We've got gas

Last week the weather was like a gift - glorious, clear skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. The road dried out completely. The long-awaited propane guy finally made it up here in his truck. He said he had nightmares the night before worrying about going off the road or worrying that I would have made a hash of the re-piping and he would have a major hassle getting it to work. But he was greatly relieved to find the road perfectly passable and the pipes in the right places with only one connection that needed to be tightened. I have to admit, I was relieved as well because I have never done gas plumbing before, and I had to get hold of a copy of the National Gas Code and the LP Gas Code from the National Fire Prevention Administration and read up on things like drip legs and ball valves and flexible connectors. He checked carefully for leaks, made sure everything was up to code, and, yes, finally connected both the bathhouse and the main house to the big propane tank. So now I am proud to say I have gas - all the propane we need for the winter. No hauling 170 pounds of cylinder behind the snowmobile. Yay!

A side benefit of the new gas supply is that the propane heater in the bathhouse seems to be working better. Maybe it just needed a steadier pressure in the gas supply. But it still mysteriously shuts off occasionally, which is a big worry since we're counting on it to keep the pipes from freezing. Since it seems to work most of the time, if I can't figure out what the problem is, maybe we'll be okay just keeping an eye on it. Something to add a little tension to the winter.