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Thursday, December 3, 2009 - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM

Wiring and water pump under the sink, Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM, December 3, 2009
Wiring and water pump under the sink, Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM, December 3, 2009

Mixing water and electricity

I guess the scenario you see in the picture above is ok if the water pump doesn't leak too long but, as I said yesterday, the idea of strapping wiring to the floor in company with one of these notoriously prone to leaks water pumps doesn't seem like a great idea to me. If I can come up with an easily implemented alternative to this arrangement I'll do something. It might be easier to move the pump, maybe into the open area under the toilet in the bathroom, than to move the wiring - but that still leaves the wiring vulnerable to other plumbing leaks in a compartment not often accessed. It might be better if I can elevate the wiring off the floor - even a half inch would do - just enough so water can drain away from the wires.

[later] On second thought, sitting here looking at that picture, it occurs to me the wires themselves should be insulated with waterproof jackets and I might be over-reacting. Maybe all I need to do is be sure any connections are elevated and in the picture it looks like they already are.

The pump has shipped and I should have it Monday. That gives me the weekend to mull this over. In the mean time the leakage is minimal if I turn the pump off between uses and open a faucet to relieve the pressure in the system.

Night camp

Site 37 - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM

We Are Clearly a Species Worth Saving

Our world is entering a time of profound and perhaps catastrophic change. My hope is that by getting people to care about and learn about what is in their backyard, they can be made to realize that while it seems like we are destroying the planet in out greed and excess, what we are really destroying is ourselves. The planet and life in general has dealt with catastrophe many times before. Cataclysm on Earth is a creative time and evolution can handle it. Culture is much more fragile and we as individuals are more fragile still. I think that it is time for people to come to terms with the fact that our own behaviors put humanity at risk. While people have always done atrocious things, I believe that we are a species capable of beautiful, amazing and important things as well and we are clearly a species worth saving.

Jon Piasecki

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