Friday, December 16, 2011

Hot Water Options For Off Grid Living

!±8± Hot Water Options For Off Grid Living

If you live off grid, you are still going to want hot water for showering, bathing, and cleaning around the home. There are quite a few different options for hot water that you can consider using if you want to do this type of project.

I remember the longest hike I ever took, 13 days alone in the wilds in New Zealand without a shower or bath. I'm sure I smelled a bit as I returned towards civilization, and a farmer at a ranch the last night before I reached the nearest town invited me to spend the night under a roof instead of in my tent. I didn't understand at first why he started building a large fire as it wasn't that cold. It was to warm well water so that I could take a warm bath and clean up.

First of all, you need a clean water supply. Many use well water as I did in New Zealand, rain water, or other options like a local pond or creek to get water. This water will need to be run to your hot water heater which can be a variety of things.

The most common option is a commercial hot water heater. There are heaters like this that run independent of the electrical system with their own solar panels that will collect the energy needed to heat the water. This is the most expensive option but gives you the most control over the temperature of the water.

Some choose to have passive solar hot water systems. The most primitive method is to leave out a few hundred feet of black hose exposed to the sun. The water inside the hose will heat up during the day and become extremely hot. Hook this up to the hot water portion of your shower to mix with the cool water. Whatever you do, do not take a shower just from this hose as it will be too hot most of the time.

Some build passive solar systems that are in a box. This can be made with hose or even copper tubing. Some run these around a radiator or use the same mechanics. These will capture the sun's heat and heat the water. There are a variety of plans for these online that you can lookup and duplicate.

What is nice about each of these options is that you are using the sun as opposed to hooked up utilities to take care of your hot water needs.


Hot Water Options For Off Grid Living

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

How Do You Declutter Your Computer?

!±8± How Do You Declutter Your Computer?

Most people have a computer that is somewhat cluttered. There are missing files, applications that aren't used anymore, and things on the machine that are completely disorganized. There is a better way! There are ways of decluttering your computer so that it's cleaned up again.

The first thing that you need to do for your computer's safety is to get proper spyware and antivirus software. These two should be on your machine at all times, be updated, and run automatically on a regular basis. This will protect your machine from a variety of problems and help keep it cleaner. Your machine probably already has thee but verify this.

Do what you can to clean up and organize your email. Get rid of old attachments that you don't need, organize your email into logical folders, and back it all up so that you can clean everything up. Remove programs and applications on your machine that you aren't using anywhere. This will clean up shortcuts on your computer and make it simpler to use.

Try to clean up all your icons on your desktop and start menu. If there are things you aren't using here, remove them. Also consider optimizing your shortcuts so that the programs you use the most are easy to get to. Organize your computer's files into a logical system. Get certain types of files together like pictures, songs, videos, and other things into their own folders.

Backup your machine. This is very important regardless of how organized you are or not. Consider having some sort of scheduled backup to do on a regular basis just in case.

As an alternative to doing the above, you can also make a choice to completely reload your operating system. This will take of any problems that your machine is having on a software level and clean up your entire system. Restore your programs and files onto the machine when done for a completely decluttered machine


How Do You Declutter Your Computer?

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Plastic Garden Storage - Thinking Outside the Box

!±8± Plastic Garden Storage - Thinking Outside the Box

What does the phrase "plastic garden storage" bring to mind? If you're like most people, you never think about outdoor storage at all. But maybe you're not like most people. Maybe you're one of the few who care deeply about our yards and gardens, and realize how how helpful outdoor storage can be in achieving a tidy appearance. In that case, you may be surprised to learn that sheds aren't the only type of plastic garden storage product on the market.

In fact, some of these products you might not even classify as "storage products." But that's how online retailers categorize them. And they meet my definition of a plastic garden storage product as anything that helps you keep your yard neat and organized.

So precisely what kinds of products am I talking about? Let's start with deck boxes, which range in capacity from 50 to 127 gallons. Despite the name "deck box," these units are also great for patios. Speaking of patios, Suncast's PB6700 Patio Bench is an ingenious product that provides 44 gallons of storage, as well as a place to sit. If you don't have enough room for this bench, try its smaller cousin, the 31-gallon Suncast Mini Patio Bench. The Baby Bear of this product family is the Suncast SS1000 Storage Seat, with a capacity of 22 gallons.

A bit farther afield, the Suncast DCP2000 Prep Station is designed to make light work of outdoor food preparation. It's perfect for the dedicated barbecuer in your family. With two storage cabinets and 40 inches of cutting and prepping surface, it provides plenty of room to marinade steaks and fix vegetable kebabs.

One of my favorite plastic garden storage devices is the humble hose reel. This simple device eliminates kinks and tangles, while keeping your garden hose safely stowed away when you're not using it. Suncast makes several models, but my favorite is the Powerwind Hose Reel, which effortlessly reels in your garden hose with no work on your part.

It may seem like a bit of a stretch to refer to a trash container as a storage device. But I didn't want to wrap up this article without mentioning Suncast's Outdoor Trash Hideaway. It's a fancy name, but this is no ordinary garbage can. It's beige, and features faux wainscoting for an attractive appearance. It holds 30- to 33-gallon bags and the lid can be secured to keep marauding critters at bay.

As you can see from this article, your plastic garden storage options go far beyond the traditional shed. The right storage product can help you organize your yard and reduce the risk of tripping over a stray toy or garden hose. I hope this information will help you find a product that suits your needs.


Plastic Garden Storage - Thinking Outside the Box

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