Remove a useless support on our crafting desk in the home office and extended a 20a circuit out to here to store and charge the Ecoflows
Emergency Power/Storms/Prepping etc
- Thread starter IReallyLikePizza2
- Start date
Starlink terminals currently on sale for $299, so I had to bite
I plan to piggyback on the 2 inch Rigid conduit that the power comes in on
Initial testing, got the cord just running through the window into the garage to connect back to my network
Starlink gateway connects to a switch, where I have a dedicated VLAN for Starlink so it can get back to my pfsense firewall in the house
Tested, works alright. Bought a 48v DC PSU and a 200w PoE Injector, so I can completely bypass the Starlink gateway
I could not find a J-Pole that could mount to a 2-3/8 pole which is the OD of the service entrance
So, I bought a great 2 inch DISH J-Pole, and just made my own holes and bought some 2-1/2 U bolts
I plan to piggyback on the 2 inch Rigid conduit that the power comes in on
Initial testing, got the cord just running through the window into the garage to connect back to my network
Starlink gateway connects to a switch, where I have a dedicated VLAN for Starlink so it can get back to my pfsense firewall in the house
Tested, works alright. Bought a 48v DC PSU and a 200w PoE Injector, so I can completely bypass the Starlink gateway
I could not find a J-Pole that could mount to a 2-3/8 pole which is the OD of the service entrance
So, I bought a great 2 inch DISH J-Pole, and just made my own holes and bought some 2-1/2 U bolts
What are they going to do, shut the power off? 
In all seriousness, I looked it up briefly and couldn't find anything
In all seriousness, I looked it up briefly and couldn't find anything
The answer - it's complicated.
portablepowerguides.com
diy.stackexchange.com
Search for "nec power and eithernet in same conduit" or something similar for more discussions and opinions.
Low and high voltage in same conduit
I know that you cannot run 12-24 vdc in the same conduit it 110 vac. I am stumped as to where in the code this is listed. I have found a reference to mey situation in 760.55 but it refers to power-limited fire alarm circuits. Any ideas where it might also be addressed in the 2005 code?
forums.mikeholt.com
Low and high voltage in the same conduit
I’m getting mixed answers maybe you guys can help? I have 120 V lighting system in a commercial building that is going to have 0 to 10v dimming capabilities. My question is on running the 0 to 10 V wires in with the 120 V switch legs. I would obviously use 600 V rated wire probably an 18 gauge...
forums.mikeholt.com
Can I Run Ethernet And Power In The Same Conduit?
Anyone can run an ethernet and power cable in the same conduit. The actual process is precisely what it sounds like. Just run the ethernet cable next to the power cable in a conduit. However,
portablepowerguides.com
Cat 5/6 in same conduit as power: is NM-B required, or is THHN acceptable?
Preface: I'd like to avoid the question of whether one should run data and power together; my question is focused on Code compliance. I'm trying to ensure I interpret Code correctly when running C...
diy.stackexchange.com
Search for "nec power and eithernet in same conduit" or something similar for more discussions and opinions.
Another small cheap project. I have multiple generators, and one of them is a WEN GN400iM that I got for $259 or $299 (I forget). Its a pull start unit. Since I live in Houston and these splash lube engines need good oil that won't shear too much, I keep 15W-40 in it. The problem is that during a winter storm, that will be quite a hard pull!
I looked for solutions other than swapping brand new oil out and wasting it, and I landed on a cheap 50w stick on block heater that everyone told me wouldn't work. Well how wrong they were!
Its not super cold out, but I think this is still a good test. When it gets cold, I will test again for sure. Outside temp was right around 52 the entire time per my weather station.
Some notes:
On my cheap WEN GN400iM which is pull start, there is a nice smooth area right near the dipstick, and it just happens to be a perfect size. I cleaned the area with soap and water, and then some alcohol, and slapped it on there, and it seemed to stick really really well.
Starting temp, 54.8. This generator lives in my garage, so I was surprised to see how close to ambient it was. I thought it would be warmer! It did get much lower at night, so possibly its still recovering. Note that after reading temp, I put the dipstick back in
Plugged into my Ecoflow River 2 Pro
As you can see, it draws more than 50w, its actually 77w
After 10 mins, the oil is reading 70.8 degrees. The dip stick was now warm to the touch, and the entire side and the bottom of the generator was warm.
Of course the reading is right near the heat pad, however I did move the engine around a bit and even pull the cord a little just to try and move the oil in the pan, and it stayed the same. This is a very small engine, so I think the oil is probably a fairly even temp. You can see its quite narrow
After another 10 mins, so 20 min total, its at 82!
