We keep the cabin warm enough to prevent freezing. When you arrive all systems should be hooked up and ready to use. You may want to turn up the thermostats that control propane heaters in the basement and the main floor bedroom. You should find plenty of firewood for the wood stove. There is a tankless water heater that eventually produces hot water. There is a pressure pump that runs when the water pressure drops too low. You may hear the propane generator turn on when the water level in the cistern drops too low.
Log onto the Hardy wifi network with the password OkieDokie to make phone calls.
There is a fire extinguisher in the stairwell to the basement. There is a fire blanket above the refrigerator in the kitchen. Fire alarms and CO detectors require an occasional 9-volt battery, which you may find in a basket near the front door.
If you use the wood stove, please empty the ashes into the outdoor fire pit before you leave. Reset the thermostats, lock the doors, and have a safe trip home.
You are welcome to take the EZGO for a spin. The key is left in the ignition. Lift up the seat to check the fuel level. If the battery is dead, you will find a charger on the top shelf in the cave, the room behind a pocket door in the basement.
We usually keep the thermostat in the basement at 
during the winter months. We have a memory thermometer on the main level, and the lowest inside temperature recorded during the 2012-13 winter was 
.
At first we adjusted the solar panels twice each year. We now keep the panels fixed at a rather steep angle.
A propane truck from the Coop/Ace store near I25 and Mulberry usually fills the propane tank in the early spring and again in late fall. The gauge should always read between 20% and 80%. It can’t be filled all the way. It needs to be able to compress some air. The tank is leased from Coop.
The holding tank for the septic system should be emptied every five to fifteen years, depending on how many times the toilets are flushed. The holding tank is near the northeast corner of the cabin. The clean-out opening is 6.5 feet from the northeast post and 12 feet from the next post on the north side. The following diagram can be found on one of the cabin plans.
The chimney in the living room has been cleaned twice. We dump some special powder into the fire once in a while. It probably should be cleaned occasionally.
Our pond is stocked once every few years, depending on the survival rates. We talk with the Mill Creek board member in charge of fishing at the annual meeting and request 40 or 50 pounds of fish. We get billed at the same rate as the association. We usually feed the fish with a cup of fish food when we visit if the pond is free of ice. The pond tends to fill with weeds in the late summer.
Everything is designed to run automatically. But of course, things do go wrong. Here are a couple of hints about what to do when something unusual happens.
- The solar system is a 24-volt system, and when the voltage drops too far below 24, you may lose all electric power in the cabin. You can use the propane generator to restore power. The generator is about 200 feet south of the cabin, next to the solar shed. Lift the lid and move the switch from AUTO to RUN, then back to AUTO after an hour or so.
- Occasionally the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter doesn’t feel just right and reacts by turning off the power to the bathrooms. Reset the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter in the basement bathroom. There is another Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter in the utility room that controls the lights in the basement. The utility room is the room in the back corner of the basement that houses a 300-gallon cistern. The interrupter is somewhat hidden behind the cistern.
- The pressure pump usually runs at least twice each day, and the well pump usually runs when the pressure pump runs a second time. The well pump requires 220 volts, which is supplied by the propane generator, and should run for five or ten minutes. If you don’t remember hearing it run, then check the water level in the cistern, located in the basement. If it is less than half full, then run the generator, as described above.
- The TV set is plugged into a surge protector.
Here are some additional technical details about existing equipment.
The Coleman generator is model PM401211. It is rated at 11400 watts. It runs on propane and is powered by a Honda engine. It’s main function is to power the well pump, which requires 220 voltage. It also charges the batteries. Only 110 is available at the cabin. A third wire is in place in case 220 is ever needed. This would require a second inverter.
Engine Model: Honda VXC-GDACM
Air filter: Honda # 17210-ZJ1-841
Oil filter: Honda # 15410-ZJ4-999AH
Spark plugs (2): NGK # ZGR5A
The solar system is powered by six 180-watt panels. Electricity is stored in twelve deep-cycle 6-volt batteries. The water level in the batteries needs to be checked several times each year, and filled with distilled water as needed. An Outback 3524 inverter converts 24-volt direct current into 120-volt alternating current. The solar system uses an Outback Power FLEXmax 60 MPPT Solar Charge Controller.
The gas range is a Premier model SLK100W. The burners have electronic spark ignitions, so no pilot lights and no matches are required.
The refrigerator is a Dometic model RGE-400W. It holds 8 cubic feet and requires a pilot light. We never turn it off.
The wall furnace in the basement is Empire model DV-25-SG LP Gas 25,000 BTU. It is directly vented through the outside wall.
The wall furnace in the main floor bedroom is a Cozy direct vent model CDV156B.