Localization

Oh yeah, and if you wanna do it without electricity, circulating the water through the system could be a challenge, but I'll bet you could make it happen using convection with a thermosiphon.

The main things to consider with a hydronic system is to be sure your heat source provides enough BTUs for your house, and the flow through the pex circuits might need to be adjusted to optimize the heat loss, which can be done with a flow valve. I've read that you want the supply to be in the 120-135 degree range, and you want a temperature drop of 20 degrees (you can get inline thermometers and pressure gages for your supply and return lines at a plumbing supply place, pexsupply.com has 'em). Multiple shorter circuits gives you more assurance that you can get the right heat exchange, but it's more complicated in the sense that you need more manifolds.

 

without reading every page I'll simply comment:

Localization is the lynch pin to a peaceful global economy. It is the only approach that allows for the individual of any locale to prosper relatively equally. Dumping most of the countries money into wallstreet simply creates a larger seperation, making it increasingly more difficult for those on the bottom to survive, let alone thrive. Inflation is a big problem, and the only way to truly control it and maintain an economic system is to have a local economy, where prices are maintained by their local value - not the assigned value of a much richer country/locale.

An example of negative globalization is the impovershing of smaller countries as their resources are shipped across the world for prices they cannot readily afford.

The most important thing to remember is the PEOPLE own the land, not the corperations, not the "government", just you and me. From this perspective the fascist ideals melt away as nonsensical... socialist/communist and whatever similar may be devoloped isn't inherantly bad - not if everyone chooses to live that way and everyone is amply provided for... the problem has historically been when everyone is barely sustained while those elite few we are taught to celebrate enjoy a happy life of extreme excess.

We can all be well provided for without stepping on the shoulders of another, and it starts by localization.

 

Amen. Globalization sustains its inefficiencies by exploitation and imperialism, robbing indigenous peoples of their resources while encouraging over-consumption and greed among those on the receiving end.

 

Mellow, thanks for all the info. Amazingly enough, I would have responded sooner, but the electricity was off today for almost 12 hours....

 

Time to get a solar backup system.

I'm obviously no expert at any of this, but I like to tinker. A hydronic system is basically just plumbing, and the biggest challenge I've found in plumbing is learning how to sweat pipes, which is not that big a deal once you get the knack for it. One thing I learned was that plumbers usually use mapp gas torches, not propane. It burns a lot hotter, so it's quicker, but you gotta be careful not to overheat your joints, particularly when you're installing valves and plumbing devices that might get damaged with too much heat.

Another example of a localization success story comes to mind. When my wife was in the peace corps in south America she took care of the livestock in the villages there, ridding them of parasites and disease. Whenever possible, they would use local herbs rather than meds to heal the livestock, and they would show the indigenous people how to cultivate and prepare the herbs for themselves, kinda like the old saying, "give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll never be hungry." Pharmaceutical companies aren't very happy with this because they want their cut, but their drugs are too expensive, not feasible for long term use in third world countries. Furthermore, there are issues with intellectual property, but you can't patent an herb, you can only patent a process.

 

Here's a cool idea, local currency.