Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Lindon Stake Home Gardening Course

Home gardening expert and author, E. Gordon Wells, Jr., covers everything from seed selection to a magnificent harvest. Learn recommended varieties, planning, planting, soils, mulching, tilling, weed control, insects and other pests, climate, watering, fertilizing, pruning, and fruit tree culture. Come green your thumb.

6 week Friday-night series beginning February 4 and running through March 11. The classes will be held at the 1050 E. 200 S. church building at 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Kerosene Group Buy Opportunity

Kerosene Fuel, Heater and Stove Group Buy
For the Lindon and Utah county area, I'm in process of ordering 55 Gallon drums of kerosene for emergency heating, cooking and storage use and wanted to pass along this opportunity. Kerosene has been inching up in price but a 55 gallon drum of kerosene is probably lower today than it will be for some time to come.
The price for a 55 drum of kerosene is currently over $325 at a most suppliers I checked with but the current group buy price is ~$270 dollars which will include all costs, taxes and charges delivered to the driveway of your home in the Utah county area. You will however, need to provide the muscle to move it to it's final storage space at your home.

This group buy also includes kerosene heaters. There are two models available; one is a larger heat output 23,000 BTU convection heater for $133 each and the other is a radiant 10,600 BTU heater for $121. Optional extra wicks will be available for $13 each. You should get at least one extra and two for good measure.
The larger convection heater is the CV-2230 and the radiant heater is the CTN-110 both discussed here: http://www.endtimesreport.com/kerosene_heaters.html One of the advantages of this model of convection heater over those at Lowes or Home Depot is that it uses an "unpinned" wick which allows the wick to be trimmed and reused a few times without having to replace the whole wick. I still recommend getting a couple extra wicks for the heater for long term storage. A radiant heater however maybe the primary heater to start with, it is much more fuel efficient than a convection heater and will keep a room maintained at a good temperature without over heating it. A convection heater at 23,000 BTU will quickly get a room very warm and you will find that you may have to stop and start it to maintain the temperature balance. A convection heater is great for getting a room or home warm in the morning and then a radiant heater used throughout the day to keep it comfortable.

Why Kerosene for backup heating?
A number of years ago Tim Woolf (our regions preparedness specialist) gave a preparedness fireside in our ward and discussed the various emergency heating alternatives available. Kerosene was recommended because it burns clean without a vent (though a window should always be cracked in the room the heater is in), it is one of the most energy dense fuels meaning you need less of it to provide the same amount of heat compared to other fuels which also means less room and space to store enough fuel to last for a heating season. Kerosene does not store forever but it will last in storage for a good number of years with a fuel stabilizer added which some put at 10-20 years if not longer. Bro. Woolf recommended two 55 gallon drums of kerosene and a heater to last a good Utah winter for heating purposes. You will need to add more kerosene if you plan on using it with a kerosene cook stove/oven, lamps etc. If it's a long winter you are preparing for then three drums would be my recommendation. Most city fire codes allow 200-300 gallons of kerosene to be stored on your premises.
Kerosene is arguably one of the better storage fuels. It is an oil and doesn't instantly ignite like gasoline. Kerosene is classified as a Class II "combustible" liquid not a "flammable" liquid (like gasoline) because kerosene’s flash point is above 100 degrees and below 140. You still need to be cautious with kerosene but it's much less hazardous than storing gasoline, propane and other fuels like Coleman white gas which can ignite with a spark. Kerosene doesn't vaporize readily or instantly ignite like the other fuels mentioned which makes it a much safer fuel to store.

To avoid smell and fumes a kerosene heater should be started and stopped outside as well as filling of the tank on your kerosene appliance. Purchase a good funnel to prevent the kerosene from dripping on the outside of the appliance. A drum hand pump is available for $40 to help remove the kerosene from the drum but a siphon pump will also work.

But I have a fireplaceAs a comparison between kerosene and wood, two 55 gallon drums of kerosene will provide roughly the equivalent amount of BTU's as a 4x4x8 stack/cord of pine or fir wood (hard woods have more BTU potential). The difference however comes when the fuels are burned. A good kerosene heater burns at 99.9% efficiency so you get close to complete conversion of your kerosene fuel into heat. A typical fireplace burns wood at 40%-50% efficiency with most of the heat going up the chimney. A good airtight high efficient wood stove is about 70%-85%+ efficient and will help convert more of the wood's BTU potential into heat. But depending on how you burn the wood you will need over two cords of wood to match the same heat output that two 55 gallon drums of kerosene and a good kerosene heater provide. Good dry firewood runs about $120-$200 a cord this year (according to KSL classifieds). You could store 8 drums of kerosene in the same space as a single cord of wood and you don't have to chop it either. Three or four 55 gallon drums will handle a cold Utah winter.

