Kitchen Sink and Utillity Room Renovation


The kitchen sink was in despicable condition -- it would not drain, and the garbage disposal had not disposed for many years, so it was finally time for major surgery.	After replacing the kitchen faucet with a modern, single-handle design, the next step was to clear the way to remove the drain plumbing and the garbage disposal.	Good thing you can't SMELL this photo, taken shortly after the garbage disposal was removed and sent to the trash pile.

Garbage disposals are strongly discouraged on Curacao, where it is impossible to buy one. So after permanently removing it, W0CG installed a new sink basket and tailpiece in the right sink. We then installed all new drain plumbing for both sinks because the original plumbing was too high, preventing the sinks from draining.	Here is the relic, waiting to go to the bad place.	This is Ransel Johanna, who assisted W0CG on the utility room renovations. Here he is slopping on the first of three coats of paint required to cover the old ugly walls.

To get to this stage, we had to remove the old water heater, the old air handler in the ceiling, the washer, the new water heater, and then completely rebuild the ceiling.	This is the computer that controls the irrigation system. It has been moved indoors for security.	This fuse panel looks antiquated by U.S. standards, but actually is standard, even for commercial installations, in the Netherlands Antilles.

This departure step is crucial because it powers off the water heater and the radio power duct during periods when nobody is using the house.	The European electric meter keeps track of our usage of the very expensive island electricity.	The underside of the legacy water heater right after we removed it. Amazingly, it was still working fine. Lots and lots of coakroaches had taken up residence under here because of the moisture leaking from the tank.

The air handler from the whole-house air conditioning system. The motor had seized many years ago. This was NOT easy to remove!!	Washing machine and the new water heater -- these sat outside under the tarp for several days while I prepared the room.	The corpse, prone.

We re-did the kitchen sink and washing machine plumbing so that the grey water would come outside for irrigation rather than being wasted in the septic tank.	Sorry, my photo editor is not working. Can't rotate these photos. s you can see, even the floor was painted!	The new water heater, in place.

New shelving above the re-installed washing machine.	The new water heater was set on tile for moisture-control.	It took a bazllion fittings to adapt the new water heater threaded fittings to the old metric tubing. Geoff brought these all from the States because they are very difficult to find in Curacao.

Several boxes of new fuses are on hand now.	Gradually, the utility room project is nearing completion.	I found an old tabletop, took it apart, and then cut it onto pieces to make shelves for the utility room.

Thanks to W8TK -- his circular saw is being used to great advantage.	Here is the temporary outlet system for the sink and washer water -- it runs to two trees behind the house and will be expanded later.	Grey water outlet to the lime tree.

The plants will be VERY happy with this water, which previously was being totally wasted.	We'll extend the grey water system to other planting beds on the next trip...!