![[Image: church in snow]](images/kush_snow.gif)
![[Image: starry starry night]](images/kushaqua.gif)
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A building from the first decade of the 1900's, the chapel building on Lake Kushaqua is in an area that has been called "Stony Wold," and has been the community hall and chapel and movie theater for a Tubercolosis treatment center, and has been the chapel for the "White Fathers" (medical missionaries to the middle east, originally from France and known for their white robes) and for the "LaVigerie" summer camp. It is now privately owned by a small group of friends.
Turning on the water:
close all the valves and then open them 1 at a time working in from
the main valve in the yard (3 inches from the big hole) near the
road. The topology basically follows in from the crawl space in the
basement, up to a space under the bathroom sink where cold lines
split off to the bathroom sink, kitchen sink, toilet, and washing
machine, and water heater. From the water heater, warm water lines
run back down to under the sink and split and feed the sinks and the
washing machine.
In more detail:
Opening/Closing Water/Electricity at Kushaqua
Get in. You may need the shovel and salt that are just inside the
door to the cellar.
Locate a flashlight. Usually on the counter to the left as you go in
the door. Go up in the loft and make sure that the water heater is
OFF. (There is a switch on the wall next to the water heater. This is
important: if you turn on an empty water heater, you will burn out
its heating elements almost immediately.)
Turn on electricity. To do this you will have to go down into the
cellar with a flashlight. Go to circuit box (near the washing
machine, hanging up on the wall). Flip on all the circuits.
Go back upstairs and start making a fire in the wood stove.
CLOSE ALL water valves. I usually start at the top and work down. The
list of valves (in that order) is:
Valve 1: Water input valve to the hot water heater - way in corner by
water heater in the loft.
Valve 2: Drainage valve at the base of the water heater in the loft.
It is white plastic and you turn it and turn it and turn it shut.
Note: DO NOT Turn on the power to the Hot water heater via its
switch. Its switch looks like a light switch and is located near the
heater on the wall by the window. Again, DO NOT turn this switch on
yet - if you do (even instantaneously) the coils will burn up.
* Valve3: Drainage valve under the sink in the bathroom. This is just
a valve with a short open stub of a pipe in the cupboard below the
bathroom sink.
Valve 4 & 5: Bathroom sink faucets (hot and cold)
Valves 6 & 7: Shower faucets (inside the shower - clear plastic)
hot and cold
Valves 8 & 9: Water input levers to the shower - by the toilet -
'on' the pipes - hot and cold. Turn so the levers are perpendicular
to the pipes.
Valve 10: Kitchen sink faucet.
Valve 11 & 12: Washing machine water inputs (hot
and cold). In basement behind the washing machine. Valve 13: Main
drainage valve in basement -- the one with a broken pressure guage
next to it and a bucket under it.
Valve 14: Main water control valve in the basement -- near the crawl
space and about 6 feet from valve #13.
Now things are ready for trying to get water into the place.
Locate the copper pipe in the front yard sticking out of the snow
(hopefully) -- it marks the place of the Water Main access. Look
along the line from front door to the road -- closer to the road than
the front doors - about in line with the 2 Blue Spruces for the other
dimension.
Dig down til you see the top of the Water Main Access - the covered
top of a pipe about 8" in diameter with 2 little cutouts to help in
its removal.
Once this pipe is located and cleared for opening - locate the Water
Main Key. Look behind the ladder to the loft or near the front door
for this device. Looks like a piece of silver pipe about 6' long with
a 'T' cross bar at the top and a 3" rectangular 'bulb' on the
bottom.
Use this Key to open the Water Main in the front yard. Drop it down
the access pipe with the 3" bulb end going down. Seat that bulb over
the nut that comprises the valve for the water main down at the
bottom of the access. The Key should drop down about 3 - 4' before
hitting the nut/valve. Turn the Key using the 'T' bar for leverage.
You should hear some hissing as water begins to flow -- and since the
control valve inside the basement is closed you may even get some
water to back-up inside the access pipe -- that's okay. Open the
valve all the way.
Expediently, go back into the basement and listen for any spurting
water. If you hear any spewing water - go back out to the front yard
and shut off the Main again. This is bad news. If Valves 1 - 14 were
closed, then spewing water at this point means a break in the section
of pipe from front yard to the opening in the crawl space. Give up on
having water for your visit.
If all sounds good - you may proceed.
Slowly open Valve #14, the control valve at the crawl space in the
basement. This will allow water to flow into the church, and fill all
the pipes inside the church with water. Again, LISTEN for spewing
water. If you hear any, close valve #14. This means a pipe or joint
has burst. You will need to locate it, fix it or isolate it before
continuing.
If all sounds good - you may proceed.
Open the kitchen sink faucet -- some air bubbles are likely to give
fits and starts but that's okay. do you get water? good. Close
it.
