Farm Update 21-Sep-2016

There is still scorching heat at the farm.  The last rain was many months before, probably in April or so.   We have been pulling all along with windpump and some stored water.

Subbu is busy now irrigating and sustaining the trees.  There is good amount of wind, but very hot wind.  As per subbu, they are getting two drums (2 x 1000 liters) of water before noon and 3 drums in the evening.  The wind pump works continuously and they are trying to make best use of the water.

He is visibly frustrated and wants to bring electricity asap.  He has kept aside my Verticle Windpump project aside for the time being.  I can understand.  One cannot stand in the farm for 5 minutes before grabbing water to drink.   It will be so hot and so windy.

Kandan is down with fever.  There is denge fever all over India this season. Chickenguniya and Denge are most common.  He cannot come for another week and Subbu has to manage all by himself.

He had met the electricity officials last week and given a push. They wanted my signature on a farm, which he has sent by courier. I am supposed to sign and send it back as soon as I get it. Waiting... Subbu hopes that is the last leg and we should get power in 2 weeks.

Meanwhile he is confident the windpump can also be fabricated if only he gets two full days of dedicated time along with Paramu, the carpenter / plumber and rural engineer.

A prototype of wing on one of the arms of the rotor is fixed temperorily.
The efforr that went into reaching upto this stage is tremendous.
I still have a long way to go.....

Back home at my place, I have made good progress in fabrication amidst odds.  My family has restricted my movements (Exams are going for children).  With hardly two hours to work I made lot of progress.  The good thing about this is that I have been able to use my angle grinder (Which I purchased newly 6 months back , but did not use it for fear) with ease and caution. It is wonderful power tool.  Only it makes such a horrible noise that I cannot use it in residential area (terrace) at any time.....

Full details are in the below posts.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/519702174896073/

Complete photographs without comments here ;

https://goo.gl/photos/Rb7tyMSsWqLzeNJHA

Progress On verticle Windpump by 2nd Week September

The central mast stands majestic
To this will be attached "wings"

The last week progress on the verticle wind pump construction was satisfactory.  On the 7th floor terrace of my apartment, I had started my work of assembling, drilling and painting the parts.

Each time I have to take my car,  drive down to nearest hardware shop and purchase things.  For 1" pipe i had to go to specific welding shop as the pipe of required thickness was only available there. The conventional hardware shops have good looking stainless steel coated pipes (to be used as screen rods), but they are not strong.

The following things were completed

1. Painting of A frame with rust free paint on top of existing one. I found rust on the frame because it was kept in Balcony among potted plants for long time.
2. Purchase and installation of the main verticle pipe of 8 feet.  It required boring on that pipe to lift and fix as the height was not sufficient.  I had purchased 8 feet because it can be carried in my car from hardware store to home. 
3. I learnt drilling on metal pipe. Initially it did not come. Then with a new bore bit and my bosch handheld drilling machine (10 years old), i was able to successfully make hole.
4. Fixing of the main verticle frame that was made earlier to this A frame using steel wires and painting them also.  Here the A frame acts as a stand so that I donot have to spoil the common terrace. Otherwise for field installation the A frame is not required.  This A frame I made last year for my solar experiments.
5. Fixing of ball bearing inside with rubber beading to fill the gaps.
6. Miscellaneous activities like planning for the wings of the verticle windpump.  The wings or blades will be made of plywood. I chanced on the plywood store in my locality and took no time to decide.

The below video summarises what has been accomplished till now.

More photos have been added to existing album.  This album is continuously updated.

https://goo.gl/photos/Rb7tyMSsWqLzeNJHA

Happy Mood !

