Comments for IWillTry.org

Comment on Projects by cliff

cliff — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:13:51 +0000

Its truly amazing how less than .1% of the sun’s energy supports and nurtures all life on earth – just imagine the power of the One who created it!? i give you full credit for encouraging us to preserve and intelligently utilize natural resources on this beautifully created planet.

Comment on Build a rocket stove for home heating by ritcoindiaseo

ritcoindiaseo — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:02:39 +0000

I am using much similar PRODUCTS, I thank you for the detailed information about this.

FRP Tank Manufacturers

Comment on Comparing natural gas vs electric heating by JEREMY

JEREMY — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:02:31 +0000

Here is something of note: Electric prices have gone up a lot more than gas, which has declined in price; also this “test” is of a single man who goes into and out of his house once or twice a day perhaps? If you looked at the average family living in a house of average size things will be HUGELY different. Here’s my reasons: I’ve got a 2000 square foot house (includes basement) And I’ve got kids and a boarder living in the basement. Lots of doors opening lots of bathroom fans on and bigger space perhaps and all of it needs to be heated. Sure if I was a single guy I’d put my feet up on a space heater and watch tv all night or read a book, heating just that room, then heat the bedroom, but I’m afraid under normal use a house would require a lot more BTU hours and I LOVE my radiant heat! It costs no more than $80/month under equal billing including LOTS of hot water and gas stove. The boiler was $6500.00 but worth it now and in twenty years when hydro will be like 40c/kwh!

Comment on Comparing natural gas vs electric heating by Rob

Rob — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:43:42 +0000

The only advantage of baseboard heaters that I can think of is that they have a more “polished” look to them. They’re designed in. No cords, no tripping over them, etc. There is no efficiency advantage. In fact, because baseboard heaters are invariable placed adjacent to exterior walls, they are less efficient, conducting more heat into the wall and in turn to the outside. Baseboard heaters are also much less likely to be “zoned”. Often a single central thermostat controls all baseboard heaters while each space heater will have its own thermostat. For a more efficient “built-in” alternative, consider electric radiant floor heating.

Comment on Comparing natural gas vs electric heating by Mike

Mike — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:16:59 +0000

Rob,

This post was one of the factors that convinced me not to use natural gas but electricity for heating.
Now my question is baseboard heaters or space heaters?
Baseboard heaters cost a lot to install so I wonder why people use them instead of space heaters.

What is their advantage?

Thank yoy

Comment on Projects by Rob

Rob — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:43:31 +0000

Hi Cliff,
To get any significant amount of heat through such a small opening would require concentrations of 5-10 times. While that is achievable in theory, in practice, at that concentration you will almost certainly melt something (or worse, ignite it). The materials of your existing roof or exterior wall and the sun tunnel are likely not designed for exposure to 5-10 suns. Different materials would likely need to be chosen for safety considerations. You’d also need to be very careful that the heliostat does not drift off target to part of your house (or your neighbours ) that you didn’t intend. Basically, as soon as you start focussing sunlight with a large mirror, unattended use becomes dangerous. I would recommend limiting yourself to a maximum concentration of 2 times which can be achieved by using 2 flat heliostats aimed at the same target.

Comment on Projects by Cliff

Cliff — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:30:14 +0000

Hey Rob, how’s about a combination of your heliostat with this’sun tunnel’ idea… (http://www.tubularskylight.com/catalog/category.cgi/7/13/19/p1/default/N.html)
It seems like a natural interior heating method, I know I could use it for North-side rooms.
Of course it would require a single focus point for the helio, what do you think?

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Cliff

Cliff — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:22:03 +0000

That’s what I though Rob, thanks, I guess there’s ‘no free lunch’. Still testing the 200W long life incandescent clear bulb about 14 hours per day, with minor scheduling adjustments, and it seems to be ideal for my needs. All things considered I can’t see any advantage to using stove elements. Will now consider some of your other thoughtful projects.

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Rob

Rob — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:13:24 +0000

Hi Cliff,
“42W = 150W” simply means the CFL bulb consumes only 42W of electrical power but has the same brightness as an incandescent bulb that consumes 150W of electrical power. The amount of energy that any bulb puts out (light plus heat) is always exactly equal to the amount of electrical energy consumed. That is the law of conservation of energy.

