When I first installed the hydro turbine fifteen (!) years ago I cobbled together a temporary pyramidal doghouse cover from XPS to keep the direct weather off of it until I got the permanent housing cover made. Over the years my incentive for making the new one was low as the old cover lasted much longer than expected. This past winter was the final straw as the old “temporary” cover started coming apart, so I commenced to begin the new, final one. I took advantage of a heavy dew the other day, making me wait for my daily dose of mowing, to finally assemble the new cover.
I began some time ago with making a laminated arch using exterior grade adhesive and copious crown staples. I then screwed on a section of Ondura corrugated asphalt panel roofing for the, well, roof. The unit is light and stiff due to the corrugated arched construction. Once installed I recognized an unintended benefit. The corrugation makes it stiff, yes, but also acts as a sound diffuser on the underside reducing the sound to almost zero once I get more than a few feet away.
If the “temporary” cover using scrap materials lasted fifteen years, I can only imagine how long this one will be doing its job.
Now, back to mowing.
I had another invigorating conversation this week with my long time friend (almost 40 years) broadcaster Brian Wilson, who though retired can’t quite kick the habit. It’s posted on his podcast Now For Something Completely Different. No, I will not provide the link to avoid the accusation of imposing my worldview on you.
This time we got even more philosophical and metaphysical than usual, with critiques of the current state of affairs in the culture and polity.
As always, if a pungent exchange of radical ideas is not your thing, avoid it. You have been warned.
For the past dozen years I have been mothballing the barn’s microhydroelectric system once we get a few consecutive days with daily highs below freezing, usually in late November, then de-mothballing the system once we get to spring-like weather. I learned a painful lesson the first year when I thought I could keep it running all winter long. The result of that error was replacing 600 feet of spiral fractured 2-inch PVC line when the water inside froze solid. Since following the newer strategy I mostly limp through the winter on the output of the solar panels.
As I reassembled the water line every spring, roughly a quarter mile of 2-inch PVC, and walk it top to bottom every year I would find some damage to repair, from ground upheaval (it is truly astounding how much the ground moves in the creek bed ravine over a winter here), extreme water flow during a heavy winter rain or snow melt, or (mostly) fallen trees. Thus, my bringing the system online was usually a two- or three-day event.
Not so this year. When I hooked up the water line from top to bottom, for the first time ever there was no damage! Yes, a few of the soft joints had loosened and needed to be snugged up, no big deal other than getting pretty soaked, but other than that it was a couple hours of good exercise hiking up and down the creek bed.
Let the water and the electrons flow.
Recent Comments