The Coffee House

[Original katomi]

Smoke hiya
the rules here on solar panels on the house and the tie in to the grid are quite honestly a nightmare this is why I bought off Amazon and installed on the garage I had no intention of tiring into the grid just wanted the workshop to be independent of the house plus it’s a back up power for my sleep macnine

 

[smoke665]

Smoke hiya
the rules here on solar panels on the house and the tie in to the grid are quite honestly a nightmare this is why I bought off Amazon and installed on the garage I had no intention of tiring into the grid just wanted the workshop to be independent of the house plus it’s a back up power for my sleep macnine

Tying into the grid here isn't that much of a problem. It was the cost savings vs cost of equipment. Our home was built to be energy efficient, overall our bill averages less than $200/month, amortizing the cost of a large solar system, maintenance, and the potential for income from excess power to the grid didnt add up. That's been several years ago, equipment costs have come down some since then. I know in some parts of the country electric rates are much higher also, making solar more attractive. NY has an interesting approach with "community" solar grids, which offset member electric bills in part.

 

[Original katomi]

I like the idea of a community solar grid near here a plot of old waste ground has been converted into a solar farm
they made use of land that could not be used to grow on and was used in the past for something that made polluted

 

[jeffashman]

I looked into going solar with a Tesla power wall, but I could never get the math to work, so if I decide to go that route, it won't be to save money on energy costs, but to be able to survive an extended power outage, but there are really more cost effective ways to do that.

In other news, UGH! Ever since we've moved into this house, we've had issues with the air conditioning condensate drain line clogging, and nothing I did seemed to help, and the HVAC guys didn't have much success either. They suggested a plumber, but plumbing rates have gotten really ridiculous. There is a secondary drain that drains outside if the primary clogs. Yesterday afternoon I decided to check the drain setup in our common bathroom. In newer houses the drain line drains into a bathroom sink trap on the high side just below the stopper arm. The cabinet was drenched in water from a leak (the sink is a second sink and isn't used often) from the condensate drain line. I got a small tub and placed it underneath, and then disconnected the line, and about two gallons of water came gushing out of the pipe. It turns out that the heroes that owned the house before us had replaced the sink drain and hadn't cut the bottom two inches of the grey pipe off, effectively blocking the condensate drain hole. Problem solved, and I should no longer have issues with the condensate drain line clogging up.

 

[CherylL]

Tying into the grid here isn't that much of a problem. It was the cost savings vs cost of equipment. Our home was built to be energy efficient, overall our bill averages less than $200/month, amortizing the cost of a large solar system, maintenance, and the potential for income from excess power to the grid didnt add up. That's been several years ago, equipment costs have come down some since then. I know in some parts of the country electric rates are much higher also, making solar more attractive. NY has an interesting approach with "community" solar grids, which offset member electric bills in part.

The door to door solar salespeople are active in the towns around here. On the community FB pages there are many threads. One was about the "math". One person responded they were told they would get X amount in return, but now the actual amount is only 1/3 what was promised. Another person had the panels installed, but was waiting months to have the unit that hooks it all up installed. Many unhappy customers.

 

[SquarePeg]

@terri years ago our house was on a lake, every evening after school the ducks would waddle up to front door and raise a ruckus. That was their signal to tell the kids they were hungry. After the kids would feed them they'd waddle back to the water. When the little ones hatched, they'd bring them as if to show them off. In the winter they'd fly south, but every spring they'd be back. Year after year they did this, so we know it couldn't have been the same ducks, we have to believe it was the kids, grandkids and great grandkids.

This reminded me of a funny vacation story. We once rented a cabin on Sebago Lake in Maine. The first morning that we were there there were some ducks and I decided to feed them. The next morning they came again and I fed them again. The next day they came an hour earlier and woke us up, and I got up and fed them. The day after that, they came at sunrise to wake us up, making all their noise. I feel bad for whoever rented the cabin after us lol

 

[terri]

This reminded me of a funny vacation story. We once rented a cabin on Sebago Lake in Maine. The first morning that we were there there were some ducks and I decided to feed them. The next morning they came again and I fed them again. The next day they came an hour earlier and woke us up, and I got up and fed them. The day after that, they came at sunrise to wake us up, making all their noise. I feel bad for whoever rented the cabin after us lol

They're apparently very good trainers!

 

[smoke665]

They're apparently very good trainers!

Not only are they quick learners, they have the ability to communicate with their kind quickly, like some sort of avian internet. We have ducks and geese at the lake, I made the mistake of feeding a couple of them one time, next day our yard was covered with them. Its not that I mind feeding them, they're fun to watch, but a large group of them make a huge mess in the yard with their poop, especially the Geese.

 

[Rickbb]

It’s unofficially official, it’s summer. Been in the 80’s all week, will be all next week and today we will get to near 90, in MAY!

On top of that hasn’t rained in weeks, normal for July, not May. Looks like I’ll get good usage from my irrigation system in the veg garden this year.

 

[SquarePeg]

It’s unofficially official, it’s summer. Been in the 80’s all week, will be all next week and today we will get to near 90, in MAY!

On top of that hasn’t rained in weeks, normal for July, not May. Looks like I’ll get good usage from my irrigation system in the veg garden this year.

We’re in a pattern of 2-3 nice sunny but still coolish days followed by 1-2 cold rainy days. Saves on the water bill but slow growing in the garden so far.

Today is a sunny, breezy 64° - feels more like low 70’s in the sun and low 50’s in the shade. I’ve got the windows open and looking out at my cherry blossom as it has finally started to bloom.