After owning the unit for well over a year, let's see if the Homebiogas 2 unit sounds like it's something you're interested in or not. search Homebiogas products at: homebiogas.com
I build a foam, hotbox insulated and bury it with solar heated water lines underneath it. Keep it stable year round and producing optimal extra heat from the other areas.
Very good video ! I have also this device at home and ... I exactly made the same mistake when starting it 😂 I can tell you I have wonderful neighbors (yes it's possible even in Switzerland) because the odor was ... how to say... terrible when I had to drain it to restart. But anyway, I confirm it's a great product and it works very well. Just an advice if you leave in a cold country like me, insulate your system as much as possible when you install it, it's not a detail, it's very very important.
No off-grid living here (except lots of composting) but thorougly enjoyed you review of the Homebiogas 2. Always had a great respect for rugged individualists like you. Thank you.
Wow, I am interested in this product. By the way, do you need to frequently dispose the solid waste? what happened if you put too much waste into the tank (and then full)?
I've seen these before and seems really interesting! Probably not the most viable option for us here in Michigan with our winters, but... we have other really great sources for cooking - currently using our woodstove for the next SEVERAL months since it's already cranking out heat for our old farmhouse. I've looked at the possibility of a sun oven for something for us for summer cooking during summer months maybe. It's nice to see what everyone else is using in their different set ups.
Yeah, I've even tried to consider ways to make it work in PA for my parents, but it always involves building a side structure like a garage that's kept above freezing to house the unit, and only being able to really use it during late spring to early fall... Woody biomass from coppice wood just makes more sense. The Gosun products we have though I have used in PA. And even though they do cook in winter just fine, I loathed going out to check on them 😆. But still, I highly recommend the units and here I use them nearly daily when it's sunny for free clean cooking. As for biogas, it's tough to bring it into the temperate regions for sure.
@@frenchiepowell yah. The winter cooking is good on the wood stove inside and cozy in my wool socks 🧦 ... I have an area in my garden where a sun oven would be great during the seasons that I don't hate going outside 🌞 so the Go Sun is brand you would recommend? I have looked at them but also was checking out the All American solar oven for maybe larger capacity (we still have 4 children living at home - BIG meals )
@@jen.BarnesFamilyHomestead I highly recommend the Gosun Fusion, but realistically speaking it serves a meal for 2 people. Or a side dish for 4. The tech, cooking temperature, quality, and robustness I consider the best in the industry. The Sport I use with the kettle insert for 1.5c of water (enough for 1 person) but it's too small for food. And the Gosun Go is just trash for many reasons. Perhaps a review for their products ought to be in the works 🤷
Perhaps, but in the tropical sun I'd be throwing away and buying a brand new kitchen tent every year. In the future when I've built more of our house I'll integrate an outdoor kitchen into it, and that'll help, but until then it's cheaper and easier to let giant grass and trees grow up around the kitchen area to shelter it.
For the totality of what we're doing, forest gardening, biogas, solar, and natural structure building, I'd be content anywhere from 3/4 of an acre to 4 acres. We're technically on 11 acres here, but the vast majority is mountain that's difficult to access. So then, we only integrate with a fraction of it and let the rest be wild.
Maybe, I've never tried, and it'll depend on how the camping oven works. Do you attach a gas hose to the oven? Or do you attach the oven to a gas stove burner?
Thinking about getting one. How are you able to connect the toilet to the Home biogas 2 unit? I was told that only manuer can go there and I would have to buy a separate one. Or can you just connect the toilet to with the manure one? Please help!
@@user-iq3pe2dg9x my assumption is that this does work with the 6, but I've never tried it. If you email customer support they're generally pretty responsive 👍
@@sinorlando for sure, when connecting the toilet I had to take the pipe with me to the store to physically measure it against the pipes there. I'm no expert, but what I bought was a 2" pipe, but some pipes that were labeled 2"s didn't fit. No idea why, but I'm not a professional
It's not about the setup or model, it's about the methane potential of your biomass. Even if you don't have access to a lab, you can still guesstimate COD based on macro nutrients. Since there are no scrubbers, you can expect 50% of your raw gas to be co2, as well as 500-1500ppm sulphur - it will corrode everything regardless! Human poo, absolutely not. We simply do not have the enzymes and microbiome to deal with lignin and tough fiber. Sodium Bicarbonate is good at adjusting pH, but its even better at killing your biological processes. pH varies a lot through a plug feed digestor, depending on weather you are measuring in the acedogenic or methanogenic zone. A VFA is the best way to assess reactor health. Sidenote. Be humble. As someone that works in the biogas industry, it's often painful to listen to backyard experts, that have yet to scratch the surface.
