washing machine off solar?

[West Texas Bound]

Works good in cold water just need to thin it out with water

[ChrisOlson]

Chris my wife and make our own laundry detergent and is easy get 2 bars of pure soap ,borax ,and armor hammer washing soap 2 gallons of water
you can experiment with recipes.

I think she tried something like that some time ago. Does what you describe work in cold water OK? IIRC, what my wife tried the one time for homemade laundry soap was sort of thick and it did not dissolve readily in cold water (she uses all cold water for washing clothes).

I just noticed this morning she has a box of arm and hammer washing soda sitting on the shelf in the laundry room.
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Chris

[Mike90250]

OK guys, we are pretty far off the original topic, and unless we go back to solar washing machines, I'll lock the thread.
I'm not wanting to find faults with anyone, but I'm sure the original poster is wondering huh ? ? what's the answer.

[Sunking]

In the US CARB announced CO2 restrictions and that is being fought in federal court as we speak.

Anybody trying to blame EPA is barking up the wrong tree.

It has nothing to do with CO2. Diesel engines emits far lower CO2 than gasoline. The issue is Particulate Emissions, higher fuel taxes on diesel, and 50 state emission standards especially CA and NY. 5 states have banned sales of diesel vehicles.

[russ]

Russ - for the final time on this topic - no. You can look it up.

Try soot or particulate emissions - you claim no difference.

[West Texas Bound]

What do you do for bath soap? My wife says dishwater is good for the plants (and they seem to do really well on it). She uses some stuff called "Dishmate" that is supposed to not have toxic stuff in it for both dishes and clothes. Most bath and laundry soaps have toxic chemicals in them that are not good for the plants (or for people for that matter), according to her. I've never really looked into it, though, as that's her department.
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Chris

Chris my wife and make our own laundry detergent and is easy get 2 bars of pure soap ,borax ,and armor hammer washing soap 2 gallons of water
you can experiment with recipes.

2 bars of soap grated with a cheese grater
2 cups borax
1 cup washing soap

Boil one gallon of water add shredded bar soap stir until melted
add all other ingredients use other gallon to add to get that liquid detergent constancy all safe and natrual

[ChrisOlson]

Forget your imaginary "big stick" and don't get carried away with statements that are incorrect - such as why passenger car diesel engines are rare in the US - on that point you are wrong - very wrong.

Russ - for the final time on this topic - no. You can look it up. The current requirements for diesel fueled passenger cars and light trucks in the US are identical to the Euro 5 standard currently in effect. With the exception of CO2. The EC standards limits CO2 while US EPA doesn't directly. The US has the Corporate Fleet Fuel Economy standard which does not directly regulate CO2 emissions like it does in Europe since 2007. Prior to that, in Europe, there was a voluntary ACEA agreement and it did not work.

I told you this yesterday - the standards are the same in Europe as here - with EC standards either being in line with, or more stringent (due to the CO2 requirement in Europe), than US EPA.

In the US CARB announced CO2 restrictions and that is being fought in federal court as we speak.

Anybody trying to blame EPA is barking up the wrong tree. Whether or not a European manufacturer decides to test under FTP-75 to certify a vehicle for sale in the US depends on whether or not they feel a market exists that makes it financially feasible for export to the US. At present there are some, like the Audi TDI, that are sold here. But due to cost they are a really hard sell for auto dealers. In the past we have had everything from the Ford Escort diesel to the Dodge D100 pickups with small foreign diesels. Dealers could not sell them. People won't buy them. The market determines this, and historically diesel passenger cars in the US have been a dismal failure in the sales dept. Even when GM strapped flat combustion chamber heads to the Olds 350 so they could squirt diesel fuel into it, and tried to sell it - it ended up being a dismal failure not only from a reliability standpoint, but also from a sales standpoint.
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Chris

[russ]

Forget your imaginary "big stick" and don't get carried away with statements that are incorrect - such as why passenger car diesel engines are rare in the US - on that point you are wrong - very wrong.

[ChrisOlson]

Chris - You talk a lot and apparently know a little! What you did for 19 whole years I don't now but the title engineer can mean anything from zero to a lot. Some of the best engineers in history didn't have any formal degree.

Russ, while I will not waste your time outlining all of my credentials, I spent 19 years as a mechanical engineer at Cummins. 4 years in the automotive division on the B-series engines. 15 years on KTA and QSK G-Drive engines for standby and prime power generators. When my wife and I became tired of moving between two continents we made the decision to adopt a different, slower-paced lifestyle with no schedules, nobody to answer to and finish raising our two daughters in a real home with mom and dad there every day. I grew up in this area and it is much like my wife's home country - mostly settled by Scandinavians in the mid to late 1800's with logging and the forestry industry, and commercial fishing on the Great Lakes, still being a large part of the economy here (along with low grade iron ore - taconnite - mining in more recent years).

I had assumed when I came here that the forum was about trading information, not about who carries the biggest stick. We also enjoy our off-grid lifestyle here, despite it maybe not being "practical" based on most people's situation. We probably have more dollars than we have sense, but it is what we chose to do. And I applied many of the concepts that I learned over the years working with prime generators powering remote areas (mostly in mining) to our system so we don't have to give up any of the conveniences that most people have.

