Current office status: Miserable

"SmugAardvark" (SmugAardvark) 06/26/2020 at 22:08 • Filed to: summer

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The A/C in my office has been out of commission since the winter months. However, the heat in the building works so well, they can’t actually shut it off. They rolled some portable cooling units in to help matters. As you can see, they do practically nothing.

At least the A/C in my work truck is cold. Looks like I’ll be working strictly from my truck for the coming days.

Brickman > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 22:19

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WTF! Is the heater fueled by satan? 

SmugAardvark > Brickman 06/26/2020 at 22:21

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I assume the pipes come straight up from the bowels of hell, yes.

It’s the original boiler that was put into the building when it was constructed back in the 70's. I’m suspecting that our engineering crew just has no idea how to work on it.

Nom De Plume > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 22:30

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Install their braintrust in the uppermost office space offering the least amount of air circulation.  Crash meetings until the issue is solved.  Only one person gets to leave the room at a time to attempt salvation.

SmugAardvark > Nom De Plume 06/26/2020 at 22:35

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I wish I had the sway to pull that off. I really do.

Nibby > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 22:37

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jminer > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 22:38

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This is a real problem. A lot of old buildings in cities are heated by steam still and most engineers trained this century don’t know what to do with it.

My father was a mechanical engineer (now retired) who specialized in HVAC and Sprinkler systems and he got a lot of work to design retrofits and updates to old steam and boiler systems since he’d been doing the work since the late 70's.

Also sorry about your super-shitty hot office

SmugAardvark > jminer 06/26/2020 at 22:42

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Yeah, it is an issue that of our entire engineering team, none of them specialize in HVAC repair. A few of them have tinkered, but none explicitly trained. So an ancient boiler system is probably akin to delivering me a late 19th century electric car and telling me to get it running like new.

SmugAardvark > Nibby 06/26/2020 at 22:43

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I would do terrible, terrible things to be there right now.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 06/26/2020 at 22:48

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The big issue with steam is that after a while the throttling components like valves and such wear out and it becomes such a hassle to deal with depending on the design, especially when they’re all worn out with cut valve seats and the like , none of them seal 100%, and you don’t want to completely shut down the boiler . They’re not something you preemptively replace or repair either...

Nibby > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 22:50

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stick your willy in it

Aremmes > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 22:54

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Those portable units suck. The heat that they pull in radiates off of the exhaust tube back into the room, losing efficiency very quickly. Window units at least attempt to partition the inside and outside parts of the system with insulation.

jminer > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 06/26/2020 at 22:57

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It’s one of those super complicated systems that can definitely still have it’s place, but that place is mostly places like healthcare.  Where circulating air is bad without insane filtration systems.

SmugAardvark > Aremmes 06/26/2020 at 23:01

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Correct. And by my count, there are 12 of them in our building. Six downstairs, and six upstairs. I’m upstairs, so I know all the heat from both floors is collecting here.

As for the units themselves, they work fine in a small 10' x10' downstairs office. But my workspace is probably 40'x60', with 6 desks. Even if the portable unit had a way to push the hot air outside, it simply isn’t big enough to cool this large of an area.

SmugAardvark > Nibby 06/26/2020 at 23:01

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In my mind, I already did.

barnie > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 23:09

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Yea, that was my boat today. Cats sprawled on the nav station since the big fan was pointing on me as I si t here. Had to stop Folding for a few hours, to try to get the heat down. Damn, Thomson runs hot. Got the “ circus tent” out of storage to spread over Sparrow tomorrow. That’ll help a bit but all those yards of canvas will take time to haul into plac e and secure. Tstorm season is here and 40 knot winds often spring up in minutes. Lashings have to giv e a lot and the canvas has to be dead horizontal .

The old farts lunched at Longhorn’s today. Great A/C, decent food. We didn’t want to leave to go back to the yard. 103 outside means a boat in the air is heated all over to that. A/C takes a lot of the humidity away but when it’s 80% outside, we still sweat inside. Sparrow’ d rather be in the water where it’s 75ish on 70% of the hull but not this year....

SmugAardvark > barnie 06/26/2020 at 23:14

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That’s a lot of boat talk for someone that’s never owned a boat.

