Normal Park Museum Magnet School, where my son Alex will attend 3rd grade this year, recently expanded to include the middle school on Mississippi Avenue. The school was renovated this summer to prepare for the new school year. Approximately forty one Contractors donated time and material to get the work done.
Our part was to build four cabinets for the art room. Mrs. Myers, the art teacher, needed storage for art supplies so we worked Nancy Stewart of Cross Cabinets to build four cabinets for her room.
Artisans Skip, Eric and Barret help with the delivery and set up. To finish the cabinets we will apply a coat of sanding sealer and then a few coats of polyurethane. The “crumb crunchers” will have a hard time destroying these cabinets!
Update: Alex will be attending 4th grade this year at the upper school campus. We made these cabinets last summer during the intial renovation of the school.
Owning property is a wonderful thing. Have you ever thought about the true boundaries of your property? I am sure you have seen a survey or a tax map of your property but that is just a boring 2D view of your lot. Your property also includes a “slice of the sky”. Your slice of the sky provides abundant resources that slip by every day. Examples of these are rain water, wind and solar energy. Last month we featured an article on rain water harvesting. This month we want to revisit solar power.
Thin Film Photovoltaic Cell
Solar energy technology has been around for years. In 1905 Albert Einstein published his paper on the photoelectric effect, along with a paper on his theory of relativity. In 1992 researchers at the University of South Florida develop a 15.9% efficient thin-film photovoltaic cell made of cadmium telluride, breaking the 15% barrier for this technology. Thank God for Wikipedia :)
Solar Shingle Application
The breakthrough for solar energy use in residential applications was made in 1998 when Subhendu Guha, a scientist noted for pioneering work in amorphous silicon, leads the invention of flexible solar shingles. The shingles operate on the same principles as conventional solar cells: sunlight falls on thin layers of silicon and stimulates an electric current.
Solar Shingle
The basic solar roof shingle system consists of 4 main components; solar shingle modules, a charge controller, batteries and an inverter. The shingle modules integrate seamlessly with your existing shingle system and are interconnected and lead to a combiner box.
Combiner Box
This combiner box is basically a DC breaker panel that provides over current protection for the system.
Charge Controller
Solar Battery
From the combiner box the DC current travels to the charge controller which prevents the batteries from being overcharged and eliminates any reverse current flow from the batteries back to the solar modules at night. The batteries store the energy from the solar shingles and feed DC power the inverter which converts it to 120 VAC power.
DC/AC Inverter
I am surprised this technology has not been used more in our area. I know we have affordable electricity and the pay back is a long wait but it just seems silly to ignore natural resources. The argument I always here against these technologies is that it takes too long recoup the initial cost. These same people will go out and buy a $75k automobile that will depreciate faster than you can say “over priced european car”, sorry Jonathan :)
I am a crotchety conservative and whole heartedly believe in the American dream but let me challenge you to think about your home the same way you think about your automobile or other luxury vehicle. Your home can be cool, sexy and technology rich! Sure, a smart home will cost a little more, just like that European sports car, but your home will almost always appreciate and having a smart home is a great selling feature when the market is slow. If you have questions or are interested in having a solar shingle system installed on your home, give us a call and we will help design and build your project.
Ok, whether you’re a liberal tree hugger or a crotchety old conservative like me :) we can all agree that conserving resources and/or getting free stuff is a good thing. We are all in this boat called Earth together. So no matter which side of the fence you’re on, harvesting rain water is a good thing. Using a simple system of collection, storage and distribution we can water the sod, wash the dog and keep that giant SUV clean during the dry times. The collection system is typically your roof, gutters and downspouts. Your first line of protection against debris in your system is a good gutter screen.
Gutter Screen
These screens will keep the bulk of leaves and other debris out of your rain water collection system.The next component is called a leaf catcher or rain head.
Leaf Catcher/Rain Head
From the leaf catcher the water moves to a device called a first flush water diverter.
First Flush Diverter
The first flush of water from the roof can contain amounts of bacteria from decomposed insects, skinks, bird and animal droppings and concentrated tannic acid. It may also contain sediments, water borne heavy metals and chemical residues, all of which are undesirable elements to have in a water storage system. As the water level rises in the diverter chamber the ball floats, and once the chamber if full, the ball rests on a seat inside the diverter chamber preventing any further water entering the diverter. The subsequent flow of water is then automatically directed along the pipe system to the tank. The next component is a device called a filter pit.
Filter Pit
Filter pits are extremely beneficial when used in conjunction with underground tanks or where tanks are placed downhill from the building. They are usually placed at a convenient spot in the garden, part way between the building and the tank and are a ‘junction’ where the pipes from around the house meet, and from which the main pipe/s then connect to the storage tank. They handle large volumes of water and have insect proof stainless steel screens.Eventually the rain water will make its way to an above or below ground water storage tank.
Above Ground Tanks
The typical range in tank size is from 300 to 2500 gallons. There are much larger tanks available but an assessment of your goals and local rainfall amounts should be completed before choosing a tank size.
Under Eave Tank
From the tank you will decide where your collected water will go.
Below Ground Tanks
The most popular option is an irrigation system for your garden or yard. You can also install a yard hydrant for washing vehicles or pets. We do not recommend connecting this system to your potable water supply in your home. This will eliminate the trouble you may run into with local codes and crotchety inspectors :) The diagram is one example of one type of complete system.Your system will vary with your project goals, budget and site.If you want more information on products or are interested in having rain water harvesting system installed, contact us. We now offer this and a range of green building technologies for your project.
It is so important for us to return to basic principals if we are going to take our country back from politicians. We have become so complacent it is scary. We have let technology disconnect us from each other and from society. I have to admit it seems easier to watch what is happening from the comfort of my home office and think “wow, look what is happening to those people” and really it is happening to me also.
The fundamental concept we have gotten away from is liberty. Liberty is a right and at the same time a responsibility. We are guaranteed liberty but the responsibility to practice liberty remains with us the individual.
The basic principal behind liberty is that we own ourselves and our property and no other person or group can force there will over us. We are all created equal. Our elected officials have no more liberty than we. An individual or group can’t elect someone and then have that person force his will over us either. Just think about the implications. This means our government has overstepped its bounds on almost everything it has touched.
If we all could understand and practice liberty the government would be a lot smaller and we would have less intrusion into our lives. I fear that government will continue to grow and at some point will own us and our liberty. Who will step forward and lead us back to basic principles or freedom and liberty?
I don’t like “ifs” but if I had the resources I would start a campaign. It would be the “Me and 49 other people campaign”. I would take myself and 49 other representatives, one from each state, to Washington and our goal would be one simple goal. Get back to basics. Rediscover the federal government’s role and remove every law, statute and tax that was unconstitutional. All earmarks and pending legislation would be suspended. Liberty and individual responsibility would be our mantra and guide.
But I am just Tony the carpenter and I need to get back to work.
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