Coydon Wallham

Has the love shack remained at this location?

It seems odd to expand the electrical grid there, was a larger solar battery install considered? I guess something already was there for the pump house, eh?

Jim Fry wrote:What I grow under/around our fruit trees, and everywhere else not barn or pasture, is the best grass that will grow. Then I cut the grass with a mower with bagger. I rotate sections, so I always have high grass ready to cut. Every bit of the grass I mow goes to the various animals we have. For them, it's like candy, -sweet, young, fresh. That way I cut way down on the pasture the animal's graze. Then in late Fall/early Winter, there's good pasture left for the cows etc. By letting the grass grow longer than usual, it helps preserve more soil moisture. And by resting the pasture most of the Summer, it does better.

From observing dozens of orchards or fruit trees around places I've stayed or visited, there's been a pretty clear pattern. Grass/lawn up to the trunk almost always indicates a dying fruit tree. The best look like they are just hanging on and deteriorate over time if it's someplace I return to annually. Fruit trees mulched with wood chips, or better yet 'wild' growth, underneath seem to always look vibrant in comparison.

In this case, I wonder if grazing cows are stirring up the soil and leaving fertilizer 'deposits' to somewhat help the situation? Carrying away the grass in a bagger just doesn't sound like it would be good for the trees.

I chose a 60L Iceco chest cooler. It has two compartments with separate thermostats that can be set anywhere down to 0*F. It can run directly on 115AC or 12/24/48DC. Being off grid I appreciate that it can be powered directly from my base 24V battery or 48V once I upgrade. Most importantly I can run it directly from a car or truck electrical system in case the home system fails or on a trip, and plug it in to AC while staying somewhere on grid. Pricey, but I went with an all metal body to take abuse and the compressor has double the warranty of the common Amazon cheapie knock offs.

Back to the question that started this thread, what is implied by "solar fridge", something that has an inverter and can run directly off a solar panel? I was thinking of something like a wofati freezer when I first clicked on this, a way to refrigerate without electricity (using the sun, not blocks of ice)...

Jay Angler wrote:
The "jam" nuts I use on the perches are just a skinnier than average regular nut. They can be skinnier because they're not "load bearing" - the inside regular size nut takes all the load. Theoretically, they shouldn't be any more expensive because there's less material than a regular nut so less metal to make them and less weight to ship them and less volume to take up in the truck. However, "should" and "are" don't always equate.

As Mike says, two regular nuts will do the job just fine, if that's the cheapest option. Hubby still thinks you should go for stainless, but he's a perfectionist! Stainless has its own weaknesses - more brittle for example, and much greater tendency to gall.

Often there are no "perfect" solutions particularly when the word "affordable" gets involved. Hopefully you're learning a lot as this project inches its way along to completion! Hopefully you learned a bunch of new skills at the Lab for the winter?

Just to update on this topic, I used a regular nut and a thinner jam nut (both stainless). The jam nut was slightly less expensive than the full nut from the fastener specialty store. Super easy to install with a cordless drill/driver. The Yupee has stood for 3 years and held the snow load from 3 Wisconsin Northwoods winters without any signs of stress on the structure. If I ever have to take it down and move it, I'll update further.

If they are partnering with the Amish and not just exploiting the name, this sounds promising. However, when the marketing starkly contradicts itself between products, I'd hesitate to order anything online from them.

Efficiency – SunStar appliances use an exclusive Keota DC compressor sized specifically for the appliance for faster cooling on start-up, combined with ultra-thick polyurethane wall and door insulation, making each appliance super-efficient.

SunStar Vs Conventional Household AC models:

No inverter required! – SunStar operates on solar and DC systems, and automatically detects and functions using 12v or 24v battery banks

and the model you originally linked:

Input Power 115VAC

Mart Hale wrote:

L Garnaat wrote:Hello @Mart Hale, you mention an Amish made freezer, what is that?

My friend got back to me....

They bought the

sun star model st 15cf

https://www.sunstarappliance.com/product-page/sunstar-solar-ac-chest-freezer-15cu-st-15cf-ac

Specs..

Hmm, what's Amish about the Sunstar?

Looking at the specs it is 'designed specifically for off grid', but only runs on 115 AC?

Lexie Smith wrote:It also (apparently) prevented me from ever catching covid or any seasonal flues despite serious contact with infected people so I’m a true believer now.

Such protection is claimed for nasal sprays containing xylitol, backed with clinical studies performed by the founder of Xlear (which didn't prevent illegal harassment from government authorities during covid), but that was without DMSO involved. Is there a researched claim that DMSO has any prophylactic effect for respiratory viruses?

J. Syme wrote:To block sound from getting to your ears you need to bounce it away, or absorb it some how. Sound that has a direct line at you can and will travel far. Long needle pine trees are great for minimizing noise. They keep there foliage year round and make gentle whoosh noise in the wind.

Do you think pine needles would be better than other conifer foliage? My property is full of Red Pines, but they are close to 40 years old and have no needles below like 20 ft so no help for close by traffic. There are firs, spruce, and pine saplings springing up randomly, but I planted a sight/sound barrier of White Cedar (arborvitae) in two staggered rows where there was a direct LOS to the road. I figured the density of their foliage would be optimal. Unfortunately I didn't fence them off from the deer...

Last month I was playing sports with friends in a high school field until twilight. I rode to the beach to rinse off and then noticed the missing phone. Retraced my steps/ride all the way back but couldn't find it in the dark. I had it in airplane mode so calling it didn't alert me.

In Android (LineageOS in my case, a FOSS version that mimics Android), go to Settings>Wallpaper and Style>More Lock Screen Options>Add text on lock screen. Add an email address and/or number for backup phone/family/friend's phone.

I went home and in the morning had an email from a high school administrator that the groundskeeper had found the phone.