EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Off Topic > The Billiards Room
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-18-14, 09:44 AM   #1
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default Winter Apocalypse! What will you do to survive?

Last night's sudden temperature drop wasn't in the forecast..

I was sitting in the Den watching "Day After Tomorrow" for the 8th time, (Maybe 14th time)
when suddenly, the outside temperature was telling the Sanyos to defrost,
and the nice Asian lady was singing her siren song of doom..
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/35552-post34.html


A pretty sine wave, THIS TIME!!

So, I started setting up our three space heaters (1 oil filled radiator & 2 noisy fan models),
turned on the oil burner, just before the den Sanyo started blinking defrost.

As I was saying a silent prayer for NStar, for some reason, I looked at the wooden chairs in the kitchen and made a mental note.
Those chairs are made out of hardwood.. They will burn slow..

What if the power went out for a few weeks?


So, I goggled "Eco Bricks" again this morning..



Check em out at: Home | Eco Brick

What do you guys think? How many pallets would be too much?

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	tempdaycomp.png
Views:	726
Size:	2.1 KB
ID:	4059  
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-14, 10:03 AM   #2
MN Renovator
Less usage=Cheaper bills
 
MN Renovator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 939
Thanks: 41
Thanked 116 Times in 90 Posts
Default

This guy seems to like Bio Bricks. Same thing.

MN Renovator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-14, 11:04 PM   #3
Ryland
Master EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Western Wisconsin.
Posts: 913
Thanks: 127
Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts
Default

Drain the pipes and put a coat on.
People go camping at -20F, I think we can handle being in houses that don't have heat, my parents who aren't all that old even talk about being kids and waking up with frost on their bed covers.

The risky part is people who do things like leave a water tap running, the drain was already slow or maybe it froze up and floods the house while they sleep and that happens without the heat going out!
Ryland is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-14, 04:12 PM   #4
brogsie
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: mass
Posts: 51
Thanks: 26
Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Didn't realize it got that cold last night. The Fujitsu kept up OK. Are the Sanyos just that much older they don't have the technology for temps near zero?
brogsie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-14, 05:47 PM   #5
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

If it's not too humid, the old Sanyos will work down to about 8F.
My alarm is set for 11F, so I can start getting the back-up ready.
Last night wasn't too cold (the above post is from yesterday).
I don't like to run them under 10F. Space heater efficiency..



But, it was humid around here. My sensor showed 95% RH.

I was getting a ton of defrost cycles. Had to use some space heaters.
They actually did most of the work. The Sanyos didn't hardly came on..

Killed the space heaters when I got up, and the Sanyos worked okay.
They were using about 1/2 the power of those wasteful space heaters..
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	tempdaycomp.png
Views:	718
Size:	2.2 KB
ID:	4066  
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-14, 08:51 PM   #6
MN Renovator
Less usage=Cheaper bills
 
MN Renovator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 939
Thanks: 41
Thanked 116 Times in 90 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by brogsie View Post
Didn't realize it got that cold last night. The Fujitsu kept up OK. Are the Sanyos just that much older they don't have the technology for temps near zero?
He is afraid of damaging the units if the power use goes up too high and he doesn't run them if they will be defrosting. I'm sure they would probably be able to keep up and be cheaper to run than oil and space heaters if he let them do the work. His units aren't the most efficient but they should be better than his backup heat.
MN Renovator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-14, 01:10 PM   #7
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

" I'm sure they would probably be able to keep up and be cheaper to run than oil and space heaters if he let them do the work. "


I don't know how many times I've heard that.. Dozens maybe?

Here we go again..
I'm 100% convinced that these particular Sanyos should NOT be allowed to run 3.6 kW.
That's about 15 amps, heading for 20.

When they get up over 15A, the outdoor unit roars for a while, then it will shut itself down.
It normally only takes 40 to 60 seconds.. It's very repeatable..
Just press the button marked "HIGH POWER", or just set the temp up, more than 1 degree.
Moving the setpoint up by 2 or more degrees, triggers "HIGH POWER" mode.

See "High Pressure Switch and OverLoad Relay" at the bottom of this diagram.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...CL/outdoor.jpg

It was during one of those power-hogging cycles, that my first Sanyo
blew a pin-hole in the copper line from the compressor.

So, to prevent a re-occurrence of R410a loss, I hacked together a 10A current limiter..
So, 2.5 kW is about as far as they can go.

My 10A breaker auto-resets after 65 seconds and the Sanyo thinks
it was a grid failure and restarts within 5 minutes.
(The remote transmits every 5 minutes).

Whats the deal with Defrost?

Well, if it's really cold out and a defrost cycle goes on too long, the room
temp could drop 2 degrees! (I'm sleeping and don't notice).
So, a few minutes later when the remote squawks, it's going to ask for
a 2 degree increase..
"HIGH POWER" mode, here we come!!




I've learned my lesson. I also avoid driving my Ford Escape up steep hills
with my foot buried in the firewall..
(I know about the factory defect in the transmission)..
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-14, 02:39 PM   #8
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

[QUOTE=MN Renovator;35864]This guy seems to like Bio Bricks. Same thing.


I like the tiny house. It would be great to have one up near a lake in NH..
If I were to build one, I would set it up for solar PV to the max..
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-14, 02:56 PM   #9
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland View Post
Drain the pipes and put a coat on.
People go camping at -20F, I think we can handle being in houses that don't have heat, my parents who aren't all that old even talk about being kids and waking up with frost on their bed covers.

The risky part is people who do things like leave a water tap running, the drain was already slow or maybe it froze up and floods the house while they sleep and that happens without the heat going out!

It's actually not that easy to drain a forced hotwater baseboard heating system.
The basement loop would be next to impossible to drain..
Have to blow it out with air pressure.

All my best to those people who go camping in -20 deg weather.. May they RIP.
I'm pretty sure that an old man from Texas would only last a few hours in -20..
It's just not in the DNA..
When I was a boy, camping on the Rio Grande, I woke up with frost on my sleeping bag some mornings,
but the temp was around 25 to 30 F.. Above Zero! And by 11AM, it would be in the 70s..


That's a good point about leaving the water tap on.. If your sink drain freezes, and you still have running water! LOL!!

A while back in Boston, some idiots turned down their heat in some stores, trying to save a few bucks..
When they came in on Monday, and turned on the heat. Flood waters came out of the ceilings!
Those guys aren't from Fargo..
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-14, 10:08 PM   #10
Ryland
Master EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Western Wisconsin.
Posts: 913
Thanks: 127
Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xringer View Post
That's a good point about leaving the water tap on.. If your sink drain freezes, and you still have running water! LOL!!
Yep, a friend up the street had about $15,000 in damage on three finished floors of their house from a running tap and a clogged drain, the plumber said it happens all the time in the winter.

On my to do list is a 600 watt power supply, enough to keep the furnace running with an anderson connector for plugging in more batteries.

Ryland is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design