Hawken Project #7

 I wanted to dedicate this blog post to the building of the Kiosk. I was able to put the finishing touches on the solar kiosk just a couple of hours ago. Over the past couple days David and I have put a lot of work to make it happen. We spent a lot of time in the woodshop cutting the wood to the correct sizes. We also took multiple trips out to Home Depot to buy wood and supplies. Now I can confidently say that I have purchased wood on my own and screwed in over 200 screws. 

   The roof assembly for the Kiosk was one of the most challenging parts. Getting the correct angle of the solar panels (south so that they get sunlight in the winter) was difficult. However, due to Mr. D's help and David's and my work ethic we were able to get it accomplished. David and I also put together the solar panel kit in a waterproof box. The solar panels connect to a charge controller which charges the overly large batter which connects to an inverter which is connected to our aerator. Surprisingly assembling this kit and connecting everything was a lot more simple than expected. 

Next, of the hardest parts of the past couple of days was actually digging the holes for the aerator. David and I spent a complete day digging two 30 inch deep holes that would hold the legs of the kiosk in place using concrete. The digging took a long time because the ground was so dry and made up of clay. David and I found that working in the 80 degree weather all day was difficult but softening up the soil using pond water made the digging faster. At some points I remember literally being on my hands and knees getting soil out of the bottom of the whole. Glad this part of the project is over - definitely satisfying.

The next day (Saturday morning) David and I came in early and worked with Mr. D to actually put up the kiosk. We were able to get it quick-creted into place within a few hours. 

This morning screwed in the roof assembly and plugged in all of our solar panels and battery. After using my kayak to drop the diffuser into the deepest part of the pond, we plugged everything in. It was very satisfying and relieving to see everything work the way we wanted it too. The solar panels were charging the battery and the battery was giving power to the aerator which blowed air through the weighted tubing into the diffuser in the center of the pond. David and I also took a trip to FastSigns to pickup the order that we placed the previous week. We put everything together and are super happy with the end product. I spent the remainder of the day constructing a bench on the front of the kiosk which also acts as a lower brace. The bench provides the box with electronics a little extra protection from the elements too. Overall, building the kiosk was a tough process which required a lot of work and planning, but in the end it was definitely worth it and I learned a lot.