My artwork that inspired an Invention that became a successful Business

I am going to start by going off topic for this post and tell you about a surprising success I had back in 2002.  At that time I was making turned wood artworks that took the form of undulating shapes supported by legs.  I have sold most of those pieces, but here is a good example:

"Ground Effect" by Guy Marsden

These artworks created a sense that the central lighter colored piece of wood was floating and eventually I decided that I  wanted to create a piece in which the wood actually levitated.  The result was this piece:

"The Mother And Child Reunion"
by Guy Marsden
(this piece is available)

The large yellow "mother" section is actually attached to the tusk shape in the back, while the smaller "child" element hovers just below:

"child" suspended in thin air!

The "child" moves around slightly in air currents but remains about a quarter inch away from the upper section at all times.  When I decided to embark on this project I researched magnetic levitation and eventually decided to develop my own circuit that would accomplish the levitation for this artwork.  (I design electronic products for a living: http://www.arttec.net/Industrial/Design.html). There is a small powerful magnet embedded in the lower section, and an electromagnet with control circuitry that I designed in the upper section.  It took me about two weeks of research and development to come up with an ideal circuit.

Having completed the artwork, it occurred to me that other electronic hobbyists might enjoy building the circuit that I came up with.  So I approached the hobby electronics magazine: "Nuts and Volts" to see if they would like me to run a construction article.  They approved enthusiastically and my article was published in 2003.  

Authors who publish construction articles often offer a kit of parts along with a circuit board and instructions to make it easier for people to build their design.  So I designed a circuit board, ordered parts and created instructions comprising a total investment of around $500.  I hoped that I would sell several dozen kits over the next few months after the article was published.  Here's a photo from the article showing the original kit levitating a matryoshka doll:

Original levitation kit assembled

I was quite surprised by the response to my kit and in my first full year I sold over $9,000 worth of them!  It was delightful that my email inbox went from: "you've got mail" to: "you got money" as order confirmations came in via PayPal.  Since then, sales have tapered off somewhat but I still sell several thousand dollars worth of them every year through my website: http://www.arttec.net/Levitation.  I offer kits and fully assembled versions and often hear from people that have made amazing projects with the kit - like this wonderful flying bird:

click here to see more projects

I often look back and reflect on the unusual sequence of events that began with creating an artwork that transitioned to designing an electronic circuit that became a successful product.  I think the lesson to be learned here is to always be open to the possibilities and to recognize and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself.

To bring this blog post back around to the topic of sustainability, a few years later this experience inspired me to market another product that I originally designed for my own personal use.  This is a solar differential temperature controller used to improve the performance of my off-grid solar thermal heating systems.  I was equally surprised at how easy it was to start the business and how successful it became - I guess I have a knack for starting small businesses.  I eventually developed more sophisticated versions of this basic product and market them from a separate website: http://ArtTecSolar.com/

ART TEC SolarSolar Differential Temperature Controllers

There are now hundreds of my products out there in the world improving the performance of off-grid solar heating systems and I feel good that I am making a contribution to this important renewable energy market segment.

Upgrading my TV and recycling the old one

A few days ago I went to turn on the TV and it would not turn on either using the remote control or the button on the side.  This TV does not owe me much because I bought it over six years ago on clearance from the now defunct Radio Shack store nearby and I had since repaired it by replacing the motherboard.  It was a 37 inch LCD flatscreen with a nominal rated power consumption of 140 W.

I found another clearance deal at Sears for a 50 inch LED TV that is rated around 60 W.  It is impressive that this larger TV uses much less power and has a very favorable Energy Star rating compared to other TVs in its class (actual label shown at left) and I am quite pleased with its quality overall. 

Incidentally, as an engineer I need to point out that TVs are marketed as "LCD" (Liquid Crystal Display) or "LED" (Light Emitting Diode).  The current crop of TVs are all sold as "LED TVs" yet they are still really using LCD imaging technology but LEDs as the back light which is what helps to make them thinner.  Older style "LCD" TVs used fluorescent lamps for the back light that used more power and added more bulk to the back of the TV.  My old TV was this latter style.

