Making an oil lamp

Two DIY Oil Lamps - Soot is from blowing out the wick instead of dowsing it in oil
Hurricane Sandy is hovering over us at the moment. Since we expect power to go out today (and stay off for several days), I thought Id share how to make a simple oil lamp from materials most people have at home.

Youll need:

• pliers (needle nose pliers are best)
• a thick glass jar or glass (works with goblets as well)
• oil (olive oil is ideal if you have it)
• wick (can make from cotton cloth if you dont have wicks)

1. Twist a coil in the end of your wire. This will hold the wick and prevent the flame from burning down the wick.
2. Bend the wire so the wick is held in the center of your jar. It helps to bend a small loop in the wire where it will be outside the jar to help you lift the wire out of the jar for lighting your wick.
3. Push the wick up through the coil. Pull the wick so it is only an 1/8th of an inch over the wire coil. The end of the wick should be long enough to reach the bottom of your jar.
4. Place the wire and wick in your jar.
5. Add oil to your jar so it comes just below your wire coil. You can pour the oil over the wick if you want.
6. Pull the wire/wick up and light it. Oil doesnt like to burn, so it wont catch very quickly.
7. When the wick has caught, lower the wire/wick down into the jar.
8. If the flame is too high, life the wire/wick out and tug gently on the bottom of the wick to reduce the amount of wick sticking out above the coil.
9. When you want to extinguish the flame, dip the flaming end of the wick in the oil. The oil will not catch on fire, but will immediately cool the hot end of the wick. This will prevent the wick from smoking, which it will do if you just blow it out.

If you dont have wicks in your utility drawer, you can cut strips of cloth from either a cotton t-shirt or a used tea towel. These home-made wicks will last longer if you lay them in a shallow dish of water, then sprinkle liberally with salt. Let them soak for an hour, then let them dry. For more information, read Ruth deJaureguis article on How to Make a Wick for an Oil Lamp Using Recycled Materials.

Here are some more pictures.

Materials you can use to make your oil lamp

A closer view of the wire/wick assembly

Lighting a second wick from a lamp that is already burning

PS - As always, be careful with fire. The top of the jar will get hot.

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Breathing New Life into an Old Saw Speedway Model 70

Need a new saw or tool but cant afford to get the top of the line? Should you run out to the big box nearest you and pickup the cheapo tool just to get that project done? In my opinion you should never settle for buying a new low quality tool just because you need to get by. Why not look on craigslist, garage sales, resale, or goodwill instead and pickup something better?








Even an old tool can be cleaned up and give you years of use.

Many of the older tool out there are made with high carbon, high quality steel, less plastic, and better components than even the top of the line tools out there these days. Save yourself some money, pickup something used from a local shop or neighbor, cleanup it up and have something worth cherishing.

When I am planning a project I start by planning ahead and start looking around for those needed tools. Local resale and second hand shops, eBay, Goodwill,  and craigslist are great resources to start with. It is much better to support your local community than to run out for the cheap made in China junk that will most likely end up in the land fill after you use it three times.

How many of your tools will be around in 40 years? This particular saw is, as far as I can tell, about 40 years old. The company is no longer in business but manufactured quality tools from Illinois. As I took this saw apart I could tell that it was engineered and built with one thing in mind, quality. There were no talks about outsourcing, finding cheap suppliers, or how the could make their tools for less than the other guy. It was more about quality and dependability they were worried about. This was from a time when the word of your neighbors experience with something that meant more than any commercial or fancy packaging.

This saw is no doubt old and may not last me as many years as it did the previous owner. But after cleaning this saw up and working with it for a few hours I have a new found respect for the quality that used to be the pinnacle of America manufacturing.


13 Amp 2 prong replacement cord - http://amzn.to/1NiHI4G
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Music - "Insomnia" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/Insomnia

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How to Charge an Automotive Air Conditioning System

Watch this video to see an overview of how to recharge an air conditioning system in any modern vehicle. I am using the A/C Pro recharge hose, gauge, and refrigerant. The product can be found HERE.



Earlier this year in our Chevrolet Traverse, the air conditioning started to get a little on the warmer side, and throughout the summer has all but stopped working. I was afraid that a more major issue was the cause but was hopeful that topping the system off with some r134a would solve the problem. So far, the air has been working excellent since the recharge and I am hoping that no major leaks are present. The AC Pro kit comes with the gauge and coolant that you need to complete the job from start to finish and only takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.

This process should hold true for just about any vehicle with an air conditioning system manufactured after 1995. The hardest part, in most cases, is just locating the correct service or fill port on the vehicle but, luckily, it is pretty dummy proof.. The hose will only fit on the correct fitting so as long as it fits easily and clicks into place you should be okay.





The AC Pro video can be found here - http://youtu.be/Wn0C9jPOAAQ

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Aphids and Worms

Video of Worm Cocoons Hatching

Fortunately, I had several plants winter over, including cabbage parsley, beets, sage, strawberries, garlic, chives, and onions.

