Text 1934, 115 rader
Skriven 2008-02-05 09:45:21 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Jim Weller
Ärende: IT COLD HERE! 80205
===========================
 -=> Quoting Jim Weller to Glen Jamieson <=-

 JW> The forecast for the next two nights is now -48 C (-54.5 F).
 JW> We had another power outage but this time it only lasted 20 minutes.
 JW> The transformer oil is freezing in the transformers at the
 JW> sub-station. 
 GJ> Wow!  That would be something!  Transformers overheating because of
 GJ> the cold freezing the oil in the cooling pipes so it doesn't circulate.
 GJ> What can they do?  Wrap blankets around the pipes before they freeze?

 JW> I'm not sure what the fix is.

The technical problems of dealing with such extreme temperatures would
make a maintenance engineer's life quite, "interesting".
 
 JW> the steam truck operator
 GJ> What does he do?  Use live steam to heat your pipes?
 JW> He has three tools:

 JW> -1- 1 1/2 inch lines connected to a truck mounted boiler that can
 JW> produce high pressure steam or very hot water. This is useful for
 JW> thawing large diameter sewer lines. It is also useful off season
 JW> as a pressure washer for buildings, canopies and vehicles.

I think I know that; a version of the steam cleaner/washer.  Would be
very useful for that application.

 JW> -2- small diameter hoses that can be snaked down 1/2 inch water
 JW> lines. They feed from and recycle to a large bucket with an
 JW> immersion heater in it.

Difficult to understand how that would be used, unless for pumping hot
water through tanks equipped with heating coils.

 JW> -3- a transformer with cables and clamp (a "hot shot" or "buzz box")
 JW> that uses direct current to warm copper lines from the resistance
 JW> to the current. This only works if the section of copper pipe you
 JW> want to warm is not grounded somehow.

That is a good idea!  It would not have to be direct current.  AC low
voltage would be quite adequate.  Different voltages would be used for
copper and iron pipes.  With the transformer secondary winding isolated
from the primary it would not matter if the pipe to be heated was
grounded.  Of course it would not work if you had any plastic water
pipes in the circuit.

 GJ> Why don't you drink the melted snow?  It should be at least as pure as
 GJ> rain water.

 JW> Even the cleanest, whitest snow bank has a lot of wind blown seeds,
 JW> tree bark and twigs, dirt and gravel in it. I was surprised how
 JW> clean the snow looked and how much muck was in the melted water. I
 JW> could filter it and drink it in a pinch either boiled for tea and
 JW> chlorinated with laundry bleach but why bother when it's easy to
 JW> fill jugs. We visit my step-daughter 4 blocks away daily for showers
 JW> and refills and I could go next door to my neighbour even quicker if
 JW> I chose to.

I am surprised,  I drink rainwater which falls on the roof and is
collected in the tank, so I assumed that snow would be as pure.
Boiling it to make tea would be no problem.
 
 GJ> You mean you don't run out from your sauna to roll naked in the
 GJ> snow?
 JW> Not at -40. It's invigorating fun at -5 though. Especially if
 JW> Akvavit is involved.

And you apparently survived that!
 
 JW> Another quirky note: the eastern arctic is enjoying a warm spell
 JW> simultaneously; it is only -15 C (+5 F) at Alert, just 500 miles
 JW> from the north pole!
 GJ> Watch out for a volcanic eruption there.
 JW> Hasn't been one there for over 60 million years. It's just the
 JW> result of a strong warm south east wind.

Global warning!  The Trade Winds moving North.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Winter-Warmer Soup
 Categories: Soups
      Yield: 1 Servings
 
      1 lg Spanish onion
      2 lg Carrots
      1 md Turnip/swede
      1 lb Leeks
           Potatoes
           Handful pearl barley/rice
      1    Cube vegetable stock
      1 ts Dried mixed herbs
           Salt and pepper to taste
           Tomato puree optional
 
  Fill a very large saucepan with lid, if possible 2/3 full with cold
  water and put it on to boil. This will take a long time, so peel and
  chop or slice the onion, carrots, turnip/swede and potatoes. Trim the
  leeks, slice down one side, and rinse them thoroughly in cold running
  water. Chop them into 1/2 inch rings. Stir the stock cube into the
  boiling water. Add all the prepared vegetables, the mixed herbs, and
  the pearl barley or rice as you like. Turn down the heat and simmer
  gently, stirring occasionally, until the potato has cooked enough to
  thicken the soup and all the other vegetables are tender, but still
  recognizable. It needs about 40 minutes. Add more water if required,
  a little at a time. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper, and tomato
  puree if liked.
 
MMMMM
 

___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]

--- FLAME v2.0/b
 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)