Anotherpower.com Forum
Off Grid Living / Camping => Off Grid Living / Alternative Housing => Topic started by: MadScientist267 on August 08, 2012, 09:07:35 pm
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Well, it's been a long time guys... And for good reason.
Long story short about how all of this started. Wife had enough and threw me out. 'Nuff said.
Let's leave some other priorities and details out of this, otherwise it will be Christmas 2027 before you all ever reach the end of the story. Those that know my articles know they're long enough as is. This one is NO exception by far... :)
Having gone around in desperation checking out things like shelters and the like, I decided they weren't for me. I stayed 4 hours at one the second night out, and realized that there are a lot more unfortunate individuals than myself. You see and hear about it, but nothing is as humbling as witnessing it first hand. That said, I ended up living in my car, and the "dream" that I had been working on with the solar theater all of a sudden no longer looked like it was going to happen. Ever. Well, at least not ANY time soon.
To say the least, sleeping in a car, albeit a full-size sedan, is for the birds. I tried all kinds of things to get comfortable, it just wasn't happening. I even had a jogger think I was dead as he was going by at 4 AM because I had both back doors opened so I could stretch out in the back seat (Im 6'2"). That's not exactly my favorite way to wake up; lemme just throw that out there. :(
Ok so fast forward a week or so, and I got wind that Wally World (Wal-Mart for those not "in the loop") is the place to be if you're sleeping in your car. If you pick the right one, there's little to deal with, and you might even make some friends. ;)
I was still sleeping in the car, and I noticed that each day, a younger female was going to and fro a van that was parked in various spots over the course of time. One night after a few days of this, and my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to go over and say hi and see maybe if I could gleen some tips and such. We ended up talking for about 4 hours, and her story made mine seem pale in comparison. She had been living in the van for about 4 months, and because the van had engine issues, she was walking over a mile back and forth every day to go to work at the local McDonalds. She had been pondering her out for a while, and decided that she was done with making minimum wage, living in a van, dealing with the heat of the summer (over 100F some days) and needed to get out.
Turns out, my timing was impeccable. She had a train ticket lined up to take her to the airport the following day so that she could go to Oregon to be with her mother. You could have knocked me over by blowing on me with a straw when I heard that. And after talking with her for even that short period of time, I realized I was dealing with a very intelligent, articulate, level headed girl. I say girl, she was 22. It was depressing to know that there would be one less worthwhile candidate for the gene pool on the eastern seaboard.
Now I told you all of that to tell you this...
I had offered to take her to the airport directly, and she said that she already had the train ticket. Ok, no problem. How about a ride to the train station then? She was reluctant at first (obviously, I would have almost been concerned for her wellbeing had she not). After about another hour or so of chatting, she said "I think I'll accept your offer for a ride to the train station."
Ok, we're all set then. We chatted a bit more, then decided it was time to crash for the night. We each went "home", to meet up again in the morning. That's when things suddenly got REALLY interesting.
She had mentioned leaving the van behind (duh!) the previous night, and I thought she was kidding when she said she'd give it to me. Hmmm...
So we're at the train station, and I just kinda non-chalantly mentioned the van, kinda just being a smartass. What happened next blew my mind. She puts down one of the two bags she had with her and dug out a title and signed it... :O
I couldn't really absorb what was happening, and there was an awkward silence afterward. I thanked her, and she reached out to shake my hand. Not what I was expecting, but ok. Then she drifted with silence off to the line for the train, never to be seen by my eyes again. Bitter sweet to say the least. I felt like I lost a life long friend even though we had only known each other for less than 24 hours.
I told you all of that to tell you this...
This is where you guys come in.
I have learned so much from everything I have read on this and the "other" board. The wisdom on here is absolutely unmatched and taught me more than you OR I may ever know consciously.
Even as early as about my first night (after trying the shelter) living in the car, I began to use what I had learned here and "there" to construct the foundation for living in such an environment. Nutshell? Shrink need, then apply force.
I had to discard "life as I knew it" to pull this off. And quick. I got a comment from a guy that isn't homeless, but refuses to pay for hotel rooms when he comes down here from Pennsylvania. He said "Wow, you've been at this how long? You've already got it figured out as far as I can tell." - He's been doing this for years.
