Well guys and gals I have been mostly busy enjoying retirement. Not that I worked really hard before. Some projects that I have been working on is a Smart House conversion. It’s been a fun project and I may or may not share some of my conclusions.
Another project has been converting a house from a central 40,000 btu AC unit changing them to high SEER mini splits, I’m still collecting data but have been able to reduce energy usage by a good 50%. I was also able to snag a $34 a month for 1000 kw ELECTRIC program that is good for 10 more months. I can report that for a almost 2,000 sq ft house with 100F high 95%+ daily humidity weather dropping to 85F at night I’m only paying $35.08 cents per month.
Things are changing very fast in the solar world, you can now basically start small with a 250 watt panel, a 120 volt ac micro inverter & plug that puppy right into you wall outlet at home enjoying your own home solar harvest for around $250.....You no longer need to drop $30,000 to get into the game, with $250 YOUR A PLAYER !! Throw in 3 solar panels and a cheap $500 DIY mini split install and you got FREE SOLAR AC for a 400 sq ft room during day light hours at under $1250 investment. Believe it or not , there are some fools out there paying a real licensed ac guy $6,000 and $4,000 for the solar = $10,000 for what you can DIY in 1-2 days for $1,250 or an 87% DISCOUNT.
Another project I’m thinking about is a electric car & a special (( top top secrete )) brand new revolutionary mini trailer project. This might finally bring RV to the masses who don’t enjoy dropping $50 a night @ a trailer park and who don’t wanna buy a big gas guzzling truck.
Keep checking back as it’s been so long I have forgotten how to post pictures & use blogger after all this time. So give me some time to get rolling again.
2013 CarMate 100% Solar Heated and Cooled Over The Top Cargo Trailer
The story of the first 100% Solar heated and cooled RV trailer - A 2013 CarMate 7 x 18
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
Living in a RV or tiny house is now illegal!?
Living in a RV or tiny house is now illegal!?
Luthorville: Building an Off-Grid Mojave Tiny House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So4CaP1sNOI
Federal Regulation - FR–5877–P–01
https://www.regulations.gov/#!home
You guys might wanna watch this or commend on new federal regulations.
Living in a RV or tiny house is now illegal!?
Luthorville: Building an Off-Grid Mojave Tiny House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So4CaP1sNOI
Federal Regulation - FR–5877–P–01
https://www.regulations.gov/#!ho
You guys might wanna watch this or commend on new federal regulation
Luthorville: Building an Off-Grid Mojave Tiny House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So4CaP1sNOI
Federal Regulation - FR–5877–P–01
https://www.regulations.gov/#!ho
You guys might wanna watch this or commend on new federal regulation
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Trail Buddy - Skyteam 125cc Honda Clone Dax
Here is a 125cc knock off with a little more power of my favorite blue bike
Custom 1970 Honda CT70 Monkey Bike Cafe Racer Like Honda Grom GoPro Hero 3+
I just gotta add this, when I was a teen this honda 50 was my first bike, cost around $285 if I recall in early 1970's . If I would have had this I would be dead for sure and I crashed my 50 on just about every street corner, it did run about 50 mph top speed laying down, what a great first bike it was.
This thing is one great souped up version.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
EV Battery Prices Dropping Faster Than Predicted - Autoline Daily Insight
I know these folks like to TALK LOTS OF TRASH about cheaper batteries at $250 per KW or maybe even $125 in 5-10 years ....but they don't tell you where to buy them ?? From what I have seen they are going up even though the value of chinese money is 10% less......
Monday, February 29, 2016
Off Grid Solar Powered RV Air Conditioning – Is it Possible?
How long does it take someone to finally borrow my ideas ?
Which 500 RV experts said were impossible.
Well I talked with these folks a few years back to ask if they wanted to make me a video about OTTCT.....
as they make very nice video's....they declined, do you wonder why ??
So 2+ years latter, here is their video on
as they make very nice video's....they declined, do you wonder why ??
So 2+ years latter, here is their video on
IS it POSSIBLE TO HAVE RV SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING......
CONGRATS to the WYNNS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0rZY5uotKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0rZY5uotKI
Friday, February 12, 2016
Monday, December 28, 2015
Monday, August 3, 2015
DIY Compost Toilet Installation - Privy 500 in shed.
