SOME GOOD PROGRESS
So, after all the great fun that was our community slip 'n' slide....it was time to get back to business on constructing the dam.
I'll start off by showing you the other wing footing has been completed.
*Both wing footings complete...
And with that it's high time I started stacking stones and building it up to height. As difficult as it is to build with stone after having been around it so long...this is my favorite part.π
*With each stone, I am one step closer to completion (and free, full-time A/C...and unlimited hot water.ππ₯³)
With everything else going on and the intense heat we've had some days I'm only able to get six to ten stones in at a time.π€¦ππ
I AM THE INCHWORM!!!
Just as the tiny inchworm makes his way along through life one little inch at a time...so do I. I figure if he can do it without complaining, it should be an easy chore for me as well. And so I go, one little inch at a time. Soon enough, just as he does, I will have covered great distances, and accomplished many great things.πͺπͺ
...and for now a few more inches toward completing this massive project...
THE FIRST WATERPROOFEDNESS(ππ€£) TEST
So before going to height, I figured it would be a good idea to check that what I had built so far would even hold water.ππ¦ (Yes it did.)
So I closed the main drain valve and let it start filling. I was actually pretty amazed at how quickly it started filling. In just about twenty minutes this is what it looked like...
And a couple hours later it was close to as full as I could let it get without overflowing.
*It's starting to become a reality for me that this thing may get done soon.π
FLOW AND CAPACITY TESTS ANYONE?
I figured since the pool had so much water in it, I would go ahead and see how much water we could push out the drain at max open, and how much water was in the reservoir at this level.
I was pretty amazed by both numbers to be truthful. The flow rate was 1 gallon a second(3.785liters)! The capacity of water in the reservoir at this level(about a quarter of what it will be when completed) was 1800 gallons(6975 liters)!
WHY THIS EXCITES ME
A few reasons, really. First stored water is stored energy...the more water, the bigger your battery basically. So I should have ample reserves, and flowto run a large enough turbine to do us for years to come, even with our continued growth.
Secondly, should I decide to go forthwith my plan to farm trout in my reservoir, it will be able to sustain hundreds of times more fish then we xould ever eat.
Another large plus is that should we hit drier times, I will be all the more prepared with an adequate water supply for our needs.
*Just a different view of our reservoir holding water.
Will you use heat from it too? Water has a high thermal mass....
That is an impressive we flow rate, and down by the hill you can get enough head pressure to make power generation reliable! Nice toy....
ππ€ ππ€ππ§οΈ
.... Well, we will use all the excess electricity that we produce that we cannot store in our battery array to heat water so in a sense kind of. π
We are hoping that we will be able to put a 1000 watt turbine on this set up and spin it 24/7.
And as much fun as it has been designing, engineering, and finally building the dam.. and as much fun as doing the same for the hydroelectric will be.. it is far from a toy, this will be the only way we will be able to have air conditioning. And, our solar array has always been a temporary solution to creating our on power, I can't wait for it to be our backup system. Righ now we live on 2500-2800 watts of electricity being generated daily. On the turbine is spinning, we hopefully will produce 18,000-20,000 watts a day, pretty easily. It will be a life changer.ππ And one we're definitely ready for. Good by mini-fridge, hello full size fridge. We will get a deep freezer too...and of course the air conditioning will be wonderful.π¬οΈπ¬οΈ
There are solar be asked fridges and freezers that run on DC, and draw it less than 70 watts. I'm looking at a pair of mini splits that draw about 900 watts for each one ton (12,000 BTU) unit. I plan to use two for the whole house.
I will be adding a wind generator too, already found a 1700 watt unit that will actually generate about 600 watts in my local average wind velocity. I will build my own dump resistor for it from ceramic resistors, to save money. They will heat water directly.
I plan to use 24 volts for the entire house, with inverters for equipment that doesn't Come in DC models.
If you run the water into a heat exchanger for a heat pump, you can use the water temperature for a heat sink.
I like the dam, and would like to add hydroelectric in my system. But I'm by a lake with no flowing water close, and they already make a little power from it a few miles east of me.
Looking awesome @johndoer123!
I dunno if it is possible but if you can spread grass seed (or other ground cover plants like red clover) around that entire area (especially the banks of your pool of water and uphill of it) it will help stop the erosion and reduce the amount of silt that the pool winds up having in it.
Cheers and looking forward to the progress!
P.S. That inchworm thing was exactly what I needed to be reminded of currently! Thanks!
I readthe entire SKAT manual PDF....
SOOOOO...
I'm glad you found my story useful. I try with every post to add something like that as life offers it up to me. I do it for all my great friends here, and for the world at large, should any happen across my pages some day....but really, as this is my autobiography andthe memoirs of my life that I am making for my children.... it's all truthfully for them.
I'm so glad to have made your acquaintance and I hope the universe will have our lives pass in the real world.π₯°π€
I've done a lot of research, but i wonder if you have recommendations for a turbine? We send our love dear friend! And wish you and yours the very best !!π€π€π€
Those are all excellent measures.
Especially the trees because they will drink a spring dry and the roots can disrupt the spring heads and cause rocks to shift.
What you want is a 'silt trap' (settling pool) that can filter some of the larger stuff either before your reservoir or after it before it goes to the turbine(s).
In the reservoir itself you want to create a spillway (standpipe) out of your big main output pipe. Like this one or similar:
You want to draw the water from anywhere in the 'Good water quality' area. I shoot for about three-six inches above the 'Poor water quality' level so that even during a drought the standpipe is still functional.
The left side of the 'T' at the bottom of the standpipe can have a removable cap for draining the reservoir.
Source: extension.msstate.edu/content/designing-the-dam
Gotta rack my brain on the turbines but take a look here for now: https://www.powerspout.com/ There are really good calculators there and they have guidelines for various turbine styles depending on your terrain, volume, flow etc.
Glad to be of assistance! I love seeing this project progress!
Great to see it holding water and that it has plenty of flowπ
Thanks mate!π€π€
will stagnant water become "toxic" or poisonous? I dont know much about sitting water or reservoirs
There will be no stagnant water dear friend. The water is constantly renewed from the spring. The pool will stay around 48-50 degrees Fahrenheit (8.8-10 degrees Celsius)....we will probably run an auxiliary line from the reservoir to a refrigerator house....but that's some years down the road. My next post shows such a line as it runs through the dam. In the old days our ancestors would use springs as a form of refrigeration....and it's free.
will there be a chance where the drain be "choked" by foreign objects (small rocks, lifeforms like algae etc) ?
Well, the drain that is at the bottom of the reservoir, will have an up pipe with two ninety degree elbows, so hopefully it will not clog. But it will also have a special spot i can clear the drain should need be. The overflow will be handled by three different pipes that are not connected in any way. They will sit at slightly different heights and will allow for multiple ways for water to safely overflow the dam. But ultimately, the dam is made if stone and it's foundation is several below the ground and set on natural occurring blue clay so it would pry have to clog and overflow for several months to several years before it would become an issue. We send our love brother!π€π€ How have you been? I see spaminater follows you around.ππ€£ππ€£π