Dingo40
Been here for ages!
And:
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Why do it then?I love steam engines and the look and sound of locomotives. Thereās one in operation near here due to itās popularity with tourists. But Iām not as big a fan of the clouds of coal smoke.
There is an abandoned railroad tunnel near here, about 1/2 mile long with the tracks removed so you can drive or walk through. Good fun, especially since the tunnel leads only to a good swimming hole!
What always caught my attention was the huge carbon buildup from the burning coal on the brick the above the entrance and exit and all the way through the tunnel.
Not to sideline the post with an environmental rant,
Well, you equate "practical" with "cheap", and the low price is because the followup costs are not factored into it. The solution, of course, is to factor in the followup costs. Which is unpopular since people would rather have the younger people pay the price for the convenience of the older ones. Which to a certain degree is understandable and also is the basis for our pension systems.but the increased awareness of putting combustion products in the air is concerning. I donāāt have a solution or know if burning coal is better or worse that burning wood, or producing and burning gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, or even alcohol - our way of life would cease without burning these fuels but I know of no current practical alternative. Maybe someday wind, wave, solar, safe nuclear fusion, and even geothermal energy will become practical and cost effective. (I use a small amount of geothermal energy here on the farm, and a huge amount of electricity produced by burning coal.)
ā¦you equate "practical" with "cheap"ā¦
TLDR: not a topic that makes sense discussing here since it will only lead to disagreement and bad blood over things not even related to accordions.
Yeah, itās a battle when you live somewhere cold. I designed my current house for maximum energy efficiency which means I donāt need any cooling but I do burn wood which is cheap but not the optimum ecologically wise. I could see installing a heat pump and maybe some limited solar. Too late for geothermal. Good luck!Too me, practical implies cost effectiveness but unfortunately to date, lowering energy cost is not yet practical.
I donāt know what TLDR means but I see that this is in the PUB sub forum.
āThe Pub: Any non accordion related chat and banter in here, but try and avoid religion and politics!ā To me, talk about the environment is neither religious nor political, but concerns life and health. Others may consider life and health political or religious but I donāt know why.
I think geothermal is the most hopeful long term solution. I use free geothermal energy to heat livestock water on my farm but unfortunately, I canāt afford to convert the house. Iād consider it if I built a new house.
Those are beautiful and impressive videos.And:
And then, you play staccatissimo!the keys get hot too
I designed my current house for maximum energy efficiency which means I donāt need any cooling but I do burn wood which is cheapā¦. I could see installing a heat pumpā¦ maybe some limited solar
A little far for me, but thanks! We could play a few tunes and sit around the shop swapping lies. This is generally the time I split wood, but weāre having a lot of rain. Thatās really nice of your friend.Good for you - smart! This timber frame house is not especially energy efficient and although it came with an efficient Vermont Castings wood stove, we use heat pumps to heat and cool the house and shop. If I didnāt need all our pasture space for livestock Iād look into installing a small solar farm in one field near the house.
But if anyone within hauling distance relies on firewood to keep warm, just come visit with a chainsaw and a truck/trailer. I can load logs or chunks with the excavator so thereās no lifting involved. (One good friend has hauled off many tons - she cuts, splits and delivers free firewood to those she calls her āclientsā, people who have no other heating options, mostly low-income elderly and some disabled people.)
there are outside the box solar solutions when space is an issue..If I didnāt need all our pasture space for livestock Iād look into installing a small solar farm in one field near the house.
..,high post solar over your carport/tractor parking area
(this is what several campus' locally have done over student parking areas)
and while Solar is nice at a power level to connect to Mains, it
can also be very useful simply in 12 volt form..
FWIW, since you have many animals, I have heard villages in India run heating and cooking on methane gas generated from animal manure.I plan to put up an equipment āshedā this year, about 1000ā from the house
ā¦villages in India run heating and cooking on methane gas generated from animal manure.
The technology is extremely simple and DIY.