'Propane Shortage' finally getting picked up by the networks..!

[zogger]

With any engine-powered genny, there's lots of heat (~2/3 of input) that's going to waste. Via cooling system & exhaust. Now if you could recover that in cold weather, you'd have a big Win-Win. You might even run it regularly.

That is a very good point. I guess the easiest way to achieve this (safely) would be to use a liquid cooled engine and just route to a radiator inside the house, tied to the duct work maybe. Or run through some mambo thermal mass. Heap of rocks, something... Don't know what to do with the exhaust other than run a turbo..MO KILO TO DE WATT
err..uhh

Might not be too great in the summer though, bringing the heat in.....perhaps some sort of bypass valve, or only for domestic water heating then.

Run a stirling engine backup off the waste heat from the primary...

 

[farmer steve]

Yeah, we're getting that too here, but it's really just not that big a deal compared to past winters. Maybe these new pretreatments they're doing are more expensive?


A couple of weeks ago I saw a guy blocking the other lane near the top of a hill in some Chevy sedan. He was sitting there with both hands on the wheel, eyes straight ahead, wheel spinning away, not going anywhere. The engine note never varied, just a constant steady drone with the tire spinning away. He had traffic blocked for miles behind him. I felt bad for the folks behind him - I had already done 4 detours to get to that spot. It was maybe 2" of snow.

sounds like you were going by my place Chris.

 

[Steve NW WI]

That is a very good point. I guess the easiest way to achieve this (safely) would be to use a liquid cooled engine and just route to a radiator inside the house, tied to the duct work maybe. Or run through some mambo thermal mass. Heap of rocks, something... Don't know what to do with the exhaust other than run a turbo..MO KILO TO DE WATT
err..uhh

Might not be too great in the summer though, bringing the heat in.....perhaps some sort of bypass valve, or only for domestic water heating then.

Run a stirling engine backup off the waste heat from the primary...

At work we have a big air compressor - in the neighborhood of 200HP. It makes a LOT of heat. The ductwork dumps that heat in the building in winter, close a flap and it goes outside in the summer. It's not "Free" heat, but it's getting more out of the electric dollars spent keeping all our equipment in compressed air.

A little fab work, a couple valves, and a liquid cooled genset could be routed to it's original radiator in summer, and to a strategically mounted indoor radiator in winter.

 

[bert0168]

I drive for FedEx and I know exactly how you feel. Between my 48 mile commute into work (one way) and my combined 130-150 miles I knock out at work, I seriously hate days when they call for anything more an a dusting. There should be a law stating that if you're a crappy snow driver do everyone a favor that can drive in it and stay off the road. You don't know how many times I've wished I had a battering ram on the front of my truck so I could bulldoze people off the road. Guess what? If you're only moving at 10 miles an hour there's no way you'll be able to clear the treads of your tires! People don't realize if they moved a little faster, and threw the caked on snow out of their tread, they'd grip better. That, and momentum are your best friend. Everything I ever learned in offroad riding on quads and dirtbikes can be directly applied to the snow.

Not sure, but this seems to be a phenomenon reserved to PA (which is where I live). This happens every time it snows OR rains (yes seems to be a year round thing). Same goes for the way they manage the school snow (and cold ) days here. Closing school for low temps, WTF?

Nation of wimps and idiots.

 

[farmer steve]

bert0168 where in pa? when i was a kid they didn't close schools for snow unless it was a$$hole deep on a giraffe and NEVER for cold.

 

[Iska3]

My big LP Tank has been untouched for four years now, we heat with wood and use a 40# LP pig for cooking. I've been thinking of a propane genny as a back up. Like you said, the fuel doesn't go bad.

There is a good emergency use for the propane tank, and for your juice needs, a generator that runs from propane. The fuel doesn't go bad, runs clean in the engine, and a big backyard tank would last for quite the grid outage. You look at big emergencies like that hurricane sandy, folks standing around with benjamins in their hands, no gas to buy for their generators. They ran out after a few days, then..screwed. A 250 gallon propane tank filled, used just enough for some reason or another the propane guys don't get mad, could pay off really nice one day.

