thomas rubino

Hi all;
Normally, you would find my posts in the energy or piggie forums.
This could be my very first post in the gardening forum!
Being home all the time now, I find I have more time on the computer... who would have guessed!

I watched a fascinating video with a totally crappy AI voice-over.
The gist of it was 2 tablespoons of yeast and one tablespoon of sugar, mixed in one quart of water.
After activating, this is diluted with 10 parts water, and the resulting mix is applied three times.
When first planting, when the foliage is greening, and lastly when fruiting.
They claimed this mixture introduced biodiversity in the soil, promoting strong root growth, with corresponding plant size and fruit quantity.

Is this true? It seems too easy...
Gerry thought it sounded like what biochar does to the soil.
Any expert gardeners here at Permies???

I mixed up a batch, and I gave my seaberries a nice yeast watering!
They were already growing like crazy. I am very pleased with the nursery that I purchased them from.
I'm hoping to see even more new growth now that I have set them to "rise"!

That's what it said on line, a message, not an idiot light.
Seemed like a common problem, easy enough to change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2yVo9qfrzg

Well, John, obviously, you have a very hot driveway!
Or... perhaps there is a super volcano under your driveway, and nobody but your truck has noticed this yet...
Otherwise, you have a failed sensor on the motor.
Your A/c not staying on, which could be because it thinks your motor is overheating.
The easiest sensor to locate is the one that controls the gauge, but we know it is working properly.
A quick search turned up the CTS sensor as a known problem with Chevy motors.
Either the sensor itself or the wiring going to it is where to look.

I would dearly love to charge our car from the panels.
Most older EVs had limited range, making them worthless around here.
These new ones with a 280-mile range would fit the bill perfectly!
The $40,000 price tag when new makes them a pipe dream, but in a few years, those prices will moderate.
Have to see how their battery holds up, as that is the catch with purchasing a used one.
What I really would like to own before I move on... is a George Jetson car, a basic model, no need for it to fold into a suitcase...

Today, I hit the 500-mile mark on the new short block.
I drained it into a clean pan to visually check it, no chunks visible... always a good thing.
Some sparkles like fine gold in the bottom of the drain pan; they could easily be zinc particles from the break in oil.
She now has a new filter and a conventional 10-30 Valvoline motor oil for the next 2500 miles.
So far, she purrs like a kitten and has no leaks or drips.

Lots of good ideas here, although it would take a mighty big flying fox to move logs!
The cart with two wheels and a long handle is probably the best way to move those logs by hand.
However, I doubt that you are set up to weld a cart yourself.
It would take some scrounging but all you really need is two wheels with an axle in between.
A really crude method would be an old lawnmower body without an engine, though the wheels are often too small.
Pulling by hand with a strap would work if you're stout enough to pull them (it is downhill) If you try this you would want a metal can to put over the log end to ease sliding.
Perhaps the very best idea if you can find  one of the elusive teenagers who seem to be located near homes with a cell phone in hand...
Bribe them with food and a few bucks.
Or go to the local high school and talk to a coach, they love to work young athletes in different ways to build muscles.  
If you try it yourself, do not overdo it!

Hi Aeron;
I'll try to give you some answers.
First, in my opinion, do not build a full-size first-generation Batchbox with CFB.
Wood abrasion will happen no matter how careful you are.  
Use heavy firebricks; although sometimes they might crack, they rarely fail.
I recommend an external chimney using a bypass from near the top of the bell.
Internal chimneys require insulation to avoid stalling, not runaway heat.
Adding a bypass is foolproof for starting during shoulder seasons; adding a tee and building a stick fire to start the draft will quickly turn into a royal pain in the ...
The draw maintains once your bricks absorb heat, that heat has to rise. With the super-hot air coming out of the riser, the air stratifies and moves toward the bottom, where it exits the bell.

OK, the secondary air tube sit in a gap of the firebrick floor, as it has outside air rushing through it , and a layer of ash on top it is insulated from extreme heat.  The portion of that air tube that sits in front of the port has spauling issues.  A standard piece of carbon steel Schedule 40 pipe will wear out and need replacement. if you copy my quick change secondary design, changing that stub is a matter of a few minutes.  With the early design, the stub needed to be welded in place, and then the entire tube was removed, and the stub was cut off to replace it.
With light use, a plain steel stub should last you at least two seasons before needing to be replaced.
The special metal pipe you hear about is RA 330, or if you talk to me, RA253MA. Here in the US, I sell them for $60.  

Bells) Single skin bells get hotter to the touch than a double skin, but will cool faster.
Roofs are either built with firebricks sitting on T-bar angle iron, and then covered with a second layer of plain clay bricks.
Or you can use an insulation layer (Morgan super wool) and then use cement board, which also has T-bar support.
The bell is constructed with plain brick below the top of the riser; beyond the riser, the bell is constructed with firebrick.
Solid clay bricks or bricks with holes can be used.  The holes need to be filled with clay mud, or clay mortar, but not sand.
All mortar is made with one part fireclay to three parts graded sharp sand (NO ROCKS)
Using dry product (bagged clay, and bagged sand) is the easiest way to properly mix your mortar.

Here is my website https://dragontechrmh.com/. Go take a look at quick-change secondary tubes; you or a local welder can easily build your own.
Check out my studio dragon build; it could easily have been made as a single skin bell.
Take a look at my Shorty core build, it has smaller requirements in bell size and in the number of firebricks needed.

Have no fear of cutting bricks, it is quite easy.

Fluffy, looks at getting a treadmill

I'm using the break-in oil for the first 500 miles (at 422 miles, at the moment)
Then I will switch out to Valvoline 10- 30 conventional oil for the next 2500 miles
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GEIAA0C
Finally, I will switch to a full synthetic  10 -30 Valvoline
https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-Advanced-Synthetic-10W-30-Motor/dp/B00GSIXI9S/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&sr=1-5

Plenty of oil available at $5 -7 a quart, but plenty that is quite a bit more.

We made a 200-mile round trip yesterday, and the oil level did not change; problem solved!
A ten-dollar seal that could have taken out my $1300 short block!

Have you checked the oil in your vehicle lately? How many miles since you had it changed? What about the air filter? Changed that lately?

When I was young, a brand-new VW cost $1,995, and a brand-new high-performance Corvette cost less than $5000. (A huge amount in 1971)
If you wanted them to last, you had your oil changed and your air filter checked regularly.
Now, a cheap vehicle is $25,000, and expensive ones are closing on $100,000
Even at $10 a quart and $25 for an air filter, maintenance is Cheap! compared to replacement.

As a side note, not all oil change places are honest or knowledgeable about the different needs of modern cars.
They hire young, ambitious employees. still wet behind the ears, they pay them minimum wage. They mean well, but... as the saying goes, "dumb as a box of rocks!"
Take your car to a reputable mechanic, the same mechanic you use on every rig you own.
Your vehicle will get the proper maintenance it requires, and your investment will last much longer.