Didn't get much done on the steel cabin today, but could have. I hadn't thought to try out the deep cycle batteries, but left the battery drill here even though I thought I put it where I wouldn't forget it. I wanted to get the door where it will close full time so decided to try out a little 400 watt inverter on a couple of the deep cycle batteries I'd doctored and use the moto tool to sand down the door jam to allow the door to close. I knew the moto tool didn't pull much juice and it worked like a charm so I decided to try the 2000/1500 watt inverter on the two batteries and then tried the saws. NO PROBLEM'O! Ran them like a big dog. I'd already spent a good bit of the day walking up and down the road clearing mesquite and other branches hanging over in the road which would have probably scratched up this trailer when it was being taken out there and was tired and cut up from that so since I didn't have the drill to put up more of the siding I COULD cut I called it a day. Now... the two batteries I spent the most time working over work fine so 2 out of 2 ain't bad. I expect to get about the same results on the other 8 so I should have an 8 to 10 battery system when I can get to the others. Not sure what I'll do with the other 5 - 8 volt batteries, but I'll figure out something.
I must admit that I'd been thinking about trying out the deep cycle batteries so stopped at the hardware store on the way out to the land this morning to buy some heavy duty copper lugs and larger wire to wire up the system. The largest wire they had was 8 gauge 3 wire with a ground so I bought 15 feet of that and a couple of the copper lugs to put on the inverter. (see pictures) While in the store a almost literally ran in to John Wells. He was there to get the parts to repair his solar still. Humm... solar Shower not still. I gave him directions to my land and he said he would pay a visit. I also ask him if I could post a link to the classifieds I'm setting up for the area and he gave the ok. Don't want to step on any toes around here! See his Blog at:
The Field Lab
Not sure what I'll get done tomorrow because I need to do laundry one more time before I leave this place and also need to start clearing out an exit route for this trailer when it decides to go back to Odessa because at this point it will be easy to back in, but hard to pull out of. Maybe I'll work on that some and putting up the rest of the siding to?
SOUTHWEST TEXAS CLASSIFIEDS Free & Now Online!
Hot dog power!! That is a good thing!! Glad to see you can get things done with modern tools. That will make life much easier. You can get it all dried in now. Hopefully the real cold weather is behind you. Time to set up some kind of water gathering device.
ReplyDeleteHe, He, I fixed the time thing. Good night.
ReplyDeleteThats such good news about the batts working! The wires are alot smaller than I thought would be. Thanks for documenting this, as I was hoping to see someone try running big power tools off a few batteries.
ReplyDeleteOGT, that was the largest wire they had at the hardware store. I'd like to have had larger wire, but for now had to (once again) make do with what I could get. However I did double up on all of the wires and may add a couple more pieces for each connection. I got enough wire to do that, but just didn't at the time. I'm feeling lousy today so didn't make it out there or I'd have tried running the pancake compressor to see if that would work. Maybe tomorrow. I was planning to go out there today until I started feeling bad and was going to take a day off tomorrow to do my laundry one last time while I'm here and clean up this trailer. I'll have to do that today and in the morning before going back out there tomorrow afternoon.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got your batteries to work. Hope you get to feeling better.
ReplyDeleteit looks like your 'tardis' is coming along nicely! however, if it gets too stinkin' cold or claustrophobic living in it or too tough to build out let me know. i've got a 1980 brougham duallie (transvan type) 19' low-top, wide-body motorhome sitting out back just getting pecan leaves dropped on it year after year. it's pretty nice, though your tardis has a good bit more headroom (and no doubt better acoustics for the jukebox). might as well sit on your place for a good cause as take up a bunch of my driveway space. we have two other m/h we use anyway. that's what i forgot to tell you over on your classified site earlier. sorry 'bout that. get well, you've got friends.
ReplyDeletejack b :-) in midland, tx usa
If I can make it through the first couple of months in the container I'll be doing good after that. I plan to start building before long so don't plan on the container being my life time home. A few months ago I'd have jumped on a motorhome, but couldn't find one that would make it down here or they were out of my price range.
ReplyDelete