December 8 - another month already gone by, and many more bags it seems...
Here are the boiler stats:
197 bags used over 91 days is 2.165 bags/day.
189.6 g.e. / 30 days = 6.32 g.e. per day. (79 bags third month)
Average -1.4°F for the month. 3.7° Colder than average.
I'm getting my weather here, by the way, though it probably does not take into account the fact that I live higher up than the rest of town and it is generally warmer at the house than in town. I have no statistics or averages for the neighborhood, so I use the GI site. I'm trying to collect data, which means I write it down when I remember - which means not often - I need a home weather station that archives...
The chickens are back in form after a slightly different ventilation pattern, a slight feed change, and a change in their light schedule. We passed the 100 egg mark this past weekend and we're getting an average of 2 eggs a day from the Farmtastic 4. (You should see them in their spandex jumpers) Their air comes through the boiler house wall and then goes back into the boiler room - but now it's warm air cycled by fan and timer 30 minutes on, 1 hour off. This keeps the Banty Shanty at about 45°F (too warm is a bad thing for birds) and they seem pretty comfy. We switched from wood chips to straw for the flooring/bedding and the dust level has fallen off to almost nothing. They've switched feed brands (all layer mash is not equal) and seem to be eating more. We give them bread ends on occasion and they tear it up. They're getting worms from the bin in their stockings ;) The lights are turned on at random times between 5:15 and 9:00 in the morning, and are turned off between 8:30 and 10:30 in the evening. They have 2 - 40W 'full-spectrum' flourescent bulbs in the ceiling fixture and it seems to simulate day fairly well - even the 'day length' differences. The on and off of the light coincides with our chook-check twice a day - feed, water, egg pickup, checkups, talking... And we added a box of sand to the aviary - they now have a place to flop about and 'bathe' / play.
I've been back in the shop working on a few small things, and I finally thought to take some pictures and get them on the web - Spinny Bits The last 3 pictures (Herod's bowl, fruit bowl, wedding gift) are from blanks I put up green about 7 months ago. I hope to get some more blanks roughed out over Christmas break (for next Christmas - heh heh).
Back to reading other's blogs...
See you next time~
A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill.
~Robert A. Heinlein
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Step 13 - Stop counting steps and just enjoy the walk...
November 7 - it's been two months to the day that the boiler was fired up. So I thought I'd give another update about the rate of pellet use and then some costing information about the whole project (not including the chickens, quad project, or pellet mill endeavors that may or may not have included overpriced imported beer).
Pellet use to date: 118 bags (2 pallets plus 18 bags)
112.8 g.e. / 30 days = 3.76 g.e. per day. (47 bags first month)
Average 46.6° F for the month. 2.1° Warmer than average.
170.4 g.e. / 31 days = 5.49 g.e. per day. (71 bags second month)
Average 15.1° F for the month. 8.4° Colder than average.
283.2 g.e. for 2 months averages 4.64 g.e. per day. (61 days or 2 months)
Ash production: About 10 gallons to date.
Costs to date:
$10,350 - One Tarm Multi-Heat 2.5 boiler
$20,314.87 - Build and basic finish the boiler house, Banty Shanty, and 'Studio'
$ 2,191.60 - 18,400 pounds of pellets (1,080 g.e.)
$ 1,700 - Insulpex pipe to transfer heat from building to building
$34,556.47 - Total
If I add in the mill (that is currently of questionable use though not yet discounted) - add another $4,000.
After the first shakedown heating season the entire heating system will get two changes - more efficient air removal equipment and a complete fluid replacement with about a 25% glycol solution. Also, the shop zone will be physically added into the loop as it was originally calculated into the load for sizing the boiler.
There are other projects associated with 'tuning' the house and heating system to be more efficient, but they're pretty typical of house maintenance. Attic insulation, window seals, outlet/switch seals, baseboard purging, door seals, house skirting, thermostats, air exchange...
Cheops' Law: Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.
