Another big day for the team, all of the solar panels were installed and connected together. Tomorrow we will be able to do all of the pump controls and wiring. We had a lot of help from the roofers, cousins Di and Gunther (there are a lot of German immigrants in this area of Peru), they picked it up quickly and got it done.
Another part of what we do as EWB is introduce both the community and skilled laborers to new concepts and construction methods. The community has taken great interest in how to properly connect PVC pipes together. In the past, they've only used PVC cement and have been telling us about all the issues they have with keeping their pipes together. So when we use primer and cement it piqued their interest. Currently, the local stores don't even carry PVC primer so they haven't heard of it before. We told them they should ask them to, supply and demand.
More examples of this knowledge sharing are with the roofers. Never before have they installed a solar panel system, but once it was explained they understood and got it done. Same with using hurricane ties for the roof rafters. Typically, they only toe-nail rafters to the sill plate to keep them restrained, but this is not as effective as using hurricane ties. So when we showed them the ties and how to use them they were also intrigued.
Chris Larson - EWB-MN Chuchurras Project Lead
