Just a quick update. Had to move the site recently to a new server since Russian spammers infested the old one and made restoring it impractical. You WordPress users, be sure to always look over the PHP code BEFORE installing any new plugins on your wp sites, trust me…
We still have a couple of the Saab 9000 belt tensioners left if anyone is still spannering on these great cars. Looks like I’ll be needing one soon as my son’s 1997 9K is dribbling coolant slowly from what appears to be the water pump. Will get in there this weekend and have a look while it’s up in the air for its oil change.
On the hydronic heating front capitalism triumphs again- eco blocks have come down in price to the point where they are now competitive with cord wood so we’ll be acquiring up to 10 tons of these over the coming summer as we switch from wood to compressed blocks in the Econoburn boiler. See the Hydronic Heating category. Our boiler is connected to a masonry chimney so we have to keep that thing clean so the creosote doesn’t light off. Currently I have to get it cleaned 3 times a season. Hopefully with the blocks I can get that down to once per season. Also this year we need to get a backup heating system installed. Will probably go with propane since geothermal installation costs are so high, and electric is so expensive, that the capital costs will never be recovered. Oh well, maybe some day we’ll finally get gas out this way…