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Forum Index : Other Stuff : My (hair brained?) plan!
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muddy0409 Senior Member  Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Hi all. I've been lurking around this site for a while, reading what other people have done or are planning and have come up with my own possibly hair brained plan for the future. We currently live in an employer provided home in country WA so we can't really do anything here. We do own a house in country NSW which we are renting out until we move over there in 3 years or so. Because it is rented out, we don't qualify for any rebate for converting to solar hot water, so that will wait until we get there. Now, it seems to me that the biggest power costs are Hot Water, Heating & cooling, Refrigeration and lighting. The Hot Water is covered as above. Heating I am considering installing a Vulcan oil heater running on cooking oil (filtered). Cooling and Refrigeration I haven't figured out yet. Lighting is the interesting idea.. I am thinking of separating the existing lighting wiring from the mains switchboard so I am left with a fully isolated lighting system that simply has to be changed over to LEDs and a couple of hundred watt solar panels/battery system (or wind). That would leave refrigeration, cooling, washing machine and a few power points for tools etc. on the grid, which would not be too expensive. When you all finish rolling around the floor laughing, I would appreciate any comments from anyone who may have done similar things. Peter Moritz Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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yahoo2 Guru  Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
There is a couple of hurdles to clamber over with oil heaters, Pete. Mainly to do with the properties of heater oil vs cooking oil. heater oil is technically a number 2 grade diesel or kerosene, depending on the source of the unfracked crude (similar but not quite the same as diesel used for motor vehicles and without the additives). It has a thinner viscosity than both cooking oil and biodiesel, it ignites easier and burns with no residue. It takes a lot of skill to modify a standard oil heater to burn efficiently and safely with anything else. I have toyed with the idea of importing a Kuma stove set up for biodiesel but I know that organic waste oils are starting to pick up in value in some parts of the world, so it may not turn out to be the cheapest option in the future. If you live somewhere cooler, then good reliable heating and insulation will make the biggest change to your standard of living. I notice that large areas of rural NSW is having gas piping laid, it would be interesting to find out the cost of this as an option for heating. 
yahoo I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
What's that thing to the right of the fireplace ??? Bushboy |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Dunno, might be some sort of fancy stick for adjusting the flue maybe? it's not mentioned in the owners manual, so perhaps its an optional extra. I have seen a shiny bent stick like that at a couple of weddings, so it may be nothing to do with the stove at all! decoration? like frilly curtains? I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
It may be an igniter keeping a safe distance from the flames during ignition cycle. Bob Foolin Around |
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shawn Senior Member Joined: 30/03/2010 Location: New ZealandPosts: 210 |
Somthing to play with while sitting on the rocking chair, keep any pests away. |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Here, Grandpa , little fella brings grandpa out hi ol Davey Crockett cap --bin a long time between drinks that I've seen that fur cap --do youse 'senior" cits. remember them those caps ? back to me bonnox Bruce Bushboy |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Yeah. I can even remember when I had one of them other things too! Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Hi Pete, It is amazing how the ever onward march of technology changes things. Two years ago I would have said you are on the right track with the lighting idea. Now? I am not so sure! Just this week I saw 240V LED bulbs in the stores, 7 watter's supposedly equivalent to the old 75 watt incandescent bulb for $25 bucks. There are good replacements for the halogen downlights in LED and new high efficiency power supplies to drive them. LED fluro's are starting to come down in price as well. I reckon the best bang for buck is to change the lights you use the most to 240 volt LED's and fit those halogen bulbs to all the other fittings. I cant think what they are called, they look like a standard old globe and cost about $1.50 (just make sure they filter the UV light). No point in spending $25 on a light you switch on for 10 minutes a day. If your keen to build a DC system it is a challenge to come up with things to power with it. Here's a few from my list 12/24 volt LED floodlights for outside and in the shed. 24 volt air compressor and large storage tank charging station- a shelf or cupboard packed with all my chargers(phones GPS etc) 24 volt water pump 24 volt swimming pool automatic vacuum cleaner car stereo in the shed electroplating bench yahoo I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| grub Senior Member Joined: 27/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 169 |
I believe that the thing to the right of the fire box is called a "fire stick" and therefore is perfectly fine to be next to the fire box. |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Sorry about this Muddy, Bet you thought you were joining a highly intellectual think tank with in depth serious discussion about issues that one day may save the planet. Nu - Uugh! It's time for the truth to come out. Here is a photo of a bunch of us 'senior members' having a beer or two at our annual forum convention. THAT'S RIGHT We have all got curly red hair and big feet 
