That strange sound at 2 AM

So I awoke about 2 AM, not knowing why….

I laid in bed for a while, trying to figure out what had awoken me….

Then I heard it. That sound that I could not identify…..

Now, if you are a guy, you likely know each and every sound that your house makes (and why), each sound of every piece of machinery, the creaks and groans, the noise every mechanism makes, the sound every pipe makes as it expands and contracts, the groans that the structure makes as it cools or heats up, etc.

This one was none of those. It didn’t fit. Wasn’t “normal”.

So I laid there for a moment, trying to figure out what it was…..
‘Twas a low hum.
then it quit.

then it came back.

Then it quit again.
Pretty much about on a 4 minute interval.
Then it came back. More or less 60 hz. Kinda like what a battery charger makes at high amps…..

Strange.

I got up, walked the house….couldn’t identify it. Couldn’t even localize it.
Put on a pair of shoes and went into the garage. Nothing.
Went down to the basement.
It got a bit louder.

I tracked it down to the east wall. There are only two pieces of equipment there, plus the washer and dryer, both of which are not turned on….but I unplugged them just to be sure that they weren’t the source. (They weren’t).

Wasn’t the water softener, either.

What WAS making that sound was the sump pump.
Seems that the motor (or impeller) was locked up. The motor was TRYING to start, but couldn’t turn. So it sat there, stalled, for about 2 minutes, humming gently. Then the thermal cut out would shut off the power and it would cool down.
Wash, rinse. repeat.
(The usual failure mode for these pumps is the bottom bushing wears and they become too noisy for me to tolerate, necessitating replacement)

The sump pit was full, at about 150% of the normal level.

Luckily, (or perhaps it is just good planning, I dunno) I had a spare all set up and ready.
Unplugged the power, pulled the pit cover, unscrewed the union connection to the standpipe, pulled the pump out, put the new pump in the pit, connected the union, plugged it in.
Let it run while I put the pit cover back on.
Total time to change it out was less than 10 minutes, and that long only because I was still only half awake.

I firmly believe that if you need a sump pump, you need a spare on the shelf. “2 is one and one is none” and all that….
Today I gotta go buy a new sump pump.

ETA: And, of course NO-One has the pump I need in stock.
(I still have 2 serviceable, but worn and noisy units as a backup though),

Book recommendation:

If you read this blog regularly, then I think you’ll like this book. IF you were born from the mid sixties to the mid 70’s then you’ll get most of the references.

HIGHLY recommended reading. One of the few that are worth the price:

The Heretics of St. Possenti by Rolf Nelson.

Well written, well thought out, well researched.
And just a damned good book.

I was not compensated for this recommendation. I just think it is a good read. As good as (although different than) the Grey Man series

Y’know…

Most people have forgotten by now that Jeffrey Epstein was (very likely) killed in his jail cell by persons unknown to keep what he knew quiet.

If he was a suicide case, then I still want to know how it was that the cameras and monitoring guards so conveniently were ineffective? Were those guards fired for incompetence? Were the whereabouts of all the other people working at the facility checked and accounted for?

You know (or at least, if you have more cognitive ability than cauliflower or cilantro, strongly suspect) that Epstein’s death wasn’t a suicide. Yet the media and our politicians have decided to let the case die a death by being ignored.
It shouldn’t be ignored.

At worst, those “Guards” should be tried. Anyone close to the area should be watched for 5 or more years to see if they got a sudden financial windfall (or are strangely and suddenly killed in a freak bowling accident or something).

No matter how we slice it, it appears that Epstein was silenced. And our government, Law enforcement, and our Media is allowing whomever orchestrated that death to get away with it.

So much for the rule of law. 

Our “betters” would tell us differently though:

You rubes just don’t know as much as Pelosi and her ilk do…

Yet this from a Microsoft poll:


Do you agree or disagree with Colonel Vindman’s assessment that President Trump’s request to have Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden “would undermine U.S. national security”?
14%
Strongly agree
2%
Somewhat agree
7%
Somewhat disagree
75%
Strongly disagree
3%
No opinion / Other

And , oddly,

No doubt after a great deal of coaching, the Democrats were able to find a witness to TheDonald’s conversation with the leader of Ukraine.

Where has he been all this time? Hiding? Choosing to not say anything? Being coached on what (and likely what NOT) to say?

This is like Kavanaugh’s accusers, or Anita Hill many years ago.

Why didn’t this dude show up back when the accusation(s) were first made? Why wait until now? Yes, he told some other diplomatic staffers, but the Democrats knew all about this and withheld him until….now? Why? Why wait, (unless there was a carefully crafted information campaign to discredit Donnie)? 

Curious.

I got wood.

Big wood.
I am pretty proud of the wood, in fact.
And it is all stood up and ready….
Not bad for someone who is old enough to be courted by AARP……

I mean, of course, firewood

3 cords of firewood, that is.

9 ricks and a bit more plus about a rick of bastard pieces…those that are too short, too twisted, too irregular or otherwise will not be stackable.

All split, stacked (except the bastards), under cover and ready for burning to heat the house this winter.

182 Airworthy again

Seem that a clamp on an intake coupler simply broke.
Just a fancy aviation hose clamp…(which makes it 8 times more expensive)
Probably an original clamp from 1975.
Just cracked and broke. And the coupler simply backed off until it slipped off of the intake tube. Fixed now.

We ordered replacements for two others just to be safe. 

I  did a full power run (100% power) for about 5 minutes on the ground, then let the engine idle to cool it off before taxiing to runway 18. Did a runup, then took off and did a pattern. ‘Twasn’t VFR weather, really, so I did one lap around the pattern and then a decent, if not great landing in a gusty crosswind.

Should be better weather tomorrow.

For now, it is fixed.