Hey Keith, Elecktrickery, eh?
Chuckle, Chuckle.... smurf.... chuckle....:-) It is much like plumbing, save for the small fact that most plumbing fixtures you can see through. Solid state and enclosed switches and similar apparati require a swift course of mental reconfiguration to not only understand the conduits that aren't visible but to understand a completely foreign language when it's put down on paper. I'd rather stick with those things I can see straight through. Lot simpler that way...whether with people, plumbing or problemas in general..... :-) Todd Swearingen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Addison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 5:11 PM Subject: Re: [biofuel] electric heat, ALeks' method Re: open flame heat sours > Hi Mark > > > > > > > Tom Leue said the thermostat failed, so it wasn't an open-flame heat > > > source but electrical heating. If anything, a rheostat would be > > > better than a thermostat. Thermostats keep switching the power on > >and > > > off to keep the temperature ranging as little as possible either > >side > > > of what you're aiming at, which puts a strain on everything > > > concerned, IMO. A rheostat, once set, won't do that. > > > > > >Actually, there's no problem with thermostats causing a more dangerous > >condition than other heaters > > A thermostat's a heater? It's a heater controller, isn't it? > > >(I don' t understand why a rheostat would > >work differently). > > As I understand it (which could well be full of holes) a thermostat > works as I described it above, a rheostat simply adjusts the power > supply, lower or higher, and stays as you set it. The one is > constantly changing, switching on and off, surges up and down, the > other's constant, less action, less stress on everything, more > reliable. If that's not right, please correct. Electrickery isn't > exactly my strong point, I don't dream in volts and amps, need all > the help I can get (and am duly grateful). They say it's just like > plumbing, and I suppose it is at first, but that doesn't get you very > far, nor far enough before the analogy breaks down. > > >There are lots of possibilities of equipment > >failure when you work with electric anything. The solution is ... a > >thermostat, and doublechecking what you're assuming the automated > >system will do. My cheapish thermometer is a mechanical > >automotive-type temp gauge. They come with a variety of adaptors for > >threadinginto pipe thread fittings- so even if you're weldless, you > >put a tee in the line before your pump, and when you're ready to check > >the temp, you run your pump for a minute to get the temperature strata > >intermixed. > > > >Cheap automation is great. I use heavyduty timers a lot, use cheap > >timers for bubblewashing, and now use thermostats for processors. But > >I always assume that they're fallable, I doublecheck everything, and I > >try and have something in place in case it does fail (like > >containment, closed systems, doublechecking temperature, etc...) > > > >UNfortunately I know that Tom took the same Iowa State University > >course as I and many others here have done-= and that they certainly > >DID cover all the safety issues that have been raised here by everyone > >here. The course also included a section on safety which suggested > >doing a survey of your plant where you try and identify EVERYTHING > >that could possibly go wrong and come up with a strategy for dealing > >with it if it does. common-sense stuff that I think most people do > >anyway. > > > > > > > > > > > > >(I'm particularly interested if this would work for > > > >any rendition of the Foolproof method my Aleks Kac.) > > > > > > > > > > > > Anyway, the first stage of the acid-base method needs the temp > > > maintained for an hour, but the second stage for 1.5-2.5 hours, > >maybe > > > not so easy just on pre-heating. > > > > > > > > > >I did fine with ALeks' method in wintertime (well a california winter) > >working outdoors, with my Michelin Man bubblewrapped processors- the > >insulation can maintain that temp if there's enough of it. ONe of the > >things I worried about with this method was that it looked like higher > >energy use- but it didn't add up to much once I installed loads of > > ... insulation I guess. That's certainly one way. There are others, > it depends what you do. Heat can be free after all. There are other > ways too. I find it most efficient, and even if you don't get the > heat bit optimised, it has other efficiencies. > > All best > > Keith > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. 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