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Cliff

Cliff — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:06:54 +0000

Hi again; would be interested to hear how you would compare the heating energy from a CFL (twist type) bulb rated at “42W = 150W”? Is it actually putting out 150W energy wise, or is that just a suggested comparison in lumines.?

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Cliff

Cliff — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:37:42 +0000

Still testing with a timer, but so far a 200W bulb operating for, say, 15 hours per day seems satisfactory for my needs. The bulb is a simple clear type and this method of heating water is so utterly simple I’m ecstatic about it. The water heater is in an unheated utility room, so considering your calculations I will leave it uninsulated, although I have not detected any benefit towards room heating. An optimum 50+ temperature is indicated out of the tap before putting demands on it, but of course the volume at temperature varies depending on useage.

Comment on Seal Your Ducts by Keith

Keith — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 06:45:22 +0000

After eleven years living in this house, I finally had an energy audit performed. The auditors found that I have very leaky ducts. I decided to research and fix the problem myself. After only a very short while under the house, I found major leakage. Previous installers had used unapproved tapes and little to no mastic. I guess they figure the insulation will stop leaks? Some of the gaps are unbelievable. It’s going to be a tough job, and it’s going to take some time, but I’m going to do it right! Thank you so much for this invaluable information.

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Rob

Rob — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 18:49:30 +0000

Hi Cliff,
You’re very welcome. In terms of efficiency of a 200W light bulb vs a large stove element, think of it this way.

Operating a 200W element for 5 hours, twice a day will consume the same amount of energy (and thus cost the same) as operating a 1000W element for 1 hour twice a day. The difference will be that the 1000W element will result in greater water temperature fluctuation. The water will be hotter by the time the 1000W element is switched off because not as much energy is dissipated from the tank in the 1 hour heating time. However, the water will also be colder by the time the element is switched on since more energy is dissipated from the tank in the 11 hours the element is off.

If you care about the average temperature (ie if you want hot water available at all times), then the 1000W element offers no efficiency advantage over a 200W element. But if you care about peak temperature (ie if you only want hot water at a particular time of day, and don’t mind having cooler water for the rest of the day) then the larger element offers a significant advantage. It can achieve a higher peak temperature for less energy consumption.

Comment on How many seconds of idling is equivalent to starting your engine by Mike54UK

Mike54UK — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:20:02 +0000

I ditched my last car 10 years ago and have saved thousands of pounds in that time as a consequence as well as become slightly healthier (probably).
Still, I find this an interesting discussion.
Part of the problem with the stop engine at lights scenario is it is seldom evident how long the lights are going to be red for, especially when you arrive via a bend in the road. Maybe they should make a new type of light which shows in some way how long you will have to wait so that you can make that choice of whether to switch off or not from a better-informed position. Let’s not hold our breaths though. I doubt traffic lights have changed much since they were first invented.
BTW, cycling has taught me an awful lot about the conservation of energy when travelling. I seldom have to stop completely at a local traffic light these days because I’m monitoring their status long before I get to them and adjust my approach speed to give me the best chance of not having to stop. It always amuses me to see the drivers rushing past me in order to get to the lights first so they can wait there.

Comment on Adjust your Freezer Thermostat by Mike54UK

Mike54UK — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:19:25 +0000

This page has been a most interesting read and I am very happy to have accidentally come upon this site whilst trying to find some specifications on a particular freezer thermostat so that I could safely replace it with a cheaper one.
Although my brain is beginning to overheat from struggling to keep up with all the arguments I would like to add a few points which occurred to me as I read.
1. When you open the fridge or freezer door the cold air that drops out has to be heated back up by one or more of your appliances and you can’t easily choose which one. Or perhaps by heat lost from your body so that you have to eat more to compensate and depending on how and where your food is grown ..etc. etc.
2. As I think was briefly mentioned before, you might get 100w at your home but a lot more than 100w worth of fuel had to be burnt to produce, maintain availability of and transmit that 100w of power to your home. Even if you’re using an alternative energy source, that probably remains true since it took a lot of energy to manufacture and install your generating equipment.
3. Another factor in favour of turning down refrigeration stats is the reduced wear and tear on the appliances so they live longer. (Which has to be balanced against your having to go shopping or to your allotment more often if the food doesn’t keep fresh for as long. And in order to do so opening the door of the house and letting in the cold air etc. etc. Also against a very slim possibility that your own lifespan may be reduced should you get your temperature settings too far out. But then that might actually benefit the long term stability of the Earth’s climate.)

