How to prepare for winter without light? Advice from an engineer at i3 Engineering
Various sources have been claiming for some time that the coming winter will be incredibly difficult for Ukrainians. Perhaps even the most difficult in the entire history of Ukraine’s independence. Therefore, we need to prepare for the cold now.
Bohdan Kalinin, an engineer at i3 Engineering, a company specializing in smart home and automation systems, previously shared his tips for preparing for winter 2022. However, his advice is extremely relevant for preparing for the coming winter.
The excerpt is taken from the DOU material. Below is Bohdan’s full comment.
Various sources have been claiming for some time that the coming winter will be incredibly difficult for Ukrainians. Perhaps even the most difficult in the entire history of Ukraine’s independence. Therefore, we need to prepare for the cold now.
Bohdan Kalinin, an engineer at i3 Engineering, a company specializing in smart home and automation systems, previously shared his tips for preparing for winter 2022. However, his advice is extremely relevant for preparing for the coming winter.
The excerpt is taken from the DOU material. Below is Bohdan’s full comment.
Content
How to prepare for a possible power outage due to Russian strikes on critical infrastructure
If there are strikes on critical infrastructure and power outages, much will depend on the duration of these outages.
For example, in the event of a prolonged power outage, high-rise buildings may be left without water supply. Sewage systems usually operate by gravity, so they will function (if there is an external water source) until it freezes. The water in the building is supplied from centralized sources — these can be water towers, reservoirs, etc. — and all this water is pumped. If there is a prolonged power outage, the pumps will not be able to pump water, and it will disappear.
A similar problem applies to wells in the private sector — the water is also pumped from there. But if you have your own well, there will be no difficulties.
The most critical thing is that the house will be without heating and water for a long time — the water in the pipes can freeze and burst them. Only thermal insulation can help here.
Nowadays, building facades are often insulated with foam plastic — this allows heat to be retained in the house for a long time, and the temperature inside can easily avoid reaching the freezing point in a few days.
If the temperature in the house does drop below zero and freezing begins, then even if the water and heat are turned on, staying in such a room will be problematic in a few days: the pipes will start to leak; the house will probably be in critical condition.
If the outages are relatively short, you can get by with a few days of water. During a power outage, the water supply will be maintained for some time — you can have time to fill the bathtub and other containers with water. In addition, it is worth having a certain amount of cash in case the city loses power — neither terminals nor ATMs will work.
However, the worst-case scenarios are unlikely — our utilities solve the problem of power outages quite quickly. Ukraine is united into one huge power grid, so even if one huge node, such as a power plant, fails, the network is quickly switched to power from other stations.
But suddenly it happens that there will be no electricity at all for five days, and you live in a high-rise building — then it is better to go to regions with electricity supply or to private houses in the countryside.
How to choose electric sheets and heaters
Electric blankets are an option for people who get very cold, but I wouldn’t consider them for myself. The heat that our body generates when sufficiently insulated with a blanket, sleeping bag, etc., is quite enough to feel more or less comfortable even in severe frost. And from the point of view of the risks of power outages, it is better to choose ordinary warm blankets and sleeping bags.
Super gadget for winter. How to choose an electric sheet: useful tips and features of operation
As for the choice of heaters, almost any one will work, except for Chinese no-names — in my opinion, this is not something worth overpaying for.
If we talk about the type of heater, then you need to look at your goal. Our stationary batteries work on the principle of air convection: it heats up near the battery, rises up, and cold air descends to the battery. And so on in a circle. Oil-filled electric radiators operate on the same principle. «Diffusers» create forced air movement. And with sufficient power or their quantity, these devices can heat the area of a room or apartment.
If you choose a UFO heater, it hardly heats the air — the infrared radiation is directed to one small area, where a person will be warm. This is a good option for large rooms that are impractical to heat with classic devices.
If you are preparing for a long power outage scenario, you can purchase a small gas stove that will be a cooking tool.
How to choose a good power bank
Power banks are generally not very powerful devices — even the most powerful of them will not ensure the full operation of many electrical appliances. Unless we are talking about huge electricity storage devices like the Tesla Power Wall — they could heat a house for a while, but this is not a very optimal and expensive option.
To calculate them, we take the capacity in mAh and multiply it by the nominal voltage of the battery. A classic lithium battery has a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts. If we take a 20,000 mAh power bank, then at a voltage of 3.7 volts its capacity will be 74 watt-hours.
If we take a lead-acid battery with the same 20,000 mAh, then its nominal voltage is 12 volts. And its capacity will be 240 watt-hours.
From these figures, we can already calculate how many energy storage devices and what capacity you need to power your devices for a certain number of hours. For example, one ordinary light bulb consumes about 10 watts per hour.
A laptop consumes 10 to 15 watts per hour. Electric heaters use a lot — a regular convector will «eat» about two kilowatts per hour.
The electric kettle also consumes two kilowatts, but it needs to be turned on periodically and only for a few minutes, so the energy consumption will not be that high.
For example, if two liters of water in a kettle boils in about five minutes, this process will take about 160 watt-hours.
Additionally, when choosing a power bank, you can focus on weight — lithium batteries have an electrical capacity of up to ~250 Wh per 1 kg, i.e. a 30,000 mAh «bank» cannot weigh less than 0.44 kg + 100 grams for the case and electronics. But unscrupulous manufacturers may pack sand for weight, so this should not be the only indicator you should pay attention to.
Are electric generators, hand dynamos and solar batteries worth considering?
A diesel or gasoline generator is a great thing, but it is more suitable for private homes. When burning fuel, gases are released, and they need to be vented outside the room. Can it be installed in an apartment? Unless it is small and on an open balcony, but over time it will soot the walls. And, of course, this is a «critical» option in case of a worst-case scenario.
As for small hand dynamos for charging, this is a good option if they provide a stabilized voltage. Hand dynamos from China, for example, often provide an unstabilized power supply. The faster you turn the knob, the more voltage it provides — and it can often exceed the 5 volts allowed for the phone. Most phones have various protection methods, but it may not work, and this will damage the battery or the phone.
If the devices provide a stable voltage, but a small current, don’t worry — charging the devices «at minimum» is even better than using fast charging. It’s trite: the lower the current you charge the battery, the less it heats up, and batteries really don’t like overheating.
Solar panels are a good option for accumulating electricity in good weather. If the panel is placed at the right angle, facing south at the zenith of the sun, you can collect a good amount of electricity — about 400 W per m². There are solar water convectors: if you put them on the roof, you can get warm water even in winter. But large powerful panels are also more for private houses.
If you plan to buy a small folding solar panel, it can produce several dozen watts on a clear day and in direct sunlight. It is quite enough to collect a hundred or two watt-hours per day and recharge power banks. But you can’t rely on them 100%, if the day is cloudy, then such batteries will collect very little.
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Одним з героїв нового випуску проєкту Ukrainian Underdogs стали виробники надсучасних пауербанків Scat. Його представили співзасновник компанії Євген Алєкєєв та співзасновник і керівник виробничого процесу Андрій Мельниченко.
Нагадаємо історію створення та еволюцію пауербанків, а також їхні особливості та плани, які мали винахідники.
(текст від 7 червня 2022 року)
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Надалі в планах хлопця ― щонайменше десяток зарядних пристроїв для ЗСУ до кінця літа. Що для цього потрібно та як школяр дійшов до ідеї створення потрібного нині військовим приладу — Захар розповів dev.ua.
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