Jarret TT Camp

Archive for February, 2010

So you are interested in installing some solar panels to try and help out with your ever increasing fuel bills. This may be to a shed, garage or outhouse that is too far away from your main building to effectively have an extension laid out or maybe you just wish to try out solar power on a small scale first before perhaps moving onto a large scale project.

Ok, first lets start with a very basic solar power system. You buy a 20 Watt solar panel, an 8 amp charge controller, a 75 amp/h leisure battery and a few low wattage lights (2 x 16 watt flourescent) just to ensure your workshop has enough light for those late nights. At present prices (Summer 2008) this will set you back approx $350 or 200GBP or 300Euro.

But what does this all mean…
Lets start easy, your 12V 75amp/h battery will supply (12 x 75)watts = 900 watts of energy according to the basic electric law (Volts X Current = Power), BUT this is not necessarily the case. Losses are introduced that will remove around 20% of this figure, so your 75amp/h battery will supply 720 Watts before losing all of its energy.
It is best to think of the battery as a water tank, with the solar panel as the flow coming in, and your lights as the flow leaving the tank.

You start with 720 Watts in your “tank”, if you have no solar panel or way of topping up you will find that your 2 x 16 watt lights will empty your battery in about 20 hours of use. By using a way of refilling your tank (your solar panel) the practical hours of use of your lights will be increased.

Lets say that each day you have 4 hours of “useful” sunlight a day, with a 20Watt solar panel this will mean that you will refill your “tank” by 80 watts a day. If you use your two lights for 3 hours a day this will mean a defecit into your battery of 12 Watts a day, so a few weeks down the line you will find your lights will no longer work as your tank (battery) has been drained completely. Never a good thing to have in front of you.

The simple way around this is to either use your lights less, difficult to do when you need them to see, or to add another solar panel. An extra panel of 20 Watts would supply you with enough extra energy to supply your lighting needs and also allow you to use extra electrical sytems on occasions as needed.

Always remember that a fully charged battery off load (i.e. nothing attached to it) will be at a voltage of 12.79V and above, a battery at a voltage of 12v is effectively worthless and unless it is a gel or discharge resistant type of battery you might as well discard it and buy a new one as it is unlikely you will be able to charge it effectively.

It is useful to remember that although your solar panels may be out in sunlight from 6am to 10pm there is only 5 or 6 hours of “useful” sunlight within these hours. A simple way to see how this happens is to connect your voltmeter to your solar panel and take readings from dawn to dusk, you will find readings from 8v to 15 volts and back down to 8v during these hours. Your battery will only be charged when the output from your panel is 13.2v and above.

This is where your charge controller comes in. This vital piece of equipment will stop your battery from being overcharged and also will stop your solar panel from discharging the battery when the power form the sun is not enough to charge your “tank”

This is just a simple overview of the electrical basics and there are so much more considerations to consider before you embark on a major solar power sytem

A friend of mine belongs to a community garden p-patch. Each member has their own little garden plot and they share some community resources like compost bins and the tool shed. Recently it has been noticed that rats have been living beneath the shed. Everyone pitched in to clean the shed out, hoping that would help with the rat problem, or at least make it easier to deal with. But recently it seems to be getting worse. My friend hadn’t seen the rats before, but in the last month three were spied; one going under the shed, one in the compost bins, and one running through someone else’s garden.

Rats can be rather unpleasant, and a little disturbing when seen next to the fresh produce you have so lovingly cared for and planned to eat. There are a number of ways to deal with rats, and each has its merits, but which one would work best depends largely on the situation.

The first thing to think about is what is drawing the rats to the infested location? In the case of the garden, it was the availability of shelter (the shed), water (the community rain barrels), and food (the compost pile). If there is any way to eliminate the rat’s access to such things, they are less likely to stick around, and you will not be inviting any other rats to move in after you eliminate this bunch.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to completely eliminate whatever is drawing them to the area.

Poison is usually the first thought that comes to mind in such situations. Rat poisons can be found online or at your local hardware store. Even some grocery stores carry it. Generally the poison is laid out with bait and the rats eat it. Unfortunately, poison is not always very effective because rats are scavengers. They will eat a little bit of something and wait; if they don’t get sick they continue. Effective rat poisons are tasteless, odorless, and delay-reaction otherwise the rats won’t eat enough for it to be fatal. If you place poison down and don’t see results within a week, it’s not working and you need to try something else.

Another option is to hire an exterminator to deal with the problem for you. But, if the cost of hiring an exterminator, or the thought of dead rats lying in the hidden crevices they retreat to (perhaps under your house), then read on. Also, having such poisons around can be potentially hazardous to your health or the health of your kids and/or pets. You may not want to risk it.

Humane traps can be a great way to get rid of your infestation without having to kill them and deal with their continued post-mortem presence. These are usually spring loaded wire cages. Bait is placed inside, and when the rat comes to take it, the door release is triggered. They are also environmentally friendly. Humane traps can be obtained from your local animal control center, or Humane Society.