GarryS had a great question about how to do black water tanks, which are not my favorite....
((( unless your hooked up at an RV Park )))
BUT... I found this new info that was really cool for trailer toilets
http://www.google.com/search?q=loveable+loo&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAUQ_AVqFQoTCKqd1aCkjccCFcaSDQodYjAP8Q
or
http://www.littlehouse.co/2012/09/diy-compost-toilet-installation-part-1/
you tube video
https://youtu.be/IPpMLa1cc8o
or his story
http://www.littlehouse.co/2012/09/diy-compost-toilet-installation-part-1/#lightbox/10/
or a wall hung waterless unit
http://www.littlehouse.co/shop/gudloo-waterless-urinal/
I built my own box & I installed a bilge blower fan, a little loud, but ZERO SMELL when i drop a bomb in the pot.....
I would be using 20 gallons a day on black water & you gotta pay to dump that crap to boot.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
1,750 amp hours of Lithium batteries now installed
Here is the latest addition of a 500 AH lithium battery bank. This brings the total installed up to 1,750 AH . I would say that's another world record, but hold your hat another 600 AH in lithium is coming soon. That will top me out at 2,350 AH .....For those of you who are good at math, that's about 1280 watts for every 100 AH so take 23.5 x 1280 and you get the total wattage available is a smidge over 30,000 watts or 30kw. This project has cost me around $1400 but for those of you who are Lithium experts and require a BMS because you are too daft to read $10 elec read out , there are many companies out there who are happy to SOAK YOU , $5000 to $8000 for their almost exact same system. As the saying goes there is a fool born every second, actually more because in not including those who believe flooded batteries from 1850's are still the best deal on the market.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Complete Solar System in a Toyota Tundra
It's done , complete system in a truck ......
300 Watt panel mounted across the bed. 60 amp midnight solar charge controller, 100 ah lithium battery, 300 watt Mornstar psw, 80 amp blue sea disconect, 4 x ac outlet, 4 x 2.1 usb chargers , Anderson power pole disconects, ancor marine tinned wiring. I just put this together real quick, next version will be a cleaner install. Happy 4th july to all.
300 Watt panel mounted across the bed. 60 amp midnight solar charge controller, 100 ah lithium battery, 300 watt Mornstar psw, 80 amp blue sea disconect, 4 x ac outlet, 4 x 2.1 usb chargers , Anderson power pole disconects, ancor marine tinned wiring. I just put this together real quick, next version will be a cleaner install. Happy 4th july to all.
2007 Solar Toyota Tundra , now gets 4 MPD
Here it is, the first solar powered Toyota Tundra Crewman. A 300 watt solar panel and complete solar system with 60 amp charge controller, 300 psw inverter & 100 ah Calb lithium batteries should get me approximately 1,500 to 1,800 watts per day on the best sunny summer day. That would translate into approximately 4 MPD - miles per day. LOL , this puts the total amount of solar for OverTheTopCargoTrailer at around 2,800 watts. I'm a little worried because I hear that Roadtrek 190 Van is trying to catch up with my by using 750+ watts in panels and 700 AH of lithium batteries to run their AC. Psst don't tell them when I'm all done I'll have one 2,000 Ah of Lithium batteries on board.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Air - In - The - Bag, for anywhere On or Off the road
My latest idea, is portable air compressor in the bag with a remote switch. Why not since I have lots of battery & solar power. I wanted to give a shout out to Rodger at Functional Utility for his great service and his great products. He makes 10 amp & 30 amp remote switches, these also come with all the other parts including extra wire & fuses etc. I was joking the only thing missing was a wire crimper. I tried many remote switches and most are complete junk, your lucky if they work at all. Rodgers 10 amp remote switch is also water proof and comes with duel remotes. I found out from Rodger that the 30 amp switch works up to 40 amp if you keep the wires under 2 foot from the battery to the load. Also all remotes are on a different frequency, so I am using 6 of them in my trailer project....more details to come latter.
In my case my tire can go flat & my battery go dead
AND I can still rescue both.
