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diy solar

diy solar

What was your most interesting recent non solar project?

Can you grow them year round outside?

Wife recently got her medical marijuana certification, may end up starting an indoor grow see how she goes being solar powered, as insurance doesn't cover the cost, and then an outdoor grow next season in a hoop house. Can have a total of twelve plants with 6 being mature ladies, and up to 5 pounds of harvested material.
Gee, 5 lbs of flower for 6 plants? What on earth will you do with the material from the other 5 ladies? :cool:
I like to "give away" gift any overages I may have to friends and neighbors!
Just saying that would be 6 iddiy biddy plants, but now days people like those autos that never get much over 1lb each...
The main thing is have fun, and keep as many $$s from the hands of the gub cartel / dispensaries replaced with good organically grown flowers!
 
Gee, 5 lbs of flower for 6 plants? What on earth will you do with the material from the other 5 ladies? :cool:
I like to "give away" gift any overages I may have to friends and neighbors!
Just saying that would be 6 iddiy biddy plants, but now days people like those autos that never get much over 1lb each...
The main thing is have fun, and keep as many $$s from the hands of the gub cartel / dispensaries replaced with good organically grown flowers!
Outdoors 5 lbs per plant may be viable but would be a hell of a challenge indoors. Thinking perpetual harvest, wife's not into smoking at all so prob press the bud for rosin or make cannabutter for edibles.
 
Back to tomatoes, You guys in South Florida have a great winter growing season. We don't get a decent season up here in the north end. I plant seeds in January and try to get them set outdoors by early March because they will be done by the end of June due to the heat. Even then I risk having them freeze after I put them out.

If I wait and plant them in August they get stressed from the heat and don't want to produce until it is about to freeze again.
 
Oh wow sounds like you need a DIY mini greenhouse. When it gets below 50F at night in January it damages my cucumber plants so I have to bring them inside. I am going to try making a screen enclosure this winter to keep cucumber moth away at night and allow bees to gather on the flowers (they love it!) during daytime. Trying to avoid pesticides. I can throw a tarp over screen enclosure and put a heater inside for those cold snap nights.
 
I do need a greenhouse, but I'm a bit stuck on where I would put it. Right now I start tomato plants in the living room under a south-facing window. I could cut some trees in the back yard to make room for a greenhouse... hmmmmm.

I could also switch from 90-day heirloom to hybrid tomatoes and maybe get better results. I have trouble not planting Paul Robeson though, because they are really good.
 
Another not solar but in this case related to solar. Did not want to hand roll out a big spool , 'especially' 1400 feet of it.

Pobably points for Copper over direct bury URD Aluminum in this case. Anyway had some "buy" the pound steel from the recycler and steel seller so napkin drawing and built this for the 3 point to lay anything on a spool up to about a 30 inch width and 44" diameter.

Should work for black poly pipe water line as well.

After thinking a little more will add triangulation plates to the arms to vertical 3 point square going rearward to the spool ( just don't like the look of that.) even though it is probably OK for one use. Welded Triangle's are amazingly stiff.

My welding needs some practice (still) . Anyway test went well ... easy to drive up to a roll , back up lower the 3 point and stick a tube through. Lifts more than high enough.


Edit, Yep couldn't stand to leave it alone, angle braces in place (in tension so plate should be fine) and hosed it with some ancient Caterpillar or New Holland ? paint that I couldn't stand to throw away since the 1980's Darn it now the tractor looks even worse.
 

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I FIXED MUH DAYUM PICK-EM-UP TRUCK!!!


Had just pulled out of Circle K after topping off the 34 gallon tank with another 20 gallons... Couldn't remember if the radio worked. Hit the power button, and WHITESNAKE was playing! I remembered Tawny writhing on the hood of the car and was overwhelmed by joyous nostalgia! Took me all the way back to high school in the late 80s in rural OK riding passenger in my buddy's truck cruisin the boulevard and swinging into Sonic for Happy Hour soda. It was the only way I could be cool adjacent. I drove a damn piss yellow 1977 Honda Civic.

