Rain Rain, we need it.

Can't fault the rain. I did some checking into whether I could add some hydro power to the setup, and the best I can come up with is "maybe". The only way I can see that would be feasible is to runn piping along the side of the house, with some kind of small water wheel. Seems like a natural kid magnet, the type that I'd be fixing all the time. Doesn't seem like it would add enough to the power scheme. I'll think about it. Besides, when I'ts raining, it seems that the wind is blowing...

Mentioned this to some one I know, they're really interested in how to power a home via hybrid power. I think this has potential...

I think tomorrow (wednesday) I'll pick up a battery at Walmart.com. See If I can get this whole thing started...

Preparing for Winter, Part 1


It looks like I'm going to have to do the same thing again this year, which is to put plastic up on all the windows. Since this is an old house, ALL the windows really need replacement. And since I can't afford to replace them, well, anything that keeps a dead air space is a good thing. I've been looking at the online Rollback Savings at Walmart.com, specifically for the window shrink wrap kits and weather stripping, and I'm not finding them. I do know that I can get them at the store, so I'm not going to sweat it... Anyhow, these kits use double sided tape to attach a plastic "pane" to the frame, then use a blowdryer to shrink and tighten the plastic. I've been using either these, or a heavier gauge plastic someone gave my on my windows for years. It does keep the wind from whistling through the house, thereby saving heating costs.

Another project that is happening now is the floor in front of my 2 basement doors. Seems that over the years the boards have softened,and in the one case, appear to be termite chewed (the house was treated before I bought it, I insisted). I may not be able to apply as much insulation as I may wish under the floors, but I can put something under there... The kitchen has always been a bit cold in winter. I'd *really* like to run subfloor heating in there, but that may be next years project, or the year after...

It seems that there is a lot more to the whole conversion than I first thought...
But it all comes down to efficiency, and making the most out of the least...

Midday Readings

The little cap is showing 2.4v at 50ma on this overcast and drizzly day. Works for me.

THREE DAYS?!?!

WOW, I didn't think it was that long. Man, I been busy. Created some new graphics for the home specs page, built box so I can put trickle chargers on roof (they were meant for the dashboard, and are not weatherproof). Ripped up a small section of floor by kitchen door to replace, and have a minor job to do tomorrow. YIKES! and have 3 PCs to fix. Part of the other thing I do, mze.462df.com

So, maybe by the weekend I can have the panels in place, and the BB 12v going for some small applications. With any luck, this garage cleanout that I'm involved in will yield a bit of wood that I can make some kind of Vertical Mill out of. More on that later, complete with plans and drawings.

I've gotta look up how an alternator works... ;D

Cloudy Day stats

Anybody got a day stretcher out there? *WAY* too much to do, *WAY* too little time to get it all done. I still need to be in 3 or 4 places at once, and never seem to get even close to getting caught up. God, I love it!!!

Any how, it was a cloudy day today, so I recorded 22-25 DCMA on 3.3VDC from the garden cap. Not bad. It looks like some cash may be coming in soon, so I can start really looking for the PV panels, batteries, inverters, charge controllers, generators(auto or truck (or alternators??)), vertical mill designs, and miscellaneous hardware to implement this whole shebang. I'm already looking at some suppliers, and with a new Home Depot opening in St. Clair, I'll have selection from Lowes products.

Gotta run quick tonight, lots to do, short time to do it, and gotta be up before the sun later.

Project 2

This will be a more pracical test, as I intend to replace 2each 4watt night lights with the high intensity LEDs from the set I have equivalent to these Malibu 4-Piece Accent Lighting Solar Tier Light.

I have 2 options for this, I can either install more of the caps on the porch roof to charge the "AA" NiMHs, or I can use the ICP Global Batterysaver PhotoVoltaic Panels that I purchased from Walmart last year. I think I'm going to try the LEDs first, as it is a simpler system to set up for now. Although, the use of the LEDs with the BB 12v 7Ah battery is a pretty viable alternative, as well.

One of the lights is always on, in my basement/utility room, and it's dark with out it. Normally that would be no problem, but it is on the way to my kitchen, so I like to see what I'm barking my shin on when I get the late night snacks. BTW, this costs about $5.00 per year to operate. The other light is in the back bedroom, and is photo cell controlled, so it's only on when it's dark, for a cost of about $2.00 - $2.50 per year. Admittedly not much of a savings, but a start.

See the plans, and useful products at pasolarhome.com

Nice times, need clouds, rain.

While getting lots of sunshine is a good thing for a solar power system, I'd like to see a few days with either more clouds, or rain. While still not a reliable or directly cross referencible experiment, I would get a good practical idea of how much juice is generated by the same photovoltaic cells in inclement weather. As I'm currently using Westinghouse Solarlights Landscape type PV caps, without the charging unit or battery ("AA"), they seem fairly responsive to all light. The watch is still ticking even after the cap is in shadow. I'll have to remember to check the current output.

I'm working on the water heater design as well.

I'm also looking into mechants who would have the requisite items in stock at reasonable prices, as they'll get both my business and my recommendation.

So much to do, so little time and money...

PC Power.

I have a question out to an EE friend about powering the PC direct from a 12v supply, as opposed to running 12vDC, inverting to 110vAC, and then plugging in PC, which internally uses 12vDC and 5vDC. We'll see how hard that can be.

Meanwhile, looks like I've gotta spend some cash on the Phone and Electric bills, so I may have to hold the plans for the thermosyphon. However, I'm gonna scrounge around over here and see what I can find to build a smaller one than needed, just to prove out the theory.