Just sayin' Ours is full and untouched for years now, one day gonna either get a different genny, or a propane adapter for this one, just for that purpose.

 

[chucker]

! I like it when propane goes up! wood is worth its weight in gold with all the extra interest in wood orders.... I very much dislike the propane truck and driver showing up at my door but love the price increase .lol !in a business sense...

 

[alleyyooper]

I heat with wood and Have stopped using the propane grill several years ago. I went to wood in the grill also. I usually have a bucket of hickory chunks sealed in a 5 gallon pail soaking for the added smoke when grilling. Had a propane tank at deer camp but some one would cut the lock off and either drain it into the air on us or some how fill small tanks from it.
We got a wood furnace for the cabin and hooked the range up to a small 100 pounder we bring home with us rather than leave it.
I have a friend that has an old Jacobs wind genny that supply's all his electric needs except the big 7 inch side grinder he needs some times in his shop. He has a small gen set to power that.

Al

 

[vanhalenps4]

Not sure, but this seems to be a phenomenon reserved to PA (which is where I live). This happens every time it snows OR rains (yes seems to be a year round thing). Same goes for the way they manage the school snow (and cold ) days here. Closing school for low temps, WTF?

Nation of wimps and idiots.

Some of these days have been -20 degrees wind chill in the morning and the kids standing at the bus stops shouldn't have to deal with that.

What they need to do is get rid of summer vacation and have more off days or start later in the day during the winter. Break up the summer vacation throughout the year. The only reason S.V. exists is because people used to have to farm during the summer.. not the case anymore.

There are 180 days in a school year in the U.S. and we send them in during flu and cold season when the roads are bad and the temperatures can give you frost bite and hypothermia instead of the summer when you could have class outside and actually learn real life skills and information.

 

[Chris-PA]

Some of these days have been -20 degrees wind chill in the morning and the kids standing at the bus stops shouldn't have to deal with that.

What they need to do is get rid of summer vacation and have more off days or start later in the day during the winter. Break up the summer vacation throughout the year. The only reason S.V. exists is because people used to have to farm during the summer.. not the case anymore.

There are 180 days in a school year in the U.S. and we send them in during flu and cold season when the roads are bad and the temperatures can give you frost bite and hypothermia instead of the summer when you could have class outside and actually learn real life skills and information.

LOL - the kids don't stand at the bus stop. Mommy or Daddy drive them down the driveway in the SUV and sit there with the engine running until the bus comes. Then the kids get on the bus, and then the bus driver lets Mommy or Daddy out in front of all the people waiting in line behind the bus. And what have we learned today children?

 

[bert0168]

bert0168 where in pa? when i was a kid they didn't close schools for snow unless it was a$$hole deep on a giraffe and NEVER for cold.

Down in SE PA but grew up right on lake Erie (I mean back-yard-look-out-the-window-and-watch-the-ships-on-the-horizon-property) so I know what real snow is. We got it a little later but we had tons more of it and it lasted longer.

Rarely remember missing much school for snow and NEVER for cold.

Feh, -20? We wore a snow suit AND hats AND gloves or mittens AND snow boots to school. Try getting kids (or parents for that matter) to accept that responsibility today.............

 

[bert0168]

Some of these days have been -20 degrees wind chill in the morning and the kids standing at the bus stops shouldn't have to deal with that.

How about dressing for the conditions?

What they need to do is get rid of summer vacation and have more off days or start later in the day during the winter. Break up the summer vacation throughout the year. The only reason S.V. exists is because people used to have to farm during the summer.. not the case anymore.

Couldn't agree more.

There are 180 days in a school year in the U.S. and we send them in during flu and cold season when the roads are bad and the temperatures can give you frost bite and hypothermia instead of the summer when you could have class outside and actually learn real life skills and information.

Don't all these buses have automatic chains? Oh, and see above.......