Kerosene for CookingTwo different kerosene cook stoves a 16 wick and a double 10 wick are available in this group buy. Either of these stoves can also be used with an optional Oven that can be placed over top the stoves burner to give you a baking option. Note that the oven doesn’t have an automatic temperature regulator so you have to watch the heat output of the stove to keep the oven at the correct temperature. Kerosene is one of the few fuels that is suitable for indoor use as a cooking fuel. So if you are storing fuel for backup heat you may also want to consider using it as a cooking option.


Kerosene Support Products
Along with the kerosene, I will also be ordering the kerosene fuel stabilizer PRI-D which will help lengthen the amount of time kerosene can be stored. It can be added to the drum of fuel after the kerosene been delivered and can also be added in the future when you start to use the kerosene. A pint of PRI-D treats 255 gallons of kerosene and will cost about $23/pint. Also a Mr Funnel fuel filter is available which filters water and other "floaties" from fuels. Water can collect inside a drum or container of fuel and if it makes it into the tank of a heater or other wicked appliance can prevent the wick from working correctly.

A drum pump is a good item to have to help get the kerosene out of the 55 gallon drum into a more manageable container.




Summary of Prices: 55 Gallon Drum of kerosene: $270CV-2230 kerosene convection heater (23,000 BTU): $133CTN-110 kerosene radiant heater (10,600 BTU): $121Extra wicks for heater: $13Pint of PRI-D fuel stabilizer: $23Mr Funnel: $19Drum Pump: $40Kerosene 16 wick cook stove: $58Oven for use on stove top: $55Kerosene 16 wick stove and Oven Combo: $95Kerosene 2 burner cook stove: $70
Note: Kerosene drums will be delivered to the driveway of your home by the supplier. You will need to move it to it's final resting place. Heaters, wicks stoves, pumps and PRI-D will be available for pickup at my home in Lindon at 368 N 400 E Lindon UT 84042.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

LINDON-CANNERY

If you want to do a shift for berries go to the links to schedule—or cancel if you still need to!!! We have very little time to get to the phone during the berry shifts, so leaving a message won’t work.

Remember to review your information before confirming the shift!! (See step 7)

Read the following steps carefully!! It will work if you do exactly what the steps tell you to do!

TO FIND CURRENT LINKS FOR LINDON FAMILY CANNING:

1) Go to: www.MYSIGNUP.COM
2) Scroll down, (PAST THE REGISTER BOX), to FIND the box that says, “Searching for a signup? Enter the email address for the person with the sign up below.” (This is not asking for your email address see next step!!)
3) Enter the Cannery’s email distribution address in the yellow bar in the box, which is: wel-ca-lindon-wetpack@ldschurch.org 4) Click on the signup that you are interested in scheduling for. Note the date and product indicated in the link’s name.
5) Read the instructions at the top of the page and then scroll down to the sign-up where you will see names and UNDO boxes. This is where others are scheduled. You are looking for a box that says “Schedule This Shift”. You must write down the Patron# associated with the row the box is on as well as the column header which lists the day and time for your shift.
6) Click on the “Schedule this shift” box and enter the requested registration information. PLEASE WRITE DOWN AND KEEP THE UNDO CODE YOU CREATE DURING THIS STEP. (It is case sensitive so be sure to write it down correctly.) This code allows you to come back and UNDO (cancel) if you cannot fill your shift. This frees up the spot for someone else to come.
7) Verify all information entered and then click the box that says “Confirm this shift”. You cannot return to look at your information after you confirm the shift, so make sure everything is correct!!! Email addresses are used to send reminders.

Sunday Bulletin, November 28, 2010

Lesson TFOT – Divine Gift of Gratitude, Taught by Marla Arbon

Announcements & Dates to Remember
Dec 1st
RS monthly meeting—7:00 pm—Travel with us around the world to experience how Christmas is celebrated in places like Africa, Italy, and Sweden.
Dec 3rd Ward Christmas Party—6:30 pm—dinner and program (more info on the back….)
Dec 5th First Presidency Christmas Devotional 6:00 pm
Dec 12th Carols To Our King 7:00 pm at the Stake Center

Visiting Teaching—Invite the sisters you visit to join us at the RS Christmas Celebration on Wednesday evening.

Come and enjoy singing beautiful Christmas music at Choir practice TODAY at Sorensen’s home.

Recipe of the week: Turkey Potato Pancakes

Ward Christmas Party
December 3rd
6:30 pm
Dinner and Program
Please share your family’s Christmas Nativity scene for the decorations for the ward party.

Just bring your crèche with you to the party, for safe keeping, and take it home with you when the party is over.