I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Oh wow! Them shoes would fit my wonky feet perfectly. Where do I get a pair or two. Plain boring old black, not really into fancy arty farty colours. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| Dubyagee Newbie  Joined: 15/06/2007 Location: United StatesPosts: 21 |
I have quite a few of the "fire sticks". The heater is nice too. Regards, Dubyagee |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Muddy With a nice heater like that you would be better to use waste wood for heating and save the reclaimed oil for use in a diesel car to solve transportation issues, and you could use the heat from the rear to generate a bit of electricity by reversing the cooler plates to charge a battery for led lighting, I read an article several years ago from Canada where they used the stove to provide lighting and power the two way radio. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| patmerridea Newbie Joined: 28/01/2012 Location: IrelandPosts: 7 |
hey wats wrong with red hair ?????????? |
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| patmerridea Newbie Joined: 28/01/2012 Location: IrelandPosts: 7 |
hi listen up there nothing wrong with having red hair so dont b knocking it, we irish have been trying to export it for years lol |
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gyrogearloose Newbie Joined: 02/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 11 |
Has anyone here thought of building a gas producer something similar to that used during the war to run automobiles. The priciple is quite simple. You have two chambers the bottom one being the fire box the top one (sealed with strong door) is the oven. Also you will need a 44 gallon drum and copper tubing to make cooling condenser. The gas is fed into an amphometer constucted using extra large Tractor inner tube weighed down with rocks or concrete lid. The idea is to heat wood or even dry weeds in the top chamber while sealed releasing the gas through a coil in drumm filled with water to the amphometer. Once the wood or weeds turn to charcoal the the charcoal is burnt in bottom fire box to start the process all over again. There has to be a non return valve fitted in gas supply line from gas producer to prevent gas from flowing back when door is opened to remove charcoal and replenish wood or weeds. (anything combustable such as cardboard, paper, cotton rags etc can be used but not plastics). The gas can be used for heating, cooking, drive engines etc the gas pressure is only as high as the weight used on the inner tube and will remain constant while it is inflated with gas. Gyro-Gearloose |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Hi Gyro, I made the mistake of asking my grandfather and a few of his mates about what was wrong with the gas producers they used during the depression when petrol rationing was on. That's a couple of hours I will never get back!!! They had them fitted on a rack over the roof of their trucks and the gas was produced with a chemical reaction. They reckon the quality of the gas was the biggest problem, often the motor would splutter to a stop and leave them stranded. My grandmother said that that cleaning and reloading the producer was a filthy soul destroying chore. For her to say that it must have been bad cos she could handle almost anything without batting an eyelid. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| grub Senior Member Joined: 27/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 169 |
Not sure if I can put this up here, but I searched for the same things a few years ago and found a web site that shows how to make one that uses wood chips. It was originally in separate web pages for each chapter and I combined them into one document. The only trouble is I have only the combined document and no idea of the web site it all came from as a new hard drive or two later and the details were lost. 2012-04-05_072351_Construction_of_a_Simplified_Wood_Gas_Gene rator_for_Fuelin….pdf |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
I was kinda hoping that Muddy would get back involved in this and throw a few ideas around because I think it is a great topic. I see shows on the telly like carbon cops and it makes me think that their calculations on the benefits and savings are a bit sus. A few examples Boiling a jug or switching a light on for a couple of minutes a day uses stuff all power, - don't need a expensive super efficient light bulb or appliance for that. Cars that break down (European turbo diesels)and are very expensive to fix, cost a lot more to own than one that uses a bit more fuel and is good for 500,000 K with minor maintenance. Fiddling with stuff that always needs tinkering with to make it work properly takes time away from my work, family, and sleep and I will get old, grumpy and poor really quickly. If I halved my household bills for fuel, heating and electricity ( assuming I paid the market rate) it is the equivalent of what I earn in 7 days, spending big bucks for that sort of saving makes no financial sense. I have a generator that I have never actually used for emergency power. There are some things that just will not grow in my garden ( spuds ) its not a sin buy a few things and grow the things I am good at. I think wood gas generators are firmly in the hobby category for me, I am hard pressed to think of a practical use for it that would be worth the effort. A solid fuel heater might interest me though. 
That's not to say I am Mr Practical, I have a burning desire to make my own biodiesel from canola, I know that if I leave room for a few stuff ups I will be hard pressed to make a litre of fuel for less than $2.50 still doesn't stop me wanting to have a go. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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