Hide Site/Bug Out Location Construction, Part 7

[Flyin6]

What happened to the fish clearing up that water? It looks like a mud pond


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Muddy fields and muddy roads, and constant construction

Gonna be muddy-like for some time I'd guess

[EL TATE]

10k gallons of rain over a couple days probably didn't help much either.

[Flyin6]

Well, as spring rapidly approaches, the pond is completely full

I'll post some bad pics off my phone after church.

In preparation for the warming, I am currently sourcing parts to install a solar powered pond aeration system which should be up and running within a couple of weeks. Certainly before the water warms significantly

The construction of that system is here:

http://real-man-truckworks-and-survival.com/index.php?topic=5055.0

[JR]

All my pics are via phone. Most take great pics, most don't like getting run over.

[Flyin6]

Delivered the Diamond mulcher head to the farm.
What a wicked looking piece of destructive hardware!
Fits my personality perfectly ;-)

[Flyin6]

Well, the farm is still a muddy mess and it is still raining. Pond is full, grass is growing, trees are budding and now leafing out and I can't get down there to operate because it is so slick there.

But I can build things at my home in preparation to get to work for the warm months.

Today I build the pond aerator system. This will soon sit on a small concrete pad beneath the solar panels and drive air into the bottom of the pond.

I'm starting with a storage container that I opened up to vent heat generated by the pump and electronics.

[Flyin6]

I created bracing on the inside to have something to screw into, to make the bin a little stronger and to have something to secure the various electronic units to

[Flyin6]

In the bottom I placed some 3/4" plywood on one end to support either one or two batteries, and some foam insulation board to muffle the humm of the air pump

[Flyin6]

Then I hung the solar panel controller and the 300 watt inverter

[Flyin6]

I wired everything up and made an access for the air hose

[Flyin6]

No pics but I raised the lid some with some 1 1/2" square strips to make a very secure attachment and to provide additional venting.

It is now ready for a battery and some panels and that concrete pad

[JR]

So a hose to the bottom with a diffuser of some type?

[TexasRedNeck]

You probably have this figured but keep it sprayed with insecticide and some rat poison inside. That will be very attractive to critters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JR]

People in RV use pet collars too, keeps the bugs out.

[Flyin6]

So a hose to the bottom with a diffuser of some type?

Yes
http://real-man-truckworks-and-survival.com/index.php?topic=5055.0

[Flyin6]

You probably have this figured but keep it sprayed with insecticide and some rat poison inside. That will be very attractive to critters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hadn't thought about the rodent thing. Figured some small insects would get in, but the screened vents would stop most.

OK, critter poison it is!

[TexasRedNeck]

Ants are my worst enemy. Fire ants are horrible


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flyin6]

Ants are my worst enemy. Fire ants are horrible


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Corn starch and ant poison mixed together gets it into their nest

[Sammconn]

Ants are my worst enemy. Fire ants are horrible


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Corn starch and ant poison mixed together gets it into their nest

We use baking powder and icing sugar.

Chief, I'm questioning the pump.
200 watts solar, 80 watts pump, how about the other six or so hours of the day?
Where I'm going is, the battery will get some charge, sure.
IF you have 10 hours of full beautiful sun you'll harness 2 kWhr.
The pump, in the same time will use nearly half of it.
Sure it will make the first 24 hours, but Vmin of 11.8 (80% DoD) is hard cycling the battery.
I am a fan of 50% DoD or 12.2 (depending on which chart you reference) gives many times more cycles to your battery.

The math of the pump is nearly 2 kWhr every 24 hours.

Now, depending on the inverter, will it 'shut off' due to low volts?

The next day, say you only get 5 hours of sun, now we're at deficit of watts.

This is where I'm going.
Not sure if the pump is a 24/7 thing, or if you plan on cycling it?
Based on what I've seen at my cabin, I'm unsure if you have enough panel?

Partly thinking out loud and partly saying what I've seen.

[JR]

Sam has a good point and panels are cheap now, like .50 watt. Maybe 500-800 watts, just 2 panels now. They have cheap trackers if you want to max it out.

[Bob Smith]

Solar has been around for a long time. Problem is everything keeps changing so much it is very hard to keep up. At some point I will/ may have to set up for off grid but for now I just hook into the local provider and life goes on. I don’t live off grid or even have a secondary spot that is off grid. I am thinking of off grid power is ever an issue, I will set a large propane tank. Our skies up in WA have way to many clouds in the way to be able to plan a system that would provide enough energy.

