Carbon Monoxide!?

-
Image
Weird. The smoke alarm went off, not incredibly odd when I am using the fireplace, but it wasn't the smoke detector. It was the CO alarm. I was totally surprised. It had never gone off as long as I have had one, over many many years. Yep, after resetting it a few times. It was getting a reading over 200 ppm CO. When I took it downstairs I got a reading near 300 ppm. I started getting light headed at this point. After thinking maybe the furnace heat exchanger failed and puzzling around a bit I figured out what happened. As part of the huge winter storm that recently covered almost half of the US, we lost our electricity. So, being well prepared, I rolled out the generator and started doing what I normally do. The generator (although it was completely outside) was creating CO to get in the house. Using the fireplace draft (and possibly other leaks) the whole house created a vacuum around the seal of the basement garage door. After the CO got into the house the forced air heat...
Post a Comment
-

These pics are from a llama walk a couple of weeks back.


We have been eating a fair amount of our own food lately. We get eggs from the chickens (about 4 a day). We still have some pork in the freezer. Now we are getting lettuce, zuchini and green peppers from the garden. Bonnie has been picking a lot of berries too. We have had several awesome fruit salads with our own blueberries and raspberries. The stuff we grow and raise at home tastes so much better, even lettuce.

I went to a few auctions this weekend. I probably spent too much, but I had a good time. I also have some regrets on a couple of items I did not bid on. I ended up with:

  • Three antique seltzer bottles
  • Some junk, I mean real junk mixed in with some good stuff (cheaper than a dumpster)
  • A pressure washer that uses compressed air and a water hose (works ok)
  • A kerosene lantern
  • I very nice soup tureen that Bonnie does not like. (I am going to have to move it on ebay)

I am probably forgeting something. My father was in town. He brought me a Tektronic 735 oscilliscope. I think the time base is screwed up though.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
My kayak trip was awesome! So what happens when three restless boys want to do something exciting in Atlanta over the Thanksgiving holiday? Shoot the Hooch. Traverse the Chattahoochee river in grand style. We did it in a combination of couchsurfer, thrillseeker, and urban explorer (mostly Couchsurfer). We met for the first time last week. The participants, one from France (a recent MBA grad from Georgia Tech), one from California (a 20 something Mechanical Engineer) and me. We put in at the Buford Dam at Lake Lanier. We put in illegally since the park was closed. (I mean who would want to use a park on a holiday?) We parked illegally at both ends of the run (not sure of the reasons, but an accumulation of a $50 parking ticket). And, we camped illegally for two nights. So, let's add some danger with two beginner kayakers, and very fast water. It is very dangerous, at least one person has died in the Chattahoochee in the last year from swift water. The risks were fully assessed. This...
Read more
-
It is 10 below zero this evening. it is beautiful outside as you look at the stars and the far off view of the city and its vapor. I have fashioned a muffin fan on the intake of the coal stove to boost heat output. We have to be careful not to overheat the stove and cause warping of the critical pieces. I will be making a more permanent system with feedback (of course) at some point. I heard an inspirational speech at toastmasters today. That is what has kept me going with the organization. I like that. Growth. We don't know where growth takes us. Picture yourself on the end of a sapling. We are warm and the diesel is plugged in.
Read more
-
Image
Today we went up in the seaplane in the background. It is a 1956 beaver with a 450 HP 9 cylinder radial engine. It was a bunch of fun.
Read more

LavaCon 2025

-
Image
I spoke at the LavaCon this week. My presentation was very well received. There were well over 100 folks who chose to attend my presentation. Afterwards we had a supplier meeting in Cartersville and a hike up Pine Mountain. https://www.lavacon.org/ It was good to enjoy some brief moments with a llama as part of the conference. And it was good to meet up with lots of folks I have got to know over the years.
Read more