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 »
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,
January 2026 Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
The outdoor air temperature in the month of January saw frequent and considerable variations superimposed over a general increase. The coop, by virtue of its insulation and thermal mass responded only slightly to the rapid variations, but certainly followed the general warming trend. In the first half of the month, the major forces were in
January 2026 Experimental Results Read More »
In November, I wrote of the pools of water that have collected on top of the biomeiler. They continued to freeze over and melt open as the weather conditions fluctuated. Their presence hinges on how the weather alters the rate at which heat arrives from below and the rate at which it is removed from
Today, it warmed up to 14F. This temperature, although not objectively warm, is so much in contrast to the temperatures of recent weeks that I felt no need for my hat and gloves while running errands around town. The record cold spell that persisted through December and into January now seems to be over. There
Compare and Contrast Read More »