Factor e Farm Utilities
Contents
2021
Rural electrification program continues. Trees are planted around buried lines, for which Missouri One Call is required: requests at https://mo1call.com/
Expansion of grid to Forest Village, and to RV park. Extension of off-grid power from/to large workshop.
2019
Power
Connecting Faculty House and Seed Eco-Home to 200A and 100A service.
Internet
Notes:
- DSL internet from Centurytel has been discontinued as of late 2018 due to its top speed of only 4 Mbps
Install
Try 1 - after which we got a larger ride-on trencher.
2014 Grid, Water, Internet
Microhouse 4 Utilities Extension:
2013 Grid Connection
- Summary: installed 400A service; can upgrade to 800A transformer at pole at difference of 400 and 800 transformer cost - from Audrey_Log/May_2013#Mon_May_13.2C_2013
- Hoever, it's not clear if wire to breaker box is included in the 800A transformer upgrade.
2013 Water + DSL
Notes:
- Right side power line is not in use. It was installed from the huts to the old workshop initially, but was never used as the old workshop was off-grid on solar + Power Cubes in the early days. Since then the line was forgotten, and it may have been upearthed when the parking lot to the east of the new workshop was built.
- Water line going east is usable. It has never been put into service as of 2019, but should be for an RV campsite along with 200A service for RVs.
Internet 2012
Line 2
Gravel Plan 2013
Maintenance Schedule
Winterization
- If Hablab is uninhabited and unheated during the winter, it will freeze inside. Thus:
- Water heater must be protected by draining for the winter
- Sinks and toilets must be freeze protected (draining, adding antifreeze to toilets)
- If Hablab is inhabited in winter, cold nights (0F and lower) still present a risk of freezing for the on-demand water heater, which means that water heater must be drained on cold nights from late December to early March
- Water pit by Hablab
- must be frost protected by covering with straw and tarp from Dec - late March
- Must be drained if Hablab is uninhabited
- If Hablab is inhabited, it may be necessary to grade/straw around the North and West of Hablab where the line is buried. There must be sufficient insulation over the water line. In case of extreme, prolonged cold - draining by turning off water supply and drainin via the freeze-proof hydrant is a solution
- Note that freeze-proof hydrant - in closed position - drains water through weep hole. This feature may be used to drain house pipes once water pressure is cut off. Note that the hydrant is after the water shutoff. Thus, when hydrant is opened, water will flow from the house by gravity into the vertical pipe of the hydrant. Shutting the hydrant makes that water weep out of the hydrant. Repeating the opening-closing cycle a few times results in all remaining water being drained from Hablab pipes through the weep hole. All water is drained once no more water is coming out of the weep hole. The important point is: it is not necessary to open the supply fittings to drain the Hablab even though there is no drain valve. The water hydrant can function as a drain valve when the operator understands how to do this - via insight into how the hydrant weep hole works.
Existing Bugs
- Faculty House - sewer needs examination, there are smells present. Suspected reason #1: improper air vent or lack of air vent under shower; relatively easy fix. #2 - leak under house floor - more intensive surgery would be needed, especially with in-floor hydronics.
- Between Hablab water pit junction and north of campus - there is a leak of about 0.2 gallons per hour. This was detected in Fall of 2019. The only suspicion is somehow the line was cut during fiber trenching. Fiber trench should be about 2-3 feet, whereas water line should be about 3-4 feet. There is one intersection point near Faculty house where fiber goes across water line - that would be a suspected point. However, there is the possibility that the leak is at 4 other junctions: hydrant by pool, hydrant by Microhouse, terminus at Faculty House, terminus at Microhouse.
Outstanding Issues 2020
- Trenching of power line from Microhouse to Seed Eco-Home
- Trenching of 50 feet of power from Microhouse - Seed Eco-Home junction to Faculty House
- Finishing house entry of burial ethernet to Faculty House
- Finishing entry of burial ethernet to workshop
- Grading of Workshop-Hablab fiber trenches to even out land surface
Links
- Grid Connection Costs - 2019
- Grid connection 2013 - OSE Grid Backup / Returning Power to the Grid Planning Log
