BOB ANSWERS Jim Miller's question about using a Danfoss compressor for air conditioning. The answer is NO. The reasons are simple, and those dealing with capacity, not current draw. The Danfoss compressor is BTU rated at less than 1000. To adequately cool even a small space of 2500 cu. ft., would require a unit with a rating of 8000 BTUs. Even using one of the more efficient refrigerants compatible with the Danfoss, would leave it far short of these requirements. Danfoss designed the compressor for use in refrigerators and freezers of small capacities (7 cu. ft. average) super-insulated, and sealed from external environment. Note the construction and efficiency of "SunFrost" appliances. We hope this answers your questions, Jim, and any others who may have come up with similar ones. Bob McCormick, N.A.P.S. Pink Mountain, B.C. Canada 12V WELL PUMP Dear People: For the past 16 years I have lived the simple life (we all know it is not simple at all). The first ten years I had no electricity. Slowly, I have gotten a wind and PV set up with a large bank of batteries. I believe we who are experiencing this way of living are setting the stage for a necessary future. Home Power Magazine is a welcome addition. At present, I pump my water by hand. I have a 4 inch well casing and a 60 foot well. Does anyone know where I can get a 12 volt DC deep well pump. It appears that larger models are made for commercial applications but not for the home. Help. John Weber, Long Prairie, MN DC powered submersible pumps are available, John, and they can run from PV arrays direct and/or from batteries. Either Windy Dankoff at Flowlight Solar Power, POB 548 Santa Cruz, NM 87567 (505) 753-8474 Or Jim Allen at Solar Pumping Products, 325 E Main, Safford, AZ 85546 (602) 428-1092 . KJS HOMEBREW HOT WATER Dear Home Power Friends; I met you at the Earth Day festivities in Mt. Shasta and took a picture of your booth (enclosed). I also built the solar water heater from Kathleen's plans (issue #11) and it works well except that I want to put it up on the flat roof where it will get sun all day, so I will need a slow flow pump to bring the water down to the tank. Can you recommend one? Thanks for your great magazine and your help. Sincerely, Randy Bofinger, Mt. Shasta CA I remember meeting you, Randy, and the discussion we had on building the DHW heater. I am gratified that you did assemble one from the article. See Windy Dankoff's access info after the previous letter for your pump question. Thanks for the pix. KJS Battery Recharging Your magazine has given me a lot of help and understanding. I have recently acquired 40 used batteries for a very good price, free. Perhaps you have some information that would help me. The batteries are 6 volt Powersafe RE Chloride with these ID marks on them, SRC 2990, 3VB7, 3VB9, and 3VB11. Will they work fine for an AE system? They appear to be totally sealed. Do they produce harmful gas? What is the storage capacity? Enclosed is my check for a real subscription. Ronald Borries, Bellingham, WA They will work just fine, Ronald. They are sealed and will stay that way provided you don't charge them to distraction. They should be recharged at no faster than the C/10 rate. Otherwise, they may produce more gas than their internal recombination mechanisms can handle, then they will vent. So if you don't recharge them too quickly, they will not out gas. Sorry info on their capacity, contact a Chloride dealer for that info. RP Batteries as Toxic Waste Dear Home Power: I work for the communications department of a large corporation. We use a lot of storage batteries. I know many HP readers and HAM radio operators have been able to get used batteries free for the asking in the past from such companies when they are replaced and retired from service. My message is: Grab 'em while you can! My company doesn't exactly lead the field in forward vision and environmental awareness (to put it mildly), yet we now have to handle storage batteries as hazardous waste! We can no longer give them away, according to policy we now PAY authorized hazardous waste people to dispose of them for us. I don't know what caused my company to take such drastic action nor do I know where government regulations stand. My point is -- If this is the direction industry will take on disposal of batteries in the future, think twice before passing up any freebies! John Spence, Silsbee, TX And it's about time.that regulation were placed on the disposal of all batteries. These beasties are environmentally hazardous by design. If they weren't chemically reactive, then they wouldn't be batteries. Industry, as well as home power people, need to properly dispose of all chemical wastes- including