THE ROCKY HOLLOW ENERGY SYSTEM
B.J. Megnin bought a used Ford Pinto engine and a Sears 4000 watt 120/240 volt alternator to produce electricity in their rural location. The engine heat output makes hot water.
A little ingenuity: How B.J. Megnin does without
public utilities!
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How would you like to live free of power poles and light
bills . . . yet still have electric lights, television, a
water pump, and more for a total energy cost of around $15
a month? Well, impossible as it sounds, that's just what my
family is doing!
My wife and I worked for several years and saved both our
money and every single issue of MOTHER-in
preparation for our move back to the land . . . which
finally took place in September 1978.
We bought 120 acres in the very rough timber country of
northeastern Alabama (maybe 20 of our acres are flat enough
for cultivation) called Rocky Hollow. There are no springs
or creeks for hydropower on our land . . . we seldom have
enough breeze to run a windmill ... and we're more than a
mile from the nearest power pole. But we've found that
enjoying the luxury of electricity deep in the woods
doesn't have to be a big problem at all!
AC/DC AT OUR DISPOSAL
Our home energy system began with the purchase of a 120-240
volt alternator (it's a Sears 4,000-watt model) and a used,
1976 Ford Pinto engine. Then, using a steel bracket, I
mounted the alternator so it could be driven by the
engine's fan belt (see Photo 1). The setup provides 120 and
240 volts AC whenever we need it, which is for a 15 minute
period every other day . . . to run the well pump.
When the pump isn't in operation, we use the
12-volt DC that's produced by the engine. To do so, I
simply replaced the Pinto's single small battery with four
larger units in parallel and the auto's alternator keeps
our battery bank fully charged.
Next, we ran underground cable (two conductor No. 10 wires)
from the batteries in the "powerhouse" to the switchbox in
our mobile home, and hooked it up as though it were 110
volts from a powerline. However, we first had to remove
all! the light sockets in the house and replace them with
12-volt sockets (Stock No. 60F1308, Type 11-271), which we
ordered from Newark Electronics (Dept. TMEN, 500 North
Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60624). We then inserted
12-volt bulbs into the sockets (also from Newark
Electronics, Stock No. 27F193, Type 1141). By placing a
light over each critical area (the sink, stove, etc.), we
can have nice, bright illumination ... whenever and
wherever we need it.
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