Thanks for the ideas Hobby!

Highflyer and I have actually talked about an alcohol injection system. First, I think this Winter is going to show us how bad off we are or are not. One big lesson I have learned up there is the less moving parts the better. If we could solve our problem with a condensation trap or two and not have to add more "complexity" I would be thrilled. Heck at this point I am actually hoping I still have a small P trap in the weighted lines where they hit the water that can be straightened out. If so, that could possibly solve everything.

The Thomas 2660 I run during the Winter will not restart pumping under pressure - I'm only running ~12 PSI. To enable the pump to restart I have a small valve cracked open as small as possible to bleed off the pressure after shutdown. I would be very happy to lose that air blowing out condensation instead.

Last Winter the total lack of snow did not give us an accurate sample of what the solar system would be dealing with on a normal year. (It also sent the frost line MUCH deeper than normal.) This year the much needed snow has made for some tough stretches for solar and we are in one right now. The system hit the low voltage disconnect yesterday and will not turn back on until the sun comes back out and recharges the batteries to a predetermined higher voltage. While it sucks to see the hole close up this setup protects the batteries from being drawn down too far and reducing lifespan. It will be interesting to see what happens when the power turns back on over the next couple days.

With the American Eagle crapping out once again and the solar struggling in a more normal Winter we are discussing taking the Eagle compressor off the tower and replacing it with a 1KW wind turbine to generate more power. We already have basically all of the "infrastructure" in place so it will tie right in to the existing system and battery bank. That should be a very fun project.

Pic from yesterday

Last edited by wbuffetjr; 12/28/18 12:33 PM.

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