Appliances: The Future is Battery Powered

[qsd-dan]

for a small suburban front lawn, a gas mower uses perhaps a half gallon of gas.

 

I only used 2 gallons every 5-6 months from both the lawnmower and 4 stroke weed eater using them every single Thursday for both front and back lawns. Had to use fuel stabilizer every time I filled up or it would go stale before it was gone. How much pollution is 5-ish gallons a year worth fretting about? Would a battery style lawn mower last 26 years and counting or 23 years and counting for the weed eater?

 

BTW, I've never touched the carb on either one. Just oil changes, air filters, and sharpen the lawnmower blade once a year. I did have to replace the coil on the lawnmower when it was 17 years old. Worked when I put it away the week before, then no spark the next week while trying to start it (felt like it had zero compression). That was a strange failure.

 

[givemehotwater]

Out of curiosity

@dan, what is the original manufacturer of that mower. If I see one at a estate sale or something, I definitely want to snap it up.

 

[qsd-dan]

Dan, what is the original manufacturer of that mower?

 

Nothing special, just a Craftsman mower with a 6.25 horsepower Tecumseh engine. I run the engine at half speed 99% of the time. I take exceptionally good care of my stuff and keep them out of the weather so it has lasted must longer than it would have with the average user. I'm sure a full blown Honda would have been much better but I can't complain and it was a fraction of the price.

 

The trick with the carbs lasting so long on both engines is that I add 1-2 ounces per gallon of Seafoam in the gas can, which is both a fuel stabilizer and a cleaner. Before Seafoam became famous via Youtube, it was about 2 dollars a can. I am surprised the diaphragms in the carbs have not become weak or damaged by MTBE and ethanol over the years. Maybe the Seafoam additive slowed that process down. Also, they are used every single week minus 4-6 weeks from December to early/mid January. Long periods of sitting is what causes problems.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

 " Tell the truth, for a small suburban front lawn, a gas mower uses perhaps a half gallon of gas."

 

What does your mower have for an engine? A 413 max wedge from a Hemi Dart? LOL

 

Most new residential mowers sip gas. And if you go back 50+ years the old reel mowers used even less fuel because they just putted along and didnt have to spin a blade at 3600 RPMs. The huge commercial mowers with 27Hp engines etc suck gas, but most people arent cutting their lawns with commercial machines. Ive got mowers from the FDR era that can cut the entire lawn 3 times on their small tanks of fuel.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Generally quiet, no stinky air pollution with that muffler practically under your nose, plus very easy to fix and maintain.
They are generally lighter weight too so easier to maneuver.

Do they even make gas mowers anymore?

https://www.harborfreight.com/80v-b...&utm_campaign=19898898932&campaignid=19898898

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Here lies the problem with that. The battery is half the price of the mower when it fails. I had a customer that owned a Troy-Built self propelled cordless mower that took two 40V batteries. It was $350.00 new 5 years ago. The batteries went and they were $150.00 each. Needless to say she tossed it in the trash. Not very green is it? battery powered lawn equipment is a fantasy these days. Wait till all the commercial guys that paid stupid money for all their Stihl cordless stuff with attachments have to start buying batteries. They'll go back to changing spark plugs in a heartbeat.

https://www.harborfreight.com/80v-25-ah-40v-50-ah-lithium-ion-battery-57014.html

 

[mattl]

Having done a lot of research I'd stay away from that Atlas at HF.  By the time you add a battery and a charger you are in the price range of decent quality name brands.

 

I bought my Ego last spring and could not be happier with it.  double blades give me a beautiful cut.  Bought an Ego snow blower last fall but only got to use it once on 4" of snow, had an extended fall and no winter around here. Upside is I now have 3 batteries for the various tools, plan on adding a blower soon.

 

[gizmo]

my oldest Ego battery is over 6 years old and still good as new.

Often the cheap machines have crap chargers and crap Battery Management System (BMS) which leads to short battery life.

 

It wasn't very green of robbinsandmyers' friend to toss a whole machine, when a new battery would have restored it to life.

An explosion-powered motor would probably have used that much worth of fuel and oil in that time. Cordless machines cost WAY less to operate than petrol powered ones. I am buying so much less petrol now that I have replaced my garden gadgets with battery electric ones, not to mention the improved reliability, lighter weight and easier starting.

