Another day, another challenge. Remember when I mentioned that one of the trailer tyres was leaking air slowly? Well, it kept going at a very slow rate, and usually when I brought the tyre to about 45PSI, it took about 24-48 hours before it went almost flat. Because it is a tubeless tyre, its structure prevents bursts and also makes it safer to drive if it deflates/gets punctured. We operated with it for the weekend, but as soon as Monday came, I decided to reach out to local Donegal Tyre Centre to book an inspection.
Have a quick watch of an update and meet me below for the rest of the write up:
[watch time: 6min 33s]
I knew it might take a day or two before they might have a free slot, and also I wasn’t sure if it will make any difference for them, that this trailer is permanently loaded, and if they have means to lift it safely, to inspect the wheel. Here is another example how overthinking only complicates our lives, while the reality is usually way much simpler.
Not only they had space today, but they just asked me to come whenever I can and just park the car in the area where they service heavy machines rather than usual customer area and regular cars. Before I could go there I had to inflate the tyre one last time. I had two options:
- Attach the trailer (effort), drive down the driveway into the road, park the sauna, detach the trailer (effort), realign my car and park it in parallel to the sauna, connect compressor to the lighter connector in the car, inflate tyre, repark the car and attach trailer back to the car (effort); there was no way that I could do it with car attached because the power lead from lighter socket is too short to reach further than 2-3 metres.
- Leave the sauna as is, inflate the tyre manually using the standard manual bike pump, and only attach it to the car when ready to drive ot the centre; there’s not enough space in the driveway to park the car parallel to the sauna, and the power cord won’t reach it; actually there’s barely any space left between sauna walls and our house on one side, and neighbour fence on the other.
While the second option sounds ridiculously crazy, I decided to go bit lazy and “save time” and pump it manually. I did it once before and I knew it will be a chore, but while it takes time and effort, it is doable. All in all the pressure in the car wheels are not that far from pressures in bikes and motorcycles, and the valve is the same type, so standard bike pump fits.
I started pumping and for fun also counted number of full pump motions when pushing air into the tyre. It took me 1200 of those to get wheel to the level where I was confident to drive and have it fairly well inflated. Literally one thousand and two hundred moves, between my right and left arm. Right arm did most of it, because it’s my dominant hand. I can still feel my triceps and biceps sore from this exercise.
When I arrived they used a standard, mechanic style, hand lever, to lift one side of the sauna, detach the wheel and take it to the back of the garage for check up. It turned out that indeed I punctured it, and to the point where the wiring mesh in the rubber broke, so it wasn’t holding structure. Why did it matter? Because they attempted to seal it (fix it) and without the support of wiring, it kept leaking the air still. I had an option to keep going with it and inflate it every day until it can’t take it anymore (which was risky and unsafe), or replace the tyre with new one. Of course I went for the latter option. about 10-15 minutes later and €75 lighter, I was happy as a clam, leaving the centre with brand new tyre.
Along the way, I worked mostly during the day when at home, and tried to find broker to insure our sauna, by ringing all leads that I got from people. Eventually found one that does it, but the premium for a year is €5000. I reached out to the group on WhatsApp, that we have for sauna owners, and they suggested other insurer who does it cheaper and with better coverage, while underwriting it with UK company. I am yet to hear from him, but fingers crossed we might shave off about 1-1.5k euro with better coverage. Still expensive, but I need the public liability to get covered in unlikely scenario when somebody hurts themselves on sauna premise, or when I apply for business permit from council, because the requirement is to have liability covered up to 6.5 million.
Outside of that the only highlight of my day was a short walk with Elizabeth in the forest and at the beach of Murvagh. It was eventless day, despite us celebrating 18th anniversary today. Our celebration in essence was nonexistent and my wife made sure to point it out to me. While it is a standard across the globe, I still struggle to understand, why most of the “wedding anniversaries” are more like another women’s day and not the celebration both ways. Yes, sometimes we get to the restaurant, or have flowers, but it still seems like we’re not celebrating wedding anniversary, but rather the fact that for some reason, the man has to organise and appreciate this day as the wife day, more than anything else…
I am all for celebrating Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthday etc. but don’t you feel like there’s a “small” disbalance?
Father’s Day is only the TWENTIETH most popular day statistically celebrated around the world. First is Xmas, second is Mother’s Day… even Halloween is 6th. I can’t think of another seventeen days more important than Father’s Day if Mother’s Day is second – can you? And then, where are any other days to celebrate us men?
And June was supposed to be Men’s Health month, but instead all the bragging rights are taken by the Pride Month in June, so we are again left with nothing, in the shadows… like we don’t exist. Sad but true. And people try to talk about injustice? Patriarchy and other crap? Weird world we live in…
Apologies for that complaining vibe, but had to spit it out. It is not right to do it this way in modern era, yet we keep replicating this nonsense for some reason.
Stay tuned and see you tomorrow!
Blunt Force Healing 
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