[Sammconn]

FWIW with my 1 kW I’m making over 100 watts in full cloud.
It’s just you’ve got to stay ahead of your usage and have a certain amount of autonomy or a generator.
I’m jumping to 2kW when I get stranded for breakup if spring ever comes.
With any luck that will give me 200-250 in full cloud.

[Flyin6]

Ants are my worst enemy. Fire ants are horrible


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Corn starch and ant poison mixed together gets it into their nest

We use baking powder and icing sugar.

Chief, I'm questioning the pump.
200 watts solar, 80 watts pump, how about the other six or so hours of the day?
Where I'm going is, the battery will get some charge, sure.
IF you have 10 hours of full beautiful sun you'll harness 2 kWhr.
The pump, in the same time will use nearly half of it.
Sure it will make the first 24 hours, but Vmin of 11.8 (80% DoD) is hard cycling the battery.
I am a fan of 50% DoD or 12.2 (depending on which chart you reference) gives many times more cycles to your battery.

The math of the pump is nearly 2 kWhr every 24 hours.

Now, depending on the inverter, will it 'shut off' due to low volts?

The next day, say you only get 5 hours of sun, now we're at deficit of watts.

This is where I'm going.
Not sure if the pump is a 24/7 thing, or if you plan on cycling it?
Based on what I've seen at my cabin, I'm unsure if you have enough panel?

Partly thinking out loud and partly saying what I've seen.

OK, Sam, I think you started a good little conversation here
You are correct, the ET-100 is an 80 watt pump
So let's figure out how I really need to set this up.
I only want to run the thing about 50% of the time. Most people I have watched on youtube who aerate their ponds strongly recommend only turning it over 12 hours a day, and there are more than a few who say to aerate during the night and not during the day. (I have not seen any sound reasoning as to why.)
Some people are using the exact same system as I have built with either one 12 volt deep cycle battery or two 6 volt batteries.
So
It seems I need to make some changes to my design before I install it in the coming weeks to get it right out of the gate.
So, questions are:
Should I add solar capacity? How much?
Should I use one 12 volt battery or two 6 volt batteries?
Should I put the whole thing onto some sort of timer to run when I want it to run?
Any other suggestions?

[Sammconn]

I'll try to fill in the blanks that I can here:

I would find some sort of electronic timer. (I think it will draw less than a mechanical)
If the plan is to only run 5-6 hours at night you can control that with a simple timer.

A six hour run time would by the math be about .5 kWh.
Technically, if you had 2 kWh of storage you in theory "could" have three to four days autonomy.
 
So to add panels maybe not, but more panel is never a bad idea.

Battery size: You'll need 2kWh @ 12 volts, so about a 200Ah of battery I think...(my brain is struggling with the math right now)
If it were me, I'd grab two golf cart batteries from Costco and let it rip.

In a week or so you'd know if you are good or need more panel.

[JR]

Yes use an elec timer, otherwise you will need to run the inverter all the time.

Mono panels are better in changing light conditions.

To bad you didn't go with a 12v pump. Fewer losses and issues without an inverter.

[Flyin6]

Yes use an elec timer, otherwise you will need to run the inverter all the time.

Mono panels are better in changing light conditions.

To bad you didn't go with a 12v pump. Fewer losses and issues without an inverter.

The dedicated 12VDC air pumps made for dedicated pond use are expensive. So everyone out there is using this pump made to more or less run continuously to aerate their septic tanks. They last a long time and when they crash, chuck it and buy a new one and you're still ahead on the $$$$

Not sure what the stats are on the panels, guess I had better crack those open to see so I can better nail this down.

Sam is recommending two 6V golf cart batteries which is something I was thinking about so I'll likely go get those.

I'll come back with the panel stats in a bit...

[Flyin6]

Well I took a couple pics, but they are difficult to read due to the flash

But I have a single 200W panel.

So I'm thinking I just purchase another 200W panel and call it a day...

[JR]

Yep, I had the same in mind and almost posted. For the draw you need even used may work fine.

Look on FB for deals on panels, all over now. Many are 36-48v so don't forget you need a controller too. Even with a 12v panel controller are good.

I am about to upgrade the Ridge setup. I have 4x12v 200amp hour lithiums for it. Looking at inverters/controller to run everything until I get settled.

[Flyin6]

I picked up another 210W panel.

So I will be driving a 50watt pump on 410 watts of solar panels charging up the batteries

[JR]

You charge the batteries and run the pump from them. It may run off the panels but not well.

IE; Panel-charge controller-battery-inverter-motor

It will run solid and the inverter should shut down when it draws the batteries low (10.5-11v)

[Mrwoody]

JR,
where do yo source .50/watt panels?

[JR]

Friend anytime^, but I see em on FB and CL all the time.

