Sparks are flying!

Christmas is behind us now, and a little work still ahead. Perez Welding came today to weld the supports on for the disconnects. They previously were here to do the structural welds for the poles, but each time they came we were in Phoenix with Parker. Finally got some welding photos now.

Attaching a piece of Uni-Strut to hold the disconnect switch.



Check out the sparks from the welding! We'll have none of these when the electrical is connected--I hope!

Change in plans...

View from the driveway

Well, the past few days brought a few changes to the installation plans. First we found out that the original design for the fourth tracker to hold 9 panels had a flaw. The tracker manufacturer indicated we could mount the ninth panel at the top and center (everything has to be balanced for proper operation). When everything was being setup we found that they were incorrect, our make and model of panel would not allow this type of mount due to size and weight constraints. Oops.

So our supplier had to reorder an entirely different track rack to hold 9 panels. This also required that they disassemble the existing rack and replace it. That's a fair amount of work! It was completed yesterday and you can see the difference in the appearance. The panels mount at a 90 degree angle to the other racks. It's also a little bit larger...sorry neighbors.

Tracker number four showing the difference (#4 in foreground)


Close-up of number four


The other change was related to the inverters. We originally specified 2 4-kW inverters to accomodate the 7.5kW design. After further inspections were made to the house electrical panel it was determined that we could not use two inverters without major rewiring due to panel design. So one 8-kW inverter will be used instead. Downside is we lose some redundancy. If one failed we would still run on the other. Now it's a single point of failure. I'm assured that reliability is high and a replacement could be installed in a day or two if needed. Arizona Solar Power is giving me written guarantees of service levels and replacement plans to make it all acceptable. So we press on with one inverter.

Starting the electrical work

We are starting the next phase of the installation, the electrical work. Bruce Rogers added the disconnects to each array (mounted to the poles - see below) These disconnects are for safety in the event we need to work on the system. Each array runs at over 400 volts and there has to be a way to shut them down.





Next a backboard was installed on the garage wall in the space I had previously cleared. This will serve as a mounting area for the photovoltaic meter that records all the electricity we produce, the additional disconnects required and the inverter that converts the direct current (DC) from the solar arrays into alternating current (AC) as required to power the house.



Here's the outside garage wall showing the master AC disconnect and the conduits that bring wires from each array to a central point.



Next week we continue with electrical...

Newest website project

The latest local client, the F-Stop Restaurant & Gallery went online today. They are located in Old Town Cottonwood and offer a wonderful dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Weekdays they are a great sandwich shop. If you're in the area you have to try them!

Check out the new site...fstopfood.com

Our little HGTV (or is it HDTV?) Project

Well it was inevitable, we finally upgraded to HDTV. The problem was that our entertainment center wasn't adequately sized to accomodate the new TV. Our old 30" CRT unit fit fine, but the 52" LCD was never going to make it. The entertainment unit was a "gimme" when we bought the house, we just repainted it to get rid of the dark red color.

Debbie had a vision of what we could do, and I had to make it happen. So we separated the three pieces and took the center main piece out to the garage for "surgery". I cut the top section off first. Then I took the top half and cut it down to make two side storage areas (one for the sub-woofer speaker and the other for the Mac that serves as a media center). Next was to add a new countertop. Deb painted the whole thing in black.

Next it was returned to it's center spot and reattached to the side units. Then a new "bridge" was placed at the top. Decorative mouldings were added top and bottom. LED lights went into the top display areas on each side and behind the screen.

The photos below show the before and after. Net cost was about $150 to convert instead of about $2000 to buy a new unit that wouldn't have had the custom features. All the A/V equipment is in the lower are behind the doors, remote control is via radio so the doors can stay shut. A cooling fan keeps it all comfortable and happy.

Below is a "before" view of the unit. The area with the two closed doors was cut off...


Here's the "after".


A more direct view.


Time for a movie...

Panels are attached!

Today marks another milestone in the solar project. All the Sunpower panels have been attached to the trackers. And the tracker work! I was out around 8am and watched as the sun started shining on the trackers, slowly I could see them start tilting towards the sun, and in about 20 minutes they were facing East. Throughout the day they continued to track the sun across the sky. Of course it's winter and the sun is low on the horizon and sets early, but even so, they are working. Can't wait til spring!

Front view of tracker with 8 Sunpower panels


Side view showing several of the trackers


Rear view (panels are not yet interconnected)

"Tracking" the progress

Today brings the start of the tracker installation. There are four units total. Three will have 8 solar panels and the fourth will have 9. Each panel is rated at 230 watts of power. These things are BIG. You can see below as three people work to assemble the first tracker. The principle behind how these operate is interesting. You can read about it on Zomeworks site.



Here's the first unit completed. They did two today and will do the other two tomorrow. Next week we should be adding panels.



Here's Hank, the installation supervisor (Chad's dog). He's a cutie and watches for any errors...

Landscaping the solar farm

Now that the poles are all in place it is time to redo the landscaping of the area. Plants are trimmed, soil is leveled, gravel spread. We added a new mound using the excess soil and placed large boulders around it.



Looking to the left, near the house, you can see what looks like a dark strip on the ground. That's the beginning of the Greyhound exercise area. We wanted a nice place where we could get them to run a bit without having to take them to the dog park. So as part of this project we did some more "construction". We cleared back all the rocks, gravel and cactus in that area and brought in 30 tons of sand. This was spread into an area 110 feet long and 25 feet wide. We will have matching fencing put in to enclose it (3-rail pasture with welded wire), with gates at either end.

With that in place we won't have to be up at daybreak to run them at the park before anyone else shows up. It will also minimize the driving to and from each day. And in times of "weather" we can use it when the weather is best for them.



Here's before and after the cleanup.

Before




After

Solar progress 12/1/08

Parts arrive!

Today the Zomeworks trackers arrived (boxed). They placed them nicely in front of the garage door...oops. We'll need to move them in the morning.



Also, the welder came back and removed the support braces now that the concrete is cured. The poles are now free standing.

Parker update

For those of you following Parker's progress...he had a little setback. Thanksgiving evening we noticed that there was some leakage on the cast and a foul odor. We called the e-vet in Phoenix and they said to bring him in. Mind you it's almost 9pm and by the time we got the others fed, it was 9:30p before we left. We arrived in Phoenix at almost 11:30p, and they opened the cast to inspect. We found that there was a pressure sore that revealed a little piece of bone through the skin.

They suggested we leave Parker overnight so Dr. Gilson (his orthopedic surgeon) could check it out in the morning. So Parker stayed over and we drove home. Got back at 2:45 am.

We went back on Friday to pick him up and they had re-dressed the leg. He's now in baby blue. He needs to go back on Monday for a recheck...thank goodness gas isn't $4.00 a gallon now.

Concrete arrives!

It's the day after Thanksgiving and we had rain almost all day yesterday. That made for a muddy install area. Since the ground was soft and the septic system is in that area as well, it was decided to use a concrete pumper so that the heavy truck could be on the road and not in the driveway or install area. Lots of heavy hose to manuever, but the concrete team and Chad and Paul Winton were up to the task.

It took about 90 minutes from arrival to departure. About 11 cubic yards of concrete were used. These poles aren't going anywhere...if they needed to be removed it would be a task of cutting them off and burying the foundation.

The poles are nearly 16 feet in length. The photo below shows a 16 foot survey pole that has been put into the hole and runs the length of the pole.



The next photo shows Chad and the concrete man pumping into one of the holes. That takes about 350 psi of pressure to force that stuff through the 100 feet or so of hose.



Below is a filled hole. On Monday they will remove the support steel, clean up the poles and repaint them. Then the gravel will be moved back into place and the area should look like it hadn't been attacked by 60 foot gophers!

Later in the week the solar arrays should be installed. Stay tuned...



Here's a shot of the concrete pumping in action!

Still waiting...

Not much progress on the solar install this week. The building inspector came and signed off on the structural steel so that the concrete can be poured. The electrician has placed a bunch of material on the shelf in the garage. Grounding rods have been placed in the holes to be bonded to the monopole mounts for the trackers.

Concrete may be poured Friday or Monday. Stay tuned...

Solar Install update

We're currently waiting for the next phase, which will be the concrete pour for the tracker foundations. The poles and steel have been inspected and we anticipate that the concrete may be done Monday or Tuesday. I'll post an update when there's new activity...

Solar install- Day 3 (...and the whining begins)

Day three brought us the monopoles for tracker/panel mounting. They have been set into the holes and braced into a vertical position. We were in Phoenix with Parker for a leg check, and so I didn't get the chance to get photos of the install and welding that happened. I got photos early this morning of them set in place.

Each pole is in the ground about 7 feet, with another 9 feet or so above ground. I haven't measured, I just did a "stare check". In the one photo I am next to a pole to show scale.

About the "whining". I got a message from a neighbor all worried that these trackers are going to block their view. Well, I'm assuming he thinks that more are still coming, because if the lineup continued to the West, they would be visible to him (though there's nothing he can really do about it, everything is approved, permitted, and legal). The units that are in place are all that will be installed, and they provide no more visual blocking than our existing trees and shrubs, and besides these folks are out of town half the year, and the "view" is from the patio towards the valley. The houses across the road block more. Anyway, I'm betting he drops in today to voice his concerns and I'll reassure him.

Looking West down the line at pole #1


Post in the hole showing temporary bracing


Me next to pole #3, neighbor's house behind

Solar install- Day 2

The second day of the install project was mostly more trenching. The four holes have been dug for the tracker foundations. Each hole is roughly 3' x 3' x 6" deep. Conduit is in place from each tracker site back to the side of the garage where they will enter. From my perspective it was a lot of work today and yesterday--I moved several thousand pounds of boulders and rocks that used to be in the areas being cleared. I also cut down several large bushes and a tree that needed to go. The excavators pulled the stumps with a backhoe for me.

A few photos from today:

Inside the garage where the inverters and other equipment will be located


More trenching and digging down the line


One of the holes, hard to tell but this one is almost 7 feet deep!
You can see the conduit that will take the wires back to the garage

The Solar Power Installation Begins...

We decided to install a 7.5kW grid-tie solar electric power plant at the house. Today was the beginning of the installation process. We will be installing 4 dual-axis tracking units, each with 8 solar panels. By using the trackers, output is enhanced by about 30% over a fixed array. This meant we could get by with 7.5kW vs. 10kW. So in a sense this will be our "sunflower patch". Once the trackers are placed, the panels will be installed, the necessary metering, disconnects and inverters will be placed in or on the garage, near the existing power meter.

The installation should be completed this month, but due to some major tax law changes regarding renewable energy, we will not "commission" the power plant until after 1/1/09. The change takes the tax deduction from 30% of cost with a $2000 cap to a 30% with no cap. This is big $$$, so waiting is the right thing to do.

Keep watching for progress photos.

First photo is of the trenching for the conduits that will go to each of the four arrays. This portion of the trench is from the power panel to a point near the first array. Only about another 75 feet to go to reach the fourth array! Our installation company is Arizona Solar Power, and the equipment is manufactured by SunPower Corporation, an industry leader.

Parker's Home!

Parker came back from Phoenix today--four legs intact!!! He does have a cast that he will wear for about a month, and the fun part will be keeping Mr. Parker from running around and being active for 6-8 weeks. The ride home (almost 2 hours) was uneventful, he stood part of the time, slept the rest. He is so happy to be back home, first thing he did was get a big drink and flop on his bed. Welcome home sweet boy!

Parker's Crisis

Parker, our number 5 Greyhound, had a crisis this past Sunday. It was about 7am and we were at the park for a morning run. He was in his second or third sprint when--POP! We could hear the horrible sound and then his cries of pain. He pulled up his back leg and went to Debbie. Seems his right rear leg, which was already damaged due to an old racing injury, was now lame. We knew that he had a broken bone that was not properly set from two years ago, and someday would probably need corrective surgery. What we didn't expect was a ruptured calcaneus ligament (like our Achille's tendon).

So a quick trip to Airpark Animal Hospital on an early Sunday morning. Fortunately Dr. Flannery was wrapping up an earlier emergency and took us right in. After some pain meds were on board and the preliminary assessment was made, we took a digital x-ray of the leg. (see below). Dr. Flannery referred us to the specialists in Phoenix and off we went for a 2 hr drive down to get him evaluated.



That portion of bone at the upper right (it faces upward left at the top of the foot) is the talus bone. It should be straight and not bent like that. That's the old break that had left him mostly lame in that leg. It's the bone structure that the ligament attaches to. The ligament must be at just the right length and tension for the leg to function. Because it was not taut, there was limited motion for the leg. Now the ligament was snapped.

Concerns were raised about whether or not we could get a good strong repair to the bone to attach the ligament. If they could not, then the leg should be removed. Since he has been mostly operating on three legs for two years, it would not be a major adjustment for him. Of course we prefer that our young boy have 4, but we would not have an issue with three if needed.

Surgery was Monday 11/10. Results so far are that surgery went well, reconstruction looks good and hopefully in a few months with some physical therapy, he should be OK.

We're waiting for the word that we can drive to Phoenix (Sonora Veterinary Specialists, a great 24/7 emergency facility with the latest in high-tech vet equipment) and pick him up and bring hom home. I'll post an update when he's back!

The Offending Sign

First a little background: We live in a rural area with dirt and gravel roads. It's been this way since the first person built a home in the early 1930s. Naturally there is dust when it's dry (and hey, it's Arizona so it's dry a lot). The people who bought the house behind our property came from the city. Nothing has changed about the area they purchased in, but now they are on an anti-dust campaign. Seems they have to dust and vacuum, and she is allergic. The road in discussion is an easement across our acreage, and though we have to allow traffic to pass, it is still private property.

