coffee cups and a fan motor

Pictured here are the ICC stainless steel travel mugs that I will be taking to Guatemala in a few weeks.  John Vogelsang donated them to the coffee project.  I was thinking about how it is amazing the way people have offered to help with this project.  After I thought about it a little longer, I would be amazed if people did not help. We are from the Midwest and people from the Midwest are nice and I work at a college, where it is our job to help people and to try and improve someones life.  I should not be surprised that people are offering to help in some way.  
Also in this picture is the 8 inch duct fan and temperature control.  The duct fan will move more air and help to dry the coffee faster.  The fan control will shut the fan down if the air temperature drops too low to properly dry the beans.  Once the air temperature gets high enough the fan will turn back on and start to dry the beans again.  At least that is how it is suppose to work.

getting more tools for the trip.

Here is a picture of the cordless drill and a multi-meter that I will be taking to Guatemala.  I was able to get this equipment because of a donation from one of my followers.  I thank them very much for their help.  I plan to wear one of their tee shirts so that we can use it as product placement while we are filming what we are doing in Guatemala.  The cordless drill came with two batteries and a flashlight.  I have used it at work so and was pleased with the results.  I think the two batteries will keep us working all day.  The multi-meter will allow me to check the voltage and amperage of some of the pumps and electrical motors. I will be able to gather information that we can use when we ask for donations for a gasoline/welding machine.

I am also taking a propane torch because we are going to try and install a solar hot water heater.  I am not sure how much of this project we will get done but I plan to make sure people know how to solder copper so we can start if needed someone else can finish.  Solar hot water will be easier to do there because it does not freeze.  Oh, did I mention the weather would be around 90 degrees and then drop to just below 70.   We also need to know if we can get a caulking gun or if I will have to bring one.  I am going to bring some caulk because I want to make sure we have some supplies to start on projects.  If we have enough equipment to start and be able to teach people what to do we should be ok. 

This is a picture of the soda can clamp that I made out of a piece of PVC pipe.  I cut the PVC in half long ways and glued some sand paper inside.  The PVC pipe will open up around the can and when you grip it with your hand the tension is enough, with the sand paper to keep the can from spinning.  I then drill three holes in the bottom of the can using the drill and a uni-bit.  A uni-bit is a multi diameter drill bit that you push through the can until you get the hole the size you want.  You then cut the top off the can using a can opener.  The cans are glued together and form a tube.  The tube of cans is painted black and collect heat from the sun.  We had 180 degree air coming out of the solar collector a few weeks ago.  I will get a 110 volt fan and temperature controller to use so that we can maximize the out put of the solar soda can collector.

You use a can opener to cut the top off of the soda can.  Some types of can opens work better than others.  This one is a good one. 

Getting tools for the trip

I have been working  on a tool list for the trip to Guatemala.  I did order a cordless drill that comes with two batteries and a flashlight.  This should be a good one for us to us.  The extra battery will give us more power and the drill has a half inch chuck so it should be easy to use the hole saw we will need for the soda can solar collector. We have several tools that will be very important for this trip, the cordless drill, the hole saw drill attachments, a really good pair of tin snips,and the uni bit drills. These tools need to be good quality so they will provide enough service after we return.  We just need to show them how to made the solar soda can collector and they can build them.  We will need to make sure we have the aluminum caulking that we need to hold the soda cans together.  We need to make sure we can get that in Guatemala, because we can't pack that many tubes of caulk in our luggage.  Besides if they don't have the material in Guatemala, then we need to develop a back up plan and that may be aluminum tape.  We do need to make sure we think about what we are going to do and then have a back up plan so that if something goes wrong we can still work and accomplish something else.
We do need to think a lot about what need to take and how much everything will weigh.  You make a list starting with what is most important and then work down to what is not as important.  You take as much as you can and leave what won't fit in the suitcase.  The cordless drill, hole saw, uni-bits, and the heavy tin snips are very important.  We will need the caulk and we need to buy that in Guatemala.  If we work on the solar hot water heater we will need copper, solder, solder paste and copper fitttings.  If we can get a solar hot water heater built then we should be able to get one built for the school.  It is easier to do solar hot water because it will not freeze.  No cold weather makes that job easier to do.   A lot easier to do. 
I am also going to pack my father's brace and bit drill because we may need to work in an area we no power.  The old brace and bit does work and I have been working out at the ICC Cougarplex so I should be able to drill lots of holes and not get tired.  We can pack an extra bag for only 40 dollars so we can bring our tools at a decent price and we don't need a lot of clothes and besides we can do laundry.  You can wear a pair of pants more that one day.  We have a meeting on Monday to talk more about the trip. 
Did I mention the soda can solar collector was discharging 180 degree air on Wednesday.  I have seen it produce 154 but not 180 degrees.  It was sunny.

Travel paperwork for Guatemala

We have been going about the process for getting the funding for the Guatemala trip.  The paperwork has been signed and turned in for a mini-grant and we have turned in the paperwork to get the travel funding for the trip.  I have worked at the college for 30 years but have never had a reason to go about this process. I have traveled but was sent on work trips.  This is the first time I have actually requested money for a trip.  As  staff member that punches the time clock I always hear that the college has money and they can spend it what ever they want, blah, blah, blah.  The college does have money and it can be spent but you should do have to have a lot of people sign off on the expense and the process does take some time and many different meetings.  I have found the whole thing to be interesting.  You have to write up your request, submit it, have the committee members review it, have the committee meet and vote to approve or reject your request.   If it is approved then you have to go through the process of getting the money and documenting how you spent it.  It is not easy but then I guess it really shouldn't be.  It is an interesting process.

Cat bench more pictures

We hope to sell this cat bench for 150 dollars and use the money to buy supplies for the Guatemala Coffee project.  It is made of heavy steel and has redwood on the seats and back.  It should supply years of service in any ones garden area.  We have several projects to work on in Guatemala.  We are going to develop the soda can solar heater, try and build a solar hot water heater, install some indoor lighting that will help save electricity during the day, and see if we can burn used vegetable oil in the coffee furnace.  There are a lot of things to try and do in a short time.  I am still trying to find an old fuel oil heater so we can experiment on the vegetable oil and how well it will burn in a 50/50 mix, half vegetable oil and half fuel oil.  If that will work OK we can cut the fuel cost in half and then have money to do other things.  I have some funding that I will use to buy tools so we have what we need to do the work we need to do when we get to Guatemala.  I have to see how much the stuff we weigh and then see what we can pack in our suitcases.

One solar greenhouse ready to test

Last night after work I finished the solar greenhouse coffee dryer.   I had to install the roof, add more wood to cover the staples, install the photovoltaic panel and fan, and run the duct work from the solar soda can collector to the greenhouse.  Today the free heat from the sun should be dumping inside the greenhouse and the sun should power the small fan that will keep the air moving through the greenhouse.   We will just have to see how will it will work and document the temperatures readings.  Last week on a partly cloudy day the temperature leaving the soda can solar collector was 125 degrees.  I think the soda can solar collector is a device that will do some good.  We just have to figure out how best to hook it to a drying rack and what is the best type of drying rack to build.  But we have something to test now.
I am also trying to find what we always called a Salamander, a small portable oil heater.  I would like to borrow or buy a used one to experiment with trying to burn vegetable oil and fuel oil mixtures.  They use a lot of vegetable oil in Guatemala and if we can burn it mixed with fuel oil then we can cut the cost of the fuel in half.  That would save a lot of money and if we use soda can solar collectors during the day and fuel oil/ vegetable oil mix heaters a night, then they can save even more.  But we don't want to experiment on their only heater and screw it up.  ooops.  I will keep looking for a Salamander and hope that I can find one.  Little by little the project is coming along.

Solar event that hope to attend.

Discovering the Future of Food and Energy: what this means, how it will affect our lives, and what we can do to support a positive change in energy and food production.

Wednesday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Bradley University Hillel

1532 Fredonia Ave., Peoria, IL 61606

Guest Speaker: Dr. Peter Schwartzman

Dr. Peter Schwartzman, Alderman in Galesburg's 5th Ward, is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at Knox College. He is a trained climatologist with interests in a wide variety of environmental areas. His most recent publication is entitled; A solar transition is possible, which was published by the Institute for Policy Research & Development. Peter has run the Mound Community Farm in Galesburg since 2010. He is also a board member of the Knox Prairie Community Kitchen. Peter is married and has two children. He and his wife serve as coaches for the Silas Willard Geography Bowl team. Peter's academic degrees include a Bachelor of Science in physics at Harvey Mudd College, a Masters of Science in Science and Technology Studies at Virginia Tech, and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia.

For additional information contact The Jewish Federation of Peoria-

309-689-0063.  No charge to attend.

Event sponsored by Congregation Anshai Emeth and the Jewish Federation of Peoria.