batteries. Government regulation of battery disposal is increasing and freebie cells are becoming a thing of the past. Maybe it's just as well, I rather have a clean world and pay a little more for my batteries. RP WHISPERING WIND Dear Sirs: Hi there from atop our little ridge in northeastern Washington state. We are avid fans of your magazine and we think you are doing great things. The information contained in your magazine has made life much easier when it came to setting up and expanding our solar energy system. Right now we are considering purchasing a wind generator. We have several in mind and have been able to find plenty of data and test results on all of them except the Whisper 1000 offered by Kansas Wind Power. Do you know of any test data available? It looks good in the sales brochure but we'd like to know more about the actual performance. Any information you can provide us with would be most helpful. Keep up the great work! T L Hotchkiss,Newport, WA We don't have any personal experience with the Whisper 1000. But on our journey to the Midwest Energy Fair, we heard of and saw several Whisper based systems in the area. Wind Wizards at MREF said that the Whispers worked well. Perhaps our more knowledgeable readers could share their practical observations. Also, you might try Mick Sagrillo at Lake Michigan Wind & Sun, 3971 E Bluebird Rd, Forrestville, WI 54213 (414) 837-2267 KJS STIRLING QUALITIES Dear Home Power: When I eventually complete other more pressing projects I would like to use some of the abundant wood in my area for electricity production as a complement to my solar panels during extended periods of cloudy weather. I have just recently heard about a "sterling engine" which seems to have potential in this area. Apparently, the engine runs on temperature differentials. I know so little about this engine I'm not even certain the name is correct. Are any of your readers knowledgeable on this subject? I would be especially interested in a critique of this engine vs the steam engine as a power source for driving an alternator. Thanks, Mason Hess, Tonasket, WA The best you could do is to contact Christopher Sheck, Stirling Technology Inc., 9 Factory St. Athens, OH 45701 (614) 594-2277. They are the makers of the engines and the answers you seek. KJS COOKIN' CATAMARAN NETS Dear Richard and Karen, I'm the fellow building the catamaran to solo, non-stop around the world at the equator, talking to folks along the way on ham radio about solar box cookers. Hello again. HP continues ,to make a great contribution to my life and to the project. Thank you very much! William Oldfield's article in #18 was especially interesting since, with PV, wind and water generation on the cat, I've been concerned with protecting the batteries. Looks like Chris's shunt is just the thing! A question please: We at Solar Box Cookers Northwest would like to get in touch with the Sustainable Energy Education Network which was mentioned in the article on the Oregon Country Fair. Given that we're all doing solar cooking, we'd like to pool our thoughts and perhaps some mutual support. Here's something for you to know. In the same way that very high tech PVs allow for more possibility in life, SCBN has begun to use PeaceNet to spread the word about solar box cookers worldwide. Through PeaceNet electronic bulletin board network we're in touch with: Alternex in Brazil FredsNet in Sweden GreenNet in England EcoNet, HomeoNet and ConflictNet in the US Nicarao in Nicaragua Pegasus/ Earthnet in Australia Web in Canada Through the networks, all of which are interconnected, we were able to send plans to national Earthday coordinators in over forty countries. SBCN is part of a conference called AT:General. Our newsletters and other documents are part of another, AT:Library. (AT = Appropriate Technology). You get the idea. I don't know if you can use this in your work, or if any of the folks you're in contact with could use a wider stage, but if so, the address is: Institute for Global Communications 3228 Sacramento St. San Francisco, CA 94115 All it takes is a computer, a modem and $10- a month minimum charge. Regards, Bill Masciarelli, Seattle, WA It is a wonderful and adventurous thing you are doing, Bill, and we salute you. The interest in solar box cookers is snowballing as you can see from the article in this issue. Sustainable Energy Education Network access info is: Christopher Williams, POB 7244, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 12V SEWING MACHINE CONVERSION Dear Home Power, I converted my sewing machine to 12 volt. I did put it on a treadle base for a while, but it took up too much space and I like to have both hands free when starting seams. The conversion to