Unfortunately, my onion, chives, and garlic on one bed became infested with little black aphids. Interestingly enough, the chives and onions in other beds on the other side of the greenhouse (3-4 feet away) were not affected at all.

Chives, garlic, and onions are supposed to protect other plants from aphids. But apparently theres a type of the little bugs that is adapted to love what other aphids despise. Which is entirely unfair, in my opinion.

After trying for a few days to hose the bugs off in place and applying organic sprays, the black bugs were still thick on the plants. So I decided I had to rip the affected plants out of my grow beds and start over. I figured with luck I would be able to salvage to add to a dinner dish, at least.

It turned out that when I had the plants completely out of the grow bed, it was possible to hose them down really well. All the little black things are gone. So while that would have been good enough for me for adding yummy bits to dinner, I thought maybe Id give the plants another change to continue growing in the beds. I particularly wanted to save the chives, which had formed a large patch, and which we love to add to dishes.

During the ripping out and re-installing the plants, I found a lot of worms. Like, whoa, a lot of worms. And there were a lot of little tiny ones as well. From time to time Id also come across these little elongated globules. Unsure what they were, I had flicked a couple of them out into my yard.

Then it hit me. They are worm cocoons! I made sure to leave all the other ones I was finding alone.

Looking it up tonight, I see that worms tend to massively increase population when the weather warms up. So youll get a lot of cocoons and baby worms either in the spring or in the fall if you bring your worm bins inside. Worms continue reproducing throughout the warm season, of course, but since I dont usually go looking for them, Id never seen enough cocoons in real life to realize what I was looking at.

Trying to find out more about composting worm cocoons, I stumbled across the video above that shows itty worms hatching out of their cocoon. Apparently you can have anywhere from one to six little worms per cocoon. Pretty cool!

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Revision to the Rocket Mass Heater

I made a design revision to the rocket mass heater.  It makes a huge difference with being able to remove the ash out of the burn tunnel.

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An Underground Greenhouse or Walipini

An Underground Greenhouse in La Paz, Bolivia

I was chatting with my family online this evening and my sister mentioned an underground greenhouse. Intrigued, I followed the link she posted to an article at treehugger.

The Benson Institute developed the plans for the walipini or "place of warmth" as a way for families in La Paz, Bolivia, to garden throughout the year, despite the intensely cold mountain winters. The plans for the 20’ x 74’ greenhouse requires roughly $250-$300 in materials, assuming free labor and no need for heavy equipment. The Walipini manual indicates youll want about 100 square feet of growing area to feed a person year round.

The basic walipini plans could be further enhanced to include subterranean heating and cooling, since there is already significant sub-floor work involved to ensure adequate drainage. The plans also mention the benefit of incorporating water barrels to store heat energy. In my research associated with this article, I learned (or re-learned?) that water holds four times as much heat energy per unit volume as concrete. So using water to store heat energy is more effective than a trombe wall. And if the water you are storing is also irrigating your plants and providing a habitat for fish, all the better!

By the way, my book on Aquaponic Gardening will be available in less than a month. Very exciting! And I just saw the cover for the first time:



Pretty and green!

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Homemade Hydroponic Systems Guide Build a Backyard Aquaponics System with our Step by Step ! Read Reviews

Step-by-Step How to Build Your Own Aquaponics System Learn more..

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Starting Your own personal Aquaponic Company or Hobby

Beginning your very own business could be a daunting activity as many of the activities call for special abilities and tones of cash to invest. Although one particular could acquire the needed expertise, the money is just not a simple to solve situation. Nonetheless, theres 1 enterprise which calls for minimum investment and which pays off in less than a year. Its referred to as aquaponics or aquaponic farming and can change your life for great.

Aquaponics involves growing vegetables utilizing the water out of your fish tank. You just must spot the fishes within a tank, wait for about a month till the water has enough bio-nutrients to feed the plants, then you can propagate the seeds. The plants will feed around the nutrients released by the fish in the water, thus cleaning and refreshing it, whilst the fish will appreciate a clean and protected environment exactly where they can live correctly.

There are numerous advantages of beginning such a business. Initial, as mentioned previously you will find very few expenses connected with it, so even if youve a tight spending budget for beginning a company you are going to nonetheless handle to purchase each of the items you will need. Also, the maintaining charges are very low, so that you just will create organic food with tiny investment that will allow you to sell your products more affordable than they could be located today in the marketplace. This may bring you more consumers and as a result more profit.

In contrast to other companies, exactly where you may need to rent an workplace or an industrial location where you can develop your company, aquaponic farming does not call for a big space. Your garage or perhaps a room out of your house is perfect. Just ensure that you have sufficient light for the plants to develop normally.

Another fantastic benefit of the aquaponic farming is that you simply will have, in the start, diversified merchandise. Youll not simply be capable of plant and sell different varieties of vegetables, but it is possible to also sell fish, that will bring you even more profit. Along with that, youll have sufficient veggies and herbs for your consumption, as well so there is going to be no want for you to continue buying them from the marketplace. Thus you are going to save some extra funds which can go in your other demands and pleasures!

