BL> What's the difference between a composting toilet and a deep
BL> hole outside? 

DD> A composting toilet has a (usually) plastic tank with grates
DD> inside and fan(s) which force a dry decomposition of the
DD> contents. After a year one removes "compost". 

BL> Is the composting toilet inside?

DD> It can be. The tank is usually under the floor.

 Do you flush? If so, why not use a septic tank?

BL> Actually, the design of fridge insulation is pretty good. Leaks
BL> are a more likely cause of losses. An easy way to check is
BL> measure the fridge outside surface against a similar metal in
BL> free air. I'd be surprised if there's more than a couple of
BL> degrees in it.

DD> The outside body of the fridge feels cold to the touch.

 Metal always does... what you actually feel is the flow of heat away
from your skin, and metal conducts heat. Check the computer screen
versus paper. The screen conducts heat better, so it feels cooler. If
anything, the screen is actually a fraction warmer.

 That's why I said to compare it with "similar metal in free air." I
might be old, but I'm thinking all the time. If it still feels cooler,
then you're right - the insulation sucks.

 I worked on a micro-controller for a fridge a few years back, and
I was surprised how effective the insulation was. Most of the loss was
through the door seals, even though the body of the fridge is large.

BL> That's exactly right. The trick is to point the cells at the
BL> lower, winter sun.

DD> It's behind the trees much of the day in winter....

 I take that back! Most of your load is the fridge. You *need* more
amps in summer.

DD> The advantage of having the panels up the tower is LESS SHADE
DD> from the trees. 

 Oh, duh... I thought I'd made it clear that MOST AMPS is at midday
when the sun is HIGH and therefore LESS SHADE. It's the two hours
around midday that are important, not what happens outside that. With
a fridge the main load, I's be inclined to align the cells for maximum
at midday in late December (or whenever it gets hottest up there).

Regards,
Bob
  






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