rostervandross
Active Member
Maybe you'll find a firefish
Tank turned 49 this year
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I also installed the system. But I found the problem. Squirrels. Yes, furry rodents. They made a nest under the panels and ate the insulation off about 8 wires and completely cut two of them. I can't believe they gnawed through #10 thhn insulation and completely cut through 3 live wires. They must have done most of it at night when the panels are not generating 200 volts DC. You can see the red wire here completely cut as is the white.
It took me most of the day because I had to remove 5 panels and clean out the nest and re install new wiring. But it is now working again. I also installed galvanized grating on the sides of the installation where they were getting through. Now on the front and back the gap is about an inch. I think they can still squeeze through and if they do, I will have to put grills on that, but that is a lot more work requiring 80' of grill and there isn't a good place to secure it there, but if I have to I will. or of course I can set a grenade up with a trip wire.
It took me most of the day because I had to remove 5 panels and clean out the nest and re install new wiring. But it is now working again. I also installed galvanized grating on the sides of the installation where they were getting through. Now on the front and back the gap is about an inch. I think they can still squeeze through and if they do, I will have to put grills on that, but that is a lot more work requiring 80' of grill and there isn't a good place to secure it there, but if I have to I will. or of course I can set a grenade up with a trip wire.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I may have to go back to work just so I can take a day off. I can't believe how busy I am and I am retired for 8 years. I don't know how I did these things while I was working. This week I missed a Veterans Breakfast and a Veterans Bar be cue because I couldn't get the time to get there.
We get up about 5:45 and start our day. Today we went grocery shopping (my wife has MS so I help her) Then from there we went to a dermatologist for a yearly skin check which I think is stupid but they tell me that we spend so much time in the sun on our boat that we should go and waste some time getting our skin checked. OK, the Dr. is kind of a Babe so I don't mind to much. We talk about SCUBA diving, fish, boats and like that. She also dug something out of my neck. I don't know what it was but I guess I didn't need it. Then we came home and I got a package, it was a new timer for our clothes drier which I took apart last week because the thing ran all night and didn't shut off, but the clothes were really dry. I turned on the light in the laundry room and it didn't work. Luckily I had a ballast, and I was an electrician in another life so I installed a ballast and fixed the light so I could see the drier. I installed the part but before I finished, my wife was yelling that the dishwasher is not filling with water and it smells. So I leave the drier and take apart the dishwasher. I think dishwashers are a stupid invention and I see nothing wrong with washing dishes the normal way. I also think it takes longer using the dishwasher by the time you rinse the dishes, load the thing and un load it. It smelled because water wasn't going in it and the heating element was just burning up all the plastic in there. So I find the problem, it was an overflow switch under the unit that was stuck, so I put that back together and go to finish the drier. Yesterday I spent all day on my roof re-installing wires under my solar panels on my roof because the stupid squirrels ate the wires. I guess my tomatoes that they have been eating all summer ran out and they thought they needed a little copper. This afternoon I went up on the roof and took some measurements and went to Home Depot (again) to get some more wire mesh to fill the gaps on the sides of the panels because yesterday I only did the ends. I fed the fish and noticed that no water was going into my reverse Undergravel filter. I took the powerhead that is hidden behind the rocks out after breaking some montipora and I had to clean out some gravel in the unit. I put that back together and glued the montipora back together. It seems that every day is like this so I want a day off.
