I am currently helping one student with thermodynamics. Last year I helped a student with electricity and magnetism. I've also tried to help on projects and papers. If anyone else needs some help with physics related matters, remember I have no former students.Once my student, always.
.... and I don't mind; it helps keep me thinking.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Winter and Heating
After last year's winter that wasn't, I was thinking that this winter was the real thing, a real New England winter. Last night I read that of the last 118 winters in Massachusetts for which records have been kept, 105 were colder than this year.
Since December, we have used nearly 500 gallons of oil. The default setting on our thermostats is 51F. We crank them up to 63 when we are sitting around and even to 66 if we have company. Wool socks, sweaters, and fleece get lots of use around here. This is as it should be. It makes a lot more sense to insulate two or three cubic feet of person, than overheat 2500 cubic feet of house. In any case its healthier: less dry throat and bronchial passages to be irritated and infected, fewer germs in the air, etc.; and it makes it easier to enjoy the outdoors when your body has adjusted to lower temperatures.
We had been having issues with a small propane stove which looks like an imitation wood stove. We used it only rarely, for appearance as much as heat, so we were surprised that we used 100 gallons of propane over the year. When I asked, the propane company said the pilot light should only use a fraction of this, so they would check for a leak. They found no leak, but when we continued to use gas at a rate of more than two gallons a week, I asked them to change the tank. They did this still, finding no leak. I had also checked with Jotul, the manufacturer of the stove, and the outfit that sold it, about pilot light gas usage. They refused to answer. Finally I found a few sources, including a Canadian government site, that indicated that pilots for this type of stove could use from 600 to 1500 Btu s (that's 600,000 to 1.5 million Joules for the SI fans) per hour. A gallon of propane provides about 90,000 Btus of heat, so in a week, 168 hours, a pilot can burn from 1 to about 2.5 gallons. Mystery solved.
At $3.20 per gallon our pilot light was wasting $300 per year as well as using resources and adding to the CO2 problem. Consequently, our pilot will stay off except when we use the stove. Many suggest that keeping the pilot on prevents corrosions and other problems, but I have not seen any real evidence supporting this.
Since December, we have used nearly 500 gallons of oil. The default setting on our thermostats is 51F. We crank them up to 63 when we are sitting around and even to 66 if we have company. Wool socks, sweaters, and fleece get lots of use around here. This is as it should be. It makes a lot more sense to insulate two or three cubic feet of person, than overheat 2500 cubic feet of house. In any case its healthier: less dry throat and bronchial passages to be irritated and infected, fewer germs in the air, etc.; and it makes it easier to enjoy the outdoors when your body has adjusted to lower temperatures.
We had been having issues with a small propane stove which looks like an imitation wood stove. We used it only rarely, for appearance as much as heat, so we were surprised that we used 100 gallons of propane over the year. When I asked, the propane company said the pilot light should only use a fraction of this, so they would check for a leak. They found no leak, but when we continued to use gas at a rate of more than two gallons a week, I asked them to change the tank. They did this still, finding no leak. I had also checked with Jotul, the manufacturer of the stove, and the outfit that sold it, about pilot light gas usage. They refused to answer. Finally I found a few sources, including a Canadian government site, that indicated that pilots for this type of stove could use from 600 to 1500 Btu s (that's 600,000 to 1.5 million Joules for the SI fans) per hour. A gallon of propane provides about 90,000 Btus of heat, so in a week, 168 hours, a pilot can burn from 1 to about 2.5 gallons. Mystery solved.
At $3.20 per gallon our pilot light was wasting $300 per year as well as using resources and adding to the CO2 problem. Consequently, our pilot will stay off except when we use the stove. Many suggest that keeping the pilot on prevents corrosions and other problems, but I have not seen any real evidence supporting this.
Winter's last hurrah? I doubt it.
I don't want this post to give the wrong impression. We really like winter. The snow makes everything more beautiful and snow shoeing is great exercise and very enjoyable.
Last Thursday we got hit by the "coastal" storm. It brought our total to around 6 feet for this winter. So much for dustings of snow as predicted. I foolishly took forecasts, the ones that said the last storm would miss us, seriously. Some miss, we got about 10 more inches. I don't think many of you would like growing up here; 10 inches and all the school kids got was a two hours delayed opening. Here are some photos.
My wife, Jean, is used to not being a giant, but it's still a little alarming to not be able to see over the piles along the roadside.
The piles in front of the porch and the windows are not from plowing they are from snowfall and from additional snow falling off the roof.
Last Thursday we got hit by the "coastal" storm. It brought our total to around 6 feet for this winter. So much for dustings of snow as predicted. I foolishly took forecasts, the ones that said the last storm would miss us, seriously. Some miss, we got about 10 more inches. I don't think many of you would like growing up here; 10 inches and all the school kids got was a two hours delayed opening. Here are some photos.
My wife, Jean, is used to not being a giant, but it's still a little alarming to not be able to see over the piles along the roadside.
The snow pile at the end of the drive is about 6 feet high.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Weekend in the White Mountains
We spent a long weekend in North Conway NH in the White Mountains. I got to do some snowshoe hikes. In one case I had to turn back a quarter mile from the top of North Moat Mountain because sinking to my waist in the four foot deep loose powder made further progress too difficult for this out of condition hiker.
We did a few walks in the valley and got occasional glimpses of the big peaks including Mt. Washington. We stayed at a nice traditional style country hotel which is located in what was built about a hundred years ago as a country home for the owners of the Bigelow Carpet Company.
We've been getting a dusting of snow here most days, but nothing dramatic since the 10 inches last Thursday.
We did a few walks in the valley and got occasional glimpses of the big peaks including Mt. Washington. We stayed at a nice traditional style country hotel which is located in what was built about a hundred years ago as a country home for the owners of the Bigelow Carpet Company.
We've been getting a dusting of snow here most days, but nothing dramatic since the 10 inches last Thursday.
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