Entropy

Relax in southern comfort on the east bank of the Mississippi. You're just around the corner from Beale Street and Sun Records. Watch the ducks, throw back a few and tell us what's on your mind.
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

mediatechnology wrote:Are you aware that most modern smoke detectors have a seven year timer?
no...
Yours may not be that old and it be the battery.
The current chirper is newer than 7 YO, and the old one it replaced still worked after 20+ years.
It's based on first application of power and is designed in to signal EOL of the detector.
I had one that wouldn't stop chirping, happened to have the old manual, and it was buried in the instructions.
Ok some research reveals that there is a UL mandated programmed death for CO detectors. Perhaps the gas detectors become untrustworthy after time.

I feel confident my issue now is marginal low voltage threshold for low battery indication and cold over night ambient temps. If it starts chirping in several more years and won't stop that may be the EOL programmed death.

JR

PS: Walmart was out of stock for 9V batteries, but the battery from my VOM is still working.
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Todays repair wasn't even my broken stuff, but my 87 YO neighbor's small room heater that stopped working.

The tilt over safety cut-off switch that these all use nowadays was broken... Simple cheap limit switch with a plastic post sticking out the bottom so if not standing up vertical the NO switch cuts power.

Conveniently I had a spare limit switch from several months ago when I repaired a different neighbor's battery powered trimmer. (I am seeing a pattern here) :o . I have trouble buying just one piece of any component or part, even if i only need one... My instinct paid off this time. Postage and handling to buy another single switch would likely cost more than the one switch.

JR
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Repair failure.... The UVc lamp in my RO filter to kill germs was out, and I decided to replace the bulb, like I have a couple times in the past. I even had one in inventory from a previous purchase... they are only supposed to last for 1 year. :(

This time after disassembling the housing and soldering up a new bulb, no love... :cry:

So I checked the PS (ballast?). 120VAC on it's output while it has 44V screened on it. :o :o

In addition to the bad ballast, it looks like there was a neon(?) lamp in series between the two filaments that looked toasty... As the bulbs age there is discoloration, and the small neon lamp in series was completely black. :?

If 44V supply was putting out hard 120V that could be damaged too... while 44V looks a little low for neon, but it was a little bigger than a typical neon lamp so could be something special...I measured a couple meg Ohm across it so could be a toasted neon lamp or something else (good neon bulbs read open circuit). Curiously my VOM indicates continuity between 2 pin plug leads and ballast output so a little scary. PS ballast has a CE mark but no UL or CSA agency mark :o :o What is it with me, and water, and electricity. At least now my plumbing is grounded to my service panel. 8-) If this UV lamp went rouge it would be mostly isolated by plastic tubing and clean water is not much of a conductor.

Time for a new UV assembly since i can't ID the mysterious bulb in series, and water filter vendor does not sell the ballast separately. I could buy one elsewhere but not cheap and not guaranteed to be a complete fix if small series bulb is also toasted.

Bummer... win some lose some...

Water is clean and smells fine now even w/o the UVc extra stage working at the moment but in years past I have had some anaerobic microbes living in the clean post RO filtered water (no chlorine to kill them there). Not very harmful but smelled bad,,,

JR

[edit[ got the replacement assy in and UVc lamps is now lit. I am slowly figuring out the deal with the starter, the bulb in series with my lamp electrodes, is commonly found inside the common round starters (with a cap across it). I haven't found any for sale loose. [/edit]
Last edited by JR. on Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
Gold
Posts: 678
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:20 pm

Re: Entropy

Post by Gold »

I put a two micron water filter made by 3M on the well. It only has enough throughput for a sink. Whole house filters were all five micron and up. Everything I read said that a UV stage wasn't necessary for well water, but I don't really know. Perhaps I should bring a microscope to look for critters? The well water tastes fantastic. It's actually the best water I've tasted. We are using bottled water this winter because I didn't drain the system in October. When we cam in November everything was frozen. We are burying pipes in the spring so it should be good for next winter.
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Gold wrote:I put a two micron water filter made by 3M on the well. It only has enough throughput for a sink. Whole house filters were all five micron and up. Everything I read said that a UV stage wasn't necessary for well water, but I don't really know. Perhaps I should bring a microscope to look for critters? The well water tastes fantastic. It's actually the best water I've tasted. We are using bottled water this winter because I didn't drain the system in October. When we cam in November everything was frozen. We are burying pipes in the spring so it should be good for next winter.
Back when i was a kid we had a lake house that used well water (not a deep well). As I recall mom would dump a bottle of clorox bleach down the well if it was smelling funky. For an ugly anecdote I think they found a small critter drowned in the well once, so keep your well head sealed off. :oops:

If you are out in the middle of nowhere your ground water should be free of human contamination but probably not a bad idea to test it at least once. 2 micron may not be fine enough to keep all the badness out. They sell chlorine injection sanitizing tanks but why trash perfectly good drinking water with chlorine.

I put in a reverse osmosis system years ago because my tap water would kill my beer brewing yeast (due to added chorine and whatever by the town water system?). As I mentioned I have encountered some anaerobic infestations over the years in the pluming after the RO stage because the pure water there has no chlorine in it. The UVc lamp takes care of anything growing there (when it's working).

