Travel with Kevin and Ruth: Four projects on the go

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Four projects on the go

I've got four major things to complete on Igor during our time here in Nova Scotia. Rebuild the upper bed frame, install the solar panels, install the DC to DC charger, and repair the water leak under the kitchen sink.

At least the temperature here is much more conducive to working. The forecast highs of 23C to 26C (73F to 79F) are far better than the heat and humidity we had in Ottawa during July.

First thing on the agenda was to get Igor legally registered here in Nova Scotia before the ten day trip permit expires. I had an 8:00am appointment for the safety inspection, and Ruth came with me to keep me company. Igor passed with flying colors. He had the certification done in Ontario in June, so we were pretty sure there wouldn't be any issues. The bill for the mandatory inspection was $113 CAD ($82 USD).

Then, with certificate in hand, (as well as all the other paperwork!) we made our way to the vehicle registration office where we handed over $2,110 CAD ($1,535 USD) for taxes and fees. Here in Nova Scotia, there is a 15% tax on used vehicles, plus the registration fee. Maybe they'll fix a pothole or two with that money.

Back at the house, I got started on the upper bed frame. But one piece of wood is too big to remove. Unless I either cut it in two, or remove one of the upper side windows! Nothing ever seems to go smoothly working on old vehicles. There is always a glitch or two.

Work in process on the upper bed frame.

I got as far as I could on that for the time being, so I decided to tackle the water leak. Pretty tough to get my hands in there, but it turned out that the lines from the faucet had been pulled right out, and there was a plastic housing inside the faucet that was broken. No idea how that could happen unless someone pulled too hard on the sprayer. It looked like someone had tried to repair it already, and just gave up.

Anyway, the fix is to get a new faucet. But the curvature of the van body where the sink is located means that we're really limited as to what type of faucet to install. I've ordered one from Amazon, so hopefully it will fit with no further problems.

Our son Alex and his girlfriend CJ are staying at a nearby Airbnb, but they came over here and Alex prepared a gourmet feast for everyone for dinner.