So far it has been a COLD winter.
From about November till middle of January09 My place in Northeastern Alberta has not warmed up above -10c. Days of -20c and lower.
Snow is up to my knees...
Here are my notes for this winter....
There are lots of improvements to be made as this is the first winter we have lived there full time.....
Outback MX60 has recorded almost nothing for sunny days until Jan 15.
And no wind to speak of.
My Trimetric recorded power comsumption of my 1977 trailer with furnace, pellet stove ,using tv, 1/3hp 120v pump, 2 people in 12 hrs is 220 amp/hrs.
(-20c)
To prevent water line freezing use a 120v heated rod that inserts into the water line line using a tee. Consumes 28 watts. ($100 at UFA)
Deutz 8hp 3000 watt generator consumes 0.85 L /hr of fuel running 24/7.
0w 30 COOP synthetic does not pour below -30c.
Shell rotella 10w works best but consumes 1L per day.
A really cold temps diesel exhaust makes for ugly black snow.
My autostart Honda genset has performed best when set up to start at 25volts(after 2 hrs) and turn off at 28 volts for 15 minutes. Burns about 4L/hr and runs 9 hrs per day.
Dodge 50 amp car alternator with 8 volts to field coil charges at 45 amps/25 volts just fine. Use a welding rheostat to drop down 24volts to 8 volts. About 7 ohms, 4 amps needed.
This kept the batteries at top 20% and the building warm.
Magnum 40/24 inverter performed flawlesslly.
Danson industries pellet stove uses 40lbs of pellets per day and provides more heat if a 20L pail of barley if mixed per 40lb bag. Con sumes 120 watt running and 500 watts for 15 minutes if ligthing up fire.
A real wood stove is next summer project....
Teach your wife everything she needs to know about checking oil and handling generator problems....
Keep good friends who can help!
Muskeg...
