it turns on at 8 a.m. and turns off at 8 p.m. That way I don\u2019t have to use power at night, since it uses electricity to build up water pressure. This means I can\u2019t shower until 8 a.m., but in the winter it\u2019s really not comfortable showering earlier than that. I need to open a window in the bathroom to let the damp out, and that\u2019s a lot better to do if the house is already warm.<\/p>\n

One more thing about that water pump! The connector of the suction hose kept leaking, the available clamps just didn\u2019t do their job. But I\u2019ve found a new kind of valve at Wildkamp in Heiloo and that one works perfectly! Just a tip for other off-grid Tiny House owners. ;)<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

So, first thing I do in the morning is start up the woodstove. It takes about an hour for the house to warm up. I can imagine that this kind of living, completely off-grid and with my types of installations, works best for those working from home. When you like to shower in the morning, you\u2019ll need to leave the window in the bathroom open all day, because you have to leave for work. And getting a fire started when you\u2019re getting ready to leave doesn\u2019t make much sense, but on the really chilly days you will need to maintain a certain temperature in the house, especially when you have pets. Of course there are other ways of heating your house, but the off-grid options are limited. Electrical heating just uses too much power. I hope someone will be able do this one day, and that the advancement in technology will make it possible, but I doubt we are there yet.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

For now I\u2019ve asked Kenneth to order the wood for the boxing of the water pipe. We need to get it done since I\u2019ll be staying here for a while after all, and well, winter is coming! Again! Upside is that is produces pretty pictures and it\u2019s so cozy in my house with the fire on. As soon as the sun is high enough, my Hobbit stove becomes unnecessary because the sun warms up my house. But until around 9 or 10 a.m. and in the evening I have a fire on constantly. I enjoy this warmth so much!<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Now all I need is a good pair of sandals. Because my feet get really cold when I\u2019m sitting behind my desk. My feet get cold pretty quickly! I\u2019m a pretty chilly person, actually. What are your suggestions for good sandals? Let me know! Cold and clear nights, with bright sunny days. That does have a ring to it, doesn\u2019t it? Enjoy your day! Bye for now!<\/p>\n