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5 Critical Tips For a Productive Aquaponics System

An aquaponics system might be really basic to setup and to operate. If ever youre preparing to setup a single program inside your home, there are many essential needs. Here are 5 components which will be vital in creating confident your aquaponics technique is productive.

1. Making sure that a appropriately oxygenated water.

In order for an aquaponics program to function, the water ought to have a fantastic provide of oxygen. Such fine provide of oxygen might come from an air pump and air stone or possibly a couple of basic styles which allows the water circulation method to soak up oxygen. Fishes as well as other animals will die without having oxygen. Also the plant roots as well as the bacteria that convert fish wastes into fertilizer also demand oxygen. It really is far considerably greater to possess a great deal much more oxygenation than youll require, that not enough. A lot of oxygen inside the water just isnt probable also.

two. Correct location need to be selected

A location exactly where there is definitely ample light is essential. Either a sunny location or with artificial light. In case your program is indoors, a big sunny window, or even far greater, a sun room makes an excellent location. If ever it truly is outdoors, the dappled surface in the generating or even a tree could well slow down growth. Full sun is greatest, unless you reside in an region with extreme heat, then afternoon shading may be welcome. You have to favor a position exactly where appropriate temperatures could be maintained. There is certainly certainly an advantage once you favor indoors or within a greenhouse. Steer clear of areas where substance may be present. And if outdoors, contemplate protection from wildlife that may be a problem, like raccoons.

3. Inside your selected location, you need to also choose the correct fish

The most common selection for an aquaponics method are Tilapia, although you can find several other fishes which will also do nicely. In several places, tilapia as well as other species have been banned. As a result, there is certainly a have to check on neighborhood regulations in ensuring that the fish selected is legal. Other fishes are sensitive to temperature. Make certain you will choose a fish suitable for the water temperatures that you just will likely be capable to maintain. Tilapias may not be an outstanding option in an vicinity with cold winters, unless youll be able to maintain the water heated.

four. Positioning Your Grow Bed

You might provide oneself a massive favor in the occasion you positioned your develop bed within a operating point that is comfy. Typically, itll be roughly the waist level. Such situation is one particular benefit above expanding crops inside the soil. There isnt any have to crook and function on the ground.

5. Adding Additives Towards the Method

Although this sort of system will largely appear soon after itself, as far as nutrients, you are able to uncover instances after you could have to add numerous supplemental nutrients. If the plants commence to show indicators of deficiencies, you could have to add calcium, potassium or iron. This truly is considerably a lot more probably in a new approach which has not entirely matured however.

Aquaponics is really a very simple way of generating fresh organic food. By signifies in the method, youll be capable of produce vegetables and fish having a lesser level of function than planting on land. For all those whove provided consideration towards the particulars above, surely its going to help inside your excellent results.

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DIY Plywood Flooring An inexpensive hardwood alternative

Plywood flooring? Check out this inexpensive alternative to traditional wood flooring that you can do for less than half the cost. Although plywood flooring is not as durable as a solid wood floor it is by far less expensive and with the proper treatment can last many many years in great condition.

I started this project in order to give some relief to my middle daughter who suffers from allergies and asthma. The carpet was old and when you walk on carpet, no matter how clean you think you get it, it kicks up dust and allergens. It was time for something different for her. Although this was a priority we didnt have the  money in the budget for a new hardwood floor and after looking into other options (reclaimed wood, laminates, etc.) we decided to give the plywood flooring a try. I have seen a few other videos and posts around on the net and it seems most have pretty good results.

So, with a budget in mind I was off to our local building store (you guess which one). Our room was 165 square feet so I needed to get about six sheets of plywood to cover the area. That is based on 32 square feet per sheet with a little bit extra. I ended up going with a thicker plywood than I had originally thought because I really liked how flat the sheets laid and also for long term durability. I chose 23/32" pine sanded plywood for $29.98 per sheet. There are lots of choices here and you can go with a hardwood plywood or a thinner softwood to cut cost even further but I would recommend spending the extra money and at least getting the sanded ply that is about 3/4" thick.

Once I had the plywood chosen I loaded up with the help of some of the associates there and asked if they could hook me up and cut some of the plywood for me. After all, who wants to cut 6 sheets of plywood into stripes:) I was going for 8" planks since this divided evenly from 32 and it seemed like a good size for that farmhouse look. They said they could cut it into 16" stripes for me but no less due to safety concerns. ( I went back for more on a second trip and they did cut it down to 8" except for the last cut on each piece of plywood).

Back home I had already removed that nasty carpet and padding and also took out the moldings along the floor. I then laid down some roofing paper or tar paper that I had left over from another project to cover the subfloor. I used a staple gun to secure it to the floor. This will provide a sound barrier and also liquid barrier for the OSB subfloor below.

Out in the garage I used my $5 super fancy table saw to rip the boards that were not cut at the store into 8" strips. I then carried them inside and placed them in the room for a day or so to acclimate to the humidity and temps inside.