Long day, gotta crash...

Solar Water Heater (1)

Maybe a solar water heater isn't such a bad idea after all, as I'm doing the research into it. The idea at this point is for a 3 season system, thermosyphon, closed w/ antifreeze. The primary use of this would be for a warmer shower in the spring, summer and fall. I currently shut the hot water making furnace off during much of the summer, turning it on 2-4 times a week for 1 cycle to heat 1 tank of water.

OK, lemme 'splain... I'm a single guy with 2 cats, I can eat off paper plates from the microwave, laundry is twice a month, and I don't mind the occasional cold shower (yea, right... but I do it anyway ;D )

That said, I can rig a system off part of the porch roof to heat 5-10 gallons of water, more than adequate for a shower, and I can nuke water for dishes. (i'm a camper, can do a lot with minmal hot water) This would eliminate the need for the furnace all summer, and most of the spring and fall, or at least good portions.

By rigging an electric water heater with the appropriate heating elements into the baseboard heat (powered by battery and wind /solar), I may be able to get oil usage down to under 2 tanks a year, from 3-4. A savings of $750- 1500 a year. (250 gallons by $3.00/gallon).

I'll look into it, and post.

PS, the watch definitely needs a kick start...

WOW, number 1? or 4?
anyhow, got a great 12 hrs 45 mins today, but raises the question of quality. I think I'll start slipping resistors into the circuit just to see how much quality I'm getting. The quantity is there, and after finding USNO site, now I can map out the sun angles. Posted a few pics to the website.

We'll see what happens tomorrow, I see clouds in the forcast, possible rain at night. Enough for tonite.

Still Slight Problem With Watch.

Recorded 9 hrs 45 mins, Watch still needed 'kick' to gtet it going. Started after I put the volt meter on it. Oh, well... It may be a moot point unless I can figure how to track actual voltages, but having it in a bright spot for that long is a good thing.

I'm also starting to find some of the really good solar sites that are out there, and can get the eBay feed onto the pasolarhome.com site. Real time tracking of solar panels and inverters for now, makes it easier to find them later.

Search for Power at InterstateBatteries.

I'll find 300 - 600 Ah SLA batteries here. If I got with regular 12v car batteries,
or even marine, I can get them anywhere. And replacement will be easier, too.

Long day, *my* batteries are drained.

Juice, Finally.

Got the watch going at 9:30am, had a bad solder joint on the positive lead, and I moved the cap closer to the edge of the roof. Had 9 hours and 50 minutes of generating time. Not bad for the late start. The next few days should show more accurately.

I'm going to start the research on adding an electric water heater to the basboard system. Currently, I get my hot water from the furnace, so I have to burn oil to stay warm. By throwing a water heater into the loop, I'll be able to preheat, if not go around the furnace. I'll have to figure the valves and plumbing, but it shouldn't be too hard.

This will keep me from frrrreezing should the oil run out. Once I figure the heater capacity I'll need, then I can calc the amount of battery power for 2 days running time. Why 2 days and not longer? I'm going to add wind generating to it. I found some interesting designs for bladed mills, and will experiment with that, as well. As I read somewhere, if the sun ain't shining, the wind is usually blowing. And it can blow all night, as well.

I'm really trying to avoid direct water heating, as I mostly need hot water in the winter, and most systems will need antifreeze, closed loops, and heat exchangers to be really efficient, and that is just too much expense for the return.

I'll be getting the chance to read this book on designing the system in the next week or so, so that should give me more input and ideas, see just what I've missed.

Shine on!

The solar panel appears to need some adjustment. As I checked the setup throughout the day, I noticed it in quite a bit of shadow. Not good for solar! The watch tracked either 12 hours and 3 minutes, or just 3 minutes. Since there was only 1 minute clocked at noon, my guess is 3 minutes.


The weather today was a bit cloudy, so that could account for some of the time, but still, it should have been better. I'll need to adjust the placement of the cap a little further out onto the roof.



Well, this is why I test things out first, instead of just installing the whole package at once.
Friday is calling for sunrise at 6:11, sunset at 8:08 (weather.com), and sunny. That's 13:57 worth of possible sunshine. Which means that there should be a good 7-9 hours for the cap. This is due to the sun swinging past the 240 degree mark, putting the south facing wall into shadow.



And I'll have to remove the satellite dish. It ain't hooked up, so no big loss. In fact, I last turned the TV on around Halloween last year. (have internet, who needs TV?)

The next step will be to figure out what will be needed for the auxilliary water heater.

weather yesterday was clear, some light clouds. Set up the passive array test cells. I have a back porch roof that faces south, approximately 6' x 15', so I set a small garden light cell top on it with caulk, and ran the wires to an analog wristwatch. When enough light hits the cells, I'll have a good record of how much time those cells had to make juice. With approx 14 hours of sunlight this day, it should be pretty good. I had about 7 1/2 hours yesterday, but set it up late, so it wasn't the full day.

I'll post the results, naturally.

Meanwhile, the pasolarhome.com site is taking shape, should get to the rest of the main pages today and tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Hello there.
It's nice to be in the sunshine. What with the high cost of fuel oil, I've been looking into converting my house to solar and wind power. I think this will be beneficial, especially as I'm sorta broke, and it will feel pretty good to be able to thumb my nose at 'big oil'.

I'll be using this space to record some progress, but mostly for updates on sun amounts, and how hard the wind has been blowing. Which means I need to get some equipment to measure that. I'll letcha know.

Most of my posts will be at night (the better to report full sunshine amounts), so let's see where this goes...