One thing I recently changed was the way I use my coffee maker.
I used to brew the pot at about 6AM and leave it on until the last cup was taken at about 3 PM.
Now, It gets turned off as soon as it is done brewing and I microwave a cup at a time as needed.
A 1200 watt microwave running for 1 minute 3-4 times a day uses much less power than a 1000 watt coffee maker running for 9 hours!
One thing I recently changed was the way I use my coffee maker.
I used to brew the pot at about 6AM and leave it on until the last cup was taken at about 3 PM.
Now, It gets turned off as soon as it is done brewing and I microwave a cup at a time as needed.
A 1200 watt microwave running for 1 minute 3-4 times a day uses much less power than a 1000 watt coffee maker running for 9 hours!
Bravo Denob! It's headed in the right direction. I personally head towards smaller (fractional?) pots of coffee. (Call me a sucker for fresh coffee).
Batteries: I really hate marine batteries with exception of placement into boats as a starting battery. There are deep cycle 12V batteries out there and I do mean TRUE deep cycle, not marine batteries. I would suggest finding a proper deep cycle (non marine, and don't just trust the label, research!) battery. It will probably last twice as long as a marine battery with equal maintenance.
It's your wallet and your battery you buy with your cash. It IS your choice, but I'd hate to read about a short battery life because of a wrong battery type, choice.
Best of luck,
Radar
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
ACK!!! I went to check a link to Steve Harris and saw "Its 5+ Hours of hands on, DIY, step by step instruction and its only $24.95 for the month of December...than it goes back up to $34.95.". Nope no pressure there especially when the same information as all over the web (multiple times) from people 'in the know' who actually live with off grid power (and I really doubt Steve Harris lives off grid) for free.
I'm sorry, but if you offer common information make it free. If you think that you can charge for your proprietary information "that is REALLY REALLY special" (sorry I had a Shrek/donkey moment there) patent the information. Don't try to sell me common information STEVE!
I hate financial rapists.
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
Sorry, due to slow connection it was a double post.
But I'm still PO'd at Mr. Harris.
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
I hear where you're coming from...I like free info too, and won't be buying the video, as I believe it is just a compilation of all the free info he gives on Jack's podcast.
What i do like about him is the info he gives that a lot of people never think of, like running an inverter off your car for power.
Also, he seems to have tested the rechargeable battery market for us and offers advice about what has worked, and not worked, for him.
Since listening to him I have since put my old car battery on an intelligent charger, and it is doing exactly what he said it would.
Also, I got a 2 hour, 4 cell charger and some NiMh batteries, although not the ones he talks about, because I just haven't found the precharged type in stores yet.
I will likely go with a marine battery to start with and get the 6 volt golf cart batteries a little later, when I am ready to get into renewable energy, but that is likely a couple years away as we have to finish the house first. We need to spend our money on replacing the pillars that the house sits on with an actual cinder block foundation, which will cost about as much as a decent solar setup.
What I am looking for solar to do is replace all electric heating...which means the crawlspace and hot water.
That's why I want the 12v fan setup on the wood stove, and step 2 would be solar hot water heating.
One thing I recently changed was the way I use my coffee maker.
I used to brew the pot at about 6AM and leave it on until the last cup was taken at about 3 PM.
Now, It gets turned off as soon as it is done brewing and I microwave a cup at a time as needed.
A 1200 watt microwave running for 1 minute 3-4 times a day uses much less power than a 1000 watt coffee maker running for 9 hours!Bravo Denob! It's headed in the right direction. I personally head towards smaller (fractional?) pots of coffee. (Call me a sucker for fresh coffee).
Batteries: I really hate marine batteries with exception of placement into boats as a starting battery. There are deep cycle 12V batteries out there and I do mean TRUE deep cycle, not marine batteries. I would suggest finding a proper deep cycle (non marine, and don't just trust the label, research!) battery. It will probably last twice as long as a marine battery with equal maintenance.
It's your wallet and your battery you buy with your cash. It IS your choice, but I'd hate to read about a short battery life because of a wrong battery type, choice.
Best of luck,
Radar
Could you step on a limb and recommend some battery brand / models types for us please? As examples to steer us in the right direction.
Denob Costco sell pre-charged Duracell NiMH AAA and AA batteries so does Canadian Tire and Walmart. Costco has the best price. Besides being pre-charged they are guaranteed to stay charged for up to a year in storage. The same applies once they are recharged. You can recharge them hundreds of time and I know this claim is true because I have done it. Costco have 6 AA and 4 AAA for about $25. Or you can get the pack with four batteries less but a fast charger included for the same price.
Next time I'm in Ontario, I will have a look. I have checked Costco and CT here in Quebec and have not found them.
I will also check Walmart next time I'm there, but I don't go there very often.
The Duracell Precharged are exactly what I'm looking for as well as the quick charger!
As ICRCC mentioned the Costco deal on Eneloop brand AA and AAA package is a great deal. I read a report on small rechargeable batteries being tested and Eneloop came out at the top of the pack with a couple of other brands that I don't recall the names of. Personally I have been using Energizer rechargeables mostly and while they work I have had better results from Eneloop and Panasonic batteries. They seem to retain a charge for longer when not in use.
Out on the creaking limb I go regarding brands. I have had very good luck with CD technologies http://www.cdtechno.com/ Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries but the retail prices are pretty insane.
