Wednesday, June 12, 2013

So Much for that Good Idea

A couple years ago I removed the two 20 lb. propane bottles and installed one 25 lb. capacity Lite Cylinder made of fiberglass. Because it is translucent it is possible to see the gas level for an accurate indication of fuel available. The single bottle was larger diameter, but saved space compared to the pair, making room for the pair of larger 6v house batteries.  Seemed like a good idea at the time!

When I checked my e-mail a couple days ago, I got a recall notification from Amazon.  Seems that the government has recalled ALL tanks constructed by Lite Cylinder.  The company, in turn, has dismantled their website and communicated with some of their customers stating that they're financially insolvent. Now I had a custom installation with a tank that I can't fill legally.

A quick schedule change, some web research, and I located the parts to do a minor mod in the midst of our trip. I found a Worthington 30 lb capacity steel tank (reasonably close to the same dimensions) in Anchorage, picked up the parts, picked up BJ at the airport, and prepared to do battle in the son's driveway.  With a little of this and a little of that, I was able to get the new bottle fitted and a new tie-down system in place. 

I was done early enough in the day to go drill some holes in the sky with our son

including inspecting one of the local glaciers. 

The grandson wins on this deal. He joins us in the morning for a return to the Swan Lakes area. We'll be away from cell connections until Sunday, and then hopefully to the harbor in Seward for a couple days.

4 comments:

  1. Bummer about that recall. Those tanks seemed indeed like a great idea. Glad to hear you were able to solve the problem. Aren't other people's driveways a blessing for field repairs?

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    1. We've spent more time in the driveway than I expected, but it is really good to see family and catch a few Blackhawks games.

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  2. Jealous of the driveway! How does one clean a very, very dirty egg?

    I have been taught that car washes are too strong for our eggs.

    Glad that you were able to engineer a fix!

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    1. The driveway came complete with a power washer! I just noticed a carwash/ laundromat/ showers place east of the Fred Meyers in Soldotna. I'd never heard about a restriction on power wands for washing eggs although I would use caution around the windows and caulking.

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