Behold the KshamaSutra!

Posted on November 21, 2013 by George B.
The SeaTac $15 minimum wage.

The SeaTac $15 minimum wage.

Radical Marxist Kshama Sawant ‘Occupies’ A Seattle City Council Position.

There’s really no need for me to link all the stories in this day and age.  Kshama makes it known how important youth is in her politics, it’s Seattle youth, the homeless, and the jobless,  and a touch of Fairy dust that has brought her to office.

Just the other day, she found a great photo op, and took advantage of the Boeing Machinists. She’s seen with them, fists raised in Solidarity!

Seattle is a lefty city, but according to the KshamaSutra (my name for Her Radical Teachings) The Seattle City Council, and everyone holding office in the State Are far to the right.

She’s suggesting the Machinists take over Boeing property if their jobs leave! Telling them they can make useful things like transit buses instead of war machines.

To occupy Boeing’s property and use it? So odd a Woman wouldn’t think of herself being used in a similar way.. without her permission.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/seattle-city-councilmember-elect-shares-radical-id/nbxbC/

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/northwestvoices/2013/11/20/kshama-sawant-will-have-trouble-changing-ingrained-inequities/

My crystal ball suggests that the name I’ve given her cause and following “The KshamaSutra” will come to be all about fu__ing  yourself. It may take some time for the word to spread.

Do a few searches you’ll find plenty to read..

GB

Posted in Critical Thinking, In The News, Strange Stuff, Survival Skills, The New Green Movement | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

An Important Muse? Nov 11 2013

Posted on November 12, 2013 by George B.
Martian-Marxist

My Favorite Martian, Your favorite Marxist?

 How many alarms do you hear in the background?

If you are Hands on, most of what I post might make sense.  If your hands have no stains or lack a single callous, then you’re likely going to find nothing but contempt for what is shared here.

We see our President surround himself with CARBON copies of himself, no hands on experience, no business, no mechanicals, nothing outside the .EDU or twisted politics.

We see who was put in charge of building that obamacare website, you will need work hard to rationalize that it was any more than stuffing the pockets of political allies, and done by people who have no clue about the shear complexity of what needed to be done.

DIYers, this is your call to action, time to organize your own house. It is a clear sign that stealing the public’s purse and using it to assure a single party government remains in place is the top priority. You’ve watched the efforts to divide the public by race, religion, income, and more, Have you ever seen an effort made by top leadership in the last 5 years to unite us?

We have learned from experience how important it is to seek the advice and help of others who have the skills necessary to make realistic assessments in what we attempt to do. In the corner of my shop are projects that remind me of the skills I lack, it’s important for a man to know his limitations.

It’s been an Interesting few weeks, I’ve wanted to thank the Russians and the French for helping to preserve American freedoms. But now, I need thank the Poles too! As Pelosi waits for the Website to come up (so  >she< can learn what’s in it),  others play candy crush, and some citizens  with real hands on experience wonder….

Would Atlas himself have tried to lift all of American Healthcare? It’s bigger and more complex than all American Government does now.  But if your representatives don’t read what they vote for, how would they ever know?

Thank you Poles, you have history lessons fresh in your mind and know what a good screwing looks like.

http://www.cfact.org/2013/11/12/cfact-rallies-50000-poles-against-climate-treaty/

We all wonder where the safety net is? When will we wake up? Some of the most hands on and informed say the net is reality, and when there is no money left to buy those free lunches, we can attempt to reclaim reality as so many in the past have.

If you are willing to give up your soul, you can turn the world upside down. I expect my Grand Children to read about it, and to ask… Just what the hell were our parents thinking? That’s exactly the questions children in Europe asked of their parents.

The only thing that does make sense is that the President and his friends think they are taking you on a journey from which you can not return.. and there’s a chance they’re right. The only question that remains, will those who have supported the transformation of America realize that they have nearly outlived their usefulness? Are they smart enough to grasp that they are in the process of surrendering any say they might have in what and how government governs?

As we watch government swing the hammer and hit our thumb in healthcare. The EPA is swinging a far larger hammer, and they are aiming at our head! What’s wrong with America? People like my Senator Patty Murray who believes in fairy dust.  A woman who will watch the world be unraveled, and hold her tongue. One of many who have sold their souls for a position of power,  and the story will be told in the history books.