Ok so anyway, I now have a van. Inside is of course all the basic stuff one might need for survival. A basic place to lay a head, some clothes, a can opener, you know... Camping stuff. From this, I built.
[attach=1]
Here is the van, a 1994 Chevy Astro. It has "personality issues" with the engine/computer that I have been able to tame somewhat with a little TLC, some parts, and a little inginuity. But it is still far from "road worthy", at least for any REAL distance. I've driven it about 100 miles or so, and let's just say one of my issues with it is that it's a little scary on the interstate. Back roads only. :/
[attach=2]
I spent one night in it, and ended up breaking the undercarriage of the bed. They were undersized wooden slats about 1/4 inch thick and a couple inches or so wide. My guess is to give some springyness. Well, 2 of them failed under my weight overnight, and apparently she had knocked a few out herself. I found a little patch job she tried to do. It worked for her, but was insufficient for me. What you see is the final result of what I came up with to solve the problem. As luck would have it, she had about 100 feet of nylon rope stashed away elsewhere in the van. I found it and gave it it's perfect application. It has it's issues; I have to retension it about once a week or so. Once I found out I would need to do that, I simplified how it was terminated. Works good tho. Comfy. ;)
[attach=3]
Here's the bed, made. I joke with my friends about sleeping with a pillow that has a rose on it, and a pinkish-purple "comforter". But let me tell you, out of everything I found in the fabric stash department, this was by far the softest, most comfortable item in stock. Joke as you wish; I'm comfortable with my sexuality. :P
[attach=4]
One of the more interesting items in the van was an old style oil lamp. I ended up getting rid of quite a bit of stuff that I felt I really didn't need, although it's not actually gone, it's still in my car. Anyway, I felt for some reason that the lamp did not fall into the "unwanted" category. I suspended the lamp by some erroneously purchased #18 solid black wire that I got from Radio Whack. I light it when I'm pondering what has been bestowed upon me, and particularly who and how. It's an inspiration when I start to lose focus. Behind it is a burlap curtain, separating the "cab" from the "cargo" for privacy.
[attach=5]
Here is the lamp, burning. Ghurd is no longer the only one with a toe either. :P
[attach=6]
Ok from here we head into the meat and potatoes of what I have directly learned and applied from all of you. This is my main battery, there are a total of 3. This one is a 12V 12Ah Lead-Acid SLA.
The other two consist of the set of NiMH that are in the satellite amp for the original theater, and the van's cranking battery. I had to involve the van's battery to get past Peukert's law and get things back inside "the window". Running the laptop prior to doing this was a major pain in the ass. Don't worry, I realize it's not for deep cycling, and I monitor it pretty closely while using it.
[attach=7]
Here is the "control system". From left to right:
The "at-a-glance fuel gauge" for the SLA. This was put into operation as an attempt to reduce precious 9V battery consumption in the meters just to the right of it. It gives a rough idea of if the battery is full, if it is charging, roughly where it is in the charge process, is it ready for use, is it sitting at the "top of the hill" (~ 12.6V), and how close to 12.0V it is (far left deflection), should NEVER be allowed to get that low. If it does however, this little gem will warn me about it, at a glance. I also put a white LED behind the movement to illuminate it at night. Runs 24/7 @ 10mA. No biggie. :)
The diagnostic meters. These monitor voltage and current flow for the SLA, and can do gross or net current display to find problems or discrepancies in the main storage system. I no longer turn these on unless I can't figure out why power isn't going where I think it should.
The ceiling fan control. More on that in a bit.
The main system distribution outlets. They are the most accessible for things that are removable or are otherwise may to need to be disconnected at some point.
[attach=8]
The ceiling fan. This is a 120mm fan with a 1W LED die below it. Both are fully variable. I need to do some tweaking as far as distance from the "ceiling" to improve airflow and such, but for now, it's hanging from one of the original dome light holders. Helps out quite a bit, and it's reasonably efficient, provided you don't throw the "turbo" switch on the fan. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. :/
[attach=9]
The heart of the sound system. Much of this (everything but the satellite speakers) came from the theater project. Irony places the original satellites that came with the sub back in tandem operation with it. This thing still sounds really good considering, and I would have used the speakers for the theater, but there just simply isn't room. Live within your means. :)
Continued . . .
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Continued . . .
[attach=1]
My "Fridge". One of my biggest challenges out here has been staying hydrated. In fact, I've been battling really dark urine (that even turned cloudy at one point) for several weeks now. Needless to say, I started to really worry, especially when I just happened to get a message from a friend that she had ended up with a kidney infection, and that it is extremely painful. No thanks, that's the LAST thing I need out here.
My original source of cold water (which sticks with you better than warm) was free refill after refill of the "large" cup of ice from McDonalds within Wally World. Up to 3 times a day, I would go in and get my refills. It got to where everyone knows me, and I don't even have to ask. They just nod their head. Very generous. But alas, it just simply wasn't enough. I was sweating it out faster than I could put it back in. :(
The cooler was an attempt to do the McDonalds cup on a much grander scale. There was an "incubation" period, where the water I was getting was dismal at best, but after about 24 hours, it spooled up and began producing a continuous supply (as needed) of ice cold water. Depending on outside temperature, I add a 10 pound bag of ice to it somewhere between every 24 and 48 hours. This works very well, and I highly recommend it to anyone in this situation. In fact, don't bother wasting your time with any other method; it simply isn't worth the risks associated with severe dehydration. For the cost of a 16 ounce bottle of "spring" water, I can get a couple gallons of some decent tasting water, and it stays cold. Why pay more?
[attach=2]
Ok, here's the pinnacle of the entire process. Here, you can see the panel mounted up on the roof of the van from a moderate distance. I ended up cutting off the patched areas of my original lead-in cable where the dog had decided it made a tasty chew toy. Bastard. Turns out, I didn't need the whole length, and I ran it up along the molding inside the van, notched out the third brake light assembly at one end and sealed it up, and used good ol' fashion duct tape to keep the cable in line as it runs up to the panel.
Now, I must pause here for a moment and tell a story about epic failure in orders of magnitude on my part. During the development of the theater, if anyone recalls, there were originally two 30W panels in the design. 24V nominal. Well, I was going to split them up, and have two different 12V systems in the van; one dedicated to the laptop, the other to support everything else.
One night, I was tired, wasn't thinking straight, and was trying to get some engine sensor issues figured out via the doghouse of the van. I went to take the van for a test drive, and as I got up on the main road, I punched it (trying to find shift points). I went around a curve, and well...
I totally forgot that BOTH panels were up on the roof, and were not tied down by ANY means whatsoever. I heard something shift and then a couple of strange sounds coming from behind the van. Immediately it hit me what had happened, but was there anything left of my one and only source of power?
Let's just say it's just a good thing that it was so late that night. I did one of the messiest "3 point" turns I have ever done in my life and headed back from whence I came. One laying in the lane I was just in, the other directly in front of the van. I stopped and got out, saw pieces of the frame from one of them, and picked up what was left of the panel the parts came from. It might just as well have been a warm slice of mozarella; I couldn't even look. It was totally destroyed. I immediately flung it off the side of the road, and kicked the remaining frame pieces off the other side. Somewhere in there, a lot of explatives came out, I was pretty pissed at myself.
Along about this time, I stepped back over in front of the van. Now keep in mind, I hadn't had this thing but a handful of days at this point and had no idea where many of the controls were. I didn't bother looking for the flasher switch, time was of the essence! Only the taillights were glowing on the back of the van. Along about this time, an SUV (of undetermined type) flew around me in the opposing lane and yelled "ASS HOLE!!!" as he went by. I realize that he had no idea what had just happened, but my immediate thoughts were that I really didn't give two $#!+5 what he thought about me; I had just crumbled a hundred or so bucks worth of PV. Screw 'em.
I looked down, and to my amazement, the other panel looked to be intact, but I couldn't tell - it was laying face down. I picked it up, turned around with it and got in the headlight's beam, and I have NO idea WHY, but it was intact! The connections had been ripped off of the tabs, which I later fixed, but other than some scratches around the frame on the cell side, it was all there! I'm still puzzled by this. Amazing!
[attach=3]
Here it is, from the back. You can see the handy dandy duct tape engineering at work here, along with some non-UV resistant zip ties. Sue me, I don't have much cash. I'll fix it as soon as I can.
