Jeremy Baker

Interesting ideas. A friend wants to setup bio char production with me to augment his soil fertility on his property. I like the idea of cogeneration. He lives off grid so could use the power. And he has a lot of wood.

Ive wondered about a cloche row cover going up a steep South facing hill. One heck of a draft would be induced by hot air rising. If the tunnel lead to a tall chimney with a propeller in the top it might spin. I read a article long ago about experiments to see if a tall chimney draft could generate electricity. The chimney was very tall. It didn’t produce enough power to make it worthwhile. But it might make a great food dehydrator.

There are some people I call “conflict based people”. They have gotten into the habit of taking the offensive and often when there is no need for it. Most unpleasant to be around.
Predatory behavior is not always inflicted on women by men. There are many forms of it. Sometimes we don’t see it. Especially when under duress. Predators look for weak and vulnerable. That is the time to be extra vigilant.
They also look for the naive, the inexperienced, the kind hearted, and the gullible. The old saying, “no good deed goes unpunished” is a horrible saying but unfortunately there’s some truth to it. How Shakespearean even contemporary life can be sometimes. Reminds me of another saying I don’t like. “They earned a Darwin Award”. Some people have a lot of them but they keep on going. Sound like anyone you know.

Taping the Maxi fuse in place only lasted a day before smoke started coming out. So I went to Napa and found a automatic resetting breaker. If it trips it tries to reconnect after 10 seconds. It has nuts and studs  so I can bolt lugs onto it unlike the maxi fuse which has blades. Ive turned the dc-dc charger up to 40 amps now and it’s working good.
The solar function of the Kisae DC-DC Charger is working well. Ive seen 11 amps from one 190 watt panel. That’s 150 watts at average of 14 volts.

It seems in the Spring/Summer/Fall the generator could sit unused while solar does the work. But would there be methane production in Winter if it is cold outside!?. Perhaps storing methane all Summer in a large tank for Winter use? Ive looked at a couple methane digesters in the tropics but not any in temperate climates. Is there an example of one proven to work in temperate climate?
It’s nice to hear that a propane generator cold starts easily. That’s a big plus. No choke. I have a propane powered 48 volt charger in storage for when I upgrade to a 48 volt system. Good to know about seating the rings running it on gasoline. Thanks.

It’s a fantastic concept, the medicinal forest garden. I like the concept of food as medicine also. I’m tuning in.

Well the 50 amp inline Maxi fuse I bought on eBay melted. I forgot to fasten it down properly and it vibrated loose. Once it was loose the extra resistance caused it to heat up and the plastic melted.  Taped it back together and turned it down to 25 amps. Otherwise I’m happy with the charger and energy system.
I ordered a Electrodacus BMS system to monitor it.

Ive had the bus 1.5 years and this belt was on it when I got it. No idea how old it is. It’s topping the priority list now. I wasn’t aware of belt resin?

I think it’s a full 1” wide serpentine belt. Yes, I’ve been adjusting the amperage. I started at 40 amps, it didn’t like that, then 20, 30, now 35 amps on and off all day today. It doesn’t squeal terribly but enough to be irritating. It’s worse when it’s cold engine.

Thanks, I’ll try replacing everything and see if that fixes it. The belt might be nearly worn out. I can keep the old belt as a spare. Last time I changed a belt, tensioner, and idler it cost $115 in parts. And I didn’t know to clean the pulleys. Any residue affects the belt.
With a ex-school bus it’s tricky to look up the alternator as it might not be stock. As with ambulances, shuttle buses, etc, they often use a different alternator.