Thank you so much for your input! Definitely wish I had someone like you to guide me through when I started! You're totally right, I'm nowhere near your level. But to be fair, I know more than the average person looking into these things for the first time. So if I'm a stepping stone on their way to expertise, I'm okay with that. The unit works regardless of not being perfect, and that's what I ultimately care about. If you could make one diy modification to the unit, something I might be able to add on, or do, any idea what you might do?
Well, the industry secret is, that we all need to be humble. On the biological side, there are still plenty of processes we don't understand, especially when reactor health starts to fail. My first suggestion is to inoculate your digester with cow manure from healthy non GMO and preferably grass fed cows.. It's very important, as its the only way to get the right mix of bacteria and enzymes. Secondly look into locally sourced "booster" biomass. This could be materials with sugar or oil residue. Molasses and glycerine have a methane potential op up to 700m3/ton while manure is about 45m3/ton. These potent biomasses are off course fed in small amounts. Entrails from fish and other domestic animals are also a surprisingly high methane producer. Thirdly i would look into a diy scrubber system. There are a lot of steel wool and water bubbler designs floating around on TH-cam. Dissolving co2 improves gas quality and reducing sulphur protects your gas consuming appliances.
I build a foam, hotbox insulated and bury it with solar heated water lines underneath it. Keep it stable year round and producing optimal extra heat from the other areas.
Very good video ! I have also this device at home and ... I exactly made the same mistake when starting it 😂 I can tell you I have wonderful neighbors (yes it's possible even in Switzerland) because the odor was ... how to say... terrible when I had to drain it to restart. But anyway, I confirm it's a great product and it works very well. Just an advice if you leave in a cold country like me, insulate your system as much as possible when you install it, it's not a detail, it's very very important.
No off-grid living here (except lots of composting) but thorougly enjoyed you review of the Homebiogas 2. Always had a great respect for rugged individualists like you. Thank you.
Good review. Covering the negatives has been helpful as the positives have been done to death by sponsored videos already.
Good video mate
Wow, I am interested in this product. By the way, do you need to frequently dispose the solid waste? what happened if you put too much waste into the tank (and then full)?
I've seen these before and seems really interesting! Probably not the most viable option for us here in Michigan with our winters, but... we have other really great sources for cooking - currently using our woodstove for the next SEVERAL months since it's already cranking out heat for our old farmhouse. I've looked at the possibility of a sun oven for something for us for summer cooking during summer months maybe. It's nice to see what everyone else is using in their different set ups.
Yeah, I've even tried to consider ways to make it work in PA for my parents, but it always involves building a side structure like a garage that's kept above freezing to house the unit, and only being able to really use it during late spring to early fall... Woody biomass from coppice wood just makes more sense. The Gosun products we have though I have used in PA. And even though they do cook in winter just fine, I loathed going out to check on them 😆. But still, I highly recommend the units and here I use them nearly daily when it's sunny for free clean cooking. As for biogas, it's tough to bring it into the temperate regions for sure.
@@frenchiepowell yah. The winter cooking is good on the wood stove inside and cozy in my wool socks 🧦 ... I have an area in my garden where a sun oven would be great during the seasons that I don't hate going outside 🌞 so the Go Sun is brand you would recommend? I have looked at them but also was checking out the All American solar oven for maybe larger capacity (we still have 4 children living at home - BIG meals )
@@jen.BarnesFamilyHomestead I highly recommend the Gosun Fusion, but realistically speaking it serves a meal for 2 people. Or a side dish for 4. The tech, cooking temperature, quality, and robustness I consider the best in the industry. The Sport I use with the kettle insert for 1.5c of water (enough for 1 person) but it's too small for food. And the Gosun Go is just trash for many reasons.
Perhaps a review for their products ought to be in the works 🤷
Great review, thanks! Would it work for you to put up a kitchen tent to better house the burner away from wind and weather?
Perhaps, but in the tropical sun I'd be throwing away and buying a brand new kitchen tent every year.
In the future when I've built more of our house I'll integrate an outdoor kitchen into it, and that'll help, but until then it's cheaper and easier to let giant grass and trees grow up around the kitchen area to shelter it.
