Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

Started by Oljarhead, September 21, 2009, 02:53:09 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

OlJarhead

Oh let's be honest!  Those guys are serious pros!  I put my heater in just because it's unique but it isn't anything like the stuff some guys have built ;)

Still, it's cool so I hope to get some good vote counts ;)

Thanks

Adam Roby



OlJarhead

Thanks guys!  Raining at the cabin but that means a food might for a book and a drink ;)

Tickhill

I put my 2 cents in for you!

Tickhill
"You will find the key to success under the alarm Glock"  Ben Franklin
Forget it Ben, just remember, the check comes at the first of the month and it's not your fault, your a victim.

Pray while there is still time

OlJarhead

Thanks :)
At he cabin this weekend. Started early due to work so was able to check on the orchard and do a little cleanup before my honey arrives today.  We're going to burn slash and clean the place up since it's in dire need.

The fruit trees seem to be doing well and the last surviving apple blossomed this spring!  Hopefully it won't take 5 years before the new ones I planted do but if it does, oh well.  Not much I can do now since the gophers killed the other 4 apples I had.

Now we have solar gopher repellers in the orchard and they seem to be doing the trick.

I also picked up a pair of white roofing panels (the plastic type) to mount over the solar heater for the winter.  The next step on this one is to make it permanent but I've not had much time out here to do much with it yet.  So, hopefully I can take a weekend a month to work on that, put up the solar panels and a few more projects I wish to get done this year.


OlJarhead

#2805

This is the result of the temp logger left in the porch just above the batteries.

Nights were in the 30's and the porch is not well insulated (nothing in the floor or ceiling and some of the wall space not insulated).  With day time temps mostly in the 60's with the occasional reach into the low 70's the cabin porch hit over 90F several times.  Night temps down in the 30's didn't matter much as the heater warmed the room significantly enough to allow for the drop in temps outside leaving the porch as much as 20F warmer than outside air temps.

I'm shutting it off this weekend but plan to see what the porch does without it to compare.  However, I am VERY impressed with this heater!

OlJarhead

#2806
A few pics from this weekend :)  We burned slash, picked up trash, installed new funny pipe in the orchard to provide water to the trees and generally relaxed and enjoyed the weekend :)  Hope is to return again soon to get more done but I've injured my shoulder running the mill recently so am trying to take it easy until it recovers.

JavaMan

Still raining up that way? wow - I think it's been a very wet summer so far.

Injured your shoulder? Well, take it easy as I am pushing my milling needs back a few weeks ;) ... just have not been able to get up there as often as I'd like... hoping to fix that, tho.

Your place looks awesome all greened out like that!

OlJarhead

Seems photobucket is toast these days.  Need to find a new place to host (or make my own).

Got my white roofing over my solar heater so that should help with keeping the heat down this summer.  Thing is at 65 degrees and still puts out a LOT of heat!


navybobunderway

OK Jarhead, this thread is wicked long, but I'm working on catching up. Seems like we are practically neighbors as soon as we start building........
Thanks for chiming in on our thread as well. I'm with you, spent the weekend in Omak a couple back, and being on Whidbey for the last 10 years or so
has done NOTHING for my ability to handle anything like real heat.....it was definitely "warm" while we were shopping parcels.

JavaMan

Welcome to the neighborhood, NavyBob!  I'm building up in Okanogan as well! Always good to see a new neighbor.

OJH ... how's your injury healing?  I hope it hasn't slowed you down much.

OlJarhead

Hard to say Java.  It's healing but slowly and I'll know better this weekend as I am remote milling in Mazama

JavaMan

No rush  OJH ... Just was hoping you were on the mend!  I've managed to fall behind.  I've moved closer to the ranch, and am currently in the Ellensburg area

Should shorten the drive to teh property immensly!

OlJarhead

Please note, I have deleted my photobucket accounts.  They just got too ridiculous.  Sorry!


