beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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.
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mediatechnology
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

Post by mediatechnology »

So you're using more heat than a dead person and your utility wants you to feel guilty about that?
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JR.
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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mediatechnology wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:04 am So you're using more heat than a dead person and your utility wants you to feel guilty about that?
I scratched my head after the first nudge because I have historically been using less energy than even my efficient neighbors. After two in a row, I figured out what was going on.

The whole concept of "nudges" is creepy to begin with... I can see federal government regulator's fingerprints all over this, assuming that the sheeple are too ignorant to do right. This is not a local MS thing... probably a DC thing.

We have 20's forecast for a few nights this week so I'll see if the new improved system can hold temperature, but even if it slips a few degrees in the middle of the night while I'm in bed covered by warm blankets, not a problem.

For now I have the blower fan set to medium speed so I can always switch it to high if needed. That will move more warm air, but not completely silently.

==

My next possible upgrade is to a low voltage 3 wire programmable heat/cool thermostat that will eliminate the current 250W baseboard heater, but no hurry, maybe next summer for air conditioner season so I can pull cool air as needed. I will probably need to add some glue, but they make relay modules for that.

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

Post by mediatechnology »

The whole concept of "nudges" is creepy to begin with... I can see federal government regulator's fingerprints all over this, assuming that the sheeple are too ignorant to do right. This is not a local MS thing... probably a DC thing.
You will have a lower social credit score than your deceased neighbor who uses less energy.
The "nudging" is only going to get worse.
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JR.
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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Last night my improved efficiency, (lower power 250W baseboard heater, with blower assist) was unable to maintain bedroom temp with blower set for medium speed (below freezing temps outdoors). Late last night I switched the blower to high speed. It was audible from my bed in the bedroom but did not keep me awake and held temperature at thermostat setting.

JR

PS: My lower power (125W) heated greenhouse, inside my unheated attached laundry room, slipped down to 56' overnight low. The greenhouse thermostat is set for 65'. My early planted outside broccoli sprouts got a hard freeze last night. After they thaw out I will see if they are winter tolerant. The garlic already growing out there look ok, mostly.
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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I just finished what I expect is my final "improvement" to my bedroom temperature management.

I now have three baseboard heaters... The smallest one (250W) with just enough draw to keep the smart thermostat happy is always connected to the smart thermo output along with the blower fan. This gives more than enough heat capacity for moderate outdoor temperatures.

For colder nights I have the other two baseboard units (1kW and 1.5kW) wired in series so roughly 600W, with a mechanical thermostat so they are only engaged when room temperature is not keeping up.

It stands to be seen how well this will work in practice. 28' low forecast for tonight so I guess I'll get a chance to try to dial it in. When the heat first comes on the room will be cold, so the full 850W will be engaged to initially heat up the bedroom. Hopefully after the room comes up to temp the mechanical thermostat can disengage.

At worst if this resists a smooth handoff mechanical thermostat threshold, I can use the mechanical thermostat to manually shut down the additional heaters during warmer weather. I momentarily considered rigging up a thermostat to control the blower for cooling, but it works well enough running at fixed speed. I have a 3 speed toggle on the blower housing, and a steering relay energized by the wall switch in my bathroom, to switch between always on, for summer cooling, or smart thermostat control for winter heat. I may need to leave behind instructions for the next resident. :lol:

JR

PS: For an anecdotal WTF the mechanical thermostat is 2 pole, one more pole than I need. Oddly the thermostat switch has a sticker on it saying SPDT :roll: It is clearly a DPST 8-) .
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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I just got my latest electrical bill nudge this time saying I used 4% less electricity than my efficient neighbors.

This doesn't reflect my recent changes just finished. My new strategy is to shut off my 600W of auxiliary heaters and rely on just the single 250W baseboard heater and blower, to bring the room up to temperature before bedtime (so mostly efficient heat pump heat via the blower). To begin I switch the blower to high speed but cut it back to medium speed after an hour or so. The smart TOD thermostat indicates how much heat it is calling for in five ranges so I can see if it getting marginal heat to keep up. If up to 4 or 5 bars on medium blower speed before I retire for the night, I can switch on the extra baseboard units.

Last night the overnight low was 32' and the 250W + blower (on medium) maintained thermostat temperature competently (2 bars at bedtime). Tonight is forecast for a low temperature of 29' but we'll see.

For now I am just using the mechanical baseboard thermostat as a switch. I could try to make it automatic with a fixed mechanical thermostat setting, but I'd be wasting energy on resistance heat to first warm up the room (it can get down in the low 60s in the daytime with door closed and heat off). Since we don't get many days of sub freezing overnights I can live with this strategy.

