Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - adhall

Pages: 1 ... 12 13 [14]
196
Straight Vegetable Oil / Direct Injection and Vegetable Oil
« on: December 23, 2006, 07:30:58 AM »
I see that some of the Listeroids have direct injection.

Any opinions and/or experience to share regarding operating direct injection engines on vegetable oil?

Best regards,
Andy Hall

197
Generators / Direct Drive Genset
« on: December 14, 2006, 09:33:05 PM »
Has anybody looked into building a direct drive generator with a slow speed diesel?

One possibility is an 8-pole generator head coupled to a 1000 RPM rated engine running at 900 RPM. I have to admit I've had no luck finding an 8-pole generator yet.

Best regards,
Andy Hall

198
Everything else / Re: Battery de-sulphater
« on: December 12, 2006, 08:24:53 PM »
Binnie:

Sure I'd be happy to pass along the link, bearing in mind that I have no commercial interest in this product or company, etc.

Here is the link to what appears to be the manufacturer's site:

             http://www.thebatteryminder.com/12v133abatteryminder-p-29.html

There are many places that sell these things at competitive prices. I purchased mine through an online vender in SW Oregon.

So far, the only negative I have to say about it is that the battery clips are cheap. They are made of plated steel rather than copper and tend to rust. It would be an easy fix to replace them, of course.

Best regards,
Andy Hall

199
Everything else / Re: Breaker X-fer switch recommendation...
« on: December 12, 2006, 05:44:44 PM »
Of course, if you make your own, the electrical inspector might give you a bit of a hard time...

Best regards,
Andy Hall

200
Everything else / Re: Battery de-sulphater
« on: December 12, 2006, 05:21:08 PM »
Well, here's some anecdotal evidence from my own experience:
I have a '92 Dodge pickup with the Cummins diesel. The radio had been iffy ever since I bought the truck in 2001. About a year ago, the radio quit working altogether. Oh well, I figured, I didn't like that stock radio anyway, maybe it's time to upgrade. At the same time, I noticed that the battery voltage was dropping quite a bit when the glow plugs kicked in. I also noted that the even after the engine was running the battery voltage was cycling periodically until the engine warmed up. The battery voltage would drop low enough that the headlights would dim to a feeble, yellow glow. (I wish I had some real voltage readings to report here, but the voltmeter on the dash is difficult to read accurately.) Extended charging with a conventional trickle charger didn't help. At this point the battery was at least 5 years old and I figured it was about time to replace it.

In the mean time, I had picked up a battery maintainer to use on my motorcycle and garden tractor batteries. The main feature I was interested in when I bought this device was it's ability to maintain the charge on a small battery without overcharging it, but the particular device I purchased offered, in the words of its manufacturer, "patented high-frequency pulse technology" which the makers allege "automatically dissolves harmful power-robbing sulphation" and was "guaranteed to increase your battery's life and performance".

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I tried the battery maintainer on the truck battery. After using it for about a week, I noticed that the radio began working again. I also noticed that the battery voltage it not dropping down low as it was before. Also, at this point the improved battery performance has been maintained even during periods when I don't have the device connected.

So, does this prove that "de-sulphating" works? Probably not. It may just prove that I now have a more effective trickle charger than I had before or maybe the battery just decided to "come around". On the other hand, I'm happy that I didn't have to puy a new battery for the truck (yet, at least). But mainly I'm happy to have a charger that I can leave on small batteries for extended periods with worrying about damaging them. (I have boiled several motorcycle batteries dry using chargers supposedly made specifically for that type of battery.)

Having an easy way to safely maintain the charge levels on these batteries is probably more valuable than any benefits the "de-sulphating" feature has to offer.

Best regards,
Andy Hall

201
Everything else / Re: Breaker X-fer switch recommendation...
« on: December 12, 2006, 03:50:06 PM »
You might find this interesting:

http://www.interlockkit.com/

This product makes it possible to use an existing breaker panel with a generator by installing a mechanical interlock between the panel's main breaker and another breaker that connects to the generator.

Please bear in mind that I have no practical experience with this product and cannot vouch for either the product or it's manufacturer.

Best regards,
Andy Hall

Pages: 1 ... 12 13 [14]