Off topic!!!!!!!
Thread Starter
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
From: woodville, tx
Off topic!!!!!!!
i know this is way off topic, but it was so cool i could not resist. BUT it does deal with a ord engine, if that is any concolation....
these folks were thinking WAY outside the box on this one.
THE ROCKY HOLLOW ENERGY SYSTEM
these folks were thinking WAY outside the box on this one.
THE ROCKY HOLLOW ENERGY SYSTEM
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
Likes: 16
From: Nutter Fort, WV
That is all fine, but did you notice there was no mention of something to keep food cold?
Gonna take a rather large inverter and some serious batteries to run a refrigerator.
I am seriously considering a small solar panel to charge a couple deep cycle batteries and running 12 volt LED lights in my house.
Gonna take a rather large inverter and some serious batteries to run a refrigerator.
I am seriously considering a small solar panel to charge a couple deep cycle batteries and running 12 volt LED lights in my house.
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
From: woodville, tx
davethey did mention appliances from rv supply stores, may be a 12v fridge. i know the one out in my travel trailer is a tri-power. 120/12/lpg and it works great. on 3 out of 6 it will freeze beer on the top 2 shelves...
Methanoholic
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,442
Likes: 8
From: Maine (NorCal Native)
The only electrical power we had when I was growing up was from generator, pops took a D4 Cat motor and put a 45KW generator behind it, On the shaft between them was a pulley that turned a second generator that provided 12v that charged banks of batteries in various locations.
The main generator was only ran at night for the evening hours except in certain situations when needed. It used 9/10ths of a gallon an hour of fuel. The exhaust was dumped underground into a concrete tank and it was so quite you could faintly hear the motor (not exhaust) in the house a few hundred feet away!
I used to love setting in the generator shack listening to that Cat, you could hear every sound in that motor, Not the exhaust.
The 12v was used to power certain things like my folks water bed that had custom built 12v heaters, a few simple daytime lights and the main generator control panels that were located in all buildings.
The Shop and Barns all had their own propane 10KW generators that could be fired up for that incidental need.
We had propane plumbed throughout that fed the refers, water heaters, stoves and the farrowing pens for the pigs as well as lights (lamps) in strategic locations.
Heat for the house and barns was wood.
No TV, No Phones ... Them were the days, I loved it!
-Enjoy
fh : )_~
The main generator was only ran at night for the evening hours except in certain situations when needed. It used 9/10ths of a gallon an hour of fuel. The exhaust was dumped underground into a concrete tank and it was so quite you could faintly hear the motor (not exhaust) in the house a few hundred feet away!
I used to love setting in the generator shack listening to that Cat, you could hear every sound in that motor, Not the exhaust.
The 12v was used to power certain things like my folks water bed that had custom built 12v heaters, a few simple daytime lights and the main generator control panels that were located in all buildings.
The Shop and Barns all had their own propane 10KW generators that could be fired up for that incidental need.
We had propane plumbed throughout that fed the refers, water heaters, stoves and the farrowing pens for the pigs as well as lights (lamps) in strategic locations.
Heat for the house and barns was wood.
No TV, No Phones ... Them were the days, I loved it!
-Enjoy
fh : )_~
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,900
Likes: 3
From: Campbell River, B.C.
I like this kind of off topic.
Power inverters don't cost that much anymore and price of solar panels is falling every year.
Neat thing about LEDs and silicon solar cells, is that no one really knows how long they last because the oldest ones are still going. We're talking 40 years or more and they still work.
A solar panel roof would be a high investment, but it would likely be a one time investment and you can sell power to the grid for the rest of your life.
Love LEDs though. I wish they made headlights like that because you can get replacement blinker lights that are LED. Going from 5% efficiency to 95% is a bit of a leap for your ulitity bil though, lol. And you can get LEDs that screw into a regular 110V light socket, but they come close to $20 (though prices probably dropped since I last checked)
Power inverters don't cost that much anymore and price of solar panels is falling every year.
Neat thing about LEDs and silicon solar cells, is that no one really knows how long they last because the oldest ones are still going. We're talking 40 years or more and they still work.
A solar panel roof would be a high investment, but it would likely be a one time investment and you can sell power to the grid for the rest of your life.
Love LEDs though. I wish they made headlights like that because you can get replacement blinker lights that are LED. Going from 5% efficiency to 95% is a bit of a leap for your ulitity bil though, lol. And you can get LEDs that screw into a regular 110V light socket, but they come close to $20 (though prices probably dropped since I last checked)
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Senior User
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 387
Likes: 1
From: Bald Knob AR
That is cool! Just goes to show how easy it is to get by without the power companies if you set your mind to it.
I've been tinkering around with windmills. My current set up is a small mill made from a converted car alternator. It keeps two deep cycle batteries charged down at my barn. I run a 2500 watt inverter on them and it supplies all the juice I need to run my power tools, lights and even a 110 volt air compressor. So far I have yet to run out of power.
I built my first one out of junk laying around my shop and a 1 1/2 horse DC motor. It worked great until a freak storm with 100 mph winds took it out. Crashed and burned, wasn't pretty. LOL My next project is one I'm building out of a 3 1/2 horsepower DC motor and I plan to feed the power back thru the grid and see how much I can reduce my light bill.
I've been tinkering around with windmills. My current set up is a small mill made from a converted car alternator. It keeps two deep cycle batteries charged down at my barn. I run a 2500 watt inverter on them and it supplies all the juice I need to run my power tools, lights and even a 110 volt air compressor. So far I have yet to run out of power.
I built my first one out of junk laying around my shop and a 1 1/2 horse DC motor. It worked great until a freak storm with 100 mph winds took it out. Crashed and burned, wasn't pretty. LOL My next project is one I'm building out of a 3 1/2 horsepower DC motor and I plan to feed the power back thru the grid and see how much I can reduce my light bill.
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