Erik_Mag...a large tank...
Saw plans some years ago for a hot water heating system that involved a cistern and a wood boiler. The boiler used fan-assisted burning of six foot logs (gravity feed). According to the story, a burn would only be required every few days.
I figure that if you coupled that with a solar collector, your only ongoing cost (capital costs and wood notwithstanding) would be the power to circulate the heated water. And that could be reduced with solar electric.
Were I to build such a system, I'd also include a commercial back-up, in case I wanted to get away for a couple of weeks.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Paul_D_North_Jr There's also such a thing as an air-source heat pump water heater - it extracts heat from the surrounding air, and uses that to heat the water. Although consumer-level thermodynamics being a zero-sum game at best, it doesn't seem to affect the homeowners I've talked to.
There's also such a thing as an air-source heat pump water heater - it extracts heat from the surrounding air, and uses that to heat the water. Although consumer-level thermodynamics being a zero-sum game at best, it doesn't seem to affect the homeowners I've talked to.
The air source heat pump water heater does a good job of dehumidifying the air, with humid air more heat comes from dehumidification than from reducing air temperature. Such a beast would make even more sense with a large tank and a timer to avoid peak load operation.
Had some weather come to us out of Canada last night. Small hail, lightning, not much wind here - and only a tenth of an inch of rain.
It did interrupt some of the newly-allowed outdoor dining. I went to a small diner for some takeout and was offered a chair, fork, and a chance to socialize, so even though it was indoors, I took them up on it.
I listen (on the scanner) to the county to the southeast of us - they got slammed pretty good. Reports of multiple trees down in several places.
Off to a train show today. It's a small one, but I need some track and I know the organizers, so I'll be there to support them, too.
There's also such a thing as an air-source heat pump water heater - it extracts heat from the surrounding air, and uses that to heat the water. Although consumer-level thermodynamics being a zero-sum game at best, it doesn't seem to affect the homeowners I've talked to. For example, you'd expect the basement where such heaters are at to be a few degrees cooler than they were before, and the home heating system to have to run a little more to make up for that loss. However, said owners say they've not noticed that effect. Realistically, what they've got is a 2-stage 'geothermal' (actually "ground source heat pump") setup - the 55-degree (more or less) ground outside the basement keeps replenishing heat into the basement walls, which then replenishes heat into the basement air, which then feeds the heat pump water heater. Supposedly lowers the electric bill for the water heater quite a bit, and has a good supply of hot water (then again, who would ever admit to purchasing a mistake?).
More info here:
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/water-heating/heat-pump-water-heaters#:~:text=Heat%20pump%20water%20heaters%20use,like%20a%20refrigerator%20in%20reverse.
- PDN.
blue streak 1 Had a friend who had a new hoe built with 5 bathrooms. Wanted to buy a 75 gallon gas water heater but sticker shock was high. Talked plumber in buying 2 standard 40 gallon water heaters and plum them in series. First heater set for ~ 90 degrees and fed to second heater at 125. Finally had to replace one * not sure which on about 2010 and other last year. Never complained about not enough hot water. Have no idea if that would meet codes but realize that any heater has a maximum BTU rate no matter what the size so maybe 2 heaters imput more heat per hour than any 75 gallon would ? Also he had the plumbing set so he could isolate the bad one until a replacement was installed
Had a friend who had a new hoe built with 5 bathrooms. Wanted to buy a 75 gallon gas water heater but sticker shock was high. Talked plumber in buying 2 standard 40 gallon water heaters and plum them in series. First heater set for ~ 90 degrees and fed to second heater at 125. Finally had to replace one * not sure which on about 2010 and other last year. Never complained about not enough hot water.
Have no idea if that would meet codes but realize that any heater has a maximum BTU rate no matter what the size so maybe 2 heaters imput more heat per hour than any 75 gallon would ?
