Re: Online Tea Source

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

http://uptontea.com/shopcart/catalog.asp?begin=0&parent=Teas%3EBlack%3ECeylon&category=All+Ceylon+Teas


On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 18:30:48 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>Since the online tea merchant, "Specialteas", was assimilated by the
>"Teavana" amoeba there has been a dearth of online sellers offering
>quality estate-grown teas at moderate prices. Finally "found" Lupicia,
>a Japanese firm with a large USA presence, online at:
><http://www.lupiciausa.com/>. The loose Pettiagalla OP1 (sorry, no FOP)
>is right nice at only $6.00 (plus s&h) for 50g.
>
>Hey: Tea drinkers want to know these things. It's one of life's little
>relatively inexpensive pleasures.

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:55:33 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>http://uptontea.com/shopcart/catalog.asp?begin=0&parent=Teas%3EBlack%3ECeylon&category=All+Ceylon+Teas
>>
> Thanks, Harry. Didn't see any Pettiagalla or Kenilworth, my Celon
>preferences. As a rule, I don't buy the lowest price because there's
>always a reason that it is and with tea that reason usually is old age
>but will check out their keemun and/or lapsang souchong very soon.


Friend of mine uses the site and has sent me some samples of Earl Grey which I
like (yeah, I know, the stuff is shamelessly plebian and floor sweepings of
stems masked with OOB.) The lavender accented one is interestin, but I may have
to toss it on the floor and mix in some straw to get the dusky flavor I like..

RE the PS
I have the various disks from about 6 years ago, is there something you need?

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

Yeah, Bergamot and dirt. :-) Guess it relates to my liking scotch (except
Laphroaig, which tastes similar to an anti-dandruff shampoo I once used)

I've been considering dumping my hard copies from the 1970s or turning them into
art projects as the company has trashed any value to collectors. For a while
TMEN had the archives available for free online (soon after I bought the CD
set). They now have them on a DVD and readable in various formats for $50 The
CDs are a pain in the tuckus and I wouldn't recommend them. At least the DVD
has enough space that it is a unit search.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=6899

I've referenced the wood gas articles a couple times, but there is better info
in one of the Yahoo groups. Didn't the early issues have yearly indexes?

On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 00:06:35 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>The lavender accented one is interestin, but I may have
>>to toss it on the floor and mix in some straw to get the dusky flavor I like..

> Never could get to like Earl Grey, guess it's the ergamot or
>whatever it is that's added. Have you tried keemun or lapsang souchon?
>Fully fermented and then dried over fire and smokey, the keemun less so
>than the other.
>>
>--

>>RE the PS
>>I have the various disks from about 6 years ago, is there something you need?

> I have the original hard copies from issue 1 through year 1984,
>when I stopped subscribing. Never bought the index and thought I might
>bum a copy from you, since I'm dragging the mags out of storage to
>reference a couple of things I remember and an index would save some
>page-tuming and cussing. Could kick myself for not buying the indexes
>back in the day. Frankly, I haven't even checked the web site to see
>whether it's available online free or cheap. What years do your disks
>cover and might they be for sale?
> Take this to email, if you want; it don't matter to me. The "real"
>addey still works. If you've 86'd it, use
>money_fo...@earthlink.net (those spaces are underlines).

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:39:08 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>
>>I've referenced the wood gas articles a couple times, but there is better info
>>in one of the Yahoo groups. Didn't the early issues have yearly indexes?
>>

> Don't remember; guess I'll unpack a few and see. I'm investigating
>low voltage or direct wind-powered well pumps—home-brew, if possible.
>Low volume against one atmosphere, 20' suction, 12' lift. Want to keep
>the pump at the well head, if that's practical. Thought "mother" might
>offer some guidance from the dark ages ;-)


The 20' suction is right at the upper limit because of atmosphere pressure. If
you want the pump on the surface, a jet pump is the usual way to go. I have one
on a well. It pushes water down a small pipe which then goes through a 180
angle and an eductor (pointy nozzle) and uses B's principle to force up more
water than was used in a larger pipe, in the jet stream. Problem is that it
does take some power and a pressure tank is needed. It also needs a good foot
valve.

One of the cooler things I've seen is a coarse rope, with a pulley at the bottom
of the well and a simple pvc sleeve where the rope is coming up. At the top is
the motor, which drives a top pulley at a fair rate of speed. The rope goes
down, around the bottom pulley and pulls water along with it as it rises within
the loose fitting sleeve.

If you use a foot valve at the bottom of the well, and prime the pipe, you may
be able to use a standard 12 volt rv water pump. Those little suckers are
decent. Or... you could make a mini-jack pump.

For emergency usage, a bucket lift is just a section of pipe to fit the well
with a cap at the bottom and a leather patch on top of a hole in that cap. Tie
a rope to it, drop it in the well, wait for it to sink as the flap opens and
allows the water in, pull up.

There are (pricey) solar sumbersible pumps.

I keep all this trivia in my head.