Open the bathroom sink faucets -- do you get water? good. Close
them.
Open the shower access valves (levers) -- look for burst joint or
pipe leading into the shower. If none, then good. You may leave these
levers open.
Open the shower faucets -- do you get water? good. close them.
At this point, you have a simple form of running water - only cold,
but it's there.
Make sure you bring in the Water Main Key from the front yard, and
place the top on the Water Main Access pipe out in the front
yard.
For HOT WATER:
DO NOT Turn on the power SWITCH, yet. If you do so now, you will
instantly burn out the coils in the heater.
Open the water access valve to the hot water heater. Listen for
spewing water - if there is any, close the valve and resign yourself
to no running hot water. If you hear the water flowing into the tank,
things are good. Make sure the small (3" long) metal bar at the top
of the heater is standing on end, straight up. This allows the air in
the tank to escape as the tank fills with water. Stay by the tank
until the filling is complete. You will know this when water begins
to overflow the tank and run out of the copper escape pipe that hangs
down the side of the tank. At this point, flip the 3" long bar down
so it is perpendicular and no longer standing on end. This should
cause the overflow of water to stop.
The hot water heater is now full.
Now, you may turn the hot water heater ON, by flipping the switch to
the on position. In about 20 minutes, you should have some warm/hot
water.
Congratulations! Go warm up by the wood stove. Have a great
visit.
Back to Kushaqua info directory.
Bring guitars, walk in the woods. Check out the book collection. By all means swim in the lake: especially at dusk or on wind-less days! Or crank up a fire in the woodstove in the sauna!
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Be aware that the tap water is straight from the lake and you may not want to drink it without boiling it. (Note the lovely brown tint.) Also, the big chandelier lights suck electricity so use sparingly, please.
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Turning off the water:
Incredibly important or we'll be replacing every pipe.
Be sure to turn off the water heater first, before draining
water!! Turn off water in the yard. Then make sure ALL valves inside
the building are opened (perhaps working down from the top? including
the shower) and use the buckets to collect the drain out water from
the lowest nozzle in the basement. Please don't let the water collect
on the basement floor or we'll end up with a skating rink (things
never dry out down there). Lug the water up the stairs and pour it on
the "lawn" or whatever. Multiple small bucketloads are handy. Scoop
out as much water as you can from the toilet and pour (automotive)
anti-freeze into all sinks and toilet and shower. Voila'! (there may
be a jug of antifreeze about, otherwise get a jug in Saranac Lake or
Gabriels.)
In more detail (thanks to Diane):
Start outside, at the water main access. Use the Key to turn off the
Main Valve out in the front yard. Tighten it down closed.
I usually go into the basement next and close Valve #14 - by the
crawl space. This is a precautionary move only but I usually do
it.
I next work from the top down.
Go to the loft, and power off and drain the hot water heater. Start
by powering OFF the switch for the hot water heater. Turn that switch
off first!!
Drain the hot water heater. Flip the small metal spring valve on top
of the heater so it stands on end (straight up). Next, open the
drainage valve, Valve#2, at the base of the hot water heater. You can
guide the flow of water down the drain pipe by attaching the short
garden-hose thingy to the drainage valve.
In the bathroom, open the sink faucets and let drain any water that
will. Open the shower faucets and let drain any water that will.
Leave these faucets open. Flush the toilet.
In the kitchen, open the faucet.
In the basement, make sure you have a bucket. Go to valves 11 and 12
- behind the washing machine. Open these valves (one at a time) and
catch the water in the bucket. Dump the water in the back yard. Leave
the valves open.
Make sure you have a bucket, and next, open the main drainage valve,
valve #13. Catch the water that drains out in the bucket.
At this point, open Valve #14 also - the one by the crawl space.
Once the flow becomes a trickle, dump the water from the bucket in
the back yard but be sure to bring the bucket back to the basement.
Set it beneath Valve #13, the main drainage valve to catch the small
stuff that may be continuing to drip out.
Lastly, I open up the valve under the sink in the bathroom, Valve #
3. I use a big sponge to help catch the water that runs out of the
short stub of open pipe. This can be a bit tedious, but the flow will
stop eventually.
At this point, all valves should be open and no water should be
flowing. Minimal drip should be happening at the main drainage valve
in the basement.
Pour about a 1/2 cup anti-freeze in the toilet bowl, 1/2 cup in the
shower drain, 1/2 cup in the bathroom and kitchen sink drains.
Water closing is complete.
MAKE SURE ELECTRIC HEATERS are turned OFF!! Please read the switches
carefully and turn them OFF.
Take a flashlight and turn off all the circuits.
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Send request (for driving directions) to mikeroam[a]aol.com
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created by Mike Roam, 23 Jan 1999; last revised 21 jan 2002
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