The greywater system is up and running again. I just need to fabricate a couple of hinges for the refrigerator door, and then I can mark that task as completed (and go back to the corridor construction).
The tractor has also now been returned to its barn at the aged FIL’s with liquid in its tyres. Um… I’d better explain that. There are lots of brambles and thorny trees around the property, and when the alleyways are trimmed using the brushcutter (prior to the hunting season), we generally find that one of the front tyres has become punctured by the end of the day. I was getting fed up with patching tubes, so wondered if there was some sort of miracle cure for this problem. One suggestion involved filling the tyres with expanding foam. However further research revealed that this could not be done using the crack-filling expanding foam normally sold at hardware stores, because it crumbles into dust. Instead, the tyres need to be professionally filled. Finding a place to do that locally proved impossible; and from what I read, costs seemed to be extremely high.
I had heard of Slime tyre sealant before, so investigated that. As it is an American product it was not widely available here. I found it on Ebay of course but it seemed to be aimed more at the mountain bike tyre market and for the quantities required for a tractor it would have been prohibitively expensive.
I then found a UK company which produces a liquid tyre sealant which can be pumped into the tube (or even tubeless tyre) via the valve. Called Linseal OKO, their website had an interesting video showing a military Land Rover running over a board studded with nails, without any resultant loss of air from the tyre. If you have a minute, the video is quite interesting (although film quality is not brilliant; the video was probably taken in the 1990’s): Linseal Demo Video
The tyre sealant can also be used for vehicles escaping from hostile situations. So if LSS starts chasing me with the frying pan, I can make a rapid escape through the brambles without fear of punctures.
I purchased a 25-litre drum complete with pump, and the liquid is now installed in all four tyres on the tractor. However, there was an interesting moment when I started. The tube connecting the pump to the tyre is fastened at either end with jubilee clips, and I neglected to check that these had been fully tightened before commencing operations. When pumping the liquid into the first tractor tyre (a rear) the tube came off the pump, and I was covered with green slimy liquid. Fortunately I normally wear overalls during the day. I can also confirm that the liquid is non-toxic and water-washable!
Having finished with the tractor, I then added some liquid to the tubeless trailer tyres, a punctured tubeless tyre from the Renault 5 (which is now once again holding air!) and my bicycle. I couldn’t treat LSS’s bicycle because it does not have Schrader valves, although if I can find my valve adaptor I may remedy this at some point in the future. I also didn’t put any in the Honda ST1100 tyres because I’m using Dynabeads for balancing. I estimate there are 4 litres of liquid left in the container.
Hopefully that’s the end of the puncture repairing for those vehicles!