Toyotaboy

I saw all my stuff went belly up with Photo bucket too.

What recommendations for a host now?

???

azgreg

I'm using postimage right now. So far so good.

https://postimages.org/

OlJarhead

I'm updating my own site (dartplayer.net and sewa-darts.com) to add a gallery and will just host my own ;)

navybobunderway

So I replied in my post, but real question is, how much for milled lumber? Not super familiar with rough cut, but learning....also asked about equipment operators, shopping a loader/backhoe, and or tractor, but maybe a local with the gear is money well spent. We have 20 acres, like to "tame" about 5 of it....it's sloping, but not awful....

OlJarhead

Milling runs anywhere from $250/Mbf to $500/Mbf depending on where you are etc.  I charge by the hour for remote milling ($85/hr) which falls within that price range (to get down around $250 you have to have good logs, site and help).

If in the Okanogan I can recommend a couple fallers that are young and hard working but I don't know how available they are as they both fight fires too.

navybobunderway

Hey thanks for the reply, we don't have a lot of trees for felling, was more wondering if you have rough cut for sale?


OlJarhead

Quote from: navybobunderway on August 02, 2017, 06:50:03 PM
Hey thanks for the reply, we don't have a lot of trees for felling, was more wondering if you have rough cut for sale?

Nope sorry! 

OlJarhead

Soon heading back up to the cabin for a short visit.  I do a fair amount of overnighters at the cabin since moving down south as I still maintain an office in Omak.  This trip, like most, I'll try to get a little work done and a little relaxing :)

OlJarhead

So I finally pulled the plug and bought the battery fan and relay for my battery bank :)  I chose the relay even though I will be installing an outback charge controller (which I bought last year for the 6 panels I bought) because I can get it up and running sooner with this relay than if I waited.

Now, the next phase of my solar improvements is the following (at least these are my thoughts and I am looking for feedback):

1.  Move the inverter and charge controllers inside the cabin (just inside the wall instead of in the porch above the batteries
2.  Once the inverter and charge controllers are inside the cabin (where they will be warmer, less dusty and no longer near the batteries) I will complete the battery box around the batteries and install the fan and relay.
3.  Move the Trimetric battery monitor inside the cabin
4.  Consider getting a second monitor or just a voltmeter for the porch so I can see where the batteries are when I arrive and before entering the cabin (my preferance).
5.  Install a 12v or 24v porch light inside and outside the porch (today I turn on the power and the light comes on as it's left on when I am gone (switch is inside) so it will come on when I turn on the power.

One thing I need to research is the right cable size for the inverter.  It's a 4000w pure sine inverter that can peak at 12000w and has a 50amp charger built into it (24v).  I have been using the same cables (2-0 if I remember right) from when I built the system as a 12v system.  I'm thinking I can stick with 2-0 and install 36" cables from the batteries to the disconnect and inverter (disconnect will remain in the porch at this time).  The cables I have now are too stiff so I'm looking at ordering a set of these (or similar): https://www.solarpanelstore.com/solar-power/wire/inverter-cables/ul00black36.html

I will cut down the copper buss bars to a much smaller bar and tie the batteries all to the bar at the same point (instead of seperating them the way I did before) thereby reducing uneven usage (however small) and less room required for the bus).

I'll still have to decide if I want to leave the auto-gen switch and 24v-12v converter in the porch or move inside (don't have much room but thought it would be better to have the inverter, at least, inside if not also the controllers).

Then I'll need to start working on the 'command' center where my controls and meter will reside (near my chair by the wood stove has been the plan).

Thoughts?

OlJarhead

Aims manual says 1/0 for the 4000watt inverter when 24v and up to 3 meters.  So if I go 3 feet I will be Good!  Now just need to check lengths I need before ordering the flex cable I want

OlJarhead

https://youtu.be/zZ97RhRiyIg
Meanwhile in the woods somewhere other than my cabin ;)