Especially when you are none too bright and are not well read. I wonder if the last of the Easter Islanders thought much about the remaining trees they were about to fell?
Today, in Australia, some farmers are to clear trees from their land as a protest against laws designed to protect the environment those farmers live in.
Just because we are 'modern', have science and technology does not mean that we make intelligent decisions. I expect most people to become desperate and make bad decisions during this century.
Reuters - Angry Australian farmers plan tree-felling protest
Not all organic food is good
The Soil Association may decide to remove organic status from food imported into the UK. A box of apples from China may have been grown organically but the fuel used to transport that box to the UK negates any good done in the orchard.
BBC - Organic move to cut food flights
BBC - Organic move to cut food flights
Do not vote!
Today Ireland is going to the polls. I am supposed to trudge off to the local school and cast my vote. I can vote for a devastatingly attractive lady from Sinn Féin, one of the corporate drones from the other parties in regulation suit and tie, maybe a member of Kerry's dynastic hill billy family or some anonymous person from the Green Party.
However, I won't. All western politicians are now centrists desperate to appease big business. Any Green that enters this race doesn't deserve to be called a Green. For those who vote it's a matter of choosing the person who you think is going to help you to line your pockets. Constant economic growth from here to infinity with infinite population growth to lap up the garbage our corporations churn out.
No, I shall not vote. We deserve better.
However, I won't. All western politicians are now centrists desperate to appease big business. Any Green that enters this race doesn't deserve to be called a Green. For those who vote it's a matter of choosing the person who you think is going to help you to line your pockets. Constant economic growth from here to infinity with infinite population growth to lap up the garbage our corporations churn out.
No, I shall not vote. We deserve better.
A new beginning
I have been keeping it quiet that I was negotiating the sale of the house. Too little land and too much house. No longer. The property was sold today. I have a caretaker agreement for the next two months whereby I finish off some landscaping and building work and then move on.
I am currently looking for a larger quantity of land whereby I can complete my goals. Apologies for a lack of posts as I am busy packing.
I am currently looking for a larger quantity of land whereby I can complete my goals. Apologies for a lack of posts as I am busy packing.
Solar water heater
This is an experiment in building a solar hot water panel based on the Mother Earth in-line collector.
Part 1 - Mother Earth "In-line Collector" solar water heater
Part 2 - Solar water heater - part 2
Part 3 - Solar water heater - part 3
Part 4 - Solar water heater - part 4
Part 5 - Solar water heater - part 5
Solar water heater - part 5
I made a change to the prototype today. Instead of using wooden battens to press the collector plate up against the pipe loop I decided to put the plate on top of the pipes and wire them together.
The collector plate was then painted matt black. The best way to dry the paint was to leave it out in the sun so I reassembled the collector and left it in the sun. I didn't fill the collector with water for now. After 15 minutes the collector plate was at 60C and the output pipe was at 35C.
The next thing to do is insulate behind the collector plate with rock wool and lag exposed pipes. I shall get a small plastic tub, lag it and then connect the collector pipes to it. That will serve as a way to test the heat output of the collector.
The collector plate was then painted matt black. The best way to dry the paint was to leave it out in the sun so I reassembled the collector and left it in the sun. I didn't fill the collector with water for now. After 15 minutes the collector plate was at 60C and the output pipe was at 35C.
The next thing to do is insulate behind the collector plate with rock wool and lag exposed pipes. I shall get a small plastic tub, lag it and then connect the collector pipes to it. That will serve as a way to test the heat output of the collector.
Solar water heater - part 4
Here is the completed in-line collector prior to painting. Behind the glazing you can make out the copper tubing and collector plate. These will be painted matt black. On the bench behind the collector you can see an old hot water cylinder that will act as a pre-heating cylinder and in which hot water from the collector will be stored.
The water in the pre-heating cylinder will be used to refill the existing hot water cylinder as it empties rather than being filled with cold water from the tank in the roof. The tank in the roof will only be used to supply water to the cold water taps and to the pre-heating cylinder.
