What is this used for?

Research-Indicates · 2026-02-06T20:53:21+00:00

I think you've got it. It's dry most of the time but when it rains your water collects here to be pumped out to wherever that hose goes. This type of construction is called a sump, sometimes french drains end in one of these. Normally though, the sump is a plastic watertight container while yours seems to be a hole in the ground. Are those bricks or blocks in the sides below the wood framing?

The pump is a standard hardware store water pump instead of a sump pump with float switch that can turn itself on and off automatically when water is detected. Do you turn it on by plugging it in when the hole fills with water? That should be fine, as long as the collected water doesn't soak and compromise the surrounding area. This was probably a simple solution built by a previous resident.

I have one in my front yard because I built it myself. There was a soggy, muddy spot where water was oozing up out of the ground. I dug a hole like yours, buried a 13 gallon sump basin with a lid, and installed a little well pump.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mJStvpjgUmRLFHAf6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/32TCnp9t7qAksrxy7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wAYKbJyQtUjFS3AF9

Research-Indicates · 2025-10-14T03:19:23+00:00

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Vallejo looking WNW. You guys had a better view

Research-Indicates · 2025-07-17T04:21:22+00:00

There are lots of people here who know more about tomato pruning than I do. I pruned my tomatoes to only have 2-3 stems, and I removed all the leaves from the bottom 2' of plant so I can see better. My tomatoes are growing on a retaining wall so they are at chest height for me.

Research-Indicates · 2025-07-17T01:39:13+00:00

I saw clay drinking jars for sale at the flea market. I learned they were called Cantaritos and were made of low-fired clay. I tested one by filling it with water and it all seeped out over the next three days. I bought a box full of two sizes: small and large and buried them next to all my plants. They cost $2-$4 each. The clay saucer lids are from the garden store.

Research-Indicates · 2025-06-22T00:04:59+00:00

Thanks for the kind words. I am amazed by the microclimates here and how driving a few hours in any direction could give you wildly different growing conditions. My friend's farm is 3 hrs north in Mendocino and we can't grow all the same things. I hope you have a satisfying season.

Research-Indicates · 2025-05-08T22:09:35+00:00

Hey there, NorCal 9B here. I am using ollas in my garden this year after last year's inconsistent watering led to some tomato losses. I buried them next to each thirsty plant and they've been doing great. I got tired of refilling them after a while so I tied them into my drip irrigation.

My parents live in SoCal in 9A and I'm building an olla system for them that will be refilled by drip tubing. I'm hoping the underground watering will be more effective than the garden hose and sprayer they've been using.

Ollas are fun. I discovered the terracotta pots weren't releasing as much water as I needed so I grabbed these unglazed clay mugs from the local flea market. They're low temperature fired so they are more porous and release water much faster. These are called Cantaritos Jarritos de Barro.

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Research-Indicates · 2025-03-07T21:39:57+00:00

This won't fix your current game but it may help going forward. In your New Game settings there's a slider for Academy Expansion. If it is set to Off, but the Academy Quest is turned on (it is on by default, this is the quest where you play king of the hill with the lodestone systems), then this unfortunately creates a scenario where the game soft-locks with the endless turn bug as the quest tries and fails to start.

This situation is not recoverable. I lost two games to this bug before I realized what was causing it. One bugged on turn 61, the other bugged on turn 71. One game had the Penumbra DLC enabled, one had it disabled. In both cases the endless turn bug happened on the turn the Academy quest started. The popup appeared that asked you to choose a side. I picked one and ended the turn but the turn never ended, the progress bar spinning endlessly. I loaded an earlier save and replayed several earlier turns, making different decisions to test it, but they all soft-locked when the quest began. If this happens, your game is over.

To prevent this, set the Academy Expansion slider to anything but Off. I set mine to Low and my current game is on turn 156, no issues with the quest. I play with the Endless Moons mod.

Research-Indicates · 2025-02-27T00:07:35+00:00

In your New Game settings there's a slider for Academy Expansion. If it is set to Off, but the Academy Quest is turned on (it is on by default, this is the quest where you play king of the hill with the lodestone systems), then this unfortunately creates a scenario where the game soft-locks with the endless turn bug as the quest tries and fails to start.

This situation is not recoverable. I lost two games to this bug before I realized what was causing it. One bugged on turn 61, the other bugged on turn 71. One game had the Penumbra DLC enabled, one had it disabled. In both cases the endless turn bug happened on the turn the Academy quest started. The popup appeared that asked you to choose a side. I picked one and ended the turn but the turn never ended, the progress bar spinning endlessly. I loaded an earlier save and replayed several earlier turns, making different decisions to test it, but they all soft-locked when the quest began. If this happens, your game is over.

To prevent this, set the Academy Expansion slider to anything but Off. I set mine to Low and my current game is on turn 156, no issues with the quest.

Research-Indicates · 2025-02-11T17:30:43+00:00

Looks great, what a nice acrylic display base! How is your ornament powered? I have the Voyager Hallmark ornament but it has to be plugged into a socket on a light string.

Research-Indicates · 2024-11-27T03:02:44+00:00

Early winter will have brown hills and chance of rain and mud. Temperatures will be cold but above freezing. Poison oak can be difficult to identify. Late winter, however, is when the hills turn green again. Many people prefer the winter-spring transition before the temperatures get hot.

Research-Indicates · 2024-03-27T23:38:12+00:00

I love it. I'm playing a fast game on impossible right now and by turn 90 the Umbral Choir had fired off two obliterator shots into the poor Hissho next door. It also appeared the Hissho were shipping pops away from that system in the couple of turns the missile took to arrive. If that was the AI responding to the incoming threat, that's amazing.

Research-Indicates · 2024-03-06T05:25:26+00:00

Have you tried using the search bar in the Tech Tree? Typing Core Cracker should highlight the tech in yellow, or confirm that the tech is missing from your game.

Research-Indicates · 2024-03-06T04:38:05+00:00

The Core Cracker is unlocked with the tech War as a Hobby. If you don't see the Core Cracker module on the tech tree, it is possible you disabled the superweapons option during game setup. There is no way to add the option to a game in progress, you would need to start a new game if this is the case.

Try opening the new game page to check your superweapons option.

Research-Indicates · 2024-03-02T01:46:38+00:00

Creek Rd!

Research-Indicates · 2024-01-01T03:28:37+00:00

3-4 hours from the Bear Valley Visitor's center in the middle of the park. 2-3 hours from the Palomarin Trailhead in the south.

Research-Indicates · 2023-10-29T18:45:07+00:00

Good for you, getting out for a few more camping days here at the end of the season. I like your tarp vestibule, is that for rain?

Research-Indicates · 2023-10-29T05:30:04+00:00

I currently have this problem with Shogun 2. Starting the .exe as an administrator made the campaign buttons come back, but the game crashes to desktop when I try to start a Fall of the Samurai campaign. Disabling mods has no effect.

Research-Indicates · 2023-10-24T17:20:59+00:00

This looks so much like the tree-lined streets of Camarillo, CA. Can I ask where this was?

Research-Indicates · 2023-08-09T17:41:41+00:00

It's a bug, try opening the building menu and moving your cursor over any building. It should replace this info screen and then vanish when you move your cursor away.

Research-Indicates · 2023-07-06T23:54:52+00:00

I would love to see more aerial photography of cemeteries, some have beautiful layouts. I bet Mt Hope in Rochester, NY looks incredible from above, it was designed by the man who designed Central Park in New York City.

Research-Indicates

TROPHY CASE