Terlingua, TX - John Wells

I've been following this guy for a while now.  I like the way he thinks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT3tPBU0DdI&feature=endscreen&NR=1



his blog: http://thefieldlab.blogspot.com/

275 gallon tank/garden hose adapter...

Last time in Montello the topic of water tanks came up at the Cowboy with JT.  We both use the 275 gallon palletized water tanks (see tank in previous post) in various ways and were sharing ideas.  One of the ideas included a screw on adapter to the tank valve that allows for a garden hose to be attached.  Below is a video showing that solution.  Hope this helps JT!

Bicycle Generator....

I think I see a new project in the near future...

BICYCLE GENERATOR....click to watch video

This idea came up early last week at the coffee shop. An old friend contacted me late last week about the same idea. This video appeared before me (without searching) on youtube a bit ago. Between solar, wind, and bicycle....power should be bountiful!!!

I don't have a lot of research time to allocate to this project right now, but I should think it will come about in the next six months. That said, if someone is interested in the idea and would like to run with it, I'll volunteer my welding skills towards the fabrication of a bike/alternator mounting system!

Actually Making Bleach from Pool Shock...

Below is a one minute video showing the basics of making bleach from a one pound bag of pool "shock". The "shock" is available at any pool supply business or Wal-mart for $3 per bag. One bag yields 75 gallons and has a shelf life of 10+ years. After the bleach is produced, it has a shelf life like unto store bought bleach at around one year.

I utilize a scale from Harbor Freight (Item 97920) to measure the granular shock into small quantities (3 grams) for producing 1/2 gallon batches at a cost of $0.02. This particular bag of shock states an "available chlorine" percentage of 45%, which I have calculated to be 6 grams of shock per gallon of water. I generated the table below for differing manufacturers that may offer varying percentages....use at your own risk!

% available chlorine - grams per gallon of water
70% - 3.5
65% - 4
60% - 4.5
55% - 5
50% - 5.5
45% - 6
40% - 6.5
35% - 7


This bleach creation technique provides long term storage of the ultimate disinfecting solution....perfect for anyone on a budget in a remote location with minimal storage area!

VIDEO - http://youtu.be/DBm42qyku0Y

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The Hawk and Me....

...earlier this week in Montello, two sequential mornings, both upon emerging from sleep, a hawk patterned over head in the desert with ever rising circles, out of sight. hmmmmmm.....

http://divinesparks.blogspot.com/2008/04/hawk-symbolism.html

perhaps it is meaningless. but, if only for a moment, it meant something to me!

See you in Montello my friend!

New Residents...Container Leveling....high lift jack

Welcome Greg and Deb to the valley! It was good to finally meet you guys and learn a bit more about you. I'm looking forward to more conversations!

Geoff: thank you for connecting us and facilitating another container drop!

The container failed to land on a perfectly flat piece of ground, so my buddy Paul and I went about correcting the leaner. We utilized a "high lift jack" to easily raise the corners for blocking. This tool is an amazing piece of mechanical simplicity. An absolute must for any desert rat!

A quick twenty minutes later and we were off to the Cowboy for a burger and a beer. What a great few days. Thanks for your help Paul!

Making bleach from “pool shock”….disinfectant and water purification!

Why would anyone produce their own bleach using the widely available pool treatment known as “Pool Shock”?

1) liquid bleach strength degrades over a few years rendering any stored bleach less effective over time

2) storing large amounts of liquid bleach requires large amount of space

3) 5 lbs of Pool Shock (calcium hypochlorite) costs $10.97 at Wal-Mart and makes 640 gallons of liquid bleach, which will treat 128,000 gallons of water.

4) 2 cents per gallon….i need no other reason!

5) cheap and convenient cleaning solution and water purification method

Here are a few links supplying all the necessary details:

http://www.thefoodguys.com/howtoclorox.htm

http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-chlorine.htm

http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfm

After loading the above EPA link, scroll down to the section titled “chemical treatment”.