Wasted heat

[BrokenTrack]

I think the best thing for me to do is, install the gen-set out in an old insulated building I have out back, and hook it up to my pto generator. I have 220 right there so I can back-feed my home.

But I also have a wood/coal boiler kicking around not doing anything. I put it up for sale, but I did not get many people that were interested in it. I could put that in that same building, then plumb the diesel engine's cooling system to the boiler. Then I could run lines from that back building and wood/coal boiler to my main boiler loop.

That would enable me to do a lot of things.

It would give me a home that could be heated by propane/diesel/coal/wood pellets or firewood. When you live in Maine, having multiple sources of heat is always good.
It would give me backup power.
It would keep my engine at optimum temperature no matter what ambient air temperature was providing for instance starting.

This is that boiler that I got. It is in really good shape for a 40 year old boiler, which may apply to my wife as well! Just do not tell Katie I told you she is 40! (LOL).

 

[shooterdon]

That is a beautiful boiler.....LOL

 

[ruffdog]

That is a beautiful boiler.....LOL

How much wood will it hold?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Hubba hubba :shocked:

 

[dodge man]

It sounds like you are looking for an excuse to go off grid. It is very possible and can be fairly low effort on a daily basis, meaning fairly automatic. I think it was on this forum where someone built off grid. I’m going by memory but I seem to remember $20,000 being thrown around if you should go off grid. Meaning if it costs 20k to hook up to the grid, going off grid can pay. I seem to remember this individual spent big money on a high tech battery system. I think he went solar and with a good battery system, a generator for cloudy days can be small, like 7hp small.

Lots of ways to go off grid, it’s a matter of what’s easy, cost effective and practical.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Hubba hubba :shocked:

Yeah for a product of the 1970's, that is a decent looking boiler! I always thought a boiler with red trim looks nice! It even has red "heels", or all joking aside, I put that boiler up on blocks and then boxed around it with tin work so that I did not have to stoop over quite so far while putting wood or coal into it.

As for Katie, I think that picture was taken when she was 38 years old. She has managed to watch what she eats, and works out despite her age, and having three children. On the last one, I thought she would pork up, so I teased her, and she made a point to prove me wrong. She had to watch how she exercised because she just gave birth, but in 22 days she was back down to her pre-pregnancy weight.

Unfortunately I have to have "The talk" with her. I have been putting it off, but she is chubbing up on me, and every once and awhile, like all husbands, I have to remind her to put the ice cream down. I dread it though because she will get cranky for a week after I tell her.

 

[RalphVa]

I think Dave dodge man is right. Get the equivalent of a solar power agreement from your utility and read it. It probably says that if you're a "generator" that's, in effect, putting the same amount of power that you normally draw on average, they will not pay you back for it. With solar panels, I can put power back as long as I don't become a "generator". Think their term for it is actually different.

Our average consumption is between 2 and 2.5 kw, whole house for everything including heating. That's only about 3.5 hp. So, almost any water cooled engine would likely way overheat your house. Our 12.5 kw diesel generator runs our whole total electric house, including upstairs and basement heating and one electric hot water heater and the clothes drier. Just won't power the main heat pump, the electric stove, 2nd hot water heater, etc. It's only about 20 hp.

One of the ways, though, in getting power generation efficiencies up from fossil fueled ones is to locate them close to towns or cities and have a circulating hot loop to heat homes with low level waste heat that would normally go to air or cooling tower.

Ralph

 

[Industrial Toys]

Like anything thing else. I would prefer stories, facts and figures five years in, on off-grid living. What someone is going to install, or has just installed really means very little.

 

[the old grind]

Solar and wind users have battery banks. If BT had the battery stuff, he'd have (only) the gen vs panels (not for everyone) or windmill generators (not for everyone) to mess with. Wouldn't need the biggest generator either, then would he??

How about adding a ground coupled heat pump to run HVAC with electricity that wouldn't need to be sold for peanuts, then? Ever seeking ways to keep the generator small, when needing less electricity the boiler can make more/all of the heat. (colder nights) Btw, batteries not required, just a trickle from the grid after 'lights out'.

Another :2cents:.

 

[BrokenTrack]

My uncle has a windmill and no battery bank, but granted it is grid-tied, and as he has told everyone, there is no way it would ever pay for itself.

I am situated well for wind here as the big windmill companies were going to put up (3) of those big wind mills on my farm, but the town passed ordnances against it. I can have a smaller wind mill like my Uncle, but as he has said, it just does not make fiscal sense.

My house is somewhat split. The main house is primarily all propane operated for the heavy loads, like the dryer, heat, cooking range, and whatnot, but the Inlaw Suite has mostly electrical appliances.

It really is a no-win situation because if you make all of it propane-derived, then it all comes out of one tank, and the propane truck is backing up to it every week. You cannot rightly have a two tank system because they charge an annual fee for every tank you have. And with four daughters, you know at least one of them is never going to leave the nest so you have to at least try and separate things so her and her husband will help with the utility bills. (Is that wishful thinking?) Katie did not want to put appliances in the Inlaw Suite at first, and I insisted because as I asked her, "Do you really want to be doing your daughters laundry too?" Kids just do not leave the nest like they used too, so you minds well plan for it.