Did some cable management
And fired it up (Started first pull) and charged the Ecoflow back up
I let the generator run for around 30 mins and it seemed to stay stuck on just fine
I looked for solutions other than swapping brand new oil out and wasting it, and I landed on a cheap 50w stick on block heater that everyone told me wouldn't work. Well how wrong they were!
Its not super cold out, but I think this is still a good test. When it gets cold, I will test again for sure. Outside temp was right around 52 the entire time per my weather station.
Some notes:
- Stick well, may use some high temp glue/epoxy if I'm happy with the install just to make sure
- It cycles on and off, so it seems the thermal transfer is not super great. Of course the front of the pad gets hot too, so a bit of wasted heat. I think anything more than 50w would be overkill for this size engine.
- Do I trust it powered on in my garage? Unsure. I may put in a small 2a inline fuse
On my cheap WEN GN400iM which is pull start, there is a nice smooth area right near the dipstick, and it just happens to be a perfect size. I cleaned the area with soap and water, and then some alcohol, and slapped it on there, and it seemed to stick really really well.
Starting temp, 54.8. This generator lives in my garage, so I was surprised to see how close to ambient it was. I thought it would be warmer! It did get much lower at night, so possibly its still recovering. Note that after reading temp, I put the dipstick back in
Plugged into my Ecoflow River 2 Pro
As you can see, it draws more than 50w, its actually 77w
After 10 mins, the oil is reading 70.8 degrees. The dip stick was now warm to the touch, and the entire side and the bottom of the generator was warm.
Of course the reading is right near the heat pad, however I did move the engine around a bit and even pull the cord a little just to try and move the oil in the pan, and it stayed the same. This is a very small engine, so I think the oil is probably a fairly even temp. You can see its quite narrow
After another 10 mins, so 20 min total, its at 82!
Did some cable management
And fired it up (Started first pull) and charged the Ecoflow back up
I let the generator run for around 30 mins and it seemed to stay stuck on just fine
Those of us in Texas probably read the following article
It seems like it could be a big hype, but hype or not, I'll prepare for it
My biggest risk in the cold is my Citrus Trees, which I do not want to lose. I have a Lemon. Lime and Orange tree, all of which produce a lot of fruit. We lost them in the 2021 freeze and had to replace, and we've protected them well each year. They are getting larger and larger, and covering them is becoming difficult. The smallest of the three is the lemon, which still produces a ton of fruit
In the past we have used a 100w incandescent light bulb next to the tree, and then covered the tree in blankets, and then a tarp for rain protection. This year we are going all out
We purchased three of these portable green houses, to put around the trees
workprotools.store
And I am worried that the plastic, and larger space may be harder to heat without additional insulation, or heat. So I found some small 200w space heaters
And after testing, they do in fact draw 200w. A lot of cheap heaters will actually draw much more than they say
They are connected to smart plugs, so if the temperature drops below a certain threshold, they turn on
They do actually draw more than 200w when turning on, for some reason. They jump to around 420w and then slowly decrease in about 20 seconds, to 190-200w. So, I have made the automation stagger the starts, just in case I happen to want to start all of them via an Ecoflow or something
It seems like it could be a big hype, but hype or not, I'll prepare for it
My biggest risk in the cold is my Citrus Trees, which I do not want to lose. I have a Lemon. Lime and Orange tree, all of which produce a lot of fruit. We lost them in the 2021 freeze and had to replace, and we've protected them well each year. They are getting larger and larger, and covering them is becoming difficult. The smallest of the three is the lemon, which still produces a ton of fruit
In the past we have used a 100w incandescent light bulb next to the tree, and then covered the tree in blankets, and then a tarp for rain protection. This year we are going all out
We purchased three of these portable green houses, to put around the trees
WORKPRO 8'x 6' Portable Walk-in Greenhouse
Product Dimensions: 47.24 x 10.83 x 9.06 inches Item Weight: 31.1 pounds Walk-In Greenhouse: The spacious 94" L x70" W x90" H green house provides plenty of room for plants. The 3 adjustable height legs of 90, 94, and 98 inches provide extra headroom so your plants can grow upwards freely. 4...
workprotools.store
And I am worried that the plastic, and larger space may be harder to heat without additional insulation, or heat. So I found some small 200w space heaters
And after testing, they do in fact draw 200w. A lot of cheap heaters will actually draw much more than they say
They are connected to smart plugs, so if the temperature drops below a certain threshold, they turn on
They do actually draw more than 200w when turning on, for some reason. They jump to around 420w and then slowly decrease in about 20 seconds, to 190-200w. So, I have made the automation stagger the starts, just in case I happen to want to start all of them via an Ecoflow or something
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Those plugs seem white to me, not orange, lime or lemon colored!
