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Search: Posts Made By: Bicycle Bob
Forum: Appliances & Gadgets 09-29-20, 03:52 PM
Replies: 10
Views: 19,928
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Off-grid soldering

My dad used a gasoline blow torch for plumbing. For more delicate work, he'd heat up large lump of copper on a long handle with a pyramid tip. It had plenty of heat for large wires, and was fine...
Forum: Geothermal & Heat Pumps 12-08-19, 03:58 PM
Replies: 37
Views: 25,626
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Before I ask for prices, I want to have a size in...

Before I ask for prices, I want to have a size in mind, and my current furnace has no indication of BTU output by the numbers. Is there a decent formula for estimating that from the bills on the...
Forum: Geothermal & Heat Pumps 11-20-19, 12:20 PM
Replies: 37
Views: 25,626
Posted By Bicycle Bob
I'm re-visiting my options for replacing a gas...

I'm re-visiting my options for replacing a gas furnace, and see that Yanmar is offering both CHP units, and pure gas-powered heat pumps with exhaust heat recovery. ...
Forum: Renovations & New Construction 11-20-19, 11:46 AM
Replies: 1
Views: 4,246
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Steel Roof Tips

I recently had to re-roof an old house, and chose painted steel. To reduce the footprint created, I was careful to use both sides of the diagonal cuts and generally avoid scrap, and I used sawmill...
Forum: Energy Storage 08-07-19, 04:53 PM
Replies: 19
Views: 29,077
Posted By Bicycle Bob
I can never understand why they would suggest...

I can never understand why they would suggest size limits. There's the household gravity light using a sandbag already. It sounds very similar to pumped hydro, just for different geography, etc. ...
Forum: Wind Power 08-07-19, 04:43 PM
Replies: 13
Views: 27,628
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Wood is certainly adequate for moderate size...

Wood is certainly adequate for moderate size blades. It is still used for aircraft propellers, laminated as unidirectional plywood to avoid warps. Carving a first-class shape is not really hard. ...
Forum: Lawn and Garden 08-07-19, 04:33 PM
Replies: 1
Views: 10,044
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Tree Conservation

My house is well shaded by an old Maple tree that has grown as four suckers from the stump of an original tree. The four new trunks all lean away from each other, and I expect them to fall some day....
Forum: Appliances & Gadgets 03-21-19, 07:05 PM
Replies: 159
Views: 264,764
Posted By Bicycle Bob
I like building with available parts, so when I...

I like building with available parts, so when I needed an exercycle, I made a 2 X 4 into a stand that barely lifts the back wheel on my regular bike, supported by the chainstays. A strap over the...
Forum: Solar Power 03-21-19, 06:53 PM
Replies: 13
Views: 18,997
Posted By Bicycle Bob
It is well to get some extra high-temperature...

It is well to get some extra high-temperature resistance in any ancilliary hardware, but the panels themselves are fine with heat, except for the reduced performance. So, output does not go up...
Forum: Energy Storage 04-27-18, 09:58 PM
Replies: 2
Views: 9,407
Posted By Bicycle Bob
I certainly plan to insulate, etc. but in this...

I certainly plan to insulate, etc. but in this climate, losses can still be high. I also prefer a moderated temperature, so that I don't have to wake up and add a blanket every hour or so. If I...
Forum: Energy Storage 04-27-18, 12:11 PM
Replies: 2
Views: 9,407
Posted By Bicycle Bob
RV Heat Storage

I'm fitting out a microcar as a one-man RV, and would like to store some heat for overnight and morning. The nights are still freezing here. If it gets a lot of use, I'll probably fit a water...
Forum: Renovations & New Construction 08-22-17, 07:02 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 11,709
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Galvanized roofing is pretty durable, and the...

Galvanized roofing is pretty durable, and the next owner may demolish the house, or add a basement. I need some strength to resist 1/4 PSI water pressure, and the roofing is available free. ...
Forum: Renovations & New Construction 08-21-17, 03:46 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 11,709
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Foundation Undermining

I have the oldest house on my block, and a new neighbour has diverted a seasonal stream onto my lot. My foundation is just a few inches of concrete around the perimeter, on stony soil, and I'm...
Forum: Renovations & New Construction 10-18-16, 12:37 PM
Replies: 39
Views: 25,993
Posted By Bicycle Bob
I Love my bathroom layout. It is the width of a...

