During the last weekend of March, the WOT community gathered for a working weekend to repair and refresh the terrain after the winter wear. There were a handful of squares to tick off the board. The first task was to install a box on the PTB that will house electronics for testing solar pumps. Thanks to Dirk, who brought the box and guided us through the process, we managed to install it, create a custom bottom board, and add the first electronic components.
While some members focused on that, others found themselves in a friendly battle with the tall grass in the middle of the terrain. Next on the list was fixing the PTB electric motor, which meant only one thing: suiting up in climbing gear, dismantling the motor, and bringing it down.
The real fun began when we tried to open it, every fourth screw was rusted solid, so we had to get creative. In the end, we won the fight and discovered far more water inside than there should have been. After drying, greasing, and reassembling it, we crossed our fingers, but our first test wasn’t very convincing.
Before we could climb back up the test tower, it was time for the classic WOT fire. As usual, it was huge, you could feel the heat from the top of the Kreta.
The next morning brought climbing time. We carefully brought the motor back up, and our hopes were fulfilled: when we switched it on, we heard the sweet sound of the pump doing its job.
The timing couldn’t have been better as we just touched the ground again, the rain began. And it wasn’t just the clouds leaking water: the solar shower was too. This led us to replace the buoys inside, clean everything up, and get it ready for the summer.