Hello Everyone!
Getting some good rest, More container washing, Draining water from the tent & Some thoughts on biodigesters!
Alright, I am running about sixteen minutes behind schedule with my writing routine... but close enough to being 'on time' that it does not really matter. I also once again avoided getting sucked into watching lame videos... so I guess my short lived exploration of them has come to an end.
Last night, I was not up super late and wound up getting a good night's sleep... which was a nice change and hopefully a sign that I am getting back on track with falling asleep early. I still have not managed to do more than wake up and drift right back off to sleep before dawn... but eventually I can perhaps get up the motivation to not go back to sleep when that happens.
All that said, I did get up not that long after dawn and dove into my Hive engagement routine rather straightaway. I am unsure just how much I actually engaged... but I do recall doing a good bit of reading as well as watching some of the 'price action' and hoping that it does not tank before a few of my power down cycles complete.
For the most part I zoned out watching a sci-fi show until around noon... when I headed outdoors to get more of those containers washed that I have been working on lately. I actually got all those ones I have been soaking washed except for that toolbox... because the way that I had it in the barrel before it had a milk crate below it... and I could not fully submerge it to soak.
The other thing that I worked on was getting all the standing water out of the tent that I have setup on the deck inside the dog yard. Previously I had mentioned how I was hoping that it would drain through any 'pinholes' that might be in its floor... but it never drained and those recent storms left even more water inside of it.
To get everything to drain I had to unscrew the screws that I have the tent anchored to the deck with... and carefully pull the sides in (from inside the tent) then grab the rear wall of the tent... and slowly pull it towards the opening for the doorway. At one point I thought that I might have broken one of the poles doing that... but thankfully it had simply popped off its stud and was fine.
There was still a small amount of water still in the tent once I got it anchored back in place... so I used my plastic bristle broom to sweep it all over the tent floor so that it would evaporate. That strategy seems to have worked rather well... because when I checked it later in the day most of the water was gone aside from a tiny amount that had pooled at the rear of the tent.
Anyways, I have been thinking more on those anaerobic biodigesters and weighing the cons of them in regards to how they need a fair amount of sun... and how during the winters (in northern climates) they do not function all that well due to the low temperatures. Aside from putting a greenhouse over it (to trap heat) I have been thinking that I could maybe use the biogas to fuel a heater to help keep the temperature in the greenhouse at an optimal level.
I am unsure just how 'safe' it would be to have the digester, the methane supply (that sits atop the digester) and the heater all in the same enclosed area... but I think as long as I put some kind of alarm (and maybe a fire suppression system) in place it should be okay. Alternatively, I was also thinking that I could keep the heater (or even a boiler) outside of the enclosure... and do some kind of radiant heating (with water) instead of having to worry about the hazards of employing an open flame.
From everything I have read (and watched) about those systems... I am really thinking that between my own and all the dog waste... I would be able to produce a lot of biogas... which would be necessary if I want to keep the digester warm with the aforementioned heating plan. Like I was saying the other day, I could also compress the biogas into tanks... which might be the way to do it if I per say 'bottled' it all during the warmer months to heat the digester with during the colder months.
Honestly for the longest time I thought that those biodigesters were kind of hokey... but now that I have really looked into the technology it is rather impressive. I think that what 'gets me' the most about it is just how simple the entire setup is... and although the biogas could definitely be cleaned up a bit more (than what the prefab units do) adding a few extra filters (or a scrubber) should not be all that challenging.
Well, I have rambled on enough for this entry. I hope that everyone is doing well and has a nice time. Ta ta for now.