The Sears salesman also suggested that I replace my old style stereo amplifier and speakers that I use for the sound system for the TV with a new sound bar and subwoofer.  I declined, but ended up being curious about the idea since it might simplify the whole setup.  Eventually I drove down to Best Buy since they had a big selection of them and ended up purchasing a relatively affordable sound bar that fits very nicely right below the TV on our stand.  The salesman reminded me that Best Buy accept old appliances and recycle them so I just got back from dropping off the old TV to Best Buy.  I am so pleased that major retailers are stepping up and offering to recycle old equipment.  Most electronics appliances contain a variety of toxic chemicals that do not belong in the landfill.  I have also returned computers and printers to Staples.

I made the 32 mile round-trip in my solar charged Chevy volt (note the license plate is SUN PWRD!) with no carbon emissions.  

Solar water heater tank failure

A few days ago I was showing someone my solar domestic water heating system and when I opened the utility closet I was confronted with a quarter inch of standing water.  Clearly my solar heated water tank had sprung a leak.

The tank is a Whirlpool 40 gallon electric water heater that had a warranty of six years and by replacing the anode rod I extended that out to nine years or so.  My system is designed so that I can change the position of three gate valves to isolate the solar tank and continue to use hot water from our tankless water heater.  I did a web search to try and find a direct replacement for this tank because of its unique properties of having additional ports on the side and eventually found one in a Lowe's store about 40 miles away.  Fortunately it barely fit in the back of my Chevy Volt and I was able to spend the following day removing the old tank and replacing it.

I am an experienced plumber and engineered this system myself (I have a background in photo processing engineering from the 1970s) so it was relatively easy - yet time-consuming - to swap out the tanks.

I was quite disappointed that the water leak alarm that I had installed at the bottom of the tank (at bottom right in the top photo) did not alert me to this issue.  Perhaps it had run its battery down while I had been out of the house for a day.  Or perhaps I could not hear it in the rest of the house considering that the water heater is in a utility closet in a corner of the basement.  As part of the replacement and upgrade I have installed a deep drip pan under the tank and will find a better/louder leak alarm.  Lessons learned!

The old tank will find its way to the landfill eventually next time I do a major dump run with the help of a neighbor's pickup truck.  It bothers me that water heater tanks have a planned obsolescence of 6 to 10 years, but at least they don't contain any toxic materials!

Reducing waste - repairing my trash can

Last winter when the temperatures here in Maine were well below 0°F the trash collectors accidentally drove over the plastic lid of our plastic trash can and it cracked across the middle.  I repaired it with duct tape across both sides to keep the rain and snow out of the trash and the repair lasted until now.  Sitting out in the hot summer sun today, the duct tape came loose and I almost considered asking our trash collectors to take the whole can next time.  What was I thinking?  I am Mr. Sustainable!  So I decided to repair it by stitching it together with some nylon twine.

Here is a close-up of my surgical style stitching:

I added a little Crazy Glue around each hole to secure the twine.  Dr. Frankenstein would be proud!  I am hoping this lid will last many more years.  It is the little things like this that when added up represent my personal commitment to reducing my footprint on our planet.  Given a little patience and ingenuity almost anything can be repaired and kept out of the landfill.

Solar panel and equipment warranties

Note: this is a revised re-post from my old defunct blog

A year ago I was using the Enlighten web interface for the microinverters on my solar array and noticed immediately that one of the solar panels was dropping out at different times of the day and producing only 1 or 2 Watts.  (Microinverters convert DC from the solar panel to 240 Volts AC that feeds into the building and electric grid).  The Enlighten user interface lets me replay the energy produced by my array throughout the day showing Watts produced per panel and the brightness of each panel representing relative power output.  This system granularity is a very helpful tool and is one of the best features of using micro-inverters because you can isolate and identify issues at specific panels very readily.

screen shot of Enlighten web portal

I emailed Enphase tech support and they responded by saying that they would try uploading new software to the microinverter behind that panel.  (Doesn't it blow you away that they can do that!).  A week later the panel dropped out completely and was no longer producing any power so I called tech support and talked to very helpful person who explained that they had tried the upload and it had not worked so they had already issued a replacement microinverter.  Apparently inverters tend to fail within the 1st 2 years of operation and it is unusual for one to fail after 4+ years.

Enphase inverters have a 15 year warranty and solar panels ALL come standard with 20-25 year warranties.  Once the replacement inverter arrived, it was a relatively simple matter to shut down the array and go up on a couple of ladders with my neighbor and remove the solar panel to access the inverter.  At which point it is largely plug and play to replace and then bolt down the new inverter and solar panel.  Here is then new microinverter:

And now I am back to normal again:  

The value of my solar power system is enhanced by excellent warranties and customer service.  I hope that by sharing this experience I will allay any concerns my readers may have about their potential investment in solar energy.

