Green and less dependent on "grid" corporations ...

One of the reasons my posting has dropped off is that I am renovating my house and have a number of subprojects in the works.Currently working on completely revamped second floor, having gutted out what was there before. New stairs, new roof rafters (from the inside), similar room layout but nice large full bathroom (at the expense of one bedroom), higher ceilings, and hot water radiant heat in the floors.Last year I did radiant floor heat in the renovated kitchen and the renovated dining room -- and it is wonderful.I've decided to "go green" in stages to facilitate conversion and ease load on the pocketbook ...The new heat upstairs will be controlled by 12vdc pumps turned on by the thermostats, one for each room. The pumps will run off a 12v deep cycle battery that will be kept topped up by a trickle-charger. This gives me heat if there is a power outage, and if it is extended, I can recharge from the car. The next stage will be to add photo-voltaic cells to the roof.And I can convert to a gas hot water heater to replace the boiler -- it operates without AC to turn on and off, and it is hot enough to use with the radiant heating (boiler water has to be mixed with return to get good operating temperatures) -- so the system is simpler. Plus the water heater can be wrapped with insulation to improve efficiency.With increasing population = increased electrical demand, plus aging infrastructure of the power grid system, plus corporate emphasis on profit over service, I expect blackouts to increase, so getting more independent seems practical.Lights I can also power with 12vdc, but the big AC demand will remain the refrigerator, the dishwasher, and the clothes washer and dryer (albeit this latter can be reduce in use with a clothes line and using the "solar drying machine" ...), so I may stay attached to the grid, and over time increase solar cells so that I give as well as take, and - hopefully - balance out in the end.I also have a venturi sump pump that can use city water to pump out the sump -- it's all mechanical, so it will operate in a power outage -- pumping out 2 gallons for every gallon of city water. This is set up as a backup to operate when the regular sump pump fails (or is overburdened).Anyone else doing this?

This is one of the problems with modern building construction. Large buildings recirculate air inside, complete with all the germs brought in by sick people, guaranteeing that the air is not healthy.What you need is an air exchange system that filters incoming air to remove pollutants and exchange temperature with expelled air, and treat it to a comfortable humidity. And your tank operates as a storage system to hold hot water overnight. With solar cells to power 12vdc circulation pumps and solar collectors to heat water you have an independent, non-polluting, no operating cost heating system.You can also invest in 12vdc wind generators (used a lot on sailboats) to power your dc system\batteries and give you redundancy\backup power. I may try this before the photo-voltaic cells as it is more off the shelf and easy to install. Agreed, you balance outs your peak demands (clothes dryer for instance) with the power you send back to the grid. Done universally your neighborhood could replace the need for additional power generation stations as well as lower your electrical costs.Enjoy

So I am moving forward with my long term plan.Have pex radiant floor heat now installed in all but two rooms, one under reconstruction (upstairs bathroom, all new layout) and one held for another year.12vdc pumps set up and operational, 12v deep cycle battery currently charged by trickle charger, but eventually from solar cells or wind gens (would have been put to the stress test last night ... wow was it windy).Next summer the boiler can be replaced by a gas waterheater.Also have the water powered sump venturi pump up and running ... and it's already been put to the test, it was fantastic. It can empty the sump while I run the hose into it at full blast!We have the first big storm of the year. No power outages (it was so cold its all powder). Yes, I plan to wrap the outside with foam insulation when I go to shingle it next summer, as that will also help seal draft locations (omnipresent with an old house - now confirmed at 1795 build) If nothing else it would eliminate 'sweating' condensation in the summer.Enjoy

I know

Two more to go (the undone room)Plus the insulation I've put in the rafters gives me the most snow covered roof in the neighborhood. All new all low energy rated. That's in the plans down the road. I'm also thinking of having some to heat an antifreeze loop in the driveway to clean off the snow, it would only need an expansion tank rather than storage..Enjoy.Edited by RAZD, : ;}

Posting this from Human Induced Global warming is just another conjob for the ignorant.m Message 25 so I'll have a record of it here. Rechargeable quinone battery for load levelling - NASA/ADS

quote:

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Rechargeable quinone battery for load levelling
Binder, H.; Knoedler, R.; Koehling, A.; Sandstede, G.; Walter, G.
International Power Sources Symposium Committee, International Power Sources Symposium, 10th, Brighton, England, Sept. 13-16, 1976, Paper. 10 p.

