The rains finally made it to my place this week, answering my main concern on the Rubbermaid shed: how well would it keep water out? Turns out the answer is “not perfect but fairly well” and would have been better had my ego not insisted on a one man show. A small amount of water was running down both interior walls. The junction between the wall and the roof support was filling with water and running inside. Although it will only require a small amount of caulk to fix, I consider this a design flaw, not a build flaw.
Rubbermaid shed water leaks
However, a small stream was also running down the inside back of the shed. You will be shocked to learn that the root of this problem was my own stubbornness. Rubbermaid uses pins to hold the center section in place. Without somebody on the outside pulling it down, I had missed the pins holding down both edges at the back. This was forcing the middle roof section up at both edges and allowing the rain to enter. With my wife’s help, it took only 15 minutes to fix. She was also kind enough not to remind me my ego was responsible for her standing in the rain.
Inspecting the shed for leaks, with both doors closed to keep the rain out, convinced me the shed needed an interior light. Now, the obvious solution had already been given to me in a comment from Jeff Scholl, purchase a battery light with a motion detector. When I mentioned the need for a light to my wife, she echoed his suggestion.
Seems clear-cut, doesn’t it? Having already been sabotaged by my own stubbornness, a rational person would realize the wisdom of these suggestions and start shopping on Amazon for battery powered lights. Then again, if I were a rational person, this website, OpinionbyPen, probably would not exist. In other words, I started planning for a solar-powered system.
I’ve always felt there was something magical about solar power. We’re taking energy directly from the sun and converting it to a form we can use and store. This is energy that, unused, is converted directly into heat. Personally, during summer in Texas, any reduction in the heat seems like an awesome thing.
First, I have to justify my decision. So how much will I save by going the solar route?
- Lights – $11
- Solar Controller – $19
- 10W Solar Panel – $14
- Enclosure – $23
- 12V LiFePO4 Lithium Battery – $22
A total of $89 for a system that will last for years.
Comparing this to the battery-powered route:
$22 for the lights, and assuming I have to replace the batteries once a year, that’s an additional $45 for five years. A total of $67 with once a year maintenance to change batteries. When did you last change the batteries on your smoke alarm?
Wellhouse – still needs rebuilding!
Still, the battery system is cheaper by $22 and that’s not going to convince anyone. My wife certainly wasn’t convinced. Even after I pointed out I already have all the components except for the lights, she felt I had better things to spend my time on, such as rebuilding the well house. My heart sank as I realized my solar opportunity was slipping away. That’s when I had a flash of personal insight.
My wife puts in hours of working in her garden merely for the pleasure of seeing her flowers in bloom. I will never understand, but I suspect it’s the same feeling I have when I see one of my projects in operation.
She also spends an inordinate amount of money on fertilizer, planting soil, and plants. I don’t begrudge her the money, especially now that I have a better understanding of her motivations. When I come down our driveway, I see six different solar panel installations: the pond filter, my wife’s garden shed, her solar powered potting table, two different Wyze cameras, and the solar powered chicken coop fan. Each time I see these, I’m reminded of the magic inherent in solar energy, and I smile inside.
Different subjects, similar emotions
Maybe — just maybe — this gives me a better understanding of what goes through my wife’s mind when she sees her garden thriving with the birds, bees, and butterflies enjoying the fruits of her labor.
Any questions on why our Rubbermaid Shed will have a solar powered interior light?
© 2024, Byron Seastrunk. All rights reserved.
I applaud your stubborn fondness for solar power. I have 32 panels on my roof.
But to blow a hole in your battery math, I have replaced the four D cell batteries only twice in the last 9 years for my daughter’s walk in closet.
But I enjoy the posts so much, you do it your way! 😀