--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00004 Date: 08/14/96 From: IVY IVERSON Time: 06:31pm \/To: JIM DUNMYER (Read 4 times) Subj: FREE ALFALFA HAY??? -=> On 08-12-96 21:26, Jim Dunmyer said to Ivy Iverson,<=- -=>"About FREE ALFALFA HAY???...,"<=- Hi, Jim; > into one of the cylanders! They ran on gas, (I dont remember if it was LP > or natural). The problem came, as I understood the explaination, because > dry gas does not give the lubrication which a liquid fuel has. As a > result, two of the three engines were torn down for repairs most of > the time... JD> JD> We have several co-gen engines where I work, and they're torn down for JD> a top-end overhaul at 20,000 hours. That's nearly 3 years of JD> round-the-clock operation (on natural gas). Full overhauls are JD> scheduled for 40,000 hours. JD> Although I've heard that theory about "dry gas" and "no lubrication", JD> I don't really believe it. Gasoline isn't much of a lubricant either, JD> as you know. This was over 30 years ago and I have forgotten much of what I knew about it. I do remember, however, that these three big engines were used to supply power for the headquarters building when the commercial power went out, which might have averaged 2-3 blackouts under 5 minutes a month, and maybe 1 1-hour blackout once every couple of months, so they didn't get a lot of use, and I was told that they always had at least one of the three torn down because of problems, (supposedly) caused by lack of lubrication. Hopefully the problems have been solved in the interviening 30+ years. I don't know what other provisions they may have had for short-term power until they got a generator cranked up. Possibly a flywheel MG set, where a motor turns a flywheel which turns a generator. These are beautiful for getting rid of power line surges, and will supply power for several seconds after a power failure until generators can be started. Catch you later... Ivy ... "A good engineer is always a wee bit conservative."-Scotty ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 [NR] --- TriToss (tm) 1.03 - (Unregistered) * Origin: Ivy's WALL BBS <> Sheboygan, WI 414-457-9255 (1:154/170) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00005 Date: 08/12/96 From: IAN WOOFENDEN Time: 08:43pm \/To: ALINDA HARRISON (Read 4 times) Subj: Hello :) On (11 Aug 96) Alinda Harrison wrote to Ian Woofenden... > Get yourself a copy of _Home Power_ magazine. It's the best > resource there is. AH> Where do I find it? Home Power Magazine PO Box 520 Ashland, OR 97520 800-707-6585 $22.50 per year (6 issues). Worth every penny and then some. [Michael, you could just put a canned message on here every week...] Ian ... Anyone can handle a crisis. It's everyday living that kills you. ... "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it." -- Judge Learned Hand --- PPoint 1.96 * Origin: Woof Point West (1:101/525.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00006 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 10:53pm \/To: ALINDA HARRISON (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: Hello :) -=> Quoting Alinda Harrison to All <=- AH> My main interest is the non-polluting and available to all solar AH> energy. I don't know how well it would work in this climate AH> though...the ducks like the weather though ;) Perhaps solar power in AH> concert with some kind of generator would work... does anyone know of a AH> decent solar powered generator? AH> Well, I have much to learn and I'm here to learn it. Solar powered generator? To generate what, hydrogen? If you mean electricity, PV panels are the way to go. Take care. ... Unknown Error on Unknown Device for Unexplainable Reason --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00007 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 10:57pm \/To: TIM HUTZLER (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: looking for the sche -=> Quoting Roy J. Tellason to Tim Hutzler <=- TH> If you want 'emergency' power, then don't expect the wind to TH> help, unless your expecting tornados and hurricanes. Tornados and hurricaines aren't good for windpower, as they can damage the equipment. TH> Get a gas generator for emergencies, or (golf-cart) batteries. Or PV panels, or wind/water powered generators, and keep those batteries topped off as much as possible! Take care. ... Devoted to the study of cat bathing as a martial art. --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00008 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 11:09pm \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: looking for the sche -=> Quoting Roy J. Tellason to Ivy Iverson <=- II> Just make sure to keep water in the battery. This should be II> checked about once a month, and only DISTILLED water should be II> used to replace what is lost. RJT> I dunno why the insistence on distilled water, that never really RJT> seemed to make all that much of a difference as far as I could tell. RJT> Even with the amount of minerals in the water around here... You're joking, right? Ordinary tap water will ruin an expensive battery in short order. I have a friend that watered his batteries with tap water once in a pinch, and the batteries lost their capacity very quickly afterward. Always use distilled water! Take care. ... Well, I'll have a slice without so much rat in it. - Klaus, MPFC --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00009 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 11:15pm \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: Different batts. -=> Quoting Roy J. Tellason to Jim Dunmyer <=- RJT> I could do something like this, but I have a number of different RJT> batteries around and I'd like to be able to hook them all up to a RJT> "maintainer" of some sort, so that I could keep them all charged. RJT> Within reach I have about four 12 AH, one 33 AH, one big (group 27) RJT> RV battery (with another in the next room), and several other RJT> assorted sizes. I'd like to take the guts of one of my scrap chargers RJT> and use it to keep this stuff charged properly without having to worry RJT> about one being overcharged while the rest are just getting going... To do that with *one* charger sounds to me like a real problem, unless you have some sort of smart switcher to switch between the different groups. You might be able to use some sort of isolator between them, like the sort used for dual battery banks in RVs. I can't say for sure... Take care. ... Ow! Ow. I think I'm hemorraging. That