[Gary Heston]

In article <mkpqe91d10kf1q6g8...@4ax.com>,
Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:
[ ... ]

> Don't remember; guess I'll unpack a few and see. I'm investigating
>low voltage or direct wind-powered well pumps—home-brew, if possible.
>Low volume against one atmosphere, 20' suction, 12' lift. Want to keep
>the pump at the well head, if that's practical. Thought "mother" might
>offer some guidance from the dark ages ;-)

There are other sources; here's a sampling from searching for "windmill
water pump":

Nice description of how it all works:

http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/how-windmills-work.htm

Article by a woman who installed a windmill, built a 10,000 gallon
holding tank, and piped an irrigation system, apparently by herself:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ainsworth90.html

Article including step-by-step construction and how to build a pump
mostly from PVC plumbing pieces (Step 5):

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Wind-Powered-Water-Pump/

People who repair, rebuild, and sell windmills, parts, info on making
wood towers and holding tanks:

http://www.windmills.net/


Depending upon how ugly you're allowed to be in your area, you can also
build a windmill from three 55 gallon drums. Cut them in half top to
bottom, mount the halves in pairs facing opposite directions on a
vertical pipe, offsetting the pairs 120 degrees. Mount on a pivot and
brace the top with another pivot and use a chain or belt drive on the
top to drive your pump.


Gary

[Gary Heston]

In article <2qise9tq8g5m17d74...@4ax.com>,
Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:
[ ... ]
> Ah, but you don't know the rest of the story. It's a 3" well,
>which should give you some idea how long the casing's been in the
>ground. [ ... ]

Iron Man Windmill sells pumps as small as 1" in diameter:

http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/pricing/price-list.htm

If you have reliable wind, you can let the windmill pump continuously
and when the main tank fills, just divert the overflow to a safe place.


Gary

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

3" is small enough I would be half tempted to have another well driven.

Some web pages that might give you ideas:
http://www.fdungan.com/well.htm

http://web.mit.edu/2.972/www/reports/sucker_rod_pump/sucker_rod_pump.html

http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/06/seven-letters-re-advice-on-dee.html

Energy useage - the only energy you might save is in the inefficiencies of the
system being reduced or new energy you bring to the table.

The extra 12' lift is nothing worth worrying about.

If the pressure tank is a bladder tank or one that uses a compressor to inject
air, it is a lot larger than what I am used to, but one is essential to even out
the pressure from a pump and that size tank for a two family setup is likely
correct, since about 1/2 of it is air. Removing it or making it open would not
be a good thing.

What you could do is purchase one or more food grade 275 gal shipping container
(+-$100 used) and convert the well over to a sucker pump or whatever you decide
you want.

As a comparison - I push water up 100' from a creek to an 1100 gal cistern. It
requires a couple of ganged pumps and some time. 10 amps x 120 volts x 7 hours
for 500 gallons works out to about $1 at our electric rates. I fill about five
times per month, so pay about $5. However, I go through a $40 pump about once a
year, so water is a $100/year cost before it gets to the pressure pump under the
house. Neighbors pay $25/month for municipal water, so I'm $200/year ahead and
don't have to worry about fee increases.

I'd bet that your current costs are on a par with mine, even with two families.
Have you stuck a meter on the line to the pump or a flow meter on the system
output?

On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 12:08:47 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>
>>The 20' suction is right at the upper limit because of atmosphere pressure. If
>>you want the pump on the surface, a jet pump is the usual way to go. I have one
>>on a well. It pushes water down a small pipe which then goes through a 180
>>angle and an eductor (pointy nozzle) and uses B's principle to force up more
>>water than was used in a larger pipe, in the jet stream. Problem is that it
>>does take some power and a pressure tank is needed. It also needs a good foot
>>valve.

> Ah, but you don't know the rest of the story. It's a 3" well,
>which should give you some idea how long the casing's been in the

>ground. 3" two-pipe extractors are inordinately expensive and, while it
>would resolve the static pressure, volume would not improve and I'd
>still be paying the electric co-op far more than I care to for its
>participation. Compounded by a 12' pressure lift into a 1250-gal
>vertical buffer/storage tank that is in series and pressurized. No, I
>didn't do any of that and the storage tank was installed vertically over
>my objections. I had considered a packer but I don't even know if 3"
>packers exist or, if they do, can be retrofitted. I've never seen one
>smaller than 6" and they all, 100%, eventually blow out. With a casing
>that old, I'm not sure I'd take the risk.
> My thought is to check off the large tank, open it to the
>atmosphere, use a low-power float-controlled pump to keep it filled and
>the existing half-horse shallow well pump to maintain service pressure
>and volume, reducing its power requirements significantly.
> The well serves two, two-person households and my drip irrigation
>system. Highest volume demands are laundry and showers, although, it is
>nice to be able to open a valve to a good high pressure stream.
> Ideally, I could simply use the existing drop pipe and foot valve
>but that works best with an open tank, which this one is not. The
>"ultimate" solution might be a submerged piston pump but, as you point
>out, low-voltage submersibles are expensive and would complicate, and
>possibly eliminate the use of of direct wind power, when available.
>Also, laying that damned stock tank down horizontally would eliminate
>some unnecessary (to my mind) pressure lift—reducing power requirements
>somewhat—but I might have to win a fight before being able to accomplish
>that.
> Prefer home-brew because keeping as much cash in my pocket as
>possible is highly desirable. I haven't sounded the well since 1996 so
>don't even know whether a simple PVC piston pump at the well head might
>be practical. I could easily set one on top of the existing drop pipe
>and use the existing foot valve as one of the checks. I have only begun
>to investigate possible solutions. At any rate, I won't begin seriously
>attacking the project until the installation of a '84 300 I-6 into a '96
>4WD F-150 chassis, a work in progress, is complete. Lordy, will I be
>glad to get rid of all of that high-maintenance plastic electronic
>crap....