I have bookmarked the site and will soon return to find out what else you get up to here.

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Cliff

Cliff — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:53:36 +0000

My apology for unnecessarilly submitting more than one comment/question. Thank you for your (typically) courteous reply. With a meager 150W bulb, it doesn’t seem very efficient, but then again not much energy can be wasted since I don’t use 33 (imp) gallons of hot water per day. That said I don’t know how many gallons/litres a 5-10 minute shower might use with a low-volume shower head.

But so far, many thanks to you, I’ve enjoyed just that immensely, (having curtailed what I regard as a gas price fixing monopoly long ago). Initially I let the light bulb heat the tank for 24 hours, but now experimenting with timer settings of 4.5 hours at equal intervals i.e. 9 hours total during a 24 hour period to see if that will satisfy my single person needs. Would still like to know if a 200W light bulb, for example, would be more efficient on this sort of schedule, than an oven element etc., but the light bulb is almost shameful symplicity, inspired by you

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Rob

Rob — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:42:30 +0000

Hi Cliff,
For a given tank, it is only time at temperature that determines waste heat loss. So whether one size element is more efficient than another really depends how you are controlling the element. If you are using a timer and heating up your tank once per day and then consuming exactly one tank of hot water replacing it with cold water, then a more powerful element will be much more efficient simply because the tank will be spending less time at temperature, thus dissipating less heat to the surroundings. For example suppose with a 200W element over 12 hours you put 1200 Wh into the water and 1200 Wh of waste heat into the surroundings. That would be 50% efficient. With a 400W element you would still put 1200 Wh into the water but only 600Wh into the surroundings since it would be hot for only 6 hours. That would be 66% efficient. An 800W element would put 1200 Wh into the water and only 300 Wh into the surroundings since it would be hot for only 3 hours. That would be 80% efficient… etc on up to 10kW or so where you essentially have a hot water on demand system.

However, in practice people rarely use their hot water tanks that way. If instead you are targeting a constant temperature setpoint and keeping your tank hot throughout the day, then a lower wattage element will be more efficient since that will result in less time spent at high temperatures.

When thinking about hot water tank efficiency, just think about “time at temperature”. The less time spent at high temperatures, the less heat you are wasting to the surroundings.

Comment on Convert your gas hot water tank to electric by Cliff

Cliff — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 06:03:35 +0000

I submitted this before but for some reaon it didn’t appear on your site.?; I’ve used a porcelain light socket with 200W clear bulb and was wondering if you think it would be as efficient as the elements? It sits on top of the flue hole so would heat from the top down no doubt, but if it was, say, 12 hours on and 12 off, in a 33 gallon (imp) tank, would that compare with your calculations for a 750W element for example? (perhaps the link to pictures negated my sumbission so I will refrain from doing that this time.) Thanks for reply, your site was a true inspiration and much appreciated.

Comment on Comparing natural gas vs electric heating by Dan

Dan — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:23:02 +0000

This article was very enlightening. It seems pretty comperhensive.
I live in southern Ontario (Toronto area) and I was always
under the impression that gas was a much cheaper way to heat.
I know this article is all about money savings, but I got a new gas two stage furnace
(upgraded from mid efficiency gas)
and my home is defiantly more “comfortable”. The heat is more “equalized ?” I was,t expecting this.
It is too early for me too see how much money I will save .
This article has convinced me to heat my garage with an electric heater when I need it. ( was considering gas unit installed $$$-capital cost)

Comment on Build a rocket stove for home heating by Rapper

Rapper — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:43:15 +0000

Back in the day there was an article in Mother Earth News (MEN) about a fellow in Minnesota (IIRC) who built this huge outdoor thermal mass heater with 180 feet of copper tubing, etc. His unit burned the fuel at hottest temp, too. I think that is key for effective burning, minimization of soot, etc. I was always attracted to that, but obviously never built one due to the major commitment needed. Your design has been an encouragement to me that one does not need to build a mountain in order to heat effeciently.

I am aware that what are called “condensing furnaces” (liquid fuels such as LP or oil) which are very high efficiency (94-96%) suffer from problems of condensation in the flue system that tend to force builders to resort to stainless steel for those components.

Due to this issue of condensation I will probably add a few things to my design such as a small incline of the flue pipe (about 1/4″ per foot) to a drain plug to allow drainage. If the flue gasses get below 100 C then condensation will start to occure.