I wanted each plank to be a bit pronounced from its neighbor and my wife came up with the idea of rounding the edges. The thought of rounding the edges of all of those planks was a bit overwhelming at first but it actually didnt take that long at all. I made a quick sanding block from a piece of 2X4 and sandpaper and quickly knocked the edge off of all of the top edges. I went through first and picked out the best sides and stacked them accordingly to make things easier.

 Now the fun part, nailing! I started by using a chalk line to mark a line long ways down the room at close to the middle of the floor. This gave mea  good starting point to work outward in both directions with the planks. I didnt want to just start on one side and work all the way across fearing that I might be off by too much for the molding to cover once I reached the other side. I am using a pneumatic brad nailer to secure the planks with 1 1/4" nails.

I chose to use a random pattern with everything. So no two seams will line up and no two nails are right next to each other. This was easiest to layout, looks the nicest, and has the least amount of waste.

I did not leave any gaps between boards either on the sides or at the ends. Most of this wood is fairly "wet" still and will shrink a bit. Also, plywood by design does not expand and contract much vertically so I am hoping for no real expansion and contraction issues. Only time will tell and I will keep you updated on that.

 I couldnt be happier with the first stage of this process, it looks like a real old school farmhouse floor. The boards lay nice and flat and the sanded edges make them look like hardwood planks. In the next phase I will go through sanding and finishing the flooring to give them a classic hardwood look. Stay tuned for that article and video soon. Thanks for checking it out!

 Check out the full video of this project here

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Why You Should and Can Start an Orchard Today!

Want to produce some of your own fruit? Landscaping projects coming up? Check out this video to see how we have been able to get the absolute best prices on fruit and other trees for our small homestead.

One of the most satisfying things that we do around our little piece of the world is planting trees, gardens, and just about anything that grows. But, as most of you already know, this can get to be an expensive habit! Trees take time to grow and so do garden vegetables so many times it is tempting to run out and get bigger trees and plants that already have a growing head start. While there is nothing wrong with this approach it can take a bit more of an initial investment which means it take you longer to recoup your money from your home grown food. So what is the answer?

When we first moved into this home we discovered that spring and fall time sales are one of the best places to get discounted trees. Normally at the far end of the growing season and at the very early beginning. Our local big box stores generally start 20% off sales in early April and late October. If you keep checking and time it just right you can get what they have left for 50% or more off. While this leaves less of a selection if you just get a couple each year you can grow your orchards bit by bit over time and end up with all of the varieties that you need.

One of the more recent discoveries we made for cheap trees was our local conservation offices. Here in Michigan each county has a local conservation district office which is responsible for conservation activities in a local area. One of the programs that they have is an outreach to encourage planting trees which also serves as a fund raiser for the program. Each year in January-March you can go online and fill out a form to purchase all kinds of different trees, bushes, flowers, and other types of horticultural surprises. Each district will have different prices and different products so check around your local communities for what you need and the best price. The fruit trees we purchased were about 4-5 tall and cost $19 each. We also purchased 5 Norway spruce for $5 each. These were about 18" tall and all trees came bare root and ready to plant. Comparable to regular prices at the big box stores this was about 50% off.

Another fun and free way we have tried to get our orchards started was simply by planting seeds. We have saved some apple seed from locally grown apples and planted them indoors during Winter. By the time spring comes around you have a 12" or larger tree ready to plant. While this does take longer to get your orchard started this way it doesnt cost you a thing. Think back 5 years, what if you started the? You would already be harvesting fruit each year and the longer they are in your backyard the better it gets, year over year!

Growing your own food, especially fruiting trees, is one of the most satisfying things we have found. We love to plant and tend to the trees together as a family and love the delicious fruit we get each year. I hope this has given you some ideas or inspiration to get out and start planting some trees! The best time to plant a tree might have been last year but the next best time is right now!

Michigan Conservation offices - http://macd.org/local-districts.html

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Music - "Water in the Creek" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/WaterintheCreek

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Installing a Residential Refrigerator in an RV Travel Trailer

Here is the video of the process of installing an off-the-shelf residential refrigerator in an RV.  The old refrigerator was leaking ammonia and needed to be taken out right away. Once that was done we decided to replace this fridge with a residential off the shelf model that will only run on 120/110v. The cost savings is significant, however, we will not be able to run it while on the road or if we do not have a plug-in where we are camping. For us that is not a factor as we always stay at state campgrounds and normally do not travel more than a few hours. We can cool it down at home, and unplug it for the trip, and plug it back in when we arrive.



The residential refrigerators actually work better and cool faster than the RV models and, in this case, I only paid less than $250 for the project. If I were to have replaced the cooling unit on the existing fridge it would have been about $600 and for a new fridge it was over $1300.

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Fish Farming Tanks Nigeria General information on establishing and maintaining an aquaponics system Join us

How to Build Your Own Aquaponics System? Read Reviews

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5 Issues You must Take Into Consideration When Developing an Aquaponic System

Setting up an aquaponic system, even though very an simple activity, demands some standard expertise of aquaponics. In case you have decided to install such a technique within your property, then you possibly know what this is and how it could assist you to. Nevertheless, there could nevertheless be factors which can interest or enable you to. Below you will discover 5 crucial things which you should know in order to acquire spectacular results.