[attach=4]
Here it is from the front. Here you can see the over-abundance of RTV sealing up the screws/brackets (as well as helping as much as it does with adhesion). What can I say? I love the stuff. The panel aint goin' nowhere, I promise. You can also see where the lead-in runs into the brake light, with a similar sealing scheme. Redneck engineering at it's finest. :)
One other worthy note about the story itself: I did not drop ONE DIME "after the fact" into putting it all together. I managed to pull everything together from things I already had (most from the theater project) and thanks to me finally learning a lesson about "standards" and modularity, everything is plug and play. Need a diode? Throw it in there. A buck converter would be better than a direct connection right here? Drop it in and tweak the pots. It really is that simple.
Ok, with all of that being said, I want to show my appreciation to each and every one of you that has helped me directly or indirectly by providing me with the knowledge and prowess to pull this off. I'm not going to mention any names specifically; not because I don't want to give credit where it's due, oh contraire! I don't want to leave anyone OUT!
So thank you to all of you, some of you know who you are, and others may have no idea, but I have read a lot of posts and have become that much wiser from all of your experiences. I wish I could somehow repay you; maybe this is the only way - Returning the knowledge and wisdom back to the pool for someone else to use.
I want to specifically endorse the IRC channel however - Real time chat can get you some quick answers sometimes when you're up against a wall and baffled by something. Plenty of wisdom in there to help as well as on the forum.
Thanks to all of your help, I'm actually ENJOYING this experience! Believe it or not...
Again, Thank you!
Steve
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Go drop $10 on a 'hush button' style smoke detector and install it with fresh batteries.
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Steve, over the years I've tried to tape cables into small ridges like you have, on vehicles. (I used to do a lot of foxhunts etc and had all manner of antennas temporarily rigged in various vehicles).
Tape across the wire as you have it seems logical, but I've usually had it come off fairly quickly (especially at speed) because it's directly across the airflow, and you leave lots of cable unsupported.
I've learned that (if you can spare the tape), to run it ALONG the wire. The wire is then held in the channel all the way along and doesn't flap about, and the tape tends to stay put. A piece across at either end (start and finish) helps keep it down too.
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Steve, you are obviously pretty adaptable, fast on your feet. You will do alright. Some good luck would help,
and that is what I wish for you.
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Awesome set up! Good luck to you, sir.
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Many years ago a similar kind of thing happened to me and I wound up living on a boat with a blown engine anchored out. I had an inner tube to get out to the boat at first and then later upgrade to a plywood dinghy.
You are already living better than I did after a year! Congrats on be flexible and adapatable! I scrounged and worked my way back to a better situation and you obviously will too.
But I second the smoke and CO detector. I have been a volunteer fire fighter for 12 years or so and I have seen at least 6-8 deaths in vans and small trailers. And the lamp, while awesome, is putting CO out and even low level exposure for prolonged periods can cause permanent neural damage. At least have a couple of windows open.
Good luck!
Jonathan
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And the lamp, while awesome, is putting CO out and even low level exposure for prolonged periods can cause permanent neural damage.
Good catch on the CO detector, I only thought about it this morning... NOTE those Marlboro's are giving low level CO exposure already so a smoker in a confined space is much more susceptible - the smoker is already at 10,000 feet elevation as far as blood oxygen capacity is concerned...
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convert that lamp to a couple of yellow/orange LEDs while not very bright they
are cozy and safer....please?
One of those tent (flying saucer with 20 leds + 1) gives plenty of light a phone
charger with switcher diodes gives the right amount of current and voltage 5.2v I
think (thanks Ghurd) (more on that project some other time)
and I had exactly the same color 93 Astro goofy fuel injectors....had to start it
every day if you didn't do it just right it would flood and would have to take the
dog house off and disconnect a wire .....that would stop it from squirting in more gas
until the flooded engine started then connect the wire again bad computer I guess.
Duct tape deteriorates in time and weather.....
Norm.
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Duct tape deteriorates in time and weather.....
Norm.
Indeed it does!
I have some Gorilla Tape that has been exposed to the weather for going on 3 years and still looks like new under the dust and bird $#!+e.
I don't even use the gray stuff anymore. If it lasts one season you got an extra good batch!
Gorilla Tape has generous stickum and resists sunlight so worth the extra cost. I got mine cheap in a case lot for about $4 a roll at a surplus outlet not the $10 plus it sells for now retail. I am stocked up until the world ends (for me).