I Love my bathroom layout. It is the width of a standard tub/shower unit, installed at one end. The other end has a clothes washer and water heater. The door and window are opposite each other...
Forum: Solar Power 05-16-16, 11:03 PM
Replies: 9
Views: 4,962
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Parts Hacking

On Steve Roberts' Microship, he wanted very light but rigid panels, so he got a donation of plastic-coated silicon cells just lacking the usual aluminum backing. They would easily bend around a 1m...
Forum: Appliances & Gadgets 01-12-16, 12:25 PM
Replies: 18
Views: 11,738
Posted By Bicycle Bob
The hand-carved styrofoam seat is popular in...

The hand-carved styrofoam seat is popular in northern outhouses. Standard 2-lb insulation foam works well.
Forum: Wind Power 11-04-15, 03:20 PM
Replies: 18
Views: 18,344
Posted By Bicycle Bob
At those latitudes, you can set your solar panels...

At those latitudes, you can set your solar panels vertical, but the snow is usually dry enough to blow off anyway. Reflection from the snow will help make up for the angle, but you can't produce any...
Forum: Geothermal & Heat Pumps 12-13-14, 08:54 PM
Replies: 37
Views: 25,626
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Setting out to burn NG is likely to encourage...

Setting out to burn NG is likely to encourage fracking, but I love the idea otherwise. I'm appalled that we can't buy NG heat pumps based on free pistons, without all the extra parts. Electronic...
Forum: Biofuels 07-09-14, 05:05 PM
Replies: 9
Views: 12,255
Posted By Bicycle Bob
The oldest walls are up to 22 cm, the new ones...

The oldest walls are up to 22 cm, the new ones lagging around 16. I've had a blower door test, and done all the detailing. The foundation, or lack thereof, is discouraging major investments, but it...
Forum: Biofuels 07-08-14, 10:59 PM
Replies: 9
Views: 12,255
Posted By Bicycle Bob
I'm familiar with insulation, etc., thanks. Any...

I'm familiar with insulation, etc., thanks. Any other thoughts on the topic? Two other reasons it appeals to me are that it avoids awkwardness and expense on the chimney, and stops pollution at the...
Forum: Biofuels 07-08-14, 02:09 AM
Replies: 9
Views: 12,255
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Thanks, guys. I was figuring on either...

Thanks, guys.
I was figuring on either replacing the water frequently, or adding ash to balance the ph and filtering out the sludge. Wood heat is a daily chore anyway, eh? I've got gas laid on...
Forum: Biofuels 07-06-14, 02:59 AM
Replies: 9
Views: 12,255
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Wood Stove + condensing water heater?

Could I use a standard or even obsolete wood stove to feed hot flue gas into a condensing heat exchanger, preferably adapted from a gas-fired appliance, with draft provided by a fan on the exhaust...
Forum: Wind Power 10-15-13, 03:45 PM
Replies: 56
Views: 60,306
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Over at Airborne Wind Power, (kites) Dave Selsam...

Over at Airborne Wind Power, (kites) Dave Selsam is always telling horror stories about generators wrecked by high wind, but he's in Mohave. In general, cost per watt hour goes down as size goes up....
Forum: Wind Power 12-30-09, 12:19 AM
Replies: 28
Views: 24,561
Posted By Bicycle Bob
Blade Bias

If you buy blades, get windmill parts. Airplane props would be the equivalent of flying a cambered wing upside down. If you don't mind some extra stress on the tower and bearings, you don't need...
Forum: Geothermal & Heat Pumps 12-11-09, 01:25 AM
Replies: 10
Views: 12,855
Posted By Bicycle Bob
A thermosyphon works because of the difference in...

A thermosyphon works because of the difference in density in two vertical runs of a loop. If your rising pipe contains 100 lbs of water, and the cool side has 101 in the same volume, you have a one...
Showing results 1 to 25 of 42

 
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