Business Idea and My Actifit Report Card: January 16 2020

The snow has stopped for the moment and is starting to clear but the roads were still enough of a mess that I didn't want to ride my e-bike. I spent my steps walking around the house and trying to syphon water out of the barrel in the backyard.

It has been getting close to the top so I got out the garden hose and tried to get it to syphon. I dragged it across all the mud and muck in backyard put one end in the barrel and sucked on the other but no go.

Dog-oh gave me kind of an odd look, "Why are you sucking on the hose human?"

I'm trying to get the water out of the barrel Dog-oh.

Dog-oh said, "I'm not sure I want to know where that hose has been."

"What are you worried about Dog-oh, we all have the same parasites," I laughed. "Speaking of that, are there any of your de-worming pills left?" I asked.

"You would know better than I," said Dog-oh.

"Well, I've about had it with this syphon, I think I'll just plant my potato garden here next summer and use the water for it."

"Umm, hmmmm," said Dog-oh.

The rain barrel catching drips off the corner of the roof gutter:

The Problem

Someone, not to mention any name but it starts with "Gutter" and ends with "Installer" put the gutter in so that water pools in the corner. This is bad. Oh so bad...

So bad in fact that the water has completely ruined the seal on the gutter and it leaks out.

In an effort to fix the problem "efficiently" I plastered a new coating of sealer on top of the existing sealer. (This was partially because there is so much, "Good Stuff" in the garage that I can not get to the longer ladder without major hardship.)

This fix worked for the first part of the rainy season until the resent freeze but now - Niagara Falls is coming off the roof and turning the yard into the great Pacific swamp patch. (Okay, maybe an exaggeration.)

The Solution

The worlds an imperfect place and gutters get installed in less than ideal ways all the time. So what can be done?

Ever noticed how a towel will wick water uphill and down all over the place?

I would suggest putting some fibers in the bottom of the gutter to let the water wick uphill and out the drain spout by using capillary action. That way if it is not installed level it will still drain.

This would prevent seals for going out so fast and more importantly prevent standing water issues that could be a breeding ground for biting insects.

There you go - so that's a business idea that might make somebody some cash.

Thanks for reading! I always value your support and comments. The pictures were taken by me with my Galaxy S9+. Text and graphics copyright lightsplasher & litesplasher.

Daily Activity, House Chores, Walking