If its called "Duck Tape" you may as well leave it on the store shelves. Real Duct tape is a tad better but the monkey tape beats them all hands down.
Just sayin.
Tom
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Yeah Gorilla tape crossed my mind when I said it real life experience with $1 a roll
duct tape used on an old car left a lot to be desired....to say the least.
Duct tape used by someone for the riding lawnmower seat told the story of
what not to use....
Norm
charging 16.20 but would drop to 15.7 if I shut it off time to give it a break
monitoring very close.....
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Duck Tape
vs
Duct Tape
http://www.ducttapeguys.com/duckvsduct.html
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thanks for the enlightening info Woofer
Norm
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Wow Steve!
I'm new here so I haven't seen your other posts.
It's good for those of us clinging onto the "middle class" lifestyle to know what it's like when you fall through the cracks.
If you are willing to tell more of how your day to day goes - I for one am interested.
About the business of tensioning up your bed ropes - I think that's where the saying "sleep tight" comes from.
Hang in there & best wishes - Joel
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Damn---I learned where the term "sleep tight" originated, and all about Duck/Duct tape all in about
five minutes.
Love this place. ;D
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Interesting reading there MadScientest
Guess you don't have steady internet access since you haven't logged in after posting the original thread. Hope your not in trouble.
I've slept in a car a whole bunch of times, but I cant recall ever living in one. Just so happens that I have an extended Cargo Van so I am almost there in case my wife gets even more unhappy with me.
I was working with a band in West Monroe Louisiana back around 1984 and we had some times where we were making very little money. The band manager was renting an old movie theater and I decided to stay in the projection booth and try to just buy food (think Phantom of the Opera here). I was living on $10 a week and eating sandwiches made on a Presto-Burger electric grill. It wasn't too bad, I had free electricity , TV, water and a place to poop.
Then the manager couldn't afford the utilities anymore and it all got cut off. so I started stealing electricity from the the air conditioner for the hardware store on one side of the theater. and getting water from a water faucet behind the cities Crime Lab on the other side. I got drinking water in a water cooler and flush water in a 5 gallon bucket.
A fairly interesting time, eventually moved back home to Alabama and got a real job as a stagehand.
"Good Luck" to you and I'll try and give you some tips on how to live cheap in a confined space . . .
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Ahh the memories . . . it's all coming back to me now, living in the theater . . .
MadScientest, I know that you don't have AC power available but I did.
There was a place across the street that was making ice, I was buying blocks of it for $1 and it would last 4 days in the chest cooler that I had. I had all the Bologna, Cotto Salomi and Spaghetti sauce in a jar that a few dollars could buy. That presto burger grill was working so good.
http://www.amazon.com/Presto-Burger-400-Watt-Nonstick-Hamburger/dp/B0017UO77E
I was making toast, french toast, hamburgers, sausage, eggs, and other tasty stuff on it.
Had a hotplate and made spaghetti noodles with it, added sauce from the jar and cut up some bologna into it, cheap to make and has staying power as food. In the winter the hotplate doubled as a room heater. I made a lightbulb heater, it was a 100w bulb inside a tin can. I could put a can of food on top and it would be ready to open and eat in a little more than an hour. Just stir and munch.
In today's money I think I could eat minimally and decent for about $25 a week using these same appliances.
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slept on a rack something like that for 4 years sometimes drunk....(USN)
only rope and canvas and 2 inch? mattress......
I guess a ship is kinda "off grid" when underway? :)
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steve-
bummer about the situation, though it seems you're making the best from it!
do you have a mailing address? or any way you can get mail? was thinking of sending you a hospitality package!
adam
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steve-
bummer about the situation, though it seems you're making the best from it!
do you have a mailing address? or any way you can get mail? was thinking of sending you a hospitality package!
adam
x2 ^
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Steve,
I just got back in town. Really sorry to hear about the situation. Since you don't live that far away, if you need anything PM me. With what's going on my life right now I can't offer you housing at my place. But I may have some gear etc that may help, lots of camping stuff, coolers, stoves etc.. Too bad I just got rid of the boat (I know you didn't need to hear that)
feel free to PM me ,
Rover.
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Some gas stations "inventory" ice bags, as in a 2 pound box of 1000 bags intended for ice.
If a bag broke, it looked like it was stolen.
I "heard" sometimes they will sell a cooler full of ice for $1 as candy to cover inventory lost to shoplifters.