A newer method that has recently become more prevalent is the use of predator urine to repel rats. One brand in particular is called Shake-Away, which combines the urine with some enhancing natural chemicals. The urine powder comes in Fox or Coyote and the odor is supposed to inspire fear into your furry invaders through olfactory-detected hormones. It claims to be 100% organic, but after reading the ingredients on their website, I found it is still quite toxic. Lye can be made from all organic ingredients, but you wouldn’t want to mess around with it either. You sprinkle it around the outside of the area you don’t want them to get into. This also works for other pesky animals like squirrels, mice, skunk, rabbits, moles, etc.

None of these methods is foolproof, and often not completely effective on their own. Depending on the severity of your infestation, you may need to use a combination of methods. Using traps with the Shake-Away is a good combination.

Keeping your gutters in great shape is important to the structure of your home. If left unrepaired for too long, it could cause a great deal more damage that will be very expensive to repair. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to fix holes in your gutters. There isn’t a need to replace them, patching the holes is the cheapest solution to the problem. Be careful while climbing up to the gutters.

Here are step-by-step instructions for repairing holes in gutters:

Tools Needed

You will need the following items to assist you in the repairs: Wire brush, mineral spirits, wire cutters, scrap wire screening, roof cement, trowel, sheet metal, sheet metal cutters and pliers.

1. Use the wire brush to clean off any rust or dirt that is stuck to the damaged area. After you have wire brushed it, clean it well with a rag that has been soaked in mineral spirits. If the spot is very small, you can simply use the cement to cover the area. Spread it evenly over the area and the job is complete. If the damage is larger, you will need to follow the next steps to repair it properly.

2. Cut a piece of scrap wiring screen to fit 1/2 to 1 inch bigger than the hole that is in need of repair.

3. Spread the roofing cement on the area surrounding the damaged area. Use the trowel for this purpose. Place the screening over the area and press down. You may now spread some of the cement evenly over the screening. Let it dry before proceeding.

4. If there are areas that aren’t sealed after the cement dries, place another coat of the cement on it. The patch should be completely sealed.

5. Fold the edges of the patch over the lips of the gutter. You can do this using the pliers. Put one more coat of the cement over the patch on the inside of the gutter. Be sure to cover it well so that there will be no leaks.

While you are up there you might as well check for other signs of damage to the gutters. Be sure that the gutters aren’t sagging or loose. If they are, take steps now to repair these as well. Catching and fixing damage while it is still minor saves a lot of money in the future.

Your gutters are now in good repair and the little bit of money you spent will be well worth it. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to keep the outside of your home in good repair and can save you thousands of dollars down the road. Take care of your house and it will take care of you.

If you live in an apartment or any area where you have limited outdoor space for a garden, don’t despair. With a little planning, you can become a hobby gardener and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Container gardening offers many possibilities. One advantage of containers is that they are portable. You can take advantage of good weather by placing plants on a window ledge, in a window box or on a patio. During severe weather, they may be moved to a protected area. Most small to medium sized plants can be grown in containers. As long as you provide sufficient room for root growth and control nutrients, water and light, you can achieve marvelous results in container.

Types of containers can run the gamut from plastic or metal pots, ceramic pots to wooden planters. It is important to have pots that can drain. If placed in an area where water could damage a surface, set the planter in a tray. The tray may be filled with gravel to raise the bottom of the planter above the tray surface to allow good drainage. Stagnant water may”drown” a plant and cause it to die or perform poorly.

Use of a good planting medium that contains nutrients and has excellent moisture retention will insure good plant growth and less frequent watering will be required.

Container gardeners are only limited by their imagination. With the proliferation of dwarf fruit trees, it is even possible to grow fruit trees in containers in very limited spaces. Peaches, apples, blueberries and many others are within the scope of the container gardener.

Basements with controlled temperatures are good candidates for growing plants or starting seedlings. Shelves with grow lights hung above them can be used for starting seedlings or for growing small flowers, herbs or similar plants. African violets especially grow well in such environments. Lights can be lowered near the plants and you can see them responds with the horizontal growth of the leaves and stems and the vigorous upward thrusting blooms. You can enjoy placing violets in strategic places in your home and if they begin to falter, cycle them back to the space under the grow light to rejuvenate them. If they develop multiple crowns, they may be separated and re-potted and shared with friends.

Metal buckets and cans may be used for planters, and when you are ready to place them in your home, they may be concealed inside a wicker basket, painted, wrapped with attractive foil and a bow or any number of ways to improve the appearance. This is a good way to recycle containers.

It is very fulfilling to plant seeds in small containers or peat pots and watch them germinate. As they increase in size, they are re-potted into larger containers and fertilized with the proper nutrients. Some species may be “pinched” back to retard the plant size or to increase the size of blooms or fruit. Consult a suitable plant guide to determine the best methods of caring for the different plant types.

With containers, you have a choice of planting annuals or perennials. Try a mixture of plants that compliment each other. Some may last for years and require minimal care, but others may require replacement each season. Pansies are excellent annual choices. Roses would be longer-lasting choices, but require pruning and close attention.

A small nook in the yard could be planted with wildflowers that require little attention. Don’t overlook small spaces that have good lighting as possible “mini-gardens” that can provide beauty and enjoyment for you, your family and friends.