EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Appliances & Gadgets
Advanced Search
 


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


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-10-12, 12:52 PM   #11
bennelson
Home-Wrecker
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 546
Thanks: 3
Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts
Default

This past weekend, I got a FREE crock-pot.

It's not as fancy as the one we already had, although it didn't come with pre-melted-off handles either. No, this one is the type with the non-removable crockery, and a plastic lid.

It seemed to run a little hotter than our existing pot, and I tried making a loaf of bread in it, unmodified. But I thought this time I would "go big", so I did a DOUBLE-loaf.

It was interesting how it turned out.

Here's a blog entry on the entire experiment, round two.
Crock Pot Bread, Take 2



PS: For those interested, the Kill-A-Watt said it cost me about 5 cents in electricity to bake this 3lb loaf of bread.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
bennelson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-12, 10:56 PM   #12
ecomodded
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Vancouver Island,Canada.
Posts: 1,037
Thanks: 116
Thanked 100 Times in 87 Posts
Default

Wow that is super efficient,with insulation probably 1-2 cents to cook it, can't beat that either way.
ecomodded is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-12, 09:22 AM   #13
bennelson
Home-Wrecker
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 546
Thanks: 3
Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts
Default

That was about 2.5 hour bake time.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
bennelson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-12, 02:12 AM   #14
ecomodded
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Vancouver Island,Canada.
Posts: 1,037
Thanks: 116
Thanked 100 Times in 87 Posts
Default

Your bread looks quite good, for crock pot bread its amazing ! haha.
ecomodded is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-12, 10:12 AM   #15
wyatt
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 75
Thanks: 3
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default

Your story reminds me of how I insulated a cheap Harbor Freight dehydrator so we could speed up drying times when making fruit strips. It was our first time making them, and it was taking WAY too long. I devised a way to duct the flow inside the dehydrator to give better coverage. Once verifying that the ducted flow worked as expected (maybe 5 minutes of watching and feeling) I wrapped a blanket around the outside, leaving room at the bottom for fresh air to get in. Temperatures went up nicely (measuring with a cooking thermometer at the second level from the top [5 levels total]) and based on the smell of warm fruit, it seemed like we were finally on our way! A couple hours (of constant watching) later, something just seemed off... things were fine top-side (where I had primarily been doing my investigating), but when I removed the blanket, the grates of the bottom two racks were drooping, and very close to touching the heating element... It was definitely my fault, I should have tried ONE thing at a time, maybe ducting first, then insulation, then both (depending on results). I am glad the dehydrator was cheap. We replaced it with a CraigsList find of the day with twice the capacity and temperature control. Definitely be careful when modifying a piece of dumb hardware. Although our "new" dehydrator has "temperature control" it's not a thermostat, and I would guess that most crock pots and other plug in heating devices are the same way.
wyatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-12, 03:30 PM   #16
Sirius
Lurking Renovator
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Southern Califormia
Posts: 20
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bennelson View Post

The new door handle/lock that I got was $23. It was a mid-grade brand, but all the parts were metal, and had a better strike plate. On the old knob, some of the parts on the inside were plastic. (I saw one brand as cheap as $9! Hate to think about the quality of that one!)

I eventually did an autopsy, and narrowed the problem down to a tiny spec of cheap metal that simply broke off inside the latch. Cheap piece of #$@$#%%$^&**!
A long time ago, in a former life, I used to be a locksmith. I hate to break it to you Ben... $23 is not a mid grade lock. You can tell either by the price, or the fact you got it at a big box store. They are what kept me in food, responding to and fixing your exact problem.

Basically, lock manufacturers make cheap stuff that they sell in bulk to big chain hardware stores. Then they will retool and make a higher quality run that they sell in smaller bulk to locksmith supply stores.

The next time you need a lock, find a locksmith supply store and see if they will sell to you. If not, go to a locksmith shop, and pay his retail price for a good quality lock. Ask for the locksmith grade. Expect to pay +/- $100.00. However, you are talking about the silent sentry guarding your house and family while you sleep. This is one of those things you pay top dollar for so it does not fail at the most inopportune time.
Sirius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-12, 03:49 PM   #17
bennelson
Home-Wrecker
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 546
Thanks: 3
Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts
Default

I was really only comparing it to what I had.

It's easy to spend a fortune on almost anything.

I was surprised at how cheap the materials inside my original door knob were. The materials of the new knob were considerably better at a still very affordable price.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
bennelson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-12, 04:34 PM   #18
wyatt
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 75
Thanks: 3
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default Keyed Alike

When we purchased our house, we changed the locks out. Firstly, we wanted to have new keys. Secondly, there were 4 knobs, 4 deadbolts, and 8 unique keys! I went to our local Home Depots and looked for like-keyed sets of knobs and dead bolts. I was fortunate and found two packs of two deadbolts and two knobs each (a total of 4 each), all keyed alike (one key will operate any deadbolt or any door knob). These were not top of the line knobs, but the ability to get into any door with only one key is really nice. I bet if you shopped around, you could find a pack of two knobs and two deadbolts that would at the very least allow you a backup means of entry if one failed again. Or you could store a spare key for the front door, AND one for the back door, in the garage...
wyatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-19-12, 10:48 AM   #19
bennelson
Home-Wrecker
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 546
Thanks: 3
Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts
Default

I did a write up on this project at Instructables.

Crock-Pot Bread

Lots of photos and how-to.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
bennelson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-13, 07:41 PM   #20
RobbMeeX
Eco OWNER!!
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: ATL
Posts: 99
Thanks: 25
Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts
Default

Good Read!

__________________
In it for the money (savings)
RobbMeeX is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Tags
bread, crock-pot, door knob, lock

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 05:36 AM.


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