|
Register | Sign In |
|
QuickSearch
Thread ▼ Details |
Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
|
Thread Info
|
|
|
Author | Topic: Green and less dependent on "grid" corporations ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
No one is allowed to run water mindlessly at my house. The only septic system we can have is a holding tank. It is 4000 gals and in a home with 2 women, two boys 8 and 5, and me we have to have it pumped a little more than once a month. At $200/pump it irks me when people run water purposely down the drain. Separate your gray water (from washing) from organic waste, use it to water your lawn. http://www.ehow.com/...8428190_design-grey-water-system.html Get a composting toilet and use the compost in a garden. http://letsgogreen.com/how-composting-toilets-work.html Or an incinerating toilet http://electrictoiletonline.com/ Enjoyby our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Theodoric Member Posts: 9197 From: Northwest, WI, USA Joined: Member Rating: 3.2 |
Separate your gray water (from washing) from organic waste, use it to water your lawn.
Can not do that legally here. Gray water lines are not allowed by code. Also do not want the chemicals from washing in my lawn. Have though about letting it go out into woods behind house but it wont absorb quick enough because of the clay. Composting and incinerating toilets are not practical alternatives with 3 adults, 2 boys and 2 bathrooms.Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts "God did it" is not an argument. It is an excuse for intellectual laziness.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
Can not do that legally here. Gray water lines are not allowed by code. ... So ask for a variance due to your extenuating circumstances (if you don't ask they can't say yes) or collect it in containers to use on garden (see rain barrels for containers).
... Also do not want the chemicals from washing in my lawn. Have though about letting it go out into woods behind house but it wont absorb quick enough because of the clay. So separate that from the rest of the system, and let it go to the cistern. Alternatively change your soaps to eliminate the chemicals.
Composting and incinerating toilets are not practical alternatives with 3 adults, 2 boys and 2 bathrooms. Think about adding an incinerating toilet in Master bathroom, and that reduces load on the cistern by 40% (two adults). Also consider a urinal sytem and urine collection -- diluted (with grey water) urine is a good fertilizer: Garden Guides | The Effects of Urine on Tomato Plants Or continue to pay to get rid of perfectly good water and fertilizer ... and buy water and fertilizer ... Enjoy.by our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ringo Member (Idle past 440 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined:
|
RAZD writes:
I don't water my lawn at all. If it can't survive on its own, it has no business in my yard. Separate your gray water (from washing) from organic waste, use it to water your lawn."I just rattled off that post not caring whether any of it was true or not if you want to know." -- Faith
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
RAZD writes:
I don't water my lawn at all. If it can't survive on its own, it has no business in my yard. Separate your gray water (from washing) from organic waste, use it to water your lawn. Theodoric's problem was having to pay to get rid of water and other waste, I'm just suggesting ways to reduce that cost.by our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ramoss Member (Idle past 640 days) Posts: 3228 Joined: |
One of the big issues with green energy is storage of energy for when the sun don't shine, or the wind don't blow ..
So , this is something to put where the sun don't shine. It appears that a new rival to using graphene as a super capacitor has arrived. It is made from , you got it stoners, HEMP (the non-thc type. http://www.sciencedaily.com/...ases/2014/08/140812121549.htm
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
It appears that a new rival to using graphene as a super capacitor has arrived. It is made from , you got it stoners, HEMP (the non-thc type. too cool ...