GB

 

 

Posted in Buyer Beware, Critical Thinking, DIYer Skills, Earth & Energy, Fighting Propaganda, Gravity, Things I Hate! | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Watts in your Gen Shed?

Posted on October 18, 2013 by George B.
A great and handy reference for the basics

Build your Independence

Just thought we could have a thread where folks can list what equipment they have put together for their off-grid systems. It may also be educational to know what appliances are used. I’ll start with my stuff.

We live on 1 acre that we had cleared in a rainforest at 1800′ alt.
The average wind speed is 7mph, so no wind turbines here.
Our annual rain fall is 200″. Winter temps are 55°F – 70°F Summer 65°F – 80°F.
Humidity is a pretty consistent 80%
System:
1880 watts of PV controlled by Outback MX60
8 x S530 Rolls Surette 6V batteries strung in series/parallel at 24V
Xantrex TR3624 charger/inverter 3600 watt (square wave)
Kill a Watt CT50:5 metering
Listeroid Metro 6/1 with Utterpower 3K PMG (cooled with Honda radiator and box fan)
We fuel the 6/1 with UVO that we heat to dry out then filter and cut with 10- 20 % Virgin RUG
Yamaha EF2000is ( Fueled with Non-ethanol 89 octane gasoline with 1 oz./ 5 gal TCW3)
Changfa 6 Hp turning a 3K st head (currently fueled with Locally produced Bio-diesel)

Our hot water is supplied by a cheap propane fired Eccotemp L5 on demand water heater
Refrigeration is a 5.cubic foot chest freezer converted with an external thermostat.
Our water is just caught rain water the we treat with chlorine tablets
Water pump is a 3/4hp w/ 5 gallon pressure tank
Lighting is all CFL

Electricity costs on the Big Island fluctuate with fuel prices I think it is about 40- 50 cents / Kwh
Propane is about 4.80 / gallon

Greg West, Hawaii

Posted in DIYer Skills, Off Grid Power, Slow Speed Engines | Tagged , | 26 Comments

10-17-3 My open Letter to Dear Abby:

Posted on October 17, 2013 by George B.
Just the Facts Please

It’s not that hard to run this piece of chalk…

Dear Abby:

Last time I wrote you I was in fourth grade, I had told you about my Teacher (Mrs. Owens), she was a tyrant who made the meekest  girl in class ask three times to go to the restroom.  All of us knew that it took all of Susan’s courage just to ask!  When our classmate lost her water all over the floor, Mrs. Owens  got down on her hands and knees  with a sponge to clean it all up.  Susan finally was allowed to leave the room  in a stream of tears. You had advised me that I really needed to stop smashing bugs on top of Mrs. Owen’s desk when she was off smoking in the teacher’s lounge. I did take your advice and quit a full week prior to summer vacation.

But now I’m Older, and find myself with no one else to turn to for an answer, so I ask the following  question:

Those pro-ethanol producer guys. Why is it their fuel of choice is foreign produced diesel fuel? Why haven’t they flooded Massey Ferguson, John Deere, and others with requests to build the E85 tractor for the fields? And where’s the over the road tractors that runs on what they want us to use? You’d think it was just common sense to run what you sell.. It reminds me of the Chevy salesmen driving a Ford to work every day and parking it out front on the lot.

Abby’s Answer:

Dear George,

No doubt Mrs. Owens was deserving of the attention you gave her, but at some point you needed to stop. Cross contamination is a real thing, and the bug guts on her desk likely found their way onto the backs of graded papers and returned to the students, and perhaps even carried home in their empty lunch boxes, you can see the potential health hazard. I’m glad you saw the big picture.

Now onto your question about Ethanol. It’s all simple, fourth grade math is all you need. Yes, you are much older now, but all you need do is add up all the BTUs required to plant, harvest, process, distribute, blend, and then deliver to the point of sale. Just the distillation process is plenty energy intensive.

You know that Ethanol has a much lower BTU content as measured by volume, against gasoline or Diesel.  And you know that if the Ethanol Industry powered their entire operation with Ethanol, they’d fall way short, and have nothing to sell.

Thanks for writing, and I’m glad to know you are still a student of all things, it’s a sad day when we quit learning, and many quit learning once they knew it all..