Sold on Amazon
The bag around 20 lbs , easy to move where needed
My battery should have enough juice for 20 complete tires
I have lots of gripe with Amazon and this ARB compressor, the $3 air filter was missing and unless i'm willing to stand in line for an hour and spend $30 postage, returning the entire unit
its DAMN IMPOSSIBLE to get that filter from Amazon or ARB direct. NOT FOR SALE.
I have other gripes about this compressor also - it comes with 23 pages of worthless
instructions how to install with jeep air lockers " NOT INCLUDED" and there is a 15'
long wiring harness with 20 connectors also those are for the "NOT INCLUDED" air locker installation. WHY include these items ?
A simple install diagram without air lockers is impossible to come by from ARB
no matter how hard I tried. I guess their idea is to sell you the $275 compressor, plus $30 gauge , Plus $30 air hose, plus $300 install service on your vehicle.
When I get a chance, ill put something together for those of you who want a simple install.
Monday, June 8, 2015
5,400 solar watts today running AC on 100% solar
Here we go today running everything full blast with dirty 1,000 watt panels , I pulled in 5400 watts or 5.4kw as the meter reads. So those of you like Technomadia & Gone with the Wynns, who are telling folks it's impossible to have solar AC - well your flat out 100% WRONG. I kept it at 73 all day long inside the trailer while parked in full sun outside 95F. I was also running a fan, tv, dvr, lights and 63Q arb fridge set at 24F.
Below you can even see 6.0 KWH or 6,000 watts per day, pretty good for 1,000 watts in panels.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Why are there always 10,000 Cops at Funerals ?
Other then when a head of state, President or Gov dies we normally don't see hugh crowds at Funerals.
Here is the full story.
http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_28132932/should-taxpayers-foot-bill-send-cops-out-state
Oakland sent four officers to one or the other New York funerals, using a total of 85 work hours between them, calculated at $4,587.60. Oakland also paid $5,357.74 for airfare, lodging and meals.
"Years ago, when OPD experienced the loss of four officers during one tragic incident, the NYPD sent a group of officers to the funeral of our fallen officers," Oakland police Chief Sean Whent said, referring to the March 21, 2009, killing of four Oakland police officers by a wanted felon during a traffic stop and subsequent ambush. "The tragic circumstances of the murders of those two NYPD officers deserved a similar show of respect from our department."
San Jose provided a total of 100 hours paid release time for three officers, calculated at $4,629.68, to attend one or the other funeral, and additionally paid $6,078.30 for airfare, food, lodging and a luggage fee.
Twelve San Francisco officers, including a captain and an officer who each attended both funerals, used a total of 287 regular staff hours the department computed at $17,423.49. JetBlue provided free flights, and the San Francisco Police Officers Association and Asian Peace Officers Association helped pay expenses.
Two Richmond officers and one sergeant attended one or the other New York funeral at a total cost of $3,576.40 in staff time; the city additionally chipped in $400 for lodging, with the Richmond Police Officers Association picking up the rest of the tab for travel and hotel accommodations.
Two Concord officers attended Ramos' funeral and 12 attended Liu's, but none used work time; the city spent $2,600 total on hotel and food for four officers.
Two Fremont police officers attended each of the two funerals on days off. Fremont paid $2,788.51 for airfare, hotel and ground transportation.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office computed its expenses at $4,734.80, including work time of two deputies, in connection with Liu's funeral. Two other deputies attended on their own time. The total includes a per diem for food and lodging. JetBlue provided transport.
Many police agencies said they did not take on any expenses in connection with the New York funerals, including some of the area's largest: The California Highway Patrol, BART Police Department, the Alameda and Contra Costa sheriff's offices, and the Antioch and Hayward police departments. Several said that any of their members who may have gone to New York for the funerals did so on their own time and expense.
One Contra Costa sheriff's lieutenant "responded to New York to support his brothers and sisters in blue on his own dime," on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, his regular scheduled days off, said that agency's spokesman, Jimmy Lee.
"(He) packed up and left his wife and 9-year-old son late Christmas night and headed to New York to support the family and co-workers of Officer Ramos," Lee wrote. "He never submitted any claim or reimbursement forms from the county.
"He feels that the support of slain officers is more important than any compensation, and he would do it again on his own dime in a heartbeat."