We need to visit the hardware store to get some brass fittings to connect the cylinder to the collector.
The water in the pre-heating cylinder will be used to refill the existing hot water cylinder as it empties rather than being filled with cold water from the tank in the roof. The tank in the roof will only be used to supply water to the cold water taps and to the pre-heating cylinder.
We need to visit the hardware store to get some brass fittings to connect the cylinder to the collector.
Solar water heater - part 3
The prototype is almost there.
The pipes are connected and a sheet of metal has been placed behind the main collecting pipes. It's a very simple design. Not too many pipes. None of them are bent like in other designs that require a serpentine of copper tube. All bends are catered for with the appropriate fittings. The idea is to make a collector that is easy enough for anyone to build.
Expensive commercial solar heaters are more efficient. With a simple design like the Mother Earth News in-line collector you simply build another collector until you have enough of them to provide for your needs.
Unlike other DIY designs the copper tubes are not going to be soldered to the metal sheet. The sheet will be propped up so that it touches the collector pipes along their full length.
The collector will be tested on the next sunny day. Then the collector plate will be painted matt black to see what difference that makes. After that there may or may not be structural modifications.
The pipes are connected and a sheet of metal has been placed behind the main collecting pipes. It's a very simple design. Not too many pipes. None of them are bent like in other designs that require a serpentine of copper tube. All bends are catered for with the appropriate fittings. The idea is to make a collector that is easy enough for anyone to build.Expensive commercial solar heaters are more efficient. With a simple design like the Mother Earth News in-line collector you simply build another collector until you have enough of them to provide for your needs.
Unlike other DIY designs the copper tubes are not going to be soldered to the metal sheet. The sheet will be propped up so that it touches the collector pipes along their full length.
The collector will be tested on the next sunny day. Then the collector plate will be painted matt black to see what difference that makes. After that there may or may not be structural modifications.
Bathing with wood gas
I bathed in hot water heated by wood gas for the first time today. I used my wood gas stove to heat up a kettle of water. It had me thinking of how to heat a hot water cylinder with wood gas.
There are two options. The stove works well in batch mode. Heating a batch of hot water and putting it directly into a hot water cylinder is an option. There would be no need for a heat exchanger.
The other option is to heat water and run it through a heat exchanging coil in the cylinder. That would require an electric circulation pump.
My preference would be for the first option. I have a spare hot water cylinder that could be used to hold hot water from the wood gas stove or from the solar heating panels. I would use the thermosiphon effect to get hot water into this secondary cylinder. When water is removed from the existing hot water cylinder it would be refilled from the secondary cylinder rather than by the cold water tank in the roof.
There are two options. The stove works well in batch mode. Heating a batch of hot water and putting it directly into a hot water cylinder is an option. There would be no need for a heat exchanger.
The other option is to heat water and run it through a heat exchanging coil in the cylinder. That would require an electric circulation pump.
My preference would be for the first option. I have a spare hot water cylinder that could be used to hold hot water from the wood gas stove or from the solar heating panels. I would use the thermosiphon effect to get hot water into this secondary cylinder. When water is removed from the existing hot water cylinder it would be refilled from the secondary cylinder rather than by the cold water tank in the roof.
Wood gas blower tested
Today, I tested the cheap garden vac/blower I bought last Friday. It's electrically powered and rated at 1800 watts. I switched it on in the workshop and things began to fly all over the place. Definitely too powerful. I'll have to see if masking off some of the air intake reduces the outflow otherwise I will have to reduce the speed of the motor. Buying cheaply meant there was no speed selector.
I used my inverted downdraught gasifier as an updraught gasifier and gave the primary air intake a blast with the blower. It certainly made things a lot hotter. The blower would make a good foundry blower too. I threw in plenty of wood chips on top of a small fire I had lit at the bottom of the fire tube and a lot of smoke billowed out. So much so that I had to evacuate! (The area, not myself.)
