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02/05/2024

After over 3 years of continuously running, both pumps of this whirlpool bath finally stopped working for good, and must be replaced. Because of the massive rock embankment that tightly surrounds it, it was impossible to access the interior for changing the pumps. I previously asked a team of big guys to come move it out, which they tried and gave up because of the weight of the whirlpool bath itself and also the huge stone in front of it which blocks any possibility of movement. As usual, I wouldn't take no for an answer, so i arrived with my humble "tools" such as planks and a couple of rollers i found on site to lift and move the rock bit by bit. Once that was completely out of the way, the whirlpool bath was pried up, moved out and turned around to enable access to the service panels.

It took over 4 hours, and to move the rock took almost 2 hours. A pair of extra hands would have helped but it's not always possible, a little exhausted but I'm glad it's done without a crane or special equipment.

Oh, the big rock becomes a nice sitting bench, perfect for admiring the chute de calvaire a stone throw away

11/01/2024

One of the worst nightmares that can happen to any chalet is sudden water loss. So after 3.5 years of operating we found out that the deep well which feeds the water to the house is drying up. It couldn't have happened at a worse time during Xmas period, where bookings are often back to back. For the chalet Mésange, which is a large place constantly hosting 16-28 people at a time it's a panicking event because cancellations penalties could seriously cripple the operation, but at least 1 group had to be cancelled, from then it was a race against time to find a solution in order to avoid further cancellations...

Once the panic was over I found out that one of the softener reservoirs continuously and quietly leaks water directly into the drain, that amounts to about 90,000 liters per year and it has been doing so for several years. On top of the water wastage, the high consumption from large groups has caused the natural reserve to literally dry up, which in turn, causes the pump system and control box to burn out.

And so the solutions come in several choices: to dig another well which could cost $30-35k, or set up plastic reservoirs which stores 6000L of water from the rain and creek nearby and pump into the main system on demand. But finally the simpler solution was to set up a separate pump system that draws water from a decommissioned surface well within the basement of the house, and so it went...

After 3 intensive days with numerous trips to the local hardware stores, the new system is completed and is fully integrated with the main system, water from either source would also be disinfected with UV light. Materials, tanks and pump cost around $800 but we saved over $2K of labour. The set up seems very good, not bad for an old guy's effort.

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