• Location

The location where you place your aquaponic method is hugely important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to get fantastic outcomes you should ensure that the temperature from the area is not too higher, nor too low, that there is adequate light for the plants to prepare their food and that no wind or intense climate conditions will attain them. Also, make certain that no harming chemical substances can get inside the water as this signifies death for each your fish as well as your plants.

• Oxygenizing the water

The happier your fish are, the far better your method will operate! For this reason you need to oxygenize the water every day and be sure your fish have each of the "comfort" they require.

• Choosing your fish accordingly

The aquaponic program performs effectively with almost all varieties of fish. However, you will find states in which youre not permitted to grow whatever kind of fish you want, so youll desire to see what types of fish you are allowed to possess prior to beginning your aquaponic program as you usually do not want any problems using the law.

• Placing the pots

In order to make the harvest a lot simpler, you ought to location the pots or the entire method at your waits level. This way you may not must bend over, generating the every day care routine a significantly less difficult activity.

• Adding additives

There are instances in which your fish might not supply all the nutrients required for the plants. If the quantity is decrease than what the plants need, then you definitely will have to supply them with all the respective substances. In most instances you are going to ought to add iron, calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate.

Aquaponics is definitely an easy activity which will offer you with all the required vegetables and fish in a short amount of time. Just comply with the suggestions talked about above and also you may have wonderful achievement inside your attempt to develop organic meals inside your home.

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Hydroponic Fertilizers, Ideal Mix For Lush Development

Within a hydroponic technique, plants are grown with out soil hence the nutrients, growth medium and fertilizers utilised ought to also be according to the plant s requirements. A lot of people tend to work with ordinary soil garden fertilizer to develop hydroponic plants. But this could only damage your crop and reduce the yield drastically because the chemicals will not be inside the proper proportion. You can obtain commercial hydroponic fertilizers which are either organic or chemical primarily based. On the other hand, it is possible to also prepare your own personal mix at home and use this for the crops. This can help in making certain which you are giving the best to your plants without acquiring some thing from outdoors whose which are not trustworthy.

Plants need specific trace elements for their normal and lush development. Within a soil garden, these nutrients are obtainable within the soil and so absent in a fertilizer mix. Only a number of nutrients like sulfur, magnesium and calcium will likely be common in both the type of fertilizers. Right here is the mix for any typical and excellent hydroponic fertilizer which you could use for the crops. It is possible to prepare this fertilizer at residence itself by combining the following chemical compounds within the given percentages.

22% Potash is combined with 10% nitrogen, 8% phosphoric acid, 1% magnesium, 5% calcium, .05% boron, 2% sulphur, 0.2% iron, .05% copper, .05% molybdenum, .05% manganese, .05% zinc and make it up to 100% with inert compounds. Several of those components are frequent to these discovered within a soil garden fertilizer like potassium and phosphate but some other folks are trace elements that are only present in hydroponic fertilizers. It truly is ideal should you prepare the fertilizer in bulk in case you are doing this at home. You can also add or remove compounds to suit the growth in the plants that you simply have inside your hydroponic garden.

Given that the nutrient medium is quite critical in hydroponics, making use of the wrong or incompatible kind of fertilizer can damage your crop and also stop its lush development. Plants also become susceptible to fungus, rot along with other pests which cause substantial destruction. Crops grown grow to be deficient in these important nutrients which in turn influence humans or animals eating it. Nowadays, it is possible to also locate commercial organic hydroponic fertilizers which are even far better than the chemical ones. These make certain that the plants grown will not be only healthier but also complete of nutritional goodness. So ensure which you use only the correct form of fertilizer for the hydroponic program.

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Removing an RV Travel Trailer Refrigerator

Several weeks ago we bought an old used camper trailer.  Shortly after we brought it home, we noticed an ammonia leak in the refrigerator.  Since the repair would have cost approximately $600, we opted to replace it.  And an RV model is more expensive than what we were willing to pay, so we opted for a residential model that was around $200 and fit the space perfectly (well, almost).  The downside to the residential refrigerator is that it cannot run on propane or electric like its RV counterpart.  That means we wont have a working refrigerator if we "rough it", but that is fine for our family because we almost always stay at state parks with access to electricity.

Here is a video on how I unhooked and removed the old refrigerator.  I hope this helps some of you save money by doing these types of repairs yourselves.

Have a good one!

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How to Truly Speed up an Old Computer Using an SSD

Computer starting to run slowly? As computers age it seems with each passing year they become slower and slower but why? As programs are installed, hard drive space becomes filled, updates are applied, and newer technology requirements become the standard older computers just get slow. So what is the trick to extending the life and speeding up your old system?