I love it! "Chester the digester...LOL:)"
Can methane produced only by mannure or food scraps are necessary to balance pH?
Cooking food with the farts you made from the food you made from the farts you made.
You can help your eye to rub flax oil on it or any Vitamin E oil.
I'll look into that, thanks for the recommendation👍
I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF GETTING A HOME BIOGAS UNIT.
Do it 👍
About how much area do you need for what you're doing?
For the totality of what we're doing, forest gardening, biogas, solar, and natural structure building, I'd be content anywhere from 3/4 of an acre to 4 acres.
We're technically on 11 acres here, but the vast majority is mountain that's difficult to access. So then, we only integrate with a fraction of it and let the rest be wild.
which is the best manure to use?
Ideally cow manure
You think I can get a small camping oven on it
Maybe, I've never tried, and it'll depend on how the camping oven works. Do you attach a gas hose to the oven? Or do you attach the oven to a gas stove burner?
Thinking about getting one. How are you able to connect the toilet to the Home biogas 2 unit? I was told that only manuer can go there and I would have to buy a separate one. Or can you just connect the toilet to with the manure one? Please help!
Since technically you're adding human manure with the toilet, it's all fine. The bio toilet does work with the homebiogas 2 unit
@@frenchiepowell Awesome man thank you so much! Is this compatible with the Homebiogas 6? All you need is the tpipe correct?
@@user-iq3pe2dg9x my assumption is that this does work with the 6, but I've never tried it. If you email customer support they're generally pretty responsive 👍
What kind of pipe did you use to connect to the effluent out? I think I see a PVC pipe connected ? What size pipe did you use?
Yep, it was PVC, just what I had lying around from another project. I'm on vacation at the moment, so I'll have to measure it for ya when I return
@@frenchiepowell thank you and I appreciate your help. I’m having an issue with mine. Instructions say 2” but that’s not right.
@@sinorlando for sure, when connecting the toilet I had to take the pipe with me to the store to physically measure it against the pipes there. I'm no expert, but what I bought was a 2" pipe, but some pipes that were labeled 2"s didn't fit. No idea why, but I'm not a professional
Do you not use toilet paper with it?
We have that option, but then the toilet paper gets binned and composted properly. It doesn't go into Chester
It's not about the setup or model, it's about the methane potential of your biomass. Even if you don't have access to a lab, you can still guesstimate COD based on macro nutrients. Since there are no scrubbers, you can expect 50% of your raw gas to be co2, as well as 500-1500ppm sulphur - it will corrode everything regardless!
Human poo, absolutely not. We simply do not have the enzymes and microbiome to deal with lignin and tough fiber.
Sodium Bicarbonate is good at adjusting pH, but its even better at killing your biological processes. pH varies a lot through a plug feed digestor, depending on weather you are measuring in the acedogenic or methanogenic zone. A VFA is the best way to assess reactor health. Sidenote. Be humble. As someone that works in the biogas industry, it's often painful to listen to backyard experts, that have yet to scratch the surface.
Thank you so much for your input! Definitely wish I had someone like you to guide me through when I started!
You're totally right, I'm nowhere near your level. But to be fair, I know more than the average person looking into these things for the first time. So if I'm a stepping stone on their way to expertise, I'm okay with that. The unit works regardless of not being perfect, and that's what I ultimately care about.
If you could make one diy modification to the unit, something I might be able to add on, or do, any idea what you might do?
Well, the industry secret is, that we all need to be humble. On the biological side, there are still plenty of processes we don't understand, especially when reactor health starts to fail.
My first suggestion is to inoculate your digester with cow manure from healthy non GMO and preferably grass fed cows.. It's very important, as its the only way to get the right mix of bacteria and enzymes.
Secondly look into locally sourced "booster" biomass. This could be materials with sugar or oil residue. Molasses and glycerine have a methane potential op up to 700m3/ton while manure is about 45m3/ton. These potent biomasses are off course fed in small amounts. Entrails from fish and other domestic animals are also a surprisingly high methane producer.
Thirdly i would look into a diy scrubber system. There are a lot of steel wool and water bubbler designs floating around on TH-cam. Dissolving co2 improves gas quality and reducing sulphur protects your gas consuming appliances.
@@atleandersen1924 Thanks, most informative. I suppose dead mice would also work well. Been told to put them in my septic too.