Well, the blower is up to the task if not more so. After some modifications I can get on with building a gasifier to produce engine quality wood gas.
I used my inverted downdraught gasifier as an updraught gasifier and gave the primary air intake a blast with the blower. It certainly made things a lot hotter. The blower would make a good foundry blower too. I threw in plenty of wood chips on top of a small fire I had lit at the bottom of the fire tube and a lot of smoke billowed out. So much so that I had to evacuate! (The area, not myself.)
Well, the blower is up to the task if not more so. After some modifications I can get on with building a gasifier to produce engine quality wood gas.
Solar water heater - part 2
A bit more work completed on the Mother Earth News In-line Collector.
With the plastic cover pulled back we can see into the collector box. At this end of the box we can see an arrangement of copper tubes and brass fittings. In the middle of the arrangement there is a tee. At either ends of the tee is copper pipe connected to 90 degree elbows at either end of the arrangement. The third exit on the tee goes down through a hole in the bottom of the box and is for the hot water output.
A similar arrangement at the other end of the box is for the cold water input. The elbows at the ends of the two arrangements will be connected from one end of the box to the other with two copper tubes. These copper tubes will rest against a sheet of aluminium that acts as the solar collector. The collector heats the water in the pipes, which is then transferred to a hot water cylinder.
With the plastic cover pulled back we can see into the collector box. At this end of the box we can see an arrangement of copper tubes and brass fittings. In the middle of the arrangement there is a tee. At either ends of the tee is copper pipe connected to 90 degree elbows at either end of the arrangement. The third exit on the tee goes down through a hole in the bottom of the box and is for the hot water output.A similar arrangement at the other end of the box is for the cold water input. The elbows at the ends of the two arrangements will be connected from one end of the box to the other with two copper tubes. These copper tubes will rest against a sheet of aluminium that acts as the solar collector. The collector heats the water in the pipes, which is then transferred to a hot water cylinder.
Mother Earth "In-line Collector" solar water heater
This is an experiment in solar hot water heating using the plans on the Mother Earth In-Line-Collector.
This collector won't be an exact copy of the in-line collector as it is a prototype constructed from whatever is at hand. The material used was "Obtainium", a new word I recently discovered. Obtainium is any old piece of scrap found in your workshop that gets the job done with minimal fuss and cost.
The box is constructed from a piece of 3/4 inch plywood board with mitred pine battens to mount the "glass" upon. The glass is actually Corotherm (propped against the right-hand corner of the collector box) and is double-glazed plastic sheeting.
The Corotherm sheet will sit on top of the box permitting the sun's rays to enter whilst providing insulation against heat loses from the box.
Inside the box you can see a few brass fittings that will hold two copper pipes inside the box. The pipes will rest in contact with a sheet of aluminium that I shall purchase tomorrow. The aluminium sheet gets hot under the sun like a car's body does. The heat is transferred to the copper pipes whereupon a thermostat turns on a circulation pump when the pipes are hot enough. Hot water is then circulated through the heat exchanger in a hot water cylinder.
Hopefully, things will look a lot clearer when I have everything mounted inside and spray painted with (I hope) matt black paint. Failing matt paint then I shall use Obtainium paint (leftover gloss from the renovation of the trailer).
This collector won't be an exact copy of the in-line collector as it is a prototype constructed from whatever is at hand. The material used was "Obtainium", a new word I recently discovered. Obtainium is any old piece of scrap found in your workshop that gets the job done with minimal fuss and cost.The box is constructed from a piece of 3/4 inch plywood board with mitred pine battens to mount the "glass" upon. The glass is actually Corotherm (propped against the right-hand corner of the collector box) and is double-glazed plastic sheeting.
The Corotherm sheet will sit on top of the box permitting the sun's rays to enter whilst providing insulation against heat loses from the box.
