Bruce
Herd Master
Off grid?
Battery storage? If so, how many kWh?
Backup generator? If so what size and fuel type?
Inquiring minds want to know
Coffee anyone ?
- Thread starter Sourland
- Start date
Battery storage? If so, how many kWh?
Backup generator? If so what size and fuel type?
Inquiring minds want to know
DustyBoot
Loving the herd life
Hm, maybe that's my problem -- low battery storage. A few days without good sun and my emotional reserves drain fast and take a while to refill. I suppose you could argue I have a backup generator in the form of a sunlight lamp, but it's only enough to keep essential systems running. Not optimal in the long run.
(This being the internet, I'm not 100% sure if your comment was literal or tongue-in-cheek. Just to be sure: no actual solar power here, but without sunlight I start to feel low and have a hard time mustering up the energy to do much of anything. Blech!)
(This being the internet, I'm not 100% sure if your comment was literal or tongue-in-cheek. Just to be sure: no actual solar power here, but without sunlight I start to feel low and have a hard time mustering up the energy to do much of anything. Blech!)
Bruce
Herd Master
My comment was literal because I thought YOURS was 
Clearly I didn't read it carefully.
I think most of us understand your version of "solar powered", I know I do better when there is sun about. I wake up MUCH better to increasing daylight rather than an alarm in the dark. This morning the "alarm in the dark" was one of the cat's barfing at 5:45. I've been "off" ever since and it is 1 PM. Doesn't help that it is very gray and snowing some.
Clearly I didn't read it carefully.I think most of us understand your version of "solar powered", I know I do better when there is sun about. I wake up MUCH better to increasing daylight rather than an alarm in the dark. This morning the "alarm in the dark" was one of the cat's barfing at 5:45. I've been "off" ever since and it is 1 PM. Doesn't help that it is very gray and snowing some.
DustyBoot
Loving the herd life
I realized reading back over my first comment that it wasn't very clear. Needed more tea, obviously!
Ahh, the cat-barf alarm. I'm very familiar with that one.
Or better yet, the crying child accentuated by stepping in cat barf on the way to respond. My preference, though, is a dawn-simulator alarm clock I bought a year or so ago. I'm a much more pleasant person to be around when I wake up that way.
Ahh, the cat-barf alarm. I'm very familiar with that one.
Or better yet, the crying child accentuated by stepping in cat barf on the way to respond. My preference, though, is a dawn-simulator alarm clock I bought a year or so ago. I'm a much more pleasant person to be around when I wake up that way.- Thread starter
- #2,035
Sourland
True BYH Addict
I can tell that Alaskan has been here in my absence. Half eaten donuts and dirty cups in the sink are my first clues of that. I've brewed a fresh pot for this afternoon. A full blown Nor'Easter is raging here right now. Fairly low snow accumulation, but winds are whipping. Power went out at 12:30. It will be a while before it is restored.
Bruce
Herd Master
We are way past the crying child thing. Well DD1 (will be 25 on the 9th) does wail like a 1 year old pretty loudly if she sees a spider. Most days I have no need to get up at any particular time, the benefit of being retiredI realized reading back over my first comment that it wasn't very clear. Needed more tea, obviously!
Ahh, the cat-barf alarm. I'm very familiar with that one.
I do like the concept of the dawn simulator alarm though. Do you set it for X minutes before you need to get up so the light will bright enough to wake you at the right time? And does it have a second audible alarm you can set for 5 minutes after you want to be up in case the light doesn't do its job on occasion?
DustyBoot
Loving the herd life
The way mine works, you tell it what time you want to be awake and you can also set the length of the "sunrise." I think it defaults to something like 20 minutes. If you wanted to wake up at 7:00 a.m., it would start just barely glowing red at 6:40 and gradually brighten over the next 20 minutes. At 7:00, the audible alarm of your choice would go off. Mine has a few options including birds, a beach, music, the blaring beep, and "off." It also has a sunset simulation, so you can start with the light on and have it fade over a set length of time. It was a little expensive, but I needed something for dark winter mornings and it's a pretty impressive gizmo.
Baymule
Herd Master
Coffee is ready. Making pancakes too!
Bruce
Herd Master
Care to provide a link to the product? I for sure would have bought one of them back when I was working.
promiseacres
Herd Master
Coffee is on.