One of the big issues with green energy is storage of energy for when the sun don't shine, or the wind don't blow .. I'm currently working on a system to collect solar heated water in a tank, similar to a hot water heater, for use in (a) house hot water and (b) hot water heating. The current gas hot water heater would become a stand-by unit. Both would operate in case of a power outage and the solar heated water would reduce my usage of gas. The pumps for the heating system will be 12vdc pumps run off a deep-cycle battery bank that stores solar panel electrical output. The first prototype is already providing hot water for an outdoor shower (the whole setup is outside, so it won't be good in the winter). The next level would involve a 55 gallon drum for storage of solar collector liquid (with some antifreeze component) with a copper coil to transfer heat to water for consumption (the 'antifreeze' liquid could be used directly for the heating system). The liquid in the drum would be at static head, while water in the coil would be street pressure, so any leak would be from the coil to the drum. Enjoyby our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ramoss Member (Idle past 640 days) Posts: 3228 Joined: |
That is how the commercially available hot water solar systems work. I believe what a lot of them do is 'preheat' the water that is supposed to go into what ever gas/oil burner people have.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: |
I believe what a lot of them do is 'preheat' the water that is supposed to go into what ever gas/oil burner people have. Every liter bit helps by our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
saab93f Member (Idle past 1422 days) Posts: 265 From: Finland Joined: |
We halved our heating costs by switching from oil burner to geothermal energy. On top two floors the radiators remained but in the basement we have radiant heating. The system has altogether five zones - one for the radiators since they require much hotter water than the radiant and four for different rooms in the basement (the sauna and bathroom have two degrees warmer circulation so that the floor dries up faster).
Previously our heating costs were in the region of 3000 per year and now the are roughly 1500. The system cost 16 grand so it should be less than ten years for it to have paid itself. Page not found – Thermia
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined:
|
... but in the basement we have radiant heating. ... Love radiant heating - when I started remodeling this house I put in radiant heating in the kitchen, which is difficult to heat otherwise, and the dining area, because I wanted to preserve a colonial period architecture. We loved it so much that we have been installing it in every room as we remodel ... with one left to go. I even have radiant heat under the shower stall.
... the radiators since they require much hotter water than the radiant ... Which is another benefit - I can heat the house off the hot water heater, which still operates when there is a power outage (we have had two in three years, and I expect them to increase as the grid gets more overloaded with new construction). That means I can dispense with the boiler, and use solar to supplement the hot water heater and have an additional backup. I also have a cute venturi "pump" that uses street water through a venturi nozzle to suck 2+ gallons of water for every gallon of street water as a backup sump pump (float set 1" higher than the electrical sump pump). In testing it was able to pump the sump even while I had the hose filling it at full throttle. Enjoyby our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined:
|
http://artturbine.com/
Much more aesthetic than those airplane propeller systems And you can make your own to mount on your house (over the chimney?) Enjoyby our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RAZD Member (Idle past 1433 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined:
|
Currently working on a solar hot water collection system.
The solar heat collector is ~300 feet of cpvc pipe arranged in a 4ft x 5.3ft box, painted flat black and covered with clear plastic (to keep out debris and lessen heat loss to wind). Located on top of the back porch. The heat storage is provided by a recycled 55 gallon barrel, filled with water and non-toxic antifreeze (such as is used to winterize RV water systems), located in the basement, wrapped in insulation. The antifreeze water is cycled through the heat collector during the day by a 12 to 24 vdc pump, powered from a deep cycle battery recharged by a solar photovoltaic panel. A thermostat in the heat collector box turns on the pump when the temperature exceeds 60°F, using the AC control circuit (and the setting can be adjusted by wifi). The water out of the tap is at ~55°F, so only hotter fluid is pumped into the barre from the collector. A copper coil in the barrel transfers the heat to the potable water in the tubing, which is at house pressure (~70 psi, while the barrel is at atmospheric pressure) and feeds to the inlet side of the gas water heater, so any heat over the temperature coming out of the tap means less gas needed to provide steady hot water.
This is the prototype system test, with 60 feet of tube in concrete painted black; the battery and pump are behind the collector panel; this system was able to heat the water in the barrel to 98°F -- I expect the ~300 ft collector should be able to get considerably hotter. Currently I am planning the heat transfer coil to go down into the barrel inside a baffle and then back up outside the baffle, with all connections at the top of the barrel, and this will be the next part to prototype and test. The question here is how much copper tube do I need to get efficient transfer of heat from the barrel liquid into the water in the tubing. Enjoy. Edited by RAZD, : clrtyby our ability to understand Rebel☮American☆Zen☯Deist ... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ... to share. Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click) |
|
|
Do Nothing Button
Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved
Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024