On living where its cold

[ducpainter]

With this extended winter we're having...

I wonder what sugaring season will be like? 

[WarrenJ]

Last year it was pretty abbreviated here.  If we get the cool nights it should be good.  That's something I haven't tried doing. 

[ducpainter]

Last year it was pretty abbreviated here.  If we get the cool nights it should be good.  That's something I haven't tried doing. 

It was short here also due to the lack of cold nights.

I'm thinking we might not get warm days this year, along with cold nights, and go right into summer.

[Ddan]

With this extended winter we're having...

I wonder what sugaring season will be like? 

There was a news story this AM, they're two weeks late already out of what is supposed to be a 6 week season.  No matter what happens they're not likely to make that much time up.

[ducpainter]

There was a news story this AM, they're two weeks late already out of what is supposed to be a 6 week season.  No matter what happens they're not likely to make that much time up.

The 'season', as it is starts when the days get above freezing regularly and the nights drop below freezing...regularly.

My thinking is as long as we get those conditions the six weeks can start whenever...no?

[Ddan]

The 'season', as it is starts when the days get above freezing regularly and the nights drop below freezing...regularly.

My thinking is as long as we get those conditions the six weeks can start whenever...no?

The guy in the news story who produces about 400 gal of finished syrup a year sounded hopeful, but not really optimistic. 

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/271441/314/Cold-temperatures-delaying-syrup-season

[ducpainter]

Time will tell

[Scooter Montgomery]

I'm thinking we might not get warm days this year, along with cold nights, and go right into summer.

I'm thinking mud season right into next winter. 

[WarrenJ]

Well the last two days must have been spring and summer, back to -7F this morning.

[Monsterlover]

Well the last two days must have been spring and summer, back to -7F this morning.

Well and septic still functioning?

[WarrenJ]

Things seem to be working fine.  I had to buy some more wood, but it's still way cheaper than fuel oil.  I replaced my conventional wood boiler with a wood gassification system about 7 or 8 years ago.  Its pretty efficient.  I built a 1000 gallon water tank that holds the excess heat when the house doesn't call for it.  That is really nice on the warmer days that still need a bit of heat to keep the fuel oil furnace from kicking in.  I can just open the valve to the heat exchanger from the tank and have 160 degree water running through the pipes.  I can burn once or twice a day and keep the temp up in the tank pretty well on days like that. If I had  the cash, I'd like to get a 6 horse steam engine and use the condensing waste energy to heat that 1000 gallon tank too.    That steam engine has 250K BTU's of waste heat available from condensing the steam in a closed system.  The engine could be used for power generation, running a power forging hammer and many other interesting projects.  If you use a closed system with a condenser for the exhaust steam, you increase the power by about 30% due to the vacuum produced when the steam turns back into water on the exhaust side. 

[sno_duc]

Things seem to be working fine.  I had to buy some more wood, but it's still way cheaper than fuel oil.  I replaced my conventional wood boiler with a wood gassification system about 7 or 8 years ago.  Its pretty efficient.  I built a 1000 gallon water tank that holds the excess heat when the house doesn't call for it.  That is really nice on the warmer days that still need a bit of heat to keep the fuel oil furnace from kicking in.  I can just open the valve to the heat exchanger from the tank and have 160 degree water running through the pipes.  I can burn once or twice a day and keep the temp up in the tank pretty well on days like that. If I had  the cash, I'd like to get a 6 horse steam engine and use the condensing waste energy to heat that 1000 gallon tank too.    That steam engine has 250K BTU's of waste heat available from condensing the steam in a closed system.  The engine could be used for power generation, running a power forging hammer and many other interesting projects.  If you use a closed system with a condenser for the exhaust steam, you increase the power by about 30% due to the vacuum produced when the steam turns back into water on the exhaust side.  

I like your thinking.
Waste heat recovery is the way to go.
Instead of a recip steam engine why not a turbine.
Are you familiar with micro-turbines, we just (6 weeks ago) installed a 1 megawatt unit (which is actually 5 200 kw turbines side by side in one housing) on our platform. make the beast with two backsing thing is better than 30% efficient, which for a small turbine is incredible. (a Solar Saturn 1,000 hp turbine is like 21 maybe 22%)
Given the advances in small turbochargers, should be able to borrow a wheel and housing.  

[hbliam]

I just turned my AC on. 

[WarrenJ]

I've always been warned away from small steam turbines, but technology keeps changing.  I think I like the simplicity of the reciprocating type and their massive startup torque.  There are so many things you can do with that waste heat.  The Rankine heat recovery motors are getting some use in the oil patch too for generating electricity from all the waste heat. 

[ducpainter]

I think the weather is broken.