Also he had the plumbing set so he could isolate the bad one until a replacement was installed
Freak wind and rain storm today. 80+ MPH wind took out about 25 feet of my six foot cedar fence and threw it about 15 feet next door. Neighboring dogs have four yards to wander in - instead of just one. Flying monkeys en-route to Arkansas and Toto is off to parts unknown. Yard furniture flew 15-20 feet. Carl & Joe- get ready to duck!
evening
Just got unloaded from our trip.It was nice.Matt enjoyed the trains at pine jct.It was one right after another.Got to see the seimens engines for the Amtrak service in Michigan.A big thank you to Carl for being our tour guide.I'll see if I can get Stacey to that B&B.Matt says he is up for more train shenanigans anytime.Going to get cleaned up.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
I was looking forward to a trip to Ann Arbor on AMTRAK for my Granddaughter's graduation (her Masters in Epidemiology) but that was cancelled. Bummer. Now I have a voucher and don't know when that might get used. Her choice of study was timely. She's keeping me in lockdown until the rate of new cases declines. Flew to LA and returned on AMTRAK from LA when my other granddaughter graduated from USC a couple of years ago.
Erik_MagOn another subject, my daughter will be graduating from UCLA next Saturday - virtual commencement only.
Just have the graduates walk through your favorite big-box store as they announce them over the PA system...
blue streak 1 Also he had the plumbing set so he could isolate the bad one until a replacement was installed
Nice....
Our water heaters seem to be lasting about 6 - 7 years. Nice thing about the newest is the flashing LED running off the thermocouple indicating that the pilot light is lit.
On another subject, my daughter will be graduating from UCLA next Saturday - virtual commencement only. She metioned that there will be a guest speaker, but someone she didn't think we would know - George Takei AKA Hiraku Sulu. FWIW, George also appeared as crewmember of a IJN midget submarine on the Mr Roberts TV series - spoken dialog in English, subtitles in Japanese.
We've been in our house for 41 years; this is the third water-heater we purchased. The one it replaced lasted a lot longer than the one before it; the plumber said we won't get that lucky again.We got our fencepost today, after visiting two Home Depots and a Menard's to find it. It wasn't installed; I'll need cooler weather for digging out the bottom of the old one. Tomorrow would fit the bill, but I'll be otherwise occupied, with a much more pleasant chore.Telephone calls today firmed up my schedule for the next month of white-cell collections and re-infusions. I start Tuesday. Hope I tolerate it well...
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Back when I was a house owner, I would drain the water heater from time to time, which (I think) extended its life. I did replace two heaters over the years (the first time was after I got up to go to work and found no hot water, so I had a job waiting for me when I got home from work; Ricki was unhappy to find no hot water when she got up). The third time, I let a professional do the job. All in the space of 38 years.
Johnny
Joe, I'm not getting much ready for Saturday, just looking forward to a nice trip out. Pat is hoping to get things done around here while I disappear.Our water heater sprung a leak, too; that's how we knew it had to go. But the new one has all of its tank volume unencumbered so far. Our village used to have its own wells for water, and you couple practically crunch it, it was so hard. We now get Lake Michigan water from Chicago, and it's almost mineral-free.For the next home-repair project we need to buy a post for our split-rail fence and replace the current one. Something (perhaps age) broke it off at the ground line. We also have a downspout that needs re-hanging, a victim of a windstorm a while back. While unsuccessfully looking for a fencepost today, we got out in the direction of West Chicago and Geneva. There were trains, and I was able to grab some good sightings, including a series of 300 covered hoppers that nobody had reported yet, even though they're a couple of years old. I'm also having fun with some thirdhand gondolas...originally used by BN for woodchips, now used in the cotton industry. One company got a batch of 25 new cotton-gons. Their reporting mark? GINX!
Ns sent a stack train west after work.Came home and took care of the yardwork.Smelled some rain today but didn't see any fall.Going to enjoy my day off tomorrow.Getting things ready for Saturday.
rvos1979Our city water is very hard, the last time I changed the humidifier pad on our furnace, the old one was solid limestone, and that was with about three months use.........
I use an ultrasonic humidifier when necessary - and have to buy distilled water for it (a gallon a day, anyhow). If I use tap water, I have a fine white dust in the air, to the point that I can tell it's there when I breathe.
