And there goes July!
First … Emmett, Oscar and I are all well.
As noted in the last post, I’ve been dealing with a worsening internet access issue and finally I was done!!! and I made a change in equipment.
I think shortly after last Summer’s slow down, I happened on a YouTube video by a digital nomad … a seriously technical person … who referenced CradlePoint mobile routers. I bookmarked CradlePoint and then did nothing.
Cutting to the chase, after rodeo week (this year) with large chunks of time without ANY internet at all, I bought a CradlePoint IBR900 Ruggedized Router. Yes. Ruggedized!!
Anyway, the router is made for RV/Truck/Mobile applications, but after speaking with sales and tech support … no reason I couldn’t use it in the house as well as in the RV same as I have my MIFI devices.
Bottomline, I’ve had the new router for almost 2 weeks, but fully operational for 1 week (challenges getting correct SIM) and had a stellar week of consistent Internet access/speed.
And that is not all of my techie news…
So.
Router upper right. It is sitting on an upside down small stainless steel colander. Routers run hot and this is my solution to make sure there is air flow all around.
Lower right: EcoFlow Max
Upper left: EcoFlow Wave
EcoFlow is a newish company that makes … “We create the world’s most innovative, eco-friendly power solutions that enable you to live, dream, and explore without limits.” Translation = lithium power stations aka solar generators.
I hope to eventually have a backup power system for my house and/or RV that allows me clean backup power. The Max is part 1.
While I was researching and watching EcoFlow, they released the Wave A/C which can be powered by the Max, their “Pro” or a supplemental battery pack. I opted for the Max/Wave bundle in their Kickstarter pre-sale.
The Max-Wave bundle allows me to run A/C in the case of a power cut. And while the Wave is only 4000 btu, it is enough to cool my bedroom, or my office.
In the photo above, the Wave is plugged into a normal U.S. AC outlet. It has been cooling my office nicely this past week with temps in the 90’s F. ***I have my normal 2 behemoth “portable” 12000 and 14000 btu units running in the living room and boy’s room as well as 2 small fans going to move air around. The house is VERY comfortable!
So.
Good internet access. Cool house. We are very happy here!!
Hmmm.
Usually, I am in bed first and then Emmett and Oscar join me and they find their spots around me. But this evening, I was hot and sticky so after making normal “going to bed” motions, opted for a quick cooling shower. When I went to get in bed …. “Wait … where is my spot???”
Morning sunshine in the woods.
And microgreens in the kitchen! Radish on the right about ready to harvest. Broccoli starting on the left.
Afternoon nap…
That’s it for July!
2 Responses to “And there goes July!”
Lovely to see your news and see pictures of the boys. How hot does it get in the summer there. We have had consistent temperatures of 36 or 37°C for a few weeks now but we don’t have A/C so the house is about 30 to 31°C inside. We do have a fan in one room!
Our landlord is having the outside of our building painted and we have scaffolding all round which has cut off our satellite signal for TV. I don’t mind because I can watch Netflix etc. on my iPad but Tasos is annoyed because he watches football etc. on his big screen TV. I hope they finish ASAP.
Interesting to read about your solar generators. We have plenty of sun but solar technology is used for hot water heating mainly – and in winter it doesn’t work very well. But we have some electricity generating solar panel farms near the coast. Greece still uses coal for electricity generation as well as hydro and a bit of wind. It was supposed to be phased out this year but the war in Ukraine has meant it was brought back on line.
Anyway, glad to hear you and the boys are well and cool. Take care and Happy August.
P.S. Hope there are no fires near you.
It is challenging to answer the temperature question. With the rest of the world getting hotter, recent summer’s here have not had the long heat waves (mid to upper 90’s F) that I remember from 1994 when I moved to Montana up until maybe 2008 which was the 2nd summer in my current house. In the last year’s we’ve been having shorter heat waves with nice 2-3 day “normal” (mid to upper 80’s F) breaks.
For a heat wimp like me, it is easier to mentally manage the heat when there is a forecast break than times I remember there being no end in sight!
This year, we had a very wet and cool May, June and early July. This past week has been the first week in the 90’s and it is due to cool off late Tuesday and be in upper 70’s/low 80’s F from Wednesday on.
And even with 90’s-100, with the low humidity (upper teens-low 20’s %), the nights cool off. There is typically a 30-35 F degree swing overnight. All of my A/C units and fans have timers so I can set everything to shut down 1-2:00 a.m. and then when I wake up … typically 4:30-5:00 a.m., I open up the house. About 9:00 a.m. outside temp = inside temp and I close up. When the inside temp gets to 70F, I turn on the A/C and fans to hold the temp. I don’t do any high temp baking … usually I can plan around the cool breaks and if I do laundry, I do it early morning.
It is all easier to manage with just 1 human as I don’t need to accommodate anyone’s preferences but my own: temperature, noise and food :)
Solar is interesting. As I did some research I found out that it is not just sun on the panels, but the angle of sun on the panels. And the slightest bit of shade, even lightly filtered sun, really knocks down the amount of power. I don’t know if there will be improvements in how solar works, but at the moment it is not practical ($$ vs benefits) for me. The EcoFlow Max which is a very large power supply (lithium batteries) can be charged using house AC (U.S.), Auto/RV/Truck 9volt DC as well as solar. And unlike the small portable chargers, the Max charges to full compatability VERY fast. Mine arrived 30% charged and I got it to 100% on the lowest charging speed in 4 hours. At the highest speed, the estimate was less than 1 hour. It has enough power to run a large refrigerator, washer/dryer, start my well pump … pretty much operate anything in my house: not all at once and not for long duration, but if there was a long power outage at the height of a heat wave, I could run my refrigerator periodically, my fans, the WAVE A/C, turn on the well pump a few times … AND keep my small devices going. There are options for adding additional units and managing all with a “house panel”. But, the Max and Wave are my starting point and we’ll see how they do and how other buyers are using, etc.
There is also debate about the environmental friendliness of solar and lithium batteries. They have limited lives … long, but still … both the panels and the batteries eventually have to be disposed of… It is kind of like my wondering about paper towel vs washable towels. With washable, less to go to the landfill, but I use electricity to pump water and run washer/dryer.
Re fires … they started kicking up in Montana this week and sadly, they have been human caused! I’m unclear whether intentional or accidental, but there is 1 large fire which is threatening a lot of homes. It is about 30 miles away across Flathead Lake. There are others, none close but close enough to smoke up the valley. ‘Tis the season :(
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