 

[givemehotwater]

Somehow...

I think I'll manage to avoid being seduced by the tempting myths and siren songs of perceived savings, and "reliability".

At the end of the day, as I said before, I am a person who likes to go with "tried and true" technologies, instead of the latest fads. The idea of having to repurchase batteries every few years is just another scam in a long line of ever-worsening and substandard products.

Count me out of the battery revolution for lawncare. I already hate trying to figure out the battery situation for my Dewalt Drill.

I also have very grave concerns about the original post, involving batteries and a Oven or Range. I feel like they could prove to be fire hazards or dangerous due to the high-heat and rough environment. I'd much rather have a traditional Gas or Electric Range.

 

[bradfordwhite]

The secret to keeping battery tools
-THAT DON'T have a plug in to recharge and require the battery be removed and attached to or inserted into a charger is:

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Don't leave the battery in the tool when not in use.</span>

I learned this the hard way about 20 years ago and I TOO was turned off for a while by battery tools.
The problem with leaving a battery in a tool is that it can have a minor short in the switch or some other minor issue that isn't obvious that will slowly trickle juice from the battery until it's DEAD.

 

Now battery operated tools I have:

The B&D $50 cordless drill I bought NEW at Walmart in 2017

 

The like new B&D leaf blower, that uses the same batteries as the drill, I bought at at rummage sale for $5

 

A like new Walmart recip saw I bought for $22 from a pawn shop in 2019

 

A never used B&D string trimmer I bought at a thrift store in 2019 for $7 and had to buy a pair of new batteries from Ebay for $32 total

 

They all still work BECAUSE I remove the batteries when not in use and make sure they are recharged right after using them

 

It's pretty easy to slide the battery off the tool and slide the the charger onto it.   Let it sit over night and remove the charger the next day.  

 

----

 

Years ago I bought a couple of gas Lawnboy lawnmowers and a Stihl chainsaw.  What a stinky mess.  You always got petroleum fumes all over your because the muffler was literally under your nose.  They needed oil and gas and filters and plugs.  You could use the machine if it had been on it's side.  And the performance quickly died off.  They vibrate themselves to the point of literally bolts falling off and parts rattling.  Plus that vibration goes right up your arm.   And of course the NOISE.  You had to wear hearing protection.

Just awful.  

That Lawnboy Silver I bought new from Sears for about $500 in 1999 was junk by 2002 and I just left it behind with a house I sold then.  I was always really good about blade changed, changing the oil, changing the filter and plug.

I'm glad that stinky crap is over.  It served us but it's time is gone.  We move on to better things.

 

 

 

 

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Remember Nikola Tesla, he wanted to invent a generator which could efficiently and effectively produce voulme amints of electricity using the same principles as battery power, and to this day it is a shame it was never implemented...

Also why is it that a battery cannot be eternally charged and we have to concern ourselves with landfills overfilled with discarded power cells?

Seems as though if we were to rediscover his formula and theory and put it all out in actual practice, this thing with renewable electric-based power would solve every one of life's problems once and for all, except many like me prefer some things to still run on gas!

-- Dave

 

[bradfordwhite]

Batteries are pretty simple and recyclable. I wouldn't worry about recycling them. As long as you treat them right they will last.

Worst case scenario, a battery left to degrade outside will devolve back into it's milled ingredients.

 

[qsd-dan]

Batteries are pretty simple and recyclable.

Their recyclability depends on the materials used. As I have mentioned, only 5% of lithium batteries are currently being recycled as their no standard put in place. It's all mined using slave labor and the high amounts of lithium show up in their bloodstream, causing many permanent health issues. Until long life batteries come along that are 100% recyclable, having little effect on the environment during the extraction process NOT carried out with slave labor, I'll pass.

 

[bradfordwhite]

"Until long life batteries come along that are 100% recyclable, having little effect on the environment during the extraction process NOT carried out with slave labor, I'll pass."

But you're OK with all the damages that petroleum does, and has done, including the spills that have polluted many an ocean and it's wildlife, climate change and the increasingly severe weather that is doing incredible and expensive amounts of damages both in the U.S. and abroad, and of course the air and noise pollution that affects many communities.

Fortunately, there are those who don't put up an unrealistic tantrum DEMANDING that a product be absolutely perfect before they give the concept the nod of approval.

Computers in the 1990s, Internet access in the late 90s, and cel phones in the 2000s, and flat screen TVS and smart phones weren't perfect at the start. Now we can't live without them and the improvements they've made for society are immeasurable. People saw the potential early on and bought just as there are those who are enjoying their new electric cars and gas appliances now.

 

[maytag85]

I hate to take this off the tracks, but we’d be better off building more nuclear power plants that generate clean carbon free power. Many of the resources to solve our energy needs along with reducing pollution have been at our disposal for quite some time but everyone keeps on falling for the propaganda and such. If there were more nuclear power plants in existence to the point where there would be a surplus of electricity, we’d be able to do a lot more to the point where it would be unimaginable such as having the ability to electrify more homes, reduce energy costs, be more prosperous, etc.

 

[bradfordwhite]

No, we aren't allowing the building of anymore major polluter nuclear power plants.

With energy efficiency such as LED bulbs and other ways of conserving usage, the total usage in the U.S. plateaued in 2010.

The addition of CLEAN GREEN energy such as wind and solar panels, and battery load management has added to the grid.

This is allowing the greater use of electric vehicles without much impact.

The trolls pushing nuclear are a handful of ignorant people who are devoid of the facts and dangers and only want to get in on contracting hoping to charge our government BILLIONS of $ for their hugely flawed construction projects.

 

[maytag85]

“No, we aren’t allowing the building of anymore major polluter nuclear power plants”

Huh, the only things things nuclear power plants generate is steam which is WATER VAPOR.

“With energy efficiency such as LED bulbs and other ways of conserving usage, the total usage in the U.S. plateaued in 2010”

Hmm, me thinks energy consumption has gone up since 2010 since most college and high school students around that time have moved out of their parents’ home and have since bought their own home and started a family.

“The addition of CLEAN GREEN energy such as wind and solar panels, and battery load management.

You don’t realize what it takes to make solar panels, most of the raw materials that are required to make come from places like China which don’t have much in the way of human rights and usually slave labor is used like Dan mentioned.

“This is allowing the greater use of electric vehicles without much impact”

More would be in use is we had a surplus of electricity but people like you who fall for the propaganda that nuclear is bad just create a blockade from getting anything done.

“The trolls pushing nuclear are a harmful of ignorant people who are devoid of the facts and dangers and only want to get in on contracting hoping to charge our government BILLIONS of $ for their hugely flawed construction projects”

I am NOT a troll, just trying to find a practical solution that everyone is on board with and doesn’t have to change everything around them and go through such hoops. You are unfortunately one of those ignorant people, we had resources for DECADES to reduce pollution but yet you fall for the propaganda which is why we are in the situation we are in. Again, if we had a surplus of electricity from nuclear power, the sky would be the limit and would be able to do a lot more, more than we could ever dream of.

 

[retro-man]

Wind Power

A number of years ago there was a man who invented a wind generator. This was a small unit that looked like a turbo for a large diesel engine. This was mounted on a pole installed near the house. It was almost silent while working.This could rotate to which ever way the wind was blowing. There was also screens attached to it to keep wild life out. At the bottom of the pole was a generator, which in turn supplied storage batteries. Which in turn provided power to the house. Incredible invention. Every house would have been able to have one. I guess some major oil company bought the patent to this and covered it up so no one could enjoy free power. There it technology out there presently to take care of our power needs, but big $ takes over and leaves us in the dark.

Jon

 

[Chetlaham]

Sean, for the sake of your sanity bear in mind a certain percentage of the population resorts to personal attacks when presented with irrefutable information. That does not mean you are flawed or the problem, on the contrary, the answer rests with you.

 

 

With that said I'll simply say that you are not definitely not a troll. You are 100% correct in everything you've said. 

 

[foraloysius]

"Huh, the only things things nuclear power plants generate is steam which is WATER VAPOR."

I believe Sean that you forgot about the nuclear waste. That is the biggest problem with nuclear plants.

Besides that, a lot of nuclear plants have problems with cooling water. It's important that the temperature of it doesn't become too warm, otherwise it leads to damage in the body of water where it's being drained into.