either method will work with any machine that has a visible motor and belt. Unless you are very brave and own a hacksaw! I used a car blower motor (used $15) and a universal horn button on a 2x4 scrap for the foot pedal. The motor was mounted in line with the hand wheel on a block of wood in the portable base. It was put in the holder for the cord and pedal (when not in use). Blower motors can turn either way, just reverse the wires, so you can put it in the back where the original motor was or out the side. Use the lines on the old motor to give you an estimate for the 12 volt wire lengths to the pedal and and outlet. You can even put a small on/off switch near the machine, right on the wires, if you want to get fancy. Attach the wires to a suitable "plug" for your system. (Make sure the pulley off original motor will fit the 12 volt motor shaft). Blower motors do use a lot of electricity, but sewing involves a lot of starting and stopping, even in production work, while you line up the pieces or turn things around. I ran my machine off the car battery before I got a PV panel. Leave the battery in the car, securely attach heavy gauge wire to each terminal and run the wires out the grill to the outside front of your car. Attach the ends to a large three prong receptacle. This can be tied to the bumper so it doesn't flop around while driving. Now connect the wires from the house (or whatever) to a large, three prong plug. Be ABSOLUTELY sure to match the polarities. Drive up and plug in. This system works well if you use the car regularly, like on weekdays. It prevents accidental polarity crossing and your hood stays closed, keeping out the rain and snow. Just don't forget to unplug before driving off. I thank you for all the wonderful information and encouragement you provide. Blessed be & Happy sewing, Denise Peterson, Placitas, NM Thank you, Denise, for a wonderful letter. As you have shown our needs can sometimes be met with simple ingenuity. Alternative life styles bring about alternative solutions to the needs of many. KJS Mark VI and Thermoelectric Stuff Dear Richard & Karen, Once again I write & enclose money, to replace mysteriously disappearing old Home Power Magazine issues: to wit #2,3,4,6. While I confess to being a relative late-comer and never having owned issues 1-7, I swear that I recently had to write you and replace one of the latter 3 above. Wish I knew what was going on as I am certainly the epitome of a neat housekeeper, par excellence. Do you have some type of home coming pigeon device on these, or am I no longer to trust my friends and neighbors and begin locking our cabin for the first time in twelve years, or what? And now I see that issues 5 and 7 (and 1) are "no longer available" and most probably, given my type of luck, those are just the ones I need. For there are currently two devices/techniques high on my personal priority list and not dealt with in those few issues still in my possession: My 1st concern can hardly be said to be found on the "cutting Edge" of home power technology, namely the once fashionable (now ridiculed?) back up system consisting of an auxiliary (eg. Les Schwab) 12 volt battery in a vehicle-to-house 12V system (during those long dark winter weeks when we have to drive our daughter down to the nearest school bus stop [twice a day= 7 1/2 RT] during which there is a 1,700' change in elevation= 4x4, low transfer chained up on all 4 wheels, most of the time). I suspect your 1st issue (or #5?) had a good blue print/description of how to rig up such a system way back when. If so , could I buy a photocopy - or do you know of another good source? (and, who knows, maybe this old backup system has been refined/upgraded to the point of being fashionable again?) Priority #2 has to do with the 6-8 cords of solid fuel (ie firewood, and- yes- after 12+ winters, much of the thrill has gone...) we have to put through our two stoves every winter (heating, cooking). I just can't believe that someone hasn't yet come up with a way of using all this energy to charge batteries (again - during those long , cold, dark winter days when the sun don't shine, the wind don't blow and our creek is well nigh froze up solid...). HP issue # 8-18 (correct me if I'm wrong) have little or nothing to say about this- with the exception of your (rather discouraging) exchange, in the letters section, with Steve Robinson in issue #16, p.56. Well, if-as you state- "..thermovoltaic technology is not yet mature" [and based on our personal experience some 4 years ago with a $135.oo OVONIC "Thermoelectric generator" (stove top device) I'd say you were right] then how about some good old fashioned boiling water (ie. steam power) device to do the trick?! From between 50 to 100+ years ago much of the energy to run lights came from a fortuitous combination of wood and water (the narrow gauge railroads for example). We may be changing from firewood to wood pellets or some other technique but the potential and the challenge will remain the same as I see it. So are we missing the boat or is it just me (once again) that's missing something? Can I hear our ancestors (who did have electrical energy from wood) laughing to beat the band as our technicians struggle with pathetic solid-state peltier junctions? I say onward!- even if it means going backward. Respectfully, "Nick' Frazier Nichol, John Day, OR P.S. For the record Linda and I greatly admire and appreciate what you and all contributors to this magazine are doing. P.S.S. My issues # 12,13,15 just turned up in one of my Home Power "special issue" file- where I had carefully placed them. I didn't plan on buying a padlock anyway... Well, Nick, you can relax. To date we have not done an article on steam power. As you can see from a previous letter in this column there is a definite interest in using wood to produce electricity once more. And we've never run info on a dual system for a car, but it is ultrasimple, just use a battery isolator found in just about RV catalog. KJS & RP. SELECT-A-TENNA FAN Dear Home Power,I was interested in seeing the Select-A-Tenna written up in Home Power. My father gave me a Select-A-Tenna over 12 years ago for my AM radio since we lived in a steep, rocky canyon in the Hell's Canyon area of Idaho.I was over 50 miles from the closest radio station. It works wonders as I have used it constantly and in various remote locations. I regularly receive the Moscow, Idaho public radio station and now use the select-A-Tenna inside the Salmon River canyon. The batteries last longer on the radio as you can turn down the sound because the reception is so excellent. Mine looks exactly the same as the one in your picture. It has had many abuses and hasn't cracked, chipped or lost any reception abilities at all. Any back country user can delight in this link with civilization. I now use a "back country booster" set-up on my radio that attaches to the radio and wires to antenna wire outside, but the Select-A-Tenna still does the best boosting! The price seems high, but it is definitely worth it and a wonderful gift for friends or family who miss out on good radio. I'm sure my father had a Select-A-Tenna that worked for FM and was wondering if they still made these? Glad to have the address to order more. Just read the Crane ad. Will be ordering a FM booster soon! I appreciate the ad being by the article. Sincerely, Mary Nuckols, Riggins,ID Great letter, Mary, it is always wonderful to hear from a satisfied user of products that fit into the alternative life style to which a lot of our readers subscribe. After 12 years of use and abuse it would seem that you have the expertise recommend this product. KJS MREF UPDATE Dear Home Power Magazine, Organizers of the Midwest Energy Fair wish to thank HOME POWER MAGAZINE and Richard and Karen Perez for supporting this event. We especially thank you for moral and financial support, free advertising, mail lists, phone call, making the trip to Wisconsin, speaking, presenting workshops and helping us keep smiling despite the weather. We feel the fair was incredibly successful with 4000 people attending events over a three day period. During and in the weeks following the fair we have just begun to realize the public need and demand for information on renewable energy and energy conservation. Although events in the Mideast have effected awareness (it seems all the politicians and media folks are suddenly waking up), we think this interest goes beyond that. In response, we have already begun planning for next year's Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. We hope to have a date set soon. We continue to look for new volunteers to join our group of renewable energy advocates (and fanatics). For now you may continue to contact us at: Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, 286 Wilson St, Amherst,WI 54406 or (715) 592-4458. Thanks again to HOME POWER. Without you none of this would have happened! Sincerely, The Energized MREF Coordinating Committee Wow! Everyone in our HP crew who attended the MREF came back with wonderous tales of an incredibly energetic core of movers and shakers back there in Wisconsin. Be prepared, because next year even more of the crew is going to be attending. And, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! KJS CODE CONCERNS Dear Home Power, I am concerned that your "Code Corner" articles might cause dangerous situations by alienating home power