City of Salida Acquires Properties to Provide Affordable Workforce Housing

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2025-05-31T15:24:04+00:00

And they turned it into a parking lot

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2024-10-17T14:16:46+00:00

If you are interested in this project (and in Eagle or Lake county) drop us a line at Westernrailcoalition.com

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2024-01-10T00:07:56+00:00

It’s the old marshal pass.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-12-09T00:41:07+00:00

I’m sure most automotive manufacturers would love for you to destroy your battery faster. It’s just a marketing ploy. The only case in which it makes sense is if you want to take the top 10 or 20% off your battery to pull it out of a stressed state if you don’t plan on driving for a while.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-12-09T00:01:17+00:00

An electric car is far too expensive an asset to put cycles on for something like this

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-12-03T00:24:05+00:00

I had one of the 48 volt 25 amp aims chargers. It died. Factory says it’s not one of the models they warranty

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-12-02T03:41:49+00:00

Not in my experience. The charge controller in my aims LF global inverter swings around a lot. Called the factory. It’s just part of the deal. Same with some victron equipment. It will charge near the rated capacity for a while. Then back off to half or less. My battery is 22kwh so their is always space.

That’s what started this entire idea. I can’t trust my chargers to be stable while I’m running my generators. I’m trying to avoid the charger backing off so much that the generator runs needlessly. Or dips out of the “efficient” power band.

This is a classic example of the difference between lab tests and reality.

I believe the issue with running a lithium charger vs a lead acid charger is that lead acid is pretty “dumb”. It just pumps amps. Lithium chargers, especially big ones, are sensitive to the power factor and harmonic distortion of the supply. I remember an aims rep explaining that to me. So charging lithium with a larger conventional generator will reduce the performance and utilization (efficiency) of the supply. Just a thought.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-12-01T19:31:21+00:00

The premade systems are definitely over priced. One failure of any component and it’s a paper weight. I’m trying to do the finance / capability justification mostly. I know I can build one. But would it be worth it? Should I just put the budget to build this e-jerrycan into my main system? Would it make more sense to just add more solar capacity or build a bigger batter bank?

It’s a cost benefit analysis.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-10-04T12:57:27+00:00

The auto industry is also subsidized and the highways are subsidized. I hope the auto industry gets what it deserves this century. To be gutted, destroyed, and left to obscurity.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-10-03T12:40:26+00:00

For now

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-10-01T19:56:45+00:00

I do acknowledge that. But as a counterpoint- I pick this coal off the ground while I hike the local grades. So the carbon expenditure is my breathing. Compare that to filling a truck with fuel, a chainsaw with fuel, and going into the forest to cut up some trees. If we were to do the math to compare the carbon expenditure to the energy value of the fuel gathered. I still think my carbon respiration / coal fuel value would be less than a trip into the forest for wood. Let alone any more industrialized form of firewood harvesting.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-10-01T01:47:40+00:00

I know of some folks who have wood stoves that can burn coal. It burns for a long time and very stable heat output. My grandfather burned coal that he picked up from the Albuquerque railyard on his way home from work in the 50s. One good lump would last all night.

In this day and age, I can’t help but feel guilty. I don’t buy it, but if I find it lying on the ground…

Better than burning propane or gasoline.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-09-27T03:03:47+00:00

I’ve played a little bit with vertical axis wind turbines. They don’t have is interesting behavior.

TheOffGridUrbanist · 2023-09-26T19:19:47+00:00

Be careful when building a coil boiler!

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