What is this beast? It's a 1997 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE with the long bed (full 4x8 sheets of plywood fit between the wheel wells) and the... SEVEN POINT FOUR liter (454 baby!) gas engine clocking in at 11 mpg. Yes. I am personally responsible for the unexpected increase in CO2 in our neighborhood. 110K miles and it only cost me $1800. Owned just shy of 5 years. I have maybe $800 into it past that, half that is 12V batteries.

This thing gets used 1-2 times a year to haul something to or from Honey Badger Ranch, or it's a spare vehicle when one of the daily drivers is down.

It's taken 2X 330 gal IBC totes at one time, one about half full of water:

1728428296581.png

It's gone up when it's damn cold, and it had negative infinity traction:

1728428351334.png

8 Trojan T-1275 batteries for our first battery bank (these were golf cart pulls and cost me a total of $600, and all tested to 85-95% rated capacity once I was done with them):

1728428589582.png

It also transported 18 285W SanTan panels to my Mesa home (I only live about 25 minutes from SanTan Solar in Gilbert - they're still just sitting in my backyard) and another 18 285W SanTan panels up to HBR (just sitting in my container up there along with another 2970W of 330W Talesun I'll eventually put on the container).

The age and the extended sitting creates problems. 12V battery (3), starter (2), distributor (hard to pinpoint this one as it was still firing) and finally the fuel pump (that SUCKED and was the reason for this post). As I fix one thing, I realize something else is wrong, BUT RIGHT NOW, IT IS FULLY ROADWORTHY!!!!!

Yes. You are absolutely right. "Why is this dick telling me about simply maintaining his truck?" I hear you. I truly do. I apologize.

I just hope you understand that my mouth and brain are constantly writing project checks my ass can't cash. When something actually gets done and is working, it's like fireworks are exploding from my crotch (not in a painful way).
 
I FIXED MUH DAYUM PICK-EM-UP TRUCK!!!


I just hope you understand that my mouth and brain are constantly writing project checks my ass can't cash. When something actually gets done and is working, it's like fireworks are exploding from my crotch (not in a painful way).
glad to hear that you don't need any antibiotics! 454 while a bit of a guzzler is pretty bulletproof. just keep the oil changed and to save you batteries, either put a battery tender on it, or pull the negative post when not in use.
 
94 2500 with 454 here. Just the regular cab though. Handles the 14k dump no problem at all. Put a new tank and pump in. Note the access panel cutout for easy replacement next time:

Nice! I did the bed tilt method. Removed driver's side, backed passenger side half out.

Unfortunately, rather than the 8 bolts, I realized the two 5th wheel hitch rails (front indicated here):

1728439995482.png

I had four additional attachments to big ears welded onto the frame, and they were WAY harder to get to than the damn bed bolts (truth be told... I haven't put those back in as I don't have a 5er hitch).

Once i had it up and stabilized with 2x6 and a floor jack between the frame and the bed... I left it that way for 10 days. Even with pushing/pulling/violently shaking it, my anxious ass couldn't work up the nerve to get under it because I just knew it was going to drop and break my neck or spine in the most gruesome way.

Yep. I'm a pussy. Went fine.

glad to hear that you don't need any antibiotics!

LOL... ate so much dirt that fell from the undersize of the bed and frame. The shower after required three washings before the rinse ran clear.

454 while a bit of a guzzler is pretty bulletproof.

Yeah... it's just the crap attached to it that sucks.

just keep the oil changed and to save you batteries, either put a battery tender on it, or pull the negative post when not in use.

Yep. Unfortunately, I discovered my old Schumacher doesn't to float anymore.
 
Nice! I did the bed tilt method. Removed driver's side, backed passenger side half out.

Unfortunately, rather than the 8 bolts, I realized the two 5th wheel hitch rails (front indicated here):

View attachment 249012

I had four additional attachments to big ears welded onto the frame, and they were WAY harder to get to than the damn bed bolts (truth be told... I haven't put those back in as I don't have a 5er hitch).

