If
you have any questions,
contact us. I'm always happy to provide a convoluted
answer to a simple question. Updated:07/10/2010
ENTIRE SITE IS COPYRIGHT 2010, MC
PHOTOGRAPHY
Learn
about alternative energy, hybrid systems and watch
pointless videos!
THE NEW SEASON
OF THIS OLD SHACK HAS BEGUN! THIS YEAR'S EPISODES
CAN BE VIEWED EXCLUSIVELY AT OUR SURVIVAL BLOG, SURVIVALTHROUGHINFORMATION.COM.
If you have something to say or
would like to appear on the show as a guest, email
us or contact us at our bug out phone,
734-945-1547.
We now sell the Xantrex Powerhub 1600 with two
solar panels, deep cycle batteries, generator automatic transfer switch, wind
turbine ready. This is a house ready alternative energy product. Click
here for more.
You are viewing the old site. Visit the new
site. Become a member there and contribute your input, thoughts and hangover
information. - Bill Xam
Disaster planning
should be part of every single household across America, strike that, the world.
When disaster strikes, people die or lives are c80%hanged. In times of plenty,
forego the Playstations and buy extra food. You can explain a lack of toys
better than a lack of food to your children.
I can sit around smoking a cigar because I'm an energy mogul!
Drawbacks:
Maintenance.
Installation.
Bunch of black glass panels sitting around.
Generator article reprint
7-10-10
Using or owning a generator is a common sense decision that
with a little investigation and research can pay off big dividends. This article
from 2004 still has some very valid points and suggestions. Our system as a
hybrid system (two or more types of power generation). Wind power and water
turbines are not viable options at the shack, thus we also use a 2.4 kw
generator to supply large power loads when we need them. Many modern generators
are available in gasoline, propane or diesel and even have catalytic converters
to reduce pollution. Plus even inexpensive ones like ours will run up to 14 to
20 hours on one tank of gasoline.
Transfer
of Power - How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home
Hurricane Charley left nearly a million
customers in the dark. Electric Generators
Direct.com, an online emergency generator
superstore, offers some valuable advice on how to
safely restore power to your home with a portable
generator.
August 22, 2004 -- Hurricane Charley is quickly
teaching homeowners a valuable lesson about taking
electricity for granted. The Category Four
hurricane knocked out power to nearly a million
homes in Florida, and many residents are still
living without power. Homeowners are now using
portable generators in record numbers to safely
restore power to their homes. "Getting a
generator is one thing," says Jon Hoch,
founder of Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com).
"Getting the electricity into the house is
another."
According to Hoch, extension cords are fine for
small generators because you can only plug in one
or two appliances. The most common way to use a
portable electric generator is to place it
outdoors, then run extension cords through an open
window or door to the chosen appliances. Extension
cords have several drawbacks.
First, most extension cords can't be plugged into
a furnace, well pump or ceiling-light fixture. If
the cords are too long, the resulting power drop
may damage the generator and appliances. And if
they are placed under rugs or carpets, heat can
buildup and spark a fire. "Be sure to use
appropriately sized power cords to carry the
electric load," said Hoch. "Typically,
the thicker the cord, the more electricity it can
carry."
If you want to use extension cords, consider
getting a Gen-Cord (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/accessories.php).
You simply plug the all-weather cord into your 20-
or 30-amp generator outlet and then run it inside.
The plug on the inside splits into three 120-volt
outlets, where you can plug in several household
appliances or additional extension cords.
For safety's sake, Hoch recommends hiring a
licensed electrician to install a power transfer
system that redistributes power from the generator
to the home's circuit box. The power transfer
system (starting at $200) reduces the need for
multiple extension cords running from the
generator to specific appliances, and it
eliminates the risk of electrical "back
feed" injuring utility workers working on
downed power lines.
It is installed beside the main electrical panel,
and then it's connected to the circuits you'll
want running during a blackout. When the power
goes out, you simply crank up the generator and
run a single power cord from it to a transfer
switch. "Once the generator is running, you
can choose which appliances and circuits you want
to use by simply flipping the switches," said
Hoch.
It's important to keep track of what's being
powered, warns Hoch, because the transfer switch
is often wired into more circuits than the
generator can handle all at once. "A typical
power transfer system installation will take less
than two hours and cost around $100-$200,"
said Hoch. "But it's an investment that will
be fully appreciated the next time the power goes
out."
This article courtesy of http://www.powergeneratorpros.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your
website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and
the author
name and URL remain intact.
If you're here you'll
probably be interested in using all natural garden pest control from The
Beneficial Insect Company!
This product is simple and works
great. If you use a lot of canned food either in your home or cabin, the
can organizer rotates your food from the oldest to the newest; no more
checking expiration dates!
We've teamed up with Amazon
for our product listings after some really bad experiences with an online
auction site.
There are several people on various
newsgroups and discussion areas that waylay in uninformed or those just
starting out in the off grid world of self power generation. This involves
an almost religious belief in a phantom 6v golf cart true deep cycle
battery that is superior in every way to any other battery in existence.
A simple examination of the specification sheet for a line of 6v and 12v
off grid batteries will tell you quite clearly that there is no one single
best solution for all circumstances. It is not accurate to say one is
best.
Our system has been using the much maligned Harbor Freight 45 watt solar
panel kits for 4 years. Over these years, we've moved them back and forth
from the main home in Saline, Michigan to the shack in Gaylord. They've
been dropped, exposed to heavy rain, snow, sleet, hail. One even has even
had the glass on it shattered from a tree limb dropping on it.
Look,
using testing equipment is all well and good but those spec sheets don't
mean squat if you can't run YOUR stuff for as long as you want to.
So what I do (so you don't have to) is get the equipment (batteries,
inverters, solar panels) and put what I run on it. Usually about
30-50 watts at 12 volts - few amps of draw. You know, turning lights on
and off, running a computer (a laptop) and whatnot.
Throughout
the test, a digital meter is run on the bank and a hydrometer is used once
an hour to determine whether the meter is reading the correct voltage.
During the sunlight hours on the panels, there is another digital meter
installed at the primary junction box (where the panels feed into the 10
gauge cables that feed to the charge controller) that measures panel
voltage and amps.
One of
the things that I like the best about alternative energy is that you can
make it as complicated or simple as you like. Some people, even though
they use alternative energy simply don't have a good grasp on the entire
substance that goes into the makeup of an engineered system that has been
built from scratch.
Don't ask me why, but I've recently become
interested in studying earthquake/volcano activity around the world; ash plumes
and such. I've added a page with RSS
feeds and links to satellite imagery.