Sincerely

Abby Bee

 

Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, Buyer Beware, Critical Thinking, Earth & Energy, Free Energy, Insane Grants, Strange Stuff, Your Wasted Tax Dollars | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Question of of the day 10-14-13

Posted on October 14, 2013 by George B.
Utterpower's grid generator

Utterpower’s offgrid pump house

 

Hello, I bought an AURORA 6500 diesel generator in 2009. When I had the manual transfer switch installed in the house, the electrician told me to have my generator looked at. Well, I have had one disappointing experience after another !

I have read some of your articles and I feel my situation might finally have a tolerable end.
In order to achieve the 60hz, this generator just about shakes apart. The engine also sounds bad as it sounds as if missing at 3600 rpm. It wants to run seemingly well below 3400 rpm’s. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you

Answer: First, I attempt to answer your question and then I’ll ramble on some.. (as I normally do 🙂

I think some of these designs are pushed past their design limits to meet our 60hz standard with a two pole head. Gravity fuel systems might need to be set higher to deliver all the fuel required, and in stationary applications, the first thing we do is strip anything we can off the generator frame! The fuel tank can be full of bubbles, and as I mention way too low to keep your beast properly fed as such a high RPM. Gauges and other things… take them off the frame and mount them on the wall, keep them from rattling apart as many do.

Once you improve your fuel system, and you might add a lift pump. If the problem of not being able to maintain 60hz or near persists, then it’s time to look at your governor..

George’s Muse Follows..

First you need keep in mind, you solicit the opinion of a student, never to be the cocksure master we find in such numbers, and of course most of them have wares to sell.

When we deploy Diesels, we do so knowing the advantages, a fuel that stores for years when properly treated in a fuel system that doesn’t breathe. WE know of the fuel density, more BTUs per volume, and even our ability to manufacture a suitable alternative fuel if we desire.

Beyond that, we know that diesels CAN be built to produce torque at very low RPM, and many outlast their owners. At first direct drive between prime mover and generator head sounds like an advantage, but this doesn’t allow us to optimize our power plant for the loads >WE< typically run, which can greatly improve BTU/KWH conversions. Even a reduction of 200 RPMs can make all the difference in longevity, and it can improve fuel/KWH conversion figures in our typical operating range.

A gen set too large, is normally a bigger mistake than one too small, and the well pump generally the load that MUST be started.

A larger engine running a bit slower, and coupled via an efficient transmission allows us to use off the shelf common parts, and avoid expensive 8 pole heads and the like. And we run the engine well below that nerve racking speed that produces top HP rating.

It helps to visualize the game of more fully loading each power pulse, and still operating within the operating range of the governor, and sometimes we need make a spring change to a lighter one, if we are to get the best response to load coming and going.

Hands on experience is how we learn, and it is powerful as per changing our opinions. But what to do if you don’t like what you have? It really depends on how handy you are. Some find it best to sell what they have and start over. When you come across two bearing generators of decent quality, you have a major part of something you can build and tune to you liking… that’s if you’re a one percenter.. the other 99 percent shop the big box store..

Always the student..

G

Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, Generator Realities, Generators, Off Grid Power, Question of the day | Tagged | 7 Comments

Muse of the day 10-13: My School Bank Account

Posted on October 13, 2013 by George B.
Zach-AOK

Zach, a boy who thinks, I bet he figures a best way to save for a rainy day.

 

Some of the greatest gifts given to me were given when I was very young.

How many remember having their own bank account in the 1950s?  The wisdom of our elders who knew the importance of teaching us about saving. Our accounts bore interest. It’s so hard to look back and believe, we kids banked monthly at school, we saved more than a lot of adults do today.  I remember that smiling face that took my money and updated my bank book, and encouraged me to do even more saving.

The independence it gave me was unreal, and it came in handy the first week of second grade. I loved school, I was plenty happy with my teacher, but somehow that marble I had in my hand went through a pane of glass!  I remember the feeling in my stomach, my parents are going to hear about this, and will my back side get warmed up?  But I went up to the janitor inspecting the hole, and asked.. how much to replace that glass?

The answer was $2.50, a lot of money at the time, in fact it was half what a kid needed to buy that fancy metal machine cap gun that no kid had I knew.  But I had that much and more and tendered the $2.50 cents from my school bank account to pay for what I had broke. My Parents never knew, and even to this day, my sisters and brothers have never heard the story. What a wonderful feeling it was to have that independence at seven years old…. to settle up on my own debt!

And now, our Government does EVERYTHING possible to discourage savings, no interest, and now they add even more taxes on top of the wee interest earned. It’s as if they think a nation of debtors will find less fault with those in Washington DC who know only how to spend?