Once i had it up and stabilized with 2x6 and a floor jack between the frame and the bed... I left it that way for 10 days. Even with pushing/pulling/violently shaking it, my anxious ass couldn't work up the nerve to get under it because I just knew it was going to drop and break my neck or spine in the most gruesome way.

Yep. I'm a pussy. Went fine.



LOL... ate so much dirt that fell from the undersize of the bed and frame. The shower after required three washings before the rinse ran clear.



Yeah... it's just the crap attached to it that sucks.



Yep. Unfortunately, I discovered my old Schumacher doesn't to float anymore.
I use a little battery tender for my 7.3 and for the F150 as well. it puts out like 4.5 amps and I just put it in a plastic ziplock changed the battery clamps for ring terminals and its permanently attached. just plug it in like a block heater and walk away, unplug and tuck the plug in when I need to leave.

back when I was a kid my former employer had a 76 or 77 gmc with the 454 and that hooker would run. made my old 360 ford look like a slug. but it did drink heavily at the fuel pumps.
 
I use a little battery tender for my 7.3 and for the F150 as well. it puts out like 4.5 amps and I just put it in a plastic ziplock changed the battery clamps for ring terminals and its permanently attached. just plug it in like a block heater and walk away, unplug and tuck the plug in when I need to leave.

back when I was a kid my former employer had a 76 or 77 gmc with the 454 and that hooker would run. made my old 360 ford look like a slug. but it did drink heavily at the fuel pumps.

I've got a bunch of little maintainers for the two wheelers. :)
 
I've got a bunch of little maintainers for the two wheelers. :)

I have been lucky on my diesels batteries, the 03 Ram/ Cummins wouldn't start a few months back so pulled both batteries out and checked the date codes,one was from mid 2008. It got new batteries that day. no maintainers but I do generally have to use a jump pack on the riding mowers in the spring. Tenders are a Good idea.
 
I have a similar vehicle, 1995 GMC K2500 6.5L turbo diesel. Full bed, regular cab.

Has worked great with two fixes: New oil pressure sending unit (powers fuel lift pump) and new pump mounted driver, relocated to a heatsink in the air box. Put in all new OEM radiator etc. hoses. Originals lasted 25 years, good enough for me!
Only modification so far is racks from front to rear, to carry 20' stock.


The Optima batteries worked for a decade. Then seemed a bit slow to crank, so replaced with Odyssey.
Would be good to keep at float. If I put my new 4s LiFePO4 in the truck I'll consider a DC/DC charger to maintain the starting batteries. All depends on what PV/alternator/AC charging setup I do.
 
Nice! I did the bed tilt method. Removed driver's side, backed passenger side half out.
Tilt method works on Dodge Ram as well you just have to disconnect a couple of ground straps and the electrical connector behind the driver's tail light makes it easy for a one man job. 😜
It is definitely a better solution than attempting to drop the tank on a pickup especially with much fuel inside.

20180822_145941.jpg20180822_145858.jpg
 
Tilt method works on Dodge Ram as well you just have to disconnect a couple of ground straps and the electrical connector behind the driver's tail light makes it easy for a one man job. 😜

Nice!

It is definitely a better solution than attempting to drop the tank on a pickup especially with much fuel inside.

Truth!!! I had 14 gallons in it AND I was on gravel.
 
Got a free lunch from an old friend today that I hadn't seen for 30 years.

Traveled to his machine shop this morning (2 hour drive) and troubleshot a tolerance problem, they were having an increase in percentage of scrap rate from an older Monarch VMC (1990) due to ballscrew nut deflection along the lenth of its axis. Determined the amount of deflection for the complete length of the axis and rewrote the compensation file in the software so that the axis would run true over its entire travel.
This particular machine tool has my favorite controller, a GE Mark Century 2000 cnc control. Easy to use and probably the best cnc control in its time.
Hadn't worked on one of these since I left GE Aircraft engines in 1994.
Didn't charge anything or get a gift, just a good day of conversation that brought back a lot of memories.
 

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