Lots of big business go for upgrade incentives and remove good panels.

[EL TATE]

Ants are my worst enemy. Fire ants are horrible


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Corn starch and ant poison mixed together gets it into their nest

Borax and table sugar

[Flyin6]

There is a huge change coming

That

I never expected

The bottom line is I believe the farm is going up for sale

If someone here wants it before I list it, contact me privately

[Bigdave_185]

You signing up to go with Elon to Mars?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flyin6]

You signing up to go with Elon to Mars?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How    Did   You   Guess???

[dave945]

Don for president!  Who needs the farm when he’s gonna be digging up the south lawn?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JR]

OK, little more info?

[Flyin6]

OK, little more info?

I suppose "The" conversation happens in every marriage, and certainly everyone begins to look at things through a slightly different lens as we did all our life earlier.

Kat points out that no one ever helps me out on the farm, and practically thinking, that is true. It is a bunch of work. I wasn't able to get to it much at all this year so far, and it is a big overgrown mess. I just spent all day bush hogging and I have maybe 1/3 done.

She points out that my whole life is in and around our home. Dr visits, grandkids, friends, socializing, and about 90% of what I do. The big plan was to take this big house that we spent $500K building in 07 which is now north of a mil and sell it when the last pre-ranger left home. That's now 8-9 months away.

So, it really got me thinking about the gargantuan effort I was about to undertake to get this home ready to sell, then move all our stuff, then build a whole new home. That's a 2-year exercise that has me starting live down there as a 70-year-old. I have noted that I have, indeed slowed down. Worst yet, I really don't want to constantly have to work to maintain, and believe me you lay off just a week, and the road will have a tree across it or a ditch from erosion or seven new mouse homes, and on and on.

And finally, Kat and I are of different ages. Me at 68 and her at 54. She is still in her working years while I have been fully retired for some time. If I can the farm, frankly, I'll have so much excess cash, I'll be able to supplement or replace her salary and she can come home, permanently. We could spend the rest of my time together.

So, to me, it shapes up kinda like this. I could keep the place, where I like to be, but where it is really only for me. Or I could sell it and put our marriage together and benefit the whole family.

I'm saying this as a 68-year-old. I can only imagine what I'll feel like in 5 years. I think I'll enjoy relaxing more than I will bleeding cutter lines in 100F heat and clearing mouse nests out of the engine fan on the Kubota.

Also, everything I have purchased is worth far more than I paid for it. Example: That Kubota compact track loader cost me $71K. Used with 400-500 hours they sell for $85K if you can find one!!!!!! Everything I have is the same. I'll likely make a ton over what I actually paid for things. I'll enter fully retired life with no payments except a mortgage. Everything will be or is already paid off! We could literally do about anything we want to include buy a second home in Flordia should we choose (And we won't)

[Bob Smith]

Or sell some of your Crypto and still enjoy both places. You have so many irons in the fire at the farm and I am sure many more in the planning stage. And I thought your plan included moving from the existing place to the farm. Don’t let the age thing start making all the choices for you. not enough time to just give up. You will still need to do all the upkeep on the home you are in.

[JR]

What about a caretaker for it? Sure you like to do a lot, but time and $$$ slow that down.

It might give you time to just do the stuff you want. Some retired or disabled guy looking for a place to stay for a little work.

[dave945]

It’s a very mature decision, albeit totally unexpected(especially for Don ).  For purely selfish reasons, I hate to see it go as watching the buildout process has given me lots of ideas on what to do or what is even possible in some instances.  I’ll be the one to applaud you making this decision. Not because it’s the right one for me or the other guys on the forum, but because it will give you back something it has been taking from you, time. Something you can spend with your wife, children and grandchildren. You can always find someone with a little bit of land and a bulldozer if you want to move dirt. Heck, I’ll let you park your equipment at my house while you’re waiting for it to sell <evil grin>.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flyin6]

It’s a very mature decision, albeit totally unexpected(especially for Don ).  For purely selfish reasons, I hate to see it go as watching the buildout process has given me lots of ideas on what to do or what is even possible in some instances.  I’ll be the one to applaud you making this decision. Not because it’s the right one for me or the other guys on the forum, but because it will give you back something it has been taking from you, time. Something you can spend with your wife, children and grandchildren. You can always find someone with a little bit of land and a bulldozer if you want to move dirt. Heck, I’ll let you park your equipment at my house while you’re waiting for it to sell <evil grin>.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"Park" Dave?>? Define "park"??
;-)

[Flyin6]

Or sell some of your Crypto and still enjoy both places. You have so many irons in the fire at the farm and I am sure many more in the planning stage. And I thought your plan included moving from the existing place to the farm. Don’t let the age thing start making all the choices for you. not enough time to just give up. You will still need to do all the upkeep on the home you are in.