That was back before UPC codes on everything... never know.
Places with ice machines know the machine makes ice 24/7/365, and 90% of it it just melts to dilute the sewage for the facility processing it.
Never hurts to ask.
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Thank you guys for all the support. It means a lot to me.
Also, I appreciate the offers for the help. I'm ok for now, and tight on space, but I will keep you guys in mind if I find myself in a real bind. ;)
Yes, its difficult to get on here regularly, power is of course scarce and I have to be picky and choosy about what I use when. Tomorrow is looking like a decent day of sun, so I may be a able to get on here and give some more of the details of day to day life. The job prospect is looking up just a bit tho, so my luck will of course be that the two will collide, and of course, well, priorities. ;)
I will go ahead and address the concern that is apparently on more than one of your minds; the oil lamp. I actually have 3 devices that use combustion to operate. A stove, heater, and the lamp. The van "came with" a carbon monoxide detector, so I'm good there. I don't run anything without the windows open to some degree anyway, and I don't go to sleep with them on either. As for the smoke detector, not sure why this would be necessary since I would always be awake and present when using these devices...? Unless someone can think of something I'm missing. If I'm still in the van when winter comes, I will preheat the van with the heater and then use the overwhelming supply of blankets and such that also came with the van.
The only other reason I can think of to have a smoke detector is for the wiring, but that doesn't seem prudent either; fuses are appropriately placed with the exception of one right at the SLA. It's fuse is downstream a couple of feet in the meter box, but is the first thing the battery sees when it gets there. There are also several diodes in place (primarily as isolation to prevent cross charging/discharging), but of course have the effect of keeping shorts isolated too. And they are rated 6A, so if something were to go wrong and they were the weakest link for whatever reason, there's a good chance that they would explode and disconnect the problem before it gets worse. Not necessarily, but probable.
Well that's it for the moment. I'm using my phone to type this, which can be frustrating to say the least, but when I have enough surplus power, I'll get on with the laptop and do some more updates, as well as the day to day stuff. I also have a couple new toys I'll share.
I can be found on IRC more often than replying on the forum because I have an IRC client installed on the phone, and the chat is shorter and easier (tho slower than a computer) to yap with.
Until next time,
Steve
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Ahem, think you have problems now? Oh sure, its nice and dreamy cozy in the Burn Ward at the hospital, good drugs too....
I *DO* have gaps in my life from a friend, a teacher and friend-of-the-family dying from smoke inhalation.
I know offhand of four houses/apartments getting burned out by a single errant lit cigarette.
Run, don't walk, to WalMart and pick up a smoke detector... AND INSTALL IT.
No more of this 'I'll always be awake... " crap, thats circular logic worthy of enough buffalo chips for everyone.
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Unrelated to the possibility of death.
Steve,
I do have a lot of good camping gear / junk that you can either sell or use. I won't be using it.... I prefer hotels etc. This stuff is literally taking up room in my attic. (camping stoves, 13x13' Kelty tent, etc ) .
Just pick it up.
Rover
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Mad,
I'm with Dan, in a big way. None of the crispy critters/stiffs I've seen intended to die. My offer of a detector still stands and you can pay me back in the future if you want to. But I'd be paying my own karma debts, so I'd rather you didn't worry about it.
Jonathan
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Wow, you guys are serious about this... :/
The budget being what it is at the moment, I'm holding out for now. You'll be happy to know that your message has sunk in however. With the exception of using the heater this morning, I haven't used anything requiring combustion recently. I ran the heater to drive the relative humidity down so I could get more of the water that spilled the other night out if the carpet. Of course, in that case, I was actually outside the van for each "pulse" of heat (about 5 minutes each). There's no way I could have tolerated the conditions inside. CO is a minimal concern when the temperatures are above heat stroke levels. I monitored closely from the front window both visually and with my hand to keep things within reason.
I'll promise tho to not use any of them with me inside until I have a detector installed.
So, I guess that being said, I concede I would be in danger, and close by saying I believe the phrase is "It's not actually paranoia if something is truly out to get you." :D
Steve
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Well, after working on 3 days with a non-existent/useless photon supply, I have had to give in a little and do some battery to battery charge transfer. The SLA was getting, staying, and headed further toward the damage end of the SoC scale, and I didn't want to stress it more than it already has been in the past. As it is, there is somewhere in the range of a 25% capacity loss, taking it down to 9Ah or so. A little bit of abusive charging alternating with less than full sitting conditions have made their dent.