I loved my first grade teacher, she taught us so much, and much of it is likely not allowed to be taught today.

 

Posted in Critical Thinking, DIYer Skills, Inspirational People, UtterPower Articles | Tagged , | 1 Comment

So you never thought you’d be Amish? Think again….

Posted on October 12, 2013 by George B.

Here’s an article you might enjoy.

Amish

Amish

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/10/09/amish-get-opt-obamacare/

So if this is true, what’s to keep the Methodists from doing the same?

Jerry Irwin, I borrowed your picture, I hope posting your work here leads to at least one sale 🙂

GB

 

Posted in Critical Thinking, In The News, Question of the day, Survival Skills | Tagged | Leave a comment

You Bottled Beer, maybe you will start bottling your Lube oil too?

Posted on October 6, 2013 by George B.

It was Greg West in Hawaii who kept telling me how thrilled he was with his new Yamaha EF2000IS inverter Generator. I checked the price at Amazon, $1138.00 delivered to my home. That’s a bunch for a generator rated at about 1600 watts continuous with the ability to deliver 2000 Watts surge to start loads like smaller induction motors..

Home Bottled Oil

Home Bottled Oil

Why should I tell you more?  Go read the high volume of five star reviews at Amazon.

But after paying so much money, what oil to use and how best to buy it? So many things to know but a guy has to start some where.

Knowing the generator can sit for a long time before being started, I want some protection during a dry start. Many of us have heard the stories that this short period of time is where a lot of wear happens, and I believe. Since this generator has no catalytic converter, I am free to juice the oil up with anti wear agents to a nice high level, and since this little generator only requires 420ml of lube oil, perhaps buying Mobil One at Wall Mart, and a bottle of ZDDP will give me a blend I like and a price I’m willing to pay.  Yes, we buy the 5 quart bottle and save the best I know how.

Since It’s really all about the cost of a KWH of electricity, don’t we want our Generator to run as long as possible, and won’t a slippery oil help us convert fuel to more KWHs of electrical energy?

Each bottle is put up with .42 liters of oil, tilt the generator and drain old oil into a container 16 OZ or larger in size, tilt Gen back up, open  your bottled oil with an bottle opener, and pour it into an adjustable 50 cent funnel from wall mart. Having it on the shelf, and having just the amount you need is key.. no over fills! Just pour it in and put the filler cap back on.

Why not change your oil often, you have no filter, so get the metallic out of your oil at hoter intervals. BTW… I like this unit.. Thanks Greg….

PS, you know I’m not happy with the crap they call gasoline today.. Gang Greenies like, it and I think they should drink it.. But the EF2000 does have features that will help you survive gasoline with ethanol in it..

A positive vent on the gas cap you can close, a fuel shut off that allows you to run the unit out of fuel.. a manual  float bowl Drain.. this unit is very quiet too..

Don’t forget to add a fuel stablizer and close the vent when not in use, and don’t leave the generator out in the direct sun unless you must.

G

 

Posted in Generators, How Tos, Off Grid Power, Things I like, Utterpower's Friends | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Muse of the Day, 10-5, DPF,Stuck Turbos

Posted on October 5, 2013 by George B.

Do you own one of these EPA designed Trucks?

Epic Failure

EPA as Engineers

Time to get off the political rant for a bit… I want to call attention to a post Brian made about his $55,000 truck  investment that the EPA mandated value out of, and my solution to counter the problem.

Some back ground:  Frustrated Dealers are finding it necessary to use solvents to free up ‘stuck’ turbos, These units are often nose bleed expensive to replace, the variable vane units more complicated and expensive than the fixed vane units, and of course Brian’s truck is complicated and more expensive than the 2006 model because of all the poorly engineered stuff hanging off of it..

From Brian:   

Well the turbo problem has returned periodically. Only 41K miles. What I found out was the year 2007.5 is the first year they put on a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). And To keep it from plugging up with soot they need to run the exhaust super-hot by some fuel injection during exhaust stroke. Because of the high exhaust temps they had to redesign the turbo to withstand the higher temperatures. Seems they didn’t redesign it well enough. By the way it’s commonly known that the extra fuel needed to superheat the exhaust and DPF reduces fuel economy compared to previous year models by at least 2 MPG. Hey EPA, doesn’t that extra fuel burned increase C02 emissions? Guess they cared more about visible soot than they did about C02 greenhouse gas. Bottom line is consumer like me is left holding the bag. Manufacturer couldn’t design a reliable product to comply with an EPA mandate that actually produces more C02 in the process.

