Jim Baldwin

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since Dec 24, 2017
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Recent posts by Jim Baldwin

I have an 80 acre farm that is 6hrs drive from where I live. I visit it maybe 3 or max 4 times a year.
Id like to know if it is possible to set up 1 or maybe 2 beehives and maintain them with during my 3 or 4 visits by spending a max 3-5 hours each visit.
This would allow me to learn about beekeeping.
If this is possible I would likely take a course here in the city.
Currently i lease the land to my neighbour to keep the cows on it. This is in the Kootenays in BC. A nice size year round creek passes through the middle of the property.
5 years ago
Thanks guys,
Wanted to update everyone - the creek froze over this winter - the water still flowed under the ice but freezing made me rethink minihydro idea...
5 years ago
Thank you everyone... The costs are steep but I expeced this to be a 6-8k undertaking... Including the dam construction... I do not think it is worth it nor could I afford over 10K...But will do the cac's.  
I will be heading out there in the spring. Will get the correct flow rate and head distance as well as pipe length.
I do not think I can legally take all the water from the creek and divert it through a pipe for 200m? Head being 20m and flow being 3-5 litres per second...
I dont think that's legal. Wife worked for a company setting up the small commercial hydro - they had all sorts of loops to jump through, checking for owls was one of them... insane... Anyhow she says that the maximum amount of water you can divert is anything over a summer's minimum flow rate.
But since the land is all mine, could I not divert it all?

Wife and I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Used 600kwh per month this winter. But we are not electrically conscious. Keep in mind our dryer is electrical. So is the heat - baseboards. And we have it all plugged in.

On the property - it will be all heated with wood. The house has 2 wood stoves. Nice. But they need 4k in repairs ... But there is plenty of crown land around - free firewood!
7 years ago
Hello,

First post here...
Consider myself luckier than most - wife and I are about 3 years away from completely paying off an old 80 acre farm in the Kootenays in BC (south eastern portion) - nope - no inheritance here - just saving saving saving. Gorgous land... A dream come true.

I am seriously looking at the possibility of microhydro. I know I can get 50ft-60ft of head and about 50-100 gpm. At 70 percent efficiency that comes out to 500 wats. What does that mean?

For a simple 4-5 people home - is that plenty? Stove, fridge, freezer etc... (wood heat stove).
What am I looking to invest roughly? I am 34 years strong and can do a lot of work myself.
But this electrical stuff - its complex and I know I will have to hire someone.
Design. Licensing. Materials (pipes, turbine, batteries)...

What am I looking at cost wise? Can I do it under 5K? 7-8?
7 years ago