hurts. --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00010 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 11:32pm \/To: CATHY HETTINGER (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: photovoltaic air conditioning -=> Quoting Cathy Hettinger to Tim Hutzler <=- CH> Tim, are you aware of air conditioners that are available for very CH> small rooms and perhaps even DC? My future plan is to have a DC air CH> conditioner hooked directly to a solar cell. That would have to be a *tiny* AC, or be fed from *lots* of panels. If you lived in a dry climate, you could use evaporative cooling, but in FL, it doesn't seem too practical. The AC I have in my bedroom is small, and draws over 800 watts when the compressor is running; this would take 13 average PV panels to power it, at a PV cost of around $4500! CH> Tried calling motor home guys but they knew nothing of solar CH> powered A/C for motor homes. Just get the specs, since they run on 12 volts, then add panels together until you have enough amperage to run it; it won't be cheap! Take care. ... "I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them." - I. Asimov --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00011 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 11:50pm \/To: ANDREW KRONQUIST (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: PHOTOVOLTAIC AIR CONDITIONIN -=> Quoting Andrew Kronquist to Cathy Hettinger <=- AK> This is a bit pricey, but I saw in the Jameco catalog those solid AK> state cooler modules that are used in portable coolers for sale. AK> they're rated at 13.8 volts @ 10A. you'd need a few of them, and they AK> cost $30 each. The website is: www.jameco.com and the catalog is free. You would need a *lot* of those modules to cool a room, and they are not very efficient. Probably cheaper to go with more standard units, though not at all *cheap*. Take care. ... May the leaks in your boat be smaller than your bailer. --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCJ00012 Date: 08/09/96 From: T OWEN Time: 11:55pm \/To: TIM HUTZLER (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: photovoltaic air con -=> Quoting Tim Hutzler to Cathy Hettinger <=- CH> With the price of solar cells I need to wait until they come down > in price or maybe if there is a deal then I'd need that small air > conditioner. TH> Ya know, from time to time I read of these 'break thorughs' in TH> photo-voltaic production technologies. But I don't see the price drop TH> all that much. Are cheap PV cells being kept from us, or are they TH> being snached up as soon as they pop out of the toaster? The trouble is that most of the advancements are with amorphous cells, which are still far less efficient, and shorter lasting than their silicon counterparts. The silicon cells aren't going to get cheaper until someone finds a way to grow the crystals, and cut them more quickly, cheaply, and easily. If we keep investing in present technology, we will provide incentive for this, and R+D will be able to do more for us. Personally, I think that todays PV panels are a very good value, considering their longevity. CH> Tried calling motor home guys but they knew nothing of solar > powered A/C for motor homes. TH> As I had mentioned, they are no doubt cost prohibitive. After all - TH> the idea, here, is saving money, right? Except in my case... One of my places is on an island with no grid power, so cost is not as much of an issue as availability and ruggedness. TH> Something I have dreamed of was an 'absorption' cooler for the home. TH> This is practically free 'cold,' but the unit would be many times the TH> size of that five-ton that's on the roof now. That would be ideal, but you would have to know how to work with high-pressure steel and ammonium hydroxide, which is nasty stuff, if not handled properly. However, as opposed to PV, a reflective concentrator would be cheap, and then it is only a matter of keeping it focused on the boiler bulb. Those systems last a very long time. I just replaced an absorbtion reefer on my island that was still working after over 40 years (it used too much propane). TH> The summers are hot here - expected to be 105 again today. The house TH> is designed to handle the heat with grace. Still, that AC will TH> probably be turned on, if the humidity rises. At 25-cents an hour TH> running time, how nice it would be to get my cold for free! Yes, standard AC is horribly expensive. Next time I build a house It's going to be buried in the ground for heating and cooling reasons. Take care. ... >>>-------> !!! NO NUKES !!! <-------<<< --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Computer Castle / 20 Lines / Newton, NH / 603-382-0338 (1:324/127) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: DCK00000 Date: 08/15/96 From: RAUL ALMQUIST Time: 08:28am \/To: BILL BAUER (Read 4 times) Subj: Re: FS: 1kw 120VAC Inverter > Yup, I know, but I no longer need this particular one, as I landed a > heck of a deal on a 2nd hand AT&T 10KVA UPS unit that I now have wired > into my system providing me a LOT of AC (about 80+ amps at 120VAC) BB> Wow! How does one go about getting in on such a deal from AT&T? BB> Auctions or what? What do they use for batteries for the back up? No, not from AT&T telecomm, but is manufactured by AT&T, they make a series of UPS models from the usual sizes out to 20KVA or better (I know of the 20KVA and surmise other larger size(s)). I got this from a recycler of computer products who had 9 pallets of assorted UPSs, when I saw the capacity of this one (and its twin), I looked elsewhere at the other UPSs, after some sighing and waving of hands over several dead UPSs, I finally told him I would take the 2 larger ones, I then took them both home, and took the parts from both to make a single working unit (one had a bad transformer, and the other a bad logic board), I now have one fully functioning unit with plenty of usable spare parts (except a spare main transformer and a spare logic board) against a time in which it might fail, although it powers a 32' travel trailer, a shed, a garage and still has PLENTY to spare, and it is extremely CLEAN power able to be used by anything I could ever buy (except 50hz based equipment, and I even have a 120 to 240 at 5KVA isolation transformer to provide me 240VAC... the ONLY way to go, and I basically get a pair of Trace 4K units (with about 2K to spare ) for less than the price of a 500w inverter. --- MacWoof 1.5.3 * Origin: ShadowMAC.Org - Minnesota (1:282/62.105)