Safe disposal of unused medications

Last year I had to have emergency surgery and the hospital prescribed some opiate painkillers for my recovery.  I only took one or two of those pills because they made me feel so woozy, and the pain was quite tolerable with a little help from ibuprofen.  Recently I looked at that bottle of painkillers in my medicine cabinet and decided to dispose of it safely.  I am quite aware that there has been a significant increase in the abuse of opiates nationally and here in the state of Maine.  Apparently some house break-ins are now being attributed to drug addicts looking for opiates in medicine cabinets.  Medications are typically placed in the trash or dumped in the toilet, neither of these options are environmentally responsible.  In previous years, my wife and I would take our unused medications to an annual return drive at one of the local fire departments. 

Me disposing meds in the MedReturn box at our local police station

Last year there was a big push on a national level to make it easier for people to keep these dangerous narcotics and pharmaceuticals off the streets so now there are return boxes located in police and sheriffs departments throughout the country.  This makes it very easy and convenient to safely dispose of these potentially dangerous medications.  Here is a good article in the New York Times about the new return policy implemented by the DEA.  To locate a MedReturn drug collection box near you, you can go to their website: http://www.medreturn.com.  Medications are collected and responsibly disposed, typically by incineration.  They have a map you can use to search by ZIP Code and I found 5 drop-off sites within 10 miles of my home.

The other reason it is a good idea to dispose of these medications this way is to keep these chemicals out of the waste water treatment plants which cannot process them.  For instance, when birth control pills containing synthetic estrogen or other hormones enter the waste water stream they can have significant adverse effects on aquatic life. According to this NPR article, it has caused some species of male fish to become feminized, even causing them to produce eggs in their testes.  The issue can be severe enough to cause a collapse of an entire fish population resulting in near extinction.

From a sustainability standpoint is up to us to take full responsibility for all aspects of our waste, particularly to protect the environment from harmful side effects of these chemicals entering our streams, rivers and lakes.

Solar water heater benefits and ROI

Back in 2006 I decided to install solar collectors for the domestic hot water system in my home in Maine.  At a purchase price of around $3000, I calculated that it paid for itself within 4.6 years (after incentives) by reducing use of propane to heat domestic hot water by nearly 50%.  I did do some modifications of my own to improve performance and I expect to save well over $11,000 in propane costs over 25 years.  

I enlisted friends and neighbors to assist in the installation and it went quite well.  Just a few hours one afternoon to get the collectors mounted, and a few more afternoons to do all the interior wiring and plumbing.

I wrote a detailed blog about the installation on my website that details the entire process of installing this well-designed kit.  I purchased the kit from Butler Sun Solutions in California and could not be more pleased with everything they provided.  The system has required little to no maintenance and continues to perform extremely well.

The chart above shows two days worth of temperature readings for the collectors and storage tank from June 17 and 18, 2015.  Click on the image to see a live version of this chart on my website.  Because the collectors are mounted vertically to the south facing wall of my house, the performance is a little compromised during the summer when the sun is higher in the sky.  (Solar collectors for work best when they are pointed directly at the sun).  I get best performance in spring and fall when the sun angle is lower and the temperatures are moderate.  Water from our well comes into the house at approximately 55°F and temperatures in the storage tank can exceed 110°F after a good sunny day.  Performance is quite good in the winter depending on outside temperatures which remain below freezing for most of the winter here in Maine.  

Preheated water from the solar storage tank is fed directly into a propane tankless demand heater that I installed in 2010 to replace the old tank water heater that failed.  By feeding pre-warmed water into the demand heater I am dramatically reducing the amount of propane needed to bring the water up to temperature.


The image above diagrams the complete system and makes it look relatively simple.  If you are comfortable doing basic household plumbing and carpentry, then this DIY kit is an excellent choice as a retrofit to reduce the energy consumption in your home and I cannot recommend Butler Sun Solutions highly enough.

Tankless water heater annual maintenance - flushing with vinegar!

Back in 2010, our propane fired water heater tank sprang a leak and I took this as an opportunity to install a tankless on-demand water heater (detailed blog).  These heaters are much more efficient because there is no heat loss from a large tank.  When the hot water faucet is opened, the heater kicks on and fires up a propane flame to heat water passing through the heat exchanger.  The moment the hot water faucet is shut off the heater shuts down. 

Like all equipment, this device does require minimal preventive maintenance.  Most people never think to do maintenance on their water heaters but doing so can dramatically extend their life and replacing a water heater is always an expensive proposition.  Recently I blogged about replacing the anode rod in my solar storage tank which is actually an electric water heater that is disconnected electrically.  This has the potential to more than double the working life of that tank by preventing the walls of the tank from rusting through.

Maintenance for a tankless heater is a little different.  You need to take a gallon or so of virgin food grade white vinegar, and pump it through the heat exchanger to dissolve scale build up inside of it.  (Rinnai recommends using 4 gallons of vinegar but I think this is more than is necessary).  While the warranty from my heater is 12 years for the heat exchanger and five years for parts, I believe firmly in doing routine maintenance like this on an annual basis.  My Rinnai heater has valves and hose connections to simplify the process of flushing heat exchanger.

Here are the valves with the fill/drain caps removed:

The flushing procedure involves putting vinegar in a 5 gallon bucket and using a small electric pump to pump water from the bucket through the heat exchanger and back down into the bucket.   I already had a pump and several short lengths of clear garden hose that I use to drain and fill my solar heating systems annually.  I made up the hoses by purchasing clear plastic hose and adding standard hose male and female connectors to the ends so that I can see the fluid moving through them.

Here I have connected the hoses and reversed all of the valves to isolate the heater from the building water supply and switch everything over so that the vinegar passes directly through the heat exchanger and does not enter the building's plumbing:

The image below shows the complete set up:

I wired a foot switch to the pump so that I can start and stop it quickly as needed.  After running the pump for several minutes the water turned slightly turquoise which is the color of the copper plumbing oxide.  This confirms that I am removing scale build up inside the heat exchanger.

Here's a picture showing two bottles of vinegar, the one on the right contains the vinegar I used for the flushing process so you can clearly see the change in color:

By the way, the other use I have for white vinegar is as a natural weed killer.  I use a small spray bottle of 100% vinegar and spray it onto broad leaved weeds in the middle of a sunny dry day.   When the plants are thirsty they try to ingest the vinegar and it kills them quite effectively. I plan to reuse the flushed vinegar as weedkiller which is why I saved it back in the original bottle.

I am aware that I make this procedure seemed rather simple, but it does involve some experience and special equipment.  So if you are not DIY inclined, and you have a tankless water heater, you may wish to hire a plumber every year to perform the flushing procedure to ensure your investment is protected.   Tankless water heaters are significantly more expensive than a tank style heater so there is real value in this relatively affordable maintenance.

From a sustainability standpoint, maintaining equipment like this extends its life - keeping it from the landfill.  When my heater eventually fails, I intend to responsibly recycle as much of it as possible.  The heat exchanger itself contains a significant amount of valuable copper which can be recycled for instance.

If you are looking to buy a tankless water heater, here's a good review of current models: https://www.reviews.com/tankless-water-heater/

My solar lawn mower - still going strong

UPDATE 2022 - I "retired" this mower and purchased a new Greenworks mower  performs really well!  Back when I built this mower, cordless electric ones were not available and now there are dozens of models.  I was able to sell the huge motor for $200 and recycled the lead-acid battery.

Over eight years ago years ago I was inspired by a small article in Home Power magazine in which a guy named Al Latham described how he had converted his standard 22 inch gas powered lawnmower to use an electric motor and battery that he charges from solar.   I decided to make my own conversion and have been using it consistently to cut tall grass and weeds in our so-called lawn ever since.

At this time of year I transition from charging the mower from a standard automobile battery charger to using a couple of small solar panels on the south facing roof of my storage shed.  These panels combine to a total of 40 W which is enough to charge the mower in one day of clear sunlight.  The 10 amp automotive charger can charge it up in a few hours.

Gauges on the handlebar show battery Voltage and Amps drawn when the motor is running.  As you can see it draws up to 30 A and can sustain this for 20 minutes or so which gives me enough time to mow a large section of our quarter acre lawn.  