But never the less, I’m jealous. Mostly because a jump into water sounds splendid at the moment.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 23:21

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Ooo you can do some bikram yoga on breaks! 

SmugAardvark > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 06/26/2020 at 23:26

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I...shall not be doing yoga in here . Hahaha

Roadkilled > SmugAardvark 06/26/2020 at 23:41

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When I was in college, my dorm had fan coils in each room. They were fed by hot water in the winter and cold water in the summer. The problem was they were only switched over from hot to cold after there had been at least a few weeks of hot weather in the spring. We always got a few weeks when it was very warm outside and the unit in the room could only make it warmer inside.

The same problem happened in the fall. You had to freeze for a few weeks of cold weather before the system was switched over to heating.

Most console unit air conditioners can’t handle more than a couple hundred square feet of space. 1.5 kW isn’t enough power to cool much more. You can find 208/240 V units, but they aren’t easy to find and most offices won’t have a place to plug them in.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SmugAardvark 06/27/2020 at 00:35

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I would love to be hot for once at work! I'm in a lab with equipment that has picky temp/humidity requirements. Well unfortunately those requirements aren't human habitable conditions as far as I'm concerned since it's always 65 degrees. And when it's hotter outside (like in the 80s) it's absolutely blasting to keep it there. I wear a hoodie every day and if I'm in there all day, I usually put on a beanie and maybe another jacket. And being in socal, we don't really have heat either so it's cold in the winter too. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 00:53

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How’s the #boatlyfe been overall this year? Seems like a good time to have a genius relationship with society.

We ever get a photo of your boat? The more you talk about it the more curious I am. If you'd rather keep it mum, how many feet is she? 

SmugAardvark > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 06/27/2020 at 02:07

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65 degrees would be amazing. I’ve always been more of a fan of cold weather over hot though. I have no problem layering up to be comfortable. But you can only remove so many layers before co-workers start to complain about decency standards.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SmugAardvark 06/27/2020 at 02:15

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Typing in gloves is a bit inconvenient though lol. And even with the layers on I’m just kind of borderline comfortable at best. It’s because I’m not moving around to generate heat and the AC blowing right on me is the worst. I do have coworkers that will sit in there in a t shirt all day like it's fine. 

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/27/2020 at 07:08

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‘59 Rhodes Bounty 2. 41' over all, 27' waterline, 10'-3" bean. Beautiful lanky old girl that sails like a dream. Wet but fast upwind. After 10 years in the saltwater she’s on the hard to do some renovations.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 06/27/2020 at 11:26

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That is literally my ideal temperature. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/27/2020 at 12:35

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Its ideal outdoors sure. But indoors, I dont want it to be above or below about 72. Maybe if I am hot from being outside, 70 is nice. And if I am especially cold, 74 is nice. But anything outside of that mad uncomfortable indoors. I am happy to be in anything between 30-90 outdoors with zero complaints. But sitting still in a lab I hate being cold. 

Verdog ~ manual Bro, Bro - HellHawk Equipped > SmugAardvark 06/27/2020 at 12:53

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PROTIP: Push the DOWN arrow.  

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 14:59

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Such a cool little thing. Perhaps slightly smaller than I expected in order to fit a whole residence and some computer stuff in it. I imagine space can be a little tight. You must lead an interesting life.

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/27/2020 at 16:14

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Plenty of room for a confirmed bachelor. ~250 sq ft. Full head w/ shower, kitchen w/ salt and fresh water at sink, dining for 4, single berth for the cats and me, double berth up front, etc. Just compact and well thought out. I do have to turn sideways to walk all the way forward. 2 pics of interior. Remember that many projects are in progress so it’s a mess. Looking forward:  

5 spare sails and anchor lines/chains forward of the vberth. Looking aft:

The old diesel was behind the stairs. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 16:33

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Looks cozy but larger than I expected. I personally don’t want a ton of unnecessary space because it would just fill up with stuff that I don’t need and don’t want. I can totally get the appeal. I also understand the slight clutter, though it really isn’t that bad. Thanks for the insight.

Is that a radiator in the first pic? Is it tied to a propane system that would also feed the stove? I suppose you have no AC, just fans.

So this used to have an inboard but was converted to be sail only? Or is the diesel still there as a backup?

If you don’t mind, how long have you been living this way? You said 10 years since the last dry dock I think.

Your lifestyle is so different from mine, I’m really curious. I imagine there is a high up front investment in all the equipment and the boat itself plus renovations. Do you have to pay for docking most of the time?

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/27/2020 at 17:42

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I have empty cupboards. Easy not to get too much stuff. Clothes, a few books, tools and spare parts, and food. What more do we need, really?

T hing on the wall with the flue is a heater. Dual wall flue that brings it’s own air and then exhausts thru the inner tube. Propane, yes, like the stove. Since propane heat puts a lot of water into the air, furnace has self contained firebox with a fanned box around it. 4k btus heats us 30 degrees in 20 minutes.

We use A/C here in the yard. In water just open hatches and fans. But water against the hull keeps her much cooler inside (75 vs 102).

Used to have a Perkins 4-108 but it got hydro locked and died. I want to put in a 20kw electric motor. Still in planning while I do the other stuff.

I bought Sparrow in ‘03 and spent all my spare time until I retired in ‘06 to take her from a bare hull to Cat 1 ORC rules (any ocean, any weather, non-pro) . Former owner had stripped her of everything metal and then died... Put her in the water Jan ‘07 and have been aboard since save a couple years on contract .

Look for Sailing Uma on YT to get a good look at living this life when young. I’m an old fart, live way different from Dan and Kika but the principles are the same. Like buying a house except I never use credit. Cash only since 1983 so I saved my money. My method is to figure the best solution and then figure out how to pay for it. Not cheap but Sparrow is a very tough and reliable boat. I have >200k in her not counting my labor.

Keep askin g questions , it’s how we learn!

SmugAardvark > Verdog ~ manual Bro, Bro - HellHawk Equipped 06/27/2020 at 17:57

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Haha, I did. It was set to 70 degrees. It shows the ambient temp by default when you aren’t adjusting anything.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 18:16

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I am Atlanta area and am currently studying architecture. I doubt that sort of life is in my near future but I do find it intriguing.

Semi r etiring on a boat seems like a sure way to never be too inactive. And you seem to be very financially responsible so it is also probably sustainable. 200k wouldn’t buy you too much of a house around here, much less full renovations and freedom of movement. Less depreciation than an RV too.

An electric inboard propulsion system sounds cool. Would that include an ICE generator to power the motors? How is your boat currently powered while the inboard is down? I am curious as to how often you went wind only and whether you have really missed the extra propulsion. 

You know the tiny house craze? You did it first haha. It's true, you don't need too much to get along comfortably, but not many people seem to realize that. I wouldn't want a place way bigger than what I need. 

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/27/2020 at 19:35

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Cool! Dan and Kika graduated as Architects in ATL. Maybe your school. Yes, there’s always something to fix when your home is always moving. Mostly little things but they build up after awhile. Actually more depreciation than a comparable RV. Sparrow is more like a Provost, like a Hunter boat is like a Winnebago .

That’s the planning for an Electric motor. Motors are easy enough to find but all the stuff around it are not. Battery tech is getting there, like Tesla packs or LiPoe stacks. Then there’s charging them. I’ve used wind mostly and the motor only when necessary (150Amp alternator on it). Now I’ll need Solar and regenerative from the prop. I don’t want to use flat panels as they’re ruin Sparrow’s svelte lines. Plan now is to grind off the non-skid on the deck and use solar paint on the cabin tops, etc. Then coat with clear beads in clear paint. But, that tech is still early days and quite expensive. Right now, since Sparrow is in the yard, I use an 1800watt gold certified power supply for my 12v needs like lights, radios, fans and 110 for A/C, refer and this PC. Sparrows usual refer needs to be in the water to work, thus that black beast by the furnace which I really don’t like but I do like cold cuts and fresh spinach.

I am a sailor so I have no problem sailing up to the dock or a mooring. I’d rather stand offshore another day than use the motor to get into a stormy harbor. I learned how to sail my 27' Soling, which never had a motor, backwards into my slip up at Lake Lanier.

Verdog ~ manual Bro, Bro - HellHawk Equipped > SmugAardvark 06/27/2020 at 20:13

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I figured, LOL

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 20:17

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So would you have a gas or diesel generator in addition to a solar set up? How do you run your electronics when not docked? I bet that fridge draws a lot of juice plus the folding. (Folding at Sea hehe).

Electric cars rarely enter junkyards with intact batteries but there is a substantial market for battery packs from wrecked ones. Nissan Leafs in particular are right in that sweet spot but you might need a few of them for an electric motor system.

I’m surprised that your boat has suffered such depreciation. I suppose being lived in for 10 years and a busted auxiliary propulsion system doesn’t exactly add value but an RV gets dated quicker than a boat.

When was Sparrow built? She’s such a pretty looking craft from the photos you’ve showed. 

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/27/2020 at 21:21

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No fossil fuels save propane is the goal . Wind, solar and regen for the batteries. I’d like to switch to CNG for the stove and furnace since an 80lb dive bottle can hold a year or more’ s fuel. All electronics from depth, chart plotters, nav comps, radar, refer, to radios are 12 volt. Mascerator pump, windlass, every integral boat syst em is 12v. Even the shortwave/SSB and modem are 12v. THe breaker panel for 12v has 22 breakers. The one for AC has 4 - water heater (which also has a 12v heater), ba ttery charger (since removed) and 1 breaker for each side of the boat.

Here on the hard, I’ve added a few 110v things like a refer, A/C, and Thomson (for Folding since I can’t play RDR2. (I die every time...)). I even have a couple higher capacity 110 fans to move the air since I’m crowded in with other boats. I also charge the drill and sander batteries off AC instead of the little inverter. No microwave, toaster oven, etc. Oh yea, and the shop vac is AC.

Used and tested good Tesla packs were $1400 a year ago, now they’re <$800 apiece. And they have built in BMS. Each is 60-85kw so 5 of them will handle hours of motoring. Boat is not like car - 20kw max motor rarely run >10kw vs cars 200+ kw run much harder. Boats are easier to move than cars at cruising speeds (5knots vs 55mph :) Yes, Leaf packs and others are also available. Then there are other techs like LiPoe, sodium-air and other new stuff coming out all the time. It’s the solar paint I’m really looking forward to.

Sparrow was laid up Sausilito, CA in 1959; she’s 2 weeks younger than I am... She and a sister were taken to Sarnia, Canada to be outfitted so she is very different from the other 100 or so built. 1st fiberglass production boats built. Started in 1956 and Sparrow is hull #36, we think. I’m not at all concerned about depreciation. Sparrow is a custom version of a stock boat and is therefore worth less right off the bat. I’ve soaked a lot of money into her for me alone. My home. I’m going to die on her so maybe my brother can get a few bucks out of her. I does not care. Ben Stavis seems to be the keeper of the flame for these boats so https://astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/pr/bounty.htm for some more info and links.

Remember, BOAT means Break Out Another Thousand. They lead a much rougher life than an RV, even sitting at anchor or the dock. And marine stuff costs twice or more what land vehicle stuff does whether it is better or not. A boat in the water whether on a lake or at the coast is always moving, with the attendant vibrations, resonances and jouncing whereas an RV only moves when yer driving it (or rocking it). Stuff wears out a lot faster. All the wiring in Sparrow is tinned copper so the strands can slip a bit unlike regular vehicle wiring and costs 4 times as much. Chloride ions at the coast are like acid attacking everything all the time. Humans thrive here but man made stuff gets eaten.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 22:05

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I don’t think I’ve ever considered how much of a toll the constant wear and tear of just the up and down movement from the waves takes. Clearly salt gives everything a hard time but I haven't thought much about the vibrations.

A fossil fuel free vessel would be nice. Probably quieter too. I cant pretend to understand quite all of what you said but I’ve got a good idea about what you mean about energy consumption vs a car. Fascinating.