You might be surprised to know that the slowest part of most computers, especially laptops, is the hard drive. Many manufacturers will tout the biggest and baddest processor, more and more memeory, and larger hard drive space but what are you really getting? The hard drives in most laptops are the slowest produced, starting with 4200 RPM drives and maybe getting 5400RPM with a premium model. So with that being said what can we do about it?

The easiest and highest impact improvement you can make is to switcxh out that stock hard drive with what is called an SSD (solid state drive). these drives are made with simialr technology as a flash drive (or thumb drive, usb stick, whatever you want to call it). the benefits are a much much faster read and write time as well as lower power consumption and shock resistance. Replacing your current hard drive with a solid state drive and you will be surprised at home much faster that old computer can be.

The process consists of four easy steps:

1.  Remove the old hard drive from the computer. Whether laptop, desktop, or all-in-one, this process may vary. In the video below I show how to do this with a laptop.

2.  Once you have the old hard drive out it might be a good idea to purchase a hard drive enclosure. This will allow you to hook up the old hard drive with all of your data on it to the computer to use as extra storage.

3.  Install the SSD. The drive is very easy to install and should look just like the one you took out (except desktops and older all-in-ones which have a larger drive). If you have a desktop you might need an adapter bracket to mount it in the same spot or you can screw it to the framing anywhere you see fit. These drivers are shock proof and do not need to be oriented in any certain way. Just throw it in there if you want( although not really recommended).

4.  Using an operating system disc or the recovery media that came with or was pcreated from your computer when purchased you will now need to reload the new hard drive. This process is fairly automated on new computers but you may have to do some installing of any other softwre you use such as office, security software, or others.

Once this is done you now have a computer that will last you many more years and might even run faster than the day you bought it!

Solid State Drives (SSD) -

120 GB - http://amzn.to/1Eso06r
240GB - http://amzn.to/1UdIw1K
480 GB - http://amzn.to/1NOHmVd

Hard drive enclosures -
Laptop SATA Hard Drive Enclosure - http://amzn.to/1DlVoZr
Desktop SATA Hard Drive Enclosure - http://amzn.to/1yQ8U1Z

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No Heaters and the Fish are Still Alive

A picture of one of my bluegills from last summer

One of the most fundamental tenets of medical ethics is primum non nocere, or "first, do no harm." In the practice of medicine, this means it may be better to do nothing rather than commit an act that risks causing more harm than good. When it comes to aquaponics, Ive taken this advice to heart when it comes to feeding my fish and heating their environment.

I covered the greenhouse in early January but I didnt get around to connecting my rocket mass heater and solar heaters. Last year I was worried about either exhaust leaks or melting things in the case of the rocket mass heater or pumping cold air into the greenhouse during overcast days in the case of the solar heater. I eventually figured out how to overcome these difficulties. But 24 hours isnt enough time to do everything I want to accomplish in a day. As a result, my lovely heaters havent been in use this winter. When I say "No Heaters and the Fish are Still Alive," I mean there has been no supplemental heat at all this entire winter.

And yet the fish (goldfish, bluegill) have survived.

I had a scare while we were fixing dinner for Chinese New Year. My son-in-law mentioned the green onions in the dishes were from the garden. Since I hadnt been to the garden that day, I asked about my goldfish. The goldfish live in the sump tank, and the sump tank water levels had gotten low that week.

He said, "I didnt see any goldfish. But the water is only a quarter inch deep in that tank."

I was sure the fish were dead. But when I got a chance to go out and inspect, I saw that the sump tank, though nearly empty, still had a couple of inches in the bottom. The pump is elevated on a pad so it stops pumping water when the level drops that low. The three goldfish were still in there, alive and well though cold.

In the same vein, Ive worried about the bluegill. During cold snaps, Ive gone for days and even weeks without visiting the greenhouse, much less feeding the fish. Whenever that happens, I begin to worry that Ive got a tank full of cold water filled with dead fish. Im just hard-wired to think an animal has to eat every day. Intellectually I know its actually more harmful to feed fish when the water is nearly freezing. But the anxiety monster grows until I get a chance to go out and lift the lid of the tank. So far Ive not had a single bluegill die.

I did lose my single surviving minnow, a fathead minnow or toughie (tuffie) as they are sometimes called. However, these minnows are only supposed to have a lifespan of 14 months. Its rather astounding that this solitary fish had managed to survive for at least 22 months after I bought him. If I thought my toughie had died of disease, I would have disposed of him outside the garden. Old age, however, isnt a communicable disease.Since the water was near freezing, I slid him into the bluegill tank, where one of the fish made a quick meal of my toughies mortal remains.

Though nighttime temperatures will continue to drop below freezing, the weather should warm from here on out, on average. More importantly, the days will become increasingly warm, and the longer days will begin pumping heat energy into the greenhouse, to the point that I may have to start lifting the side walls by April or May.


Average highs, lows, and rainfall

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Urban Farming Guys in India

I woke up this morning to a cool e-mail from the Urban Farming Guys. Theyd gone to India, to the isolated city of Imph?l, to install a barrelponics system for an orphanage.

