Q & A Curie-ous Dear Home Power Folks, Thanks for a well done and informative publication. Do you folks have any information about there being a small amount of radioactive material used in certain compact fluorescent lights. In particular the Panasonic Light Capsules uses a substance called Prometheum to aid in starting the lamp. Prometheum puts out a certain amount of curies of radioactivity. Does this create any sort of health hazard? Do any other of the compact fluorescents contain this element? If any readers have any info, please pass it along. Keep on spreading the word about renewables. Regards, Larry Brown, Olivebridge, NY You are correct in stating that this light uses a small amount of radioactive material in its starter. In order for this amount of radiation to be a hazard you would have to break open the light and eat the contents. Not very likely or appetizing. If you want no radiation in your lights, then consider the Osram EL types which use a switching ballast. RP Fluor-efficiency Dear Home Power, Enjoyed articles on fluorescent lighting. I have a mostly 24 VDC system, but do have one AC circuit powered by a Heart Interface 300X inverter. There are two 40 Watt tiny spotlights on this circuit, on 2 tracks about 5 feet over the kitchen counter. I use them for maybe an hour a day. Would I save much electricity by replacing them with the EL-R11 lights you describe? I don't have a battery charger, so in the winter I try to use as little power as possible. Use candles and Aladdin lamps and only watch enlightening TV programs. Charles Johnson, Marysville, CA The two incandescent bulbs consume about 80 watt-hours daily. Two Osram EL 11-R compact fluorescents would consume about 22 watt-hours daily, and provide 20% more light. You would save 58 watt-hours daily, and that's the average output of about 1/4 of a PV panel. The Osrams with built-in reflectors a just the ticket for track lighting. The parabolic reflector works better than any I have ever seen. It provides even light throughout its beam. RP Desert Pumping Dear Home Power, You have a great magazine. I read it all the first day I receive it. My wife and I own a lovely desert camp site in Arizona that we visit every year, sometimes more. We have a well 500 ft. deep and water at about 300 ft.. I would like to use solar power for pumping. Could I use stacked submersible pumps in the pipe? One at the lower setting and one half way up and add solar panels for the extra pump? Would this be feasible? Has it ever been tried? Would like to see something in Home Power about this. Robert R. Conn, Rio Linda, CA Solarjack (602-428-1092) is making submersibles that will pump 300 feet of well. Solar pumping has reached the state where 300 foot wells can be pumped with a single sub pump. Over this depth, jack type pumps can lift water from over 800 feet down. All run on PVs- from one to eight modules depending on depth and flow. RP Aleutian Hydro Dear People, We recently bought a self-sufficient homestead in the Aleutians. The past year or so we've been doing a lot of foundation work, backtracking that is, trying to figure out just what we have. I've made some electrical breakthroughs the past few days since finding a few old copies of Home Power. Up to this point we (and the previous owner/creator) had tried to stay away from any electronic gadgetry. Our Tethill water turbine is 100 years old this year. We float 76 Ni-Fe Edison cells (115VDC) and we use the surplus off the generator for electric heat and to charge a 12v system for radios, stereo, etc. I'm awaiting the arrival of a Trace 2012 inverter so we can use a computer and peripherals. Also in the works is rejuvenating a wind system to interface with the hydro. We have a few weeks in the dead of winter and a few weeks in early summer where the creeks are low. The problem is finding a wind generator that will withstand very volatile Aleutian weather. We've had six 100 knot-plus breezes in just the past six months. We would like to have the extra juice to keep the greenhouse going in the winter. Otherwise, we're quite comfortable living within the confines of the energy budget freely provided here. So you can see I could use the whole gamut of AE information - basic theory/wiring to creative interfacing. I see that is what you offer so I've included some subscription money. I've gotten some good leads, in HP, I'm pursuing concerning efficiency freezers. Salmon and berry season is around the corner and we're looking forward to making a freezer for next season. P.S. Have you ever reviewed books relevant to AE issues? I'd like to see a page or so devoted to some such reviews. Cheers, Buck Laukitis, False Pass, AK You bet, we've been doing reviews of books and periodicals for a while now. Check out the back issues. On the subject of wind machines that can take it- talk to Mike Bergey at Bergey Windpower, 2001 Priestley Ave., Norman, OK 73069 ù 405-364-4212. Every wind maniac I talk to tells me that Mike's machines are survivors. RP No Soap Job Howdy Folks, The back of the subscription form got me started, and well, I guess I should be more thorough. A couple of years ago I saw an Australian program "Beyond 2000". They featured a vignette about a professor from Hong Kong? Tokyo? Who had developed and applied for some International patents on an ultrasonic clothes washing machine that used billions of agitating microscopic bubbles to dislodge oils, dirt and fatty acids from cloth, while using no soap whatsoever (no ecological effluents) and less water and less electricity than conventional methods. Every major soap company in the world had approached him and offered to buy his technology, at that time, he had refused, - this man should win the Nobel prize for Practical Application of Physics and Engineering - and in no AE catalog to date have I seen even a prototype unit. They do work, today, in the fields of cleaning jewelry and also optics. If pursued by AE folks, our