FWIW RO pore size is on the order of 0.001 micron... One concern for well water is that RO filters consume more water than they output, so might be an issue for marginal well flow rates. This gray bypass (back flush) water can be collected and used for other stuff, it's not dirty just not RO pure. You also need decent water pressure for the RO to be efficient.

One update I did a while back was to add a larger water storage tank, so I am never bumping up against the RO filter rate unless I immediately need to draw almost 10 gallons.

JR
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
Gold
Posts: 678
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:20 pm

Re: Entropy

Post by Gold »

Everything I've read said reverse osmosis is not durable for a well. It's a deep water well. He went about 150ft down. We have five gallon pressure bladder tank. I need climate control that do it doesn't freeze. Everything is being rearranged this summer. We're getting two more sheds. One will be a guest sleeping cabin and the other will be the kitchen and dining room. We still have to figure out a gray water system.

We have everything we need to stay there so thankfully there isn't a lot of pressure to get more done. Going on Thursday. There is supposed to be over four feet of smow. Yippee
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Gold wrote:Everything I've read said reverse osmosis is not durable for a well. It's a deep water well. He went about 150ft down. We have five gallon pressure bladder tank. I need climate control that do it doesn't freeze. Everything is being rearranged this summer. We're getting two more sheds. One will be a guest sleeping cabin and the other will be the kitchen and dining room. We still have to figure out a gray water system.
I have had good luck with RO. I think I replaced the RO filter once in over 2 decades. I use a sediment pre-filter, carbon post filter, and UV unit. I also added a permeate pump a few years ago to increase throughput.

I am not advocating RO for out in the wild. Filtering out microbes would require more like 1 micron (from quick WWW advice). I do not care for adding chlorine to good water, but a simple UVc system could provide some water security, without affecting the water's flavor.

FWIW I have an 8 gallon storage tank under my sink (but I brew beer so can draw several gallons of water at a time).
We have everything we need to stay there so thankfully there isn't a lot of pressure to get more done. Going on Thursday. There is supposed to be over four feet of smow. Yippee
I prefer to visit snow than live in it, while I'd prefer to visit it in ski areas full of ski bunnies. :lol:

Enjoy..

JR

PS: I have a friend in Atlanta with deep water well and whole house RO system that is decades old. I recall him losing well pumps to lightning. His system generated so much bypass water he filled a gold fish pond with it,,, but I suspect modern RO systems are more efficient.
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

I have a case of slow motion entropy going on in my rear wheel bike tire.

I recently upped the tire pressure to 65# and really appreciate the lower rolling resistance but recently picked up a new noise, once per wheel revolution. I traced it to an expanded section of tire, so fat it rubs on the kick stand each time past (not good). :o

The side wall of tire says 40-65# but they didn't say how long it would hold 65#. :roll:

I have new tires (rated for 89#) on order but it will take a few more days.

Yesterday I dropped the tire pressure to 35# and rode my 5M loop. The increase in rolling resistance was undesirable but maybe i can finish a few more rides waiting for the new tires to arrive.

It's like I'm having a tire blow-out in very slow motion. :lol:

JR
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
User avatar
JR.
Posts: 3700
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Well yesterday my set of 65# rated tires arrived. The 89# tires are due next week.

The 65# set is 1.5" wide, so narrower than the 1.9" tires that came on the (used) bike. Since I ride paved roads the narrow tires should be fine. I only pumped them up to 60# but the rolling resistance felt a little better than the 1.9" tires at 65#. Tires were a bunch quieter too and I suspect that has something to do with it, like the old tread pattern was causing some intentional scrubbing for improved traction.

I may leave these on for a while to get a good baseline before taking the pressure up. The higher pressure tires on order are 1.85" so closer to the 1.9" that failed. Apparently stock for the bike is even lower pressure 2" (yuppie/boomer) tires.

After I removed the bad tire I looked for a visible flaw and couldn't see anything. I suspect there is a broken cord inside so the bulge in the sidewall only shows up under pressure.

JR
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.
User avatar
mediatechnology
Posts: 5444
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 2:34 pm
Location: Oak Cliff, Texas
Contact:

Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

February is capacitor failure month.

It began January 31st when the HVAC evaporator (inside) blower fan failed.
The capacitor was swollen.
The blower motor itself had also failed - the smell of burning windings was pretty strong and, after initial cap replacement it thermaled out.
That evening I changed the blower motor.
I'm not sure if the troubles began when the capacitor pooched and opened its internal fuse or when the motor windings began to fail. Chicken and egg.

A few days later I wanted to make a capacitance measurement for something electronic-related.
I switched on the LCR meter and performed my measurement.
I left the meter on.
A few minutes later I heard a very loud pop.
With a lot of stuff on the bench on I had to guess which instrument.
Sure enough it was the LCR meter's filter caps.
They too were pooched.
The instrument is only 9 years old and not usually left continuously on.
They must have failed in under <<1000 hours.
This may explain why when performing high current measurements (e.g. low value R or high value C) it would indicate "FUSE" and require a power cycle.
Those 1000 uF caps must have only been a few 100s of uF for years.

I also replaced a lot of leaking AA cells in various low-power temp sensors and radio clocks.
Do they count as capacitors too?
Post Reply