Many departments that did not pay for officers to go to New York said the decision was driven primarily by budget concerns.
Antioch police Chief Allan Cantando said his department is rebuilding staff, and currently has mandatory overtime to cover shifts,
"I too factored in the cost of sending staff, and the loss of their services to the residents of our city," Cantando said. "I recognized there would be national attendance, and I felt it was best to keep our officers within the state."
Here is the full story.
http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_28132932/should-taxpayers-foot-bill-send-cops-out-state
Should taxpayers foot bill to send cops to out-of-state funerals?
By Tom Lochner
Oakland Tribune
BERKELEY -- Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, New York City police officers killed in the line of duty in December, were laid to rest before galleries of dignitaries and thousands-strong walls of police officers from across the nation -- including dozens from the Bay Area.
Such displays of unity and respect, on Dec. 27 for Ramos and Jan. 4 for Liu, are testimony to a tight fraternity of police that transcends jurisdictional boundaries. But sending officers to attend out-of-town funerals also is costly in time and money, and in more than half of the Bay Area police agencies queried by this newspaper, the taxpayer picked up all or some of the tab.
"The coldblooded assassination of peace officers is an attack on the foundation and rule of law upon which our country is based," said Berkeley police Chief Michael Meehan, whose department sent an honor guard member and another officer to Liu's funeral at public cost as "a show of support to the NYPD specifically and to demonstrate support for the safety of peace officers, including in Berkeley."
Meehan also said the trip was worth the cost because it meant much to his officers.
"Morale is important in all organizations to ensure the work continues to get done at the highest level and with the greatest effort," he said.
Advertisement
But other local departments limit their officers to in-state funerals unless they pay their own way. And one nationally known expert on law enforcement said it is "never appropriate to use taxpayer dollars to send officers to the out-of-town funerals of police officers," especially out of state, unless the expense has been agreed to under a labor agreement.
"While it's entirely appropriate for police officers to use this time to travel to the funerals of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty, all travel-related expenses should be paid for by the police officers themselves or at the expense of their unions if the unions are willing to cover these costs," said Tom Nolan, an associate professor of criminology at Merrimack College, former Boston police lieutenant and policy analyst in the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security.
This newspaper surveyed local departments about the New York funerals to explore the different ways police handle such expenses at a time when there are many competing demands on strapped law enforcement budgets. It found wide disparities in practices.
Several Bay Area police unions paid for food, lodging and airfare in connection with the New York funerals. JetBlue flew some officers free of charge. On the other hand, some Bay Area police officers attended the funerals on their own time and dime; how many is hard to say, if only because the agencies queried do not systematically track what their officers do on their own time.
The two Berkeley officers who attended Liu's funeral between them clocked 40 paid work hours, according to department records; Berkeley also paid $850.60 for lodging and meals, and JetBlue provided free air transport, according to the Berkeley Police Department. The department did not provide an estimated cost for the paid work time.
Information provided by other Bay Area police agencies showed:
Hayward's department also decided not to send officers to the New York funerals for budgetary reasons, said Records Administrator Adam Perez.
BART typically sends members of its honor guard detail to services held within the state for fallen public safety personnel, said Police Administrative Supervisor Justin Morgan, but there is no formal policy on out-of-state travel.
A spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, Jaime Coffee, said out-of-state travel must be approved by the CHP commissioner and the state Department of Transportation.
"CHP policy allows a CHP officer, when practicable, to attend the funeral service of a fallen state police or highway patrol officer, and present a California state flag and letter of condolence from the commissioner," Coffee said. "This policy does not, however, provide for CHP officers to attend funerals for out-of-state local law enforcement."
Some outside observers also question whether taxpayers should foot the bill for such travel.
Ken Hambrick, chairman of the Alliance of Contra Costa Taxpayers and a Walnut Creek resident, said he is compassionate about the death of public servants who put their lives on the line, especially police officers. But, he said, that's not a justification to spend public money on funerals in other jurisdictions.
"Many others put themselves in the line of fire, like our military, and we do not recognize them when they die. Perhaps we should, but we don't."
Contact Tom Lochner at 510-262-2760. Follow him at Twitter.com/tomlochner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)