[Michael Black]

On Sat, 1 Feb 2014, Derald wrote:

> hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>
>> I've referenced the wood gas articles a couple times, but there is better info
>> in one of the Yahoo groups. Didn't the early issues have yearly indexes?
>>

> Don't remember; guess I'll unpack a few and see. I'm investigating

> low voltage or direct wind-powered well pumps?home-brew, if possible.

> Low volume against one atmosphere, 20' suction, 12' lift. Want to keep
> the pump at the well head, if that's practical. Thought "mother" might
> offer some guidance from the dark ages ;-)

Wasn't there something called a "ram pump" featured in the magazine at
some point? I only bought it sporadically, but somehow this talk reminds
me of it.

Michael

[Michael Black]

On Sun, 2 Feb 2014, Gary Heston wrote:

> In article <mkpqe91d10kf1q6g8...@4ax.com>,
> Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:
> [ ... ]
>> Don't remember; guess I'll unpack a few and see. I'm investigating

>> low voltage or direct wind-powered well pumps?home-brew, if possible.

>> Low volume against one atmosphere, 20' suction, 12' lift. Want to keep
>> the pump at the well head, if that's practical. Thought "mother" might
>> offer some guidance from the dark ages ;-)
>
> There are other sources; here's a sampling from searching for "windmill
> water pump":
>
> Nice description of how it all works:
>
> http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/how-windmills-work.htm
>
> Article by a woman who installed a windmill, built a 10,000 gallon
> holding tank, and piped an irrigation system, apparently by herself:
>
> http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ainsworth90.html
>
> Article including step-by-step construction and how to build a pump
> mostly from PVC plumbing pieces (Step 5):
>
> http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Wind-Powered-Water-Pump/
>
> People who repair, rebuild, and sell windmills, parts, info on making
> wood towers and holding tanks:
>
> http://www.windmills.net/
>
>

There was once a lot of material from educational and non-profit
organizations. I seem to recall getting something about the Savonious
rotor from some governement office. And there was the Brace Research
Institute here as part of McGill, which seemed to be looking at all this
in a more formal manner. I don't know if it still exists. At one point,
Stuart Hill who also seemed to have some connection to the New Alchemists
was there. I also thought Witold Rybczynski was involved with the Brace
Research Institute at some point, though I never met him. He wrote a
couple of books that critiqued "soft technology".

> Depending upon how ugly you're allowed to be in your area, you can also
> build a windmill from three 55 gallon drums. Cut them in half top to
> bottom, mount the halves in pairs facing opposite directions on a
> vertical pipe, offsetting the pairs 120 degrees. Mount on a pivot and
> brace the top with another pivot and use a chain or belt drive on the
> top to drive your pump.
>

That's the disadvantage, and expense, of living in civilization. I
thought that was a primary notion behind Mother Earth News, move to the
country where you could build cheap, build weird.

Michael

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

On Wed, 05 Feb 2014 13:18:22 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>Michael Black <et...@ncf.ca> wrote:
>
>>Wasn't there something called a "ram pump" featured in the magazine at
>>some point? I only bought it sporadically, but somehow this talk reminds
>>me of it.

> If we're remembering the same device(s), they use rapicly moving or
>falling water to compress air which then pushes a relatively small
>amount of water. Inefficient but cheap, free to operate.


Nope. That is called a trompe. Was used in mines a lot. A ram pump is more
efficient but not suitable for a well.

(I had sent an email to your spam address on some other stuff)

[hchi...@hotmail.com]

I built one of those RAM pumps from online plans. It didn't work worth a crap
and eventually a methhead stole it for scrap. There is a company in the U.K.
that still makes the real deal. They start at around $500 and go up. A used
one (if you can find one) is a good deal if you have a running flow of water
with at least three feet of head.


On Wed, 05 Feb 2014 23:04:37 -0500, Derald <der...@invalid.net> wrote:

>Apparently, the term is used interchangably to describe two devices, one
>uses water to move a volume of air; the other uses water to compress
>trapped air to move water.
>
>http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/hydro-power-zmaz77jazbon.aspx
>
>http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/hydraulic-ram-pump-zmaz79mjzraw.aspx
>
>The pump in the second article is what I had in mind, having seen two in
>operation in the GA foothills. They aren't exactly quiet. From the
>second citation: