I’ve spent a good bit of time kayaking on the Clark Canyon Reservoir while staying in the area. The reservoir is pretty large and most of the shoreline is relatively benign. However; there is an island in the middle and it has some pretty neat looking cliffs that drop off into the water. I was… [Read More]
Solar Charging System – Take Two
Note from JD: I’ve now (May, 2017) moved onto another motorhome and have installed 1.7Kw (1,700 watts) of solar panels on it – details here. I documented the installation of 650 watts of solar (Morningstar TriStar MPPT 45 charge controller and two SunPower E20 327 watts panels) on my last motorhome here. When I traded… [Read More]
Solar Success
The initial run with the new solar power system has been a success! To start the trip, I was faced with 25 mph headwind on the Interstate. Even with the headwind, gusts of wind, and semi’s passing and buffeting Shaneeda; the PV panels stayed firmly attached to the roof. I found a nice spot at… [Read More]
Solar Charging System
Note from JD: Note that the entire system listed below was removed and re-installed on my new Newmar Dutch Star – here. Also, I have recently completed the installation of a 1720 watt system on Missy, my current home (May, 2017). I am so excited!! I have working solar charging system running in my RV!!… [Read More]
Sailing on the Lee Side of an Island
Weather.com has some images that help to explain at least one reason why sailing a vessel on the lee side of an island can be difficult. I think their animated graphic and photographs are mega cool and super informational. I’ve never seen anything like this but maybe I’m the only one! The behavior is known… [Read More]
Movie: 180 South
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWBz_pxYC0A[/youtube]
180 South” is far from a “new” movie but it was new to me. I suppose the movie is somewhat of an environmentalist flick. However; it was done very tastefully. It doesn’t go crazy making man out to be evil and the destroyer of the planet. However; it does make it clear that we (mankind) are doing… [Read More]
LED Lighting to Save Money
LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights are far more efficient than incandescent lights and halogen lights. I think most everyone is aware of this already. The trick, it seems, is replacing your existing lights with LED’s without spending all of your potential savings on the initial purchase. The goal after all is to save money, not… [Read More]
Solar Hot Tub Heater Part 2
Note from JD: This is a continuation of the previous post titled Solar Hot Tub Heater. The fourth day of testing the solar water heater (continued from above post): At noon, the outside temperature was 41 degrees when the system was first checked. The water that had been in the collector overnight was pumped into… [Read More]
Solar Hot Tub Heater
As part of our new “Homemade Money” plan – also known as the energy usage reduction plan, green plan, greenback plan, and ‘we wanna pay lower utility bills’ plan; it is time to get started on a solar collector to heat hot tub water. The goal of this is for us to spend less money… [Read More]
Filling the Void
Note from JD: This is part of the energy savings project that I started here. The most obvious first improvement to the energy efficiency of my home is the insulation of the dining room ceiling. As you can see from the photos, I have a plank type ceiling (which I really love). For some reason,… [Read More]