[Cob] energy sources

[Mike Swink]

Jill dont let me sway you down wrong path. I am on sick sid e and hope this
make sense and is just random thoughts I have gathered over the years.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jilly" <JILLPRUETT at peoplepc.com>
To: <coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 5:12 PM
Subject: [Cob] energy sources

 There are 6 people in my family. And we did live in an RV for an entire
year while work was transient.
.....
Just this fact alone will cause you problems if you have to live in a
city,with child services noseing around.
.....
How long do you have till this must happen?

A)  If you have time find solar companies here in usa by going to Thomas
Registery
then ask if they have any damage or seconds for discounted sales.

B)  If your land is a zoneing area then what does the city really say about
it?

C) If you have not bought the land yet, and must live in a city go to
building zone office at court house. Ask them point blank where you could
build a cob home?
If no where then ask what restrictions is there for buildings in the
business zones?
A metal building or an old uninsulated block or brick building is easy
repaired with  strawbale as insulation and covered with anything then
painted.

D) If can buy land in a non restricted zone like a old farm site. You can
hide behind trees. In fact look for American Willow trees [
http://www.cdr3.com/willow/  ]
They grow up to 15ft tall first year .

E) Look for run down buildings or signs of old farm house. Sometimes even if
it is in a pasture they might cut off a section and lease it or sale you a
small track. If it had a well then it can be recovered. Water is most
important. You can exist without electricity but not water at lehmans each
kid could wash thier own cloths by turning the handle on a pressurized tank
that turns over and over by a crank. check it out.

F) Some friends have used the lawnmower moter type pipe driller that digs a
well. You see them in the back of all the magazines. The homepowere back
issues are free only to down load. But put off electricity from sun and
generators if you dont know how to find the pros and cons of each. Your
saving over time will show you what is best. Some hydgren cells might be
coming to market soon. If you put lets say 12 volts batteries in series it
adds voltage like 12 plus 12v equals 24 volts.
But if it is solar,hydrogen ,deep cell batteries and put them in parrell the
volage stays 12  volts no matter how many you at. But the life time and
amperage increases and increase. This save a lot. If you did get a stream of
water you can filter the water and can put magnet wheel in current that
trickle charges batteries night and day and will with design sometimes out
perform all your needs. There is no strain on the wheel or wheels that the
magnets going around through copper coils to produce. Fiber glass kits and
seal this in a vacumn with practice and offers more advangtages. People like
Tom Bearden are trying to help others.

Note by going to anytype of building you can use strawbale to insulate. then
later build cob. Not sure how long it would take to build cob home. But a
wooden block press can do the same as a civa metal one. Some libaries or
people on net can copy and send you plans from Old Mother Earth News or
countryside or homepower.

I would use city electricity if set up cost is cheaper than laying out
thousands for something else. Then later go to solar it is the best so far.
Okay, so what are the options for energy sources?

Living without electricity is not an option for me.
What about solar?

Generators? Draw backs is the need to matian them and it can cost sometimes
too much.

Apparently getting on-the-grid requires a lot of changes to my building
process...so what now?

Just about every city has some wierd person like me that does something
strange.
One of my wierd friends takes and repairs washers dryers stoves and fridges.
He would for just a little more he would do things that would help you
convert these to save energy. added insulation. or redisgn them so that they
use less power.

The farm extension agents and the chamber of commerce sometimes know of land
that can be bought for a one dollar. Or land that can be bought just for the
back taxes. This has worked very well for some of my friends. They got house
and one acre of land for 1000.oo dollars. Dont advoid the two agencies
above. I once from a skateing rink that just for the coverting of it a
warehouse dropped the cost to almost nothing. TO lease. There are deals.
Just keep looking. Do not settle for the worst. I almost straved once but
felt even God would want me to live in a uniinsulated trailer during a
mountain winter. And in one week I moved into a fully furnished moblie home
that a person had died and left to the family. It even had dishes.

Another time I just lived in very old house just to ward off thieves. I got
robbed but the house was in tack. figures. ha ha. It was seven room house on
a ridge looking at mts it was built in the mid 1800's before the civil war.
It had been remolded and was  wonderfull place till i had move to work .
should have stayed. ha.

I wonder if you could look at quaishuts. or metal buildings and strawbale
them. Then later build cob home. I found in my city the zoneing for
commercial had only one restriciton that was to keep the outside clean and
sewage connection.

If i had known about strawbales then I would have bought the place for the
owners would take the rent for the payments. And the roof which later fell
in was at that time could have been sealed and covered with tar paper till I
could do more.

The most perfect place is where you can build a shop and then later move out
to house. Covert shop into hydroponic greehouse look at mayhill press.

anytime you want to talk i am here.
mike swink
south of atlanta ga.
mswink77 at mindspring.com

ps learned early as a peanut plucker that to get to the ripe berries you
have to get past the thorn first.


-jill
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