evergrowing market would make this available, slowly but surely to everyone, and the precious resource of clean ground water (which the need of by the year 2005 will double-globally) could be saved and not further ravaged. All life is based on water - land life, fresh water - it's the juice of life.Many people in the conservation group, Trout Unlimited, would jump at the chance to see progress in this area. If you have any info in this area, please print whatever - mucho important. Also any info on the fuels cells that were used in Skylab Hydrogen/Oxygen or those being developed north of you, by Ballard Power Systems, in Vancouver, B.C. that have energy densities 2 1/2 greater than previously obtainable. I will be sending a profile of my residential system soon. For a climate of 4.1- 4.3 mean annual hours of sun per day, with extended periods of overcast in Jan., Feb., usually 9-11 days. Sorry letter so sloppy, but I don't have a computer printer yet. P.S. Although my smarts tell me to be doggedly pessimistic about city life, city stuff, I still believe in the Green Dream. It is the only choice 4 me. I study electrical engineering and hope to make a life of it. Thanks for your achievements. Dan Duffield, Imperial, MO Well, Dan, you've got more questions than I have answers. On ultrasonic cleaning of clothing- why not? The savings in water (and hot water at that!) are obvious. How about it readers, anyone got info on giving the jeans a dose of ultrasound? Some info on fuel cells in this issue on page 29. I'd like to know more myself. RP DHW Parts Dear Home Power, Greetings! In light of President Bush's energy policy (what a joke) my wife and I see your publication as the best source of workable and renewable sources of energy. It appears that when the government determines a way to tax non-nuclear, renewable sources of energy, then and only then, will they support alternate sources of energy. I am writing to you to see if you folks can steer me in the right direction. I have acquired an instantaneous water heater that needs some minor repair and alteration. This unit is manufactured by Thorn EMI and has a model number of TL 200. I need to know if you know where I can get parts for it. In particular, it needs a controller valve and I need to change the heater from its current natural gas set up to propane. I would appreciate any information you can send to me. I look forward to receiving HP again after a year's absence. Keep up the good work. John McGonigal, Ft. Jones, CA Sorry, I can locate that heater in any of my literature. How about it, readers, anyone know where to get parts for the Thorn EMI TL 200? RP Change of Winds As a new subscriber to HP I know you are asked to help prospective users of solar and wind with consultation, leading on to the best or most economical solutions. This location is open to sun so solar panels (photovoltaic) should provide power for Amateur Radio and a few simple lights. I also have two wind generators at my disposal. One is a 150 watt wind charger (12v) the other an older gear driven 1200 watt (32v). At present I have taken down the 150 watt for maintenance, and have decided that its location is not good for the amount of available wind. The tower is 40' up on a pole. I have a 70' free standing steel tower ready for erection. It will be 200' circuit loop to this cabin, a double of the distance of the smaller one, but higher , both ground wise and aerial height. I'm troubled with the incompatibility of 32V to my 12v battery "Ham" radio. I don't want to use the 32v system unless it can be adapted to use directly with the 12v system gear. It also looks like maintenance, gear box, pull chains, etc. can be a problem, unless a person likes to work at 70'. There are periods up to 30 days when temperatures are well below zero - so batteries sustain these temps while away. The place is remote - too far to pack out gear for warmth. No roads, but a good wind and solar site. This location is as close to a mountain top cabin as you can get in Northern Minnesota. I will buy new wind gear if my fears of incompatibility (12v vs 32v) and maintenance are as bad as I fear. What to do! Thor Nordwall, Ely, MN You need to talk to the Wind Wizard, Mick Sagrillo at Lake Michigan Wind and Sun, 3971 East Bluebird Rd, Forestville, WI 54213 ù 414-837-2267. He can give you straight info about reliable wind power and the equipment you now have. RP What Questions Would like information on: What automatic washers work best on Trace 2012? What color TVs, 20" or larger, are the most efficient on 2012? Information on good FM antennas. How far can a 12VDC ballast be mounted away from the tube? What VCRs work well or poor on Trace 2012? Are there 110 AC brush motors available for automatic washing machines? How can radio frequency noise in a telephone caused by Trace 2012 in standby mode be eliminated? Thanks. Chris Borggren, Weaverville, CA See article on page 44 of this issue- its got the straight dope on washers. Look on the back of the TV set for the power consumption figures- that's about what it will consume from the inverter. The top of the line Radio Shack VHF/FM TV antenna (RS#15-1654 for $59.95) works very well in fringe locations. Keep the 12 VDC ballast as close to the fluorescent as possible, if you don't you'll get RFI. Almost all VCR will work well on the Trace, some are noisy so get return privileges from the store when you buy it. In general, the Mitsubishi and Panasonic models work well. To stop you Trace from getting into your telephone- relocate the phone wiring. You have most likely run the telephone wiring parallel and close to the house power wiring. Keep the two as separate as possible. If the phone line must cross an ac wire, the make it cross at a right angle and then go for at least four feet before running parallel to the 120 vac power wiring. You can also replace your phone wiring with coaxial cable, which will reduce the interference. RP