Tech Friday: Ridgid 9Ah lithium battery claim for failing latch

| July 7, 2023

One of the TWO reasons that I’ve opted for the Ridgid brand of cordless power tools is their LSA … which I’ve used once before on a couple of early batteries. Besides the minor hassle in registering and filing a claim, it seems to be the right way to go considering the problems with tools […]

Adding the Ridgid 175-watt Power Inverter to my want list

| February 21, 2023

Here’s a small tool that most likely I don’t need, but find myself wanting. It is a small portable 110-120VAC power inverter by Ridgid sold at Home Depot that delivers 175 watts for as long as you have batteries to power it (I have a few that I keep charged). It might me handy to […]

Bought a high efficient HVAC mini split unit for the home office

| May 29, 2021

A separate air conditioning unit has long been on my “want list” for my home office. I’ve contemplated adding a high efficiency minisplit inverter unit for years to better balance the southwest corner upstairs office in our house. It has never really been comfortable in the summer with multiple computers, printers and gadgets, especially in […]

Generator cage project and relearning TIG welding skills

| September 21, 2016

In a previous post, I sketched out a "Generator Cage," for the lack of a better term, for our sailboat Encore. The idea is to slip off a Sunbrella cover so we can use the Honda EU2000i Inverter Generator mentioned here on the aft deck when needing power at anchor to charge the batteries and […]

How loud are Honda and Predator inverter based generators?

| September 19, 2016

Good question: By ear, the slightly smaller and far lighter Honda EU2000i inverter based generator is definitely quieter than the less expensive, but larger in dimension, weight and power Predator 2200. Read on for a few more points. I like both of inverter generators and each will serve a slightly different purpose. The Honda is […]

Monitoring Inverter and Battery with an inexpensive shunt

| September 7, 2016

Instead of spending a lot more dollars on an expensive monitor (like the LINK 2000-R and Xantrex Inverter that we have on Encore) for a battery bank powering a back up inverter when I add our new grilling, greenhouse, generator and porch space, I’ve added a cheap $18.75 shunt and meter from Amazon. I’ve used […]

Xantrex 815-2012 Sine Wave Inverter/Charger

| January 7, 2014

Back in November I started Encore’s electrical diagnosis after struggling to charge my old battery  bank. After putting a tester on the 7 year old AGMs, I declared them dead. What I didn’t know was that the charger on my Heart Freedom Inverter / Charger unit wasn’t working either – the inverter had already giving […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog