Your Hearth, From Where You Sit

[Ashful]

He's not running it off the large DC battery bank, but off the smaller 12v circuit in the car. You can run off the larger bank, but it is much more involved and needs some prewiring and a 240v UPS conversion. 1300w will easily run our modern energystar large 27 cu ft refrig/freezer, an LCD TV and some LED lights. That's all one needs for temporary power if you have wood heat backup and a propane stove or cooktop. We can power 2 refrigs, a freezer, and essential lights on a 2K generator. Fortunately our water is gravity fed.

Ah, I figured. I was thinking at at 2.5 - 3.0 kWh per mile, the Prius must be able deliver substantially more than 1.3 kW, even if it’s not a full rechargeable EV.

Yeah, our big draw is the 3/4 hp well, and you’d hear the generator work when that would kick on. I was able to shut down our electric water heater, and we just used the bathrooms plumbed to boilermate water heater. I also shut down all electric resistive heat, but left our two minisplit heat pumps energized. The generator was big enough that I just left all refrigerators and TV’s (too many of each) plugged in, and used them at-will. It struggled more over imbalance (eg. 10 amps on one leg with 2 amps on the other) than it did with total load (eg. 20 amps on each leg, well balanced).

Each time I thought I should maybe put some effort into re-balancing my panel, the load balance would reverse. It’s just hard to balance a whole house to within an amp or three, when that’s smaller than the draw of an individual microwave or refrigerator, esp. when the modern house might have several of each.

 

[mass_burner]

Begreen nailed it. I have 3 feeds from the Prius, one to the internet router, one to the internet backup, and one up to the fridge. We have led nicad lights, gas range, wood heat. The feed upstairs I split with a 3 headed plug, and alternate the fridge, battery charger, and monitor with Chromecast.

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[begreen]

The Prius battery is a relatively small 4.4 kWh @ 210vdc. By comparison our Volt is rated at 16.5 kWh @ 300vdc. The major difference being that the motor in the Prius is for motive power with electric assist and the Volt's motive power is electric, with a range extending 80kW genset aboard. But the bigger main battery doesn't matter, you are still limited to the 12v accessory current capacity if running an inverter off the 12v side. In the Volt I think it could handle a 1000w inverter with 2000w surge capacity, but for now I opted for a good generator instead with 2000w capacity and 2400w surge. The generator is propane or gas and I run it on propane with about a 2 week reserve capacity. This can be extended by tapping into the larger house tank that feeds the cook top.

 

[mass_burner]

Well, I'm playing the odds here, only 1 two day outtage in the last 3 years.

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[Ashful]

We have another 9” - 14” of the heavy white stuff on the way tonight... and to think, it was spring two weeks ago. The grass is green, the daffodils are up, the chickens are laying. Unless I’m suffering from demensia (I honestly can’t remember), I’m pretty sure I was walking around outside in a tee shirt for a week, there.

 

[Pertzbro]

... and to think, it was spring two weeks ago. The grass is green, the daffodils are up, the chickens are laying. .

I cant believe your grass is greening up and things are budding at Philadelphia. I'm in NW Iowa and we're still in winter for sure. 50's to thaw the snow, but no chance of green grass for another 3 weeks at best.

 

[Ashful]

I cant believe your grass is greening up and things are budding at Philadelphia. I'm in NW Iowa and we're still in winter for sure. 50's to thaw the snow, but no chance of green grass for another 3 weeks at best.

We had a warm spell that lasted about a week. All south-facing slopes are green. The north-facing slopes are still yellow.

Likewise with the daffodils, south-facing gardens have stems with bulbs on them. North-facing gardens just have a few leaves pushing up thru the mulch.

 

[begreen]

I'll be mowing today. It's time.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

We have another 9” - 14” of the heavy white stuff on the way tonight... and to think, it was spring two weeks ago. The grass is green, the daffodils are up, the chickens are laying. Unless I’m suffering from demensia (I honestly can’t remember), I’m pretty sure I was walking around outside in a tee shirt for a week, there.