Makes sense for the ship to be AC. You seem to indicate that is uncommon. Most consumer products use AC so why would you use DC? Oh I see you you have a 110 volt line for the larger stuff. I’m largely ignorant on computers but 110 volt seems pretty extreme for, Thompson, is it? Is that an informal nickname or a brand name?

Solar paint sounds promising but probably not designed to weather salt water continuously. It might need to be reapplied every year or two. With how little you might use it, you might not need tons of coverage but just enough to trickle charge. 

Funny coincidence about the build date but it is a good story. I admire your commitment to the boat. Do you call it Sparrow or the Sparrow? Seems like the former.

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/27/2020 at 22:52

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Now that I use 12 DC , I’m surprised so many things are 110 AC. AC does travel over distance better but for the home, 12v is so much safer. My big 12 cup drip coffee pot fits on the stove as does my 1 cup espresso pot. What do we need 110 for except s ome kitchen appliances like microwaves. My 12 cubic ft refer is 12v DC . I heat water w/ a 12v element in the tank. I have 12v drills, sanders (all DeWalt), hand mixer, lamps, soldering irons and vaccum, etc. A car FM/CD/USB/etc radio is 12v. If we built neighborhood power stations like thorium reactors, we wouldn’t need all the power lines. Solar rooftops are proving this but we still convert the ~20v DC per panel to 110 AC. From this side, doesn’t make much sense. It’s the Edison vs Westinghouse tussle all over again.

The solar paint is actually the base for the non-skid which covers every horizontal surface so we don’t slip when walking on deck. Sparrow has a teak deck so it’s cabin tops and the cockpit. The solar paint is slick so it will be covered by clear paint which would also be slic k. W e add tiny clear plastic balls to the clear paint . What Sparrow already has but it’s a nice grey color. To charge 300 to 400 kw of battery will take alot of solar. 4 kw is the target sans panels.

She is called Sparrow, never the Sparrow. And her dinghy is Egg, a white Port-A-Boat ... :)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/27/2020 at 23:52

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Ah, I haven’t thought about Edison v Westinghouse in so long I’d forgotten the name. From what I’ve heard, the White City was what really set the precedent of 12V AC. We’ve come far enough that I do not foresee a change ever happening regardless. Stepping up and converting sure is a PITA though, especially when you have to make this budget friendly, feasible on a large scale, and account for so many different uses. I doubt maritime use is usually considered.

So you will be sealing in and protecting the solar paint with a clear coat and then adding grip surfaces on top. Got it. Is this going to happen in the near future? I’ve barely even heard of the stuff and didn’t know it was commercially available.

Sparrow is a good name. Reminds me of this:

I also find Egg to be a hilarious name for a dinghy. It’s been real fun finding out about your ship; I’ve always been curious when you’ve mentioned it in passing. Thank you.

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/28/2020 at 00:32

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Solar paint is already commercially available. It’s only 10-12% efficient though vs 22+% for plates. And the clear coat will reduce that more though the beads will break the spectrum up and might actually increase the efficiency. Only testing w ill tell.

My grandpa worked for Swann (who actually invented the light bulb (for DC) , E dison just perfected it for AC) in England at the turn of the 20th century. I have his notes, and they are fascinating, on rectification of DC/AC in large amounts of voltage and amperage. Trying to find a museum or college that can use them. This AC/DC argument has been going on with the menfolk in my family for generations.

Happy to share Sp arrow’s story, at least my part of it. Hope some others get to read this, too. Cheers, o’Leader!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie 06/28/2020 at 00:43

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That just opened up a whole lot more for discussion but it’s late.

I did know Edison didn’t really invent much of what he claimed, but he sure perfected lots of stuff enough to sell them. If I recall, another person developed the light bulb independently at basically the same time as well. Fascinating bit o f history that some museum/college would love to have a piece of.

Here's hoping the solar paint is effective. Thank you for this discussion. 'Night.

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/28/2020 at 06:42

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He was a genius at both improvement and getting the US patents. Yes, it was Swann who invented the bulb . But he had no business head and Edison eventually bought him out.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 06/29/2020 at 18:56

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Naw 65 is perfect indoor temp. Outdoors 32-72 is fine, but anything higher than 72 better only be when I want to go to the beach.