In the middle of the summer 20 minutes is about as much as I can handle because this mower is quite heavy with the very large motor and lead acid battery and it becomes sweaty work.   Nonetheless, it is a delightful mower to use because it is very quiet and powerful enough to cut through tall weeds.

Maintenance involves sharpening the blade every year and replacing the battery every 2 to 3 years at a cost of $60-$80.   So this is definitely more expensive to operate than a gasoline lawnmower, but it has zero emissions and may last significantly longer than one of its gas cousins.

If you want to learn more about the construction of my solar mower, I have a detailed blog on my website with clear instructions on how to build your own.

Firewood: it warms you twice

wood pile and my workshop building

It is early May and spring is finally here in Maine and we are getting some warm days with temperatures peaking as high as 80°F already.  I spend much of the day in my home office sitting in front of a computer or my electronics workbench where I design and develop electronic products so my days are relatively sedentary and I look forward to outdoor activities at this time of year where I can use my big muscles. 

Each year I set a goal of cutting 1 cord of firewood from our 2 acre woodlot behind our house.  This is just enough to augment the solar/propane heating system for my super insulated workshop,and it is great exercise.  As they say; "Firewood warms you twice, first when you cut and split it, and then when you burn it".

woods behind our house in Maine

The woods behind our house are relatively young - the land had been clear-cut 50 to 60 years ago so we have a lot of small young trees competing for the canopy.  Many of them do not make it and I find them dead or dying.  My strategy for responsible forestry management is to start by harvesting these dead trees or blow downs from the winter storms first.  Very often I will find trees that have been dead for a while and are already debarked and quite dry.  I place this on my pile closest to my workshop door because it will be the driest wood.  Ideally, wood cut from living trees needs to season for a minimum of 6 to 9 months, so my next step is to seek out trees that are crowding each other out and cull them to allow nearby trees to grow to maturity.  

As a sustainable guy, I cannot countenance using smelly fossil fuel powered chainsaws so I have two electric chainsaws.  One is a 14" lithium battery powered cordless saw made by Oregon:

Oregon CS250 cordless chainsaw

I use this to fell and de-branch trees back in the woods and then cut them into lengths that I can carry to my cutting station.  I am extremely pleased with this chainsaw, it cuts really briskly and the battery lasts for 20 minutes or so which is plenty of time to fell several small to medium-sized trees and cut them up.  By the time the battery needs recharging, I am usually ready for a break and charging takes about an hour or so.  It also has an unique feature in that it has a built in sharpener.  Best of all, it is relatively quiet and there is no stench of gasoline fumes.  It is also completely carbon neutral since the power for the both chainsaws comes entirely from our solar array.

I also have a Poulan 3.5 hp electric chainsaw that I run on a long extension cord:

Poulan PLN3516F 3.5 hp chainsaw

This is the saw that I use at my cutting station to buck the logs to 16 inch lengths:

bucking logs in to 16 inch lengths
photo: Rebekah Younger

Finally, I split the larger logs:

splitting a log 
photo: Rebekah Younger

I have spent about three afternoons so far and have prepared about a half cord of wood:

about 1/2 cord cut and stacked

For the uninitiated, a cord measures 4 ft. X 4 ft. X 8 ft. and has a volume of 128 cubic feet. The amount of solid wood in a cord varies depending on the size of the pieces, but for firewood it averages about 85 cubic feet.  Firewood needs to be stacked and left to dry, so I cover the top with a tarp to keep the rain off but leave the sides open until the winter.   Before the first snow I typically cover the entire wood pile with a large tarp.   Last winter we had over 3 feet of snow on the ground and it is important to keep the snow off and the wood dry.

Fortunately, the weather on the days I have been working has been pleasant and in the 60s.  As the weather gets warmer it becomes less enjoyable to work, so I try to get as much cut as I can before the warm weather.  When the heating season starts in late September, I enjoy reminiscing about the specific trees that I cut and split as I put them in the wood stove.  There is also a layer of satisfaction of knowing that I harvested all of the wood myself.  For the house where we use 2 to 3 cords of wood a year, I capitulate and purchase pre-cut firewood that we have delivered.  There is still some sweat equity involved in stacking this wood though! 

From a sustainability standpoint modest use of responsibly harvested firewood is essentially carbon neutral since I am simply shortening the carbon cycle of trees that would naturally fall and decay thus releasing their carbon.  By giving precedence to dead or dying trees, I'm reducing my impact on the natural cycle.