Normally, I would consider this "cheating", but I have put several amp hours of charge into the van's battery at one point in time or another via PV, and I'm not taking anything out that hasn't been put in this way at some point. Even though a fair percentage of the juice for this particular transfer came from the gas tank, the charge did not initiate out of necessity, just a coincidental side effect of driving the van.
So, as far as I'm concerned, I haven't violated the boundary, and this is all still 100% RE powered. :)
If the sun ever comes back out, after everything is full again, I will light the laptop up and put up more of those pics I promised, and get into the day to day thing in detail.
Until then,
Steve
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Minor update -
Been working on everything from aqua to zen, and have found one "donation" request that would be highly useful...
A line driver or preamp that has a gain of maybe 10 and is of course stereo. Only requirements is that it needs to be a power sipper (kinda inherent anyway) and run on a single ended supply from 11 to 18V or so...
Ideally would have an input level, gain, and output pots. I don't need it in a box, I'll take care of that. Should be trivial for someone that might even have the parts laying around in a junk box. The less noise the better. :)
Other than that, I've got everything set up. The smoke/CO detector will be installed soon, and I have a PIR sensor that I plan on using with the existing "CO" detector (doesn't appear to work, or at least I can't trigger it without hitting the button, which says nothing of the sensor inside). That bitch is loud as I don't know what and a few seconds blast to any curious individual in the middle of the night would spook him off for sure. >X-D
I tend to sleep with the side door open at night for airflow, but its of course risky. The PIR unit I have has a remote on/off, so its all set to go ;)
Got all the batteries full today, even managed to do limited equalization on the vans cranker. I got a bunch of new pics and will put them up very soon! ;)
Til then,
Steve
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Back in the early 80's I was driving a truck for a Bar Band that played in the SouthEast states. It was me, a 50 lb dog and an 18 foot, 6 wheel box truck. Most nights I stayed in a motel room with the band, but on a third of the nights I would end up sleeping in the cab of the truck with my dog buddy.
I was great at spotting Store signs that had a 120v AC outlet on them. After awhile I knew of one sign in every city that I would sleep at. I would pull up afterdark and after closing and run an extension cord out to the sign. Once inside the truck it was split out to a TV/Radio, Cooking appliances, lights and fans. In the winter I had a heater too. The big thing when doing this was Not Blow the Circuit Breaker, cause it could not be reset and I might be discovered stealing their power.
I did this over about 3 years time and never once was discovered sleeping in somebodys parking lot. These days there are a lot less signs that have power outlets on them (or I don't notice them), but I'm not sleeping in a different city every few days either.
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When we were younger and newly wed, my wife and I had to take any job we could get to survive.
Well the wife landed a decent job working medical records but it was a temp. Problem was this was a 50 mile drive daily.
Having only one car, meant that if I were to be mobile and able to job hunt without spending excessive money on fuel we didn't have I would need to drive her., and wow were they early and long work hours.
I had a cell way back in the 90's so I didn't have to stay put to wait for an interview call. I also had a lot of computer stuff to keep me busy.
I would drive her to work in that city, and then do my rounds trying to find a job.
I had 3 main hangouts.
One place head great restroom facilities that were NEVER in use so were nice and private ( JC Pennies), a CO-OP truck stop, which had a power outlet WAY back in the rear of the lot behind a fences oil dumpster. I knew the schedule of the oil replacement, every Tuesday and Friday at 7:30 am so I just knew to avoid that time to be plugged in. Here I would bring a full sized PC and bulky monitor and sit and play games or watch movies there in a cramped Camaro.
Then the other hangout was another truck stop /gas station that had booths for businessmen etc to make calls and or do work.
It seemed I would always wind up jump starting a truck driver, and getting a pop or some thank you for doing so.
I would spend an hour or so daily after interviewing, or visiting businesses to find work, documenting where I was and what all I did, and my impressions of how it went.. I am amazed today looking back on how thorough I was yet it took SO long to find work..
The owners didn't mind having me around at all, in fact when someone would come in asking for help with a vehicle problem they generally pointed over to me and said, there's the guy to ask. They even considered hiring me when they were to have an open position, but I got another job first.
