bud smith

From Craig's posting it is clear that the ducks will fling out all the water, in that case you might consider the setup from this link.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/725335/heated-dog-bowl-on-pine-shavings
It is suggested in the link that a large paver or stone be put in the bowl, this might limit the accessibility to the ducks in regards to taking a bath but wouldn't hinder them from drinking from the perimeter of the bowl. Perhaps making a cone that sits in the middle of the bowl might work also.

If you have access to electricity nearby you can get a heated pet bowl. It has a thermostat that allows you to control the water temperature.

i am thinking about making airlocks: just drill a hole into cork or bottle-cap. put a lenght of plastic tube into it. seal the tube to the cork/cap. put the tube into a bucket or bottle with water. Would that work?


blesses
tobias
Yes, in wine making that is called a blow off tube. Like this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYNbJlxnWiA
You can buy the bungs with predrilled holes very cheaply and they come in a variety of sizes.

Henry's answer is spot on, I just want to add that if your recipe calls for additional sugar then you need to use a wine making yeast, because the natural yeast found on apple skins has an upper alcohol tolerance of about 7%. That is fine when just using the natural sugar from the apple but some recipes use additional sugar and then the wild yeast won't be able to ferment that to dry, leaving you with a sweet hard cider.

Deagen Demientieff wrote:thanks ill add my own to a rocket mass heater in alaska to charge a battery bank and post the results here ill buy some stuff im looking for 80w generator to charge a battery bank so i could run some lights and a small computer while the stove not running

Thanks, please post where you source out your components and your successes and failures along the way.
I may want to give this a try also.

You've discounted the possibility of using hybrid poplar because of it's low BTU potential but have you ever considered it as a possible wood pulp source?
I don't know what the mills are looking for in your area but if hybrid poplar has a local market as pulp wood then it might be a route that needs to be considered.
Also sugar maple should grow well in your location. It can be used as a maple syrup source and a firewood source.

It looks like others have the same idea.
Here is a link that shows a unit developing 9 watts of net energy from parts that were bought on eBay.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCUQtwIwAWoVChMIqZGs2Zf-xwIVilGSCh3OKgRF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3j3LzxLbrlA&usg=AFQjCNHeYicKlsmyhGDXi94Btgrsb2HxwQ

Here is another from someone working to get a marketable system.
http://www.adn.com/article/presto-alaska-inventor-turns-wood-stove-heat-electricity

How many watts are you hoping to extract from this system?

Where I am in Ontario, come fall there is an endless supply of leaves that people rake up and put at the curb. They would be more than happy to have someone take it away for them as they are only allowed a 3 bag limit for curbside collection.
There is also an organic drop off location that is run by the city. I've seen people go there and ask for the material from the people dropping it off.
We have a pesticide ban here so most lawn grasses are safe for composting. If in doubt you can source lawn cuttings from from people you know.

I've always had good luck getting compost hot without ever using manure. As long as there is a good carbon/nitrogen ratio as well as some water it should work.
As a point of interest, when i was younger I worked for a couple of years at a plant that manufactured medium density fiberboard wood products. They went through a lot of wood and even used wood waste from sawmills. The wood waste would come in by tractor trailer and got piled into monstrous piles. These piles were so large that they would start to compost even without any significant nitrogen source. The piles had to be kept in rotation otherwise the center of the pile would turn black within a week or so.
This happened even in the dead of winter. So the takeaway from that is the bigger the pile the more forgiving it becomes.