Summary: The search for alternate communication continues. New solar batteries were tested (EcoFlow Delta Max and Delta PRO units). The irrigation pump was upgraded. Maintenance continues to be a large job but the situation has improved due to the shift to plant propagation. The Kitty City Catwalk proved so successful that we wished we’d added this feature years ago. The installation of the new HomeBiogas unit was started.
Kitty City Catwalk 120321
Featuring reconfigurable modules and multiple doorways to the house (including an insulated entry shown at left above), the Kitty City Catwalk helps to keep squirrels out of the garden.
Design Notes
- The lower module (level 1) is equipped with two casters to make it easy to move this unit.
- Four poles equipped with casters are stored at the left end of the middle module (level 2). These poles attach to lifting studs on levels 2 and 3, as needed, to move these modules.
- Filled with concrete blocks and compost, the white barrel at the right end of the unit serves to anchor the top module (level 3).
- Although not connected to the house at any point, the left end of the middle module rests on the windowsill. The remainder of the weight of the middle module is borne by the bottom module.
- All modules are constructed from off-the-shelf parts: 1″ galvanized steel pipe and fittings (typically used for chain-link fencing), 2″x4″ metal fencing, and 1/4″ metal fabric. Custom caster boots were fashioned from PVC sockets and stainless-steel washers.
The residents of Kitty City enjoy the new Catwalk at all hours of the day and night.
Shift change: Scruffy and Fluffy nap through their shift on the top level of the catwalk. Grumpy, on level 3 is preparing to take over, while Grumpy and Tux (on level 2) enjoy their breaks.
Squirrels aren’t afraid of cats, but they prefer to stay clear of them. Cats, being intensely aware of their surroundings, immediately adopt a predatory stance that frightens the squirrels into keeping to the trees where they belong.
Constructed from a 4″x4″ post base and a 6″ stainless-steel bolt, the paver anchor at the left end of the bottom module (level 1) keeps the unit from moving around.
Note the solar hot water heater on the roof of the house.
Read more about EBG’s Kitty City.
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Home Biogas Unit 112921
Biogas units turn waste into clean energy. Home biogas digesters utilize methanogen bacteria, similar to those present in cow stomachs, breaking down organic waste, to create clean gas and bio-fertilizer. From a self-sufficiency perspective, a biogas unit is a big win!
New Problems to be Solved
After a lengthy investigation of available designs, EBG decided to install an HB4 unit from HomeBiogas, a company in Israel. Designed for tropical climates, several problems had to be solved. First, a greenhouse was needed to keep the unit warm in wintertime (the average day/night temperature must be at least 68F). As both ends of the unit must remain accessible, the greenhouse would be difficult to seal properly.
Read more about EBG’s Home Biogas Unit, (including the Bottom Line).
Next up, Year 9 (2022).