Bob's caboose build

[S. Heisley]

...Still watching your progress!

[Verna]

[bonnie]

Well the declutter process is in full swing. The leather 15 foot sectional and the big tv shelf unit was gone last week and the upright freezer left yesterday. No real progress on the caboose as I spent most of Saturday gathering 3 projection tv's doanted from my " free pickup" add on craigslist. I am removing the fresnel lenses from them for the gray water distilation project. The high temperatures generated by the fresnel lenses will greatly reduce the volume of grey water by "boiling" it down.

Let me see if I can find a link to some of the info that got me headed onto this project.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Giant-Fresnel-Lens-Deathray-An-Experiment-in-Opti/

That is a very interesting concept I had original thought of using steam to boil the grey water down but your Fresnel lens idea might be worth taking a look at

Indeed. Wonder if it could also be used to generate steam heat?

[droid_ca]

Well the declutter process is in full swing. The leather 15 foot sectional and the big tv shelf unit was gone last week and the upright freezer left yesterday. No real progress on the caboose as I spent most of Saturday gathering 3 projection tv's doanted from my " free pickup" add on craigslist. I am removing the fresnel lenses from them for the gray water distilation project. The high temperatures generated by the fresnel lenses will greatly reduce the volume of grey water by "boiling" it down.

Let me see if I can find a link to some of the info that got me headed onto this project.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Giant-Fresnel-Lens-Deathray-An-Experiment-in-Opti/

That is a very interesting concept I had original thought of using steam to boil the grey water down but your Fresnel lens idea might be worth taking a look at

Indeed. Wonder if it could also be used to generate steam heat?

My ideas were steam for heat and possibly turning a generator of sorts so you dispose of waste water in exchange for power and sustainability, might make boon docking a little more conceivable....I did try and start a Steam thread a ways back if you wish to continue the idea of something like this lets take it there

[Mikka]

May I ask what will be the weight of your trailer when all done? estimate?

[bobhenry]

YEP MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER END 19 ' 11" AWAY



and then we added the observation platform just under 48 inches if memory serves me correctly.

Edit postReport this postReply with quoteRe: Bob's caboose build
by bobhenry » Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:40 am

I'm at 1598 pounds of lumber at this time. This does not including the frame.
With siding and rubber roof in place I will be at approx. 2504 pounds
The weight of the windows and doors will be offset somewhat by the sheathing and stud removal.

I am realistically thinking 5,000 pounds when livable.

UPDATE : Calculating from typical weight charts I should now be at about 2600 pounds. Still have drywall and cabinetry to add as well as decorator items and personal contents. I still hope to be in at 5000 pounds or there abouts.

[bobhenry]

The grey water distilation project is now underway........

Well it really is great being a bachelor. Just dragged the snow covered tv into the kitchen and starter demo'ing it right inside the patio door.

I was led to believe the reflective mirror was a mylar covered form but this one was a very good glass mirror. I am used to hall mirrors and such but this one is much more precise. I can't really describe it it just is " more precise" no waves and other such flaws !
I remover the lense and the protective face and the 3 smaller projection lenses and about a quart of some kind of mineral or silicone oil that was in the focusing lense wells.

I just had ta....I just had ta.... try out the lense. With the sun almost set I simply held it up and tried to fosus the lense to a point and held out my hand.......

Yep it was hot.

The speakes were salvaged as well and are real nice. These will probably get ceiling mounted in the caboose. About a hunderd screws and fastners and clips and cabeling looms and I will probably salvage the rca plug board for a central distribution board for the new caboose speaker system.

The 3 projection lenses each had a flat retainer clip with a nifty 3/4 x 1 1/2 square hole in one end. ( If all 3 holes are placed on a beam in proper alignment when the sun spot forms perfectly behing them they are in line with the sun vertically)
So I am going to utilize these as the sun finder aiming device.

There were two 4x8 flat plates with an ell shaped leg. I will use one of these as the direction finder. ( to be certain you are aimed right and left directly at the sun there should be no shadow other than the leading edge.)

Hell, for the intrum I am even gonna use the base cabinet for a coffee table ( lost in the divorce) in the big house living room. It just needs a top and a little fancying up. I might use the protective front lense and a sheet of plywood and display the build pictures under the protective lense as the top.

Waste not want not

[Wobbly Wheels]

Very resourceful, Bob !
Depending on the brand, there will be a couple computer fans in there too and, inside the light engine might be a 12V squirrel cage fan. Mine came out of a Sony and puts out some serious CFMs.

[droid_ca]

Bob you got me thinking on this Water Problem what if you were able to filter it somehow and use it for plants, I'm sure there has to be a way

[bobhenry]

I haven't gotten into the electronics yet. I saw a couple large capacitors so was reluctant to just start cutting cables. Those big capacitors can pack a whollop of juice and I wasn't in the mood to get the s%^t shocked out of me. I do intend to dig a bit deeper as I knew the pancake fans were most probably in there. I didn't know about the other fan. There are 4 hugh aluminum heat sinks that should get a new life as something also.I am still thinking ?????

[bobhenry]

Bob you got me thinking on this Water Problem what if you were able to filter it somehow and use it for plants, I'm sure there has to be a way

Filter it , ??

All you have to do is condense the vapor and you can drink it, it's distilled water. Just a bit cleaner than rain water ( no air born dust)

There is a great video on solar distillation where a guy stomps up a mess in a mud puddle and uses a system like this to distill the mud ladened water and at the end drinks the final product just for effect.

Here is a simple DIY distilation unit...

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?288145-Homemade-Solar-Distiller

[droid_ca]

Bob you got me thinking on this Water Problem what if you were able to filter it somehow and use it for plants, I'm sure there has to be a way

Filter it , ??

All you have to do is condense the vapor and you can drink it, it's distilled water. Just a bit cleaner than rain water ( no air born dust)

There is a great video on solar distillation where a guy stomps up a mess in a mud puddle and uses a system like this to distill the mud ladened water and at the end drinks the final product just for effect.

Here is a simple DIY distilation unit...

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?288145-Homemade-Solar-Distiller

You wouldn't by chance have a link to that would you?

[bobhenry]

Google " DIY solar distilation " there are 100's of neat videos on different ways to make and power the still.

I'll look for the mud puddle one again !

[Wobbly Wheels]

Bob, I wouldn't be too worried by the caps at this point. They do indeed hold a charge but they also discharge pretty quickly once the power's off. But then again, I'm just some guy on the internet...do what makes you happy.

The squirrel cage's flow is usually ducted through the lamp housing, so look for a piece of plastic ducting (it usually rattles around a bit more than one would expect. I've got a pic of mine in my build thread somewhere - I glassed up a new duct/diffuser for it so I could use it for a swamp cooler-ish idea.

How are you going to set up the tanks and lenses so that they see the sun ?

Re: stills - you can also get them for lifeboats (it's actually called a solar still). Those particular ones aren't especially efficient but they pack up small and they work continuously during daylight.
Gonna have to do a bit of tinkering myself I think: I'm pretty sure I have a few of those lenses kicking around somewhere because they were just a little too cool to throw away. Having said that, now you can guess what my 'shop' looks like.

[bobhenry]

This fresnel lense experiment was started to find a way to reduce the grey water volume in a safe and sanitary manner. There have been plans to allow it to leach to a planting bed via underground tubing and other methods. This idea may or may not meet local health and zoning ordinances. I surmised that making distilled water and allowing it to evaporate by boiling it away with the help of the sun would be a great way to reduce this volume of water and should be above reproach with any living soul even a bureaucrat. I have been consorting with another real resourceful fella who has brought another element into the equasion "wind"
This overgrown perculator will perk due to thermo siphoning by focusing the hot spot created by the fresnel lense. The water will then perk and puddle and return down the wire cage. During this return trip it will be allowed to escape to the wind thereby speeding up the evaporation process without the need for a power source to pump the fluid other than the sun.