tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27360591141038586592024-03-19T06:05:23.353-07:00... Smells Like FriesPresents experience and nitty-gritty details of converting car to run on waste vegetable oil and replace his furnace with a ground source heat pump geothermal unit.... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-53116025924079034382011-12-05T11:59:00.001-08:002011-12-05T12:23:29.217-08:00Intake CleaningIt's been a while since my last post, here we go.Took my 2001 Jetta TDI over to a fellow Veggie Jetta TDI driver to have the intake manifold and exhaust gas recirculation control valve cleaned after another 100,000km. I did this before, so here are some of today's photos.A (clean) TDI Manifold:What came out of mine using scrapers and steel brushes:Upclose, the stuff is so black, the previous ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-11273546744828484602009-06-03T06:44:00.000-07:002009-06-05T09:51:34.360-07:00Cap-and-Trade vs. Carbon TaxQuestion: What's the big deal with the fight between Carbon-Tax and Cap-and-Trade?Answer: Perception, enforcement and finance.PerceptionLet's assume that two proposed policies are looking to collect $1B from the economy - Cap-and-Trade and Carbon-Tax. First off, it's easier to sell the free market aspect of a Cap-and-Trade over the tax aspect of a Carbon-Tax.It's a matter of ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-89358185144081858662009-05-12T05:38:00.000-07:002009-05-12T17:17:04.916-07:00Spent Nuclear FuelLike it or not, in Canada we use nuclear power (mostly in Ontario). This source of electrical power has a nasty side-effect: waste from the reactor is possibly the most toxic substance known to man.The cost of stewardship of this waste grows proportionally with the amount of waste produced. The more nuclear power we consume, the more waste we have to take care of for the coming centuries.It ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-32610758102311918072009-05-08T09:08:00.000-07:002009-05-08T09:13:38.276-07:00Car, Hydro, NatGas charts updatedCheck out the links on the left "Graphs 2009-05-08" for new charts showing fuel consuption of our car as well as electrical consuption for the winter with our new Ground Source Heat Pump furnace.Natural gas consumption has been zero for a while, the gas company come over a put a lock bolt on our meter. No gas bills.... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-47556358696450077752009-05-08T08:59:00.000-07:002009-05-11T13:22:07.781-07:00Ontario's Darlington generation station offlineLooking at my Ontario Generation Charts, you can see that as of April 19-20 2008 the amount of nuclear power produced in Ontario has reduced, likely seasonally based on 2008 behaviour.However, as of that date - the entire Darlington generation site is generating zero MW or power on all 4 of it's 1GW generators. This did not happen in 2008.Very surprising. I can find not mention on www.ieso.ca ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-18854016512055495392009-03-31T08:19:00.000-07:002009-04-03T05:55:03.754-07:00Quirks and Quarks: Talks realityThe CBC's excellent radio show Quirks and Quarks had a guest who wrote a book "Physics for Presidents" and it got people in a bit of a tizzy. Listen to it in MP3 or OGG.So much was the reaction, the host Bob MacDonald wrote about it in his blog.Read it, then check the responses from people. My favourite:Dave from Ottawa"A kilogram of coal, on the other hand, contains about 1,000 times more ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-89124802852417228542009-03-31T03:18:00.000-07:002009-03-31T07:02:36.518-07:00Earth Hour - Consuption vs. GenerationPurposeLike this blog, I am here to present facts and explain them. In short - the public data shows no less Coal or Natural Gas was burned during Earth Hour. And yes, the Nuclear plants were still going full-tilt (in fact the Bruce-B Generator-5 increased production prior to the event).IntroductionIt's great to "do our part" and not consume electricity. But we need to realize that less ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-31038292872445725562008-12-09T16:27:00.000-08:002009-03-24T05:29:20.869-07:00More on Algae FuelAs I've said before in my blog, algae as biofuel is attractive.Here's a proof of concept (shown on History Channel) that is using transparent tubes as bio-reactors collecting waste gas from a 1GW power station. It claims that 100% capture from the power station will need 2,000 acres of land or 8 square kilometers (2km x 4km).The University of Kentucky is making making headlines on this. It's ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-63103617095158026992008-12-08T06:28:00.000-08:002008-12-08T06:48:47.809-08:00Hotwater from GeothermalLast night it dipped down to -20C, the furnace was running quite a bit in the afternoon so I took this chance to turn off the electricity to our electrical hot water tank and let the furnace heat our hot water.Here you see how the tank is hooked up to the furnace. As you can see, the hot water comes out the top of the tank (since heat rises). The furnace draws from the bottom, and returns to ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-77810698346033399402008-11-25T16:58:00.000-08:002008-11-25T17:01:13.955-08:00Updated Diesel/Hydro/NatGas GraphsWith winter coming, and our heat pump installed. I'll be doing my best to keep the graphs section (to the top and left) up-to-date.... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-31741027669903239092008-11-16T09:12:00.000-08:002008-11-25T16:53:34.002-08:00Fuel - A motion picture about BioFuelAlways bugs me when you see a film that is one sided (Roger Moore?) - even when I support their cause. But when I saw the guy going up to fast food joint saying: "Can I have a medium Sprite and, uh, all your used cooking oil please?"I have to admit a sense of respect for someone whose doing the same stuff I am.Apple has the trailer up: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/fuel/Or watch it ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-42305241758653085742008-11-03T11:38:00.000-08:002008-11-03T12:29:26.756-08:00The CBC and AlgaeThe CBC is carryintg a story close to my heart.Algae blooms: A new source of energy?They cover the important details: - ethenol isn't our future - algae is the fastest growing plant - algae has had a billion year head start - link to the awesome CBC program Quirks and Quarks talking about Algae and engergy.Let's hope the public learns more about this and next time I mention it at a party people ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-39254884666421274762008-09-30T06:26:00.000-07:002008-09-30T06:27:52.135-07:002nd GeoThermal Furnace Video (what's inside)Here's the second video, show what's inside the furnace. There's really only a few parts: 1) The refrigerant compressor 2) The heat exchanger 3) The blower 4) The computer control system... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-18411924406245993992008-09-29T06:06:00.000-07:002008-09-29T06:08:02.191-07:00GeoThermal Furnace VideoHere's a YouTube video of my furnace. More to come, busy these days. So sorry.... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-41215197100153005982008-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:002008-08-02T12:52:02.284-07:00Benefits of having a Veggie VaggonA local radio station was giving away tickets to people who had the best story for how they were going to get to Montreal to see Radiohead in concert.I sent in my application with links to this blog and my youtube videos and I won. Nice.Oh, furnace is in. I need to make some good videos before I post. It's kinda neat.... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-55474667991737546072008-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:002008-06-19T11:43:13.853-07:00"The Phoenix has Landed"My contractor exclaimed to me on the phone in the usual gusto consistent with the stereotype of his cultural background. If you can't politely smile at stuff like that, what good is life?Geothermal Heat Exchange furnace will be installed Monday/Tuesday next week (2008-06-23/24). In time to break it in a bit over the summer before the winter heating demands arrives.... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-49689047648268449422008-06-17T10:20:00.000-07:002008-06-17T11:04:24.811-07:00So you think you want do this?$1.40 per litre fuel getting you down? Going veggie is a way to save some money. But don't go into this to save a couple bucks. It is important to keep in mind this is a hobby - treat it as such. Guidelines:Spend time and thought to find the cheapest and best parts you need for your filtering.Take effort into making the best quality oil you canPay attention to your car - check the engine temp... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-12799566572872223892008-06-08T08:30:00.000-07:002008-06-08T08:36:36.829-07:00Veggie Oil Theft on CBCHere's an interesting podcast from CBC on 2008-05-08.Description from CBC.ca:Grease Bandits: ContractorGrease is the word, as they say. For greasers in the movie and musical Grease that word meant slick hair goo and a whole way of life, but grease has become a coveted fuel source. So much so, there's a black market for grease.This raw grease can be refined into yellow grease, which can be used to... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-92220171482467361692008-06-04T17:31:00.000-07:002008-06-04T17:39:47.184-07:00Essay: Pick Your PoisonPardon for the diversion from my usual subject matter.Someone I know by the name of John Ogilvie asked me to put into a letter what I've come to learn about nuclear power so he could have something to share with other Green Party members. Apparently the Green Party is flatly against nuclear power generation inspite of its benefits (not that it's without drawbacks).I kept my policy of "back it up... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-47923538635882624402008-06-02T10:16:00.000-07:002008-06-02T12:20:41.914-07:00Natural Gas SpeculationI peeked around for discussion on natural gas proces and came across a site that sounded objective and reasonably researched (or at least read). They gave this chart of past natural gas prices and some projections on its future cost.Their reasons for their prediction of 30% increase in natural gas in the next 6-8 months?Lower production from new gas wells, less new drilling and depletion of ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-52454593801893001452008-05-28T05:23:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:49.900-08:00Drilling CompletedThe drilling is done. It was loud. It was dusty. It was awesome!The drill holes were done at 11 degrees in one direction, and 22 degrees in the other. This is approximate based on my measurements.Top view, looking down on the roof of the house:Front view, looking at a cross section towards the front of the house.Some videos:Drill through overburden (aka. top soil).Drilling through ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-52958274311737005962008-05-27T05:24:00.000-07:002008-05-27T05:35:27.559-07:00Drilling todayWell, the contractor from Earth Energy called me last week to arrange a time to start drilling for my furnace. "The phoenix has landed" he announced in his usual colourful exclamation.And about the same time I got an email from a reader of this blog advising me to stay away from them. I'm not surprised since my experience with the owner was been less than reassuring. When the unit is installed... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-70824775487555036992008-05-08T11:48:00.001-07:002008-05-08T12:02:05.836-07:00Cost of electricity less than zero?!Fun story on the CBC today:http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/080507/K050704AU.htmlIn short - it was cheaper to pay people to take power than it was to shut down generators.This is what happens when daytime power consumption is 20-30% higher than in the middle of the night.If only we could consume power more evenly...?Most people immediately think - "why don't we store the power in batteries!". I ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-46895481945438246512008-04-29T05:28:00.000-07:002008-04-29T05:44:46.131-07:00Hydrogenated or non-H Veggie Oil?I only use non-hydrogenated veggie oil when I filter or in my car. In short, hydrogenated oil is not commonly called veggie oil, but veggie shortening or veggie lard (ie. Crisco).My pumping hot hydrogen gas under pressure and in the presence of a catalyst - veggie oil will cease being liquid at room temperature. This is what McDonald's and KFC use for cooking. This is also how margarine is ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736059114103858659.post-508799465020076152008-04-28T12:34:00.000-07:002008-12-09T11:55:35.944-08:00Washing waste veggie oil and why I don't do it.I've read around that it's a good idea to wash waste veggie oil (WVO) - I wasn't convinced.I know one must wash biodiesel to get methanol, glycerin and Sodium-hydroxide by products out. But to wash straight-up WVO?There are two common ways to wash BioDiesel (which some people recommend for WVO as well):Mist washingBubble washingBoth methods can cause emulsification of the water and oil (aka. ... Smells Like Frieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299362254857872957noreply@blogger.com1