The Easter Bunny came a day late this year, which is understandable considering the minimal claim the spring season has made upon the land. While I was making my morning coffee, this fellow came to visit the back yard. He is still in winter color phase, which is the sensible thing, considering how deep the […]
More Signs of Spring Read More »
The main chart accompanying today’s post shows the temperatures measured in the biomeiler at a height of 4’ above the ground. This height marks the boundary between the pre-existing biomeiler and the recent extension. The data were collected by a thermocouple buried in the pile at that height at the very center of the inner
March 2026 Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
The outdoor air temperature in the month of March saw frequent and considerable variations superimposed over a steady increase. The coop, again, responded only slightly to the variations. During the month, the biomeiler cooled to the point that the mantle is close to freezing. Correspondingly, the temperature of the air coming in to the coop
March 2026 Experimental Results Read More »
The local moose usually leave town during the coldest parts of the winter and return in the spring. We often see them in our field, across the street from our house, nibbling at the tips of the tree branches. This year, though, has been no ordinary one. The snow is deeper than usual and the
The University Presbyterian Church is on College Road and I get a clear view of the University of Alaska Fairbanks on my way there. Today, I noticed an unusual structure in the cloud of exhaust coming from the power plant. It is common to see the hot, moisture-laden exhaust rise until it reaches an equilibrium
The Rhode Island Red pullets are beginning to lay eggs! When a pullet transitions into hen-hood, her first eggs are often irregular in some way. A hen needs some practice before she manages the stable production of standard eggs. It is common for pullets to lay shelless eggs, eggless shells, asymmetrical eggs, yolkless eggs,
The chart accompanying today’s post shows the temperatures measured in the biomeiler at a height of 4’ above the ground. This height marks the boundary between the pre-existing biomeiler and the recent extension. The data were collected by a thermocouple buried in the pile at that height at the very center of the inner core,
February 2026 Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
As in January, the outdoor air temperature in the month of February saw frequent and considerable variations. What differed is that the average temperature remained fairly constant. The coop, again, responded only slightly to the rapid variations. Because the coop has been between 40 and 50F, the air exiting the coop has been warm enough
February 2026 Experimental Results Read More »
Recently, local schools have had three snow days, which, in Fairbanks, is sufficiently rare to be worth comment. Contrary to popular belief, schools here don’t close because of cold weather, alone. If they did, the students would have sporadic days off from December to March. The school district usually only closes schools when transportation becomes
A reader recently asked why the biomeiler has different temperatures in the inner core, outer core, and mantle. I have touched on the topic in past posts, but it seems valuable to address the matter comprehensively. The biomeiler was built in the form of concentric cylinders. Details are shown in the main image. It has
Temperature Gradient Explained Read More »