I haven't used FLA's in so long I don't recall what brand I had but they were not anything special and I did abuse them so they were short lived. I have heard/read good things about (but not owned) Trojan http://www.trojanbattery.com/ , Rolls http://www.rollsbattery.com/ , but neither is inexpensive as Flooded Lead Acid ( FLA) batteries go. I would try to stick with batteries made in North America for quality construction but it comes at a price. I have yet to hear/read about high quality solar, wind or battery products coming from China and avoid brands made in China. The bottom line is you can't buy Mercedes Benz or BMW quality at a Kia dealership for a Kia price. Corners are cut in the making of inexpensive batteries and it does affect longevity.
Regardless of brand, ALL FLA batteries like a full charge. Allowing 12V batteries to discharge below 11V is quite hard on them and 10.5 V or lower is basically beating them to death. With regards to FLA batteries, keeping the acid levels up to ensure the tops of the lead plates flooded is critical. Use distilled water if at all possible! In a real bind rain water is better than tap water or spring water for that matter. You do not want to introduce any minerals or chemicals to the acid in a FLA battery. A properly maintained inexpensive FLA battery will outlast an unmaintained expensive battery.
The last battery I had in my truck was well maintained, had a pro rated 5 year warranty and lasted 9 years before the case rotted out around a post.(boy was I impressed with that case...NOT!) 🙄 In the past I have got 12 years out of an automotive battery, then it died for no reason whatsoever! 😆 That is what maintaining a battery can do for it's life span.
I keep seeing Marine batteries advertised as deep cycle and they ARE NOT! Marine batteries used for RV or renewable energy storage is like taking the trunk lid off of your mid size car, installing a fifth wheel hitch on the floor of the trunk and pulling a fifth wheel trailer behind your car. (an automotive battery would be like a Smart car pulling the same 5th wheel trailer) It's the wrong 'solution' for the task in both cases. If I had a choice between a freebee car or marine battery for renewable energy storage I'd take the marine battery, but if I am paying for it I would only buy a true deep cycle battery that hasn't got the word "Marine" printed anywhere on the battery or the box it came in. It might cost a bit more but will perform better as well as have a longer life.
I truly hope this puts the 'deep cycle' marine battery myth to rest.
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
Thanks BTR for the information. Much appreciated.
I have unplugged everything that does not need to be plugged in...Everything takes juice while on standby when plugged in, in my kitchen nothing is plugged in until I am going to use it...In the livingroom only the lamps we use nightly , the tv/computer are plugged in but on an extention cord that I unplug until I am using them. I have the grow light system in the basement on a timer. I don't leave lights on in rooms I am not in with the exception of the over the stove light...switching all the lights over to LED also.
I have unplugged everything that does not need to be plugged in...Everything takes juice while on standby when plugged in, in my kitchen nothing is plugged in until I am going to use it...In the livingroom only the lamps we use nightly , the tv/computer are plugged in but on an extention cord that I unplug until I am using them. I have the grow light system in the basement on a timer. I don't leave lights on in rooms I am not in with the exception of the over the stove light...switching all the lights over to LED also.
WOW! You sound like you are right on top of it all. In the event of an extended power outage these practices (habits/training?) will pay off handsomely if you are forced to use an alternative source of electricity (generator or battery power). Rather than scrambling to look for non essential loads you will be in the habit of plugging in or turning on only those loads you will be using. KUDOS' 😀
May I suggest power bars in strategic locations? Computer and home entertainment center for two examples. It would save a lot of plugging and unplugging thereby making it simpler to follow your extensive regime.
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
This topic is one of my main activities for the last few months. We decided that we needed to do something about how much we were spending on hydro and we were amazed at how much we could save. But here's the thing, Hydro One, not only charges you for the hydro you use but they also charge you for the hydro you don't. They charge you for the power lost getting it to your place. They also charge you for delivery which is an incomprehensible formula of a flat rate charge plus a cost per kw used. Of course there is also the debt retirement charge and taxes. It boggled my mind when I started tracking where the dollars were going. Take a look at your own bill and try and figure their billing formula 🙂
The first thing we did was read the meter and set up a spreadsheet to track it. We had the usage from previous months so we had our average daily kilowatt hour usage. Then every day at 5:30 we read the meter and track it. Suddenly we are able to equate a spike in usage to something going on in the house. Saturdays and Sundays it was usually laundry, another day it was the installation of our new furnace. All of these things made us aware that there was a reason why it jumped and then we could do something to avoid it.
With the spreadsheet we are also able to keep a running average of what our daily use was and then project it to the end of the billing period. We used to have a $/kw rate change after 600kw's so we aimed to keep it under.
To make a long story short we are now doing extremely well controlling our hydro usage. And in doing so we are also saving a lot on the misc charges that hydro was sneaking in there. Our actual cost of hydro used compared to the bill is still less than half of the total unfortunately.
Our biggest culprit now in the house is the hot water heater and there are solutions for that as well. When we had our furnace installed the technician suggested installing a water heating coil in the furnace to supply hot water going to the hot water tank. We're burning wood so it wouldn't add to the cost of heating. I'd do it myself but my wife tends to not want me to mess with "important" functions of the house but have my sights on it for a summertime project.
Here is a link for one of the products. There are others out there but this one also has installation guide so someone could rig something up themselves if they felt like it.
http://www.therma-coil.com/index.html
Finally, I will "brag" that we have reduced our consumption from an avg 47kw/day to 17 on the last billing period.
"Keep Warm"
BATTERY PODCAST! This guy sounds like he knows what he is talking about and goes right out there naming favorite brands of small rechargeable batteries.
http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=2708
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
Thanks below the radar...I have the power bars already for those items.