Archive for January, 2010
Frequently Asked Questions When Considering Using Wind Power For Your Home
Frequently Asked Questions When Considering Using Wind Power for your Home
Due to the high cost of utility usage today coupled with the concerns of our environment by energy waste and pollution many people around the world are taking a closer look into renewable energy solutions. One of the most popular topics on renewable energy solutions is wind power. Wind is an energy source that is free and constant and will never run out. Ways to harness this power for good use have been implemented down the time. With more efficient technology one is able to harness all the free wind energy one would need and then some.
The 1 Question:
How much does it cost? Is all the equipment of a windmill expensive?
With patience one could pick up all materials needed and build one for less than 200.00. Some of the materials can even be found for free.
How difficult is it to build?
Today? Not very difficult at all with all the homemade wind generator resources out there. Find a set of plans that are easy step by step instructions. Make sure there are plenty of diagrams and pictures. And make sure you can understand it. Terminology in laymans terms obviously is the best. With all the proper pieces your wind generator can be built in less than a day.
How much wind is needed?
Very light winds between 515 mph. There is a cut in range when the blades are beginning to produce power and a survival range the max wind speed it can handle before the blades fly off the handle
How much space do I need?
Wind generators that are homemade take up a small footprint. Using an old homeowners radio tower or TV antenna many times these items are unnoticeable being now immune to our eyes as part of the landscape. If you are storing electricity in batteries you will need the space of a small trunk to more if your windmill is larger.
How do I save money?
Obviously the less power you have to buy from your local power company the more you will save.
Can I make money by going to a wind generator?
Yes if you live in a location that offers to buy your excess power. This is called net metering. Check with your local power company to see if they offer incentives such as net metering credits or rebate programs.
Is it safe?
Energy in any form is inherently dangerous. Just as with any industry there are hazards for those who work with wind energy dealing with high winds heights and moving machinery such as the spinning of the wind turbine rotor. The damage caused by wind energy is evidenced everywhere. When wind kills it is well known. Building your own wind generator is safe as long as you put safety 1st.
About the writer: For recommended plans manuals instructions eBooks or more information please visit us here
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Footstools Fashion
The humble footstool was the comfort of many individuals while sat in their large padded chair by the fireplace for many years. As a functional item it really did serve us very well and we could relax with our feet up at the end of a hard working day. Now the fashionable footstool has emerged and turned those lazy evenings of comfort into relaxation in style. Now we can relax at home in a variety of different ways while proudly displaying our footstools as a complimentary room accessory to our guests.
You can still utilise the benefits of having a small and low down footstool that can be easily tucked away to make more room when you’re feeling more energetic but the range of footstools has increased dramatically to a whole new level.
Firstly you can forget all about the conventional rectangular shape of a footstool. Although these are still available there is a wealth of alternative shapes to suit everyone’s needs and requirements. You can rest your feet on a rounded square “Pouffe” that doubles up as an emergency seat for kids or cats thanks to its unrivalled comfort and soft all over padding. In fact these pouffes or cubes are actually popular in many shoe stores who supply them as a comfy seating alternative. These pouffe footstools can also be provided in a variety of colours and materials. The classic choice is for leather or imitation leather cubes in natural colours such as dark brown yellow ochre tan beige and sometimes red. You can also get luxury cubes now with elaborate floral patterns in rich reds purples and pinks or modern spotted white pouffes. In addition to this you can also get these earthy colours in suede fabrics if you prefer and you can even have storage cube instead so you when you aren’t resting your feet or your behind on the cube you can store games DVD’s or towels in it. This provides not only style and comfort but also additional storage!
If square isn’t your thing you can go for a round cylindrical footstool called a drum stool. This is naturally a higher option that the conventional cube or rectangular varieties and also doubles up as spare seating. Perfect for a house that loves curves and not angles.
If you are the kind of person who likes the best of both worlds a stylish and handy coffee table and a place to rest your feet you can now get fabric bench stools. These footstools are designed to allow you to rest your cup and saucer and the morning newspaper on with their large flat surface whilst still being a comfortable foot resting location. If you are tired of being yelled at for having your feet on the table try out this table footstool combination. You can also get a medium sized storage ottoman so you can rest your feet up with your friend on the sofa and store whatever you like without any extra furniture cupboards.
About the writer: This article was written by http://www.footstoolsdirect.com/ expert specialists in Footstools. The company offer a large range of footstools ottomans bench stools and table stools.
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Slow Hot Water.
The reasons for slow hot water
There are a number of factors involved with how long it will take for the hot water to reach your sink but there are really four main variables. The first is how long the pipe is between the heater and the fixture the second is the diameter of the pipe and the third is the flow rate of the fixture itself. The last variable is how much heat the cold pipes pull out of the water on the way to your fixture.
Residential piping layouts
Lets begin with the piping layout. When a home is built there are no plumbing blue prints to follow so the plumbers just connect up the piping however the individual doing the job feels like it. Whatever is easiest often is the only criteria. I’ve encountered tract homes that have identical floor plans yet the plumbing is connected up substantially different.
If your heater is 30 feet from the fixture as the crow flies you probably have at least 40 feet of pipe. The simplest plumbing layout would have a pipe connecting from your water heater outlet running either down to the crawl space or up to the attic or even under the slab if you have slab floors.