We get up about 5:45 and start our day. Today we went grocery shopping (my wife has MS so I help her) Then from there we went to a dermatologist for a yearly skin check which I think is stupid but they tell me that we spend so much time in the sun on our boat that we should go and waste some time getting our skin checked. OK, the Dr. is kind of a Babe so I don't mind to much. We talk about SCUBA diving, fish, boats and like that. She also dug something out of my neck. I don't know what it was but I guess I didn't need it. Then we came home and I got a package, it was a new timer for our clothes drier which I took apart last week because the thing ran all night and didn't shut off, but the clothes were really dry. I turned on the light in the laundry room and it didn't work. Luckily I had a ballast, and I was an electrician in another life so I installed a ballast and fixed the light so I could see the drier. I installed the part but before I finished, my wife was yelling that the dishwasher is not filling with water and it smells. So I leave the drier and take apart the dishwasher. I think dishwashers are a stupid invention and I see nothing wrong with washing dishes the normal way. I also think it takes longer using the dishwasher by the time you rinse the dishes, load the thing and un load it. It smelled because water wasn't going in it and the heating element was just burning up all the plastic in there. So I find the problem, it was an overflow switch under the unit that was stuck, so I put that back together and go to finish the drier. Yesterday I spent all day on my roof re-installing wires under my solar panels on my roof because the stupid squirrels ate the wires. I guess my tomatoes that they have been eating all summer ran out and they thought they needed a little copper. This afternoon I went up on the roof and took some measurements and went to Home Depot (again) to get some more wire mesh to fill the gaps on the sides of the panels because yesterday I only did the ends. I fed the fish and noticed that no water was going into my reverse Undergravel filter. I took the powerhead that is hidden behind the rocks out after breaking some montipora and I had to clean out some gravel in the unit. I put that back together and glued the montipora back together. It seems that every day is like this so I want a day off.
You have been busy ! 
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I love the solar panels. They generate $110.00 a month so that is how much it reduces my bill. If you can fir more panels, it would make more but that is all I could fit on my roof. The power is supplied to a unit in my basement that connects to my electric panel. There is no maintenance and nothing I have to do. If it were not for squirrels anyway.
I devised this method of keeping squirrels out. I bought gutter guard and sliced them in thirds. Then screwed them in. You can see it here and to the right with the cover on. It took be like 4 hours but it is worth it to see the expression on their little faces when they can't get in.
I devised this method of keeping squirrels out. I bought gutter guard and sliced them in thirds. Then screwed them in. You can see it here and to the right with the cover on. It took be like 4 hours but it is worth it to see the expression on their little faces when they can't get in.
rostervandross
Active Member
Paul, are all recently produced solar panels created equal or is there developments in the panels themselves coming / room for impovement? Or is it more the batteries for storing the power that have room for improvement?
Turning sunlight into electricity is interesting to me and I don't really know the first thing about how the photovoltaic stuff in the panels works.
Turning sunlight into electricity is interesting to me and I don't really know the first thing about how the photovoltaic stuff in the panels works.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
There are no batteries, you are not allowed to have them in your house. At least here in NY anyway. You don't need to store the power. When you make more power than you need, your electric meter turns backwards reducing your bill. I don't have enough panels to give me free power but it reduces my bill by one third. If I had more room, I would install as many panels as I could fit. It's a no brainer. If I lived in Oklahoma and maybe had more land I would get more panels. Panels get more efficient every year but you have to install them at some point to reap the benefits.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
My Daughter insists I need a book signing party, maybe at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island Brooklyn. You can come to the party and bring the book. I will have a crayon to sign books. I may even sign my copy just so I don't lose it.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
Christie Brinkley. But besides her, nothing
Paul B
Well-Known Member
Today I am rebuilding a new algae scrubber that will be vertical which will feed the reverse UG filter. That is the plan anyway. I will not remove the horizontal algae trough because that also acts as a refugium and it loaded with amphipods that I collect in the summer. It is completed except I didn't yet build the LED light that will light the thing. I have to custom build it because I need a certain size and it has to be an inch thick, no more. All of this needs to go next to the LED DIY fixture that moves up and down for maintenance and I am running out of room for all these things. My surface skimmer is also removed for re design so I have a film on the top of the water. But I like doing these things as it is all part of my hobby so I don't consider it work.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I finished the experimental algae scrubber and installed it. The window screen on the bottom is temporary just to make sure there are no splashes. Remember, I have no sump so this is over the tank. This contraption also feeds my reverse UG filter which you can see in the clear plastic "manifold" in the back where the lower screen PVC tube tubing enters. I didn't want to have a separate pump just for this experiment. I don't have the light yet so this one is just temporary. It needs some time to build up a film on the screen so the water flows evenly down and doesn't run in small rivers. I normally coat the screen with cement as algae grows much faster on that, but I didn't have time. I may take it apart and do it tomorrow.