~Lazarus Long (RAH - Time Enough For Love)
Pellet use to date: 118 bags (2 pallets plus 18 bags)
112.8 g.e. / 30 days = 3.76 g.e. per day. (47 bags first month)
Average 46.6° F for the month. 2.1° Warmer than average.
170.4 g.e. / 31 days = 5.49 g.e. per day. (71 bags second month)
Average 15.1° F for the month. 8.4° Colder than average.
283.2 g.e. for 2 months averages 4.64 g.e. per day. (61 days or 2 months)
Ash production: About 10 gallons to date.
Costs to date:
$10,350 - One Tarm Multi-Heat 2.5 boiler
$20,314.87 - Build and basic finish the boiler house, Banty Shanty, and 'Studio'
$ 2,191.60 - 18,400 pounds of pellets (1,080 g.e.)
$ 1,700 - Insulpex pipe to transfer heat from building to building
$34,556.47 - Total
If I add in the mill (that is currently of questionable use though not yet discounted) - add another $4,000.
After the first shakedown heating season the entire heating system will get two changes - more efficient air removal equipment and a complete fluid replacement with about a 25% glycol solution. Also, the shop zone will be physically added into the loop as it was originally calculated into the load for sizing the boiler.
There are other projects associated with 'tuning' the house and heating system to be more efficient, but they're pretty typical of house maintenance. Attic insulation, window seals, outlet/switch seals, baseboard purging, door seals, house skirting, thermostats, air exchange...
Cheops' Law: Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.
~Lazarus Long (RAH - Time Enough For Love)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Step 12c - A little more math...
One month! The boiler has been on for one month today and has used (as of last filling) 47 bags of pellets.
47 bags in 30 days is 1.5666 bags per day.
47 bags x 2.4 gallons per bag = 112.8 gallons oil equivalent (g.e.) per 30 days.
112.8 g.e. / 30 days = 3.76 g.e. per day.
That heats the house (1,776 SF), the boiler house and 'Studio' (600 SF), the Banty Shanty (64 SF) AND heats the wash water - that's 2,240 SF and plenty of tub time...
In order for it to work at capacity and thus at its most efficient there still needs to be another zone (about 800 SF or so) to make up the load. In the non-heating season the pellet boiler will be off, so it looks like there will only be winter hot-tubbing :) Ehh, OK, if I have to...
Catch you next time~
Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does what it's supposed to do.
~Robert A. Heinlein - Waldo & Magic, Inc.
47 bags in 30 days is 1.5666 bags per day.
47 bags x 2.4 gallons per bag = 112.8 gallons oil equivalent (g.e.) per 30 days.
112.8 g.e. / 30 days = 3.76 g.e. per day.
That heats the house (1,776 SF), the boiler house and 'Studio' (600 SF), the Banty Shanty (64 SF) AND heats the wash water - that's 2,240 SF and plenty of tub time...
In order for it to work at capacity and thus at its most efficient there still needs to be another zone (about 800 SF or so) to make up the load. In the non-heating season the pellet boiler will be off, so it looks like there will only be winter hot-tubbing :) Ehh, OK, if I have to...
Catch you next time~
Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does what it's supposed to do.
~Robert A. Heinlein - Waldo & Magic, Inc.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Step 12b - Math revisited, chickens, and drinking naked...
An addendum to the word problem of last posting...
The boiler used 10 bags in the first week, 10 in the second. By the old mental divider machine I get ~1.428 bags per day - that's 3.427 gallons equivalent per day - that's 47.9 gallons equivalent for the 2 weeks it's been running. If I want to extrapolate a little and take a SWAG at a guess for a month, then it'll be close to 104 gallons equivalent for a month (4.333 weeks). I'll re-SWAG when it gets colder and consumption goes up...
There was ice on the barrel yesterday - Frost on the Pumpkin... And we did the last lap around the yard to get everything up that didn't need to be lost all winter. I have one more (just one, really) item to move - the pallet of maple flooring that was salvaged from the gym... Good thing it's not heavy or anything...
