Monday
I double checked my
calculations and got all my things together in order to prepare for my first
biodigester stove test Tuesday morning.
Tuesday
Today was my second test
failure but my first failure for the biodigester. I could not get the water to
boil at all for my Water Boiling Test, which is integral to the test. I quickly
realized that it was probably due to the type of pot I was trying to use. I was
attempting to use a heavy metal pot, almost like cast iron. They are typically
used for the wood stoves and are not used on gas stoves. However, I felt that
it was important to have the same type of pot for both tests to ensure that
they were comparable.
My host mom and grandma
informed me that aluminum pots would work much better, and they could in fact
be used on the wood stoves. They then spent all day looking for two pots that
were nearly identical for me to use since there are two “holes” in the wood
stove for pots. I decided to stay at home to help them and talk with them
instead of going to the office.
I learned a lot about the
biodigester and about their farm in general. For instance, they add two five
gallon buckets of manure and water to the biodigester two times per week. On
the same days that they add material to one end, they have to remove digested
material from the other end. Since it has been digested, it is a higher quality
fertilizer that will not burn plants if directly applied unlike fresh manure. However,
I was saddened to see that they just dump the fertilizer in their cow pen because
they do not have a family garden to apply it to.
I also was able to read my
book (in Spanish), nap, and watch a movie with the family. Life in the country
is pretty laid back. I have been going to bed around 8pm and getting up around
4 when they get up to start milking cows and making cheese.
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