users. Note the parallel between "Reefer Madness" and an intelligent understanding of the drug problem. I am all for safe wiring practices. However, when I hear of code requirements to run 4/0 grounding cables to ones solar panel frames (perhaps 300 ft away) I question the wisdom of the whole code and those who advocate it. (Ref. pg 27 of HP#18, line 3 and pg 26, 16th from last line.) There are safe wiring practices that are economical. I believe that home power innovators will not and should not accept poorly explained regulations or those which are expensive with marginal benefits. I believe that we must guard against and reject inappropriate and confusing regulations and do all in our power to prevent their enactment. With appreciation for your fine magazine, Bob Stille, Los Gatos, CA I agree, Bob. Check out the Inverter Shootout article in this issue for a graphic example of what over-engineered "safety" can do. Frankly, I question Mr Wiles' motives. I understand that he is installing one of these supersafe systems in his own home. Hopefully, when he figures out why his inverter won't boot up his wife's washing machine, he'll get the picture. The NEC does require that the grounding wire be at least as large as the largest conductor in the system. On the other hand, the NEC doesn't require grounding at all in systems under 50 VDC. You figure it out. Personally, I feel that a ground wire as large as your PV-to-Charge Controller feeders and grounded at or near the PVs should be adequate. In my own system, I use such a ground and fused Disconnects at the PVs, between the Controller and the batteries, and between the inverter AC output and my mains panel. All exposed wires are in conduit. I can live with all that, it's safe and it doesn't degrade the system performance to an appreciable degree. I refuse to put anything between the batteries and the inverter that will either a) affect it's performance or b) be as costly as the inverter itself. Especially when you consider that nearly all of today's efficient inverters have fuses and breakers already on-board to protect themselves! Bob-O A VIEW OF EUROPE Dear Karen, Thanks for the quick turnaround on my order for a subscription and all your back numbers. I can see once I've digested the magazines I'm going to have a pretty good education in alternative energy. You asked if I'm seeing much interest in solar energy in West Germany. I'm sure you're aware of the recent buyout of ARCO Solar by Siemans, possibly the world's largest electronics conglomerate. Siemans is a West German corporation. I can't say I've noticed a lot of solar collector arrays in Germany, but I've seen plenty of wind-driven generators. The further north you get in Europe, especially along the Scandinavian coastlines, the more big wind machines you see. You've probably heard of the Green Party, an environmentally aggressive political group here in Germany. The party is very vocal and still growing. With the incredible opening of the East in the past 10 months and with German reunification virtually assured, I see environmental concerns and action moving center stage in Europe and staying there for a very long time to come. On the other side of the "Iron Curtain" are lands and waters so destroyed with pollution and other abuses they make Professor Tolkien's Mordor look like a national park. Cleaning up the Warsaw Pact countries from now on represents a much bigger challenge than salvaging their foundering economies. We've just been handed an unprecedented opportunity to start over and maybe get it right this time. What we learn from the experience of recovering the environment of Eastern Europe will have world-wide implications and applications. Speaking strictly as an optimist, I think we'll look back 50 short years from now and see a miracle coming out of this challenge which will be even more impressive than the recoveries of the German and Japanese economies since 1945. Hopefully we in the States will learn from the experience and apply the lessons too. Let me close before I get too editorial on you. I've got a lot of magazines to read. Thanks again for sending them so quickly! Sincerely, Lt Col Robert Sunde,Jr APO NY I am hoping you are right, Robert, it sounds as though a miracle is needed. Thank you for an eagle eye view of the East European plight. Necessity is the mother of invention and as crew members on the Planet Earth it is necessary that we do utilize the technology we have and develop even more to keep this ship balanced and empowered with ALL life as we know it. KJS CAREIRS With the sizzling heat of summer still baking most of the nation, the memories of cold winter winds and high heating bills have probably faded in the