If you feel my experience with some of these things is irrelevant, then I will no longer post to the forum. While I do enjoy trading information with other off-grid folks, I do not enjoy getting into an argument over who carries the biggest stick. Nor do I enjoy pushing a point with someone who is obviously pretty much uninformed on a topic (such as what batteries are used for propulsion engine starting in mid-sized yachts). So at this point I digress - you are now returned to your regularly scheduled programming.
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Chris

[Sunking]

Chris you have no idea what you are talking about. Emission standards are different for passenger vehicles and trucks. Emission standards for passenger vehicles are very strict, and get stricter each model year in the USA, and very few if any auto manufacture can keep up. Many have tried and have given up. Honda is a great example as they were to release the Accord in 2006. However EPA lowered emissions, so Honda delayed a model year to redesign. Guess what EPA lowered the emission to block it.

Trucks are completely different, They are allowed much higher emissions than passenger vehicles. That is why you see so many diesel puck up trucks on the road. It is a known fact the EPA is keeping diesel passenger vehicles out of the USA with ever changing emission standards. Couple that with whacky states like CA and WI, and not many manufactures are willing to make a 50 state passenger diesel vehicle. It is not worth their time or money to do so.

[ChrisOlson]

And don't forget California - CARB (Calif Air Resources Board) the ones who killed the electric car, by caving into Detroit's big 3. Diesel in Calif - in cars, fat chance. They smell bad, and might give some bureaucrat in the peoples republic of santa monica, a headache.

Mike, I believe I mentioned that earlier. The CARB requirements are going prevent heavy trucks that currently meet Tier III (pre-2007) from even entering the state. And it is illegal to idle a diesel engine in a truck equipped with a sleeper in California for longer than five minutes. Even diesel-fired APU's are now illegal in California unless the exhaust is routed thru the DPF on the truck.

CARB is a nightmare. And the problem with it is that California is one of the largest vehicle markets in the world. So few manufacturers are going to build an engine or vehicle that is EPA certified for 49 states but excludes California. A few do and the specs for those engines specifically state it is not legal for sale in California.

Aside from all the regulations in California, my personal opinion is that California is not a sustainable system anyway. They don't even have enough water for people in southern California. So I think one of two things will happen - there will be a lot of people leave the state (which is already happening to a certain extent), or it will eventually collapse under its own weight.
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Chris

[russ]

I guess you can think what you want. I only spent 19 years as a ME working in the diesel power business in North America, Europe and Asia. So it stands to reason that I wouldn't know anything about any of it.
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Chris

Chris - You talk a lot and apparently know a little! What you did for 19 whole years I don't now but the title engineer can mean anything from zero to a lot. Some of the best engineers in history didn't have any formal degree.

The rules are very different for allowable truck emissions and passenger vehicle emissions. Europe has higher allowances for soot for one thing. The same vehicle on the roads in Europe is not allowed in the US due to EPA rules.

[Mike90250]

The problem with diesel power in automobiles in the US is related to:
1.) Diesel fuel has a higher federal excise tax and it is more expensive than gasoline
2.) Only about 50% of filling stations in the US even handle diesel fuel
3.) Diesel powered light passenger vehicles are more expensive than a comparable gasoline fueled vehicle
4.) US auto dealers find it hard to sell them

And don't forget California - CARB (Calif Air Resources Board) the ones who killed the electric car, by caving into Detroit's big 3. Diesel in Calif - in cars, fat chance. They smell bad, and might give some bureaucrat in the peoples republic of santa monica, a headache.

[ChrisOlson]

Hogwash Chris. EPA does everything they can to keep diesel cars out of USA. You know it is fact.

Oh, for pete's sake. No - EPA does not do everything they can do to keep diesel cars out of the US. Drive down the road on any day and tell me how many medium and heavy duty trucks you see on the road? Guess what powers those trucks? If those trucks all stop rolling, guess what happens?

The specs for Tier IV Interim and EU Stage IIIB were published clear back in 2004. That gave engine manufacturers 8 years to comply. Almost all of them were in compliance by 2011 both in the EU and US. The EPA does not one day say, "Oh, we can't have any of those diesel cars running around - let's a pass a new rule today."

The problem with diesel power in automobiles in the US is related to:
1.) Diesel fuel has a higher federal excise tax and it is more expensive than gasoline
2.) Only about 50% of filling stations in the US even handle diesel fuel
3.) Diesel powered light passenger vehicles are more expensive than a comparable gasoline fueled vehicle
4.) US auto dealers find it hard to sell them

The off-road and heavy equipment industries adopted diesel power years and years ago because the Otto Cycle thermal efficiency is pathetic compared to the Diesel Cycle. It has nothing to do with EPA not wanting diesels. And if you think it does, take a good look at the Tier III 10ppm sulfur standards on gasoline starting in 2017. That rule is going to cost operators of gasoline fueled equipment approximately $20 billion per year industry wide.
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Chris

[Sunking]

I guess you can think what you want. I only spent 19 years as a ME working in the diesel power business in North America, Europe and Asia. So it stands to reason that I wouldn't know anything about any of it.
--
Chris

Hogwash Chris. EPA does everything they can to keep diesel cars out of USA. You know it is fact.