Here’s my DIY idea, instead of finding  yourself on the road with no power towing, and having to go to the dealer where they use aggressive and likely carcinogenic  solvents to ‘unstick’ your obviously untested EPA mandated system, why not do it right on board the truck!

Mount yourself a Five gallon tank in your truck, a pump, and plum in a fitting so you can dump in that solvent while going down the road. Fill it up with an aggressive solvent, and maybe start the pump when you have a tailgater? I bet it would smell worse than driving behind a guy with a stuck float in his carb.

I do wonder where they get the solvents and what they use? Maybe they just walk over to the parts washer, fill a coffee cup, and dump it down the air intake? Once you’re off warranty, it’s probably a $600 charge..

Opps… sorry about the Politics, I guess it so intertwined now that we’ve  given the EPA the authority of a King. We know that the 2006 and prior trucks will be coveted, as we need run far less fuel and solvents through them per mile.

Now you just know it! Here’s a truck designed to use more petrol fuel, and now petrol solvents too! There’s every sign that “BIG OIL” has bought the EPA too 🙂 Political contributions made in exchange for mandating vehicles use more of their product?

Bwaaah!!!!

GB

Posted in Buyer Beware, Engines, Strange Stuff, Things I Hate!, Vehicle Design | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

An Amazing And Advanced Electrical Storage Idea!

Posted on October 3, 2013 by George B.

So what does it take to call it an advanced idea?

Advanced BS?

Advanced BS?

https://vimeo.com/46460725

Start with the typical Hydro storage Idea, add countless numbers of expensive generators with bearings and other parts to maintain. Add rails, Cars, Articulation, Wheels, wheel bearings, dangerous voltages you’ll need to keep the wild life and public out of, and every sort of maintenance one could imagine!

In the minds eye, we add up the losses, our brains strain to comprehend the amount of maintenance required, We think it’s just a good joke… and we expect everyone else to see it the same way.  But those who target Green Energy Funds know how easy it is to get money out of the purse.  You don’t need a good story, as so few will ever care to remove the lid and look inside the idea box.

The Gang Greenies look no deeper than the headline, if it says it’s advanced.. well then.. it’s got to be!

This idea is like Kiss turned upside down, in hydro, moving parts are kept to a minimum, and those that do move are made best, and designed to maintain, it’s expensive to maintain moving parts, so KISS design dictates you have only the parts required.

We need ask, wouldn’t it be cheaper to build a reservoir high and low, to truck or pipe in the water, and put an evaporation control cap over both reservoirs? All we need do is use their mass figures, and know how few acre feet of water we need to equal their storage mass, it won’t be much!

In this scheme designed to attract investor’s money, we need only think of the head, Mass, and the velocity the car will travel, please pass the glue pot, the investor needs another sniff.

For those who have time, it might be fun to check out what the folks on this project did last? We should expect a TED talk? An endorsement by Harry Reid? And endorsement by the NREL? Perhaps a person working for the NREL will be lured to the test model, and they can make it appear as an endorsement? It’s all my muse, it’s what I think, and it’s all legal for me to do at the moment… perhaps not in France or Italy.  I do know that scams of the past have angered Socialists, Communists, and Even Capitalists alike. it’s amazing we find ourselves so united on a single thing… (that be there’s too much fraud going on)  and now it’s your job to evaluate this idea.. Is it just another scam? I think so.

It was just the other day, a person attempted to take me to task on an AE site, I had applauded a post about what the CEO of  leading solar manufacturing company said, he was talking about KISS, about trackers, about complexity, about how much harder it is to make it all pay WHEN you stray from the KISS model. I know he’s a hands on man, I can tell by his words.. and along comes a reply to my post.. to paraphrase, if you don’t believe in magic, you’ll never find it! And in his post is the heavy use of the ‘EYE’ word “I always tell engineers this or that.. and of course his posts are void of any numbers or facts other than gang greenies quote.  I’m sure he lives with his parents, and the closest he ever gets to electricity is when he uses a fork to fish the heel of bread stuck in the toaster.

GB

Thanks for sharing this golden nugget Keef.  I like Willem’s Idea better 🙂

Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, Critical Thinking | Tagged , , | 11 Comments