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A rechargeable battery system with solid quinones as active masses, which are insoluble in acids, is described. Oxanthranol (anthrahydroquinone) is used for the negative plate, and chloranil (tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone) for the positive plate. Overvoltage is small in the charge and discharge modes even at high current densities. More than 90% of the quinones can be utilized at a discharge rate of 10 h. For a laboratory model with a storage capacity of about 20 mA h/sq cm, a current yield of about 98% and an energy yield of about 90% were measured at a discharge rate of about 10 h. Lifetime does not appear to be limited by deep discharges or quick recharges. After more than 100 cycles, electrodes with chloranil showed no loss in capacity.

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And they should be cheaper than metal batteries.

I take care of the house and "she-who-must-be-obeyed" does the garden yard (it's all garden).

Currently still moving towards a low-tech hot water system.The first incarnation tested is an outdoor shower system using tap water from a hose. The hose is "Y"d with one side going to the cold valve and the other through 300 feet of hose lying in the sun to the hot valve. The shower-head has a "water-saver" washer that restricts flow, and this allows an easy 5-10 minutes of shower time. The main use is to wash off after swimming in the ocean. This works well, even on somewhat cloudy days.I've also built some test panels to see how well they work -- one is a coil of 65 ft of pex inside a concrete pad painted flat black (for thermal mass). This gets up to 140°F easily, but does not have a long flow time before it cools. The other is a 6 ft parabolic reflector with black painted iron pipe collector that gets up to 160°F easily, but has a shorter hot water flow time. If I cover them with e-glass they should both improve.The next stage would be to build a reservoir system, using a 55 gal drum with a coil of pex tubing inside to carry the (high pressure potable) hot water and the rest of the drum filled with saltwater running through the solar collector system to heat the (static pressure) reservoir. The would be powered by a small pump linked directly to a small solar panel (they sell as kits) so that the hot collector water is pumped when the sun heats it, heating the reservoir and thus the coil inside it.More thermal mass, so should have more flow time.The salt water is to provide non-toxic protection from freezing (should work here - we rarely get cold enough to freeze sea water). If the panels are mounted on the roof then I can circulate some house air through the backside.I have a lot of PEX left over from my radiant floor heating system that I can splice together.The collector could be improved by using recycled hot water "heatilators" with the fin-tubes painted flat black, that were removed from the house (to restore it to more historical 1795 accuracy).The reservoir heat transfer coil could be improved by using copper tube ($$$).With the drum inside (in the attic?) and the only outside parts are the collectors, I should be able to supplement if not replace the hot water system/s (hot water heater and boiler both use gas).Hopefully I may be able to use this system to eliminate the boiler and combine with the hot water heater to have gas backup to the solar system.Enjoy

Separate your gray water (from washing) from organic waste, use it to water your lawn.http://www.ehow.com/...8428190_design-grey-water-system.htmlGet a composting toilet and use the compost in a garden.http://letsgogreen.com/how-composting-toilets-work.htmlOr an incinerating toilethttp://electrictoiletonline.com/Enjoy

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). So separate that from the rest of the system, and let it go to the cistern. Alternatively change your soaps to eliminate the chemicals. 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 PlantsOr continue to pay to get rid of perfectly good water and fertilizer ... and buy water and fertilizer ...Enjoy.

Theodoric's problem was having to pay to get rid of water and other waste, I'm just suggesting ways to reduce that cost.

too cool ... 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.Enjoy

Every liter bit helps

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. 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.Enjoy

http://artturbine.com/Much more aesthetic than those airplane propeller systemsAnd you can make your own to mount on your house (over the chimney?)Enjoy