My dog scoots his butt across the floor. I called the vet to find out why. Turns out it’s called “expressing the anal glands”. To stop him, the veterinary technician is going to clean out my dog’s butt.
How much does it cost to have someone stick their finger in my dog’s butt? $18.75.
Downright reasonable.
Last week we upgraded our solar power system for our home. Since we live off-the-grid in Hawaii, this was a major cause for celebration, which included dancing and lots of toasting well into the evening.
We now have a 48-volt system with 1600 Watts of solar panels on the roof. We also have 8 – 420 amp-hr batteries for storage and a 3 KW inverter.
With regard to how common off-grid living is in Hawaii, it’s mixed. On-grid is typical on Oahu, Kauai and the resort areas of Maui and the Big Island. Off-grid is more common on East Maui and the rest of the Big Island.
Here’s a run down of what we did:
The total cost of the upgrade (i.e., ripping out then entire old system, save a few solar panels on the roof) was about $11,000. With the cost of grid energy in Maui hovering around 40 cents per kilowatt hour, this upgrade pays for itself in three years. If the price of diesel fuel keeps rising, the break even day will come even faster. There are also the environmental benefits of not spewing diesel fumes and CO2. And by not erecting power lines, we preserve the amazing ocean views. Here’s to solar power!
Summer is here, and abundant sunshine makes it easy to save electricity and money by using a solar clothing dryer (aka a clothesline or clothes drying rack). Here are a few tips to get you started drying your clothes naturally and for free. In the process, you may come to love that fresh, out-of-doors scent that only comes with drying in the sun.
Line or Rack?
Clotheslines
There are many modern variations of the old-fashioned strung between two trees. If you have a large outdoor space and two trees, by all means go for a clothesline. This is a time-tested method.
Clothes Drying Racks
Chances you have an apartment, condo, deck or small yard and need to figure out how to use a tight space most efficiently. You may also need to adjust for season. If so, there are lots of great options available.
Racks are great for tight spaces and work both inside and out. There are many variations, but basically, racks consist of a wooden, aluminum or stainless steel frame with lengths of coated wire strung between the legs (or arms). When choosing a frame, consider where you’ll use it, indoors or outdoors, as well as cost. Stainless steel is typically more expensive than wood and more durable.
Racks can be freestanding, wall mounted, ceiling mounted or pole mounted; foldable, retractable or telescoping; and range in size from small enough for a single sweater mounted in a shower stall to large enough for a load of sheets in the yard.
Many excellent resources for clothes drying racks come from Europe and Australia, where apartments tend to be small, energy expensive and people more conversation minded. Shipping will be an additional cost, but one to factor into getting the right rack for your space that’s going to last. Here are just a few starting points (BTW, I have no commercial affiliation with or endorsement of any of these sites):
Pre-Drying
One handy gadget that I came across recently is a spinner (up to 3200 rpm) that dries clothes to slightly damp. It works like those machines at the gym, which spin down your wet bathing suit so you can take it home without soaking your bag. The same concept applies to laundry. A spinner could be very handy in tandem with indoor drying racks, in humid climates and during questionable weather. Treehugger.com has an informative post on these.
Hanging
There is an art to hanging wet clothes on a line or rack. They key is to strike a balance between the maximum number of clothes and the minimum amount of drying time. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