Funny part, when I got a job, I got that job because of sitting there doing this.
A test car driving facility crew were making their daily stop. One day a crew leader came over and asked why ihe would see me there all the time, then offered it to me on the spot after I explained.
This sticks in memory so well because of how long I would do this before I found a job, and how I would up with one.
After all that work running and searching, the job came to me instead.
Final thought...
I felt so sorry for anyone buying a Dodge/Chrysler Neon after seeing the inside scoop of how they design them.
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Those who mentioned the smoke/CO detector thing can finally rest that much better knowing what their statements have not gone unheeded.
I now have both installed even if by only experimental means, they are there. I can tell you this; while CO may be colorless, odorless, and tasteless, it can definitely be picked up by the human symptomatically... Burning eyes, onset of headache, fatigue, and so on.
Mine has a readout in PPM and the higher the # the worse it gets
Steve
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I'm really glad you got the CO detector! I didn't post about your heater because I woulda hadda say something about safety and I'm sure it gets old. Anyway, just beware of chronic low level exposure . It can result in permanent neurological damage. There, I feel better!
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The CO exposure in being a regular cigarette smoker already places the body into effects similar to being at 8-10,000' elevation.
So if you puff you're one foot in the grave already before any exposure to persistent low CO level environments.
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My typical readings are from 30-70 ppm depending on torch/dryer/fresh air exchange speeds.
The highest it sees is during max heat production (highest flame and maximum disturbance) during the first warmup. I have learned to be able to correspond at least one immediate detection method with no electronics whatsoever.
When the CO increases (according to the meter), my eyes burn proportionally to the level. Not necessarily a good indicator of level, but appears to be enough to say, either check it out, or get out.
Set the smoke detector off at least once (accidentally with a cigarette). So all equipment is at least functional. ;)
Steve
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http://coconundra.info/CO_Levels.php (http://coconundra.info/CO_Levels.php)
"10-30 ppm = CO level in exhaled breath of smokers within one to two hours after they last smoked. Exhaled CO in smokers remains chronically above 5ppm until days after they quit smoking. "
"100 ppm = CO level above which the Baltimore fire department requires the immediate evacuation of any building, although in most cases they usually order evacuations above 25ppm."
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Thinking that there are enough discrepancies that the levels are in grey areas, but since I don't poke up above 100 (except when I did a test), I should be safe for the most part. In "hold" mode, the level drops to "0" (because of some law that says they have to read 0 at any level below 29ppm. With normal operation generating heat with moderate flame/fan,, the, meter rarely goes over 50.
Nobody is arguing that exposure to this gas should be kept minimized, but after reading a bit, I should be within safe exposure limits. The meter also has a clearable peak reading memory so that if for some reason it does spike at some point, I can find out about it.
Steve
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Well, lots of work to show soon, but here's the electron pumps :)
[attach=1]
Works for me :D
As soon as I get it all finished up, I'm gonna slam it all out there, but for now this is all you get :P
Steve
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Steve - how goes your habitation experiment?
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Not bad, many changes. A new thread was put up, but at the moment I must warn you, its picture ridden with 54 2MB Pictures, more than 100MB TO LOAD THE PAGE !!!
A series of solutions to the problem are being worked out, but if you have the bandwidth and aren't concerned with overages or anything like that, and possibly even willing to have to refresh the page a couple times to get it all loaded, then here you go:
http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,741.msg7120.html#msg7120
After the mess is resolved, I will change this post to just a link. But for now, all have been warned! :)
At least from THIS thread... :/
Steve
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I had found this quite some time ago, and just ran across it again.
I knew your adventure seemed familiar.
http://www.salon.com/2009/12/07/living_in_a_van/ (http://www.salon.com/2009/12/07/living_in_a_van/)
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Heh yeah... Does sound awfully familiar... Well, except for that whole college part... But did you notice the cop magnet factor? I'm telling you... Someone should let this guy know - if you put an "air conditioner" on top, you'll graduate from college campus rent-a-cops to full on city and county police, in numbers at that, on a regular basis...
But the "get busted at 2 mos factor"... Seems to be a pattern here. Maybe he sat in the shade too long... I can only attest that full sun daily only attracts wally world managers and their minions hahaha
Nice find ;)
Steve