Hydroponic Gardening and Getting Off the Grid

[anjou]

Originally Posted by Johnny Cruiser

Welcome aboard CF Sweetiepie!

Most people I have meet on board their boats use a laptop or ipad. They use their ovens as a "faraday cage" just remember to look inside before you turn it on.
Am also installing some solar panels, a wind genny and 2 wind turbines (smaller blades) to help reduce the elec grid load. We are upgrading our lightning protection system later this month to kinda make the whole boat a faraday cage of sorts to help protect the occupants...

John

I keep my pet electric eel in a faraday cage. I think its a positive step because he can be realy fierce when hes on a charge

[anjou]

Have a word with James S about hydroponics cos I know hes done the homework and bought some equipment to play about with.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by anjou

I keep my pet electric eel in a faraday cage. I think its a positive step because he can be realy fierce when hes on a charge

Seriously?

[anjou]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Seriously?

Yeah right

About as serious as you are about pulling that stripey top down any lower.

Its silly sunday and no one is getting any sense out of me today.

[SaucySailoress]

Fair 'nuff... I don't know anything at all about keeping electric eels... for all I know you could keep them in... hang on I'm gonna stop there, silly Sunday or not.

.... although the top went down MUCH lower - just not here - not sure if the mods would allow it

[onestepcsy37]

i took a direct lightning hit last summer. the only things that were damaged were those things that were directly connected through the breaker panel. my laptop and hand held vhf and gps, which were lying around in the cabin, were not damaged. the fridge, solar panel, and autopilot, which are directly wired to the battery bank, were also not affected. my boat (csy 37) is not grounded in any way. so maybe going with standalone electronics is best....

space on a small sailboat - yours and mine are about the same - is at a premium. i think you would be better served to switch to a laptop. you can recharge it during the day when the solar panels are giving you 'free' electricity. you can sit in the cockpit with it or even take it ashore when necessary. i do that when i get free wifi in port to make skype phone calls.

i might consider growing sprouts but i think any serious hydroponics would simply take too much space and water. on the other hand, boats that spend lots of time in one place seem to sprout potted plants of all kinds. we haven't yet cruised to any place where we couldn't get some fresh fruits and veggies every week or so, and the small fridge will keep them for about that long.

[anjou]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

.... although the top went down MUCH lower - just not here - not sure if the mods would allow it

OHM my god, thats SHOCKING, how could they RESIST?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Fair 'nuff... I don't know anything at all about keeping electric eels... for all I know you could keep them in... hang on I'm gonna stop there, silly Sunday or not.

.... although the top went down MUCH lower - just not here - not sure if the mods would allow it

This better than cruising <eyes wide open> and all on a gardening thread - I must spread my interest further....

[SaucySailoress]

Yeah - so back to hydroponics....

Um....

Nope, don't know anything about them either. Except that when the cats dig in it (!), it goes all over the place. Looks too much like a litter tray, in their opinion!

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by anjou

Yeah right

About as serious as you are about pulling that stripey top down any lower.

I like this kind of talk.

[Jack_Tar]

Originally Posted by Sweetiepie

Hello all!

We have just purchased our first sailboat...Tayana37. We are very excited! We will be living aboard by next season...hanging out in the islands for a while to start. Anyway, I have a question about hydroponics and sailing...is this something people do? Also, we have a 24" Mac computer that we would like to mount on the boat...would this pull too much power? Are we better off with laptops? How about faraday cages, are they used regularly? Any info in getting off the grid is appreciated. Thanks!

I during an electrical storm you are concerned about lightning strike and the resulting damage to your lap top or hand held devices here is a tip. Put them in the oven. Being an all metal surounding structure the oven is a perfect Faraday cage. As for power used for a lap top most laptops have a battery. They opperate at aprox 12 to 14 volts DC. Check your data plate on the device. Why would you run an inverter to produce 115/120 AC to plug into and outlet. The lap top cord has a built in transformer to step voltage back down and change to DC. Give it some thought. Addapter ?

[bill352]

"Sailing the Farm" (Ken Neumeyer, 1981, Ten Speed Press) is a guide to homesteading at sea. Book is now very expensive, but is available on line here: http://cruisenews.net/sailfarm.pdf

Some parts are practical, some not, some debatable. Should have been cut and pasted in its entirety to the "Any Preppers" thread. Worth a read, though.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Jack_Tar

I during an electrical storm you are concerned about lightning strike and the resulting damage to your lap top or hand held devices here is a tip. Put them in the oven. Being an all metal surounding structure the oven is a perfect Faraday cage. As for power used for a lap top most laptops have a battery. They opperate at aprox 12 to 14 volts DC. Check your data plate on the device. Why would you run an inverter to produce 115/120 AC to plug into and outlet. The lap top cord has a built in transformer to step voltage back down and change to DC. Give it some thought. Addapter ?

Dell laptops run on 18-19.5 volts~ i dont know of any that run on 12 14volts???

[foolishsailor]

Originally Posted by Jack_Tar

Put them in the oven. Being an all metal surounding structure the oven is a perfect Faraday cage.

Everyone please stop spreading this old wives tale. An oven most sefinitely does not work as a faraday cage, especially at the wavelength of an emp like that produced by a lightening strike which would be in the low milmeters? (please would an EE step in for clarity?)

For a faraday. Age to work there can be not gaps in the metal cage larger than the wavelength of the energy you are trying to protect against. On your oven is their glass? Is there any gaps between the door and frame, etc...

Will not work and there are cruisers on this forum in other threads with persoanl experience with direct strikes that will confirm the physics.

...and just because you may have put your gear in the oven prior to a strikke and it was fine does not mean the oven had anything to do with protecting it.

By all means put you gear in your oven, but please dont put yourself in a position where you are counting on an oven, tin foil, or whatever to protect your gear - you will be in trouble

[Blue Crab]

"Sailing the Farm" (Ken Neumeyer, 1981, Ten Speed Press) is a guide to homesteading at sea. Book is now very expensive, ..." but priceless info. A must have for new/veg cruisers. The Pardeys? Janet Grone? Julia Child? Fuggeettabout 'em! You need this book to call yourself a cruiser. Fortunately


I have a copy that I could let go of for, say, $60 inc shipping.