How did you make out? I woke up to a solid 4” of heavy snow here in Michigan. This is the worse kind. It’s hard to shovel and plow when it’s this heavy. My gravel driveway is also a sponge from the warm weather we have been having which makes cleanup even worse.

 

[Ashful]

How did you make out? I woke up to a solid 4” of heavy snow here in Michigan. This is the worse kind. It’s hard to shovel and plow when it’s this heavy. My gravel driveway is also a sponge from the warm weather we have been having which makes cleanup even worse.

Ask me in a few hours! Wet snow started late last night, but it was too warm to lay up much on roadways. The real brunt of the storm is just ramping up now. The 9” - 14” forecast hasn’t changed, they seem pretty confident in that.

On the plus side, I was able to move the big (64”) and small (24”) snowblowers to the heated barn last night, so they should be easy to access and start. I thought I was going to get thru another year without having to run or change the still-fresh oil in that small snowblower for another year. I think I last used it in 2016, I usually hand-shovel the walks when it’s less than a foot of snow.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Ask me in a few hours! Wet snow started late last night, but it was too warm to lay up much on roadways. The real brunt of the storm is just ramping up now. The 9” - 14” forecast hasn’t changed, they seem pretty confident in that.

On the plus side, I was able to move the big (64”) and small (24”) snowblowers to the heated barn last night, so they should be easy to access and start. I thought I was going to get thru another year without having to run or change the still-fresh oil in that small snowblower for another year. I think I last used it in 2016, I usually hand-shovel the walks when it’s less than a foot of snow.

Good luck to ya. It’s still coming down here lightly. We won’t see near what you have coming. We’re you able to get out to your wood lot?

 

[Ashful]

Nope. Between downed trees and a swampy yard, I suspect the 1/3 cord I have left at the house will be it, for this year. One stove is shut down, the other is being run on one overnight load per day. I’m keeping some wood in reserve for a potential power outage.

Of course, the way things were looking a week ago, I’d have predicted I’d be mowing by this weekend. Things have taken a dramatic turn back toward winter, the last few days, but I hope it’s short-lived.

 

[ajayabb]

 

[HisTreeNut]

Nice set up. Might have to work on those socks... lol

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[RandyBoBandy]

View attachment 224079

How often do you use your fire screen?

 

[begreen]

View attachment 224079

That's a gorgeous hearth. Was it purpose built for the stove?

 

[ajayabb]

That's a gorgeous hearth. Was it purpose built for the stove?

Thank you. Yes purpose built for the stove.


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[ajayabb]

How often do you use your fire screen?

I tend to use the screen on the milder days for ambience


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[ajayabb]

Nice set up. Might have to work on those socks... lol

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Thanks. My kids agree with you about my socks. Lol


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[dtrykow]

Ready for Winter Storm Skylar.....

 

[Ctwoodtick]

View attachment 224228 Ready for Winter Storm Skylar.....

Ditto-ready for the storm in southeast ct!

 

[Ashful]

Ready for Winter Storm Skylar.....

I have two stoves. I have approximately 30 cords of wood, three years worth, at 10 cords per year. But thanks to these twice-weekly nor'easters we've been getting the last few weeks, I can't get the wood to the stove! To steal a line from begreen, where there was once a back yard, is now alternating between pond and ice rink.

One stove is running tonight, and I might have three more loads worth at the house. After that, I need to hope for some quick drying or a few days below freezing, to get at more wood.

 

[edyit]

too far to carry a few arm loads or a wheelbarrow maybe if you're worried about tearing the lawn up with the tractor?

 

[Ashful]

too far to carry a few arm loads or a wheelbarrow maybe if you're worried about tearing the lawn up with the tractor?

Maybe 300 feet, and too wet for a wheelbarrow. There is standing water in the path between my wood stacks and the old stone wall they sit behind, not just soggy ground.

I could carry a few arm loads that far, but not enough to keep going any amount of time at my usual three loads per day.

 

[edyit]

thats probably longer than i would want to carry by hand through a pond as well