Nathan Hale

The reason I started researching this was because I was thinking of how big Oxiclean became seemingly overnight and it seems to outlasted the fad timeline. They say it cleans with oxygen, so I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if I could buy the machine the makes the thing instead of buying the product over and over". The machines I'm looking at run about $300 and I've heard over and over these are just domestic versions of commercial units. They say almost all hospitals and hotels use these systems to clean and disinfect their linens. Do you think they would use this method if it is chewing through their sheets and ruining them prematurely?

I have an old, almost square, but slightly rectangular house. I want to install a rocket mass heater in the center of it to distribute heat evenly. I feel confident putting a hole in the drywall ceiling to put the exhaust pipe through and into the attic, but I do not feel confident cutting a hole in the roof and sealing it correctly. If the exhaust is just co2 and steam, can I just vent the exhaust into the attic and not cut through wood and asphalt shingles to get it outside? My attic has two vents to the outside in the eves. Do you think there would be enough steam to cause a real moisture problem?

Anyone else have experience with Ozone Laundry? How long does the ozone stay in the air before it dissipates?

Yes, they do recommend staying out of the laundry room when the device is in use because it may make people cough, opening a window, and/or keeping the HVAC on to circulate air while in use. I have read a few reviews from customers that reported similar experiences of coughing.

Does Paul have an opinion on Ozone Generators used for the laundry? Anyone on here used one of these products? Do they work? What are the downsides that make this an unattractive option?

How they claim to work:
The generator mounts to the wall behind your washer.
You hook the cold water line to the device. Cold water comes in, the device generates ozone and infuses it into the water, and the ozone water goes on to the washing machine.
The ozone reacts to stains, oils, and dirt on the laundry, oxidizing them, and cleaning the laundry.
The colder the water the better because colder water can hold more oxygen.


Implications:
No buying soaps and detergents. No recycling empty plastic bottles. No shipping bottles or driving to the store.
Cold water is preferred. Savings on hot water and energy.
Nothing toxic on your clothes or your skin or for children to get into.
Should be compatible with greywater systems since the O3 breaks down into O2 as it cleans and reacts to laundry


Here's a review of one of the devices on the market
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASKuui8EOx8

What about rental property? And use a management company to truly make it as passive as possible. Or does that not jive with the mission around here?

When is it best to feed the sprouts. In other words, I see someone above say that they feed the sprouts at day 3, but why not let the sprouts actually grow up into grass blades? I've read somewhere that with barley it's best to soak the seed for 12+ hours, lay it one inch think in a try, let it grow up to ~6 inches tall and that's the best time to harvest because the protein content will start to fall after 6 inches(I think that was the number). Has anyone else read that 6" is the best time to harvest? Another question I have though is whether it adds nutrient value for the water to have nutrient in it and have it in sunlight so it can photosynthesize. I used aquaponic water in my trays and some of the root mats started to get slimy and the sheep and chickens would steer clear of those mats. I think the next thing I'll try is to put a little bleach in the water when I soak them, put them in the trays, water them with clean water until I see green shoots around day 4-5, then start watering with aquaponic water until the mat is harvest height. Anyone see any holes in that approach? I'd love some feedback.

M Foti wrote:depending on what you want to spend, a gas chromatograph really isn't terribly expensive in the grander scheme of things... I have seen them on par with the cost of a used tractor... however, I'm not sure that this alone will get "those" people to buy your product. A marketing approach would possibly be a wiser investment of your time. There are still going to be the folks who feel like macaroni and cheese is a vegetable, and i don't know what it would take to win them over to our side haha

I would use the information to to try to sway the customers, but I want it more to test the difference between an aquaponicly grown tomato and a raised bed tomato. I'd like to compare to fruit of different growing methods and let it steer our decision making as we plant and start new beds, etc.

Over the years I've always wanted to test the food we raise on our small farm to see if our permaculture techniques are really paying off. I want to show customers that our product has this much more vitamin, mineral, omega 3, etc. I want to know if the carrot I grow in the ground has more sugar content than what I grow in an aquaponic bed. Has anyone heard of a way to test your food on site and/or if there has been efforts to make something that could do this? We need to be able to quantify how much better our products are, especially when people turn their noses up at our prices.

I have noticed that my young pullets really like dandelion leaves, which is awesome, because I've heard they have good nutrient content. I haven't noticed if my older hens eat it or not.