The e-mail contained three videos. The first two minutes of the first video gives you a glimpse of the barrelponics design they were installing. Then next 30 minutes of video mostly gives you a sense of the beautiful people they were serving, and the primitive conditions with which they had to work.

UFG goes to India (14 min) : http://youtu.be/xSTh-UnuqgQ

part 2 (8 min) http://youtu.be/Zqgu5MfWEc0

part 3 (10 min) http://youtu.be/9A24Bbtjsdg

Thinking back, I initially didnt like the barrelponics system. The blue barrels and lack of aesthetics bothered me. But after over a year of trying to figure out elegant ways to create DIY systems one can create from local materials, the barrelponics concept is growing on me. And I think it would be possible to modify this system to make it less screamingly blue plastic DIY-ish. Anyway, check out at least the first couple of minutes of the Urban Farming Guys video if youre just interested in plumbing ideas. The rest of the video is fun if you want to experience another world.

Another cool thing I discovered this week is the website Gaisma, where for any major city in the world you can find sunrise, sunset, and averages for the amount of sunlight ("insolation" in kWh/day taking into account weather and cloudcover), the amount of rainfall, windspeed, and temperature. For example, here is a portion of the Gaisma page for Imph?l.

At a glance you can see the amount of sun a location gets in each month of the year, the average monthly temperature, and the amount of rain (you can change the units if youre not used to the default measurements (e.g., inches of rain versus mm of rain)). Using Gaisma.com for my location, I was able to calculate the amount of rainfall I could expect per year on my greenhouse, in case I wanted to limit my rainwater harvesting to the relatively-clean plastic roof over my garden. In my case, it comes out to almost 2500 gallons per year for my little 8x12 greenhouse. Crazy!

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How to Expand Your Wireless Range Using an Old Router

Check out this tutorial to learn how to configure an old router to expand the wireless in your home, garage, pole barn, or greenhouse. I have used this process for many years both professionally and in my own home. This is a great use for that older router that you may have replaced with a new one or picked up from a garage sale or resale shop. Routers have become almost disposable after a few years so they come cheap. The newer routers will offer a better wireless extension and also better security so if you can find one that is at least 2007 or newer that is preferred.


Using an old router to expand your network is a cheap and easy way to at least double the wireless range in your home. It is also a great way to get wireless to outbuildings or other areas that are outside of your homes wireless signal. This method does require that you have an Ethernet cable run from your main wireless router in your home to the location where you would like to setup the second router (access point). In our home I have one wireless access point configured on each floor and staggered from one end of the home to the other. This means that no matter where I ma in the house I can always connect to a nearby access point and have full signal strength. No buffering, no lag, and in most cases speeds as fast as a wired Ethernet connection.


Here are the basic steps to follow but I would recommend watching the accompanying video to fully understand the process.


1. Reset router to factory default settings
2. Take note of your current network configuration (192.168.1.X
3. Create a new ip address for the access point 192.168.1.220 (example)
4. plug a computer into the newly reset router
5. log into the router using the default ip - normally 192.168.1.1
6. Configure the wireless network name and security
7. Turn off DHCP (take away the routers ability to assign ip addresses)
8. Configure the router to the previously picked ip address - 192.168.1.220 (example)
9. Connect the router to an Ethernet cable coming from your main router.

Tip - Do not use the "WAN" port at all on this new access point.


Now I know that someone is going to say it so I will answer this question up front. Yes, you can just plug the router into your existing setup using the WAN port on the second router without changing any settings on the router. This will work in most cases however you are setting yourself up for problems down the road as this is not the correct way to configure a second wireless router on an existing network. This is what is called double NAT or network address translation and is like having a double firewall. This will not allow any computers connected to the secondary router to communicate with wireless printers, other computers, will block many gaming sites, vpns and other connections. Although it is easier and may work for basic internet browsing it will be slower and will cause other issues down the road.

 

Recommended Wireless router

 

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Rocket Mass Heater preview

Heres the teaser video for the rocket mass heater.  More details to follow!

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Making an Indoor System

The last weekend in March I will be presenting a workshop at the Home Grown Institute Conference.

The conference will be held at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, in NW Philadelphia with the theme "Springing Good Intentions Into Action.” There will be over 50 home-scaled workshops, including edible gardens, community and school gardens, seed-saving, soil enrichment, 4 season harvest, bees, chickens, worms, aquaponics, food preservation, fermentation, re-purposing, upcycling, and natural building.

Lots of fun!

Ill be putting on the aquaponics workshop, demonstrating the construction of three different systems:

• An aquaponic windowfarm, using recycled water bottles
• A apartment/patio system
• An outdoor system using stock tanks

All the systems Im demonstrating emphasize putting together something relatively nice-looking out of local parts on a budget. In my own aquaponics journey, I went straight from a windowfarm to a system made from stock tanks. But I can imagine many people would want to start with something in between. So Ive been playing...

First, structure. I like the look of wire shelving. But heavy-duty wire shelves can put you back a pretty penny. Luckily, Target carries a small three-tiered set of wire shelves for just $19.99 as part of their Room Essentials line. The shelves can carry a moderate load, particularly if the load is evenly distributed, such as would be the case with the flat bottom of a fish tank, or a flat bottomed grow bed.