I should use even less power in the future than I was just recently. Can't wait for next months nudge.

JR
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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So far the minimum (250W) baseboard with blower assist can maintain the thermostat setting down to low 30s outside. So for now the extra baseboard watts are cut off.

===

For decades I slept with an electric blanket. Why heat the air in the room when you are spending several hours under the blankets? More than a decade ago my very old electric blanket was well past due to get replaced, and I purchased a cheap replacement. Sylvania "was" a respected consumer brand :roll: , but this new improved electric blanket never did work right despite obvious microcontrollers etc. At the lowest heat setting it would get uncomfortably warm (hot) so it sat bundled up in the corner of my bedroom unused all these years.

I recently decided to see if I could rehabilitate it. I had an unused lamp dimmer dongle sitting around. I figured if I reduced the mains voltage I might get more reasonable heat so I plugged the blanket into the dimmer. Night one it mostly worked with the dimmer only trimmed back a little. Night two I got bolder and set the blanket up to level 3 of 5, figuring I can trim the mains voltage back if needed. Again a mostly comfortable night. The blanket has a fancy automatic shut off after 10 hours, but it was manually shut down after night 2. Night 3 I go to turn on the blanket before bedtime and it was already on, with it's lights blinking indicating some kind of fault and clearly running too hot. The fancy but cheap blanket had dual controls (his and hers?), when I opened them up I found the same smoked resistor inside both. It looked like some kind of RC snubber probably for the triac. On one controller board the snubber resistor still measures 430 ohms, on the other board it is open circuit, but both got toasty enough to burn the paint/markings off them.

So time for plan B, since I have the spare dimmer dongle why not just hardwire the blanket heat elements to a plug and control it manually with the dimmer? The blanket has 4 wires coming from it and I measured, 200+, 400+, and 600+ohms resistance across different leads. The 4th lead measured open but may be a safety (neutral bond) or not. Some quick math suggests about 20 watts of heat from driving the 600+ connection with full mains. Done and it works, not hot but warm. Probably more than adequate and dimmer can tweak it lower if needed. The remaining concern is human (my) safety. The controller had fuses inside but impractical to fuse it adequately to prevent harm, maybe just to stop a house fire.

I have some spare GFCI outlets in my stash, so the outlet by my bed now looks like a good candidate for GFCI.

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

Post by mediatechnology »

I used to sleep under an electric blanket as a kid.
The mechanical thermostat contacts were not snubbed.
Every time it clicked on or off I'd see a flash even with my eyes closed.
Those are my memories of an electric blanket.
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

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JR. wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:56 pm
I have some spare GFCI outlets in my stash, so the outlet by my bed now looks like a good candidate for GFCI.

JR
I searched to know what a GFCI is. I found a lengthy description that keeps repeating it protects from faults but nothing really clear ( or I was not patient enough ).
In France we have "differential breakers 30mA"
It monitors currents comparing phase current and return current. If current difference is more than 30mA, it trips, opening both phase and return.
A difference means there is a leak to ground, that could be through somebody :o .
This is mandatory to protect all circuits in kitchens and bathrooms. It is not at outlets, it is at the house main electric board.

How the GFCI works ?
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Re: beverly hillbilly storm windows and cybernetic heat control

Post by JR. »

terkio wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 6:20 pm
JR. wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:56 pm
I have some spare GFCI outlets in my stash, so the outlet by my bed now looks like a good candidate for GFCI.

JR
I searched to know what a GFCI is. I found a lengthy description that keeps repeating it protects from faults but nothing really clear ( or I was not patient enough ).
In France we have "differential breakers 30mA"
yup, across the pond I think they are called RCD?

It monitors currents comparing phase current and return current. If current difference is more than 30mA, it trips, opening both phase and return.
A difference means there is a leak to ground, that could be through somebody :o .
yup the euro versions are for an entire branch with multiple outlets so higher current leakage threshold, so you don't get stray trips from moisture and other leakage paths. The US version only covers one outlet at a time and trips at around 5-6mA imbalance.
This is mandatory to protect all circuits in kitchens and bathrooms. It is not at outlets, it is at the house main electric board.
yup... my old house had no protection so I added GFCI outlets to my bathroom and kitchen outlets. Next I will add one to my bedroom outlet, so my electric blanket doesn't cook me. Not an immediate concern but an excess of prudence.
How the GFCI works ?
just like your RCD, if the current coming out of the mains lead, does not fully return to the neutral this imbalance trips a breaker to disconnect power.

JR
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