thomas rubino

We do not have wild blueberries in Montana.
But plenty of organic growers with commercial strains.
My current favorite way to eat blueberries is in smoothies, blended with yogurt and apple juice.

Hi Alan, your plan sounds solid, and it sure looks good so far!
I do recommend bringing your box width to the standard size.
Yes, on having the horizontal exit match the riser, even if you go with the larger-size box.

I'm guessing, but you might be ok with the aircrete blocks under the floor.
Perhaps use an inch of clay mortar between them.

Grain finished for sure.
In my opinion, Grass-fed tends to be tougher.
Grain-finished on a small farm is tastier and more tender.

Hey Mike;
There are 4100 watts of new panels waiting on a pallet.
I will post all about them when I get them installed.
Same with the Victron inverter, charge controllers, and the Nucleo smartbox.
My entire original 12-volt system must be removed first.
I'm old, retired, and working alone; things happen when they happen.

The battery is outside for several reasons.
But fire is indeed one of them. I had a friend lose an entire house and several pets to a lithium battery fire.
As for my outdoor fire-retardant box:
Compared to having that battery in the living room, it would first have to burn through the metal box, then burn through the cement board liner.
After that, it sure could catch the wall and roof and burn the house.
However, the time frame might be a bit longer than 2-3 minutes, and my freezeless hydrant with 125 psi gravity water is 25' away from that box.

Apparently, the shelves aren't reliable in the long run.
For short-term use or on a build with easy access to the core, they would be fine.
Perhaps in your warmer climate, they might last indefinitely?

I originally thought first-gen batchboxes required a flat roof, but Peter oked the peaked design.
I suspect that it would work on Shorty as well.

Indeed, Peter uses kiln shelving for testing his experimental builds.
He has not recommended their use on permanent builds.
A peaked roof design with standard firebricks has been used on first-gen batch boxes; it could also be used on a Shorty core.

Hi All
After 43 years, I have decided to upgrade my power system.
I am switching from a 12-volt system to a 48-volt system.
My new Battery is a Discover Helios 48-volt lithium battery.
It has 16,000 watts and a 314-amp-hour capacity; it supports 10K continuous use and comes in a large, weatherproof enclosure that can be installed outdoors.
A built-in internal heater can keep the battery at the correct operating temperature.
This battery works from- 13°F to 131°F, but below 47F the internal heater would run.
In a warm climate, this would not be an issue. In northern Montana, it would be a big deal; I'd use power just to keep my battery warm overnight when I'm not even using it.  During a typical winter day, we never get near 47F. This means the battery heater would be running 24-7... not acceptable.
Although considered completely safe for an indoor installation, with double internal shut-down switches in case of thermal runaway, I cannot bring myself to install this inside our old cabin.
So, I have constructed a fire retardent brick vault, insulated, cement-lined, attached to the outside of the cabin.
Two 1.25" holes for the large power cables and two three-inch holes are drilled through the cedar logs to allow air to circulate from the cabin. Shorty core is only 6-7 feet from the wall; warm air is not lacking.
I will have a temperature probe inside the box to monitor temperatures, and if needed, I can use a muffin fan to force warm air through the box.
I still need to put metal on the roof, but for now the new battery room is ready for the 300# battery to be moved in.

With the legal status of nip changing in many states, Fluffy seems to have come across the neighbor's special brownies cooling ... and after returning home, the munchies hit!

Hey Gary;
Carl is a poster here at permies
https://permies.com/t/225438/Critique-Design

Hey Gary, check out this double skin build
https://permies.com/t/360535/Build-Generation-Batchbox-Double-Brick