Water and Power Mods

This week, two additions to our off-grid power system were ordered. First was a propane conversion for the emergency backup generator, second was a Solar Force 12 volt water pump to replace our aging and innefficient Gould Jet Pump. Information and pictures as we install these units will be posted as the projects progress.

Le Boise Alternatives

DJ MacIntyre and Josée Guénette founded Le Boise Alternatives with the intent of making alternative energy more accessible.

The Le Boisé Alternatives company is based in the Gatineau Hills of Québec, one hour North of Ottawa, Ontario. We service all of Canada and can ship to the United States. Travel fees may apply.

DJ and Josée live in a home where alternative power is the only source of electricity.

In the year 2000, DJ MacIntyre and his wife purchased land in the Gatineau Hills, North of Ottawa, Ontario. Their intention was to build a comfortable home, where they could enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods and commute to their careers in the city.

Since the cost of installing conventional hydro was in excess of $100,000, they discovered surprisingly, DJ and Josee examined others options and concluded that the most cost-effective method (without sacrificing the beauty and peacefulness of the natural surroundings) was alternative energy. Currently, their home operates a 2.4 kW Jakobs wind turbine on a 100-foot tower, with a large battery storage system and mainly propane appliances.

DJ MacIntyre is a journeyman millwright, certified competent in the maintenance and installation of all stationary machinery, including power generation equipment, and trained in all aspects of plumbing, instrumentation, and welding. DJ's main work interest is in prototype design and customized set-up and installation of electrical and mechanical systems. There are no problems, he believes, just challenges. Learn how to build a log home? No problem! Build an electrical generation system from scratch? No problem!



Josée Guénette is trained in a technical field, one of the rare "hands-on" type that doesn't mind getting her hands dirty; actually, she seems to enjoy it! With her canine menagerie, she lives in a log home she and her husband built from scratch, in a wooded area due North of Ottawa, Ontario, about two kilometres away from the nearest hydro pole. "Work Smart, Not Hard!" is her motto!

Josée's interest in alternative energy stems from a desire to live comfortably off the grid. Alternative living measures involving a significant degree of loss in standard of living are not to her liking, and when something is not to her liking, her sharp engineering mind and creativity are brought to bear, and with her aptitude for project management, things happen. As a result, the system powering her home allows her to live with the modern conveniences.

Dharam's Visit to the Maple Ridge Wind Farm

Dharam made a late night visit to the Maple Ridge Wind Farm, and caught a beautiful moonlit view of the turbines in operation. Installed in the Tug Hill area of upstate NY, the 120 turbines provide enough electricity for 500 homes each. More than 70 more turbines are being planned.

http://www.lacs-ny.org/windturbinepilot.htm

http://www.mapleridgewind.com/Events.htm

Larry and his Off-Grid Ham Radio Rig

Our compadre, Larry Barr, of ESSN fame, is improving his solar power portable ham radio rig. He talks a bit about it and renewable energy in general on his new blog at http://rebelwolf.blogspot.com/. He's the Asst. Planetarium Director for Tarleton State University in Stephenville TX, and a fount of knowledge when it comes to electronics, mechanics, and related interests.

Wrapping the tank with insulation

Now that Dharam's fuel tank is ready to be reinstalled, we are wrapping it in two layers of Reflectix to keep the heat in the tank. New mounting brackets are being welded on the bus, and the tank, fuel filter and the lines will be hooked up today.

Tomorrow we are pouring the concrete pads for the wind tower, and remounting the PV panels on the south side of our newly repainted home. Dharam did a great job spraying and rolling the new paint.

Heat exchanger installed in Fuel tank

The heat exchanger has been installed in the fuel tank, the T's installed in the coolant lines, the tank has been painted and it's time to reinstall the tank.

Veggie-Bus Conversion continued

Once we removed the tank and emptied it of diesel, it was time to clean it. We scraped the outside of the tank, and brushed on a strong basic soap. After letting that sit we power washed the tank. For the inside, we put two gallons of muriatic acid, sealed up the tank, and rolled it over, and over, and end over ended it for a while to coat the interior. We then drained the tank, rinsed it, and put a gallon of Ospho in it and did the rolling and over ending again. Ospho converts rust to black primer, and we hope it will help protect the tank. The next step is to install the heat exchanger. I removed and tested the fuel sender, and it's right on the money. Pics can be found in our photo album.