free electricity?

[gavroche]

I heard on the French radio that in parts of Brasil where tey have no electric, they use a mixture of bleach and water in a clear plastic bottle to light up their houses. Apparently the chemical reaction is equivalent to a 50W bulb. Has anyone heard of that too?

 

[vernon]

I suspect that the bottles of water are used as light conduits and are poked through a hole in the tin roof and sealed. The bleach stops/slows the growth of algae and keeps the 'bulb' brighter for longer. I saw something like this on TV a while ago.

......a quick Google later and I found this:



No chemical reaction though the 50W equivalence was correct.

 

[Fnaar]

Yes, but the bottle itself forms a bung for a hole in the ceiling
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-tec...used-water-bottles-replace-50-watt-bulbs.html

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Would that be ok to strap on the back of a saddle?

 

[lukesdad]

Would that be ok to strap on the back of a saddle?

Yeah ! Just don t drink it

 

[Melonfish]

I really like that idea, good for keeping the shed lit up during the day
those horrid moments when you step into the shed on a sunny day and can't see a damned thing.
good for the garage too, you can really get some decent light in.
hmm i'm off to economise my shed and some friends workshops

 

[ColinJ]

I really like that idea, good for keeping the shed lit up during the day
those horrid moments when you step into the shed on a sunny day and can't see a damned thing.

My sister is having a new sloping roof put on her kitchen extension, and a replacement ceiling (the old flat roof has been leaking in recent storms). I suggested that while the job was being done, she should have a skylight put in the roof to let more light in. The kitchen doesn't get any direct sunlight until about 2:30 pm and until then it is like the Black Hole of Calcutta. She won't have it though - she says it would be 'too expensive'. I can't see a skylight adding that much to the cost of a new roof and ceiling.

I hate gloomy rooms and buildings!

 

[subaqua]

My sister is having a new sloping roof put on her kitchen extension, and a replacement ceiling (the old flat roof has been leaking in recent storms). I suggested that while the job was being done, she should have a skylight put in the roof to let more light in. The kitchen doesn't get any direct sunlight until about 2:30 pm and until then it is like the Black Hole of Calcutta. She won't have it though - she says it would be 'too expensive'. I can't see a skylight adding that much to the cost of a new roof and ceiling.

I hate gloomy rooms and buildings!

the cost is about £200 if that for a fixed suntunnel. an opening Velux not much more . money spent on that would be saved on the electricity bill and recouped fairly quickly by sounds of things.

the landing in our terrace used to be similar and the difference the loft conversion has made to the light coming down is stunning.

 

[ColinJ]

the cost is about £200 if that for a fixed suntunnel. an opening Velux not much more . money spent on that would be saved on the electricity bill and recouped fairly quickly by sounds of things.

the landing in our terrace used to be similar and the difference the loft conversion has made to the light coming down is stunning.

She's stubborn! She is spending about £15k of her inheritance from our late mother's estate to do up her house, yet she won't spend an extra £200 to get an important detail right! I don't understand it, but it's not my house or money ...

 

[col]

I heard on the French radio that in parts of Brasil where tey have no electric, they use a mixture of bleach and water in a clear plastic bottle to light up their houses. Apparently the chemical reaction is equivalent to a 50W bulb. Has anyone heard of that too?

Great idea, just wonder if there is such a glowing substance that can be used in sealed rooms, instead of through to daylight?