Now add the 30 feet of pipe to the fixture and the pipe running either up to the fixture or down to the fixture. So you now have at least 40 feet of pipe. However seldom is the pipe run diagonally usually following along beams or through walls etc making right angle turns here and there. The pipe could be 50 feet or longer by the time it reaches your fixture.
Flow rates and fixtures
The amount of water flowing through the pipe and the pipe diameter determine the speed at which the water flows. The flow rate of the water is most likely determined by the flow rate of the faucet or fixture.
At only 40 psi a ” diameter copper pipe 100 feet long would have a flow rate of over 6 gallons per minute with a velocity through the pipe of over 10 feet per second. At that rate your hot water would arrive at your sink in about 5 seconds! Large diameter pipes would have even higher flow rates.
Low flow faucets
The Federal Energy Policy Act of 1992 required all faucet and shower fixtures made the USA to have a flow rate of no more than 2.2 GPM at 60 PSI. Since the pipe itself will allow a much greater flow rate your water velocity in the pipe will be limited by the flow rate of the fixture. The larger the pipe is the lower the velocity will be with a fixed flow.
At 2.2 gallons per minute the velocity of the water in ” diameter copper pipe is about 3 feet per second. If you are at a kitchen sink it will take about 16 seconds to get the hot water assuming the flow rate of your fixture is 2.2 gallons per minute if the cold pipe wasn’t sucking any heat out of the water.
Normally bathroom sink fixtures are restricted to 1 gallon per minute or less and many shower heads are 1 gallon per minute. At one gallon per minute the time to travel 50 feet would be 32 seconds.
Heat absorbing cold hot water pipes
Now we come to the part where the cold pipes are pulling the heat out of the water. There are some variables involved here with the important ones being the ambient temperature of the piping material what the pipe is made out of and once again the flow rate of the water.
Colder pipes absorb more heat
Colder pipes absorb more heat heavier pipe material hold more heat and so pulls more heat from the water and the slower the water travels the more heat gets removed. Insulating the hot water piping helps in that it keeps the pipes from getting as cold and reduces the ongoing heat loss from the pipes to the air resulting in a higher temperature during usage.
The time it takes to get hot water at the fixture can easily double when the heat loss to the pipes is taken into account.
Tankless water heaters add to the problem
If you have a tankless water heater then you are even worse off since the whole water heater is like a long cold pipe. In order to get full temperature hot water out of the outlet it has to pass all the way through the heater from the inlet to the outlet. Instead of starting with hot water your starting with cold water and a cold heater which takes time to heat. The owners of tankless water heaters need to add 10 or 15 seconds to the wait.
The fastest hot water delivery would be provided by using small diameter pipe insulating the pipe using plastic pipe instead of metal and keeping the length of the pipe to a minimum.
Products designed to get your hot water faster while conserving water
The good news is that there are several products available that help you get your hot water faster without changing your plumbing system. Not only do you get your hot water faster you don’t run any water down the drain while you wait.
The warm water circulation method
There are basically two approaches to the problem. One approach is to circulate warm water through the piping so that the pipe doesn’t suck heat out of the water while it’s on its way. This provides a substantial improvement in delivery time. These systems consist of a small pump that mounts under the sink furthest from the water heater which is temperature controlled turning off and on as needed to keep the water in the piping system at between 85 and 95 degrees F.
The water is circulated from the water heater through the hot water pipes to the pump and then on into the cold water line and back to the water heater inlet.
The down side is that the cold water pipes no longer have cold water…it’s more like lukewarm which some people don’t mind and some don’t care for it. Another problem is that it uses a lot more energy since the water heater has to work harder to keep the water in the pipes at above ambient temperature.
The warmwater systems will not work with tankless water heaters.
The highspeed delivery method
The second approach is to again mount a small pump at the sink furthest from the water heater but instead of keeping the pipes full of warm water the pump is only activated when hot water is wanted. When activated these pumps pump the water rapidly to the fixture at higher flow rates than the fixtures could provide. When the hot water reaches the pump it shuts off.
Since the water is flowing at a higher than normal flow rate it arrives more quickly and since it is traveling at a higher velocity the pipe absorbs less heat from the water. Again no water gets run down the drain. These systems are called “demand hot water systems” since they only operate on demand i.e. when the user pushes a button that starts the pump.
Demand type hot water systems will work with tankless water heaters as long as they produce enough flow. Some pumps do and others don’t so check with the manufacturer of the demand system to make sure it will work with your model of tankless heater.
Manufacturers of hot water systems
The warmwater pumping systems are manufactured by Laing Grundfos RedyTemp and others. The demand type systems are manufactured by Chilipepper Sales Metlund Taco and others. Suggested retail prices range from about 180 to about 800.
Installing one of these systems not only provides the convenience of fast hot water but can also save thousands of gallons of water per year. A typical family of four can save over 10000 gallons of water a year.
Hot water demand systems are environmentally friendly!
Along with the water savings comes a reduction in green house gas emissions since energy is used to pump and treat the water in most residential water systems. And don’t forget about the reduction in sewage the same energy reduction applies to it.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Two hot water demand systems compared: Demand Hot Water SystemsFor more information about all kinds of water heaters: Water Heater Tankless and tank type water heater information.