minds of most consumers. But with autumn approaching, homeowners may want to start taking measures to reduce costs for heating. Many of these measures can be inexpensive. For example, Caulking and weather stripping are relatively low-cost ways that consumers may reduce heating bills and increase comfort this winter. Insulating, though more costly, is another energy-efficient measure that can be taken. Installation can be done as a do-it-yourself project, or by a professional contractor. In either case, it is important to choose and install the insulation correctly. The Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service (CAREIRS) is distributing two free fact sheets, "Caulking and Weather stripping" (FS203) and "Insulation" (FS142) which not only discuss these conservation measures in more detail, but also provide purchasing and installation tips. For more information on these publications, refer to the enclosed releases. We would appreciate your assistance in publicizing CAREIRS by mentioning our Service and publications in an article or information column. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call me at (703) 243-4900 or (800) 523-2929. Sincerely, Christopher DeChaine, Silver Spring, MD Consider it done, Chris. You readers who are interested can obtain the flyers by writing to CAREIRS, POB 8900, Silver spring, MD 20907 KJS 12V WIRING AND THE TRACE Dear Friends, I was at Amherst and had an enjoyable two days. I learned a lot but I still have one question which I never got clarified. My home is completed with conventional AC wiring, 14 ga. for lighting and 12 ga. for outlets. According to the way I read some of your articles dealing with this, I should be able to add PV panels, batteries and inverter wired into my house wiring and be off and running. I understand that I'll have to modify my electrical use as described in HP#14 page 11 and may even isolate the circuit to our washer to keep it on the power grid. My question is, do I have to make any changes to the size of my wiring or to any of my switches or outlets when changing over. I'm also aware that if I go with 12 VDC or 24 VDC I would be able to power everything more efficiently but for the cost of change over and the nightmare of rewiring I'm thinking that installing a few extra PV panels would offset this. Your opinion on this would be most appreciated. The enclosed check is for the following back issues, 2,3,4,6,8,9,10,11,12,15 &17. I enjoyed your talk at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair and I bought some of your magazines and now I'm hooked. Keep up the good work. P.S. Is the Trace 2524 ,with options, as described in HP#16, going to allow power stored in batteries to supply my home with 110 VAC and when they (the batteries) get low will the Trace's battery charger option automatically kick in to recharge them? Or will the Trace automatically switch me over to grid power if I so desire? I would think the best situation would be to use PV stored power until down to a set level and then automatically switch to grid power until batteries are charged again by PVs at which time the inverter switches back off grid power. Thanks Again! Steve & Linda Sventek, Frederic, WI Dear Steve & Linda, #14 AWG copper wire is fine for your AC lighting circuits if fused for not more than 15 Amps. #12 AWG is required for small appliance circuits (like in kitchens) and should be fused for not more than 20 Amps. DC lighting is somewhat more efficient, but you're right in assuming that rewiring and changing switches in an already existing structure would be a chore. With present day inverter efficiencies at 90+, it's hardly worth it, and an extra PV or two will surely be enough to offset the difference. Whether you use DC or AC lighting, they should still be energy-efficient types. The Trace 2524 with the Standby Charger (SB) option will use your batteries to supply your home with 110 VAC until the batteries get down a preset voltage. At that point, it will switch over to Charger mode and recharge the batteries if it has 117VAC at its input. When the batteries get back up to a preset voltage, the Trace will switch back to inverter mode. Both the low voltage and high voltage transfer levels are user programmable and adjustable. Bob-O WELL AND GOOD Dear Home Power, I am writing in regards to Windy Dankoff's article in issue #17 pp 25 (running submersible well pumps on inverter power). First, let me tell you that it can be accomplished- But one may encounter several problems in the process. So your readers might learn from my mistakes, I'll tell you what I experienced. 