The Banty Shanty is done except for a ventilator and the door latch - the ventilator is going in next weekend - it'll pull warm, clean air from the boiler house and exhaust moist, chicken-flavored air out through the Banty Shanty wall. It will be on a timer so they get an air exchange every 4 hours or so...
The door in...
The main chick door... (There's another behind the man door...)
Cinnamon giving it the 'seal' of approval while doing structural testing of the escape hatch...
The escape hatch - I hope they never learn to read... Actually, it's for cleaning - put the tub under the hole, scoop everything down the hole, done...
Moved in and settling down - this picture doesn't show the 3 roosting poles that hang from the walls. I thought about putting in a smaller chrome one from floor to ceiling, but... nah... Apparently they find it adequate (and I didn't even have to paint it 'Eggshell'...)
So we were at Sam's the other day hunting for some very elusive type of cheese and we saw this in the cooler - apparently healthy... I've been saying for years that you should drink naked...
What? What were you thinking? :)
Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative.
~H.G. Wells
Herbert, Sorry I missed your birthday yesterday :(
The boiler used 10 bags in the first week, 10 in the second. By the old mental divider machine I get ~1.428 bags per day - that's 3.427 gallons equivalent per day - that's 47.9 gallons equivalent for the 2 weeks it's been running. If I want to extrapolate a little and take a SWAG at a guess for a month, then it'll be close to 104 gallons equivalent for a month (4.333 weeks). I'll re-SWAG when it gets colder and consumption goes up...
There was ice on the barrel yesterday - Frost on the Pumpkin... And we did the last lap around the yard to get everything up that didn't need to be lost all winter. I have one more (just one, really) item to move - the pallet of maple flooring that was salvaged from the gym... Good thing it's not heavy or anything...
The Banty Shanty is done except for a ventilator and the door latch - the ventilator is going in next weekend - it'll pull warm, clean air from the boiler house and exhaust moist, chicken-flavored air out through the Banty Shanty wall. It will be on a timer so they get an air exchange every 4 hours or so...
The door in...
The main chick door... (There's another behind the man door...)
Cinnamon giving it the 'seal' of approval while doing structural testing of the escape hatch...
The escape hatch - I hope they never learn to read... Actually, it's for cleaning - put the tub under the hole, scoop everything down the hole, done...
Moved in and settling down - this picture doesn't show the 3 roosting poles that hang from the walls. I thought about putting in a smaller chrome one from floor to ceiling, but... nah... Apparently they find it adequate (and I didn't even have to paint it 'Eggshell'...)
So we were at Sam's the other day hunting for some very elusive type of cheese and we saw this in the cooler - apparently healthy... I've been saying for years that you should drink naked...
What? What were you thinking? :)
Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative.
~H.G. Wells
Herbert, Sorry I missed your birthday yesterday :(
Friday, September 12, 2008
Step 12a - Math lesson for myself...
OK - so let's do some math...
If I filled the hopper with 10 bags on Sunday afternoon and refilled it to almost exactly the same level 4.5 days later - how much equivalent oil did the boiler use?
By the stats I have:
One ton of pellets is the same as 120 gallons of #1 heating oil.
1 Bag (40 pounds) of pellets is therefore 2.4 gallons of oil.
If over 4.5 days there were 7 bags used, then the boiler has used 1.55 bags per day.
Times 2.4 gallons each, it's used 3.73 gallons per day.
Over 4.5 days it's burned the equivalent of 16.8 (+/-) gallons of oil.
By today's prices on the old fuel oil calculator, my cost per million BTU is $15.51 for pellets (at $229 a ton) - compare that to oil which is $43.30 per million BTU (at $4.78 a gallon last time I called to ask prices). About a third of oil... Almost... So far... Hmmm... I'll be doing a long-term average, for sure... Stay tuned.