Sold the crypts just as it started its trip downhill...came out nicely

You mentioned upkeep on my current home. That is actually a factor in my decision. My current home almost needs full-time upkeep. Not a small place, mind you as it is now over 15 years old and many things are failing/needing replacement.

The glass shower door just up and fell off and shattered into seventy billion shards. Sinks coming loose from countertops, water heater on the blink...gutters stop up about every month due to all the trees we have around here and need attention. It took me over a month to mulch everything and trim all the trees. They were five feet tall when I planted them, now they are 30 feet tall and 20' wide. Mice constantly attack, we were hit by a tornado that did damage, dogs are always chewing up everything, and electrical problems, I almost expect a big sink hole to open up and swallow the place

And finally, why keep it? As an investment? for one boy to hunt on if he is ever home? I have one in the infantry and the second will be in ROTC in a year, then an Army officer for six or more years. The only reason I can see for keeping it is to give it to them (At the cost of their mother continuing to work) or have a place for me to ride around on very expensive equipment...Equipment which will gradually be destroyed by mice and disuse.

No, without living there, it no longer serves a purpose.

[Flyin6]

What about a caretaker for it? Sure you like to do a lot, but time and $$$ slow that down.

It might give you time to just do the stuff you want. Some retired or disabled guy looking for a place to stay for a little work.

JR, really bad idea! I say that with respect and knowing that you care, but: That homeless or disabled guy has one accident and I get to pay for all of it. Heck, he may even end up owning the place after he sues me for it. Or he smokes dope, or worse, or drinks, or has folks over who do. No, you don't want other people on your place...

[Atkinsmatt]

Sounds like the right, well thought out decision. When you come to ft Stewart next you can visit mine.

[TexasRedNeck]

Well there are a lot of ways to make it work if you want to.

Leasing for hay or other production like cattle. For example

With the tax breaks and not having the other house you can pay someone to maintain

The thing you have to ask is: are you close enough to medical services as you get older? And is your wife onboard? You’ve spent a lot your life down range so this may be the time to defer to her if she’s not onboard with farm life.

There will never be anything as nice as waking up and having coffee on your porch looking out with no neighbors in view.

Two residences is very taxing so I understand the dilemma.

As soon as my second heads to college I’m offloading the big house. I’ll commute 125 miles a couple days a week until I retire.

End the end I suggest praying over it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bigdave_185]

My wife has been following these Rv living people and wants to pull up roots and do that, she wants to buy a nice rv and live out of it pulling an enclosed cargo trailer to have a car in and see the world with the boys.   I’m not there yet in my life I don’t think. 

I’d say pull the trigger on building a house there and dump the fancy house.   Hell let the farm run wild and as Charles says enjoy that cup of coffee in your own paradise every day till noon on the wonderful porch swing

But this all depends on wife’s desire to do it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dave945]

It’s a very mature decision, albeit totally unexpected(especially for Don ).  For purely selfish reasons, I hate to see it go as watching the buildout process has given me lots of ideas on what to do or what is even possible in some instances.  I’ll be the one to applaud you making this decision. Not because it’s the right one for me or the other guys on the forum, but because it will give you back something it has been taking from you, time. Something you can spend with your wife, children and grandchildren. You can always find someone with a little bit of land and a bulldozer if you want to move dirt. Heck, I’ll let you park your equipment at my house while you’re waiting for it to sell <evil grin>.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"Park" Dave?>? Define "park"??
;-)

You know, park, for safe keeping. But I might have to move it if it gets in the way. And it might run over some brush or a dirt pile, or make a dirt pile or accidentally make a trail. You know, park.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flyin6]

It’s a very mature decision, albeit totally unexpected(especially for Don ).  For purely selfish reasons, I hate to see it go as watching the buildout process has given me lots of ideas on what to do or what is even possible in some instances.  I’ll be the one to applaud you making this decision. Not because it’s the right one for me or the other guys on the forum, but because it will give you back something it has been taking from you, time. Something you can spend with your wife, children and grandchildren. You can always find someone with a little bit of land and a bulldozer if you want to move dirt. Heck, I’ll let you park your equipment at my house while you’re waiting for it to sell <evil grin>.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"Park" Dave?>? Define "park"??
;-)

You know, park, for safe keeping. But I might have to move it if it gets in the way. And it might run over some brush or a dirt pile, or make a dirt pile or accidentally make a trail. You know, park.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Copy...That's what I thought it meant!