Same problem here. It's been 9(?) years since I last cleaned the crud out, and I'm not looking forward to it. I think I had a metal rod with an old metal film canister taped or screwed onto it, and kind of waved it around on the bottom inside until I wasn't bringing much more out. Good portion of the day on my knees or lying on my side or belly - I saved a small bottle of the stuff to show people what happens. Current elements are supposedly titanium and are supposed to last forever - the tank itself is plastic, a Marathon I think - also supposed to last forever. Wrecked the old elements in removing them - I thought they were just in a simple narrow U-shape, and did not know they bend back towards the opening like a paper clip. However, the heater seems to be generating air lately that shows up as spitting in the hot water lines. So I wonder if the elements are so buried in the crud that they're heating the water above boiling before the thermostat turns off the power. My wife says she thinks the hot water is much hotter now, which would support that theory. I did buy a little pump that attaches to an electric drill to speed the draining process beyond what gravity alone does. Maybe one of these weekends in the near future . . .
tree68 CShaveRR ...we had to replace our water heater today. Number two is in service, but acting up. Number three is waiting in the wings. My problem is my water, which runs through limestone to get to my well. As such "hard" does not sufficiently describe my water, and I'm sure that there's a pile of crud in the bottom of the current water heater. I may get ambitious and drain it to see if that's the case, but getting the stuff out is a real challenge. I had to fabricate a little shovel for the last water heater.
CShaveRR ...we had to replace our water heater today.
Number two is in service, but acting up. Number three is waiting in the wings.
My problem is my water, which runs through limestone to get to my well. As such "hard" does not sufficiently describe my water, and I'm sure that there's a pile of crud in the bottom of the current water heater.
I may get ambitious and drain it to see if that's the case, but getting the stuff out is a real challenge. I had to fabricate a little shovel for the last water heater.
Replaced my water heater about 1.5 years ago, ours sprung a leak, but was also so full of limestone that it wasn't heating very well. Big difference the first time I jumped in the shower..........
Our city water is very hard, the last time I changed the humidifier pad on our furnace, the old one was solid limestone, and that was with about three months use.........
Best money I spent, though, when our furnace died last fall. Replaced everything because of lack of replacement parts, they topped off the refrigerant last week.........
Swap big rolls of corestock for big rolls of tissue at the mill in Muskogee tomorrow, then head for home...........
Randy Vos
"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings
"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV
CShaveRR...we had to replace our water heater today.
Just two days after replacing our mower, we had to replace our water heater today. Not fun, but it was a while in coming. I hope they've made strides in water-heaater efficiency since sometime in the last century when last we replaced it.Other'n that, nothing to report...I've been attempting to get updates done on a friend's sightings, but usually find my attention diverted by age-old deficiencies in my own stuff. Either way, satisfaction is derived.
Early summer is almost over--early morning temperatures next week will be in the forties.
afternoon
Ns was clear after work.Came home and Matt had our new Kitchen Faucet installed.Stacey even liked the style.The old one sprung a leak last night just before bed.Matt is off doing dishes now.Mother nature looked like she was going to send rain but nothing yet.Other chores for me to do.
I bought a Black and Decker plug-in lawn push mower circa 1980 and it lasted until about 2000, through 2 houses each with 1/4 to 1/3 acre of lawn. The motor was pretty light-weight, so was the mower and as a result it was pretty easy to push around. Got pretty good with a pattern to maneuver around trees, swingsets, and gardens. Never severed the cord (100 ft.) but did scalp it a few times - a few wraps of electrical tape fixed that (still have it). As I recall I only had to replace 1 worn wheel and maybe the brushes once until the aluminum deck cracked at a wheel connection point (don't think it was the same wheel). At that point rather than have it welded - questionable how the welding heat would affect the fatigue strength at the high-stress areas in and around the heat-affected zone in the complex shape there - and it was better for me from a time management perspective to get a lawn service guy.
We moved to our current house with about 1/4 acre of lawn and in 2009 bought a used Newton 3.0(?) push mower. It would last 35 - 35 minutes - about 40 - 45% of the yard - then need about 8 - 12 hours to recharge. A couple years later we bought a newer 2nd battery (nickel-metal-hydride as I recall, not Lithium-Ion) for it with longer run time and faster recharge. With the 2 batteries we could almost finish the whole lawn - recharge the new one for part of the day and then we could finish same day.