Happy because of few insignificant reasons;

a) Reached Subbu after 2 days. His phone was switched off continuously. His smartphone has weak battery. He said his Son is unwell and he was taking him to a hospital in Valliyoor.  Nothing to worry. This is a season of fever due to climate change.  I wonder, with so many herbs around why people in village should get sickness at all. It is due to their in-sufficient knowledge on how to use the resources around. Even in city my wife makes various potions (Kashayam) out of common herbs as preventive medicine from cold and fever. It always works.

b) He had seen my video and photos while at Valliyoor.  He feels happy. I had started an album in Google photos and shared it. The same is added as separate page in this blog.  Here !

c) I have finished my Astronomy session to children in my housing society.  The presentation was sincerely prepared for high school, college students with lots of animation in power point. But the audience was mostly small children. That's ok.  The fee towards that will be adjusted against the rent that I may have to pay for occupying the terrace for my workshop. I started the work on Sunday by painting the material that I had gathered so far.

d) There is adequate wind blowing in the farm. Subbu is happy. he said he has completed watering the entire farm with wind as well as electric motor. He has not returned the motor and has paid around 2500 for that which includes rental for pipe, motor and cable.  This watering should take me through another two weeks by which time I expect signs of rains to come by end of this month. we need to pull up.

The opening slide of my presentation. This was a teaser slide

Rubbing the pipe with salt paper to remove rust

Painting with primer for anti-rust coating

Painting yellow even before the primer become dry resulted in bad job

Painting the stand frame work with black

Just trying to assemble on floor to guage the materials required
to secure the ball bearing.

This A frame I made last year for my solar project. All these days it was in
my balcony with flower pots. Now this will be useful as stand for my windpump

Lucky I was able to divert one pot holder to myself as work bench.  I made
4 flower pot holders from the same welding shop. It cost Rs. 950 each of variable
height.  This is multi purpose bench.
I need to cover this with a wooden plank that is lying in my house.

Farm Update 02-Sep-2016

Going by the past postings, one would assume so and so progress would have happened in the farm.    It is but natural to think that water would have come through temperory electric pump,  Subbu would have progressed on fabrication of wind pump etc....  I would also expect the same.

But the reality is different.  The stark ground reality is more painful and  disappointing and agonizing.

Animals are risk when you bring electricity using wires from neighbourhood.

There is still no water. No wind in the past one week.   Wind has just started yesterday.   Subbu's attempt to get an electric motor has failed.  After putting the submersible pump at 300 feet with pipes and wire, the motor did not start.  Some issue in coil.  The guy who gave for loan services and circulates old motors. He had to come next day, take back and another day later supplied one more.  This seems to work. Yesterday for first time Subbu had operated it for 2 hours.

The process is to get electricity from neighbouring pump room that is 300 meters away.  That is illegal and hence cannot be fixed permanently.   It must be round sleeve,  single cable without any joint in between to avoid water risk.  It cannot be laid in day time also because of stray grazing animals like cow and sheep. Therefore only by evening can he connect there and switch ON here. If everything works he can operate for an hour or two.

That is the plan and it started yesterday. He said he has watered the drying trees first. This arrangement will continue till rain comes.

Subbu has no time to visit the browsing centre to check two mails I had sent him earlier.  It is about the progress I have made in my own fabrication.

The windpump will come up here.

Back home for the verticle windpump I needed a space where I can use my drilling machine freely. I also need space to do carpentary and masonary work to fabricate.   So far I have finished all welding job outside. I had discussion with my housing society office and got the 7th floor terrace. I purchased lock and key and shared with security, with one key with self.  The society office bearers were convinced about my initiative, were interested to participate perhaps in future. But presently they wanted to charge rent for the same.

When they were discussing about a forthcoming Ganesh festival event in which they wanted to bring someone from outside with a telescope for children to appreciate (an astronony session),  I intervened. I argued it will be disappointing for children to see through telescope standing in queue one at a time - total 30 children with telescope pointing to nowhere in the sky.  In September with cloudy atmosphere, amidst city light no celestial object will be visible if at all.

People generally expect Galaxies and planets to be visible in telescope as a disk. But will be disappointed for not seeing any.  I suggested let me give a lecture on Astronomy for one hour with audio visual.   They agreed and they said they will waive my rental.

So now I am busy preparing for my astronomy presentation for tomorrow.  I will introduce them to Cygnus constellation and the nebula, move on to Milkyway, then other objects, cover September launch schedule of various rockets, current inter-planetary missions and end with different deep space programs including cosmic ray observatories. The idea is to generate varied interest on fundamental research and distract them from only thinking about guided tour to NASA exhibition.

Now with deal fixed,   I also can peacefully start using my grinding wheel at the terrace and build my wind pump.   My wife however has objections (as always) and has sweared she will see the end of my work shop.