Gutter talk

Monday 9 April – Thursday 12 April 2012

And you thought you had heard the end of gutter talk…  Not so.  The main event the week of 9 April was cleaning, re-hanging, and placing screening over the top of the gutters - on the back of the main house, and cleaning and screening the gutters on the side.  The gutters were full of leaves from the lovely shade trees near the house.  The gutters in the back needed a steeper pitch for guiding the water into a 55 gallon drum and then into the cistern.

This system is the principal way that water is collected for drinking, bathing, flushing and clothes washing here at the compound.  We understand from our hosts that many do not even have this system.  They must go to a river or stream to get water.  There are a few boreholes around town where water can be bought, but that is a last resort option, especially when money is tight for most folks.

Kananga

Kananga traffic cop

Relaxing on the curb

Before starting the project Francois took us into Kananga to look for screening.  We did find suitable screening and took the information back to Jacques.  We stopped by the shop where the last two of the six beds made for the guest house are nearing completion.  They will be ready for pick-up tomorrow.  We also visited a brick maker to gather information on the cost for him to make the bricks now needed to resuscitate the collapsed cistern.  The brick looked very well make and sturdy.  Jacques hasn’t yet decided how he will have the bricks made this time.

High wire act

So… it’s back to the high wire act, but rigged up outside on a trailer, 3.5 feet off the ground - 55 gallon rain barrels, a Rubbermaid trunk on top of each, the extension ladder laid between the two towers, and boards place on top of the ladder rungs.  For one part of the operation we even had a wooden trunk on top of the ladder.  Sue didn’t get a photo of this, she was too busy stabilizing the tower and praying there would be no great fall.

Francois and the generator

After removing the gutters in the back, wooden blocks were installed to hang the gutter supports.  Francois brought out a small generator, drilled the holes in the wood, Sue put nails in the holes and handed the “package” to Jim on the “high wire”.  A string line was then run from the high point to the new low point for bracket installation guidance.  Holes were then drilled in each block at that line.  All we needed now was wood screws for the brackets.  This required another trip into town.

5 meters measured out with a little help

We stopped at the hardware store first and bought the screening for the gutters.  The roll of green, square grid screen was taken out on the sidewalk in front of the store and laid down.  Five meters of screening was rolled out, measured and cut, with help here and there from a passersby.  $35 for the five meters. 

The market

Next stop - the open air market, as the hardware store didn’t have the size screws needed.  As we started down the row of mostly salvaged parts, all eyes were on us.  Francois asked a vendor for small wood screws and some are produced, but not what we needed.  As we progressed along, the word goes out that we want wood screws of a smallish size.  A woman vendor appears with about the right size screws and another comes right along with another offering.  We select 30 screws from one of the women, paying about $3 in Congolese Francs.  On the way home we stopped at the gas station market, the only place we’ve found Coke Lights.  We bought a six pack, a real treat.  The cost about $7.   We’ll probably only have one every other night - stretching out the enjoyment…

Brackets installed

Back at the compound, we cut the wire screening into five, one meter sections.  Jim installed the brackets and we were done for the day.  We enjoyed the Coke Lights that night to a show of cloud lightning off in the distance, constant, bright and silent.  Nice…  The next day was, unexpectedly, a day of rest, as it rained off and on much of the day.  We “harvested” the rain barrels outside the guest house, filling up the water tanks in both bathrooms.

Gutter cutting

The next morning Jacques, Francois, Jim and Sue were ready to finish the gutter work.  First thing, a gutter section fell off the trailer and cracked.  Now what?  Two plastic pieces were found, cut and placed both inside and outside the cracked section using very old, very hard putty softened with kerosene.  We’re back in business.  Three one meter long gutter sections were returned to the newly hung brackets, the screening was installed over the gutter top and bent down both side then secured with wire wound around the screen and gutter at half meter intervals.  This is when we added the trunk on top of the ladder and walk boards. 

Working on the down spout

In the afternoon, the gutter down spout leading to the rain barrel and ultimately the cistern was cut and reattached at the gutter’s new, lower position.  To clean out the gutters on the side of the house the trailer was moved and the scaffolding was reassembled.  Now we had, in addition to the four morning workers, also two to three young men who helped steady the scaffolding barrels.  We also gained one or two observers.  These gutters were cleaned out while in place, screened and secured.  It was a wrap by 6:30 p.m.

Since this day we have been checking the cistern levels.  The depth has, at least, doubled, so far...