18May11

Trying to fix some problems on systems.

In Les Cayes, I managed to fix some things for MIA. Now the solar water pump is functioning again. Happy times. Even without it, Boomba and Pierre were doing a great job with the garden and have some big artemesia plants going. Soon I will be able to carry malaria meds with me all the time in the tea form. 🙂

In Jacmel, the outlook isn’t as great for Madame Bonite. She needs a new inverter, but she is putting together funds for that. Also, she is excited to hear that more solar panels will be coming soon through a donation from Emmanuel Baptist in Johnstown. She was very excited as I was talking to her today.

Finally, in Grand Goave, I have a bigger problem to deal with. The batteries are giving me issues. We got nice batteries that should last a long time, but maintenance has not been done well, and the haitian style of maintenance has actually shortened their lifespan. Today I will try to scavenge as much life as I can from the system.

Haitians sometimes have the idea that to improve battery life it is good to dump out all the old acid and water and replace it, like changing oil in a car. Unfortunately, while it is great for a car to change the fluid (which they normally aren’t so good at), it is very bad for batteries to do the same thing.
Hopefully I can reduce the impact of the problem with some creative ideas from my friends.