Dr. Livingstone I presume?

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#21
Disco-Pete said:
Can anybody here direct me to the biographical account where the good Dr. was lying sick in bed of malaria and as a relief from the heat, the bellows vacuum system in the house in Africa was reversed and the exhaust of the steam engine was used to air condition the house to great effect. In fact, a barrel of water beneath the exhaust port had a layer of ice each morning. I remember reading about this years ago. Good luck Googling it.

p.s. here's where Galu's Google prowess could be used to good effect, after all my interest is only in saving the planet. 🙂
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All I know is that it's track 3.

😉
 
#22
We were discussing the possibility of a steam engine being used to work bellows as a HVAC system.
That can be done, use the output shaft of the piston type engine to work another crank, which works the bellows.
So air will circulate, and maybe a resonator to smooth out the pulses added for better performance.

But the freezing cold part is the difficult one to accept.

Think it over, when did fans become common (both table and ceiling fans)?
Many times we get confused over time lines, what is common now was not even existent at that time.
 
#23
Galu said:
My first family home when a child was a prefab (prefabricated building), erected after WW2 to alleviate the housing shortage.
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Some of those prefabs are still standing (and habitable)round here. for temporary buildings they have lasted well.
NareshBrd said:
In fact, like gas fridges, the technology may have come and gone from prominence after that.
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Gas fridges are probably more common now than 50 years ago. #
NareshBrd said:
And he had a fridge that ran without electricity, and also a clothes iron that worked without electricity.
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don't forget Mangles, they are how you got water out of wet clothes until spin dryers became common (and gave a great line to Derek and Clive)
 
#25
I used to have a Mamod model steam engine. Burnt my little fingers a few times on the methylated spirits heater and hot pipes! 🙁

IIRC, the water that dripped from the cylinder was quite hot.

We obey the Laws of Thermodynamics in our household. D'OH!

I am keen on saving the planet. What with the price of Energy going through the roof, stern measures are needed.

Mangles and Spin Dryers should make a comeback. Tumble dryers should be illegal, they now cost about £1.50 a load or 5kWH. Clothes lines are better.

I am in charge of recycling in our household. Most tenants have no understanding of what can go in the green bin. All sorts of plastic containers and fruit juice cartons are not affordably recyclable.

https://www.cromwellpolythene.co.uk/plastic-resin-codes-explained/

We only recycle polyethylene at present. Code 1 and 2.

But 200,000 population Portsmouth burns 96% of household waste, which is enough heat for 20,000 houses here. They will accept batteries and small electrical items if put in a separate clear or carrier bag on top of the black bins.

I was congratulating the owner of a tiny VW car the other day. It burns about half the fuel per mile of bigger cars. It's obvious, isn't it? But he was very vague about gas per mile in fact. Surely it's not hard to reset your odometer every time you fill up? I always did.

I think I should be Energy and Traffic Minister. Politicians are clueless on Science. So sadly are most people, or really don't care.
 
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#26
Some body said ten fingers and ten toes are enough for counting.
An American Presidential candidate, IIRC.

I pay 8p of your money per kWh of power.
30p is for diesel power in areas where grid power is erratic.
And thanks to solar, a lot of people are getting monthly bills of about 1 quid, it is grid tied, no batteries. Special meter records how much you fed the grid, and how much you drew, and you pay the difference.
Quite popular here...free power for 25 years, inflation protected.
About 400 GBP per kW, IIRC.
 
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