Second, the fish tank. Im fine with a 5-gallon water jug, but my daughter really liked the idea of an actual fish tank, where you could clearly see the fish inside. I was happy to find a 10-gallon tank at PetSmart for under $14.00. That would work just fine for a tank located under the growbed with a pump inside. Or I could cut a 1" hole near the top with a diamond hole saw if I wanted to have a "Constant Height of Fish Tank" configuration with a pump in a sump tank.

Finally, the growbed and sump. Ive used concrete mixing tubs in the past, at least for a grow bed. But TC Lynx over at the Aquaponics Gardening community mentioned that she uses bus tubs for a demonstration system she packs along when shes selling her wares at the farmers market. Bus tubs are sturdy, designed to carry a load of dirty dishes from a table to the dish-washing part of a restaurant kitchen. They are also compact enough that theyre still luggable, even when filled with gravel. I was able to find 7" deep bus tubs online from a variety of sellers. I decided to get three: one for a sump, a second for a media growbed, and a third for a floating raft grow bed.

There are other configurations I can imagine, but this is simple to put together without putting much strain on the family budget.

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Carrots in an aquaponic system

Carrots are a great root crop that just about anyone can enjoy.  Some people think you cant grow them in an aquaponic system.  Heres proof that you can!

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How To Make Indoor Hydroponic System General information on establishing and maintaining an aquaponics system Read More!

Just follow the tips mentioned above and you will have great success in your attempt to grow organic food in your home.Join us

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Why Is definitely an Aquaponic Method Much better than a Hydroponic One

Hydroponic gardens are already extremely common among men and women of all ages. They require little space, are easy to look after and give satisfactory final results. Even so, because you will need to provide the water with necessary nutrients, which are most of the times chemical, the taste of the crops just isnt really the ones people count on. Also, individuals trying to switch to organic products have a difficult time in coping with the chemical additions from the hydroponically-grown vegetables. Luckily, a new kind of gardening is available. It truly is known as the aquaponic program and can assist you to develop organic meals in your property.

The aquaponic program is a mixture in between the aquaculture, because it needs developing fish inside a unique fish tank and hydroponics, as it entails expanding plants with water and nutrients. You will probably wonder what function the fish play in all this company. Properly, things are really simple: the fish excrements contain ammonia which can be later decomposed in nitrites and nitrates. The latter substance is benefic for the plants, supplying them enough nutrients to develop and develop normally. Hence, there will probably be no require to provide your plants with chemical substances as theyre going to already have all the food they need to have.

This leads to the many positive aspects that the aquaponic system has over the hydroponic one. Very first, the vegetables will have a much better taste as theyre going to grow only with organic meals and at their very own peace. This will likely give them that delicious taste you enjoy a lot in veggies. Then, the method is easier, as you are going to no longer ought to feed your plants each and every and daily. Just be sure that your fish are in good shape after which let nature take its course.

Final, but not least, together with the aquaponic system you do not only develop vegetables, but you also have fish which it is possible to use for decorative purposes or you can extremely nicely cook delicious meals for you and your household.

Aquaponics is definitely an improved version on the hydroponic system. The crops are better along with the process is less difficult. In addition to which you get to consume organic meals! What more are you able to want for?

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Hydroponic Program Plans - Aquaponic Options

Standard farming exactly where you need to have lots of space to grow your plants is just the thing in the previous. Now, youll be able to always grow your plants anywhere despite not possessing really the lot to spare. Indeed, this can be achievable together with the support of hydroponic method plans which you can find virtually anyplace you look these days. This method can assure that your plants can grow without having ever needing soil or none of these farming methods that most of the people discover extremely daunting.


Lots of people typically discover it difficult to come up with their own hydroponic system at house. Not simply can it be confusing for some, the majority of its steps demand quite the background to put each and every element inside the appropriate order for the whole technique to function properly. And this is exactly where hydroponic program plans are quite handy. All youll need is to follow the guidelines each step on the way and surely you may be enjoying the advantages of expanding plants at property without all the hardship there may be within a common farming or gardening atmosphere.

Readymade hydroponic systems are also really considerably accessible inside the marketplace. These systems come in kits like all of its main elements available and all theres left for you personally to accomplish is always to assemble them based on the instructions it comes with. Nonetheless, you are able to lessen your spending need to you go create your own personal system out from scratch.

One particular excellent purpose for you personally to build your personal program at house is merely because many of the vital elements of a readymade kit can also be located in your nearest supply depot. Surely youll be receiving all of your moneys worth should you decide to go look for the supplies oneself and make an effort to assemble your own system with all the aid of a guide.

Imagine obtaining a system out of pvc pipes, plastic tubs or perhaps plastic containers. Are not these components currently obtainable at your property? For this reason opting to get hydroponic program plans are way practical than receiving premade systems. Look for the very best guides these days and start building your own from scratch.

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