So a neighbor had a garage sale which brought more traffic than usual to the area, and being non-residents, they drove a little faster than they should have. More dust. So the "anti-dust" neighbors (we'll call them Jean and Gary to protect their identity), posted a number of signs on their trash cans and placed them along the road. They had messages like: "Dust is awful" "Slow down please, pretty please" and similar words. Apparently another neighbor who will refer to as "Tim" offered to help them by placing a "real" sign along the road. A kind act, since he donated his time, his sign and the energy needed to poke a hole in hard soil. The only problem, Tim decided that the best place for his sign was on our property.

He selected a place in direct sight of our patio, as we look out across the valley, and about six feet in from the edge of the road into our "back yard". He gathered his digging bar, sign, post, shovel and a bag of cement. What he didn't bother to gather was permission. He dug and cemented it in place. We happened to notice it the next day. At the time, we had no idea who had done this, so I printed a brightly colored notice and attached it over the sign. Simply stated, it said the sign was placed without consent, and we would like to know who put it there. I also added that if no contact was made in 3 days it was subject to removal without further discussion. Basically I didn't disagree with the sign's message, only with the method of installation and location.



The notice was up and I got several contacts curious what was going on. One neighbor said he saw Tim with the tools earlier in the week, but assumed he was going to remove a large rock from the roadway. Then an envelope appeared clipped to the sign. A note that indicated how dusty their home was, and the sensitivity to dust that Jean has. We were then chastised for being such "astonishingly bad neighbors" to not want this sign in place. It went on for a full page of hate and discontent. Amazing, since all I asked was who put it in, and could we discuss the location.

When we went to Jean and Gary to discuss the note, we were met with a defensive attitude, and they wouldn't say who did the installation. I told them I knew who it was. They proceeded to defend him for doing such a kind deed. No regards was given to the fact that he trespassed without permission and set the sign in concrete. Further, he had talked to them about it after my notice was posted, and never contacted me. We were then told "how busy Tim is and it would be a real hardship for him to move it, and he would be out of town for two weeks but would move it to their side of the road when he got back. Well, he was back and after another week, went on vacation without contacting me or moving the sign.

So after waiting a month since the "installation" I removed the sign and post and relocated it about 150 feet up the road (still on my property) and reinstalled it. It is now more visible to traffic before they are right in front of the house. It also isn't in my direct view. I would have helped Tim install it there in the first place, had he asked.

Do you think Jean or Gary have sent another note? When they drive past us walking the dogs do you suppose they say "Thanks"? And better yet, do you suppose they drive slowly down the road not to stir up the "awful dust"? If you kept thinking "No", you would be right on all counts.

It's tough being the awful neighbor...but looking at the "good" ones, I'll stick with my awful tactics.

I'm open to opinion and comments.

Hidden Meadow Ranch

Here's our cabin up near Greer, AZ where we stayed this past weekend. There are 12 cabins available, 3 that have dog runs attached (for safe, late night potty trips). The whole experience there was wonderful. Check out their website at http://www.hiddenmeadow.com

The food was phenomenal, and plenty of it. The place is serene and scenic, and we never left the grounds the entire stay. Everyone was friendly and helpful and loved the Greyhounds! If you have the opportunity, go there!

Yes, it was tasty!

The boys savor a tasty treat on their mountain holiday.

Sweet Parker

It's been a month, and the new kid is doing pretty well. He got to go on a mini-vacation with Nick, Deb, Bella and his idol, Kingman. We went down to Greer AZ and stayed in a very nice mountain lodge. He and the rest of the pack had lots of fun!

Here he is, tired from a big play day. Stay tuned...

7-Up?

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Does this boy look familiar? No you say? You're right--he's new! Parker arrived yesterday and is still less than 24 hours in our home. So far accepted by all and no complaints from Parker either. He had a broken hock two years ago, and since then he has lived at the kennels and hasn't had a lot of physical therapy. He's shown improvement in the last 2 weeks, and we'll allow a few more before a decision is made for any further surgery to correct the mismatched bone. So for now, he tends to limp on the right rear leg.


He made himself comfortable in short order, taking less than an hour to begin "roaching" and throwing stuffed toys around.

If all continues to go well, we will finalize his adoption shortly. It's odd going from a "6-pack" to "7-Up", but I think we will adapt quickly.

He has quite a personality, loves to give kisses (he can't hold his licker), and is a tail-wagger.

Finally, some remodel photos

The remodel of the kitchen was completed in late-April. It has taken longer to post the photos than it took to do the work! Here are several views of the new kitchen. Click here for more detailed photos.


Looking in from the "main entrance"


Looking in from the Great Room


Looking in from the side entrance


Closeup of a cabinet front and display


Looking out over the counter to the Great Room