1) My well is 346' deep, static water level is 159' and produces 7 gpm 2) Have a Trace 2012 w/ standby and turbo fan (12V) 4/0 copper cable, distance to batteries-7 feet 3) Batteries- 1500AH, golf cart (these are used and at approximately 80% capacity-can't afford good ones yet) 4) System set-up - 44 gal pressure tank w/14 gal draw down, 20/40 pressure switch 5) Pump- Webtrol, model #515513B, 115V, 3 wire, 5 GPM, 1/2 HP, 13 stages (the number of stages is critical in the pump from deep wells) the pump is at a depth of 250' 6) Control box- Franklin electric (old style- not solid state, again this is critical) capacitor #275461-101 (250-300 MFD), General Electric relay #155031-101 (3ARR3-J7J4) 7) Wire- from pump to top of well- 250' #8 gauge 3 wire- well pump wire -from well casing to control box- 30' #10 gauge UF cable -from control box direct to inverter- 40' #10 gauge UF cable My advice to readers: 1) The voltage of the pump and HP is not very important- the number of stages in the pump is where it gets it's power- the 115V/13 stage pump works ten times better than a 230V/6 stage pump (which I used while two pumps where sent back to the factory to be tested) 2) Use only the old style box (control box)- as mentioned in the article, solid state boxes won't handle the voltage dip- parts for the old boxes are still readily available once you find the box (I had to go to 3 shops and found one on the "back shelf") 3) Use HEAVY wire- I would recommend #8 gauge from the pump all the way to the inverter if possible. The inverter's characteristics are not exactly like commercial power, and with the initial voltage dip to start the pump, the inverter won't transfer the pump from the "starter" phase to the "run" phase. The 1/2 HP pump rated at 11.6 Amps max and 5.8 continuous, was running constantly at 14.0 Amps and would shut down the Trace after about 10-20 seconds. The following took me 2 1/2 months of hard work and frustration to finally get it right. First assume the well driver and the pump supplier don't know or understand what you're doing. By following what they see as the customary way of installing the pump, you'll probably never get it to work, because they most likely haven't ever installed pumps to run off an inverter. The well driver and I installed the pump- 300' deep w/12GA wire and 10GA into the house. It didn't work, but would run on the 6000 W generator ( just barely). So I raised the pump to 200' and ran two 12 GA wires down to it (actually 200'/12 GA and 100'/10GA- one run). Still wouldn't work. I had an electrician check the system and found out both the inverter and the gas generator were putting out 123V w/ 114V in the line circuit. But the pump was running constantly at 14 Amps and kept overloading the inverter. Meanwhile, the 1st pump didn't have a check valve seal and had to go back to the factory. And the pump shaft on the second pump was bent so it seized up and had to go back to the factory. This was when the supply house started blaming the Trace 2012 for the problems. So I tested the Trace by hooking up the microwave oven (1200 W), TV (100 W) electric drill (360 W) and miscellaneous, all at the same time- believe me, the Trace is one fantastic piece of equipment. < almost 3000 Watts continuous. For the two and a half weeks while I waited to see what the factory had to say about their pumps I used a 230V/6 stage pump run directly from the generator. That pump could not bring the pressure tank up to 40 PSI, which the 115V/13 stage easily could do in about 2 1/2 min when working properly. After the tests came back from the factory- which told the supplier that the pumps were defective and not this customer- and to immediately replace this pump with another- the supplier did. And the supplier did a lot of apologizing in the process. Installing the third pump I made some significant changes 1) used the old style control box instead of the solid state type and 2) used #8 GA wire for the 250' in the well. Each pump has instructions on calculating what size wire to use- follow it religiously. When I plugged the third pump in it worked! And has worked great since. Draws about 5-6 amps and runs at about 700 Watts- just what it's supposed to do. I have a Maytag automatic washing machine with a 3/4 to 1 HP motor. I know the inverter will run that w/o much problem, but I've never run both the well and washing machine at the same time. My guess is the Trace will do it unless both motors start at the same time- that may be the next letter I write to you. For now though, I'll just run the washing machine from the gas generator- only wash clothes once a week and have to keep the generator bearings oiled anyway. That's the only work the generator does now that the Trace 2012 pumps the water. P.S. I had to try both the washer & pump together before I