The kitchen windows have been standing open the last 4 days to get the heat off the boiler by making it heat the house. I think we actually will NEED a hot tub! - bummer... Maybe I could make one for the chickens, too... Throw in a rubber duckie, some veggies, some salt and pepper... j/k
I have not yet had to clean out any real ash, though I did remove about 4 measuring cups of glowing pellets last night to see what was happening with them... They would have made great grilling material :)
If I filled the hopper with 10 bags on Sunday afternoon and refilled it to almost exactly the same level 4.5 days later - how much equivalent oil did the boiler use?
By the stats I have:
One ton of pellets is the same as 120 gallons of #1 heating oil.
1 Bag (40 pounds) of pellets is therefore 2.4 gallons of oil.
If over 4.5 days there were 7 bags used, then the boiler has used 1.55 bags per day.
Times 2.4 gallons each, it's used 3.73 gallons per day.
Over 4.5 days it's burned the equivalent of 16.8 (+/-) gallons of oil.
By today's prices on the old fuel oil calculator, my cost per million BTU is $15.51 for pellets (at $229 a ton) - compare that to oil which is $43.30 per million BTU (at $4.78 a gallon last time I called to ask prices). About a third of oil... Almost... So far... Hmmm... I'll be doing a long-term average, for sure... Stay tuned.
The kitchen windows have been standing open the last 4 days to get the heat off the boiler by making it heat the house. I think we actually will NEED a hot tub! - bummer... Maybe I could make one for the chickens, too... Throw in a rubber duckie, some veggies, some salt and pepper... j/k
I have not yet had to clean out any real ash, though I did remove about 4 measuring cups of glowing pellets last night to see what was happening with them... They would have made great grilling material :)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Step 12 - Light it up and step back...
OK, I know, it's been almost a month since the last post... I got busy with lots of little details, other work, personal crises, and I had a blister. What? It hurt! ;) j/k
Boiler stuff:
After lots of trips back and forth to visit the great folks at Samson Hardware, I got the plumbing up to the point where I could connect the InsulPEX tubing and connect to the old boiler. One of the guys from work (who has his own HVAC/plumbing business) came out to do those connections (and a couple of other things), give me some pointers, and line me out with a few tasks that I could complete on my own before 'Firing Day'. It all ended up looking like this:
I may or may not get a pic of the old boiler end of the system - but there's not much to see in any case...
Once all the valves were opened the new boiler was filled, flushed, burped and mixing with the old. The pumps were run for a few hours to get things mixed well and to get the new boiler warmed up. (Not necessary, but useful to test for warm pipe joints leaking...)
About 4:00 p.m. on Sunday we tore into the 5.5 ton pile of pellets (Not our own - sadly we have not had time to test our 'formula' for pellets at all this summer - looks like a winter project...)
Dumped the first bag into the hopper...
Added 9 more (that's 400 pounds in there...)
Went through the checklist and startup sequence in the manual - and set fire to the pile of pellets in the burn chamber...
After the initial startup period (about 5 minutes) the controls were set to 'Automatic'. When things started to take off and the boiler worked to reach operating temperature I snuck another peek...
Here's the video - turn up your speakers :)
So far, so good - there will be more later - things like pellet consumption, ash produced, how many hot tubs it can heat - stuff like that ;)
Chicken stuff:
All of the hens are laying - we had our 12th egg show up on Sunday morning, followed immediately by 3 more in the early afternoon. (Here's a clip of Lil' Blackie just before an ovamoment - all the other chickens were loaded down with fat men and iron ;) )
The Banty Shanty has been painted, wired for power (possibly electric heat as well, but I think it won't be necessary being attached to the boiler house), and will have it's window installed next Tuesday by the guys in the door shop at Spenard Builders Supply. Hopes are that the Chooks will have a natural light cycle through the winter days... We'll be building the aviary and nesting boxes next weekend. Now we just need a vent for the room...
Bike / Quad stuff:
Nothing to report. Some pieces parts were collected over the summer, but so far there is not a lot to show for it. There WILL be more news, but it will likely be another winter project... I'll have Tuesday and Thursday nights free after October 21, so we'll see what happens...
Again, I know I took a while to do all this, but...
