New member

[Jay Walter]

Just saying hey. I don't think I'm in the right place. I do energy experiments, but I don't possess any of the energy sources I've seen discussed here.

However I do have a dream of owning a cabin in Appalachia and being off the grid. Maybe I'll learn something here.

I notice there isn't much activity. But I don't mind a lack of active members as long as there are the occasional conversations.

I put up a forum for writers once. It was up for a year. I only had one member besides my cohort and myself. Now she and I have a forum up just for the two of us. It's easier than email.

I used to be an avid bike rider but my health has taken that away. My current project is to redesign the bicycle to be easier for the handicapped. Still not there in a practical sense but the math is done and the design is solid. It's hard to build metal parts in a poorly accessorized wood shop. I'm nearly done with a test bike. It proves my drive, but it isn't the prototype. This is a half measure to get people interested. My final design would be so far removed from the norms that I don't think anyone would understand it if I relied on it for my introductions.

So, that's my current energy project. If I can build it and it meets my expectations I'll look for funding as a start-up.

Thanks for listening.

[Rob Beckers]

Welcome to Green Power Talk Jay!
It's been pretty quiet here lately, but with the right projects that can change quickly. These forums are mostly about renewable energy sources, mainly wind/water/solar, both DIY as well as those looking for commercial solutions. If you do get to the cabin in the Appalachians we can help with the off-grid calculations!

-RoB-

[Joe Blake]

G'day from Down Under, Jay (Perth, Western Australia).

I've been tinkering with electric assistance for my recumbent tricycle(s) since 2008, I've fitted hub motors and solar panels on the back so the batteries are getting a bit of a charge as I ride. One is defunct (motor-wise) at the moment but it keeps my activity level up even without the motor. I've also contrapted a pedal powered set up for my recumbent bicycle so it can power my TV/ DVD player as I watch recordings I made of Le Tour De France.

Good luck with developing your project. There isn't much apparent activity on this site, but I sign in every day just to keep abreast of the world. I've been on here for longer than I can remember, and find Rob extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

[Ralph Day]

I'm in the same boat as Joe...long time member, but not all that active a poster. Great information from here, and I buy as much as I can from Rob's business. So far: Outback inverter, Midnite classic 250 for solar, Midnite Clipper for my wind turbine, replacement surrette batteries. Maybe someday a midnite solar Rosie inverter?

Ralph

[Jay Walter]

G'day from Down Under, Jay (Perth, Western Australia).

I've been tinkering with electric assistance for my recumbent tricycle(s) since 2008,

Funny thing, Joe. I can't ride a recumbent trike. My feet fall off the pedals with nothing under them. Lyme disease or one of those others attacked the motor control part of my brain. My experiments are about fixing the vertical fall of the pedals. Not to go into it, but I've found a little more energy. It was purely a fluke. Anyway, I've been testing my drive on uprights because I can't afford a recumbent trike. I have to give up the uprights because I do okay straight but when I go into a bank I can just keep on banking. A trike is my best bet.

That's the thing about bicycles. They work better with the wheels on the pavement. :weird:

I'll have to build my trike from scratch. It's a pretty cool design. My drive lets me eliminate the spar between the front wheels. Easy in, easy out. The pedals are still out front but the actual drive is behind the seat. One of the points of my drive is a CVT that is regulated by an air pump. Direct the air to a tank and you have high gear. Vent it to the outside and you have low gear… and variations in between. The cool thing about it is the stored air that is pressurized as you ride in high gear is available to send back to the drive to assist with hill climbs.

My original goal was just to build myself a recumbent trike that I could ride. Now I'm leaning toward challenging the market.

Maybe we can talk trikes some time. I'm a mechanical wizard of a sort, but I know nothing of part quality, or where best to shop. I'm pretty new to this.

[Jay Walter]

Thanks all for the welcome. I have several energy ideas. Low backlash generators, solar array configuration that might boost power (still in the idea phase).

I have a windmill blade that has a greater efficiency than what the typical does. It was supposed to be a high efficiency airplane wing. It was hard to test on toy gliders. I mean it worked well but collecting data was difficult. So I put it on one of those little spinny copters, you know, you roll the stick in your hand and it takes off. Well, it didn't actually work that well as a helicopter blade. But while playing with it I cradled it in my palm and pointed it into the wind. WOW! Hyper turbine!

It also did well as a boomerang. Any rang enthusiasts here?

I pick at each of these as time and money permit. I'm in an HOA and they won't let me put up any of my designs. So I'm waiting on that off grid place I want so I can continue with my experiments.

Anyone on a septic tank? I developed an aerator for a septic tank that cured my septic issues in under a month. It was all blue-green and bubbling up. A month with my aerator and you couldn't smell septic even with the tank opened. The water was clear. It was awesome, But I am forbidden to use it on my current septic tank.

I have ideas, just no way to test and perfect them. If anyone feels the least inventive, let me know. I have too many projects to finish on my own. Patents are a waste. So I might trade plans in exchange for progress reports.

Thanks again for the welcomes. I'd love to hear about some of your projects.

[Ralph Day]

So Jay, you changed your septic tank from an anearobic to an aerobic system? How long between pumpouts were you goingj?

[Jay Walter]

So Jay, you changed your septic tank from an anearobic to an aerobic system? How long between pumpouts were you goingj?

It's hard to say. I lived in the house for three years. But the prior owner seemed to not have maintained the tank. I found evidence that, the sale to me, the service wasn't performed as reported.

So I don't know how long it had gone without. I ran my aerator for two years without a problem. I took it down to sell the house (it was external). The septic had to be serviced to sell, but I don't have that report.

My observation was that the septic was clean and clear for the two years that I ran it. That is of course having brought it back from completely foul. I had a spout that let me get samples easily.

Aerobic is absolutely the better process.

My design only required a pump head of about 15 feet. I used a 12V sprayer diaphragm pump from Northern Hardware. The unit was enclosed but allowed the liquid to fall eight feet through open air.

My design was cheaper than the bubble aerators, and I expect (from research, not experience) that mine was many times more effective than the aerators on the market.

Bubbles in the tank are disruptive and there really isn't enough air flow. Mine had a vertical pipe with an air vent at the top. The pump dropped a narrow stream of liquid about 8 feet down the pipe which dragged the fresh air with it. The falling water actually created quite an airflow. Then onto a splash plate. The violent dissipation of the stream against the splash plate aerated the liquid. The liquid ran back into the tank. The contaminated exhaust went up a second pipe and was vented into to air. Even so there was no odor detectable. Even opening the access and taking a whiff wasn't offensive.

It looked a bit like a Saguaro cactus with one long arm. It was built from about 25 feet of black 4" ABS pipe and the pump. With the 12v power supply the system cost about $150 back in 2016. It was quiet and barely noticeable at the back of the property.

My HOA forces me to pump every three years. Even if they allowed me to install my aerator I'd never get to let it go to see the timeline for service. My estimate given the condition of the liquid and the reduction of solid would be about 10 years. I think that would be precautionary rather than necessity.