Life goes on - Winter 2016

I wouldn’t be surprised, it seems every few years the building codes here become more prescriptive, restrictive, and sometimes just obstructive. :wink:

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Sorry Mr Pepe, I just had to whine a bit about our weather.
Still burning ten times more wood for heat than driving :disappointed:

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You need to get out and drive more!! Weather in the low 50"s ( let’s see, that would be hmmm about 27 to the most of the world? 50’s sounds better) TomC

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Mr Tom, I just got home from ideling around the village in the slush stopping talking rubbish to people every 100 yards for almost an hour just waiting to get the fuel level low enough to be able to shut down.
Btw 50F=10C. 3C (37F) here now. The snow is slowly melting.

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I dont live there but it will be near 90 f this week in GA usa, and Kansas not much warmer than michigan 6 or 8 degrees maybe.Wayne K is right next too GA in alibama, hopefully we get more than 4 or 5 weeks of good warm hot weather up here in michigan.

I was just across the fence morning talking to a neighbor asking why I’d not heard his 3600rpm scream-a-matic going during last Fridays windstorm Grid-out event.
He is a professional working Mechanical Engineer in the wood products industries here.
He said he got tired of being gone to work and his wife cell phoning that she could not get their old metal tanked 5000 watt screamer pull started. She from home business’s accounting via the internet.
So he’s taken his four marine batteries out of their family ski/lakes fishing boat and shop set them up through Perco, switches as a 24 vdc bank. Gotten a Harbor Freight 5000 watt inverter for his wife to be able to just plug into.
He already has the Grid-powered four station battery charger for all of his seasonal pulled out, set aside, lead acid batteries.

So for their half day of grid-down she Did have a working propane furnace heating, kitchen range, hot water heater, adequate LED lighting, TV, internet and such.
Happy wife to be able to just switch rotate, and cord run in for minimal’s.
He said it only 1/4 capacity discharged his four battery, group 27’s bank.
Out to a full 24 hours Grid-down then him, or one of the teenage boys come back home, would have gotten their 3600 scream-a-matic up and running for batteries recharging, refrigeration and freezer re-cooling back down.

What he does, and I do, is known as living GRID-LITE.

Use big Federal Hydro 9 cents a kilowatt/hour as wanted, when available. Able to go Grid-FREE minimal’s with just a flip-switch, cord pull, when they fail you.

Too many Idealists in the world. Too many complicating convoluting stacked systems designers/developers on these DIY forums.

LED light solutions are easy in the A19 screw base replacements now available anywhere/everywhere for as cheap here as US $3.50. now.
My first bought European Phillips 7 years ago for near $20 is still working fine after at least 35,000 hours. All position, dimmable. 12.5 watts, 160mA/110-130 vac 60 hz for 800 lumens. Made In China.
Eight off brand UtiliteTech Pro’s, $10 each A9 screw in LED’s still ALL going fine after 5 years, up to 20,000 hours use-life of very mixed use inside/outside services. 7.5 watts, 90mA/120 vac for 450 lumens. Made In China.
Ten four year old FEIT Electric screw in A19 LED replacements still ALL working fine in mixed/inside of services.
7.5 watt for 500 lumens. Made In China.
Fifteen GE brand A19 screw in replacements LED now in service for the last three years. All inside use. $6-8.00 US cost. 7 watts, 70mA for 470 lumens. Made In China.
Last batch of standard sized A19 replacements were from Wal-mart for $3.50 each. 5 watts for 500 lumens. Only two years on these. Still all working. Made In China.
I have ceiling can lite LED’s floods now. And I am outside porch light trialing two newer 75 and 100 incandnest/watt equivalent LED A19’s replacements too.
I’ve yet to find any LED A19 replacements made in Europe, USA, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, Indoneasia.
Ha! Still have eight CFL’s spiral tube hole-in-in-your-pocket A19’s hanging in there from back in 2003-05. Lighting very, very dimmly now. My chickens refused to lay with these lighting. Wife hates florescent lighting.

See? Workable/usable Solutions just do not have to be such an agonizing big deal.
Usable solutions are very available anymore just off-the shelf, buyable. Inverter-Generators. Inverters. LED A19 replacements.