By May of 2018 we felt the Newton was too small and slow, and we needed something with a wider cut and more power to do the lawn faster - it was taking us something like 2-1/2 hours. So on a friend's recommendation and demonstration we bought an Ego-something self-propelled electric mower (made in China) from Home Depot. The SP part was nice - we have a lot of sloped lawn, some of it pretty steep. However. it lasted only 7 mowings as I recall, then something broke - a stupid (as in unnecessary) safety interlock switch in the handle, I think, but it was never formally diagnosed. Of course, this happened about a week before our daughter's 40th birthday party here. A little research found that was a common problem and couldn't be easily fixed by the consumer, and it would take weeks for the HD repair guys to fix it. So back it went for a full refund. Have not seen them for sale since. My bitter and firmly-held opinion is that the VPs for quality control and/ or purchasing the damn switch and repairs should have been summarily fired.
Then in August 2018 after considerable research we bought a Stihl battery push mower (made in Germany) with a LI battery from a local hardware store. Aside from not being SP we like it a lot. (I just can't love any lawn mower - not because of anything inherent in it, but the unproductive time usage they imply. Someone once said he felt like he'd pushed a lawn mower the equivalent of across the country. I doubt if the math would work out for me, but I grimace anytime I consider the amount of my life I've spent on that task.) The battery lasts 45 minutes to an hour, and usually cuts 1/2 to 3/4 of the lawn. Best of all, it recharges in about 45 minutes (over lunch or dinner), so it's not an all-day affair. If the grass is not too thick only a 15 to 30-minute recharge is enough to finish. It has some weight so I'm the only one who can push it up the slopes.
I'd buy one again instead of a gas-powered mower to avoid the hassle of buying gas, the nolse, and inevitable breakdowns and my inability to repair them and the long time for a repair shop, whcih always happens at the worst possible time.
CShaveRRI purchased a batery-powered lawn mower yesterday. It was too wet to try it out until today (and today was hot--we got up to 94º!). It worked beautifully, but still (together with the heat) gave my heart valve a test. It was easy enough for Pat to use, and our lawn looks beautiful (well, comparatively)!
I don't have much yard (and the small bit I have isn't going to win any awards).
I bought a cheap plug in mower from amazon like 5 years ago - I spent less than 100$, and I figured if I got a year or 2 out of it, it'd be a win. After that gave out - then I'd look into a battery mower - yet 5 years later that cheap piece of crap is still going strong.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
CShaveRRI purchased a battery-powered lawn mower yesterday.
Battery and electric motor technology has really progressed of late. It wasn't that long ago that the suggestion of a battery-powered mower would have brought visions of a bank of car batteries on wheels.
These days, you can buy an extra battery or two, and maybe an extra charger, and get quite a bit done before you run out of juice (for the tool, not yourself).
Finding a "plug in" drill is getting to be a challenge - almost all such hand tools are now running on batteries.
I purchased a batery-powered lawn mower yesterday. It was too wet to try it out until today (and today was hot--we got up to 94º!). It worked beautifully, but still (together with the heat) gave my heart valve a test. It was easy enough for Pat to use, and our lawn looks beautiful (well, comparatively)!I called it "a very useful locomower"!
Ns sent a westbound stack train after work.Came home a blew off the whirrly gigs.Matt has to go do dishes.Other chores for me as well too.Thursday after work need to go give hugs.
Ns was clear after work.Stacey and I went to town to do errands.Matt took his day off and is looking for trains.Culvert construction on the main road to our east and road wideing on our road.Makes for a few delays at times.Going to get cleaned up.
Just spent a few hours researching an issue related to the long-gone Chicago Attica & Southern RR (Swastika Route), from its C&EI roots until the end in 1946. I was startled to see that NYC and the ICC played a part in its demise (never read that part before) and also that A&K Materials is playing out of the Scoundrel's Handbook penned by scrapper Dulien Steel (of Seattle, not clear what happened to them at the end) between 1915 and 1960. Dulien scrapped the CA&S and ran it for three years (1943-1946) just like the current scoundrel. (and left town under the cover of darkness as well - scary similarities)
The CA&S experiment with distillate powered switch engines also was something I had not seen either (M-1 to M-4 ...Chrysler/ DeSoto AirFlows on Steroids? RGS geese in training?)
They might address that issue after the Mile-Long Bridge (over I&M Canal, ex-Alton, Sanitary & Ship Canal, Des Plaines River and ATSF) is replaced.
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