Inside the box you can see a few brass fittings that will hold two copper pipes inside the box. The pipes will rest in contact with a sheet of aluminium that I shall purchase tomorrow. The aluminium sheet gets hot under the sun like a car's body does. The heat is transferred to the copper pipes whereupon a thermostat turns on a circulation pump when the pipes are hot enough. Hot water is then circulated through the heat exchanger in a hot water cylinder.
Hopefully, things will look a lot clearer when I have everything mounted inside and spray painted with (I hope) matt black paint. Failing matt paint then I shall use Obtainium paint (leftover gloss from the renovation of the trailer).
Update on projects
Sunshine and warm air draws me outside so I have plenty to do and not much time to post on the blog.
Trailer - Now officially finished after welding on a crossbar prop for resting long objects upon in the trailer.
4x4 - I have found what I want but will not say anything more until I see it outside my door.
Wood Gas - I purchased a cheap garden vac/blower with which to cobble together a downdraught gasifier. I have all the bits and a new found welding skill so I have no excuses but to get on with it. I will need to vent off excess air as the blower is very powerful. That or connect a variable resistor in to reduce the current flowing through the motor.
Solar Water Heater - All the components are there for a first attempt at a solar water heater. It will be quite simple so not as efficient as other designs. It will scale up so efficiency is not a problem.
Photo-Voltaic Panel - I have lots of broken solar cells that can be soldered together to produce some current. I'll get a piece of ply to mount them on.
Vegetable Growing - Everything I wanted to plant this year is now in the ground.
Trailer - Now officially finished after welding on a crossbar prop for resting long objects upon in the trailer.
4x4 - I have found what I want but will not say anything more until I see it outside my door.
Wood Gas - I purchased a cheap garden vac/blower with which to cobble together a downdraught gasifier. I have all the bits and a new found welding skill so I have no excuses but to get on with it. I will need to vent off excess air as the blower is very powerful. That or connect a variable resistor in to reduce the current flowing through the motor.
Solar Water Heater - All the components are there for a first attempt at a solar water heater. It will be quite simple so not as efficient as other designs. It will scale up so efficiency is not a problem.
Photo-Voltaic Panel - I have lots of broken solar cells that can be soldered together to produce some current. I'll get a piece of ply to mount them on.
Vegetable Growing - Everything I wanted to plant this year is now in the ground.
What is the point of a manual car?
I guess some people are very fidgety and have to be fiddling with something all the time. My dad is paying a visit at the moment. He turned up in a rental 4X4. I was impressed by the vehicle (a Daihatsu Terios) and asked to have a little go on the driveway.
My dad likes his gears so the rental is a manual car. I had read up on manually changing gears last night and took a few words of advice from dad. No problems. Only, I have a question. WHY? I can be doing something else rather than wasting my time fiddling with that gear stick.
There are those who would love to tell me about better fuel efficiency when you become a gear slave. However, today's automatics are very good and are closing the gap. The gap is as good as closed considering the poor driving skills of your average driver. Namely, me.
I was going to look at a 4X4 tomorrow but as it is a manual, I can't be bothered. I have tracked down an automatic version of the one I want and come hell or high water, I'm having it.
It's bad enough being a slave to the infernal combustion engine but I am not adding gear slave to it. I'm sure I could practice very hard to be proficient at gear changing only I have better things to do with my time.
My dad likes his gears so the rental is a manual car. I had read up on manually changing gears last night and took a few words of advice from dad. No problems. Only, I have a question. WHY? I can be doing something else rather than wasting my time fiddling with that gear stick.
There are those who would love to tell me about better fuel efficiency when you become a gear slave. However, today's automatics are very good and are closing the gap. The gap is as good as closed considering the poor driving skills of your average driver. Namely, me.
I was going to look at a 4X4 tomorrow but as it is a manual, I can't be bothered. I have tracked down an automatic version of the one I want and come hell or high water, I'm having it.
It's bad enough being a slave to the infernal combustion engine but I am not adding gear slave to it. I'm sure I could practice very hard to be proficient at gear changing only I have better things to do with my time.
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