Member BiggKidd
MemberForum Replies Created
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I never had pigs until 6-7 years ago AGH have really worked out well for me.
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The “test” or 12 volt single unit of 4 came in today. So I got it all taken apart and cleaned the pieces, once I get the thermal paste I can reinstall them in reverse. But that’s about all I can do until the temperature gun gets here and I can see what I need to use for a thermal buffer. Although I do believe the 1 inch thick steel I have on top of the stove now will work for that. I’m not as worried about getting 100% performance I’m more concerned with longevity at 50-75%. I am going to have to figure out how to handle the two outside fins on the aluminum heat sink as they are about 1/4 longer than the rest.
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Started actively working on this project today. First off I want to start with a good foundation. Which in this case is some inch thick iron or steel scrap I bought for unknown reasons one day when I saw it. It was one of those cases ten or so years ago when I said I’ll need that one day, guess that day was today. lol So I found it and cut it in three nearly equal pieces of roughly 3×21 each to make a nice thermal mass and help temper the ups and downs of the woodstove. We all know thermal mass is effective in slowly distributing heat and in this instance I am hoping it will also keep the stove from overheating the thermoelectric modules and help them maintain a more steady heat without those huge peaks and valleys woodstoves can have. I have a ton of cleaning to do on them and I’m thinking I’ll weld them together in to a single unit roughly 9×21 and maybe put handles on the ends to make handling it easier. Haven’t decided yet but I may weld another 1/4 plate on top to make it nice and flat & even across the surface. Does anyone KNOW if this will also keep the top surface from getting as hot as the top of the stove gets? I sure hope so! lol
I did get them clean enough for a test run over the next few days to try and get an idea what kind of difference it makes. I won’t honestly be able to tell until I get the IR thermometer, but I should be able to tell if it tempers the heat some. They are on the stove now the little fan finally cut off, wonder how long it’ll take to come back on sitting on top of them?
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by BiggKidd.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
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Hi guys got a question for you all. I need a decent soldering iron and I am looking for suggestions, hopefully with links. For a good soldering iron that won’t break the bank but will always get the job done, I’ve had it with the junky one I’ve got!
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Just wanted to point out I don’t really expect these modules to last. That’s part of the plan believe it or not. This was the least expensive way I could find to get the hardware. I’ve already found higher temp better quality TEG modules to replace them when they fail. Buying the hardware each piece by piece would have more than doubled the price without the modules. It was those little Aluminum water tanks and the Aluminum heat sinks I needed to make this work.
If this system does nothing more than move heat around the house I could still call that a win. Wood stove “central” heating for $300. lmao It gets cold in the bathroom and kitchen, my daughters room isn’t as bad but it could use more heat too.
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Interesting way of moving heat around, I’ve done similar with rocks. If you want to get more heat in the sand you might consider using MANY smaller tubes over the single large chimney. That way it heats the sand more evenly and faster. With a fan blowing through it will also transfer heat to the wanted area faster.
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Well I decided to take a chance and gamble on this to the tune of $300 for a DIY system. If it works out then we should make at least 1kw of power from it every 24 hours and possibly up to 2.4kw every 24 hours during the winter when the heats on. Hopefully it will help with generator run time during the low solar winter months. A big added bonus for us is it will also let us pump some heat to parts of the house that don’t get any now via the cooling system for the modules. I think being able to move some heat around the house probably had as much to do with my decision to spend the money as making power did, maybe even more. The heart of the system will be 2 of these units deconstructed and modified for my purposes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174280115967
I have a bunch of new old stock heater cores I’ll use to remove the heat from the system and put it where we need it, IE: the bathroom and my daughters room.
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The heater will actually increase CO2 which will be a big jump in growing power for your plants. Think of it like Nitrous Oxide on an engine the comparison is very similar.
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I think I’m gonna try modifying one of these for 12 volt power. Everything I need except the pump for a good test run. Same place has a pump that will work for another $8. It’s $49.99 with the cooling sheet AKA TEC12706’s. If I can get 20-25 watts at 12 volts with this setup I’d call that a big win! If that much works I’ll get three more and have a home built system of 100 watts for a fraction of the cost.
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Pretty neat concept isn’t it?
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I’ll be danged this is pretty much exactly what I was referring to doing.
https://www.tegmart.com/thermoelectric-generators/wood-stove-water-cooled-100w-teg
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How about a rocket stove made mostly from ammo cans a small one inside a large one with sand in between. With an easily removable chimney. Take it outside burn it to get it hot after it’s done simply dump the ashes and carry it in leave the feed chute open for air to pass in and out the the chimney access.
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Hi Sheila as a single male who’s been doing this 15 years while raising children let me be the first to say going this road alone is TOUGH! I wish I could find someone to share and help here but finding the right kind of person is near impossible.
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I don’t expect it to do a hundred watts maybe 50-60 at most. But if you add that up it adds up. lol Say I make 50 watts an hour which is my goal times 24 hours that’s 1,200 watt hours or 1.2 kwh a day. That’s about 1/4 of our daily winter time power use. Better yet it runs when the sun don’t shine. lol
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After 15 years living off grid in Va I know any power we can make in winter is good power. We are always power short in winter and this might just be the answer.