Delay is preferable to error.
~Thomas Jefferson
Stay warm, all!
Boiler stuff:
After lots of trips back and forth to visit the great folks at Samson Hardware, I got the plumbing up to the point where I could connect the InsulPEX tubing and connect to the old boiler. One of the guys from work (who has his own HVAC/plumbing business) came out to do those connections (and a couple of other things), give me some pointers, and line me out with a few tasks that I could complete on my own before 'Firing Day'. It all ended up looking like this:
I may or may not get a pic of the old boiler end of the system - but there's not much to see in any case...
Once all the valves were opened the new boiler was filled, flushed, burped and mixing with the old. The pumps were run for a few hours to get things mixed well and to get the new boiler warmed up. (Not necessary, but useful to test for warm pipe joints leaking...)
About 4:00 p.m. on Sunday we tore into the 5.5 ton pile of pellets (Not our own - sadly we have not had time to test our 'formula' for pellets at all this summer - looks like a winter project...)
Dumped the first bag into the hopper...
Added 9 more (that's 400 pounds in there...)
Went through the checklist and startup sequence in the manual - and set fire to the pile of pellets in the burn chamber...
After the initial startup period (about 5 minutes) the controls were set to 'Automatic'. When things started to take off and the boiler worked to reach operating temperature I snuck another peek...
Here's the video - turn up your speakers :)
So far, so good - there will be more later - things like pellet consumption, ash produced, how many hot tubs it can heat - stuff like that ;)
Chicken stuff:
All of the hens are laying - we had our 12th egg show up on Sunday morning, followed immediately by 3 more in the early afternoon. (Here's a clip of Lil' Blackie just before an ovamoment - all the other chickens were loaded down with fat men and iron ;) )
The Banty Shanty has been painted, wired for power (possibly electric heat as well, but I think it won't be necessary being attached to the boiler house), and will have it's window installed next Tuesday by the guys in the door shop at Spenard Builders Supply. Hopes are that the Chooks will have a natural light cycle through the winter days... We'll be building the aviary and nesting boxes next weekend. Now we just need a vent for the room...
Bike / Quad stuff:
Nothing to report. Some pieces parts were collected over the summer, but so far there is not a lot to show for it. There WILL be more news, but it will likely be another winter project... I'll have Tuesday and Thursday nights free after October 21, so we'll see what happens...
Again, I know I took a while to do all this, but...
Delay is preferable to error.
~Thomas Jefferson
Stay warm, all!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Step 11 - Watch it rain...
And rain and rain and rain...
So far these last 2 weeks, during and between drizzles (though now it's not raining) :
Dug a 3 foot deep trench across the yard from building to building.
Laid out the Insulpex pipe and ran wire from building to building and turned on the juice...
I can plug in a radio! Oh yeah, and lights, and power for tools...
Got the water tank and dragged it in. (Greer Tank & Welding, Inc. modified one of their poly tanks for me - it lays on its side with its bottom to the wall...) Built a crib around it to secure it to the wall, built a pump stand at the end to mount the well pump and pressure tank - added in the pickup tube and water filter, water heater, fire suppression pressure tank, make-up water line, and stub-outs to the Studio side... (Pictures to follow)
Hooked together the fire suppression system in the boiler...
And the overheat coil behind those fittings...
Picked up about 80 pounds of pipe and fittings, circulating pump, and zone valves to build the distribution manifolds...
Finally located the last piece of the chimney that I needed and installed it...
Got 2 trailer loads of sawdust for the mill for when I get it running.
Hung out with the peeps...
Remember the two from the first post? (Click)
They're all grown up and doing proper chicken things now...
Pretty soon I expect to be a granpa (granpeep?)
I'm sure I'll have more things done this coming weekend - pipes through the walls, manifolds built, glycol sloshing, water gurgling, messes to clean up... The usual... More pictures as I get them and as I get things done... The witty commentary may be put on hold indefinitely...
Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible.
I think it's in my basement... let me go upstairs and check.
~M. C. Escher
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