sent you the letter. Didn't work. The washing machine cycle is approximately 24 min total (12 min on the wash cycle). The inverter made it to about 10 min on the wash cycle, then the turbo fan came on for about 10 seconds and went off, about 1 min later it came on for about 10 seconds, then turned off. About 15 seconds later the inverter shut itself off so I finished the load of clothes with the gas generator & just ran the well pump on the inverter. Question: is the turbo fan working properly? Shouldn't it keep running as long as the inverter is warm? I suspect if the fan would keep running the inverter could handle both washing machine and pump- any ideas? Good Luck & keep up the good work, Sincerely, Randy McLester, Whitehall, MT The fan in the Trace is controlled by a thermal sensor hooked to the heatsink holding all the MOSFETs. Turning on and off is normal when the heatsink gets hot. My guess is that the combined wattage of both the pump and washer is greater than the Trace can sustain. Just run them one at a time. RP MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY Dear Home Power, I am a recent subscriber and also have had access to back issues of your magazine. After reading them, skimming some articles, I have a much broader knowledge of alternative technology. I have one small PV panel which charges an old car battery that runs my radio/tape deck. Otherwise, I have no electricity, I use ice in an old fridge frozen in a neighbor's freezer. I don't have access to a lot of money to buy the equipment needed to electrify my house so I'm interested in tapping into any information anyone might have for mechanical appliances. I'm sure we can eliminate some of the need for electricity, thus cutting down on electrical energy fields in our living situation. A friend who lived in Arkansas for a while, told me of a blender that was run by hand through a series of gears. A wheel was turned and the blender whizzed. Right now, that's my main interest. If there is anyone who could help me with this , I'd be most appreciative. In one of your back issues, I read an article about the importance of teaching children about AE and I heartily agree.But something more important, I think, is to teach children the joys of nature and living without a lot of gadgets. For me, watching a storm come in or the trees swaying in the breeze is much more entertaining than any TV show or video or pacman game. I appreciate your magazine and what you are doing. I like the quality of the writing and the information. Do you know of any programs where poor people can get AE (refrigeration is my need. Oh, a SunFrost would be wonderful). Sincerely yours, Linda Tompkins, Tucson, AZ As to your question about a mechanical blender, Linda, Bob-O says you should find an old style hand cranked cream separator. They have the gears to make the blades whiz real fast. No, I don't know of any programs to help low income families get AE. Although Harold, our old propane Servel works fine I too dream of a SunFrost. KJS THE WINNER Dear Home Power, I would like to thank you for publishing an informative magazine. As a recent subscriber I found it desirable to have all of the back issues in order to have as much information available on alternative energy as possible; information based on real experience. This same search for more knowledge prompted me to attend your Midwest Energy Fair at Amherst, Wisconsin. It was there that I purchased a raffle ticket for the illusive Home Power #1, and by good fortune, I was the lucky winner. GREAT! At the Fair I was pleased to meet some of the fine people who are trying and making alternative energy resources work. The workshops were informative and the people at the display booths were helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you for putting it together. P.S. I am presently trying to put together a workable system using NI- CADS; and in talking to the people at the Pacific West Supply Co. it was brought to my attention that Heliotrope General has an inverter that can be used with them. I confirmed it with Heliotrope General; it is their PSTT-12-2500 rated at a continuous 2500 Watts and an input of 16.5 or slightly more volts DC. You mentioned the desirability of such an inverter at one of your workshops. I thought I would pass the information along in case you were unaware of it. Pete Ivashchenko, Round Lake Beach,IL Congratulations, Pete! You now own a copy of the coveted HP #1. The Crew remembers you and that you really wanted #1. We can't take credit for the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. It was the offspring of an energized band- o-loons with a vision. And they sure did it up right! A thoroughly enjoyable event. KJS