Think not?
Anybody been looking at the L.E.A.F. woodgasifier site lately? They are still there, supplying with just a phone call.
Nope. No association to me.
Neither was Lawrence Garringer anyone I ever talked with. Garringer Gasifiers. Still supplying?
They both did this on their own; without forum “engineering” group-think support help. Both self professed Imbert based builds, out of old paper books.
Both these have proven to be able to fuel supply folks generators in needs-must situations.

J-I-C Steve Unruh

Always the best route is the shorted, direct-to-use route. Hit the critter in the head with a hammer gets the job done.

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Just dropped off all my florescent shop lights at the auction today. Shop relighted with LED. I just use the contractor tin clamp on 2x4 sockets. Found they give more light without the reflector but a bit harder on the eyes when looking up at the ceiling.

Like my LED lanterns that can be found in the sports department. Use D cell rechargeable batteries. Keep one by the bed for when I have to get up at night to pee. Will get one of those USB battery contraptions to play with. These lanterns are not wife grade lighting but I like them for some applications.

Been thinking about cordless tools and maybe using the batteries to power other stuff beside the tool it comes with. Not too sure about the cordless chainsaws but I’ve been watching them. Might be better off with an axe and crosscut.

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Love those new led shop light bulbs. I bought the ones that run at the balast voltage so I didn’t have to change the fixtures. Half the wattage and more light. It’s that simplest solution thing Steve was talking about. It’s an imperfect solution but it gets me 80% there…

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Easter has great value in our tradotion. The whole 4 days are reserved for family and fun.

Some short clips from this year

Mortars are shot on easter in the region live in. The contryside feels like liveing in a storm cloud, mortars and carbide cannons roaring and ehoing far andloud. This year we were equipt with 14 mortars. I forgot to film when we lit all at once. Majestic sight!

This is a traditional easter horse blessing. A nother joyfull event.

And a slow enjoyfull ride home; but it aint fun without skillful fingers on mybrother in laws acordion.

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Hi, Kristijan!

Fantastic feeling around the horses! Can you name the two peaces the brass band is playing? At least the second one has been sung and marched-to during the military service…your brother-in-law as a musician knows for shure!

Oh! I remember the second one: “It’s a long way to Tipperary!”

Are you still in the Easter celebrations?

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Lots of horses to bless. Are they used for work or just pleasure? Thanks for sharing the traditions.

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Max,

Indeed it is!
Its called Happy marching badnd. Had a hard time my self finding the title :smile:

No, the celebration ended yesterday and we are back to harsh everyday.

Carl,
Not so long ago those majestic animals had a lot tougher life, now they are just for fun. The one l gave caressed in the video is my good friend and companion Zila. We learned each other to horse ride, got her from my father in law when she was a few months old.

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Hello Kristijan.

I spent about an hour today on the back of a four year old in the bush looking for a cow and new born calf ( she had got out of the pasture to hide her new born) .

It sure makes my wood burner seem to ride smooth :relaxed:

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Hi, Kristijan!
19.4.2017

Thank you! I was guessing on “Alte Kameraden”…

Good celebrations!

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Hello KristijanL
I hope you had an extra piece of polenta? bread with good wishes for all of us who in any way power-thier-lives-with-wood too.
Regards
J-I-C Steve Unruh

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Baby moose visiting the horses :smile:

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Interesting videos gives an idea for a hydraulic chunker!

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Man I would hate to see that thing comming at me… that is old school scary! Looks like it would leave a spike mess behind you wouldn’t want to slide off the road into either.

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I find the concept insightful. The operating principle is the same as the WK chunker, but amenable to taking in standing brush. I suspect it’s more power efficient than other automated brush removal, but I question if it’s as effective, almost seems like a second machine, a flail mower or something would be needed to cut close to the ground.

As a chunker, I can see some advantages - the rotating helical mechanism has a broad wear surface, the cutter can be made from tool grade steel, replacable for maintenance and sharpening. it could be built essentially like the conventional chunker.

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Hey Chris ,

WOW, how time flies !!

Do you think we should start a new thread ( Life goes on 2017 )

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